DOWN UNDER III

Helps to Humility

James 4:6

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

I.                   POWER OF HUMILITY

1.     It’s the Highest Rank in the Kingdom

Matthew 18:4

⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

2.     It’s the Foundational Virtue

3.     It’s what God looks for above all else

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And the earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? ² For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

           

4.     It’s the pathway to grace

James 4:6

                        God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble

5.     It’s the key to peace

Psalm 131:1-3

¹ Lord, my heart is not haughty, Nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters,

Nor with things too profound for me. ² Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

II.               STEPS TOWARD HUMILITY

1.     Obeying biblical lines of authority.

a.     Citizens must submit to government

1 Peter 2:13-15

¹³ Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

b.     Employees must submit to their supervisors

          Colossians 3:22

²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in the sincerity of heart, fearing God. 

c.      Wives must submit to husbands

Ephesians 5:22-24

²² Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives….

d.     Young people must submit to older people

1 Peter 5:5

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

e.      Believers must submit to their pastors.

Hebrews 13:17

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

2.     Realize how much we need the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-16

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

3.     Discover your spiritual gifts.

         

b.     Embrace the different gifts God has given to you

4.     Be realistic about your successes and failures

a.      Don’t be afraid to admit failures

b.     Don’t  shy away from  or minimize successes

5.     Beware of Yearning for Praise

Being the object of praise is not necessarily cause pride.  But yearning for praise and very rapidly lead to pride. We should acknowledge praise but not enjoy it too much. Praise is often

a.      formality of protocol

b.     someone trying to get you to like them

c.      someone trying to set you up that you might do them a favor

John 5:44

⁴⁴ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

6.     Beware of Unhealthy Comparison

Keeping track of accomplishments and adding them up. It’s counting so as to compare with others.

2 Corinthians 10:10

¹² For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

7.     Resist Cultivating a Creator Complex - expecting everybody to be like you and perform at your level and coming down on them when they don’t.

8.     Resist Rejoicing in others’ Failures and Resenting Others’ Successes

Philippians 2:3

³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

a.      Do you get irritated when someone receives a tremendous blessing

b.     When in a competitive situation pray that the other person will do better than you, get more praise than you and be more used by God.

9.     Beware of Compulsively Defending Yourself Against Criticism

a.      Let Critics have their say

b.     Thank critics when they are right

10.            Stay Humble When Adversity Comes

a.      Don’t harden your hearts

Hebrews 12:4-9

⁴ You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. ⁵ And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶       For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” ⁷ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? ⁸ But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much.

b.     Be careful about the nuances of your language

c.      Don’t dredge up past failures

d.     Never say I told you so

Answer Key: rank; Looks; Holy Spirit; Successes and Failures; 

The Offended Body…

Matthew 24:3, 9-10  

³ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” ⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

2 Thessalonians 2:3

³ Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

Matthew 18:7

  ⁷ Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!

       I.            Offense

a.      Offend comes from the Greek word skandalon, meaning to cause to fall away (from the truth).

b.     Jesus is an offense to many.

                                                              i.      Isaiah 8:13-14

¹³ The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear,
and let Him be your dread. ¹⁴ He will be as a sanctuary.
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel,
as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

                                                           ii.      1 Corinthians 1:18-24

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

   II.            Who is offended?

a.      The unbelieving. Romans 9:30-33

30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

b.     The disobedient. 1 Peter 2:6-8

6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.

c.       The term “believeth” is a continual tense verb that means to believe habitually.

d.     John the Baptist is referred to by Jesus as one of the greatest prophets born of women, yet he chose not to believe.

Luke 7:18-23

18 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. 19 And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 20 When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” 21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. 23 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”

e.      Elijah the prophet. 1 Kings 17-19

III.            How to avoid offense

a.      Believe continually in the Son. Don’t live off of someone else’s faith. John 6:60-69

b.     Recount the things God has done. Luke 7:21-23

c.      Have the right expectations. Matthew 10:34

DOWN UNDER Abounding in the grace of Humility

(Part 2)

What’s Wrong With Pride?

James 4:3-6

³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? ⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

I.                   BEFORE THE TREE

1.     Pride’s Beginning.

Isaiah 14:12-16

¹² “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! ¹³      For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ ¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. ¹⁶ “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms.

2.     Pride at the Tree

Genesis 3:2-6

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” ⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

1 John 2:16

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world

3.     Pride Forfeits Salvation

Luke 18:9-14

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortions, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ ¹³ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

4.     Pride is sin.

Proverbs 21:4

A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.

II.                WHY RESIST PRIDE

1.     Pride blinds us leading to destruction

Proverbs 16:18-19

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. ¹⁹ Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 18:12

¹² Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.

2.     It makes God Your Opponent.

James 4:6

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:” God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.”

3.     You’re Playing on Satan’s Playground.

1 Timothy 3:6

⁶  Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

4.     You will be humbled. 

Proverbs 29:23

                        A man’s pride shall bring him low: But honor shall uphold the humble in

                        spirit.

5.     God will be forced to design tailor made pain for us

  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. ⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. ⁹ And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

III.             HOW DOES PRIDE SHOW UP

1.     In Strife.

Proverbs 13:10

¹⁰ By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised is wisdom.

Proverbs 28:25.

²⁵ He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered.

2.     In Abundant Self- Praise. 

Proverbs 27:2

² Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips

                       

                        Echoing Truth is Not Pride

                        In Place and Position Seeking

Luke 14:7-11

⁷ So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: ⁸ “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; ⁹ and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

3.     Always having to be right is Pride. 

2 Samuel 17:23

²³ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father.

4.     Boasting About the Future  

James 4:13-17

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.