The Way Up Is Down
Type: Sunday Morning Service
Sermon: The Way Up Is Down
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Randall Araujo
In this week's sermon, Pastor Randall Araujo inspired us with a powerful message about humility and unity, urging us to live with the mindset of Christ. She taught us that the way up is truly down, echoing the teaching of Jesus from the Bible. By illustrating the captivating energy of a K-pop concert, Pastor Randall compares this to how sincerely we should worship God, who truly knows us and can transform our lives. Drawing from Philippians 2, she encourages us to embrace humility, seek unity, and recognize that we're called to serve one another as Jesus did. As we live with Jesus's heart, aligning our actions with others for God's mission, we'll experience real joy and purpose. Remember, the core lesson is that through serving others and humbling ourselves, we truly shine with God's purpose and love!
ℹ️ Tip: The video is set to start at the beginning of the sermon, but you can scrub the playhead to any part of the service. ℹ️
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
The Power of Worship
Worship can often seem extravagant, as seen during a recent event featuring a K-pop concert, where countless fans passionately praised performers they had never met. This observation draws a striking parallel to how believers should engage with God—an all-knowing creator who genuinely cares for each of us. The exhortation here is simple yet profound: if we can celebrate mere entertainers so fervently, how much more should we worship the King of Kings?
Appreciating Community
An acknowledgment of the warmth and support within the church community is vital. When individuals feel welcomed, it fosters a sense of belonging and unity. It's essential to embrace that spirit of hospitality and kindness not just for newcomers but as a core value of the church family.
Expecting a Move of God
As the church grows, so do its challenges. The prospect of divine blessings can sometimes create disarray; however, understanding that a little chaos can accompany spiritual growth is crucial. Embracing the movement of the Holy Spirit invites both change and growth, which can be messy but ultimately transformative.
The Call for Unity
Unity is a central theme emphasized in Scripture, particularly in Philippians 2:1-4. Here, the idea of being of one mind and spirit is brought forth. The challenges of modernity often pull individuals apart, yet there is remarkable strength when believers unite in purpose. The passage encourages the congregation to recognize that unity fosters collective strength, allowing for greater outreach and effectiveness in serving the community.
Emphasizing Humility
Linked closely with unity is humility. In Philippians 2:3-4, believers are urged to value others above themselves. This radical approach challenges followers of Christ to reconsider their priorities and attitudes towards others. Humility is not about self-deprecation; rather, it is a powerful tool that leads to authentic relationships and effective ministry.
The Example of Christ
The ultimate example of humility is embodied by Jesus Christ himself. Paul illustrates this beautifully in Philippians, showing how Jesus, despite his divine nature, humbled himself to the point of death on the cross. The lesson here is clear: true greatness in the eyes of God is found in our willingness to serve and sacrifice for others.
The Power of Prayer and Commitment
Prayer facilitates a connection not only to God but also to those we aim to serve. Each believer is called to act as a vessel for God’s love and grace, reaching out to those around them.
Conclusion: The Challenge Ahead
Ultimately, the challenge for each individual is to recognize their divine purpose and assignment. The call to live out faith with unity and humility is paramount. Everyone is encouraged to be the change they wish to see, working together not just for personal benefit but for the collective mission of expanding the kingdom of God.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Reflect on Worship and Ambition: How can our zeal and excitement be channeled towards worshiping God more sincerely?
Unity in Action: Discuss how unity within our church can strengthen our witness and help us achieve our mission. What steps can we take to promote unity?
Serving Others: Share a moment when serving someone else brought unexpected joy or transformation in your life.
Understanding Humility: Why do you think humility is such a crucial element in following Jesus? How can you practice this in tricky situations at home or work?
Living Daily with Purpose: What are some ways our daily life can reflect being on mission for God? How can each person identify their unique role in this mission?
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Introduction
Welcome, kids! Today, we're going to learn something very special about being a follower of Jesus: the way up is down! This means that to be great in God's kingdom, we need to be humble and think of others first.
Scripture
We will look at Philippians 2:1-11. It talks about:
Being united in love and spirit.
Thinking of others before ourselves.
How Jesus showed us the perfect example of humility by coming to Earth and sacrificing Himself for us.
Key Verse:
Philippians 2:3 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves."
Craft: "Humble Hearts"
What You Need:
Construction paper (red, blue, green)
Scissors
Markers or crayons
Stickers
String or yarn
Instructions:
Cut out big hearts from the construction paper. Each kid can have a big heart.
