A Man of Humility

Tom Shrader draws from Philippians 2:5-8 and Mark 15 to present humility as the defining characteristic of Christ's life and the key virtue for Christian living. He argues that Jesus, though equal with God, voluntarily emptied Himself and died on the cross, modeling a self-giving love that directly counters the selfishness and pride that drive human relationships. Shrader challenges his congregation to replace self-centered thinking with a humble regard for others, pointing to Timothy in Philippians 2 as a rare example of someone who genuinely prioritized the interests of others over his own.

“In marriage, dating, work, and any encounter between two human beings, the 10W40 that takes the friction out of it is humility.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: New City Church

Recorded: Feb 10, 2013

Duration: 37 min

Themes: humility, pride, selflessness, sacrifice, servanthood, crucifixion, love, character, struggling with pride, navigating conflict, husband, parent, young adult, new believer, feeling self-centered, mentor

Scripture: Mark 15:29-34, Philippians 2:5-8, Philippians 2:19-20, Mark 10:45, John 10:18, John 19:30, John 3:16, Matthew 1, Romans 5:6-10, Isaiah 14:12-17, Matthew 5:16, 1 Corinthians 13, Ephesians (general reference)

Theological Themes: kenosis, incarnation, christology, sanctification, imago dei, self-emptying, communicable attributes, servant leadership

Full Transcript

The Attributes of Christ

Today we are going to look at one of those characteristics in the series on Jesus — a man of. It is a characteristic that I have become convinced, which by the way does not mean it is right, is a key, if not the characteristic, in you and I being the men, women, and students that God has called us to be.

There are what theologians call the communicable attributes of God — the ones He has perfectly and we have imperfectly. God is love. We have that love, but it is imperfect. The characteristic we are examining today falls into that category.

The Crucifixion Scene

Open your Bibles to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 15. In Mark chapter 15 is one of those moments — it is the crucifixion. Christ is on the cross. Verse 29: "And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, 'Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself and come down from the cross.'" Verse 31: "In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, 'He saved others; He cannot save Himself.'"

When I enter into that scene and try to put myself in the story, I do not know why, but it has always been one of those moments where if I were Jesus — and we are all glad I am not — I would have said, "That is about enough." It is the epicenter in the history of mankind. It is where our wickedness meets mercy and grace.

The Agony of the Cross

In verse 34, Jesus cries out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" That is the agony of the cross. When we talk about the agony of the cross, it is not primarily the physical aspect of it. Thousands of people have died more physically agonizing deaths.

When someone was crucified, their feet were placed on a small platform and there was a ledge on the cross they could sit on. They could stand, and then rest. The weight of their body would pull them forward, and they would push up to breathe. That is why soldiers would come along and break their legs — the person would slump forward and suffocate. Men were crucified for days, even weeks, if given food and nourishment, and there are accounts where birds and dogs would begin to feed on the body. I say that not to be graphic, but to make clear this was agonizing.

Yet the true agony of the cross is not the physical suffering. It is that moment recorded in verse 34, where He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf. In this great exchange, we trade our sin for God's righteousness. Jesus was punished at that moment as though He were guilty of all the sin of all those who would ever believe in Him. That is the agony of the cross.

It Is Finished

Right after this, John tells us in John 19:30 that Jesus whispers, "It is finished." What is finished? His mission on earth. He came and told His disciples in Mark 10:45 that "the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve," and ultimately the picture of that is to give His life a ransom for many.

In Matthew chapter 1, Joseph has discovered that Mary is pregnant. He knows biology, and he knows he has not been with her. He is about to sever the engagement — we can only imagine the humanity of that moment. He goes to sleep, and we get the sense that with some urgency he was planning to obtain a certificate of divorce the very next day, a formal cessation of the engagement. An angel appears to him and says, "Joseph, relax. Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She is going to have a son, and you are going to call Him Jesus — because He will save His people from their sins." Jesus is on this earth on a mission.

The Cross: A Symbol Transformed

Jesus went to the cross voluntarily. In John chapter 10, verse 18, Jesus says, "I lay down my life. No one takes it from me. I lay it down of my own initiative." When we look at the crucifixion, we see an amazing picture of love. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

You have to understand that love through the picture of the cross. Some of you are wearing a cross on your neck right now. God, in a moment, took the symbol of torture — it was the worst way to be executed — and transformed it. Walking around two thousand years ago with a cross on a chain would have been like walking around today with an electric chair or a noose on a chain. But God's love turned that picture of torture into a picture of redemption.

