This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:01] Today, we need to talk about self esteem. I don't know what you think about self-esteem, but I can tell you it is being taught to our young people, especially here in Southern California. Before where this church began, I was a high school pastor for 12 years of my life. A grown man going to the high schools. I was on campus all the time and I was preaching at church that the young people should deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Jesus Christ. And then they would go to school and they would hear that they should express themselves and follow their heart to live a happy life. And it was like there were two different gospels. The gospel of self-denial and following Jesus in the gospel of self esteem and personal fulfillment.

[00:00:58] And many of the young people, they were being indoctrinated that they should follow their own hearts and express their own desires and do what it was that they wanted to do. And I felt like when I was growing up, the kids at school were taught that they should have virtue and do what was good.

[00:01:20] And now today, the young people are being taught that they are good and the virtue is doing what they want to do.

[00:01:31] And so self-esteem has become such a popular thought in our culture that we need to learn how to think about it biblically and we're gonna find out from the scripture right now that the opposite of self-esteem is not having some low view of yourself or some poor self-image. The opposite of self-esteem is a steaming others as more important than yourself. Grab your Bible and open it up with me to Philippians. Chapter two Philippians Chapter two vs. one to five will be our text this morning. This is page 980. If you got one of our Bibles and this is something that all of us need to, we need to hear what the word of God says. We need to really take it to heart, because what we're going to hear here is different than what we're hearing with our ears all around us here in Southern California. And so really, this whole passage flows from verse one all the way to verse eleven and out of respect for God's word. Amen to read it for us this morning. And I'm going to ask that all of you would stand up for our scripture reading. And I would ask that you would give this your full and undivided attention, because Paul, as he writes this letter to this church in Philippi, he's now telling them what they need to do. In fact, he's telling them what they should do that all Christians should do here in Philippians chapter to follow along with me as I begin in verse one.

[00:03:03] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love and participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death, on a cross. Therefore, God is highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. So that at the name of Jesus, every need should be now in heaven and on earth and under the Earth.

[00:04:25] And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father that ends the reading of God's word. Please go ahead and have your seat.

[00:04:38] And so we see now this is really fascinating for us to try to get our minds around, but it's actually going to tell us what to do before it even tells us what Jesus has done. And the reality of what Jesus has done is that he is the one who shares glory with the father in heaven. And yet he humbles himself to be born as a man, and then he humbles himself even to the point of dying for us, offering his life up for us on the cross, the son of God because the servant of all mankind.

[00:05:23] Now, that's that's the gospel, that's the good news. That's the amazing story of Jesus Christ that we read in the second half. But the first half gives us our response. So it actually tells us how we should respond before it even goes through the reality of what Jesus did. And it says, going back to verse one. Let's begin there. It says four different phrases here. If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy. Now, when he uses the word if it's creating an if, then and when we hear the word if in our English language, we might think there's some kind of question like he's asking a question. Is there encouragement in Christ? Is there comfort from love? OK, well, let me just put that question on my Christian brothers and sisters here. Is there any encouragement in Jesus Christ, everybody? Is there any comfort in knowing that he loves us? Do we have participation in the Holy Spirit? So this is not like maybe it's out there and you can find it. This kind of if is a sense is it's a because if this is how Jesus has been to you, then let's talk about how you should be to other people. OK?

[00:06:43] There is great comfort in Jesus Christ. There is great comfort in knowing that we have been loved by a father who has adopted us to be his children, that we all share the fellowship of the Holy Spirit of God, empowering us and transforming us.

[00:07:00] And that all of us know the affection and sympathy of God, his compassion and how he cares for us, his mercy, and how he's not giving us what we deserve. But so much better. No verse one is saying, since Jesus Christ has loved you in this way. Let's get that down for point number one, if you're taking notes. We're going to try to get a point from from each one of these first four verses here. And point number one, since you have been loved by Jesus. That's what it's saying.

[00:07:34] Four different ways there in verse one, since Jesus left heaven behind on a seek and saved mission for your soul, since the father loved you so much that he gave his one and only son, since Jesus loved you so much that he laid down his life as if he were your servant. And he took on the wrath of God and paid the penalty for all the sins that you've thought, said, or done, since there's love in Jesus.

[00:08:12] We ought to treat one another a certain kind of way. Turn with me to first, John, chapter four, verse seven. Everybody grab your Bible and turn over there with me. The first John. Chapter four, verse verse seven.

[00:08:32] Each one thousand and twenty three. If he got one of our books first, John, chapter four, verse seven refers to us as the beloved. So it's already referring to us here as those who have been loved by God through his son, Jesus Christ.

