Brice: 00:07

And as pastor Cameron comes up, let let's just extend our hands toward him and pray over him. Father, we thank you for pastor Cameron. We thank you for the work that he has put in this week. We thank you for, your word that is spoken to his heart and that it would come through him and speak to our hearts. Your word to our hearts, Lord.

Brice: 00:31

We thank you.

Cameron: 00:32

We thank you. We worship you, and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Cameron: 00:37

Thank you, guys. Excited about those life groups and, opportunity that they present for those of us who wanna be in, continue to be in community, but who like for a traditional small group might just might not work in this season or whatever. So, well, good morning, family. How are you? Good.

Cameron: 00:58

Good. It's good to see you this morning. Again, I wanna wish, happy mother's day. I was talking actually talking with Bryce this morning a little bit, about the and have experienced this in my own relationship, not as a mother, obviously, but, because I have a wife that's a mother. And, one of the things that we, we're talking about, we reflected on it again this morning, is that for for whatever reason, sometimes it feels like, these types of mornings, mother's day, or maybe like your birthday or something like that, is the a day in which, like, it feels like family is just in chaos, and the kids are not on the program of behaving and being sweet and kind and wonderful on Mother's Day.

Cameron: 01:51

And sometimes it really kind of just feels like that's all of life, and can leave you maybe feeling a little bit discouraged or down on on mother's day, or on your birthday, or on special days like this. Like, you know, this was supposed to be a beautiful day, and, and it's and it's not. And and what I would say is if you you experience times like that, if you're experiencing times like that, this morning, that it does not, none of that changes the the beauty of who God has made you to be as a mom. The purpose that that God has given to you in motherhood. It's been, my my wife and I have kind of we have hung we we have hung so so many years of difficult parenting on this kind of one truth is that God could have chosen anyone to be your kids parents.

Cameron: 02:53

Could have chosen anyone. He knew God, God knew who your children were before they were even formed in your womb. And God could have chosen to give them to anyone. And he chose to give them to you. Right?

Cameron: 03:08

That was his choice. And and god doesn't make mistakes. And god does not, and you are you you are you are not a you are not a mother by mistake. You are a you are a mother to your children, because God knew that through your life and in your, in your trust of him, that you had everything that that child needs for a life of faithfulness and godliness. And so be encouraged that, that the that the that the lord that has brought you to this place, is faithful to complete a good work in you as you trust in him, despite how sweet your children have been or not been on this day.

Cameron: 03:51

Oh, Okay. So we, were we have been studying in the letter to the Ephesians for the past few weeks, and I'm gonna continue in that. And, the first few chapters of the book of Ephesians, So chapters 123, Paul did a lot of work in laying well, I guess, what we'll call just laying a theological foundation. Meaning that there there are things that he wanted to say and needed to say in order to move into the second half of the letter, which is is, it seems or it looks a little bit more on the practical side. Right?

Cameron: 04:40

So if he built a theological foundation, now he's gonna start setting the floor and setting the walls and finishing the house, so to speak. That's not to say that the second half of the letter to the Ephesians is without deep theological reflection and foundation, and it's also not to say that the first half is without practical application, but it's to say in general, Paul seems to, starting at chapter 4, kind of switch the way that he is communicating and the direction that he communicates. So the first three chapters are all about Paul's, his like, his argument, so to speak, or his like his his communication that, hey, look, despite all of our differences at first he's talking to Christians, right? The very first few verses, you know, to the saints those who are faithful in Christ Jesus in Ephesus. He says, So he he's he's sending a message to those who have received faith in Jesus Christ, who are a part of a spiritual community of followers of Jesus.

Cameron: 05:48

And so the the the the communication that comes is aimed at them. It's not aimed in an unbelieving world. Right? Paul, hey, thank you so much, Josiah. It's not aimed at an unbelieving world.

Cameron: 06:02

Paul Paul wants to be clear about that. Hey. What I'm saying to you is for for those who have who have expressed faith in Jesus. And then he goes on to say, hey. Look.

Cameron: 06:13

We are all different. Shocker. Right? Shocker of all shockers. We are not the same.

Cameron: 06:21

We come from we all come from different backgrounds, and we have had different experiences in life and different relationships and circumstances and situations have affected us in different ways. And we may have grown up in the church or this may be our first time in the church. Right? We may we may know all of the ways of Jesus and we might might not know anything. We might have this political belief or that political belief.

