Humility - Acts 16

Well - I suppose to start this morning we should talk about the elephant in the room. [painfully long pause] And the donkey. And the lamb. I’ve talked about this before - but it’s a very unique thing to be a pastor in an election year in the modern world. No matter what my personal politics might be, I have a church family and regular family that has people that I’m sure disagree with one way or the other. Some pastors just pick a side - and become super progressive or super conservative and they talk a lot of politics from the front of the church. Personally I’m too busy talking about Jesus to get into all of that. My philosophy is that politics has a place, and it’s not at the front of a church. But I think for a lot of pastors, rather than picking a side on who to love - we’re sort of stuck in the middle. And actually, maybe unique is the wrong word - I’m guessing that a lot of you have a similar experience. See if this sounds familiar, I have people in my life who are deeply conservative - and to go another level deeper, I’ve got conservatives in my life who love Trump and conservatives who can’t stand him. But I’ve got a big family, and we’ve got more than one type of person. I have conservatives, but I also have progressives in my family. If I include extended family - I know a democratic wife who is married to a very conservative husband. I’ve got an uncle who is real conservative, but his son - my cousin is strong progressive voice. I know brothers and sisters who are on opposites sides of it all. And I don’t know about y’all, but at least in my family - I’ve got people, people I love, on both sides who are loud and angry. Have any of you ever had a thanksgiving dinner ruined by politics? I know I have. Even in this room right now, there’s a tension. We’ve got some visitors, and there’s a bit of clenching in our stomach - oh, geez - what is he going to say now? But let me put you at ease. This series is not called “let’s hear about Pastor JJ’s political opinions” - no, today is the start of a new series called the Election Recovery Guide. 

Because the truth is that whether you are a democrat, a republican, whether you are celebrating or devastated - election season is exhausting for everyone. I think we can ALL agree on that. 300 robo calls a day is exhausting. Dozens of text messages, pretending to be from the actual candidates - is exhausting. Piles of pamphlets and junk mail - it’s exhausting. I saw a friend post this meme on election day, I think we can put it on the screen. [put up the Annie photo] It’s like a national holiday - No More Political Ads day. Or my personal favorite - I’ve seen it every election year since this movie came out [put up the Frodo Mordor picture]. It’s kind of like - you had a massive fight with your wife yesterday, and you got all kinds of mad, and you said a bunch of stuff you didn’t mean, and maybe, a little bit, you lost sight of the fact that there’s a human being on the other end of this conversation - and you have vague memories of calling one another garbage and it’s awful. And then you wake up the next morning, and maybe you’re even still a little mad about it, and you have to sit down at the breakfast table and figure out how to move forward together. Because we are still a part of this country. We are on the other side of the election - thank God. And here we are - stuck answering the question, now what? This series is going to walk us through a process of recovery. We’re going to journey alongside Paul in his work with the church in Philippi. So whether you are celebrating or catastrophizing this morning, feeling thrilled or feeling threatened, delighted or devastated - God’s word has incredible good news for you. Let’s take a look.

Now we’re going to dive into the book of Acts, chapter 16. Now, I want to give you a chance to look that up. If you’re not real familiar with the bible - you can look up Acts in the table of contents and you’ll see it’s towards the back. And so while you’re looking it up, let me set the stage a little bit. Imagine this guy Paul sitting in a Jail cell, he is chained to the wall in a jail in the city of Rome. And while he’s there, he is writing letters to all the churches that he helped start - helping them deal with some of the problems that each church is struggling with. He writes to the church in Ephesus, Collosae. He writes to his buddy Philemon, and he writes a letter to the people in Philippi. And while he writes the letter of Philippians, maybe he looks out the window, through the bars of the jail cell and remembers the first time he ever visited that city. It was an unexpected journey with a lot of twists and turns. There’s a little jail time in this story too - but the first time he visits the city of Phillipi that’s what they are describing in chapter 16. 