[00:08:48] Beloved, let us love one another. Now it does it again before it even tells us how we've been loved by Jesus. It already goes to the response of how we should love other people in the same way that Jesus has loved us. So you gotta see that in the Scripture. There is a direct connection. If you have been loved by Jesus, you will love other people like Jesus loved you. There is no possible way that that love could experience a disconnect where you could be over here basking in the love of God, but not really caring about other people and not really loving them. That is impossible. In the pages of scripture, look what it says.

[00:09:30] Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God. And whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Now anyone who does not love does not know God because God is. What does it say?

[00:09:46] All right. We're gonna work on that. All right. Cause that was pretty weak. I didn't really hear anything from this side over here. All right.

[00:09:53] Is God love? Can we say that here this morning? Okay. All right. Now. Now, here's the thing. If you believe that God is love. Well, if you know God, guess what that makes you. That makes you someone who's gonna love that. Because to know God. To know his love. To really experience it. It becomes who you are. You identify in a relationship with him. There's no way that you could know the God who is love and then have no love for your fellow man. That is impossible. According to the Bible, in fact, if you see somebody who's not loving other people, that tells you if they don't love, they don't know God because God is love. So it's impossible for someone to think that they're a Christian person loved by God and Jesus.

[00:10:40] But they don't want to love other people. The Bible says it's not that way. Anyone who doesn't love other people does not know God because God is OK.

[00:10:51] We did see where yes, we're in this together. I love that. Thank you. All right. So if you love, it's because you've been born of God and you know God because he's where love comes from. But if you're not loving other people, the problem isn't those people. The problem is you don't know God. And so then it says, this is how love came. Verse nine. And this love of God was made manifest among us. This is what love looks like.

[00:11:19] This is how we can see it, that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him in this is love. Not that we have loved God, but that he loved us. And he sent his son Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins, the atoning sacrifice Jesus was sent to satisfy God's wrath and the judgment that was required for our sin, beloved if God so loved us.

[00:11:52] We also ought to love one another. So when John's writing this letter asks the disciple whom Jesus loved, he is right.

[00:12:03] And so that people who believe in Jesus would know that they have eternal life would be assured of their salvation. And one of the main evidences that he uses so that you can know if you really know God or not, is do you love other people? If you do love other people, that's because you know God. If you don't love other people, it's because you don't know God.

[00:12:27] It's that simple, according to John.

[00:12:29] In fact, he says it like this, verse 12. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. People don't get to see God radiant in all of his glory. They don't behold him in the splendor of His Majesty.

[00:12:45] You want to know how people are beholding the glory of God today on planet Earth.

[00:12:50] When they see people love.

[00:12:53] That's how God's glory is made manifest among us. He showed us love by sending his son Jesus.

[00:13:00] And now everybody here who's been loved by Jesus.

[00:13:04] What we're going to learn here together today is to pass that love on to other people. If we have so been loved, beloved, let us love one another.

[00:13:19] So it's like you can see here. Go back to verse seven Belove. Let us love one another. Then let me tell you why. Because Jesus loved us. So the imperative that we're going to learn the command that we're going to get to in Philippians two is how we're supposed to treat other people. But before we get to the imperative of what we're supposed to do, there's the indicative of who you are. And it starts with the fact that you've been loved. You've experienced something in Jesus. You felt some comfort from his love. You now have his spirit in you. You have his compassion and his mercy following you all the days of your life. OK. Since this has happened to you. Get ready for what it's about to say. Now go back to Philippians two, because there's another verse here, verse two, where he says the same thing for a different way. So this is classic Apostle Paul kind of language here. Why say it once when you can say it four times? All right. That's just how it rolls. Why do a normal sentence when you could do a run on sentence? Right. And because he's excited about what he's talking about, he doesn't say if you've been loved by Jesus, he says four different ways to say how amazing it is that Jesus loves you. Now, look what he wants. All of the people, every single one of them reading this letter, he wants him to get it. He says, complete my joy by being one of the same mind to having the same love. Three, being in full accord like a symphony and four of one mind.

[00:14:55] So four different ways to say he wants them all to think the same thoughts, to have the same mentality together. And he says, if I could get all of you guys thinking this way. That would make my joy complete. That would fulfill my joy. My cup would be filled up to the top. If all of you were thinking this way. Now, Joy has been a major theme for this Book of Philippians. It's been a theme for us this summer. And we're here to say, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. Right. That's that's our theme verse for the summer, that in Jesus Christ there is a joy outside of space and time that we have for all eternity in our salvation. And we can rejoice in Jesus. And no matter how we're feeling, no matter what our circumstances are, there is always joy in Jesus Christ and we can share this joy with one another. When I know the gospel and you know the gospel and we become partners in the Gospel. We share the life of Jesus together, then that joy that we experienced with Jesus, we can also have with one another and we can find joy in each other. And he's saying now we're getting to the mindset that's going to bring our joy to the fore, the joy that we all have in Jesus as individuals, the joy that we can share with each other. You want to experience the completion, the fullness of this joy? Well, then we all need to get on the same page.