On the heart, write things that show humility (like helping others, sharing toys, being kind).
Design the hearts with markers, crayons, and stickers.
Punch a hole in the top and thread a string through it to make a decoration for home.
Discuss ways to show humility at school or home as they decorate.
Game: "Unity Relay Race"
What You Need:
Soft balls (like beach balls) or small bean bags
Cones or markers to create a race track
How to Play:
Divide kids into teams.
Set up a relay race where each team member has to balance a ball on their head (or a bean bag).
As they run from one cone to the next, they must help their teammates by cheering them on and staying encouraging—no pushing or rushing ahead!
The focus is on working together and encouraging one another!
After the race, discuss how teamwork and encouraging each other shows humility and unity.
Discussion Questions:
What does it mean to think of others before ourselves?
Can you think of a time you showed humility like Jesus?
Why do you think it's important for us to be unified as a church?
How does being humble and helpful make us more like Jesus?
What can you do this week to help someone or put their needs before yours?
Wrap Up with Prayer:
Let's gather together and close our eyes.
"Dear Jesus, thank you for being the perfect example of humility. Help us to remember that to be great in your kingdom, we need to serve others and think of them first. Help us to show love and unity, just like you taught us. May we encourage each other and work together to make the world a better place. Thank you for loving us so much. In Your name, we pray, Amen!"
Thank you for joining today, kids! Remember, the way up is down. Let’s go out and show humility and love to everyone we meet!
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Understanding Philippians 2: The Background
The Book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Christian community in Philippi, a prominent city in Macedonia. This area was known for its Roman influence and as a critical hub of commerce and culture during the first century.
Cultural Context: Philippi was a Roman colony, meaning its citizens enjoyed privileges similar to those living in Rome itself. The society was deeply embedded in Roman culture, which prized honor, status, and achievement—elements contrary to Paul's message of humility.
Political Environment: The Roman rule was dominant and strict, and believers often faced persecution. The Philippian church itself was born out of Paul's missionary efforts and endured hardships from local authorities opposing their faith.
Religious Influences: Christianity was still new and spreading across the region. Philippi had a mix of pagan religions and practices, which were traditional in Roman colonies. The Christian movement challenged existing norms through its radical message of love, equality, and servanthood.
Paul's Situation: At the time of writing, Paul was imprisoned, likely in Rome, under house arrest. Despite his dire circumstances, Paul's letter is filled with joy and encouragement. This reflects his belief that true joy and unity in the church are rooted not in circumstances, but in Christ.
Understanding this backdrop helps us appreciate the weight of Paul's exhortations to unity, humility, and having the mindset of Christ—a direct counter to the competitive, status-driven culture of his day.
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My husband and I, we pastor in Los Angeles at a church called the Heart la. And we are about to celebrate our fourth year, our fourth birthday. That's my husband David, that's our three kids. And we also run an event space in Los Angeles. And so we get to meet lots of the community.
We are bi, vocational, doing that. And then my husband is also a teacher, so that's why he's not here today, because he actually started school back Friday. And today he is preaching at our church. And so we're both preaching at different coasts and so. But one of our events at our event space was a K pop concert.
Any K pop fans in the room? No. I mean, you could be honest. You're in church. You shouldn't lie.
All the young ones. Okay, okay, okay. I see you. If you've never. If you don't know what that is, that's cool.
Korean pop music. And this particular group was actually K pop punk. It was like kind of a mix. And they, they, they were not bad. It is what it is.
And they were, they were performing. But what I took notice of was the fans. There's probably about 150 little girls that showed up. When I said they were probably young adults. And they came and they cheered and they clapped and they sang and they worshiped and they jumped up and down and they cried and they sang.
And the people on the stage said, we love you. And they said, we love you too. It was a big deal. And I thought to myself, man, that is so weird. Those people on the stage, they don't know their name.
Those people on the stage, they can't do nothing for those fans. How dare they. Tell them they love them. They don't even know them. And I thought, how much more should we be worshiping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
I went back to my church that next Sunday. I said, guys, we gotta worship more because God knows our name and God can save us and God can heal us and God can redeem us. He's worthy of our worship. Can I get an amen for that? And so I just wanted to start by saying thank you for worshiping today.
I think the Lord looked down on us and smiled today. I was actually standing in the back watching you as you worshiped for a moment. And I just. I felt like the Holy Spirit was smiling on us today because many of you were worshiping and jumping up and down and singing. And this.
