The Blessing of Being Humble
Notes
Transcript
Mic
Prayer
This week we are going to focus on the obligations of the members of the church or of the Flock.
But there is one last point I did not get to last week and that is a benefit of being a Good Under-Shepherd.
Slide
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
The Chief Shepherd is obviously a reference to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. and when He appears is a reference to the time when Christ will return at His 2nd coming. Jesus has called us to be diligent in our work for the Lord.
2 Slides
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Paul worded it this way to his young disciple Timothy
Slide
2 And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
He encourages us to keep our eyes on the goal , because when Christ returns, there will be rewards for those who are faithful.
We will receive the unfading crown of glory.
The term for crown is στέφανος
The στέφανος was a crown or a band of woven leaves that was given to the winner of the games in an athletic contest. However, those wreaths or crowns were short lived.
2 Slides
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
The crowns awarded at the games would only last a few days, and then they would fade away, wilt and die.
They give away paper crowns at Burger King or you can purchase plastic or even a metal crown, but they all lose their glory and pass away as well. Maybe you can see certain high quality crowns in a museum, but no one is wearing them. The glory for the person is long past.
But when Jesus returns He will give us a crown that never fades away. and to be honest… I don’t think it is going to be something that we wear on our heads.
Consider what Jesus said about His return...
6 Slides (ending vs 47)
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44 “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 “Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
47 “Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
or
2 Slides
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?
3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, matters of this life?
I think Christ has far more in store for us than some little trinket that we can wear on our head.
I could spend time speculating on what this crown will be, but to be honest, from all the commentaries I have read, I don’t think anyone really knows.
There are 5 different crowns that are mentioned in the scripture
The crown that is righteousness in 1 Timothy 4:8,
The crown that is life in James 1:12, and Revelations 2:10
The crown that is rejoicing in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, and Philippians 4:1
The crown that is incorruptible in 1 Corinthians 9:25.
I am also sure that many of us are also aware of the passage in
4 Slides (ending vs 11)
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever,
10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”
Now think of what that is saying… and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY…
And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks.… the elders will fall down before Him … and will cast their crowns....
The one thing I am sure of about this passage is that it is not describing 24 elders taking the crowns off their heads … throwing it toward the feet of Jesus.… and then they get up, go and get their crowns and take it back so they can throw it again.
On the other hand.. Bowing down before Jesus and acknowledging that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. .. Acknowledging that He is the owner of all things and that we are only His slaves entrusted with what that He has given to us to use according to His will and for His glory. That is something we can do everyday .… even now.
I would encourage us to think bigger than some trinket that we can hang on a wall or stuff in some drawer.
Each of these crowns has great value, but let’s make it our goal to please Him, - to hear Him say well done thou good and faithful servant. If we can do that....
We will do well.
and that brings us to the main text for today.
3 Slides
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
Verses 5& 6 are related to what we have just been talking about.
in verse 1&2 the elders were to shepherd the flock. Notice the “Likewise” in verse 5 Likewise you younger men be subject to the elders I was just talking about.
and then verse 6...
Humble yourselves… that He (THAT IS GOD) may exalt you at the proper time.
To humble - does not mean to view yourself as less than nothing, as less than a worm. Nor does it mean that you are insignificant.
To be humble is to recognize who we truly are and that is that we are created beings. It is God who created us, and He created us, both you and me, for a specific purpose.
As servants of God, (or as the Apostle Paul described it as slaves of God) our goal in life should be to glorify Him and fulfill His purpose for our life. … to have a servant attitude.
Let me explain this in simple terms. In my life I have worked for various bosses. As a good employee.. as a good servant, my job was to carry out or to fulfill the desire of my boss … whose job was to fulfill the desires of the company.
Now, as an employee, I could do what I wanted to do or I could do what my boss wanted me to do. If I did what “i wanted”.… if I was “all about making me look good” and fulfilling “my desires,” I was not going to be working for that company very long.
On the other hand.… if my goal was to please my boss..… if I was a faithful servant.… if I carefully noted his plans and the goals of the company
and made it my goal to make them look good, to be a success.
Guess who got the promotion, guess who got the reward!
The faithful servant is the one who is rewarded and the lazy selfish servant is the one who is fired or worse.… hauled off by the police.
this then goes back to verse 5
Slide
5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Peter probably focused on younger men in this passage, because at that time women had very limited rights. and by the way.… younger men… could refer to not only the teens but men up to the age of 40.
Girls were trained to obey their parents, they were trained to obey their husbands. They were not in line for any leadership position unless their husband gave them a handmaid to help them with their duties. on the other hand, the old men were the elders and leaders ...
and furthermore, younger men have within their nature a desire to exert their own authority. and so Peter, (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) instructs the young men to be subject to their elders.
If you will recall, He has already told us to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
He has already told us to be in subjection to our boss at work.
He has already told the women to be in subjection to their husbands;
and now He is telling the young men to be in subjection to the elders as well.
also .. Remember, He has just defined the term elders as the leaders in the church. (that was in verses 1-4).
Now in today’s culture of independent minded individuals, I need to explain that what God is saying to the young men applies to all of us. as one commentator explained it…
the need is for all of us to be in subjection to the leadership of the church.
and so we are also called to submit to the leadership of the divinely called pastors in the most important entity on earth—.....… Christ’s own church.