[00:16:33] We all need to be united in what we're thinking. In verse five, he says it like this. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

[00:16:46] So point number two, put it down like this. You need to have the Christian mindset. Have the Christian mindset.

[00:16:55] There's a certain way that every single one of us who believe in Jesus are supposed to be thinking.

[00:17:04] And it says that we get this mindset from Christ. That's why I'm calling it the Christian mindset, because it's the mind that Jesus had. It's the way that Jesus thought.

[00:17:14] And we think like Jesus. And also it's how we're all supposed to think of one mind, the same mind, so many different people, but all playing together beautifully like a symphony. That's what it means here for the chord, that it's the Christian mindset because we get it from Christ. But we all have it together.

[00:17:36] And he he wanted this like you've been loved not just to receive love, but the reason that you've received love is to then give love. That's the Christian mindset that he wanted every single one of them to have a go with me. The Second Corinthians, it's just a few pages over to the left here. Second Corinthians, chapter one. Verse three is an example of this. Pass it on mentality that everything you get from Jesus you share with other people. That's what he's trying to say. That it's not just about you receiving your own salvation. God blessing you and your family. God providing for you and meeting all of your needs know everything that God is doing to you is meant to be passed on to other people. That's the mindset that we need to all be on this same page. And he gives us a great example of that. And Second Corinthians, chapter one, verse three. He says, Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So he's praising God, saying good things about God. He's the father of mercies and the God of all comfort using some of the same words it used in Philippians two, who comforts us in all our affliction.

[00:19:06] That's that's an amazing promise right there. There is a God who has all comfort and God will comfort us in all of our affliction as we go through the trials and tribulations of this life. And maybe you're having some physical challenges as you come to church here today. Maybe you've got some relationship difficulties and trials going on.

[00:19:30] Maybe there's a career or a job challenge and there's financial hardship happening at your home. Maybe you're being persecuted by the world because you're in one of Jesus is people and you're living for righteousness.

[00:19:45] Sake in this world is coming after you. Let me ask you guys a question. Is there comfort for every affliction in Jesus Christ? Yes, there is.

[00:19:56] You better believe it. It says it right here. Do you have a God?

[00:20:01] And the God is described as all comfort. And he's able to comfort us in all of our afflictions right after he says that amazing truth that we all need to hear because we will all have hard times in this life. He goes right into this. Look at it. So that here's the purpose so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

[00:20:30] Like he can't even finish the verse without saying, hey, when you're going through affliction and God comforts you that so that you can pass that comfort on to other people.

[00:20:42] Wow, what a mentality.

[00:20:45] What if that brutal reality that you experienced in your life and then God brought you through it? Worked it for good. Healed you, comforted you? Really worked on your soul. What if you went through all of that so you could take what you learned through it and pass it on to someone else?

[00:21:06] That's what it's saying.

[00:21:08] That's what it's saying. That's the reason we go through hard times is so that we can help comfort other people with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God. I receive it from God for the purpose of giving it to other people. We are now discovering the purpose of life here to receive from God and pass it on. Liquidy goes on to say, verse six. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. That's an amazing state. Analysts think that through Paul saying if I'm going through it, I'm over here having a trial. I'm over here being persecuted. You know why? Because God's going to comfort me. And then I'm gonna take what I learned through that trial and I'm going to give it to you guys. So I'm going through hard times so that you could ultimately no comfort.

[00:22:04] That's how Paul was thinking such a pass it on mentality that what happened to him in his life didn't end with him, but it went straight to helping and serving and ministering to other people.

[00:22:18] Now go back to Philippians, chapter two, verse three.

[00:22:22] So since we've been loved by Jesus, we all need to think the same way. And now here it is. Now we're getting to the. The command statement here in verse three. And this is one of the most clear cut, straightforward, hardest hitting verses I could possibly read to you on any page in all of scripture.

[00:22:44] All right. It says, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

[00:22:51] Nothing. From selfish ambition.

[00:22:56] We live in a culture that is telling our young people to do everything based on their own personal self worth or self value.

[00:23:07] And then we come to the words right here that command us to do nothing. Motivated by our self.

[00:23:16] Not even one thing.

[00:23:19] Now, this word here for selfish ambition. It really has this idea of promoting yourself. And it sometimes is translated rivalry's because the idea is like someone's trying to get the top spot. And that's creating competition with other people. And so now there's this rivalry because someone is trying to promote themself ahead of other people. This kind of phrase here, this kind of idea of selfish ambition was often associated with politicians because politicians all have great reputations among humankind, right? That's how we all think of them. Right. We think that those people, God bless them, those people running for office, they're just there to serve the good of their fellow Americans. Right. That's why they're doing it. They're doing it for other people. Right. Is that what we think about politicians?