Verse 1 gets us started, [read v.1-5]. So there’s this guy Paul, and he’s busy traveling around the world visiting synagogues, telling people about Jesus. And this is his method. He would come into town, visit with the Jewish folks and start telling them all about Jesus. He told everyone, but the synagogue (that’s kind of like a Jewish “church”) that was usually he starting place. And by now he was starting to get used to being received by the church leaders. He would show up where they pray, and then the respected leaders would call him forward and invite him to speak. And what’s going on here is that he wants to bring his buddy Timothy, but if he’s going to bring Timothy, he needs to make sure TImothy is dressed for the part. We’re going to go and meet some fancy and important people, and you have to fit in. Timothy’s mom was Jewish, but his dad was Greek. And in the eyes of the Jewish leaders, if you’re not circumcized that hurts your credibility. So even though Paul teaches in other place that you don’t HAVE to be circumcised, in this chapter he caves to peer pressure to get TImothy to fit in with the cool kids. Because Paul is thinking, “God is about to use me in the synagogues, in the well respected circles.” 

Paul has a plan. This is how my life is going to go. I’m going to go evangelize the cool kids table. I’m going to convince the Jewish leaders about Jesus. So they circumcise Timothy, ouch, and now they are ready to fit in with the community leaders and the church elite, and so they start traveling. But what happens next is fascinating, Paul has a plan, but God starts saying NO. Verse 6, and fair warning, I’m going to butcher the names of these cities, [read v.6-8]. Verse 7 - they want to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit says no. Verse 8 - they want to go to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit says no. Paul has these plans, but God keeps shutting him down. And then we get to verse 9. [read v.9-10]. Paul and his crew set out for Macedonia and they end up in a place called Philippi. It was not where they wanted to go. It wasn’t their first choice, or even their second choice or even a choice on their radar at all. God called them to somewhere they weren’t even thinking about. And boy, I’ve got to tell you - that resonates with me. Have you ever had that? Have you ever had a plan, and God said no? Like, you had a great idea - and it wasn’t selfish, it wasn’t greedy or harmful, it was such a GOOD plan, and then God said no? The doors close. The funding falls through. Volunteers don’t show up. Opportunities evaporate. Family disappoints yet again - and then you are just left frustrated and confused. Why would God shut me down, when I had such a great plan? What I want you to see is that this chapter is a beautiful story about what to do when God says no. Paul’s got plans, but then God sends him to Macedonia instead.

So they get on a boat, and verse 12, [read v.12]. Now remember the Plan. Paul and his buddy Silas and probably TImothy too - they want to go in on the sabbath to the place where they pray, and then be invited up to speak by the synagogue leader. That’s the plan - to start out at the top, with the respectable, influential, powerful leaders of the church. But then listen to what happens, [read v.13]. Now, there’s nothing wrong with talking to the ladies - but in this society, women had no power, no voice, no influence. So rather than getting in cozy with the respectable community leaders and starting a massive movement with thousands of people coming to know Jesus - [read v.14-15]. No bells and whistles. No fanfare or great revival. Just one small business owner named Lydia, who gives them a place to stay and gives her life to Jesus. 

Now if I was Paul, and I’m looking at how this all played out. First of all, I would NOT be able to look Timothy in the eye. My man had to get circumcised to come here, FOR NOTHING. Sorry bro. But If I was Paul and I’m looking at this - I would be so disappointed. Ah man, this is not the plan I had in my head. This is not the picture I thought God was drawing with my life. But, and this is important, what did Paul do? Even though life turned out VERY different than he expected, Paul told Lydia about Jesus. He shared God’s love with her, baptized her. This is so important, because it applies directly to our lives. No matter what comes at you in life - big, small, massive crowds or one person - whether everything goes to plan or it’s all totally unexpected, whatever comes, we need to do God’s work wherever we are. What I want you to see from Paul’s story this week is that nothing you do is insignificant if it is a part of God’s plan. Even if what you do in life only affects ONE person. You might think your work is insignificant. Like it’s not important, but NOTHING you do is insignificant if it is a part of God’s plan. Paul had a plan, it completely fell apart, but no matter what happens - Paul shares the love of Jesus with the people around him. And this is the example for us today. No matter what comes, do the work God puts in front of you.

Now obviously, this series is about recovering from Election season. But the not-so-secret secret of this series is it goes way past election woes. Maybe you or someone you know is feeling disappointed by the results of the election. Or maybe you’re thrilled with the election stuff, but there are other places in your life where you are struggling with disappointment. Maybe you were passed over for a promotion at work. Or you’ve got a family member that keeps letting you down, frustrating you. Maybe it’s a problem at school - or struggles with finances. Regardless of where we are with all this political stuff, every single one of us has had a moment where the path in front of us does not match the map we drew up in our head. And so when I see a biblical example, like my man Paul, who responds to disappointment is such a healthy way - I want to know more. I want to know what makes that man tick. What mentality does Paul use to handle these tough situations that life throws at him? 