This choir over here was getting it. Can I say we're not getting it today. So thank you for the worship team, man. But I also want to say thank you to this church for welcoming my parents and my grandfather so well, because they've only been here since January. And many of you actually told me today as you walked in, you said, they don't feel new.
They feel like they've been here for a long time. And I just want to say thank you for being so kind and welcoming and gracious. But I also have to give you a warning. You ready for this?
It's not bad. But I believe that God is moving in this church. And many times what I have experienced is when God pours out his blessing. I can't contain the blessing. I can't contain the move of the Holy Spirit.
So it's going to get a little messy. Look at your neighbor and say, it's going to get a little messy. But that's okay because we want the Lord to move, right? Can I get an amen? And so, Holy Spirit, would you pour out in this place today, God, I'm asking for your spirit to move.
God, I ask that your agenda would be present today. Not my agenda. Lord, I ask that you would take the message I have prepared. Lord, would you divide it into a hundred, if not 200 different ways where each person in this room can hear exactly what they need to hear from you today. In Jesus name, everybody says together, Amen.
I am really thankful to be Tom and Robin's daughter, but I can only call him dad or Pastor Tom. And people laugh at me for calling him Pastor Tom. But he was my pastor, too, so he was my dad growing up. He was my pastor growing up. He was my Bible teacher.
He was also my basketball coach in my adult life. He was my boss for about six years. So lots of hats. But I am the only person in the world that gets to call him. I'm the only girl in the world that gets to call him dad because I am the only daughter.
And I heard something pretty horrific today that my mom said about me. Someone told me here that I look like my mom, but I'm basically my dad with a dress on. I was like, that is not funny. How dare she say that? About me, but it's true.
My dad and me are a lot alike. And one time in particular, I grew up in Las Vegas. Has anyone been to Las Vegas? Anyone? What were you doing there?
What were you doing there? I'm just kidding. We went to this bougie buffet in the Caesar's Palace. And in that buffet, they had over 200 desserts on display. It was just wrapped around this really cool area.
And I mean. I mean, maybe 300 desserts. It was. It was a lot of desserts. And I went up and I guess my dad went up after me, and we both got our choices.
And out of all of the choices that we both got when we sit, sat down at the table, we both had. I'm not even lying. This is real. The exact same seven items, the exact same item. Crazy, right?
Okay, let me give you another one. How many of you were here for the relationship series recently that my dad did? Not the worship one, but the one before that. Okay, I guess he told this really cool story and maybe multiple weeks covered how the male and female brain are different. Does anyone remember that?
Okay, well, in the last service, that was my intro, I talked about the difference between the male and female brain and. And how no matter what your brain is like, we need to have the mindset of Christ. Tell me how in the billions and billions of stories and intros I could have chosen out of the universe. I chose that. I didn't know.
I wasn't. I didn't see that you guys talked about that. And so anyways, feel free to take notes on how we're the same and how I'm a better preacher. But that's okay. We'll just jump in.
I'm just kidding. He taught me everything I know. Today I want to. I want to preach a message today called the way up is down. Somebody say it with me.
Say, the way up is down. We're going to come from Philippians, chapter two. If you want to go there in your Bible, you can turn there. I believe that Paul gives us the recipe on how we can have the mindset of Christ. We have been called if you follow Jesus.
If you don't follow Jesus and you're here today, I am so glad you're in church. I don't think there's a better place you could be than the house of God. So if somebody dragged you here, or your parents brought you, or you just woke up here, you're not even sure how you got here, I am glad you're here. But if you say I follow Jesus, then we're supposed to think like Jesus, we're supposed to have a heart like Jesus, the mindset of Christ. So how do we do that?
And Paul gives us a beautiful picture here in Philippians chapter two, starting in verse one, this is what it says. Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility. Somebody say humility.
Value others above yourself, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others in your relationships with one another. Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. What a beautiful passage that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church that was in Philippi during that time.
So the Apostle Paul wrote about 13 books in the New Testament, and many of them he wrote while he was in prison. This is one of those books, most scholars believe that he was actually chained while he was writing this passage and in a prison cell or maybe even chained to a Roman guard. And so you wonder, man, if I was Paul, I would have expected the church to write me a letter like, I'm the one in prison. And yet Paul, so filled with the Holy Spirit, was still encouraging the churches that he had started. You see, the main two themes in this book of Philippians one was to have joy in Christ.
