you know, even when we are well intentioned, there are times we don't exactly communicate the best right. Think think about it as we celebrate valentine's day about a time where maybe you've put your foot in your mouth Or your loved one, put their foot in their mouth. I see some elbows going right now. But let's just be honest, there are times where we don't give off the best impression and it's not just dating relationships and marriage relationships, but we do that at work and we do that with friends and, and other times, well, one time where someone did not put their best foot forward went viral this week and, and then just the best way possible. There was a court hearing in texas because of Covid was happening over zoom and there was a texas lawyer who had a very important role in this hearing. But when he got onto zoom somehow he accidentally turned on the kitty filter and he couldn't get it off here. Here take it, take a look at this picture here. So so you can look it up and and they're doing this official court hearing. And in the video, he actually says, hey, I'm, I'm here. I'm here live, I'm not a cat. I'm here live and I'm not a cat. And so just from this video now you can buy t shirts and mugs and there's a whole new branch. If I was thinking quicker on my feet, we could have funded all of mission Grove just with our, I'm here live, not a cat t shirt collection, but uh, well that was a pretty funny situation that went viral this week. I wonder how many of us have accidentally put on filters and communicated something differently in our relationships. You know, we put forth this idea that we're a tough guy or You know, we try to Act one way when really we're feeling another. Maybe there's even people that are watching online right now or, or came into this room this morning and you felt like you had to put on a different face or a mask. I mean we're grateful that you put on the mask for Covid because it's required of desert rich. But how many of us have put on that mask? We were struggling were badly and we're going through something. And, and then someone asked how you're doing great fine or you're in that work meeting and you secretly vented for an hour about the employee or employer and then you go into the meeting oh, it's just great. How are you? Right. And I worry about the filters that we put in front of ourselves that we're not authentic. We're not real. We're not honest. And I think the reason we do that is because relationships are messy. But thankfully relationships can also be awesome. And satan knows this. Satan knows that if you want to live a life of adventure, it involves living life adventuring together. The church is called the body that we need one another. There's different ways to experience church. We believe those watching right now are just as much a part of the body as I was present in the room, but we need each other. We need relationships. And so satan knows that. And so satan is going to try to attack, to bring down the church, to bring down the reputation of the church. He's gonna attack relationships. He's gonna attack marriages in parent child relationships. It's interesting to note that the first sin that came into the world happened actually after marriage. And satan used a relationship to tempt them to doubt each other and then also to doubt God. And now This past 12 months, I can't remember a time in ministry that I've been involved in, that has seemed more divisive in our country. Take an issue any issue really, and what we see is that if they agree with you, you idolize those people. But if they disagree with you, you demonize those people. And I would love for us as a church to come to a place where we don't view life as an us versus them. Instead, we view it as we with God. That's why as a church, we adopt the phrase for the community because for far too long churches have been known by what or who they are against. But when I read scripture, I see a God who shows who he is for. So we are in this series called adventurous life. We have a guy named paul who is writing a letter from prison to a church in philippi and he's writing to them about joy and he knew the value of relationships and the difficulties that people face. In fact, in Philippians, chapter three verses 1 through three talks about how the church was facing false teachers from the outside. And then in Philippians chapter four, verses 1 through three, he brings up the fact that there was division among church members on the inside. So you have false teaching coming from the outside division and disunity happening on the inside. And paul say no, if you want to have joy, you have to understand this when it comes to relationships. And so in the four short chapters found in Philippians, he talks about different joy robbers, things that will try to steal your joy from you. In the last two weeks, we talked about how circumstances can steal your joy. I encourage you to visit our website or our Youtube channel our podcast and go back and listen to the last two weeks because he's all run together and that the solution when you're facing difficult circumstances is to have a holy mind. Well, now we're gonna move into Philippians chapter two, where Paul talks about how people can actually steal your joy, people can rob your joy. But the solution that we're going to find in Philippians chapter two is to have a humble mind, humble mind and so in praying and in preparation for sharing today, as I'm processing through this idea of humility, God gave me something that just completely unlocked the rest of the passage and I believe this truth, it could be the key in all of your relationships. This biblical truth. If you apply it this week could lead to radical transformation in your workplace, in your marriage with siblings with your parents, with your kids. If you can apply this one statement that I'm about to share with you, if you can understand this and grasp it even just a little bit, you're gonna see dramatic improvement in your relationships