I Choose Love - Love Serves, Part 2

Who is the most authentically humble person you know and what is it about that person's attitude and your concern for others. Their approach to life that makes him so attractive.

Here's the question. Would you like to be like that. I want to be like today together can learn stay with welcome to this Friday addition of Living on the Edge with shipping Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. I'm excited for you figure Chip's message today as he continues his series I choose love to lay out three key steps for how we can be great in God's eyes.

What's fascinating is the steps we now not up some little strange while open your Bible to Philippians chapter 2.

Let's join Chip for part two of his message log serves a bondservant of Jewish and Roman culture had no rights. You might have a number of servants in the house. The bondservant is the God picks up due to he's the guy that empties the trash. He's the guy that has zero rights know anything anywhere at any time. Could you just pause for a moment, could you imagine me when you think of how we cling to our rights. How can they didn't do that for me.

Don't they know who I am.

Can you imagine the creator of the universe, taking the form of a bondservant, and it says he's made in the likeness of the man, the word like this is our word schema. This is the word that means just the outward fashion of the appearance of and he was fully human, except he wasn't like all other men.

There's no sin nature. Jesus everything he did. He said follow me model this I can do nothing apart from him his entire life was I'm dependent on the father and in the power of the Holy Spirit to live this life so you can follow behind me and you be dependent on the father and the power the Holy Spirit and he did that because he loves you. He did that to rescue mankind. He descended into greatness.

You and have a mindset when he embraced the mindset with regard to your position right we will have one. We do in prestige. You know what what makes me of somebody. Let me give me three characteristics of the mindset of a servant might jot these down and think about how they might play out in your home in your driving at work characteristic number one no job is too low. Why is your servant. There's trash on the ground, picking up what your servant, no recognition is required.

No needs to know who you are no needs to say all wow your no recognition.

You don't have to casually like I certainly do at times tell people that you know so and so were you work so and so were you don't, you'll have to bring recognition to yourself.

No job too low.

No recognition needed. No thanks required. You know when a servant would do his job known to wow, thanks so much. It's easy servant. That's what he supposed to do serve all the rest of us. You see it's a mindset. Can you imagine what would be like to be married to someone who thought their job was to serve their mate can imagine a mom or dad who thought that the whole goal of their life was to serve their children away to help and be responsible to grow up can imagine what it be like to have a boss or supervisor who sold himself not as the head and the requirement got mad when people didn't get their deliverables bonded to serve you and help you be successful and maybe the best way to serve some of you to help you find another place because you struggle. This is what you are intended for, but the mindset is that you hack me off.

Get out here.

I want to serve you.

Will those of the three characteristics of servants mindset can you can you take anymore maybe three characteristics of what makes great servants number one, they observe needs zero servants relies on not here for people to serve me and so they they observe needs. If you've ever been to a very good restaurant and the waiter or the waitress. Do you you ask for water there there you ask for a second of this I mean there watching your table and they observe needs when you stand up and when you're here. Do you just go and talk to someone you know or you observing him under what the needs are one or how things are going here on if they need help in the children's ministry.

I wonder if they need help over here who might need servants have this mindset of there might be some needs I can fulfill second is they take initiative, you have to ask, but just they just take initiative.

Oh well, there's a need.

Also, I'll take care that I do that in third, they don't draw attention to themselves. Now that's pretty different is an that's what Jesus did and he loved deeply and better and that's why he's the greatest human being who ever lived because it was a human being fully God, but a human being.

That's how he viewed position in prestige. Finally, we become truly great when you embrace great Christ mindset toward productivity. Ask yourself what do you really accomplish quite a bit being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Underline the world word humbled himself put a box around becoming obedient and encircled death and circle on the cross, Jesus descended from the supreme Creator and ruler to taking on human flesh to being a servant to making his life a sacrifice to dying for us and then to die in the most humiliating way known to mankind that here's what you need to get, especially those with a sensitive conscience. Was I really appreciate the way to eliminate your pride is not to focus on how arrogant you are is not to walk out of here and go you know I think of myself and I'm really into position and yes I think my possessions make me of someone level to level up don't know, don't go there. When you try and get rid of pride out the window it comes back in the door to get out the door to come back into the attic. You know how you can become a humble person. It's really really easy obey you, obey your way to humility is humility is some feeling.

