Embracing Humility: The Path to Christ-like Love

 

Summary

In today's reflection, the focus is on the importance of practicing humility and grace by embracing the possibility of being wrong. This practice is essential because the alternative often leads to meanness and self-righteousness, which are prevalent issues within the church. Drawing from Dallas Willard's insights in "Renovation of the Heart," the discussion highlights how Christians can sometimes confuse the treasure of life and joy in Christ with their own opinions and traditions, leading to a mean-spirited attitude. This attitude is not only damaging within the church but also mirrors the broader culture's tendency towards anger and division.

The challenge for the church is to catechize, or form, its members in a way that counters the deforming influences of media and culture, which often thrive on anger and hatred. Unfortunately, the church itself can sometimes contribute to this deformation. The sermon emphasizes that being "right" is often prioritized over being Christ-like, leading to a culture of condemnation and judgment. This is a fundamental mistake, as the true goal should be to get heaven into people, fostering genuine spiritual transformation and discipleship to Jesus Christ.

The message encourages us to reflect on our own actions and attitudes, recognizing that we all have the potential to hurt others when we prioritize being right over being loving. The path to spiritual transformation involves embracing humility, acknowledging our own wrongness, and being open to correction. This practice not only aligns us more closely with Christ's teachings but also allows us to experience and share the reality of God's love more fully.

Key Takeaways:

- Embracing the possibility of being wrong is a practice of humility and grace. It challenges the tendency to prioritize being right over being Christ-like, which often leads to meanness and self-righteousness. By acknowledging our own fallibility, we open ourselves to genuine spiritual growth and transformation. [00:34]

- The church's role is to form its members in Christ-like character, countering the deforming influences of media and culture. This requires more than just imparting information; it involves shaping habits and responses that reflect Christ's love and humility. [02:04]

- Prioritizing being right over being loving leads to a culture of condemnation and judgment within the church. True discipleship involves getting heaven into people, fostering genuine spiritual transformation rather than merely preparing them for the afterlife. [06:26]

- Reflecting on our own actions and attitudes is crucial. We must recognize our potential to hurt others when we prioritize being right over being loving. This self-awareness is a step towards aligning ourselves more closely with Christ's teachings. [07:41]

- Practicing humility involves acknowledging our own wrongness and being open to correction. This practice not only aligns us with Christ's teachings but also allows us to experience and share the reality of God's love more fully. [11:04]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Invitation to Practice Being Wrong
[00:50] - Righteously Mean Christians
[01:16] - The Danger of Confusing Treasure with Vessel
[02:04] - The Church's Role in Formation
[02:33] - Media's Influence on Anger and Hatred
[03:00] - Meanness Within the Christian Community
[04:22] - Why Are Christians So Mean?
[05:00] - The Practice of Condemnation
[06:26] - The Church's Fundamental Mistake
[07:12] - Being Christian Without Christ-likeness
[08:11] - Getting Heaven into People
[09:05] - The Importance of Being Christ-like
[09:53] - Personal Story of Being Wrong
[11:04] - Rejoicing in Being Loved While Wrong
[11:15] - Practicing Being Wrong in Jesus' Name

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV) - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."
2. James 4:6 (NIV) - "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'"
3. Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV) - "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Observation Questions:
1. What does Philippians 2:3-4 suggest about the attitude we should have towards others, and how does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on humility?
2. How does James 4:6 describe God's response to pride versus humility, and how does this align with the sermon’s call to embrace being wrong?
3. In Matthew 7:3-5, what is the significance of addressing one's own faults before pointing out others', and how does this relate to the sermon’s message about self-awareness and correction? [07:41]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How might the practice of humility, as described in Philippians 2:3-4, counteract the tendency towards meanness and self-righteousness mentioned in the sermon? [00:50]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the church can sometimes contribute to the deformation of character, and how does this relate to the broader cultural influences mentioned? [02:33]
3. How does the concept of getting "heaven into people" rather than just preparing them for the afterlife challenge traditional views of discipleship, according to the sermon? [06:26]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent situation where you prioritized being right over being loving. How could you have approached it differently with humility and grace? [11:04]
2. Consider the media and cultural influences in your life. How can you actively counteract these influences to cultivate a Christ-like character? [02:33]
3. Identify a personal belief or opinion that you hold strongly. Are you open to the possibility of being wrong about it? How can you practice humility in this area? [11:15]
4. Think of a time when you were corrected by someone. How did you respond, and what can you learn from that experience about being open to correction? [09:53]
5. How can you contribute to a culture of love and grace within your church community, rather than one of condemnation and judgment? [05:00]
6. What steps can you take this week to ensure that your actions and attitudes align more closely with Christ’s teachings of love and humility? [09:05]
7. Reflect on a relationship where there is tension or conflict. How can you apply the sermon’s message of humility and grace to improve that relationship? [07:25]

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Our Fallibility for Spiritual Growth
Embracing the possibility of being wrong is a profound practice of humility and grace. It challenges the natural human tendency to prioritize being right over being Christ-like, which often leads to meanness and self-righteousness. By acknowledging our own fallibility, we open ourselves to genuine spiritual growth and transformation. This practice aligns us more closely with Christ's teachings, allowing us to experience and share the reality of God's love more fully. [00:34]

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." (Proverbs 3:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you insisted on being right. How might embracing the possibility of being wrong have changed the outcome and your relationships?


