Joyful Humility

Big Idea

Tension: How can John’s readers be joyfully humble like John the Baptist?

Resolution: By recognizing that Jesus is truly above all, as the Son carrying the Word of the Father.

Exegetical Idea: John’s readers can be joyfully humble like John the Baptist by recognizing that Jesus is truly above all, as the Son carrying the Word of the Father.

Theological Idea: Joyful humility comes when we see Jesus as the One who is Above all, who is the Son of God, and carries the word by the Spirit.

Homiletical Idea: We can be joyfully humble only when we see Jesus as above all.

Outline

Intro: How can we be humble?

In 2019, the journalist Brian Resnick profiled a Psychologist named Julia Rohrer who was trying to compile records of psychologists who were willing to go on record and admit that they now no longer believe in a contribution they made to the scientific psychological community. I think Resnick’s article was a fascinating description of hte way that pride has really colored even the scientific community. BUt throughout Resnick’s article, there are some assumptions that seem to be on display. One of those assumptions seems to be that the reason people are proud is essentially because we live in a culture that rewards pride and arrogance. So, really culture is the problem.

<https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2019/1/4/17989224/intellectual-humility-explained-psychology-replication>

Now, there is no doubt that in our culture, and indeed in most cultures, brashness and arrogance do really twist and contort society. I think in most cultures, people who have a hyper-inflated view of themselves, the self-important are often rewarded. But, the reality is the problem is not just in the culture out there, the problem is in here. The reality is that each of us would like to sit on the throne with God. Meanwhile, I think most people recognize that the humble life is a life that God rewards (Prov 3:34). And we would all like to be humble, and the question is, how do we get there?

What it looks like

Jesus and his disciples were baptizing in the vicinity of Judea, but John and his disciples go Aenon near Salim because the water was plentiful there. (vs. 22-23) John is deliberately tapering off his ministry; Aenon is in Samaria, and he is ensuring that less and less Jews are going to come to him.

John has not yet been arrested (24)

A dispute arose over purification - remember, Jesus has been doing works of purification in the changing of the water to wine and the temple (25)

So John’s disciples come to him with a complaint - everyone is going over to Jesus. (26)

John says “everything that I have is from above” (27)

John maintains his witness that he’s already said, “I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him (28)

I am the “best man” at the wedding, not the center stage. This is about Christ and not about me. (29)

This is, of course, reflective of Christ himself. <John 13>

Paul says in Phil 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What it is

So what is this

He must increase but I must decrease (30)

Humility isn’t self-pity and self-loathing because God hasn’t called you to something else. Rather it means recognizing that Christ must increase, and we must decrease. (Rom 12:3)

Romans 12:3 ESV

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

This joy of mine is now complete (29)

Humility is the ability to take joy in the role in life God has given you to play. It means being able to take joy in the fact that Christ must be the supreme, all encompassing worth of Jesus Christ.

Where it comes from

It comes from recognizing the supremacy of Jesus. What does it mean when we say Jesus is supreme?

Jesus has a better source:

He recognizes that Jesus comes from above, and therefore, he himself is above all. (31)

Meanwhile, he is from the earth, belongs to the earth, and speaks in the earthly way (31), this includes John the Baptist.

Jesus has a better witness:

Jesus bears witness to what he has seen and heard (32)

To receive his testimony is to set the seal, to affirm, to sign onto this, that God is true (33).

For he has the Words of God, because he has the Spirit. (34)

His witness is just better than other attempts to make sense of him.

Jesus has better access to God:

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand (35)

Jesus gives better life:

To believe in the Son gives you eternal life (36). To believe in him means here to “receive his testimony.” (33)

Meanwhile, to reject his supremacy, to reject his testimony, is to say, God I don’t need your life, I don’t need your joy, I don’t need your life, I’ll take my own. Which is, of course, to say, “I’ll take your wrath God.”

The person who does not believe in God does not recognize that they are disobedient. (36) They refuse to humble themselves and say to God, “I’ll take my chances.”

The only way to recognize the supremacy of Jesus is to recognize that only he is sufficient to give you salvation. And if he’s sufficient to give you salvation, then that means you’re not. It also means that you can have eternal life as a gift.

You see, here is the basic assumption that John wants us to have: there is a far fuller life to be had as a background player in the story of Jesus than as the main role.

Application:

Recognize - Your recognition of your need for salvation is directly tied to your humility. The more you think, “I have earned this, I deserve this, I’m entitled to this, I don’t need salvation”, the harder it is going to be to grow in this kind of humility.

The truest way to recognize your own need for salvation is to cultivate a habit and discipline of confession. The more you confess to the Lord, the more you stare your own sin in the face, the more you’ll grow in humility because the more gratitude you’ll have for the cross.

Receive - So therefore, we need to receive him. We need to take him as ours. We need to take him as our Lord and Savior. And I wonder, have you received him? Do you think you can brave the storms of Hell on your own?

Ask yourself, who is increasing in your life, yourself or your Lord? I do think we each need to take time to assess and ask ourselves, is Christ Lord.

Make habits of making much of Christ and restricting your own self-importance

John’s decision to move to Samaria to give Christ more room.

Giving him time

The relationship between Christian joy and Christian habit is reciprocal. I think most people give up on their habits because they feel joyless. But the reality is that much of the time, before someone can derive true joy from a practice, they have to establish a routine habit.

The goal of these habits is that you would fill your mind and heart with truth about God, so that God occupies your attention.

Take Every Thought Captive -

Have you ever noticed how given you are to exaggerate your own importance in your head? You notice someone doing something and think, well that’s not what I would do. You see someone else getting attention, and you start lamenting the fact you’re not the center.

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Joy comes from self-forgetfulness, not self-loathing.

It is important to get humility before suffering, not after.