Humility is considering others. More important than yourself. So what you do. You on the truth. These people are actually more important than me. Therefore my time will go toward helping others. My money is good to go toward helping others and my talents will go towards helping others and more than some kind of feeling.

You do what Jesus did. He acted on it and by the way, just little note little star.

He didn't feel like remember the garden emotionally. Jesus didn't you love is giving another person what they need the most when they deserve it the least a great personal cost.

Jesus was not in the garden going father from eternity past working to save them. This is great Holy Spirit.

I will high-five you on that. I go to the cross oriented you all, father, father, if there be any way, not my will but yours be done.

But if there's a plan B or plan C.

I don't want to do this. I don't want to be separated from you I don't want the cost.

I don't want the pain.

I don't I want to do this. Nevertheless, can I tell you something when you don't feel like reading the Bible and read it when you don't feel like crying and pray we don't feel like giving and give when you give time and you care when you're tired and say I don't feel like it. I don't feel like it. I don't think you be a hypocrite.

I think you're probably more pleasing to God than almost any other time in your life. It takes a lot more faith to obey when you don't feel like doing it. You are living in such a feel oriented culture and kind of tired and if you like reading and I'm kinda tired out if I connected small group I'm kinda tired. I am so worn out lab… How did Jesus feel he was beat with an inch of his life. The crushed thorns into his skull. Love serves. I choose love. I choose to serve and something supernatural happens when that occurs, humility grows by obedience. If if someone came to you and said I got a proposition for you. I know everything. This can happen today.

I know what the stock markets me at the end of the day. I know what's can happen in your 11 o'clock meeting. I know the email that you can get to 15 that's gonna rock your world. I'm I know the news at 4 o'clock I know what can happen the moment you walk in the door with your family and I like to maybe get 15 at least 30 minutes and have a really good talk to prepare you so you can respond in each one of those situations in exactly the way that you ought to for the best results to bring about the most good for you and them could could you spare 30 minutes to that.

Who wouldn't do that right isn't that the invitation of Jesus to you is in the invitation, the creator of the world died in your place to experience shame to give you a relationship and just hear my heart, I completely don't understand this. I cannot fathom a child of God who loves God doesn't have time to meet with his creator whose only goal is to express his love to draw you near to renew your mind to give you grace to go through what you're going to go through and you say you don't have time for him, but you do Facebook, you don't have time for him, but you live on your phone you don't have time for him, but he got lots of hobbies you have time for him, but your kids on the traveling team you have time for him, but I made my point. If you got it. I want to really ask you if you walk out these doors and I want to be more humble. I intend to be more humble you will not be humble you act your way into humility.

Obedience is the pathway to humility. Humility is about considering others people more important than yourself.

So let's do a quick test and then we can get to something very exciting like the really wonderful side of the rewards of humility. Here's the test how other centered are you okay get out your device or devices and just scroll through the last two or three weeks and how many names and times on your devices are about serving other people and how many are about you, but that'll tell you.

Second is go home, pull up your bank statement and a copy of credit cards and look at where your money went and ask yourself how much of the money entrusted to you because is not yours and is not mine went to expressing your love to God and to helping other people and how well that went to you and to service your debt to the reason Jesus talks so much about money is because it's at the core. It's the MRI if you want to know where your hearts that it's not how you sing a song. It's not how often you come to church if you want to know where your heart set in us like yielding just follow the money and so the reason he he says, and taught them look the first 10% just so you know that I own it and you don't you write that check to me but if you live on a bit of edge budget and you decide how much is enough. Then, over and above that, how much is enough. You begin to share and give and love and that what he says is a keep descending into greatness.

All these people's lives change and people get lobbed and people come to Christ that they experience the life of Christ, seek my money tells me whether I'm humble or whether about me and I asked myself what about my talent where's my talent going meet my energy. Did you know in Christendom 50% of all the people to go to Bible believing churches do not give anything of their time for their money and I would love to say our church is a big exception. It's not. It's exactly that same place, and by the way, if you look at our numbers, work, work. We don't need your money when we could do a lot more. But here's my challenges you want to be a servant than serve. Get your priorities in order get your time in order. You can't do anything I'm talking about… God speaks to you and strengthens you. Your priorities will never get right into your finances get right. And if you think there's any ulterior motive, give it somewhere else, but maturity joy power.