The characteristic I want to focus on in the midst of all this is that Jesus was a man of humility. Throughout His life, and ultimately in His dying on the cross, Jesus demonstrates for us how we are to live.

Philippians 2: A Theological Diamond

Come with me to the book of Philippians — go to the right through the Gospels, Acts, Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, and you'll find Philippians. Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 8. This passage is about the incarnation — about God becoming man and dwelling among us. Paul writes: "Have this attitude in you which is also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He emptied Himself — not by way of His deity, but of His glory — and took the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of man, and being found in the appearance of man, humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

These four verses are filled with deep theological truth. One author writes: "The incarnation is the central miracle of Christianity, the most grand and wonderful of all the things that God has ever done." Some scholars believe this passage was originally sung as a hymn by the early church to commemorate and celebrate the incarnation. It has been called a Christological gem — a theological diamond that perhaps sparkles brighter than any other in Scripture.

In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God, the Word was with God — but the Word becomes flesh and dwells among us for a specific reason: to die on that cross and to redeem us. Paul tells us in Romans chapter 5, verses 6, 8, and 10, that while we were yet sinners, while we were helpless, while we were enemies of God, Christ died for us. He died for His people not because you longed for Him as a Savior. He died in spite of you, not because of you.

What We Are Apart from Christ

There is a television preacher who said on air, "When God got a hold of me, He got something very, very special." The problem is that Scripture does not support that. Scripture does not say that God looked at any of us and thought, "There's someone I could really use — rough edges, but real potential." No. Scripture says we are helpless, hopeless sinners.

I was once guest speaking at a church and I identified myself as pond scum. A lady came up afterwards and wanted me to take a class on self-esteem, concerned I had too low a view of myself. I told her, "You need to understand — I stayed up all night trying to elevate myself to pond scum." That is who we are apart from Christ. We have value in our human condition — I understand that, we are made in the image of God — but He died for us in spite of what we are. That is heavy theology.

The Ethic, Not Just the Theology

Setting the deep theology aside for a moment, I want to focus not on the theology of this passage but on the ethic of it. Make sure you get this: what makes us Christians is what we believe, not how we behave. When someone tells me, "Bob is a good Christian guy," and I ask why, they might say, "Well, he feeds hungry people and builds homes for hurting people." Those are all great things — but Buddhists do that. Secular humanists do that. What makes us Christians is what we believe.

Salvation and the Purpose of Good Works

It is our doctrine, it is our theology. At its core, it is this passage we looked at: that Christ died in our place, and we can have eternal life if we believe in Him. Now, because we believe that, it affects how we behave. My works, my efforts do not contribute to my salvation. I am as prepared for heaven as I have ever been.

God saved me on March 6th, 1980. If all He wanted to do was get me to heaven, He would have taken me right then. But He left me for a reason. Jesus tells us that reason in Matthew 5:16: "Let your good works shine in such a way that people see them." I am supposed to be someone you can watch and see that your life has been infected by Christ.

Jesus says people are to see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. What I call that is making the invisible God visible. But if people only see your good works, they are going to say, "Wow, there is really something special about you — I wish I had your personality." It is not your personality; that is Christ at work in you. And you will only get halfway there unless you also tell them.

The Greatest Characteristic: Humility

The greatest characteristic you can begin to unfold in your life is what Jesus demonstrates in His own life and what Paul writes about here. Here it is: humility. In marriage, dating, work, and any encounter between two human beings, the 10W40 that takes the friction out of it is humility.

Sandy and I, as I said, have been married eight months. I have to approach every situation that she and I are in together understanding that I am a sinner saved by grace, and that if there is a conflict, I am sure my ego is a contributing factor to it. Now, she does not think I am the problem — she thinks she is the problem. So if we each think we are the problem, God is going to do something very special.

Do Nothing from Selfishness or Empty Conceit

Here is how Paul tells us to live. Go back to verse 3 and stay in this passage in Philippians 2. He says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit." Selfishness is the idea of placing my will above everybody else's — and in this case, above God's. It is what Isaiah describes in Isaiah 14:12–17 about Satan. Lucifer said, "I will, I will, I will, I will be the most high." That is this idea of selfishness.

It is not just an action; it is a total mindset. I want what I want. I want mine. What about me? That is how we are born. I have two daughters, and I used to travel a lot. When I would come back I would always bring a gift — usually something like a t-shirt — for Sarah and Haley. If I gave Haley the t-shirt, Sarah would immediately say, "What about me?" If I gave it to Sarah first, Haley would say, "What about me?" And we grow up that way. That is our fundamental problem.