I think about the letter he wrote to the Philippians, this is years after he first visited, but he writes this letter back to them.If you want to follow me, let’s jump over to Philippians. It’s just a little further into the back of the bible - and I’ll put it on the screen so you don’t have to worry. In chapter 2, verse 1 it says [read v.1] - Now, to clarify the answer to all those questions is absolutely YES. There is comfort from his love, there is encouragement. All that stuff. [read v.2] Again, we’re getting this idea from Paul that we need to get our mindset right. [read v.3-5]. Now here’s what I want you to pull out of that - Joy starts in the mind. We actually talked about this back in May - as a church we spent some time in the letter of Philippians - but I repeat it here, because I think when life is hard sometimes we forget how good the good news of God is. But joy starts in the mind. All that stuff he just listed is about getting your head in the right place before we begin. If you want to find unbreakable, bulletproof joy - you need to have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. And then he goes big with verse 6. [read v.6-11]. I’m going to call that a mic drop moment. Jesus, THE Jesus, was equal to God. Chilling up in heaven. But because he loves you, yes - that’s right - YOU. He did not cling to that comfort. Did not cling to that power. He gave up his divine position and took the humble position of a slave. Born as a human being. Ask yourself - would you do that? If you got your hands on heaven, if paradise was in your possession - would you give it up for someone you loved? Equality with God, sacrificed in humility - to give your people a choice to be forgiven. Verse 8 said he humbled himself in obedience to God, died a criminal’s death on a cross. I said this back in May, and I’m going to say it again now - Those three lines show you the character of God. Every other religion on the planet teaches you a way to climb up the mountain to get to God. Do this thing, follow this rule, earn this love. Christians are the ONLY ones who believe that God came down. We are the only people who use the word humble proudly while talking about our God. The mentality of Jesus - the attitude that we need to have in order to find unbreakable joy, to recover from disappointment is humility. Humility is the mental state that unlocks joy. 

I think that surprises some people. Because when we are experiencing disappointment, or failure or frustration - humility is not what comes to mind. We want to white knuckle. I just need to try harder. Work more. Push more. Next time I’ll do it like this. I don’t need to be humble, I need to be angry. I need to find someone to blame and then just pound them into the ground. Or if it’s not anger then it’s despair. When I face disappointment in life I crumble to pieces. I don’t have any fight left in me. I’m exhausted and overwhelmed and scared and I just want to melt into a puddle and people will just have to carry me around in a bucket. I have a friend who is more progressive politically, and her response to Tuesday was, “I’ve double my therapy sessions and increased my anti-depressants” - and while I’m glad she’s getting help she needs, all I could think was “my goodness, it’s not healthy for politics to have that much power over the status of your mental health.” And none of that stuff - workaholism or medication, anger or despair - none of that will bring you healing. That’s just a big old recipe for bitterness to take root and grow in your heart. ANd I want to say this works in the other direction as well. Maybe you’re not experiencing disappointment - but rather you’re feeling some entitlement. Pride. You’re looking down on those losers for ever doubting your guy. You think about all the nasty things that were said about you and your side, and you figure, “that makes all the nasty things I said okay, they did it first - and I’ve been vindicated.” But if you’re talking about your neighbors? The people you’re trying to live together in community with? The human beings you want to live in society with? Entitlement does the same thing as anger and despair. It just fills your life up with bitterness. It’s like winning a fight against your wife. You can’t really win a fight against someone you’re supposed to be loving. Yay - I won, but I still feel like crap. 

The good news this morning from Paul’s letter and his life is that humility is the first step in the process of healing. Whether you need a reassurance that this is not actually the end of the world or you need a reminder that the people you beat are also the people you are supposed to be reaching with God’s mercy and love. And your favorite politician is not actually going to make all your dreams come true - humility, the mentality of Christ, is a fantastic first step.