Love demands humility that requires obedience now, just before you think I want to tell you something that makes all this worthwhile ready the next and last point is we experience the reward of true greatness. When we follow Christ example of servant now member. I said everyone wants to be great. Are you ready okay. How great do you really want to be okay. How great do you really want to be because if you are willing to take your position, your possessions, your prestige, your power and say I'm a steward of that and I'm going to use that humbly as God directs to serve and to love God and to love others. Here's the promise Christ will exalt you. Always exalt those who practice humility it back. Notice here's the example from Jesus. For this reason. What reason this descending into greatness.

Also, God highly exalted him literally. It's super exalted him, and he bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Why, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow where of those who are in heaven.

Of those who are in earth, and those are under earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ and put a box around Lord. The word is Yahweh.

He's referring back to Isaiah 4523 were God, Yahweh says I am the one in every knee will bow before me if you want to pass in God the father is Lord Jesus is Lord and notice the reason for the glory of God. You know Mother Teresa didn't own a whole lot. And there's people that have built huge huge things but we remember Mother Teresa why she does love people and she love people that no one cared about and got exalted her as you humble yourself as we as a church like never before. Humble ourselves by being obedient.

God will exalt you. What would be worth would be worth to have a deep loving connected family deep, loving, connected friendships be the person that changes the entire culture where you work or your neighborhood. See, God gave Jesus the greatest position in the greatest name now here's the deal. We need to apply this very specifically and I want to do it very soberly. For those of you who are here and you are a follower of Christ. You're absolutely certain that you are in God's family. You've trusted Christ at a certain point in time, you were convicted of your sin in your lifestyle, you realize that you needed to be forgiven and saved by a holy God and you extend the empty hands of faith and said I turn from my past life and I asked Jesus to come into my life and forgive me for my sin. I believe you died in my place and rose from the dead. If you're one of those people, here's the question.

Your knee is going to bow and you are going to confess him as Lord. My question is the Lord today.

If you have never said I'm all in and and and saying what. Whatever that means my geography, my family, my money, my dreams, I may be a little scared. Effective dental scared you don't know when talking about but I'm gonna trust God I'm gonna stand up and I'm gonna publicly declare he is my Lord. He will call the shots from this moment on, and if you've never done that. I'll ask you to stand and I will tell you, you will experience power some difficulty in some joint reward. He's never experienced in you, you will find yourself having to get into God's word because you begin using your life. There's another group of you that you're here and you're exploring and you wouldn't claim necessarily be a Christian. Are you not really sure if you are in the family or out of the family. You're a good person a moral person you're visiting a church, but if you died today you are not absolutely certain that you would spend eternity with Christ. Every person is going to bow the knee and you will profess Jesus is Lord option a is it if you haven't done that you bow the knee and you humble your heart and you say I need you, God, will you forgive me, to turn from sin. I ask you to come into my life and I want to follow you.

Option B is you say not ready do that.

Maybe later. I don't anyone tell me what to do it. I'm not sure about this God stuff that's good for you guys find I'm going to do my own thing. The day will come when you will bow your knee and instead of joy looking at your Savior and absolute dismay and distress. You will go.

I remember when I was in that church and ice heard God's voice and I may never hear it again like this. I so wish I could go back but you can't and he brought you into this room on this day to forgive your sins and give you new life. God wants you to be great if you want you to be great. He just want you to descend into greatness the acid test of greatness is love this. This is this is about being loving people.

The road to greatness that he got the tour down now. It's humility. The road to greatness is considering others. More important than yourself, and finally the opportunity for greatness. It's serving it's serving in the church and serving at home with saying I'm a servant no job is too low. I'm a servant available. I'm a servant I don't need recognition.