I was with a group of guys the other day and they said, "There are no leaders in this world anymore." Well, let me tell you the real problem: there are no followers anymore. You have a country that has become almost impossible to govern because you have 330 million people saying, "What about me?" It comes into the workplace and everybody is saying, "What about me?" It comes into a church setting: "What about me? What are you going to do for me?"

At one point I used to teach every Sunday at our church for 22 years. We had services at 8, 9, 10, 11, 4, 5, and 6. I was standing by the receptionist one day when the phone rang. She answered: "Hello, East Valley Bible Church, this is Mary, how can I help you?" She went through all the service times and then said, "I'm sorry, those are just the only ones we have. Short of us swinging by your house and doing this in your bedroom, I don't know how to make this any more convenient." But isn't that what we say? A lot of people are at a church because it works for them, and when it stops working for them, they leave. I am in this marriage while it works for me. I am at this job while it works for me. Everything is disposable.

Replacing Conceit with Humility of Mind

Paul says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit." That compound word appears only this one time in the New Testament in the Greek. It means vainglory — an exaggerated view of yourself. Do not be someone driven purely by personal goals and accomplishments over everyone else, with an inflated view of yourself. And for almost everybody, getting an inflated view of yourself requires putting everybody else down. Paul says: do not live that way, do not think that way.

But he also says I have to replace it. "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind." Put selfishness off and replace it with an attitude that says, "I am going to regard one another as more important than myself. I am not going to look out just for my own interests, but for the interests of others."

There is an old classic writer named Thomas Chalmers — you can search for him and find the article and book chapters — who wrote something he called "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection." Here is the punchline: when I take something out of my life, I have to replace it with something else. The grandkids were over last night, and Sandy and I approach them very differently. Sandy understands Thomas Chalmers; I do not. If the kids were playing with a microphone, I would say, "Hey, put it down" — and when they did not, I would repeat it, and then someone cries, I cry, we all cry, and all hell breaks loose. What Sandy would do is come along, take the microphone away, but immediately replace it. "Look at this bottle of water. Look at it. Isn't it amazing?" And the child will play with it for an hour.

That is what God says. God says — and Paul uses this same kind of language in the book of Ephesians —

Put Off Pride, Put On Humility

Paul says he doesn't want us operating from selfishness or conceit, but wants to replace those things with humility of mind. When Paul wrote the word "humility," there was no Greek or Latin word for it. That concept was so foreign to those brilliant minds that it never occurred to them that somebody would be, or should be, humble. In fact, humility was considered a sign of weakness, not a sign of strength.

Jesus comes along and turns that upside down. He knows it is counterintuitive, because the world around us pushes us to look out for number one. But He says: take your interests and submit them, place them under the interests of others. There is a song we sing that has an amazing line in it — "Amazing love, how can it be, that You my King would die for me." Kings don't die for the people they rule. Paul is saying he wants us to think like Jesus, not like the world.

The world says me first, then others, and God if He happens to be around. God says no — it is God first, then others, and if you have any time left, you will be thinking about yourself. He comes along and says He wants us to be humble, not proud.

Pride: The Besetting Sin

Your besetting sin is pride. In his classic work *Mere Christianity*, C.S. Lewis defines pride as a complete anti-God state of mind. Lewis writes that it was through pride that Lucifer became the devil. Pride drives so much, and it is so subtle.

Not long ago, a car pulled up in front of me with one of those stick-figure family stickers in the window — mom, dad, four kids, a dog, a cat — and a bumper sticker that read "My student is an honor student." If your child is an honor student, that seems like something between you, the kid, and God. Why does that sticker need to be on the car? The usual answer is, "Because I'm proud of my kid." But when the kid is no longer an honor student the following year, are you going to peel it off? That bumper sticker, it could be argued, represents more the parent bragging about themselves than celebrating the child.

When my daughter was in first grade she took her Iowa Basic Skills test, and when the results came in June, essentially everything scored average. It was devastating to me. I had to sit with myself and realize I wasn't troubled for her sake — I didn't want an average kid because of what it reflected on me. So much of what we do, what we wear, what we drive, even where we go to church, is driven by pride.

The Subtle Selfishness of "Loving" Our Kids

Here is a controversial thought: most people don't even truly love their children. If someone said, "Oh, I love my kid — if my kid were drowning in the ocean I'd swim out there," that doesn't prove much. A mule would die for its young. That is not the challenge. The challenge is not to die for your kid; it is to live for your kid.