You see, the word joy was found multiple times in this book. Joy was found five times, and the word rejoice was found six times. And that's a big deal because the book is only four chapters long. And so Paul had this theme that no matter what we're going through, we can still find joy in Christ. In fact, in chapter one, verse 12, he said, I'm in chains.
But actually me being in chains has helped to further the Gospel. So, yeah, this is bad, but actually God is using this in my life for good, and he was joyful about it. I wonder what you're going through today, that it's bad, but actually God's going to use it for his glory. The second thing I notice in this book is the other theme is Christian living. In chapter one, verse 27, he talks about that we should conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.
So we're supposed to live a life worthy of the gospel. And he talks about how we do that here in chapter two. So there's three words I want to point out to you today. Three words. Everybody say three.
Three words that I think will help us on how to live out the gospel, how to have the mindset of Christ, how to live like Jesus in our lives. And the first word is unity. Everybody say unity. Unity. If you look at verse one, it says if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion.
Who's he talking to here? He's talking to the church and he's saying, if you have ever benefited from anything good in this church, if you have ever benefited from anything good from God, if you have received salvation, if you have received peace or joy or healing or anything good, then listen to this next part. So has anyone in this room ever received anything good from God? Anything at all? So this is for you if you're raising your hand.
The scripture says every good and perfect gift comes from above. So basically all of us can listen up in this moment. In verse two, he says, if that's you, if you just raise your hand, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Like minded, one mind. You know, I have three kids, Ryan, Rose and Reagan, and they're all in your kids.
Is my mic okay? Am I good? All right. Like T.D. jake's over here, like, yelling at the.
Just kidding. Just, just kidding. So I have three kids. Ryan, Rose and Reagan. And how many of you have.
Listen up. Kids in the house still like kids. You're still raising them. They're in your house. Okay, okay.
How many of you had kids but they gone? They gone. They are not there anymore. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.
Okay, put your hand out. Stop being so excited about it. Stop being so excited. So I'm going to remind you what it's like. Like, because I think you forgot how long it takes to get out of the house.
So. So how many of you are like, you Are not responsible. Like, you never had kids. You don't have kids. You don't want kids.
No, I just think, like, you. You're. You're single. Maybe you don't have kids yet. Anybody like all of you, I'm assuming, don't have kids in the front row.
Okay, good, Good. When you want to go somewhere and you're not, there's no kids in your house that you're responsible for, you decide and you go. You just decide, and then you walk out the door. It's this weird phenomenon that you get to enjoy. And you probably don't even realize what a blessing it is.
When I walk out the door, it takes me about 20 minutes to get from deciding to actually out the door. Come on, kids, let's go. Don't forget your backpack. You don't have any shoes on. Where's your socks?
Where's your sister? Why are your shoes off? Now? Where is your sister? Did anyone see your sister?
Why don't you have any clothes on? That's weird. Like, let's go out of the house. It takes a long time.
Unless we are going somewhere they want to go.
We have a pool at our apartment. You would think it would take longer to get to the pool because you got to put a bathing suit on. You got to put sunscreen on. No, it takes 17.5 seconds to get their bathing suit on, to put sunscreen on, to get all the pool toys and be out the door. Why?
Because we are all on the same page. We all are going in the same direction. We all want to go to the same place. That, my friend, is the power of unity. You see, when I think of unity, I think of the tower of Babylon or Babel in Genesis, chapter 11, where the people of God have gathered together and they're building this tower to reach unto heaven.
And God himself comes down. That's what the scripture says. He comes down to look at what the people are doing. And this is what he says in verse six. He says, if as one people, somebody say one people.
If there's one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this. Then nothing, somebody say nothing, nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. This was an evil thing they were doing. God had told them to go out and to multiply and expand across the earth. And they decided to settle and build a tower to reach into heaven.
This was disobedient. They weren't doing what they were supposed to do. But God said, they're united, so nothing can. Nothing is impossible to them. Let's mix up their languages so they're not speaking the same language anymore.
The power of unity is so powerful in the body of Christ. We need to be united on the same page, going the same direction on the same mission, following the example of Paul, who is following the example of Christ. We have work to do in the kingdom of God. Can you imagine, when we're unified, what we can do for his kingdom? When we're unified, we can serve more.
When we're unified, we can give more. When we're unified, our witness is stronger to the outside world. When we're unified, we get places faster. Can you imagine what we could get done if we were all on the same page? You see, disunity slows us down.