Day 2: The Church's Role in Countering Cultural Deformation
The church's role is to form its members in Christ-like character, countering the deforming influences of media and culture. This requires more than just imparting information; it involves shaping habits and responses that reflect Christ's love and humility. The church must actively work to catechize its members, fostering a community that embodies the teachings of Jesus in a world that often thrives on anger and division. [02:04]

"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving." (Colossians 2:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: Consider how your daily media consumption influences your thoughts and actions. What steps can you take to ensure that your character is being shaped more by Christ than by cultural narratives?


Day 3: Prioritizing Love Over Being Right
Prioritizing being right over being loving leads to a culture of condemnation and judgment within the church. True discipleship involves getting heaven into people, fostering genuine spiritual transformation rather than merely preparing them for the afterlife. This shift in focus encourages believers to embody Christ's love and grace, creating a community that reflects the heart of God. [06:26]

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a relationship where you have prioritized being right over being loving. How can you begin to change this dynamic today?


Day 4: Self-Reflection and Christ-like Alignment
Reflecting on our own actions and attitudes is crucial. We must recognize our potential to hurt others when we prioritize being right over being loving. This self-awareness is a step towards aligning ourselves more closely with Christ's teachings. By examining our hearts and motives, we can better understand how to live out the love and grace that Jesus exemplified. [07:41]

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal areas in your life where you may be causing harm by prioritizing being right. What changes can you make to align more closely with Christ's teachings?


Day 5: The Joy of Being Loved Despite Our Wrongness
Practicing humility involves acknowledging our own wrongness and being open to correction. This practice not only aligns us with Christ's teachings but also allows us to experience and share the reality of God's love more fully. Rejoicing in being loved while wrong reminds us of the grace we have received and encourages us to extend that grace to others. [11:04]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you were loved despite being wrong. How can this experience inspire you to extend grace and love to others in similar situations?

Quotes


He talks about how when we confuse the treasure, the life and joy and power from God that's present in Jesus, with the vessel, our opinions, our traditions, the little tribe that we're from, the stuff that we want to be in control of, what it produces is people who are mean, and this is a real problem in the church. [00:50:57]

Part of the church's job is to catechize, as the old word means, to teach not just to inform but to form, to shape our characters and our habits and responses. And he says, you know, if a church only has 30 minutes a week for a sermon, it can't catechize people who are being catechized, formed, shaped, deformed by Facebook and Twitter. [02:02:00]

Christians are routinely taught by example in word that it is more important to be right than to be Christ-like. In fact, being right licenses you to be mean, and indeed requires you to be mean, righteously mean. Of course, you must be hard on people who are wrong, and especially if they are in positions of Christian leadership. [04:51:36]

A fundamental mistake of the American church today, and much of the Western church, is that it takes as its basic goal to get as many people as possible ready to die and go to heaven. In other words, it aims to get people into heaven rather than to get heaven into people. [06:22:08]

The project thus understood and practiced is self-defeating. It implodes upon itself because it creates groups of people who may be ready to die but clearly are not ready to live. It's just amazing words. They rarely can get along with one another, much less those outside. [07:00:15]

The way to get as many people into heaven as you can is to get heaven into as many people as you can. That is, to follow the path of genuine spiritual transformation or full throttle discipleship to Jesus Christ. And those words are not simply clever; they are simply true. [08:09:31]

Remember, it is more important to be Christ-like than it is to be "quote-unquote" right. And the whole point about being right about anything is to be able to navigate reality and move towards Christ's likeness. So if I give up on that, then I'm just wrong, period. [08:56:39]

One of the things Dallas said occasionally those of us who teach don't say, I think, nearly often enough is, I am surely wrong about many, many things that I think to be true. And I know this is the case because everybody else I know is wrong about a lot of stuff. [10:30:59]

Thank God that God doesn't love us because we're right; he loves us because he's God. So today rejoice in being loved even while wrong. Look for opportunities to find out that you are wrong about something and be grateful if anybody is able to point you better to the truth. [11:02:24]

Let us practice today being wrong in Jesus' name. [11:15:40]

Guard your hearts. Love you and I'll see you next time. [11:21:39]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?