Sunday Sermon: Discipleship (1) Consider Others Better
“1.If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,
2.then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
3.Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Just as God created humans as male and female to form a divine community, Jesus calls His disciples with the purpose of establishing a beautiful, new human community within the history of new creation. Becoming a Christian means being called as a disciple into this new community established by Jesus. In this sermon, I will focus on three key aspects of discipleship:
Unity with Christ: The first core of discipleship is union with Jesus. Mark 3:14 tells us that Jesus appointed His disciples “that they might be with him.” Through this union with Christ, we deeply experience His grace, forgiveness, mercy, and love.
2. Fellowship with Brothers: Jesus did not call His disciples individually but as a community to be trained together. Discipleship excludes individualism and involves practicing and training within the church community, dedicating ourselves to one another. The grace we receive through our union with Christ should manifest in our church life as love, mercy, compassion, and comfort towards our fellow members.
3. Humility with Self: In Philippians 2:3, Paul urges us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” This involves recognizing our weaknesses through the Lord’s grace and seeing others as equally in need of God’s grace. Humility begins with understanding who we are before God, acknowledging our limitations and weaknesses, and embracing each other’s shortcomings. True discipleship is about encouraging and supporting each other, not hiding our flaws.
Prayer: Lord, we ask to taste freedom and restoration through our union with You. Help us to recognize our weaknesses and sins, sharing them within the church community so we may grow and experience grace together. Lead us to become disciples who resemble You, Lord. Amen.
(Note: This summary was created based on an AI draft.)