And this actually works on multiple levels in life - not only does humility help us to heal in our personal lives, but it also lays the groundwork for us to heal the gap betweens the sides of whatever issue we’re fighting about. You see, anger, bitterness, entitlement and despair build walls between people - but humility builds bridges. Think about how Jesus’ humility built a bridge between God and us. He didn’t have to leave heaven. Those people didn’t deserve it, they didn’t earn God’s love in any way. But because he loved them, he humbled himself and created a healing connection with his sacrifice on the cross - and it changed everything. Humility is the starting point of your personal salvation, the healing between you and God - and it can do the same in your life between you and your “enemies” or at least that one crazy aunt. 

So let me send you out with two pieces of practical application. I have two challenges for you this week that I want you to try - which will help you build humility and begin healing with the people you’ve been fighting with in life. Whether it was from politics or some other reason. First, the gratitude game. It’s super simple, and maybe even over used - I think some people hear gratitude game and they roll their eyes, but guys, seriously - it works. The gratitude game is to start every morning by listing everything you are grateful for. Wake up, grab your coffee or whatever, start out, “Dear God, thank you for…” and then just start listing stuff.”Heavenly Father thank you for giving me another day, for the people in my life, the job, the clothes on my back, electricity in my walls, thank you for the coffee in my cup. And do it every day. First thing when you wake up - dive into the gratitude game. And go ahead and repeat yourself. I’m grateful for coffee every single day, and so I say it - every single day. It is the season of thanksgiving after all, take five minutes every morning this week and see if it doesn’t start to heal the bitterness in your heart a little bit.

If you know me, you know I’m sort of an obnoxiously chipper human being. I’m always happy, like a cartoon character - it’s weird. And sometimes people ask me, “How are you always in a good mood?” Part of it is that this is just how Jesus made me, but part of it is that I play the gratitude every single day of my life. In fact, in my life it has sort of evolved into a family prayer. In our house, my wife and I have five kiddos - so breakfast is sort of an ordeal. And they have this little memorized grace that they say before they eat. It’s something my wife brought into our family tradition from her childhood, they say, “Lord, bless this food and drink for Jesus sake Amen.” And it’s so cute, I love that they do that. But a lot of times Sara and I don’t eat breakfast at the same time as the kids. We feed the kids and then I make something for us. So when we start eating, they get down from the table. And so over time it evolved into this situation where Sara and I say grace just her and I. And my prayer is the same pretty much every single day, “Heavenly Father, thank you so much for everything you’ve given us. Thank you for the food on our table, the roof over our head, for our incredible children - please watch over us today.” Like, that’s all I say - thank you for the stuff I have. But it gives me a mentality of gratitude and humility, and it shifts my heart towards healing and makes me more able to love my neighbor just a little bit every day. And I don’t say all that to promote myself in any way. I just - if it worked for me, maybe it can work for you too. 

My second challenge, a practical challenge and thing that you can do to build humility and begin healing is to pray for other people. This works no matter which side of the coin you are on - if you are in despair or feeling incredibly entitled and prideful - praying for other people does something in your heart. Even just on a basic, non-spiritual, psychological level this works in your brain chemistry. The more time you spend thinking about someone - you build neural pathways that make it easier to think of them, easier to love them. And when you add the Holy Spirit to that process? When you add a God who is actually listening to your prayers and a Holy Spirit who is transforming your broken desires into something beautiful and sacred - that’s where healing begins. So start out with the gratitude game - thank God for things every single day, and then pray for people. Lift up people in prayer every single day.

And I want to be clear - pray for people, not for puppets. Sometimes I hear, ‘oh, I’ve been praying for them” - and then I find out the prayer is “Oh God will you please make them do what I want them to do.” Make them vote the way I want them to vote, make them act the way I want them to act. It’s like prayer has become a mechanism for you to get God to play divine puppet master. And it’s like, “Ah, come on - that’s not prayer that’s pride.” And yes - of course, we can pray for people to have a change of heart and for God to work in their life. But when I say pray for people, I want you to let humility be the starting point, not pride. Try to lift them up in your prayers before your Father in heaven. God help me love this person. Help me to see them, understand them, reach them the way you reached us when in your humility you left heaven behind and came to earth to die on the cross, to give up your life for us - God help me love this person the way you love me. God help me tear down the walls of pride and anger and despair, help me to build bridges to the other side of whatever issue is keeping us divided. Play the gratitude game, and pray for other people. This is my challenge to you this week. Let’s Pray.