right now and here it is. Pride seeks power, but humility seeks perspective. Pride seeks power. The purpose of pride is to go after grab and obtain power, but humility actually seeks perspective. Now, our word for the year here as a church family is empowered as we go throughout the year, you're gonna see things starting to come to the surface right now, a lot of the growth of the empowerment is kind of seeds being planted. So as they start to grow, I'm gonna share some really exciting stuff happening with you, but you might be sitting there wondering, okay, john, how can the word of the year for mission growth be empowered? When you just said Pride, which is not good. Pride seeks power. The difference is that in our own flesh, we strive after power and we try to grab something. But humility actually says no I don't have to strive for something that I already have see. God gives you his spirit. And so God is the one who powers you, who empowers you. And if you have it, you don't already have to seek it, scripture actually says to seek God, it doesn't tell you to seek power. It says if you seek God, god will empower you. Humility on the other hand, has a completely different perspective. This is where it changes everything. I just started scribbling notes almost like on a napkin style or posted, I don't know if you guys do that, I use a little app called ever know and I just started them started going wild on this. But if you understand the difference, it's it radically changes how you view relationships, here's how Pride says you never have enough humility says God is enough. Pride uses people to build a better life, where humility uses your life to build better people. Pride says that you need to win, but humility says that you've already won, Pride looks down on people, but humility lifts people up. Pride needs other people to look just like you doesn't. That sum up what we have in our country right now, you have to think like me, you have to look like me, you have to live like me, that's Pride and where Pride says you have to look like me, humility invites people to look like, jesus in christian circles and in christian context when you force someone to look like you, that's called legalism, but when you understand that it's God who gives life you then can give an invitation, invitations are not aggressive, are they? Like No 1's like offended by like a birthday invitation or like a wedding invitation? Oh yeah, we like you and value and want you to come to our wedding. Boom. Got him, Hey, we're celebrating a birthday. I want you to come. Yeah, it's weird because it doesn't happen why it's an invitation, but how much of social media or news channels get on and say, if you agree with me, they are the best person in the world. Those people are from satan, right? I'm not saying you don't have an opinion, I'm not saying you don't disagree, I'm not saying that you don't have convictions that you believe in, but don't demonize the very people that jesus died for. If jesus was willing to die for them, we really should not quickly throw them away humility. Ask the questions. What can I give Pride? Always asked, what can I get humility says? Let me deal with my own dysfunction. Pride says, let me complain about others. Dysfunction, humility is about emptying yourself. Pride is about filling yourself. You know? Pride feels good, like it does something for you, but the problem with pride is that it also does something to you. It's kind of like carbs Mhm. The bad ones, you know, right? There's a reason, Little Debbie's is in business. There's a reason you crave certain things because it does something for you. That taste. I'm sorry to get hungry right now, okay, I'm gonna stop. But even though it does something for you, it also does something to you and you end up unhealthy as a result. That's what pride does, its sweet going down. But it fills your heart with bitterness. It turns turns us into divisive people. Because pride is always trying to take one more step one step higher that I have to in order for me to win, I have to have you lose. Well, humility comes and says, you know what? I'm going to look at things different, I mean, look at things differently, humility is the key to unity. If you want an organization of family, circle of friends to be connected, you need humility. Isn't it interesting that the night before jesus was killed on the cross, he gives what's known as the high priestly prayer, It's the longest recorded prayer in the gospels and jesus is praying and he is praying so strongly that says that his sweat turns to blood, He is agonizing over what he was about to go through. And so he's gonna pray for one thing for the church. Do you know what he prays for Unity. Now, we get to Philippians, paul is in prison, His life is being threatened, he could be killed, he doesn't know what's coming in the future and so what he's going to do and he's last in these last moments is that he's going to write to the church and said, here is what you need to succeed. Here is what you need. Here's what you need to be unified because unity and humility are directly connected to joy. I've seen a lot of prideful people who have a false sense of joy. But if you take away their money or their possession or their title, that changes real quickly, doesn't it? See the goal for the church is not uniformity. The goal is unity. Unity comes from a connection of a similar posture. From the inside. I would describe that as a christ culture or christ centered culture. When you have a shared belief system that you have value, that people have value that God loves you, has forgiven you, has given you. Grace has blessed you. That heart posture allows you to be connected and have unity with anybody in the world. I've traveled to different places throughout the world on mission trips and locations where people didn't speak the language. But yeah, when we were in each other's presence, we felt unified because of the holy spirit and our belief in the power of