A Man of Humility

Good Evening,

Tonight we are looking at Humility. The man of God is one who is constantly striving to live a life of Humility. I say this is something the man of God strives for because outside of God we are not capable in living in true humility.

What exactly is humility?

Wait for answers.

We cannot live humble lives without the knowledge of God. Without the knowledge of Him, we are number one. We are the pinnacle of our own existence, without God we are all that matters. Apart from God we are both judge and jury of what is right and wrong. The most humanitarian cause in the world apart from God is simply doing it because it makes them feel good at the end of the day. The world pushes evolution and Darwinism, both of which say the only the fittest survive, while at the same time, pushing to save all of the endangered animals from death and extinction. Why? It is all self motivated. Evolution and Darwinism let me live however I want and feel good in the moment, while working to save these animals, or whatever cause we might be pushing today, helps me to feel morally superior. Without God, there is nothing beyond self, so even the best of things is done out of a self seeking desire.

Turn with me to Psalm 8. The author included this in the study for this week.

Psalm 8 ESV

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. 1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? 5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

We often see from people this desire call to take care of the planet and animals on it, and in some ways that is good and right. However it is only in sight of God, that we can understand why. David writes in this passage that God has given us dominion over the work of God’s hands, this is a reflection on Genesis 1:26 “26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” We are in many ways the pinnacle of God’s creation; we were made in His image with many of His traits.

However, when we look at creation around us, it should, like David, make us wonder why we hold this special place in God’s eyes. When we look into the universe and see how vast and immeasurable it is, have you ever looked in to the night sky and tried to count the stars. It is nearly impossible then you realize that a few of those “stars” we see are whole other galaxies filled with other stars.

Turn with me to Isaiah 40 starting in verse 12 and going through 15. Then 23-26.

Isaiah 40:12–15 “12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? 14 Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? 15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.”

Isaiah 40:23–26 “23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.”

God has marked off the edges of the universe and created all that is within them. He is where understanding comes from and if every person who has ever existed and will ever exist all came together and stood before him, we would, still with all of our accumulated knowledge and might, be as nothing before him. In second Peter, it tells us that 1000 years are as if 1 day to God and this is a simile so it is not quite literal, but if we were to break up those years into 24 equal parts, it is as if our life lasts just over an hour. Compared to God we don’t even get the life of a mayfly, here on earth. A winged mayfly by the way has a 24 hour life span.

Yet, in Psalm 8 we see that God is mindful of man and he looks at us and cares for us. Turn with me to John 1.

John 1:1–3 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

This is the creator of the universe the living Word who was with God and was God. Nothing was made with out Him. Then jump down to verse 14.

John 1:14–18“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

When David wrote Psalm 8, he was amazed that God cared for man. Psalm 8:4 “4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” He was a man after God’s own heart and was amazed by God’s care and mindfulness, yet he had not yet seen the full picture. He had not yet seen Jesus come, live, and lay down his life for the redemption of man. I don’t know he may have known about the coming hope, he wrote about it in several places, but he had not yet seen it. We now have the fulfillment of so many of the Old Testament promises of a coming Messiah and what many thought would be a political salvation we know is a spiritual one. One where we might come into perfect fellowship with God.

And like we have been seeing in Galatians this salvation is solely on the work of Jesus. We have no part in the work other than accepting or rejecting that gift. That on it’s own should humble us to our knees, not only did our God come and live as man, but the very best we had to offer him by our own power required his death to pay the penalty for it.

The world tells us to take pride in our work, to be proud of who we are, we need to be self-promoting and self-aware. Scripture tells us this is the opposite of what we should be doing as men of God. Scripture never once speaks of our self confidence in a good light. As men of God our confidence should always be in the Lord.

Would someone be willing to read Proverbs 29:23 “23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”

And another person read Matthew 23:12 “12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

and finally James 4:6 “6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.””

Humility firstly is therefore a proper understanding of who we are in relation to God. It is second who we are in relation to man.

If the command to love your neighbor as yourself is the Golden rule as it so often is called. We find the platinum rule in Philippians 2. If you all could turn with me to Philippians 2 we will read verses 1-8.

Philippians 2:1–8 “1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

I will say this is one of my favorite and least favorite passages in all of the New Testament. My favorite because it amazes me that the God of the universe was willing to empty Himself and humble Himself to the point of death on a cross for my sake. It is one of my least favorite because as an example for me and the way I am to live my life the God of the universe emptied Himself of his Glory, something that was rightfully His, and took on the form of a servant and humbled himself to the point of death on a cross. It tells me that I am to have this same mind. I am to empty myself of myself and look to the needs of others. I am to take on the form of a servant and consider everyone else more significant that myself.

Where the world and my flesh say I need to care for my needs and my interests, scripture tells me to do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. If I am participating in the Spirit, I am to be looking to the interests of others I am to be serving the needs of the body. We are to care for one another.

1 John 3:16–18“16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

We should be willing to lay down our lives for one another. If we have material good that we can share with our brothers, in need, we ought to. If we have skills or talents that we can share with our brothers in need, we ought to be willing to do that for them. However, I do have to be a little careful here because these verses are sometimes used to take advantage of others. Where that mark is for you I cannot tell you and if someone does take advantage of you, guess what? God tells us to forgive them and he will judge them. Turn with me to Galatians 6. Lets look at verses 1-5.

Galatians 6:1–5 “1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.”

If we have a brother caught in any transgression we should try to restore them in a spirit of gentleness, but also bear one another’s burdens. We must be careful in trying to restore our brother though lest we fall into sin ourselves. Each of us will have to bear our own load. We must be sure we are always doing things for the sake of Christ not for our own selfish reasons.

All of our actions, both within the body of Christ and out in the world around us should focus on Christ and His Glory. We should be seeking God’s kingdom rather than our own. Again this comes down to properly understanding, who we are in relation to God and to men.

Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”