A disunified church is confusing to unbelievers. One of my least favorite things is when I see Christians debating on social media. Anyone on social media? Don't lie. You're in church.
Okay, well, where are we at? Any. Any Facebook in here? Are you on Facebook? Instagram?
Any Instagram in the room? Anybody on TikTok? Okay, go ahead, Go ahead. Look, this just a tool that can be good or bad. I posted a little video on TikTok for our church last week.
It was literally trash. It was a video of a sign that said free backpacks. And I did a little video of it as we did a backpack. Outreach has 30,000 views on TikTok. Not one of my videos has ever done that well.
And personally, probably 50 people came to the outreach because of that little video on TikTok. It's just a tool that can be used for God's glory, but it can also be used for disunity when us Christians fight on TikTok or we fight on Instagram or we debate or whatever. You know who sees it? Non Christians. That's confusing.
That doesn't make any sense. We should be united about the things that matter and the things that don't, we don't give effort to. We should be united about Jesus and about where we're going. A united church can do more for the kingdom of God.
How do we do that? Well, in the next couple verses, Paul says how to be unified. He says, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility. Value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interests of each other. I don't like that verse.
That's hard. Do nothing out of selfish ambition.
Value others above yourself. Look out for others interest more than my own. Can you imagine if you actually did this. It would change your marriage. It would make you a better grandparent, it would make you a better employee.
It would make you a better boss. It would change your job. It would change your friendships. If you put these two verses into practice. You see, the way we model true unity is by looking out for others more than we look out for ourselves.
You see, unity is not agreement. Unity is alignment. Unity is looking out for one another, getting our eyes off self, and looking out for the other person. I heard this question recently. This thought, is my name safe in your mouth?
I would ask that for the people here at your church. When you talk about the people at your church, is their name safe in your mouth? Is the worship leader's name safe in your mouth? Is the pastor's name safe in your mouth? Now, I'm not saying you just sit quiet and you don't ever disagree or argue.
That's just safe silence. That's not peace in a marriage, you know, you have to fight. Sometimes you gotta fight fair to get to the bottom of stuff. If you don't ever fight, then one day it's all gonna explode. Same is true in a church, though.
I'm gonna protect the leaders. I'm gonna protect the people. I'm gonna protect my brothers and sisters. What does this look like actually in a church? It says, I'm gonna pray for the leaders of this house on a regular basis.
This. I'm going to give the people sitting next to me the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to get on board with the vision that God has for this house because disunity slows us down. And this house is strategically placed, I believe, by God, to reach this community. I've got to hear lots of stories of this house over the last week, and it's amazing that you're even here right now.
It's a miracle from God that you get to sit in this beautiful sanctuary and meet for church. This is a miracle from God. And this house is strategically placed here to reach people for his kingdom. We got a job to do. We got stuff to do.
We are on mission. So let me tell you this. If you're new here, like, if you're. If you're. If you just started coming in 20, 25, can you raise your hand?
Me? I just want to see. That's a lot of you. Okay? If you're new here, you get to be part of something amazing that is happening here through this church in this county.
If you've been coming here for a while, I'm assuming that's everybody else that didn't raise your hand. And. And I heard that this church is about a hundred years old almost, right? And I heard you're going to have a big birthday party, as you should, with streamers and cake and. And.
And fireworks. And maybe not fireworks, but. But you're gonna celebrate a hundred years of God's faithfulness. But listen, if you've been here for a while, you get to lead the way forward in unity or you will lead people away in disunity. You get to help build the church for your grandchildren.
What would your grandchildren want? What would your kids want? And some of you that, well, my kids don't go here. Well, there's lots of kids here to adopt and you can be a grandparent to the kids in the house. I saw a lot of kids in kids ministry.
There's plenty of kids to claim and be a. What is it called? A God grandfather, a God grandmother. They need it. Unless Jesus comes back, and we don't get to decide when he comes back.
This church needs to be around for another 100 years. And here's the thing. Here's the reality. The church is not for you. It's not.
The church is not for me. We get to be part of this thing called the church to help reach more people for Jesus. And this is a training ground. We're building you up to send you out to reach people for Jesus. This is a healing hospital, a boot camp of sorts of where you are being built up.
But we're here so other people can receive salvation. Our job is to depopulate hell and populate heaven for the glory of God. It's not about us.
At my church, I tell them it ain't just us four and no more. Like, I see a lot of empty seats in this service. And I don't say that as a bad thing. I say that as a good thing because that means there's more room for people and get. Get ready to get cozy.