[00:24:10] We think they're in it for them, saying you can't do one thing for yourself. Not one. Think think about how radical that is. Maybe you're thinking why I'm not doing most things for myself. So I'm a pretty generous guy. Bible's calling you out here today. Saying you're not supposed to be doing want. That's not the point. That's not the purpose of life. Don't believe the lie. Don't believe the hype. The life was never about you. Have you gotten the plot twisted? You were never supposed to be the star of the show, you were never supposed to be the center of the universe.

[00:24:42] This was not about your ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction. Don't do one thing from selfish ambition, selfishness should not be your motive. One time.

[00:24:57] Says the word of God. And then if that wasn't enough, it says or conceit or conceit, when you hear that word, you think of pride. But but really, I would encourage you to write this down. Maybe in your Bible, if you're taking notes, can see here in the Greek, it's really two words put together. It means empty glory would be a good way to say empty glory or vain glory.

[00:25:24] Don't do anything to puff yourself up, to make yourself proud. Don't do anything out of pride in this life because whatever you're going to glory in about yourself. If you were to try to glory in something that you did or some talent that you had, some accomplishment or some personality trait the way that you are, if you glory in yourself, you know what you're going to find yourself boasting in in the end.

[00:25:50] Emptiness, vanity, like there's really nothing for you to ultimately be glorified about in and of yourself.

[00:26:00] So this is what's so amazing about Philippians two, as it's telling us that the one who's going to receive all of the glory, the one who shared the glory with the father before the foundations of the world, the one who deserves honor and praise and dominion from the angels and every created being for all of eternity, that one who is the center of the universe, who does uphold the universe by the word of his power.

[00:26:27] He humbled himself and made it about us. And now we're down here. We've got nothing to boast about. We have no glory. And we're making it about ourselves rather than him.

[00:26:42] How messed up is that?

[00:26:45] People boasting in their pride. And it's an empty glory. It's a vain boasting.

[00:26:54] You know, I did it for 12 years, for 12 years, day in and day out. I was there in the high schools. I went to the assemblies. I sat through the graduation speeches. That's how committed I was. All right. I heard some of the most terrible speeches ever uttered by human beings. Follow your heart. Nonsense. Make a lot of mistakes. It was like we were all in a Disney movie, sometimes on the high schools of Orange County. Let me tell you, we're telling a whole generation of people common to age in America.

[00:27:30] Let me tell you where that kind of teaching gets to increase in depression, increase in anxiety, increase in suicide, all on the rise. The more we talk about self-esteem. Because what you're going to find out when you live for yourself is yourself, is not worth living for. And the Bible saying don't even buy the lie one bit. Don't even do one thing out of selfish ambition or conceit. Now, it's not. The alternative is not then to just, like, beat yourself up or feel bad about yourself. That's not what it says. Look where it goes right away. But in humility, count others more significant than your souse. So this is the biblical definition here of humility. OK.

[00:28:21] Humility is not thinking less of yourself in some kind of like poor me kind of a way. Humility is thinking of yourself. Laughs That's what it is.

[00:28:33] The esteem that we really need is what it says right here count. Others reckon, others ASTM, others more significant than yourself. I find value and purpose and meaning in life when I'm living for other people and not just me.

[00:28:54] That's what the Bible is telling you. Selin, you we got to stop by on this lie of self-esteem and we need to believe in something different. Let's get it down for point number three. It's not self-esteem, but serve esteem. That's what we need to start talking about. We need to have a high view of other people.

[00:29:14] We need to see ourselves as here to serve other people that we esteem as superior or more significant than our selves. This is how you and I are supposed to think. We're all supposed to have this mindset and we can have this mindset because this is how Jesus thought about us and that's how we got loved and saved. And now we're supposed to love and see others get saved with this same mentality that the reason God even saved me isn't just for me.

[00:29:52] It's so I can love other people so God can save them. Can I get any man from anybody on this right now?

[00:30:01] We're here to serve. That is the purpose of our life.

[00:30:08] That is where we're going to find joy when we truly believe and experience the words that Jesus said. It is more blessed to give them to receive.

[00:30:23] Now, this has been hard for the people of Jesus to understand all the way from the beginning, go to. Go to Matthew Chapter 20. Let's go look at what Jesus taught his disciples one day in Matthew, chapter 20, verse 20. We'll pick it up there. Page eight hundred and twenty five. The disciples of Jesus have always had a little bit of a hard time understanding the revolutionary way that Jesus talked. Jesus said things like this.

[00:30:52] If you want to save your life, if you want to make your life all about you and save it for yourself, you will eventually end up doing what with your life.

[00:31:03] Losing it scares me.