jesus. That's unity. It's that connectedness from a posture inside uniformity comes from constant pressure from the outside, I would describe that step on some toes here for a moment, cancel culture, Isn't that what we're seeing today? If you say one thing wrong, if you say one thing in your past, anything that you've ever done cancel right? That person off fire him, he's done. So we want unity. We want everyone to love one another as long as they 100% agree with me. And if they don't, they must die. Isn't that what we see? That's not unity. That's why I love that. There's diversity in the Church, There's common convictions and beliefs and then the things that we disagree on, we have discourse and dialogue and we love the disciples weren't the same. They were different ethnic backgrounds, educational backgrounds, financial backgrounds, you had tax collectors, and doctors and fishermen, you had people who are zealous for the roman government and people who are zealous, let's bring it down. And that was one of the first identifying factors of the church was that all these people, all these differences, we're somehow brought together in the beauty of the gospel. And so let me give you this structure of the passage that we're going to reach. You can see how incredible it really is. If you have your bibles open up the Philippians chapter two vs 1- 11. If you don't have a bible, we actually have some in the lobby on our information table, we'd love to give you one and if you're watching online and you don't own a bible? Just comment or message us, let us know and we'll send you one for free and you're gonna see how pride seeks power. But humility seeks seeks perspective and here's the structure. So you're gonna kind of see the flow. 1st 5 verses shares with us the challenge. But the challenge for all relationships is to be humble. It's easier said than done. But then the next couple of verses actually gives us the example to follow in jesus and then it says, well if you're not in it for yourself, why are we in it for? And so it gives us our motive which is actually God's glory, God's faint. So we have the challenge, We have our example and then we have our motive. So let's check this out, Flipping chapter 2: verse one. So if there's any encouragement in christ. Any comfort from his love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by having the same mind, what he's saying here is not really an if statement, but rather a sense. And because statement since we've received this, because you have been given all these things in christ because you have already been given power, you don't need to seek it. God's already given it to you. Therefore complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love and being in full accord And of one mind, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. But in humility count others more significant than yourselves positive for a minute. I love that word count because the point is not what people are. The point is what you count people to be. There's a difference. People already have value because God created them in his image. So it's not are people worthy? But instead, do you count people worthy? Do you count that person worthy of your time worthy of forgiveness? Do you count that person? Do they have value? You have to change the way you count go old school, sesame street and account one. Ah You know since we began the year, homeschooling, I've now learned that matt Damon in good will hunting was not doing advanced math, but rather just common core. Elementary math. And if you've done that, you know what I'm talking about right? What happened to just carrying the one? Am I right? Hey man, that's a whole another sermon anyway, you got to change the way you count. You gotta count with God math, not human math. And when God has given unlimited power, unlimited love, unlimited grace, why are we holding back in our relationships? He says, Count others more significant than yourselves? Let each of you look not only to his own interests notice, he says, he's not saying you're not a doormat, it doesn't mean that you don't have values, saying look not only to your own interests. Yes, stand up for yourself, but also look to the interests of others have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in christ, jesus have the same mind have the same perspective, it's the God who created you. Okay? What's the perspective of jesus? That's easier said than done so, so okay, we're supposed to think like jesus. Well, how did jesus think who though he was in the form of God, did not what count notice he says, count others more significant than yourselves. Okay, but what does that even mean? That can mean a lot of things. Well, let me tell you, how about jesus, who did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking a form of a servant and being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross notice that Jesus wasn't playing a part, it wasn't like they had the school play where they had auditions and Jesus said, oh I want to be the servant, You get up and you read your lines. He just was. I wonder how many people in your relationships are playing a role or trying to act a certain way. You're memorizing your lines, You're trying to act a certain way. Instead of just being jesus, didn't act like a servant, he was a servant, jesus didn't just act lovingly, he was love, he didn't just speak the truth, he was truth. Church family, jesus didn't act like he had life, jesus christ is life and he gives that to you. So in verse nine, he says therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. So so that at the name of jesus, every knee should bow and in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that jesus christ is Lord to the glory of God. The father, our motive is not our story, but God's glory when you do something in the name of jesus, that is enough. Churches says that at some point someday every knee will bow when I was a little younger and I was a little harsher, probably like