Cameron: 06:46

The ways in which we are different are so numerous. And what we can see in the world and even in the church is that the enemy, the enemy of the Lord and the enemy of our own souls, works to use those things that are different about us to create wedges in between us. To to to drive wedges down into our relationships with one another and our relationship with the church. To drive wedges down in between our relationship with our heavenly father, keeping us in patterns of shame and guilt that keep us far away from intimacy with him, And anything that the enemy can do to create division and separation. Right?

Cameron: 07:31

It's the oldest strategy in the war book, divide and conquer. Right? They can divide us, it's conquerable. But what Paul says is, like, despite all of our differences, despite all of the things that may separate us, despite every attempt of the enemy to create division in our midst. That God has given to us by our mutual faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit that links us together in a form of spirit filled unity that cannot be overcome by our differences.

Cameron: 08:11

And that is that is in effect now in our relationships with one another that we are united with one another. The people that are sitting with you in this room, who have expressed faith in Jesus Christ, no matter how different they are from you from in a worldly standard, right? Because of your faith in Jesus Christ and their faith in Jesus Christ that there that the spirit of God unifies us together. And that any attempt of the enemy to divide us or to create separation between us is overwhelmed by the glory of the spirit within us. What is, I would say, both, miraculous, somewhat mysterious, and and holy is that we are united, by We are united in the spirit not only with one another here, but we are united in spirit with all those for all time that have expressed faith in Jesus Christ.

Cameron: 09:23

That is why when we sing words together like holy, holy, holy, we actually join together in spiritual unity with the chorus of heaven that is right now singing those words before the lamb of God. Right? And so our unity is not just with those who are even now living in these bodies, but our unity is with heaven itself through the Holy Spirit of God. It's mysterious. It's eternal.

Cameron: 09:58

It's mind bending incredible. Right? But our spiritual unity does not just exist now in the in in on earth, but through through eternity and into a heaven that is now singing the same song. It is worshiping the same Lord that has the same spirit. Okay.

Cameron: 10:23

And so when we talk about unity, we're not talking about a secondary, kind of theological idea or principle that's not important. We're talking about a deeply foundational aspect of our life in Jesus Christ. That we cannot live our lives in isolation from one another because the same spirit that is in all of us is in us as well. And so living in isolation is a denial of the very, like, gift that God has given us in the spirit. And so the pursuit of spiritual unity with one another is a primary pursuit of all of those who say that they follow Jesus.

Cameron: 11:09

Of all of those who have expressed faith in Jesus Christ, which is why Paul is so insistent on the idea of, hey, look, It doesn't matter what divides us because what has united us is more powerful, is more important, and is the eternal thing. Paul is going to make a remark today and what we read that there is that there, I think by, there's it's an implicit remark and the implicit remark is this, is that even in the strength of our unity in the spirit, it is possible for the peace that exists between us to be shattered, to be broken, and to break down. Our our unity can be compromised when we fail to make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. So even though the unity of the spirit has been given to us as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ, we are not without responsibility to continue to make the effort to maintain peace and unity in our in in the community here. And Paul is gonna say there are a few things, a few pursuits of our personal holiness that we must run after if we are insistent upon maintaining or making every effort towards peace and towards the preservation of our unity.

Cameron: 12:47

We're gonna talk about that this morning. Okay? So Paul starts in Ephesians chapter 4, this kind of like more practical half of, of the letter to the Ephesians. And he says this, we're gonna read the first six verses. This is primarily where we're going to be today.

Cameron: 13:04

The first six verses of Ephesians 4. He says, as a prisoner for the Lord then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you have received. I I mean, like, we I think we we could do a whole series, like, full stop on that sentence and that sentence alone. That that he he's he's calling those to whom he leads, this church that he's planted, to he's saying, I urge you, I implore you, I encourage you, I admonish and exhort you to live a life that is worthy of the calling that you have received. You you, Ephesians, you followers of Jesus Christ have received a calling from the Lord in Christ.

Cameron: 14:10

That when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, you you can no longer, walk with little intention regarding who you are supposed to be. We say this a lot here in regards to our spiritual journey and our walk with the Lord is that we human beings do not drift in a healthy direction. We don't drift in healthy directions. We we must have intentionality about our pursuit of the Lord and our relationship with the Lord if we intend to pursue Christian maturity. If we say, well, I'm just kind of going to like throw caution to the wind.

Cameron: 14:57

I'm just going to kind of go with the flow and like just just see where it takes me. Right? Like a ship without a rudder that hopes to get across the lake. Very unlikely is that to happen without intention about our with our walk with Jesus. Our destination is very, very suspect because we do not drift in good directions.

Cameron: 15:24

We normally drift in bad directions. And so when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we must understand that we we now are no longer a person without a spiritual rudder. We we now have a direction and intention that we must pursue because we have been given a calling. We have been given a we have been given a job, so to speak. We have been given a future.

Cameron: 15:56

We have been given a destination and we need to live a life that is worthy of the calling that we have received by faith in Jesus. Well, what possibly could be that calling? What is the calling that the Lord that that that through the, Paul, the Lord is saying, hey, live a life worthy of this calling or live a life in pursuit of this calling. Live a life with intentionality towards this calling. Well, Paul told us what the calling was in the first chapter.

Cameron: 16:27

It's like the first four verses of what he writes to the Ephesians, right? He says he says, those of you who are in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, he says, you have been chosen, you have it has been predetermined before everything else that those who are in Christ Jesus are to be holy and blameless. To be holy and blameless. So for Paul now in chapter 4, to return to that original argument, he would be saying something like this. Hey, in chapter 4, well, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling to be holy and blameless.

Cameron: 17:19

To intentionally pursue your holiness and blamelessness before the lord. To make every effort to do it. To pursue after it. To run after it. To make intention towards it.

Cameron: 17:38

Now, we often think of holiness as something that just God has. And we talk about God's holiness, we sing, holy, holy, holy are you. And that's of course, holiness is most appropriate when it's ascribed to God. Right? It's not a pre it's not most appropriate when it's ascribed to us.

Cameron: 17:57

Holiness is most appropriate when it's ascribed to God. And it kind of defines or qualifies his majesty, his glory, his wonder, his his ineffable otherness from us. He is separate from us. He is we are not like him. He is not like us.

Cameron: 18:20

We are diff like, God is holy and transcendent. Through his grace, he's imminent to us in the spirit and in in Jesus Christ, but he is he his holiness defines his character. But really, the word holiness, really at its base definition, just means separate from or separateness. It defines and distinguishes one thing from another. It helps to understand it helps us to put words around when we look at something and we're like, that thing is not like that thing.

Cameron: 18:59

There is a distinguishable difference between what I'm looking at over here and what I'm looking at over here. And so when Paul talks about how we have been we have been chosen to be holy and blameless before the foundation of the world. And then he says again in Ephesians chapter 4 that we are to live a life worthy of that calling that we have received. He's reminding us that the holiness of God that lives in us by faith in Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit should make us different than the world around us. Meaning, that that the holiness within us that our calling that we are to live a life worthy of having received is a calling to be utterly distinguishable from the world around us.

Cameron: 19:53

Meaning that when the an unbelieving world looks at us, they're like, that's a per. I don't recognize that type of attitude in the world around me. Like, yikes. They're they're, like, more patient than everyone. They're more kind.

Cameron: 20:10

They're gentle. They're humble. They love the people that they probably shouldn't love. They're forgiving to everyone. They walk around with peace and joy and happiness.

Cameron: 20:20

The world is falling apart, and they're smiling because they're sitting in the boat with Jesus. They got nothing to fear. There is a distinguishableness that exists in the life, and in the countenance, and in the disposition of one who follows Jesus. This is what it means for us to be holy. It means that we are utterly different and distinguishable from the culture and the world that we are living in and that is surrounded by us.

Cameron: 20:56

These are some of the texts that we see in the world, or in the in the scripture, right? Things like when Jesus talks about being a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand, the salt of the earth there in the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Right. What he's talking about is, he's talking about the distinguishable nature of those who follow Jesus. That they are like a lamp on a stand, a light that exists in a dark place and illuminates everything around them.

Cameron: 21:30

A city that exists as a beacon of light in a dark landscape that surrounds it. Salt as the defining and distinguishable taste of a bland and dying world. Christians are those who follow Jesus are holy by means of saying that we provide a distinguishable difference about how people live in relationship to one another and to the Lord. And so our calling, the calling that we need to work to be worthy to receive is to have a world look at us and be like, wow. That is a strange person.

Cameron: 22:22

Being, listen, in a world where everything goes, being weird is a good thing. Okay? Being weird for holiness is a good thing. So, you'll follow with me here for a moment. We're gonna read the rest of Ephesians 4:1-6.

Cameron: 22:47

Paul makes kind of one boom argument. Then we're gonna summarize that argument. Then we're gonna look at one major factor of maintaining spiritual unity and peace. Okay. So as a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you have received.

Cameron: 23:05

Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. There is 1 body and 1 spirit, just as you were called to 1 hope when you were called, 1 Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, 1 God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. So what does Paul say here?

Cameron: 23:37

Well, he says that we should live a life worthy of the calling to, that we have received. How? By being completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. I think right from the start it should be fairly easy for all of us to see how upholding these types of practices would and should make us distinguishable to most of the world around us. Right?

Cameron: 24:12

Humility is not a virtue that's really championed in an unbelieving world. Right? In fact, it's it's it's the exact opposite. If humility is the virtue where we take where where we intentionally lower ourselves to serve. Right?

Cameron: 24:32

Then then we need to ask, is that a virtue that we see as a as a primary practice in an unbelieving world where people, even in authority, are willingly lowering themselves to the lowest place of servanthood in order to bring up those around them. It's not. Right? It's a climb to the top of the ladder in whatever arena that I am in. And if you got to step on a few people to get there, that's okay because the number one goal is to be the number one most important, is to be the best, is to glorify yourself, is to exalt your own name, is to create a good reputation, is to get to the top, the top, the top, the top, the top, right?

Cameron: 25:13

So in a Christian community and culture, where instead of us all racing to the top of the ladder, we're all racing to the bottom of the ladder to serve one another. The the idea of humility and gentleness is something that is mind blowingly distinguishable to a world around us. And what is most significant or not most significant, but what is significant here that we should be reminded of is that look, Paul is writing to the church. He's not even writing to the to unbelievers. And so the priest he's like the primary group of people that need to learn a lesson about humility and gentleness and patience and forbearance is the church.

Cameron: 26:01

Is those who is those who are following Jesus. Is those who have the spirit of unity and are keeping the bond of peace. These are the people that need to learn this lesson. These are meant to be the virtues of our lives together with one another, the people in this room. In a way, to somewhat summarize what Paul has said, I've kind of if you if you take what is here and you just say the inverse of what Paul said, it would read something like this in summary.

Cameron: 26:37

It is the prideful, aggressive, impatient, unforgiving attitude that strikes at the heart of spirit filled unity and can destroy peace in the body. If you want to create a recipe for division in the body of Christ and the destruction of peace within the community of faith, just be prideful, aggressive, impatient and unforgiving with one another. One of the interesting things that Paul says here, we've alluded to it already, is that he's encouraging the believers that they must make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Which tells me 2 things. Number 1 is that the unity of the spirit is something that has been given to us as a gift of Jesus Christ.

Cameron: 27:41

Right? Unity is a gift that's given to us by faith in Jesus, the unity of the spirit. But we are not without responsibility to work towards keeping it now. Once we have been given the gift, we can reject it. We can give it we can give it away by our unvirtuous action.

Cameron: 28:00

And what Paul says here is like, listen, we you have to, we have to, we all have to make every effort to keep that. We have to make every effort to to allow in our prideful, aggressive, impatient, unforgiving hearts to have the enemy drive wedges of division between us. So it becomes hard work now, and it becomes actual work that we must do in the context of relationship to maintain the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. Now, what's difficult about this is that when there is a when there is a fissure and we begin to see the enemy start to drive a wedge down into that crack and crevice, it's usually not just internal to us. Right?

Cameron: 29:00

It usually is involving someone else or another group of people. There's someone who said something to us that we don't like. There's someone who did something that we think is unacceptable. Right? There's something there there is someone who has an attitude or a heart or a disposition that's creating tension and anxiety and, and anger and and it's just like twisting intention and motivations and just creating a lot of issue.

Cameron: 29:29

It's it's never it's almost never just us. And so we must now, we we must now enter into by making an intentional decision. We must now enter into a relationship with someone else Seeking peace and seeking unity of the spirit, knowing full well that we are not the only player in the game. But what Paul doesn't say is like, hey, look. Peace and unity is up to you and you alone.

Cameron: 30:03

And if you don't achieve peace and unity through your efforts, then it's all your fault. Paul Paul, especially in Ephesians, we're going to see that here in the next few chapters. Right? Is, is not afraid to say, hey, look, there is personal accountability that we must have for how we show up in the midst of situations and relationships where there is tension and anxiety and division and stress and all of those things. And we are responsible primarily for how we respond in those moments.

Cameron: 30:42

How we act. Understanding at the same time that there are people in our midst, in our world, in this community that can be at times committed to the position of simply being divisive, impatient, aggressive, prideful, or misunderstood. And that we are not and cannot be responsible for changing their mind. Nor or I should say also, we should be aware of our of the human tendency to what I call, emotional matching or attitude matching. Think of it this way.

Cameron: 31:32

You walk into a situation where there's been tension or anxiety or divisiveness or stress or whatever. And you're like, I feel like the Lord is calling me to make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace. And so I'm gonna go to this person, and we're gonna talk about it. And I don't know how it's gonna go. You walk into that situation and you kind of lay out everything.

Cameron: 31:54

And and, like, you can see the pressure building the entire time. Right? Pressure builds builds builds builds builds builds builds builds. And then they're they're at, like, a 9 or a 10. K?

Cameron: 32:09

The tendency for human beings who are not, like, who are sometimes not very well emotionally regulated, my myself as a prime example, okay, is to match the energy of the person that you're talking to. Right? So as they like as the pressure builds and they get more they get more aggressive and they get more impatient and they get more prideful and they get more assertive of their own positions, what do I do? Like, yeah. Like, you get ready to fight.

Cameron: 32:40

You get ready to go. Right? You match their emotions. Right? And and and what happens is very, very, very, very little good happens from there on out.

Cameron: 32:55

So our goal here, listen, is to be aware that we are responsible for the way we respond in the midst of those situations. And that our emotional matching should be to match the character and heart of Jesus rather than the character and heart of the one that we're speaking with. So that as they elevate, we're saying like, now listen, you're not taking me with you to whatever place that you're going, whatever level that you're going to. I am remaining united to my Lord through the unity of the spirit, so that I can maintain the heart and attitude of Jesus. And you know what we see, you know what happens then?

Cameron: 33:39

You ever go into a situation? Do you ever go into a conversation with someone and you have already created the narrative in your head of what's going to happen. And so then you you walk in like and you're, like, ready for a fight and they're, like, I'm so sorry. I've realized that like so much of this has been been because I've, like, misunderstood your heart or, I've done something wrong. And I I just want you to I don't wanna let you know that I'm sorry for what I've done.

Cameron: 34:14

And please forgive me. And how can I serve you? And how can I make this better? And you're like, listen man, I came here for a fight. Alright?

Cameron: 34:26

And I was all geared up, and I was all jazzed up for it. And and, you it just listen. There is nothing like the character and virtues of our Lord Jesus to suck prideful arrogance out of an argument. Because there is no pride and no arrogance in Jesus at all. And so when we walk into situations where there is the danger of unity being destroyed or peace being broken, let us walk into those let us walk into those relationships saying, Lord, Lord, allow me, give me your grace to remain united in the spirit to my faith in Jesus Christ.

Cameron: 35:16

So that no matter where they go, no matter where they go, I remain with you. And then what ends up what ends up happening is that you become a leader. You become a leader for for their elevation. Right? They're up here.

Cameron: 35:36

You come in with the heart and spirit of the Lord. They witnessed that and are ministered to by that. And now they come down and they follow you. And peace and unity is regained. But I'm going to warn you that in a lot of times, that looks like or feels like a personal loss.

Cameron: 36:02

Because we all go into fights wanting to win. Don't we? But if we go into a fight, a fight or a division, taking a position of humility, it feels like from world from a worldly perspective or worldly standards that we're just willingly taking the loss in the fight. Well, I what what are you saying? Is that I just have to willfully lose every single fight that I go into?

Cameron: 36:34

Well, I guess it depends on what you consider a loss and what you consider a win. If you consider a loss, taking upon yourself the character of Jesus Christ so as to restore peace and unity, then, yeah, I guess it's a loss. But I would also caution you that anytime you consider taking the heart and spirit of Jesus, the character of Jesus upon yourself in the midst of relational tension, if you consider that a loss, you consider humility a loss, you consider gentleness or forbearance or patience a loss, then we have other conversations that we should probably have before now. There is really, there's there's many things that are in play here. But when we talk about, kind of like, the main thing, one of the main things, that helps us to maintain unity and peace.

Cameron: 37:35

And I would say, I would make the argument that the number one thing that helps us to maintain unity and peace among ourselves within relationship with one another in the body is humility. It's humility. Now, there's lots of definitions about humility floating out there, floating around. Unfortunately, maybe for the purposes of creating a definition, there is not one place in the scripture where it's like humility is defined as right? And so we can't but it's not that scripture doesn't talk about humility.

Cameron: 38:15

It talks about it, expressively. But there's no like one place where it's like definition of humility is this. And so we kind of kind of grab at various definitions to help our our self understanding, as well as, get to a place of seeing what the scripture says, which we will hear in a moment. One of probably the more famous definitions of humility is by CS Lewis. He, he says that humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it's thinking of ourselves less.

Cameron: 38:53

So humility isn't like self depreciating. Means when if I'm a humble person, it doesn't mean that I'm constantly putting myself down. It doesn't mean that I'm making sure that everyone around me hears all of these really bad negative things that I have to say about myself. That's not humility. It's about thinking actually less about myself, period.

Cameron: 39:26

The famous, church father Augustine, when asked what the 3 most important virtues for Christian living would be. He said the 3 most important virtues for Christian living are number 1, humility. Number 2, humility. And number 3, humility. Understanding that it was the the sin of pride that struck at the heart of all other pursuits of Christian virtue.

Cameron: 39:54

That but that if we remain humble, we remain in a state of humility, we have a free highway or avenue for the Lord to speak to us and for us to listen. Maybe, a definition that we can rally around a little bit, no more or less biblical than the other ones that we've already heard this morning, is this: is that humility is a downward disposition produced by a Godward self perception. Meaning that I have a disposition that faces downward. I'm not exalting myself. I'm not trying to glorify myself.

Cameron: 40:42

I'm not trying to build myself up. I'm not trying to make anything about me at all, but the reason that I'm that I have a downward disposition is not because I'm being needlessly difficult or depreciating about myself, but the reason I have a downward disposition is because I have a godward self perception. Meaning that I see myself in light of or in relationship to the holiness of God. And so the only position that I can take in in relationship to God is a position of humility. I am humble not because it's, not because it's like, it's trendy in the Christian community.

Cameron: 41:32

Right? I am humble because I am so aware of my position and relationship before a God that is fully holy. I am lowly in spirit, not because I'm beating myself up needlessly, but because I am aware of who I am before God. Humility is putting the self in the proper place before the glory of god. What's also necessary about understanding humility is this, is that the pursuit of humility is not an intellectual pursuit.

Cameron: 42:18

Meaning, that to pursue humility and to grasp humility, does not mean that we just must think more humble thoughts about ourselves. Say more humble things, more humble words. Like, I just want you to know I am the the most humble person that I know. I am the most humble person that I know. If you were to just walk around saying stuff like that, be like, that's not humility.

Cameron: 42:59

Can't just it's like when Michael Scott yelled out bankruptcy. If you're not an office fan, you don't get it. I'm sorry for the reference. You can't just declare bankruptcy. Right?

Cameron: 43:14

You can't just declare humility. Okay? Humility is not a thinking thing, it is a doing thing. Humility is not a thing that happens intellectually, It's something that happens in the disposition of our actual lives. We intentionally put ourselves in positions of humility.

Cameron: 43:35

We pursue it and go after it. Humility is demonstrated, not just talked about. And the wise person pursues humility intentionally. Now, like I said, just because the Bible does not have one place where it describes or defines humility does not mean that it doesn't say anything about it. The Proverbs talks about humility all over the place.

Cameron: 44:03

Jesus talks about humility. James talks about humility. Peter talks about humility. Paul talks about humility. Here's a few examples.

Cameron: 44:11

Matthew chapter 23 verses 11 and 12, Jesus says this. He says, the greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Jesus here ties humility with the role of being a servant. And he juxtaposes it from greatness.

Cameron: 44:47

Right? Says, whoever wants to be great must be a servant. From a worldly perspective or a worldly context, we see those two things as completely different, don't we? Like opposite ends of the spectrum. We have greatness over here and we have servanthood over here in the world.

Cameron: 45:09

Well, in the Jesus ethic of life and in the community of faith, Jesus says, those things are the same. Now, you get a sense of what Paul means when he says humility is a measure of our holiness and set apartness. Because when we can be great in a worldly perspective or from a worldly context, but we can be the chief of all servants in that same context, then we're going to look a lot different than the world around us. Then the way in which that virtue, like, is demonstrated in our lives is so different. What also Jesus says here in kind of implicitly is that, is that humility or servanthood is self imposed when it's when it's a when it's a reflection of self of humility.

Cameron: 46:06

It is, whoever humbles, what? For whoever exalts himself will be humbled. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. That humility is an intentional decision for me to say, I will take the position of servanthood before it's asked of me. I will run to the to the back of the line rather than running to the front of the line.

Cameron: 46:35

I will I will sprint towards a heart of service. I will pursue I will pursue service rather than waiting to be asked to be the servant. I will go after it. It is what I want. James, the brother of Jesus, quoting out of, out of the Old Testament book of Proverbs says this, says that, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Cameron: 47:10

Okay. Show of hands. Who here wants god to oppose them? Who here would like an overflow of god's grace in their life? Yeah.

Cameron: 47:23

Right? It's pretty simple when you when we we would put it in those terms. Right? Do you want god to be in opposition to you? Okay.

Cameron: 47:36

Carry around with you a proud or prideful heart disposition and attitude, where everything is about you and your feelings and your thoughts and your desires. And anytime those are challenged, right, it's a meltdown. God is in opposition to those who are proud. And his grace flows like a river to those who take on a place of humility. 1st Peter, chapter 5, verses 5 through 6.

Cameron: 48:12

Peter says similar words, also quoting from the same Proverbs as James did, All of you clothe yourself with humility toward one another. Wait a second. I thought our humility only had to be in light of our relationship with God. No. It's in light of your relationship with God that your humility is, like, revealed, but humility is displayed in your relationship with one another.

Cameron: 48:41

Like, it's your relationship with God that reveals the necessity for humility. But humility is displayed on a horizontal plane. It's revealed in a vertical plane. It's displayed on a horizontal plane. You can't.

Cameron: 48:56

It's not like it's not like you can be prideful with God as if you have anything to be prideful for in your relationship with him. Humility is demonstrated when we're in relationship with one another. Well, like, I'm really humble before the Lord. That's great. He doesn't care if you're humble before him or not.

Cameron: 49:16

Right? His glory will crush us in our pride. The question is, are you being humble with those around you? Are you being humble with those to whom you are in spiritual community with? Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Cameron: 49:40

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time. Humble yourself. See, the reality here is this: You will take a place of humility at some point or another. You will. The question is not whether or not you will ever be humbled.

Cameron: 50:07

The question is whether or not you're going to humble yourself or whether or not you're going to let God do it for you. Whether you're going to take the place of humility or whether you're going to force God's hand to destroy your pride. Finally, the scripture that we're going to look at in, kind of in our kind of conclusion this morning, of course, is, a scripture about Jesus in Philippians chapter 2, which describes as perfectly as a definition can be made of the character of humility, as it exists in the application of our lives. So Paul, in writing to the Philippians, talks about the necessity of imitating the character and humility of Jesus Christ. And he says this in Philippians chapter 2, we'll read verses like 1 through 11.

Cameron: 51:16

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being 1 in spirit and purpose. Now, pay attention here. Verse 3. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. This is like, like, first point or definition of humility.

Cameron: 52:01

Like, is humility 101? Doing nothing. How many how many things? Nothing things. Right?

Cameron: 52:10

That's how many things. You know, doing nothing out of selfish ambition, meaning, like, listen, I'm looking. I don't know about you guys, but I'm looking to promote myself here. I'm looking to bring glory to myself. I'm going to make a name for me.

Cameron: 52:28

I'm climbing this ladder right here. Do nothing out of selfish ambition. Do nothing out of vain conceit. Meaning, like, I'm so important that it's obviously all about me here. How come you cannot see this?

Cameron: 52:44

How come you cannot see that my perspective is the most important perspective here? How come you cannot see that my thoughts, my ideas, my purposes, my plans are the most important one here? Why are you failing to see that I am the one that should be considered most here? Do nothing out of vain conceit. But in humility, or taking the position of humility, consider others better than yourselves.

Cameron: 53:18

How many of our interactions that have gone so south in life would have been changed if we would have considered the other better than ourselves? Are you beginning to understand the radical call for holiness and otherness that Paul is urging the Ephesian followers to get behind. A consideration of others as better than ourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Verse 5.

Cameron: 54:05

Then he says this, Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who being in the very nature God. Okay. Hold on a second. You're telling me that Jesus, like where who was Jesus?

Cameron: 54:29

It was God. Right? In the very nature of who who is bigger and more important than God? This is like Sunday school class. Right?

Cameron: 54:38

Who is bigger than God? No one. Right? Right? So, but I want you to see this here, is that it's not as if Jesus Jesus eternal, like, that he was relegated to the position of service and sacrifice no matter what.

Cameron: 55:02

Paul says right from the very outset that Jesus was in very nature God. All throughout Paul's writings, he declares over and over and over again that Jesus is the right hand of God, the father. Right? That every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the glory of the father. Right?

Cameron: 55:20

That Jesus is in very nature God. He is at the top of the tippy top of all things. For by him and through him, all things that were created have been created. He is the agent of creation. But he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing.

Cameron: 55:48

I don't think you understand how important that I am, Pastor Cameron. Like, I am really, really critical to all of the relationships of my life. Super, super critical at my job. Like, without me, I just don't know. Like, the place would fall apart.

Cameron: 56:01

The people would fall apart. If I got plucked out of my house or out of my life, people would not be able to move on. Right? It would just be like everything would come toppling down. Like listen, I know that you're very, very, very, very, very, very important.

Cameron: 56:14

And the idea of you, even in your vast importance, taking any other position than the bottom rung of the ladder is just a slap in the face to your pride. Because the reality is, is if the God of all heaven, if the agent of creation, if Jesus Christ, very God, a very God can make the decision to make himself nothing. It should be no problem for you. He made himself nothing. He took an intentional decision to go from the top to the bottom.

Cameron: 56:54

Taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. A measure of Jesus' humility was the expression of personal surrender and sacrifice. Jesus set aside any personal goal, agenda, fear, desire, purpose, vision, plan, whatever, in order to fully and completely be obedient to the plan of the father for him to go to the cross. We know that this was a personal sacrifice from Jesus because he asked the father in the garden to find another way to do it. Let this cup pass from me.

Cameron: 57:57

Yet not my will, right, but yours. Sometimes a position of humility requires that we make massive personal sacrifice. Massive laying down of what may be the future of our very lives. So that the other person may be served with the heart and spirit of Jesus. It is in that heart and that spirit that God exalts.

Cameron: 58:54

It is in that heart and in that spirit that God's grace rushes in. It is with that heart and that spirit, right, that God takes where you have gone to the bottom and now lifts you up in glory and exaltation. You can't do it yourself. He does it for you. Some questions here to finish our time this morning.

Cameron: 59:22

This first question that I was gonna ask sounds like a rhetorical question, but it's really not. It's a serious one. Because although it seems like it should be rhetorical, what is often demonstrated in the body of Christ is an ill commitment to peace and unity. And I am so serious when I say that if we cannot individually take on ourselves practices in virtues of humility and patience and gentleness and forbearance with one another, then there is then there is little to little to no hope that we will be able to do this outside of the Christian community. This is the this is, for lack of a better term, the laboratory of our Christian maturity here.

Cameron: 01:00:17

And and that's what it should be, because we have the grace of the spirit that unites us, that helps us to do the things that we don't want to do, like take positions of humility when we really just want to win the fight. But a question that I think we must answer for ourselves in relationship to ourselves is this. Do I care about the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace? Do I actually care about that? Do do I care whether or not there is enmity between me and someone else in the room?

Cameron: 01:01:05

Do I want that fixed? Or am I happy to just stand in my position of being right and them obviously being wrong? Because there's no way that they could ever be right, me wrong, or that we're both wrong. Do I care? Do I care about the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace?

Cameron: 01:01:29

Because if you don't care, if there's no desire there, right, then then really any attempt at at building the virtue of humility, takes us can even takes us in a pride prideful direction. Second question, have I demonstrated or am I demonstrating humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in the relationships of my life, in particular, in the relationships of those who I'm in Christian community with. An introspective question that we can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal in our hearts and lives is this one. Where or with whom have I been prideful? Have I been aggressive?

Cameron: 01:02:22

Have I been impatient? Have I been unforgiving? Where am I holding on to pride, aggressiveness, impatience, or unforgiveness? With whom are those things aimed at? Or to whom are those things aimed at?

Cameron: 01:02:44

Finally, what would the virtues of humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance have me do when I am the one in the wrong? Or even maybe even better when I am the one in the right. When I know objectively that I am right, what would humility have me do? What would gentleness have me do? What would forbearance and patience have me do?

Cameron: 01:03:24

Told you I was right. See? Told you. I'll just sit over here and wait for my apology now. What would humility, patience, and gentleness, forbearance, and forgiveness have us do in situations when we are right and when we are wrong.

Cameron: 01:03:51

Church, my prayer for us let me not how about I just don't tell you my prayer? How about we just pray the prayer? Right? Let's pray. Not a prayer of transition between one element of our service to another, but a prayer of our hearts.

Cameron: 01:04:11

Center in here for a moment to what the spirit is saying and revealing. Okay? Heavenly father, You have given to us as a body here. Your Holy Spirit. You have given us your spirit which unites us together.

Cameron: 01:04:48

Lord, and the enemy hates that and wants to divide it and destroy it. Lord, you have given us the gifts and the tools of humility, and gentleness, and patience, and forbearance. So that the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace can be maintained. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to our hearts right now through your holy spirit the places, the times, the peoples, the situations where we have been anything but humble, where we have been anything but patient or gentle, where we have been anything but forbearing to one another. Lord, change our hearts.

Cameron: 01:05:49

Change the way that we love one another. Change the way that we pursue peace. Change the way that we pursue unity. Lord, so that you may be glorified and exalted in our in our, midst. Lord, we do not want you to oppose us.

Cameron: 01:06:12

Lord, we want to make an environment where your grace rushes in. So, Lord, help us to be more humble. That your grace may exalt us in Jesus name. Amen. You're a child of God, a son, and a daughter with an inheritance waiting in heaven for you, sealed by the Holy Spirit, called to be holy and blameless.

Cameron: 01:06:44

I urge you to go and live a life worthy of the calling that you have received. In Jesus name, amen. Conduit, you are loved. See you next time.