[00:31:06] But he said, if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. So this is the revolutionary way that Jesus was talking. That the point of life is not that you would ultimately get everything you want and find fulfillment and satisfaction. The actual point of life is that you would give your life away. That's what he was teaching. And while he's teaching it, he's doing it. The entire time he left heaven and came to earth, the creator put on creation and he died in the worst possible way ever devised by human beings when he suffered crucifixion.

[00:31:52] And so he is showing us and teaching us and we are always having a hard time hearing what Jesus is saying now in this story. It's about James and John, two of the three closest disciples.

[00:32:07] They're known here as the sons of Zebedee. They also had another name, which was the Sons of what? Thunder, the Thunder Eye, because they saw people doing something they didn't like. And they're like, Lord, shall we call down fire from the sky to consume them? These guys, real, real loving guys. Real, really nice kind of guys. Right. Known as the Sons of Thunder. Right. So the disciples, they really struggled with a lot of things that Jesus said until after he died on the cross and rose again. And the Holy Spirit came among them. Then they became heroes of the faith. But before that, they were often referred to as o ye of little faith. Right. And this is one of those moments right here. And I don't know how this got set up. If they talk their mom into this or if they were such momma's boys that they went along with this. But look what happens in Matthew 20, verse 20. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons and kneeling before him, she asked him for something and he said to her, What do you want?

[00:33:16] She said to him, say that these two sons of mine are to sit one at your right and and one at your left in your kingdom.

[00:33:27] Hey, what do you want? Oh, nothing much.

[00:33:31] I just want my two little boys to sit at the places of power for all eternity in the utmost glory of God. Right. Just a small little request here, right?

[00:33:43] I mean, the audacity. Right. I mean. And then to hear your mom say that and just be like, yeah, that's a good idea, Mom.

[00:33:53] Yeah. Let's get the seeds of eternal glory. Sounds great, right? I mean, what are these guys thinking?

[00:34:01] And then Jesus, he answered verse 22. You do not know what you are asking. You don't know what you're talking about. Are you able to drink the cup? That I am to drink. And they said to him, we are able I guess.

[00:34:17] Sure. You got some to drink around here. All right. Right.

[00:34:21] I mean, what does he mean when he says, are you able to drink the cup? He is going to go drink the cup of God's wrath to pay the penalty for our said he's going to go get beat up so badly he can't even carry his own cross on his way to suffer and die.

[00:34:39] That's what he's about to drink. And they're like, oh, yeah, we're able we're with you. Totally. And he says to them, You will drink my cup and James. He doesn't even make it halfway through the Book of Acts before they kill him. John. He right. He goes through so much, he gets exiled on the island of patents and in the end, John describes himself when he writes the gospel of John as the disciple whom Jesus love. I think he changed a lot since this conversation.

[00:35:09] Look what Jesus said to them. You will drink my cup.

[00:35:13] But to sit at my right hand down my left is not mine to grant. But it is for those to whom it has been prepared by my father. And when the ten heard it, this is the ten other disciples. They were indignant. They were angry. They were filled with rage at the two brothers. And why were the ten enraged at the two brothers?

[00:35:35] Because they wanted to sit in those seats themselves. Right. You see what happened? These two brothers put themself in a place of self promotion and it created rivalry and competition among the disciples.

[00:35:49] And Jesus had to turn this into a teaching moment in verse 25. Jesus called them to him and said, you know, that the rulers of the gentiles lorded over them and they're great ones.

[00:36:02] Exercise authority over them. Hey, you know how it is in the world. Everybody wants to get to the top. Power mining success. It shall not be so. Among you.

[00:36:14] But whoever would be great among you must be your servant. And whoever would be first among you must be your slave.

[00:36:20] Even as the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. A son of man is the one that has prophesied in the book of Daniel, the one who's gonna come riding on the clouds. And every I will see him and they will behold the eternal glory of God. And Jesus is saying, if I am the son of man and I have all glory and majesty and power, and I came not to be served but to serve, what do you guys think you're supposed to do with your lives?

[00:37:00] If you're gonna be a Christian, what you have just entered is an endless race to the bottom and the place you are always trying to win is last place, because when you walk in to any single room for the rest of your life, everybody else in that room is more important than you are.

[00:37:21] You're the least important person in the room.

[00:37:25] That's what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. That's the mindset the Jesus had Jesus deserved all glory. Yet he paid for your sin.

[00:37:38] Think about how low he had to go. To love you.

[00:37:44] And then contrast that with how hard it is for us to humble ourselves and really treat other people. I'm not talking about your people, your family, your people. I'm talking about others. I'm talking about strangers. Talking about people that you, me, perhaps here at church or out on the street. They you don't really know. Are you going to treat them as more significant than yourself? Are you going to act like the reason you're here is to serve other people?

[00:38:22] Jesus says something radical. Even the son of man came to give his life away. Are you trying to still keep here's. Are you giving years away to serve other people?

