Andrew Bauer // Rockford Campus // July 21, 2024
A Cross Shaped Life: Humility
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
Praise in the Park will be on Sunday, August, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm at the Garden Club Park in Downtown Rockford. Come and lift your praise in this gathering with friends and neighbors in the heart of our community! Please bring a lawn chair or blanket.
Kids entering grades 3 and 4 are invited to WILD Wednesday on July 24, 31 and August 7, 6:30-8:30pm. Join us for crazy fun, swimming, water games, snacks, friends and learning about our great God. More details in the Events section online.
TOGETHER IN LIFE
Summer is trip season at Magnify, when we send students and young adults on adventure, hiking, and serving trips to grow closer to God and others. Have you ever been on a trip that felt life-changing or drew you closer to God or others?
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Philippians 2:1-11 | A Cross Shaped Life
Note: If you are meeting and discussing as a group, we encourage you to read the entire text together out loud.
Read Philippians 2:1-11.
After you’ve read this text, take a few moments to quiet your heart and think about the following question:
What comes to your mind when you think about humility?
As we move into the discussion guide, ask God to open your heart to what He would like to show you about humility.
THE DIVINITY AND HUMILITY OF JESUS
We are going to begin by looking at what Philippians 2 tells us about the divinity and humility of Jesus in verses 5-11, and then we’ll return to verses 1-4 to consider what that means for us as His followers.
In John 17:5, Jesus prays: “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Later in John’s life, he’s given a vision of Jesus in His full glory. This is an accurate description of Jesus as He is right now in heaven.
Read Revelation 1:12-18.
- How does John describe Jesus?
- What does this tell us about Jesus?
Now read Philippians 2:5-11 again.
- How is Jesus described in these verses?
- What does this teach us about Jesus’s humility?
THE CROSS
We learned in the sermon that Paul’s poem about Jesus centers around the cross (verse 8). This is the high point of what Paul wants us to know.
We know from history that crucifixion was considered the most shameful way to die in the Roman Empire. It was so shameful that Roman citizens could not be condemned to crucifixion. This means that Jesus didn’t just take on the penalty for our sins, but he also willingly endured the shame of death by crucifixion in order to do so (see Hebrews 12:1-2 for more on this). Take a few minutes to dwell on this.
- What does this tell you about the humility of Jesus?
- What does it tell you about His love for you?
CHRISTIAN HUMILITY AND UNITY
Now let’s go to the beginning of this section and re-read verses 1-4.
Philippians 2:1 it opens with the word “so,” meaning these verses are a continuation of the verses right before them. Take a quick look at the end of Philippians chapter one.
- What was the church going through?
- Why does Paul then call the Philippians to unity through humility?
In the sermon, Andrew noted that these verses show us that the gospel doesn’t merely forgive us and restore us to fellowship with God; when we are in Christ (or united with Christ in eternal fellowship) we’re given everything we need to live out this unity and fellowship with other believers as well.
- According to verse 3, what role does humility play in Christian unity?
Consider Jesus’s command to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31) and the narrative of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet (John 13:12-17).
- What are Jesus’s feelings on unity and humility among His followers? Why do you think this is?
- How do Paul’s words in Philippians 2:1-4 reflect Jesus’s words?
OBSTACLES TO HUMILITY
In verse 4, Paul urges the Philippians to look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others. We learned that in the original text, the word “interests” is essentially a blank space that the listener could fill in. For example, “your own happiness, your own success, your own grocery list, your own health, your own friendships, your own comfort.”
- What are some ways that you could fill in this blank?
- Do you find yourself actively asking God to use you to bless others in the same ways that you have been blessed?
- What are some ways that you could look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of the people around you?
Andrew identified three primary obstacles to humility:
- Independence: believing that anything we’re enjoying in life is because of our own efforts or that all we have belongs to ourselves and not to God.
- Comparison: thinking about whether we are better or worse than another person rather than seeing them for the unique person they are.
- Entitlement: subtly believing that God or others owe us or that we deserve to get what we want in life.
Questions:
- Why do you think these three mindsets are obstacles to Christ-like humility?
- Which of these three obstacles do you most relate to?
In the sermon, Andrew said that the basic confession of humility is saying to God, “You are God, I am not.”
When we humble our hearts before God in this way, we die to independence, comparison, and entitlement, and we agree that God is the one deserving of full control over our lives, even when He allows challenging circumstances for our sanctification.
TOGETHER IN ACTION
Our next step as a church this week is to ask ourselves, how can I in humility strive to serve and sacrifice for God and others?
TOGETHER IN PRAYER
In the sermon, Andrew said that the basic confession of humility is saying to God, “You are God, I am not.” Take a few moments to pray that God will help you grow in humility, service, and sacrifice through your union with Christ and others.