Because ourselves, we like a little room, right? When you go to the movie theater, isn't it annoying when someone sits next to you? Like, there's three more seats, dude? Like, that's. Why are you sitting next to me?
Can we change our perspective at church to say, I hope somebody sits by me? I hope every seat is full. Why? Because that means people are coming to Jesus. That means people are learning about God.
We want more people so God can get more glory. Heaven's gonna be crowded. Y' all get ready to be crowded. A reminder. One of the.
One of the greatest Things you can do right now is to pray. How many of you have grandchildren in the room? Any grandchildren? Any grandparents? Any grandparents in the house?
Okay. On Sunday, we just did some water baptisms at our church. And so, as my dad mentioned, at the Heart la, we meet in a former nightclub. And I remind my people every Sunday that sitting in this room is a miracle from God because we could not afford the nightclub. And the Lord just intervened and changed some decimals around where we could afford the former nightclub.
And it actually went under because of COVID And so as bad as Covid was, God used Covid for his glory in that moment for us. And so we meet in this nightclub and since we started our church, 61 people have been water baptized at our church. And yeah, praise God. And on Sunday there was a couple who they. We just moved to Los Angeles from Italy.
We have 15 nations represented at our church. And so they came from Italy and they gave their heart to Jesus this year. And over the last month, the husband, Davide got baptized, and then his wife Isabel just got baptized on Sunday and they have kids. And so just a beautiful picture of the goodness of God. But Davide's mom came to see the baptism on Sunday and I talked to her after and I gave her a big hug.
She had tears in her eyes. And she said, I have been praying for Isabel and Davide to give their heart to Jesus for years and years. And we held each other and she cried. And I was just reminded at the power of our prayers to God that they do not bounce off the ceiling, that they are not in vain, that they're not wasted. But your prayers matter.
Your prayers are powerful. They may just be a seed in the ground, but you keep planting seeds and you keep planting seeds, and maybe you're watering the seed, and maybe, just maybe, God will allow you to see the harvest at some point. But now is not the time to stop praying. You're praying. Can I get a praying grandma in the house?
Can I get a praying grandfather in the house? You're praying for your grandkids, you're praying for your kids, you're praying for your pastors. You're saying, not today, Satan. Not in this house, not in this county, not in this city. We have a job to do.
And the best way to do it, listen, is when we are unified, when we're on the same page.
It may not be your preference, but that doesn't mean it's not evil.
Sometimes we have to die to self and say, well, I wouldn't have chosen that But I'm going to trust whoever did, because it doesn't really matter what color the wall is or it doesn't even matter what song we sing. Are we still going in the same direction? Unity. So Paul talks about unity, but the second word he talks about is humility. It's a one, two punch, right?
Unity and humility. Right there. Look at what he says. Look at what he says in verse three and four in humility. Value others above yourselves.
You see, we can't be united without humility. If you don't have humility, which means you're prideful, then it's hard to be united.
We have to literally ask God to say, would you humble my heart? Do you remember the story when Jesus taught in Matthew chapter, let me not lie, Let me not lie to you. Matthew 18, where the disciples came to Jesus? They say, how do we be the greatest in the kingdom of God? Remember this story?
They go to him and say, how do. How can we be number one? And Jesus grabs a little child and he puts him on his leg and he says, unless you become like this child, you're not even getting in. So. So Jesus is like the greatest.
I'm not even sure if you're. You made the cut. Like, I'm not even sure if you made the list yet. But then Jesus doesn't reprimand them for wanting to be great. He tells them how.
See, I like that because I'm very competitive. I. I played sports growing up. I played basketball. I like to be first. I like to be number one.
I'm all about it. I'm all about the games. And we're going to win at all. I'm built to win. So Jesus, he doesn't say, you should not want to be great.
He says, let me tell you how to be great. And he says, unless you take a lowly position. Let me read it to you. In verse 4. He says, Whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Take a lowly position. So there's a very famous verse in James 4. 6. It says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Did you know that if you are proud, God opposes what you're doing?
The word oppose literally means to disapprove, prevent, or actively resist. I don't want God to actively resist anything I'm doing. He will win. He will beat me. Even if I'm trying to do God's work, I'm doing the Lord's work.
But if there's pride in my heart, then God actively resists me. Our prayer should be every morning. God, any ounce of pride in my life, would you take it away? Because if. For even.