[00:38:40] Go back to Philippians two and see what it says here in verse four and hopefully it sounds familiar to you because this has been this has really been the goal for how human beings would treat one another on planet Earth from the very beginning.

[00:38:56] And it says here in Philippians, chapter two, verse four, let each of you look not only to his own interests, see that the scripture assumes selfishness in your saw.

[00:39:08] The Scripture assumes that you will take care of your own interests, that you will make sure that you and your family have the food and clothes and necessities of this life. The car, the house, the scripture assumes people will take care of themselves because that's the way that we are.

[00:39:30] But it says, don't just do that. Don't just look out.

[00:39:33] Not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

[00:39:40] Away it was simply and famously said all the way back in the verdict. Chapter 19, verse 18 was that you and I should love your neighbor as yourself.

[00:39:54] That's what it's trying to get to.

[00:39:56] Hey, that that way that you want to be motivated to think about yourself, can you not direct that at yourself and can you actually directed at other people? Let's get that down. Four point number for super simple love others as yourself.

[00:40:12] As soon as the second great commandment.

[00:40:16] That's what Jesus has been trying to say to us here in the scripture has been saying that's why Jesus came eventually to show us what it looks like. That's why in the New Testament, it doesn't just say love your neighbor as yourself. It says love. Others in the same way that you have been love, because now there's an example that the way Jesus loved you is how you're supposed to treat your neighbor, the person next to you. And one of the amazing statements that Jesus made was in Matthew, chapter seven, verse twelve, we refer to it as the Golden Rule. He said, whatever you wish that others would do to you. Do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. OK. Maybe you've heard that before the golden rule treat others in the way that you want to be treated. But he says that that little statement right there is the law and the prophets.

[00:41:12] Now that what he means by that is the Old Testament, which the Old Testament is, is the majority of the Bible, over two thirds here of the Bible is the Old Testament. And they broke it down into three different sections, the law and the prophets and the writings.

[00:41:29] And so sometimes they would call the old didn't call it the Old Testament back then. They would call it the law or they would call it the law. And the prophets like Jesus does here or in Luke 24, he says The law and the prophets and the Psalms, which is the first book in the writings, they had it in three sections.

[00:41:47] And he says, I can summarize everything the Old Testament is saying with all of its laws and all of its stories and all of its history, I can tell you it's coming down to you need to treat other people in the way that you want to be treated yourself. That summarizes the whole thing.

[00:42:05] What an amazing statement.

[00:42:08] And today, we've totally taken this golden rule and we've changed it and we've changed it to, hey, how do you want other people to treat you? Yeah. Treat yourself that way.

[00:42:18] That's what we've made the golden rule in America.

[00:42:21] Put yourself first. Make sure you're getting treated the way you deserve to be treated. In fact, if anybody is not treating you the way that that you should be treated, don't treat them the way that you wish they were treated. You consider them toxic and get them out of your life. That's what we're saying today. Get those negative vibes out of your positive energy and you can't be hanging around with other people, man. Try to avoid people, maybe go spend more time with animals so you don't have to deal with as many people. I mean, this is the American mindset. I've had people literally say to me, I'd rather spend time with animals than human beings.

[00:43:03] That's that's where we're at as a culture.

[00:43:05] That's the mentality we're moving towards D.C. here. No, I'm supposed to even if people aren't treating me the way I wish they were treating me still. I'm supposed to treat them the way I want to be treated.

[00:43:22] That's the level I'm supposed to consider other people, that they are intrinsically more valuable than I am.

[00:43:32] That's very un-American statement I just made right there.

[00:43:37] That other people I'm in a steam them higher. More significant. Literally, you could look at it in the Greek superior to my cell.

[00:43:49] That's what it means to love others as yourself. To put them in my place and to put myself beneath them.

[00:44:00] Now, this kind of love that this is talking about here that is being commanded to each and every one of us who claimed the name of Jesus Christ, that we would esteem others is more significant, that we would treat them in the same way that we would want to be treated. This kind of love does not come naturally. And Jesus told a story in Luke Chapter 10. I need everybody to turn there. It's a famous story and we need to look at it afresh because a lot of times this story is misinterpreted.

[00:44:31] It's the parable of the Good Samaritan. It's Luke Chapter 10, verse 25. It's on page eight hundred and sixty nine. And this is actually an episode from a reality TV show they had called Stump Jesus back in Bible times. I don't know if you've ever heard about this show they had. Stomp. Jesus. It was a contest where Ferris's Sassy's scribe's lawyers, the big shots. Those who are at the top of the social and religious ladder of the day. They wanted to come and prove themselves against Jesus. Jesus is teaching. Crowds are following him. He's doing miracles and healing's. And so one by one, these guys would come and they'd try to take Jesus down. They try to trap him in his words. They would come to test him and try to make themselves look good in front of the crowd and tear Jesus down a notch.