he's still kinda harsh now, okay, getting better, okay, work in progress and I would go out and evangelize and have these conversations with people and I was actually the food court at the mall and and I'll be real part of it was just this like puffed up, like I thought I was doing it for God, but it's kind of for me, if I'm just being transparent with you now, I'm going to share the word, it's gonna be great, people are gonna get saved. You know, when this guy started arguing with me, I don't believe that and I shared the verse, you know, you know, just humble yourself before God confess and he starts arguing with me and I say, look, you can bow now or later, I'm good and I was like jesus and I walked away. I realized afterward, okay, I said that because I was just making a point, not shared in love, but at first let's say that though, think about it, think about it, it says at some point every knee will bow and so for those watching, I do want to ask you this time in humility and not for my own sake. The question is, are you willing to humble yourself before God now? And you're not doing it out of complete force, submission? You're doing it to follow the example of jesus, jesus didn't even count being God as a title worth holding over people. How many people do you know, are in a position of power and they use that power to abuse or impact or or manipulate people to get what they want. There are so many stories where organizations fall, leaders fall and fail, where they were seeking power, using power to manipulate people so that they could get them to do what they want. Jesus comes onto the scene who was God and he didn't count that title as something to hold over people, but instead he said, I'm gonna use my power to serve, I'm gonna use my power to love and forgive and sacrifice. And this is the beautiful picture of the gospel so that we can freely humble ourselves and say God, wow, I didn't deserve it, but you saved me. And so we humble ourselves saying God, it's your glory, it's your story, it's your fame that I'm about. And so I don't need to be right. I don't need to have that power because you've already given me everything that I need and so I can approach my relationships not for what I can get, but what I can give this is why I say it's the key to all relationships. If you can approach every relationship in humility, your perspective is gonna change. And if you want to reject God now and say I'm gonna live for self, I'm gonna do get what I can while I can make my own choices. God wants me to be happy. I want to humbly warn you, that's not how this works out in the end. Do you realize that Pride is what? Because satan to fall in the first place? His entire playbook is based off this one idea, famed author C. S. Lewis writes this, he says this and here he says according to christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil is pride. Um chastity, anger, greed, drunkenness and all that are mere flea bites in comparison. It was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other device. It is the complete anti God state of mind. I love that ending phrase. Pride is the complete anti God state of mind when we are selfish, we sinned, we do so why? Because we want control. We want pleasure. We want this. The same author. C. S. Lewis talks about how it's not that we pursue pleasure too much, it's that we pursue pleasure too little. Everything that is good in life comes from God. And when we pursue God, when we seek God with all that we are and we humble ourselves, he promises to exalt to lift up. You know, we talked about the beauty and simplicity of an invitation God has given us the invitation to bear his name to reign with him. He's given us the keys to the kingdom, says you want life, you want joy, you want purpose and live and humility. You don't need to seek power if you already have it instead you can have the perspective that God loves you and therefore you can love others. And if you can just begin to grasp the concept of humility of counting others more significant than yourself as jesus counted us so valuable that he was willing to die for us. This can radically change your relationships. But it starts with your relationship with God. Are you asking God to just bless what you're already doing? Hey God I'm doing this. Or can you come before him and say God I mess up sin and make selfish choices. Please forgive me he was me God I want to see your name exalted up because if you live that way that my friends, his adventure. So where is the supply? I just wanted you to honestly ask yourself and answer this question when it comes to your relationships. Are you seeking power? Are you seeking perspective? Let's pray Dear heavenly Father. We thank you for who you are God. You reign above it all help us to find security in that. Yeah. We don't need to seek power. We don't need to get the upper hand. It's not that we don't live out ambitions. Yes, we go. You give us dreams and desires in our hearts to go after it. But it's not for our value. It's it's for the value of others. It's how we help others. It's how we treat one another. It's how we can be unified. Even when we disagree, we have love. That is beyond anything that this world has to offer. So that people will look at the church, see the humility and the love and the community within the church and they will long to exalt your name. Thank you for counting us worthy to die for and help us to count others more significant than ourselves and how we speak and how we think and how we act, will we be humble and exalt you as Lord and savior? God? I can't do this on my own. We can't make it to heaven on our own. So if there are people in this room, they have never prayed to receive you. God. We commit our lives to you. Thank you for dying for us. Thank you for rising again. Okay, We believe in you as Lord and Savior, and we humble ourselves before you, that we can be humble in our relationships and adventure together for your glory in your son's name, we pray. Amen.