Listen, listen. If for a moment when I said the word humility, you said check, then I would guess that there might be a little something in there that God is working out.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself. I'm not asking you to beat yourself up, but it's thinking less about you and more about others. Because here's the reality. The way up is down. He said to take a lowly position.
John the Baptist, when he talked about Jesus, he said, he must increase and I must decrease. In a world where many of us have the thinking of I must increase so God can increase too. That's backwards. Where we have to decrease, we have to decrease and lower ourselves. You see, Jesus is the last word I want to point out for today.
Jesus was the greatest example of humility that Paul could have given us. And he showed us that. In the next couple of verses, Jesus humbled himself. He had every right to be prideful. He was equal to God.
And yet he lowered himself. He lowered himself when he came down from heaven. He lowered himself when he became a baby. As he entered this world, he made himself nothing. That's what verse seven says.
Another translation says, he emptied himself. I don't like that one. I want to fill myself up. I want. I want more.
My natural desire is to gain more. I would like more money and more stuff and more understanding and more popularity. But the Bible says we're actually supposed to empty ourselves. So everything I said is not. Nothing of that is inherently evil.
But let me ask you this. Are you intentionally taking steps to empty yourself? What in your life are you taking out? Are you taking away and saying, I actually need less? Take this away from me.
You see, Jesus really flipped the script on power, status and greatness. You see, the Jewish people were expecting a warrior king, and yet Jesus came in the world as a baby. The Jewish people were expecting someone to come and rid them of the Roman Empire. But Jesus came talking about love, grace and humility. The way up is down.
And if you look at this verse in Matthew 20:16, it's a little daunting to me. It says, so the last will be first and the first will be last in our world. It doesn't make sense in my mind. It's hard to grasp because I still want to be first. But the first will be last and the last will be first.
And if you look at verse 9, we see this take place with Jesus. Verse 9. Paul wrote, Therefore God exalted him, so elevated him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. So Jesus lowered himself and God exalted him. Jesus.
Jesus humbled himself and God brought him to the highest place. Jesus humbled himself to death on a cross. But afterwards, Jesus was raised to life, then he was raised to heaven, to the highest place, and then he was raised to the right hand of the Father. The way up is down. And I don't know where you're at today or what you're going through, but I know this, that unity and humility are two biblical principles that must be kept to have the mindset of Christ, to live as a follower of Jesus.
And here's the thing. The enemy can't create. He can only distort. And so when it comes to something like unity, the devil will take unity. Say, you don't need other people.
You don't need to be a part of a church community. You can follow Jesus on your own. It will be faster if you just go alone. You can figure it out on your own. Or worse yet, you know better than them.
You have better ideas. Just talk to a couple people, it will be fine. And when it comes to humility, the enemy makes the sin of pride good. Sounds like this. You deserve it.
You earned it. You worked hard your whole life. Now it's your time. You are better than them. You've put in more years, but God is saying, no, no, no, no, no.
In order to be the greatest, you must lower yourself. You must humble yourself. The way up in the kingdom of God is down. Let me end with this question. Why are you here?
Why are you still here on this earth today?
My one thought would be, if you don't follow Jesus yet, then God has given you grace and he's calling to you, and he's calling to you, and he's calling to you, and he's calling to you. And like the Father waiting for the prodigal Son to come back, he's looking for you and he's longing for you, and he's just waiting. Maybe today's that day where you're gonna give your heart to Jesus. In Christianese, we call it getting saved. But it's just starting a relationship with the God of the universe who created everything, the sun, moon and stars, and created the planets and the world, and at the same time looks down into our world today.
And he looks directly at you and loves you and wants to be in relationship with you. But my second thought is this, if you're still here today and you serve the Lord, then you have a job to do. There is work to be done in the kingdom of God. There are people that need to be reached for his kingdom. And God has put you where you live, where you work, where you hang out, in your school on purpose, with purpose.
You're not here just for you. You're not here just to have a good time. You have an assignment. You have a role to play. I believe there are people in your circle that only you can reach for the kingdom of God.
People that I can't reach past Tom, can't reach. Our worship leader can't reach only you. And you come here and you get through filled up for the glory of God, and we send you out to be a light for his kingdom. And I believe the best way to represent Christ is to look like Christ, to have the mindset of Christ, to be unified with God's plan, and to be humble.
What's your assignment? Why are you here? What is God stirring in your heart right now? Who's the name, the face, the heart of the person who God is bringing to your memory right now that you're supposed to be praying for, that you're supposed to be doing a prayer walk for them, that you're supposed to be fasting for them, that you're supposed to be believing for them. What's the thing that God has called you to do?