[00:45:28] That's the context. Look at Luch. Ten, twenty five. And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test. So this is not a genuine question, guys, not asking this question for himself. The guy's come in to try to trick Jesus. Saying, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus, who is very wise, he said to him, what is written in the law? How do you read it? He answers his question with a question. You're the lawyer. You you study the law. And let me just let me just say how seriously the Jewish people.

[00:46:13] Take the law. I don't know how seriously you take the first five books that God inspired Moses to write Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus Numbers, Deuteronomy. I don't know if you've read those books before or studied them, but just recently I was in Israel and I got to talk to this very funny and friendly Jewish man. And he referred to the law multiple times in our conversation, those first five books of the Bible. He referred to the law as a short note.

[00:46:42] That's what he called it. OK. I've never heard any Christian refer to the first five books of the Bible as anything close to short.

[00:46:48] Right. A lot of people are like, that's too long for me, right? Is it audio? I ain't reading that right. Here's a guy. He's like that so short. That's why we have to add on our our other teachings, the Talmud and all the traditions of the Jewish people.

[00:47:04] So this lawyer here, he's studying not just even the first five books. That's the beginning. And then it starts this and that and the other thing. So he's skilled in all of the traditions of the Jewish people.

[00:47:16] Jesus is like, well, you're you're the lawyer. You're studying the law. You tell me, look what he says. Verse twenty seven. He answered, You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. Is that a pretty good summary of the law? Did he do a good job summarizing it there?

[00:47:38] That's what Jesus says. Those are the two greatest commandments. Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. What we're studying here today and he said to him, You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live. But verse twenty nine, he desiring to justify himself, said de Jesus. And who is my neighbor? OK, so he wants to look good in front of other people. He wants to prove that he is righteous when he says.

[00:48:12] And who is my neighbor? As if he were saying, and whose were they to be considered a neighbor to me. Like, who should I really treat like me?

[00:48:21] That's really what he's saying. I mean, this is just a snooty question here from this self righteous man that he dares to ask Jesus. That's why Jesus tells this story. This is the context or you want to know who your neighbor is.

[00:48:37] Here's Jesus reply. Verse 30. A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among robbers. Now, I've also gone from Jerusalem to Jericho and I could see how you would get robbed on that road. And that's what happens here in the story. These robbers stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. The man is mugged and he's left for dead on the side of the road. Well, by chance, a priest was going down that road. Great. A priest. He works in the temple with God. It'll help us out. But when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. You catch that? It's not like he even just passed by the man.

[00:49:20] He went to the other side of the street. As if the man was unclean and might contaminate him. And he didn't want anything to do with the man. And he avoided him by going on the other side of the street. Not only did he not help him, he acted like he might actually be a problem to him. So he went to the other side.

[00:49:41] Well, verse 32 says so likewise a Levi. Great. This guy works in the temple. When he came to the place and saw him, he passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan now when Jesus says this.

[00:49:54] OK, this is this is a it's a straightforward jab by our Lord Jesus Christ here, because the Samaritans are exactly the people the Jews would have looked down on as not good enough to be their neighbor. Okay, a lot of the juice we know lived up in Galilee, like where Jesus and the disciples hung out. And then Jerusalems down in the south part of Judea and the quickest way to go from Galilee down south to Judea would be to go through some area. But the Jews went around the Jordan River and took the long way because they wouldn't even walk where the Samaritans live, because that's how low of a view they had of the Samaritans.

[00:50:35] And so by Jesus making the Samaritan the hero of this story, he is taking a jab at this man saying, who is my neighbor?

[00:50:47] A Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was and when he saw him, this man beaten up and left for dead on the side of the road when he saw him. He had compassion. And he went to him and he bound up his wounds and he's pouring on oil and wine, which would have been things worthy of value. Then he set him on his own animal, which means he's now walking. And he brought him to an inn and took care of him.

[00:51:19] And the next day, he took out two Dinara. I gave them to the innkeeper saying, take care of him. And whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back. You need my animal. You need my bed. You need my money. What do you need this Samaritans helping this guy in every possible way.

[00:51:42] And then he says to the snooty lawyer, verse 36, which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?

[00:51:52] And he said the one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go and do likewise. Now, let's think about that for a moment. Is a snooty lawyer who is so full of himself. He's trying to take down Jesus and make himself seem more righteous in front of other people. Is that guy going to really go and care about other people like they are more important than himself? See, this is not a statement of something that you can actually go and do.

[00:52:23] Just like this lawyer thinking that he could love God with all his heart and love his neighbor as himself to save his own soul and inherit eternal life. You can't love other people as if they are more important than yourself by your own power. You don't have that kind of love. Can I get any man from anybody on that guy?