Although no one is exempt from Peter’s exhortation that everyone is to be submissive to their elders, he targets specifically the younger men. It is not stated.... in the context.... why he singled them out, I assume he probably did so because they generally tend to be the most aggressive and headstrong members of any group.
Peter goes on to remind us that God gives grace to the humble - to those who view themselves as a servant of those around them and of those in authority over them.… but He is opposed to the proud.
The term for subjection is ὑπο-τάσσω It is made up of two words… υπο means to be under ; and τάσσω means to “Bring about an order”
When you put the two words together it means to be in subjection to the order. Technically, it was a military term and meant to “line up under order.”
When we are in subjection,
we line up under the orders … or in this case
we brings our words and actions in line with the authorities. We line up under their authority.
We see this teaching also in
Slide
7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
and
2 Slides
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,
13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.
As seen in a broader context, Christians are to be submissive to all in authority, but especially within the church. The process of spiritual growth flourishes among those who have an attitude of submission.
on the other hand, an un-submissive flock makes the shepherds’ ministry difficult and comes with a significant cost.
Slide
17 Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Put another way ... we are to cloth ourselves with humility .… with a servant attitude.
2 Slides
5 … , clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
Remember Jesus set the example for us.
5 Slides
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ....
God is not asking us to do anything that He Himself… in the form of His Son Jesus Christ.... did not do for us first.
He was willing to humble Himself even to the point of death.
That is how far we should be willing to go.
As a church, we are family and we help one another. We make sacrifices to help one another.
We are to put on an attitude of willingness to serve, even in the lowliest of tasks.
Peter may also have had in mind the attitude of Jesus on the night of the last supper.
Sad to say.… the disciples would be arguing about who was greatest among them just a couple of hours later. Compare this to the example set by Jesus.
5 Slides (ending vs 5)
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God,
4 rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.
5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
and then after sitting back down at the table remember what Jesus told them.
4 Slides (ending vs 15)
12 And so when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments, and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
We are to imitate our Lord and Savior, and that involves being in subjection to our leaders. It involves having a servant attitude and as such.. each one of us should be looking for ways we can serve in the church.
In an average church, 20% of the people are carrying the load and 80% are not active in the ministry. If that is you, come to me or come to Pastor Scott and we will be more than glad to help you find a place to serve.
Maybe it’s cleaning the bathrooms,
Maybe greeting people at the door,
Maybe gathering prayer requests,
maybe taking responsibility for giving the children’s story up front on Sunday mornings,
maybe serving as an assistant teacher for a Sunday School class, or helping out with Kid’s club
or the prayer ministry, or a bible study in your home.
maybe in the music ministry
There are as many ways to serve as we have people
and more so don’t be shy. We invite you to step up.
Now for some ministries, you have to be a member of the church and so maybe you need to join our next membership class.
and So, I encourage you to start thinking about that.
And remember who we are to humble ourselves under.
Ultimately by being in subjection to our elders, we are humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God.
This is the God who created the earth and all that is in it in just 6 days.
This is the God who brought a flood over the entire earth in the days of Noah.
This is the God who destroyed Pharoah and His armies in the blink of an eye.
He did the same in the days of Hezekiah when he slew 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army in one night.
It was the hand of God who fed 30,000 people from 2 small fish and seven loaves of bread by the sea of Galilee.
It is the God who raised Lazarus from the dead.
Now then what problem do you have that God cannot solve?
This is the mighty hand of God.
And when we first submit to God and His authority… then
He (that is God) will exalt us at the proper time.
That is at a pre-determined time. Not necessarily at His return. It more likely applies to a specific time (a proper time) for us here in this life. It could be at His return, but it could well be in the not to distant future.
I have seen this principle at work in my life.
It was God who lifted me up to the position of chief finance officer at several hospitals.
It is God who lifted me up and brought me here to be your pastor… and God has plans for you as well.
Slide
11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,‘ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
and
Slide
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Be patient.… humble yourself.… adopt a servant attitude and God will lift you up at the proper time.
2 Slides
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Now that can seem scary. and so God gives us some extra encouragement. Look at the next verse.
Slide
7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.
Cast your anxiety on Him. The term for cast is used to describe taking a load that you are carrying and throwing it on the back of a donkey.
Or
You can picture a soldier … weary from carrying his backpack all day long.… and then taking it off and casting it to the ground. That is what we are to do with all of our worries.
As they say at WTIJ - Worry is the sin of not trusting in Jesus.
We can cast all of our cares and concerns on Jesus, because He cares for us.
Peter may also have been thinking of what David wrote in ....
Slide
22 Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
David— had Saul all over his back … trying to kill him. We may not have a Saul, but we do have things that cause
discontentment, discouragement, despair, questioning, pain, suffering, or whatever other trials we may have encountered.
But we can bring them to God and give them to Him because He cares for us.
God, through His servant Paul told us the same thing in Philippians.
2 Slides
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
So what are our main take aways? I am going to go with
Humble yourselves
Be subject to your elders
cast your cares on God
and God will exalt you at the proper time
Let’s Pray