Most parents say they want their child to come to Christ, and many times that desire is genuine. But sometimes it is motivated by not wanting the aggravation that comes if the child doesn't. We are so selfish and so self-centered, and it is so subtle. Paul says he wants us to think like Christ — to deliberately regard other people as more important than ourselves.

Humility as the Heart of Love

What Paul is really talking about here is love. We are in the book of Philippians, but consider 1 Corinthians 13, what used to be called the love chapter. You know the passage: "Love is patient, love is kind." He states it positively and then negatively — it is not jealous, it does not brag, it is not arrogant. Verse 5: "It does not act unbecomingly. It does not seek its own."

That phrase is exactly what we are talking about. When we talk about humility, we are talking about one of the key ingredients to love. Paul is saying to us here and now that he wants us to live with a spirit that looks at the people around us and serves them. And he is going to tell us that we will never do this unless we look out for others' interests and elevate those interests over our own.

You cannot simply play the game on the surface. You will never serve with a genuine heart someone you believe you are better than. It will not happen. And this kind of humility is extraordinarily rare.

A Rare Commodity

Paul writes to the church at Philippi and says, "I have a man for you — he is a kindred spirit of mine, and I have nobody else like him." Look at verse 19: he says he is going to send this man, whose name is Timothy. Verse 20: "I have no one else of a kindred spirit who is genuinely concerned for your welfare, for they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ." This is a rare commodity. Paul is saying, "I have all these men around me running my own little seminary, and I have one man I can send you — and here is what makes him unique and special and perfect for you: he is going to care more about you than himself."

That is the key to any relationship. That is the key to work. That is the key in any relationship.

Humility Is Not Weakness

I understand the human fear in this. The worry is: if I go out into the world and live this way, the world is going to run over me. I will be just this timid little mouse who never achieves anything. But I came across a series of books — Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads — covering topics such as managing change, leadership, and managing yourself. A contributor writes a section titled "Remember the Importance of Humility." This is not coming from Scripture; this is coming from the perspective of what simply works.

He recounts: when he was asked to teach a class on humility at Harvard, he asked all the students to describe the most humble person they knew. One characteristic of these humble people stood out — they had a high level of self-esteem. They knew who they were and they felt good about who they were. We would say it this way: they were comfortable in their own skin.

The class also concluded that humility was defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes, but by the esteem with which you regard others. Good behavior flows naturally from that kind of humility. For example, you will never steal from someone because you respect that person too much. You would never lie to someone.

He goes on to say that it is crucial to take a sense of humility into the world. By the time you make it to the top of a graduate school, almost all the learning you have comes from people who are smarter and more experienced than you — bosses, teachers, parents. But once you have finished Harvard, or Kansas State University, or any other academic institution, the vast majority of people you interact with on a day-to-day basis may not be smarter than you. If your attitude is that only smarter people have something to teach you, your learning opportunities will be limited. But if you are humble and eager to learn something from everybody, your learning opportunities will be unlimited.

The Humble Heart

There is a whole concept some of you have read about, and perhaps experienced, called servant leadership. The world writes volumes about it. At its core, it is simply a humble heart. That is what God has called you and me to be. Jesus was a man of humility, and Paul tells us that God wants us to think that way and act that way.

You may say, "I cannot do it." You cannot — but the Spirit in you can. We began this series, and we end it, at that epicenter of human history: the cross.

Communion

Every week here at New City Church, you stop at this point in the service and celebrate communion together. You go to the stations — two in the back and one in the front — take the elements, and eat and drink. Paul tells us that we do this in remembrance of Christ. It is past, present, and future. It is past — Christ died on the cross. It is present — He is alive in us today and has called us to be conformed to His image. And then there is that day, a moment or two from now in the sweep of eternity, when we will be with Him forever. It is the cross that makes that possible.

The band will come and play, and Brian will close our time. As your heart is prepared and ready, go and take those elements — those of you who know Christ as your Lord and Savior, whether you are part of this church or any church, part of the body of Christ. Take those elements, return to your seat, and as your heart is prepared, receive them.

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*Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for His life and death. Thank you for redeeming us. And then thank you for not leaving us alone, but leaving us here so we become salt and light to the world around us. God, give us a broken, contrite heart, a humble spirit. God, let us be instruments that You use to serve the people around us. We ask that in Jesus' name, amen.*