[00:52:46] This kind of love that we're talking about here where you would really esteem other people every day for the rest of your life as more important than you are that you would really live to serve others. You will only know that love through Jesus Christ. You will never figure it out for yourself.

[00:53:07] So this is not a sermon where unless you know the love of Jesus, you're not going to go and do likewise. Let's get honest right now.

[00:53:15] If you haven't really experienced the love of Jesus and he hasn't transformed you and given you his mindset, you will leave here and live motivated by selfishness and less. You get saved by Jesus Christ. You can't just go pour a little more love on it later on this week. That's not how it works. You have to have a heart change. You have to know God to be able to love others.

[00:53:45] That's what the story is saying. It's impossible to really treat other people like yourself unless you have died to yourself and have a new life of Jesus Christ.

[00:54:04] That's this kind of love. That the Bible is talking about.

[00:54:08] It's a kind of love that can only be experienced by people who are genuinely saved by Jesus Christ. And they are the ones who can really put others as more important than ourselves, so I say to all of my brothers and sisters.

[00:54:27] If you know the love of Jesus, if you have this mindset, we need to all get on this same page. And we need to all come to church not worried about where we're gonna sit, but where we're gonna serve.

[00:54:43] That's how we need to be.

[00:54:46] And it's hard to find churches like that in America today, are we gonna be one of those churches? See, something beautiful is about to happen. I don't know if you get to see it. But this whole thing that's going to happen at Camp Compass this week, it's absolutely beautiful when you get to watch it because there will be hundreds of adults here and they'll be working hard and sure, I'm sure some of them are here to be noticed or have people like, hey, look at me, look at these skills, look at what I can do. But there will be a lot of adults who are going to give up their entire week and they're going to work hard. They're going to be exhausted and they're going to do it just for the kids. Just so the kids can have fun. Just so the kids can learn the Bible. They're going to get nothing back from any of the kids except the joy of giving Jesus to children. It will be beautiful to see. And anybody here could have been a part of it.

[00:55:43] But when stuff like that gets announced, hey, you can serve over a year. These people need help over here. When you hear an opportunity to serve, do you think that's what I exist for? Or do you think that doesn't fit in with my plans?

[00:55:58] Are you drawn to serve other people? Or are you still thinking about yourself? Still trying to save your life? Or have you lost a.

[00:56:09] So we're going to do something different here at the end of our service. Today, we're not going to sing a song at the end of this. We're going to actually end with greeting time here today. Everybody greeting time.

[00:56:21] And so it's gonna be this interesting moment, because at this time on Sunday, people's cars call for them so loudly to calm.

[00:56:30] And people, man, they don't even wait for the last song sometimes, boom, they're gone, you know? See, a later like that was that was good for me. I got something out of that, I guess.

[00:56:41] Oh, like that.

[00:56:43] Never mind. To the whole room full of souls who.

[00:56:48] Who knows where they're going for all of eternity in need of tender loving care? I got places to go right now. See all you souls. I ain't got no time to talk to you, especially not at church.

[00:57:02] So I don't know if I'm stepping on anybody's toes right now. But I'm telling you, we got to change the culture of the church in America. And we got to really love people like they're more important. And it can't be something that a few of us are doing is supposed to be something every single one of us is doing. And so I'm going to pray and then we're going to see what happens. Father in heaven. We confess to you, as you know so well, that we are selfish to the core. And got every one of us that you've shown us our scene and you've exposed. Our desire to love ourselves more than anyone else. You have shown us how that has ruined relationships in our lives. That has hurt people around us.

[00:57:52] And then in the end, living for ourselves has gotten us nothing.

[00:57:57] But sadness and loneliness. And despair.

[00:58:03] Father, we confessed that thinking about ourselves like that is sin. And it was not the way. That you showed us through your son, Jesus Christ.

[00:58:13] It is not the way that you're commanding us through your word here this morning to live. So, Father, I pray that it would be true of your people here in this place that we would do nothing motivated by selfish ambition or conceit, but in true humility. We would esteem other people here in this room as more important than ourselves.

[00:58:38] Father, I pray for those who are so lost in selfishness. That they can't really love people, that maybe they're realizing that here today. Got to pray the opposite of conviction on their heart that what they need is the love of Jesus Christ. And then if they know your love through Jesus, they will be able. To really love others. And put others first and put themselves last. And be okay with it. In fact, to enjoy it. To find blessing in giving rather than receiving. So, God, I pray for those who don't know that love that they would come to know it in your son, Jesus Christ, and I pray for all of us who do know the love of Jesus, that you would do a mighty work here among us this morning and that you would give us all one mind, the same love.

[00:59:29] Then it would be our desire here at this church to not be here, to sit here, but to be here to serve here. To put everybody else here is more important than ourselves. We pray this in Jesus name and everyone said. Hey, well, welcome to church.

[00:59:44] Everybody, let's greet one another.