Where you're supposed to be serving? Maybe you're supposed to start serving here at the church.
Why are you here?
And a final reminder. In verse one, it talks about the Spirit, A reminder that none of this is possible without the power of the Holy Spirit alive and active in your Life. In Zechariah 4. 6, it says, it's not by might, it's not by power, but it's by the Spirit, declares the Lord Almighty. You can't be unified by your own strength.
You can't be humble by your own strength. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Just like Acts 2, the disciples were filled again and again and again because they needed the power of the Holy Spirit to do the assignment that Jesus called them to do. The last command he gave us was to go out and make disciples of all nations. I'm praying for this church that a move of God would happen here and it would start with you.
It would start with you guys, it would start with you in your community and that people would continue to be saved. And you would impact this county and this county would impact this state and this state would impact our country and our country would impact the world for the glory of God. I, I don't know about you, but I believe that Jesus is alive today. And after all the junk happening world, it's not more money we need, it's not better politicians we need. We need people to know the saving power of Jesus.
That every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Do you believe that today? Would you stand with me as we close?
You can just bow your heads. At this moment I'm going to do a two part altar call.
The first one is just this. If you're in here today and you're far from God, man, I'm so glad you're here. But if today is the day where you say, you know what, I need to give my heart to Jesus, I need to turn this thing over to him. I've tried, tried a lot of things and it's not working, I guess I can try Jesus now. If you want to give your heart to Jesus today, I would like to just pray and we can do.
We call it the salvation prayer. Really it's just, it's just the start of a conversation with God that you're going to have. So if that's you in here today, you want to say that prayer and give your heart to Jesus, would you just raise your hand so I can see you? Anyone in the room say I want to, I want to give my heart to Jesus today.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you for raising your hand. I see your hands. Look, this is what we're going to do.
I'm going to say a prayer and I just, I would like you to repeat it after me. If you raised your hand and for the rest of us that have prayed this prayer probably a couple times, would you say it with us as well to just be in unity with our new brothers and sisters. Say, dear Jesus, I give you my life today. I admit that I have sinned and messed up. I confess those sins to you.
But today I believe in you. I want to start a relationship with you. Would you wash me clean? Would you make me new? I give my heart to you today.
In Jesus name. Amen. Let's give those people a round of applause. We had a couple of people raise their hand.
I, I say this saying yes to Jesus is the best decision you will ever make. It's the best decision you will ever make. So here's part two, part two of the altar call. If, if while you were hearing this message to today something spoke to you and you would like prayer. I just want to pray for you.
That you would be filled with the Holy Spirit today so that you would be unified, so that you would have humility. And maybe, just maybe, that passion inside of you would be set back on fire. For Jesus, if that's you in here today, would you just lift two hands to heaven like this? A sign of so surrender. A sign of receiving from God.
I'm gonna pray for you, and then we're gonna sing one more song of worship as we close. So just raise your hands to heaven just like this. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Why don't you just start telling God how good he is in this moment?
Why don't you ask the Holy Spirit to just fill you up today? Why don't you just start declaring the goodness of God? And so, Lord, right now you see every heart raised, you see every hand raised, every heart open, every mind open to the things of you and God. I ask for every person with this within the sound of my voice, that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit today from the top of their head to the bottom of their toes. We can't do this assignment you have given us on our own.
Lord, we need you right now. We need you. Need you, Holy Spirit. So would you fill us up today? God, I'm just sensing a.
A fire being set in some people today. Spark that fire again. Maybe they've been complacent, maybe a dream has died. Lord, I ask that you would awaken that dream again today. Would you bring it back to the forefront of their mind, the assignment that you have given them, God, we thank you, Lord, for that.
And Lord, I ask that there would be such unity in this church today. God, would you literally unite them like a. A woven blanket that has a beautiful tapestry on it, Lord, so that they can be a light in this city for your glory, Lord. And God, I'm praying for humility, Lord. Lord, we just even humble our hearts right now.
And we repent for where we have been prideful, Lord, we put it all at the altar today. God, we throw it all down before you today. Would you help us to look a little bit more like you, God? Would you do in this place what only you can do? Not by my might, not by my strength, but by your spirit.
Holy Spirit, move in this place. Give us a fresh wind today, a fresh fire today. We thank you, God, for the work that you're doing in Jesus name. Everyone declares amen and amen. Let's sing one more worship song together
