Humility Before Honor
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom;
And before honour is humility.
Honor: to be heavy, weighty, with reputation; Bearing a lot of weight, which creates a large and lasting impact
Humility: to be brought low, humbled
Everyone wants to jump straight to honor, but God says humility before honor...
This is a scriptural principal that you cannot skip...
You CANNOT achieve Godly honor without this step...
I imagine we would all like to get to be:
A testimony for the loss?
A teacher to the younger generations?
An ensample for others to follow?
A position of leadership to influence more people for Christ
But I cannot skip straight to the honor of a life of weightiness and usefulness for God until humility is practiced...
Here is the interesting dynamic in scripture:
Pride leads down, while humility leads up...
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
18 Pride goeth before destruction,
And an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Let’s turn to the greatest example we have:
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Mind: the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives and judges the processes of the human mind
1. The Command/Admonition/Order
1. The Command/Admonition/Order
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Practice what Jesus practiced...
2. His Position
2. His Position
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
“Equal with God...”
Remember who we are talking about here…
This is:
The Almighty
The Alpha and Omega
The Bread of life
The Chief Cornerstone
The Deliverer
The Everlasting Father
The Faithful Witness
The all powerful, all knowing , omnipresent and faithful God
The one who knew no sin
The one who never committed a sin
But the one who became sin and died for all sin
In other words…
Jesus is the only man who had every right to all out skip humility and go straight to honor…
Think about it: Pride does not exist without sin and He never committed a single one!
Therefore, if humility wasn’t required for someone… He’s the only one…
3. His Submission
3. His Submission
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
“…made himself…”: no man made him, but he made Himself…
How did he Jesus practice humility?
a.) No reputation
1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
The One who every knee will bow too, is bowing His knee to them…
Herein seems to be the problem…
We are more interested in reputation than we are honest service…
b.) Took upon the form of a servant
c.) Made in the likeness of men (puffs of dust)
d.) Humbled himself
e.) Became obedient unto death
4. His Exaltation
4. His Exaltation
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
a name which is above every name
At the name of Jesus ever knee should bow
Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
The one who was crowned with thorns will be crowned with glory…
The one who was bowing the knee, will have every knee bow to Him…
The one who was born in a lowly manger, is crowned in Heaven…
The one who was mocked, will have every tongue confess His name…
The one who was judged by a sinful world, will judge the world of sin…
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
One final example:
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon 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 every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Conclusion:
Here is what it boils down too:
We want a high paying job without hard work to get a degree
We want to play Beethoven before playing the scales
We want to teach a class without being the student
We want a full retirement pension without working
We want influence without character
We want the promotion before the preparation
We want the fruit before the root
We want honor without humility
Don’t work towards honor…
Work towards humility and honor will come…
Every single person used by God for His glory, had to come to the place of humility before honor...
Are you in the place of humility?
Or are you so focused on the honor that your pride prevents you from ever being in the place of humility?