I want to be a part of the change change and I'm not someone who comes and sits and observes and intellectually believes that things everyone intellectually believe I'm a servant of God to show me where to plug in before we go any further. Today ring back to the very option A option B I talked about the close of the program because God has said it will happen. Option a is every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and option a is that people will do that willfully, joyfully, that they will recognize that God the son, who made all that there is who came and died in your place in my place for the sins of the whole world who rose from the dead, who seated at the right hand of the father is opening his arms and saying comment to me let me love you and forgive you I came the might have life and have it abundantly. Option B is for those who say I don't want that.

I'll control my life. No one's going to tell me what to do and we don't always say it that harshly. Sometimes we say it like will all get around to the God thing later. Or, you know, I think that's probably true, but I I'm going to do some stuff that I thinks really fun right now and maybe later or maybe you're one of those people that are literally shaking your fist in the face of God and saying no one and nothing is going to rule over me because you have a work view of God or had a bad religious experience. We don't talk about this much in our day, but I want you to know there is a reality of eternity and God sent the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and whoever believes in him has eternal life, the one that has the son has life, one that does not have the son of God does not have life. There are two endings, a group of people that God will say to them. Your will be done and you will be separated from him forever and ever and ever and there's a group that will say to God, your will be done.

Forgive me. I bow my knee and I do it voluntarily. I don't know where you're at, but here's my prayer that it this day on this moment, you would be an option. A person you would recognize that the way you are living your life independent of God is not working it doesn't work now and it won't work later and you would surrender your heart in your life at this very minute and say Lord Jesus, forgive me come into my life. I acknowledge he was the Lord, the Savior, the creator of the world and I want to follow you. I believe you died in my place. You rose from the dead. I receive you as my Savior make me your son make me your daughter that I want to tell you to get on your phone and text. The best Christian you know and tell them what you just did and then go to LivingontheEdge.org that's LivingontheEdge.org it's very easy to find.

We have some resources to help you in your brand-new life will find a good church this weekend that teaches the Bible and get on the journey.

If you just prayed with Chip. I hope you'll take a minute and call us at 1-888-333-6003. We'd love to talk with you and get a free resource in your hands specifically designed to help you get started out right on your new journey of faith or if you prefer you can go to your website. LivingontheEdge.org just click the new believers button to find that same resource list of all it's absolutely free. We just want to say welcome to the family will ship this is a good place to ask you to talk for a minute about our midyear match now what what comes to mind as you think back over the match seasons we've had and where we are today. You know Dave Living on the Edge is been teaching for about 20 years on the radio right. We started out on one station on the coast of California, and then it grew and grew and grew until while over a thousand stations and more hearts and minds that are chains we ever dreamed possible and were glad to be on this station and were really glad that you're listening today. You know you guys are, like the home team for us and some of you aren't just listening.

You become partners with us at Living on the Edge and vacuum partnered with us in prayer and in finances that have allowed us to move well beyond radio to make a difference. All around the world. But, you know, little by little. It was a group of people that believed in what we were doing. People who believe that it's not just God's word but it's putting it into practice and it's helping other people that would Christians live like Christians families change in churches change and I mean it's actually mind-boggling what we've seen God do and that's happened because some of you that have been with us for such a long time I watch God work in you, given so generously. And then there's people that are know that realizing now I listen to a podcast or the radio on a regular basis and it's so helpful to me and I never really thought about will how they pay for all this and how does it really work.

I want you to know that during this season.

About half of all the contributions come in during these matches, and so if you have never given to the match. Would you consider doing that during the season and if you have I just want to thank you so very much and pray that God would bless you and your generosity. So to everyone.

Here's what I want to say just pray, ask God what he wants you to do and if you'll just respond to what ever prompting. He gives you. Here's what I know will have all the money we need to do all that God really wants to do through us. Thanks so much. It goes without saying that were grateful for the investment many of you have made in this ministry and in the lives of countless thousands of people around the world and were excited to see what the Lord will do through this midyear match to be part of this important time in the life of the ministry. I hope you will prayerfully consider sending a gift today between now and July 7.

Every contribution will be matched dollar for dollar to send a gift visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 1-888-333-6003. That's 1-888-333-6003. Do you wish you could hear Living on the Edge when it fits into your schedule.

You can for those of you who want to listen to Living on the Edge on the go. Just download the free shipping roadmap at Google play or the app store would hope you'll join us again on Monday November since Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge