Live Free with Josh Howerton - Are You Edging God Out? | Ep. 47 | Tuesday April 11, 2023

Episode Date: April 11, 2023

God makes a big deal about pride and ego because the world doesn’t. Actually, today’s world *boasts* in them. Do you know what it looks like to put those on the altar and pursue Christ-like character instead? Pastor Mike answers that question in this episode as he continues through Philippians chapter 2. Grab something to take notes, because this is a lesson with a takeaway for everyone who hears it. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. Church slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, thanks for hanging with us wherever you might be today. So cool, we get to do this together. And so grateful for this team who knows how to make this kind of technology happen.

I don't have a clue how to do it. But you're able because of them to hit a button on your phone. And now we're working through God's word together. So I'm really super grateful and super thankful for the amazing people that are helping us do this podcast. We're simply trying to do a little informal walkthrough book in the back of the Bible called Philippians. Actually, it's a letter written from prison by a guy named Paul, who in spite of the injustice of his chains, was making the most of his situation, just trying to bring the joy and hope he'd found to other people.

And he writes this letter to a bunch of brand-new Jesus followers in a city called Philippi, hence the title, Philippians. So if you missed Eve our time together, you can go back and catch up. But I wanted to pick up where we left on. off last time. Paul expresses his extreme gratitude and affection for them in chapter one. He tells them that God's going to keep on doing that good thing that he started on the inside of them. He tells them to live as Christ and to die as gain that life with Jesus really is a win-win kind of life. And he encouraged them to hang in there that we're all in this together.

And then today, he introduces something that was so radical and it still is today. and it's so needed in my life. You see, I have this thing lurking in me. Actually, so do you. It's this thing that creates an environment where things like envy, fear, and anger, and lots of other things can just have a field day. In fact, this sneaky thing complicates everything in our life.

This thing keeps us from apologizing, won't let us admit it when we're wrong, this thing makes us defensive, causes us to power up on people. This thing I'm talking about refuses to be vulnerable or show weakness. It makes us stiff-armed people that want to help us. It's what keeps us running and competing in very unhealthy ways. This dastardly thing I'm talking about even causes us to lie, lie about our past, exaggerate our accomplishments, pat our resumes, enhance our social media profile, and crave likes. This thing keeps us from learning new things. This thing forces us to cheat instead of losing.

It won't let us celebrate when other people win. It even makes us feel good when somebody else fails. This thing makes us buy stuff to impress people. This thing stands in the way of not only our relationships with other people, but our relationship with God. And ironically, it does a number on us, too. Anybody want to guess what this sinister thing is? You're right. It's pride.

Now, please understand. I'm not talking about having a healthy self-esteem or healthy self-image. It's not talking about being proud of your kids, not talking about that feeling of, wow, I actually accomplished something that feels so good, and it should feel good. It's because it's healthy. I'm talking about that puffed up sense of self-importance, an overinflated ego. I'm talking about selfishness, arrogance. Now, the person looking back at us in the mirror would never call it that, and that's the problem.

And I think God makes such a big deal about pride because our world doesn't. Pride in our culture has looked upon as kind of a, you know, roll your eyes irritating at worst. But God uses some pretty strong language in regard to this condition of the heart. In fact, scripture says things like he detest pride. He opposes the proud. He will not endure pride. He humiliates the proud. We'll deal with those who see themselves as the great somebody.

Now, you do remember what ego stands for, right? ego stands for edging God out. And a person gets so full of himself or herself that there's just no room for God, just continually edging him out. And let's be honest about this. All of us struggle with ego and pride. All of us need to learn how to lay our ego on the altar. So Paul now gets into chapter 2.

And we're going to spend some extended time, verses 5 through 11, which actually became one of the favorite worship songs of the early church, because it was this hymn that reminded them to embrace. to embrace Jesus' approach to life and lay their ego on the altar every day. But I want you to see how Paul begins this discourse about pride by asking some kind of rhetorical questions. Remember, the people that are reading this are reading this as a letter. So he asks them, verse 1 of chapter 2,

is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? The answer is, yes. Any comfort from his love? Absolutely. Any fellowship together in the spirit? Uh-huh. Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Paul, we're trying.

Then he says a verse two, then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Put your ego on the altar and be what Jesus prayed his church would be. One.

Unite, loving, selfless, with one mind, one heart, one purpose. And then he throws out this, And here's how you start doing that verse that I've actually asked every couple I've ever married to memorize. And it's our life verse for today. Verse 3 and 4 of chapter 2. He says, don't be selfish. Don't try to impress others.

Be humble. Thinking of others is better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. I think that's the golden rule for relationships. All relationships. and I'm asking God to help me listen to that whisper from the Holy Spirit throughout this day. I want to hear him whisper in my spirit. Come on, bro.

Don't be selfish, be humble. Don't be selfish, be humble. Don't be selfish, be humble. Now, I've always liked the way C.S. Lewis put it. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less. You and I should know beyond a shadow of doubt that we are deeply, deeply loving. Jesus chose to go to a cross because he saw us as absolutely.

priceless, not a person that's less than. So humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's just thinking of yourself less. So what kind of prideful thing do you need to lay down the day? Selfishness has been the most destructive thing in my life. And I'm guessing in yours too. So what do you say for the next few days, or maybe for a lifetime, we get after pride? And the way we're going to start is by looking at the radical humility.

of none other than Jesus Christ. And you can read verses 5 through 11, and then we'll unpack it starting our next session. So just be selfless and humble. Be selfless and humble today. And I'll try to. Have a great day. Thanks for tuning in today.

For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast, was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.