GREAT HUMILITY
Bruce Chant
generation-j
17 June 2001
Preamble.
Youth today are not the
church of tomorrow, they are the church of today!
Just as the wisdom of older
ages is needed so too is the enthusiasm and drive of younger people. Think
about it the youth are really the trendsetters in many areas – best athletes,
most influential musicians, personalities, best students… best at sleeping in…
best at knowing everything…
God is moving.
First fruits offering -
$1700 plus. Imagine the response to that out there?!
Intro.
Everyone wants to do something
significant with there life – ie when they die we’d like to say – “I made a
difference”. If not just check your pulse.
The key to doing this is
found in the words of the man who made the single most significant difference
to the world in all of history; Jesus Christ.
He said if you want to be
significant – don’t lift yourself up, but Humble yourself.
If you want to inherit the
kingdom of God – you need to be meek.
Matthew 5:5
says so clearly “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Modern thinking.
This is radical and totally
against the grain of our current day thinking.
Mick Malthouse said when
coaching the Eagles – “the meek may inherit the earth but they won’t win you a
football game”. That’s how people see life. How’s it going to help me?
We live in the time of the
“me” generation where through information about “self esteem” and “self worth”
a selfish “me-only” attitude is encouraged. “Why should I care about anyone
else? I am ok.”
We live in a time where the
end justifies the means. The result counts – not how you achieved it. Classic
example is Shane Warne’s mobile phone fiasco of a year or two ago. “It wasn’t
wrong if I didn’t get caught”
That’s how the world sees
it. But God says “No, let the weak say I’m strong. Let the poor say I am rich.”
The poor person would say how? The weak person would too.
Humble yourself. Then God
will lift you up, elevate you to that next level and exalt you to a higher
place. It is for a purpose – through humility we accomplish God’s plan and
purpose.
Purpose of Humility.
Matthew 23:12 “For
whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be
exalted.”
Proverbs 15:33
“The fear of the LORD teaches a
man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”
James 4:6 “But he gives us more grace. That is why
Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble."”
James 4:10 “Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than
yourselves.”
The bible references the nature of humility
everywhere.
Humility
can be considered: “to be when we find our rightful place / position before God
so that He can fully do something in and through our life for His glory.”
We do things in our human / sinful positioning – it
doesn’t necessarily glorify God – certainly not to the level He requires.
But once we position ourselves before him correctly
– ie He’s God, I’m not, these people around me weren’t created beneath me but I
should esteem them above myself - then
when we operate out of this positioning God is Glorified and the world around
us is changed!
How does this work?
Look at the life of Moses.
Moses was a most amazing man. If asked who (in the
old testament anyway) was used by God in the most amazing, incredible,
miraculous ways – Moses is the guy.
Moses saw the
12 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea and the whole exodus of the Israelite
nation from the bondage of Egypt. This is not to mention the receiving of the
10 commandments and actually seeing God face to face (after which he had to
wear a mask as he shone to brightly for the people to look at!) He lived a
remarkable life.
What is
remarkable Moses is that, not only did He see things that you and I have never
seen, nor will ever see, but the Bible records him as the most humble man in
the world at that time!!
Number 12:3 “Now Moses was a very humble man, more
humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
The same can be said of the Apostle Paul in the NT.
Saw amazing things, was used incredibily! He
survived numerous attacks on his life, miraculous events such as the incident
where the jail he was in collapsed around him, plus countless healings and
raisings from the dead. He also survived a deadly snake bite!
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of
God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked
harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Do you think
there is a link here? The two most humble men (arguably) in the bible are the
two men who probably saw the most amazing things happen as God worked through
them.
Enemies to Humility.
Humility
can be considered: “to be when we find our rightful place / position before God
so that He can fully do something in and through our life for His glory.”
Philippians
2:8-9 - Humility modeled by Christ – also points
out some of the pitfalls that may hinder us from getting there.
Enemies
to Humility:
1.
Selfish
Ambition or conceit (Phil 2:3).
=
In the words
of Bob Dylan we all gotta serve somebody.
The sad fact is most people serve
number one only.
=
There is
nothing wrong with having ambition – the problem comes when you start serving
it and no one else is important
=
Jesus sets
our example John 13:14-15
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you
should do as I have done for you.”
=
Jesus’ ambition was clear – He came to show us the way in
His example and to become our sacrifice thru His death and resurrection. But
there is nothing selfish or conceited about it.
=
It’s interesting though – Christ says Luke 22:26 “the greatest among you should be like
the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”
=
Have
ambition but remain humble by “preferring others” (Phil 2:4)
2.
Attitude.
(Phil 2:5)
=
One bad
apple …
=
A
self-important, uncooperative, unsupportive, unteachable, uncaring, unforgiving
attitude is probably one of the most ugly things in the world.
=
My first
run-in in life with the importance with attitude came when I was playing
baseball. The coach told me I had a bad attitude – meant I eventually changed
clubs where I made a new start and with a new start I adopted a humble
attitude. At 16 I was playing state level.
=
WWJD? – is all
about attitude – having the “yes” attitude of Jesus.
=
A teachable,
submitted, pliable attitude – like
that of Christ (v 8-9) – will
keep you humble.
3.
Reputation
(Phil 2:7)
=
Millions of
dollars are thrown around courtroom every week over the issue of reputation.
Reputations are so valuable is the world we live in.
=
But it is
said Jesus, in a world where everyone is so preoccupied with reputations, how I
appear on the outside, what others think about me, “made Himself of no
reputation” Phil 2:7
=
The point to
learn here is worry more about God’s reputation than your own. That’s what he
did for us. Put someone other than yourself in the number one position.
=
If we are
concerned for God’s rep. He’ll be concerned for ours. Put “first God’s kingdom”
and He’ll add to your life. Humble yourself and God will life you up.
4.
Critical
Words (Phil 2:14)
=
So much comedy is based
on sarcasm, derogatory comments, being picky and over critical of things – and
some of it is funny!
=
But it’s all about
elevating self at the expense of someone else and a spirit of Pride.
=
Isaiah 58:8-9 says “your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before
you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and
the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If
you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious
talk.”
=
God’s promises here are
dependant upon putting away a critical tongue. Such talk is an enemy to
humility and God working in your life.
Promise.
If we commit to following
the way of God in these things – remaining humble – there is an awesome promise
for us to receive:
Phil 2:14-15 “so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which
you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life”
In this generation if you
want to shine like a star – don’t do it by elevate yourself – do it by humbling
yourself under God’s rule and He will take care of you.
Response.
Pride is the enemy to
humility.
It is sin and sin keeps us
from God.
If you are from God – pray
and step forward, start again, receive forgiveness and in your new humility
commit to serving God all the days of your life.
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