HUMILITY THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE
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HUMILITY THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE
As I come forward at end of worship
SLIDE 1 “WELCOME”
Reflections from worship
Last week the Lord taught us about Courageous Faith
The Lord seems to be taking us through what we could call true Christian characteristics
Walking by the Spirit was huge
Faith as we know....... the way to please God.... our foundation in Christ
Today we will see another amazing characteristic .....a virtue than seems to get left by the way side in our walk
Humility........The Forgotten Virtue
SLIDE 2 “HUMILITY THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE”
humility would probably be the most noticeable trait a Christ follower could have
You might think man faith would be the greatest or walking by the Spirit even greater.......but to be biblical true the humility makes the other traits more effective and powerful
This is explained in the virtue part of all that statement just made
SLIDE 3
VIRTUE
A moral excellence and goodness of character. Virtue encompasses the development of positive moral qualities and ethical behaviors that enable individuals to lead a life of integrity, righteousness, and moral excellence.
Man brother isn’t that a little over the top.....for those of us as we know aren’t perfect, we mess up , we make mistakes, we sin
Exactly the Lords point today
That is why without humility or humbleness those things seem to stand out to be seen more than Christ in us.
kinda like a word search puzzle
you look at it and really do not see the words or .....as we would apply top our message.... the mess ups, the mistakes, some sin issues
SLIDE 4 “WORD SEARCH PUZZLE UNMARKED”
with humbleness or humility in our walk, this is probably what God and others see.........just letters scrambles.......that’s really us in our humility...... we know we are a scrambled mess......but by God’s grace Jesus put us back together.........we know we have some stuff from the past in this mess of life.....but by God’s grace Jesus has made it where God doesn’t see that
This would be like...... bowed down.....modest.....submissive.....reduced in rank or status....meekness....patience
Now without humbleness and along comes pride and self righteousness
SLIDE 5 “WORD SEARCH PUZZLED MARKED UP”
comparing our walk to someones else....or judging.......not humbled by the saving blood and grace of Jesus.....look how things start to appear about us
The emphasis as we kinda see on this word search is a proud and independent spirit abasing itself.
Now hang on to that picture.......God will prove all this in His word today
SLIDE 6 “HUMILITY THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE”
So no doubt about it.....we are all on a wilderness journey right now....amen? we are on a journey to the promise land.....in heaven with The Lord someday…amen?
Similar to Israel after delivered from Egypt right, they were covered by the blood of the lamb, death angel passed over them and now freed from slavery and on their wilderness journey
Got that picture compared to us?
Look this what The Lord tells them like in the middle stages of that journey.....forty years have passed and now Moses gives them these words from the Lord
He pretty much focuses on ......you guessed it ....stay humble
SLIDE 7
Deuteronomy 8:1–2 (ESV)
1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
So what is the Lord testing us to do in us?......that He might humble us.....that’s His goal for us.....that’s what will keep us going, that’s what will get us to the finish line STRONG....stay humble
Now it gets even better as the Lord goes on to remind them
SLIDE 8
Deuteronomy 8:3–4 (NASB95)
3 “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
4 “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
Wow look at the virtues that come from humbleness.......it is He that feeds us.......can’t really explain it.....didn’t know how we were gonna make it through at times.....but man it was manna from heaven when He answered and provided!
Man the humbleness causes me to see that I live and survive by the word of God…amen?
Now look at verse 4.......this verse has always amazed me and just gives me a sense of awe of our God
That the word search puzzle......if your clothing doesn’t wear out you wouldn’t notice it…amen? By golly if your foot isn’t swollen your not gonna notice it..amen? That’s what God does in walking in humbleness.
Let’s look at the 3 Divine Benefits of being Humble before the Lord
SLIDE 9
DIVINE BENEFITS IN BEING HUMBLE
1) When Humbled - God is moved by our prayers or request
Pride won’t allow God to sit on the throne in our hearts to rule over and redeem our past, present and future
Let us humbly repent for the times we have tried to control our own lives in the false belief that we have the power to
SLIDE 10
2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
14 if My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
As we bow ourselves in repentance and humility… God hears us and is moves on our behalf
If we tend to forget this virtue then boasting can set in, grumbling or whining and even passing judgement on others.
A heart humbled stops seeking attention and admits mistakes and weaknesses, forgives and blesses others
The story of king Manasseh proves our first point today
King Manasseh did some really bad things as he was ignoring God.............explain.........look here in 2 Chronicles.
SLIDE 11
2 Chronicles 33:12–13 (ESV)
12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to Him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
Manasseh’s son was king after him and you think he would have learned this from his father.......look what his results were
SLIDE 12
2 Chronicles 33:22–23 (ESV)
22 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. Amon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more.
What does this about king Amon remind you of?
SLIDE 13 “WORD SEARCH PUZZLE MARKED UP”
SLIDE 14
DIVINE BENEFITS IN BEING HUMBLE
1) When Humbled - God is moved by our prayers or request
Our 2nd point of benefits in humility
SLIDE 15
DIVINE BENEFITS IN BEING HUMBLE
1) When Humbled - God is moved by our prayers or request
2) Walking in Humility - proves our salvation
King David understood maintaining humility before the Lord
Faced with all of life’s challenges just as we are. Also at different seasons David realized his need to bow his heart before God and he was confident in the Lord’s salvation
SLIDE 16
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
There just seems to be some kinda of divine special covering the Lord gives over the humble hearted......check this one out referring to salvation of the Lord
SLIDE 17
Zephaniah 2:3 (ESV)
3 Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land,
who do his just commands;
seek righteousness; seek humility;
perhaps you may be hidden
on the day of the anger of the Lord.
SLIDE 18 “WORD SEARCH PUZZLE UNMARKED”
walking in humility proves our salvation, nothing makes more of a statement to the unsaved than this because God is so honored in our humility
Our 3rd point benefit of humility before God
SLIDE 19
DIVINE BENEFITS IN BEING HUMBLE
1) When Humbled - God is moved by our prayers or request
2) Walking in Humility - proves our salvation
3) Humbling Ourselves - God gives more grace and exalts us
How many of us here today will take all the grace God will give you?
Remember what the Greek definition is
SLIDE 20
GRACE-
of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His
Holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps,
strengthens, increases them in faith, knowledge and
affection and kindles them to exercise Christian virtues
I know I know give me scripture! Here you go
SLIDE 21
James 4:5–6 (ESV)
5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
God exalts us in our humble state......what exactly is it when He exalts us
Exalted would be revived or restored, lifted back up
When deceived by pride we really think we stand tall and tough but God resist that .......as we are told in James 4-6.
SLIDE 22
32 When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
No story is more humbling than the one Jesus told about the Pharisee and Tax Collector
SLIDE 23
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
SLIDE 24
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
SLIDE 25
14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
WORSHIP TEAM COMING UP
Church family we can maintain this virtue, the Lord put His Spirit in us and we can show His excellent through our humbleness
SLIDE 26
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
SLIDE 27 “HUMILITY THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE”
PRAYER
WORSHIP SONG
MARK TO DISMISS