humility


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BACK TO THE BASICS – HUMILITY [“GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A FOOTBALL…”] HUMILITY – UNFORTUNATELY NOT HEARD MUCH IN OUR CULTURE… REMINDED OF WINSTON CHURCHILL’S DESCRIPTION OF AN ASSOCIATE: “HE WAS A HUMBLE MAN WITH MUCH TO BE HUMBLE ABOUT.” TRIGGERED BY PS BRETT’S RECENT MESSAGE ON PRAYER: 2CHRON 7:14 “IF MY PEOPLE…WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES…”

“HUMBLE YOURSELVES THEREFORE UNDER THE MIGHT HAND OF GOD…” (1PET 5:5) “GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” (JAM 4:6) WHAT IS “HUMILITY”? • 2 MEN NOTED AS EXAMPLES OF HUMILITY: o MOSES – “NOW THE MAN MOSES WAS VERY HUMBLE, MORE THAN ALL PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.” [NUM 12:3] o PAUL – “…SERVING THE LORD WITH ALL HUMILITY AND WITH TEARS AND WITH TRIALS THAT HAPPENED TO ME…” [ACTS 20:19] • HUMILITY ≠ MODESTY – THESE WERE MEN OF DEEP HUMILITY YET THEY COULD SPEAK OF THEIR “HUMILITY” • HUMILITY ≠ CONFESSION, BENDED KNEES, FASTING – HUMILITY MAY PROMPT ONE OR ALL OF THESE, BUT THE OUTWARD ACTION DOESN’T NECESSARILY REFLECT OR BRING HUMILITY • WORD DENOTES “BRINGING A PROUD AND RECALCITRANT PEOPLE OR SPIRIT INTO SUBJECTION.” PICTURED BY A BIRD FOLDING ITS WINGS [TWOT, VOL 1, P. 445]





 

HUMILITY IS THE OPPOSITE OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY & THIS GIVES INSIGHT INTO MOSES & PAUL o THEY HAD LEARNED TO LIVE THEIR LIVES UTTERLY DEPENDANT UPON GOD o MOSES WASN’T BRAGGING; SIMPLY STATING A FACT THAT HIS LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITY BROUGHT HIM TO THE END OF HIMSELF, END OF HIS SUFFICIENCY – CONTINUALLY! o PAUL IS SAYING THE SAME THING – “HUMILITY…W/ TEARS & W/ TRIALS…” – A MAN UNDONE FROM CONFIDENCE IN HIS OWN STRENGTH AFFLICTION BRINGS US TO HUMILITY o SCRIPTURE REPEATEDLY SHOW THIS

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o THE WILDERNESS – 40 YEARS OF AFFICTION AIMED AT “HUMBLING A RECALCITRANT PEOPLE” o THE EXILE WAS TO THIS SAME END – BRINGING THE REMNANT TO THE END OF THEMSELVES o GOD’S INTENT è A PEOPLE UTTERLY RELIANT UPON HIM AND THIS IS CONTEXT FOR 2CHRON 7:14 – “IF MY PEOPLE…WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES…” o 7:13: “WHEN I SHUT UP THE HEAVENS SO THAT THERE IS NO RAIN, OR COMMAND THE LOCUST TO DEVOUR THE LAND, OR SEND PESTILENCE AMONG MY PEOPLE…” o THE PRAYER OF HUMILITY IN V.14 IS IN RESPONSE TO THE AFFLICTION – § THE PLACE OF BEING OUT BEYOND WHAT I CAN DO TO CHANGE OR ALTER. o HUMILITY IS OUR RESPONSE TO AFFLICTION

HOW DO WE LEARN HUMILITY? • CLEARLY, HUMILITY & AFFLICTION ARE RELATED • SUGGEST THERE ARE 3 KINDS OF AFFLICTION: 1. CIRCUMSTANTIAL AFFLICTION – 2CHRON 7:13 – NOTE THE SOURCE OF DIFFICULTY. 2. SELF-IMPOSED AFFLICTION è FASTING: TO BRING US TO A PLACE OF UTTER DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. § WE PURPOSEFULLY GO HUNGRY SO AS TO CULTIVATE A HUNGER FOR GOD. 3. SELF-INFLICTED AFFLICTION – (ABOUT WHICH MORE TO COME) • BECAUSE HUMILITY IS WORKED INTO OUR SOULS THRU AFFLICTION è EVERY AFFLICTION IS AN OCCASION – AN OPPORTUNITY • WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO “HUMBLE YOURSELF…UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD…”? o STORY I READ ABOUT SELF-INFLICTED AFFLICTION -- A PASTOR…IN A LARGE CHURCH IN VA o HAD A FIGHT WITH HIS WIFE… • 2 ELEMENTS HERE – HUMILITY è FUNCTION OF TRUTH & YIELDING o TRUTH – § SEE THE TRUTH ABOUT MY CONDITION – SELFISH, ANGRY, JUDGEMENTAL, UNBRIDLED • “DENIAL” – A DYSFUNCTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE TRUTH § SEE THAT TRUTH ABOUT MY POSITION – STANDING IN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST, FREE FROM BONDAGE TO SIN, FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD

 

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JESUS SAID THAT HIS DISCIPLES WOULD “ABIDE IN HIS WORD…” AND THERE – IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT HE HAS SPOKEN – THEY ‘WOULD KNOW THE TRUTH & THE TRUTH WOULD SET THEM FREE! § REMEMBER: EVEN IN AFFLICTION THE FOCUS IS CHRIST! o YIELDING – § EMBRACING – SUBMITTING TO – THE AUTHORITY OF THE TRUTH & GIVING MYSELF OVER TO GOD § YIELDING IS SURRENDERING – § RECOGNIZING I AM BEYOND WHAT I HAVE TO WORK WITH § THERE WE COME TO THE END OF OURSELVES SEEING THESE, I CALLED OUT – “I NEED YOUR GRACE” OUTCOME: IMPERCEPTIBLY, o THE GRACE OF CHRIST LIFTED ME UP o AND LIFTED OFF OF ME THE YOKE OF SIN THAT I HAD TAKEN UP o THIS BROUGHT ME TO REPENTANCE – AN OPEN RECOGNITION OF MY SIN AND FORGIVENESS o BUT HUMBLING MYSELF PRECEDED FORGIVENESS SUGGEST THAT HUMILITY – HUMBLING MYSELF -- IS ABOUT MORE THAN BEING POSITIONED FOR GOD’S PROVISION, DELIVERANCE, SALVATION, ETC. o HUMILITY IS COMING TO HELPLESS RELIANCE UPON GOD o DOING SO JOINS US MORE CLOSELY TO CHRIST o IN ADVERSITY WE SEE & FIND CHRIST MORE PERFECTLY o HIS GRACE DELIVERS, HEALS, LIFTS UP, PROVIDES – BUT THESE THINGS SHOW US HIM o SEEING HIM IS WHAT MARKS US, WHAT ALTERS US § WE’RE ALTERED AT THE ALTAR OF ADVERSITY o CHRIST’S GLORY OFTEN MOST CLEARLY EXPERIENCED IN AFFLICTION o CHRIST’S GLORY IS THE TAKE AWAY §

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HUMILITY & COMMUNITY • SCRIPTURE AFFIRMS THAT HUMILITY IS ESSENTIAL IN OUR BUILDING COMMUNITY o COL 3:12 -- “PUT ON THEN, AS GOD’S CHOSEN ONES, HOLY AND BLOVED, COMPASSIONATE HEARTS, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, MEEKNESS, AND PATIENCE…” o PHIL 2:3 -- “DO NOTHING FROM RIVALRY OR CONCEIT, BUT IN HUMILITY COUNT OTHERS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN YOURSELVES.”

 

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o 1PET 3:8 -- “FINALLY, ALL OF YOU, HAVE A UNITY OFMIND, SYMPATHY, BROTHERLY LOVE, A TENDER HEART, AND A HUMBLE MIND.” PERSONAL AFFLICTION, PROPERLY HANDLED, TEACHES US HUMILITY – o WE LEARN CHRIST’S GRACIOUS KINDNESS TO “LIFT UP & LIFT OFF” & WE COME TO BE MARKED BY THAT IN OUR HEART o IN COMMUNITY WE TURN TO ONE ANOTHER AS CHRIST DOES TO US AND WE LEARN HOW, WITH CHRIST, § TO “LIFT UP OUR BROTHER/SISTER W/ ENCOURAGEMENT & FAITH, § AND LIFT OFF” THE DISCOURAGEMENT, SIN, CONFUSION WITH PRAYER & THE TRUTH SPOKEN IN LOVE § WE HELP ONE ANOTHER OVERCOME THE “SIN THAT DOES SO EASILY BESET US” § IN THIS WAY, WE “ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER DAILY, AS LONG AS ITS CALLED TO DAY…” PRAY TOGETHER: o IF YOU ARE RESISTING IN SOME AREA OF LIFE – WHAT IS THE TRUTH THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS BRING TO BEAR? o IF YOU NEED PERSPECTIVE ON SOMETHING WEIGHING ON YOU, BURDENING YOU, ASK YOUR GROUP TO PRAY WITH YOUTHE TRUTH OF GOD WILL SET US FREE

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