Sermon Tone Analysis

This week we are exploring the connection between God’s grace and humility.

This week we are exploring the connection between God’s grace and humility.

How would you define HUMILITY?

[RESPONSES]

Both Peter and James quoted the Old Testament, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

They latched on to this teaching from .

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This verse tells us that God gives grace to humble people.

It also tells tells us that God withholds grace from the proud.

Keep in mind that Peter and James were writing to believers.

Three times the scripture reminds us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

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In fact the verses reminds us, that there is a link between humility and grace.

Last week David defined grace as a perpetual battery—an endless supply of power!

Today we define humility as strength under the control of the Master.

I’m curious, how do you define humility and pride?

[WAIT FOR RESPONSES]

Let’s take a look at some biblical examples:

HUMILITY

On four separate occasions Jesus uses the phrase, “the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

These passages are not simply repetition caused by the gospels retelling the same story.

Each passage is unique.

Each time Jesus lays out the challenge, humble yourself, and, by grace, God will exalt you.

: the key image presented is one of humility and dependence.

Laying aside dreams of greatness and embracing dreams of dependency.

The key image presented is one of humility and dependence.

Laying aside dreams of greatness and embracing dreams of dependency.

Living in the kingdom requires God’s daily intervention.

Children, in Jesus day, had no status and were considered a burden…they were totally reliant on others.

The picture is of God breaking into the ordinary world to do something extraordinary in the life of those who depend on Him; just as a child is dependent upon others.

: Lay aside the thrill of recognition and discover the joy of serving.

: Lay aside the thrill of recognition and discover the joy of serving.

Lay aside the thrill of recognition and discover the joy of serving.

If we are honest, we will recognize ourselves in the people Jesus describes; those who strive for recognition by the way they dress, where they live, or by the titles they flaunt.

Most people love recognition; some people REQUIRE it!

Humility in this passage is having a SERVANT’S HEART and recognition is unnecessary!

Satisfaction comes when we see the fruit of our labor—even when no one knows the service was provided.

: Lay aside the thirst for honor from others and seek to honor others instead.

Lay aside the thirst for honor from others and seek to honor others instead.

In fact, Jesus tells us to honor those who cannot repay us!

Humility provides the strength to place others in front of ourselves.

Humility is giving honor to others.

: Jesus describes two men in prayer.

Jesus describes two men in prayer.

The first man begins his prayer with “thank you, I am not like other people…” then he lists the sins he does not commit which make him better then others…as a result he declares himself the winner!

The other man starts by acknowledging his faults and pleas for God’s mercy.

Humility is this instance is portrayed as heart [internal values].

The first man was self-deceived and believed his legalism was God’s measure of his heart.

While the second man surrendered as a child to allow God to determine his state of his heart.

HUMILITY OVERALL is defined biblically by understanding its secular use:

This word in secular greek is used to describe:

(1) a gentle blowing breeze.

(2) Plato uses it to speak of a doctor who cared for patients in a gentle spirit.

(3) It is also used of a horse that was been trained and broken and is now doing whatever the rider demands.

(4) Socrates used it when he said he had a friend who was contentious, but is now characterized by a spirit of strength, gentleness, and yielding.

(5) In another instance of humility used to describe the demeanor of a lion.

The underlying meaning of the word of one who is strong and capable, who surrenders their strength and abilities to their Master.

It’s short definition is: “Strength under the control of the master.”

How is it related to grace?

Grace is the gift of God that supplies us with the power to live right, while humility calls us to surrender everything God makes of us to His control!

God saves us by His grace...

God empowers us and grows us by His grace…

God requires us to yield all that we are to His control..

Go back to “…clothe yourselves with humility…God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”

Note we, “cloth ourselves in humility, then God acts on our behalf while dealing with the proud!”

“Clothe (apron/cover) yourselves, with humility [with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another.

For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor and blessing) to the humble [those whose strength is under the control of the Master].”

Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another.

For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful)—[and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble.

The interesting fact about humility is, which is often overlooked, is it is a VOLUNTARY ACTION—it cannot be coerced!

Another interesting fact is, humility MOVES God to act on our behalf!

Many believers are surprised to learn that there is something we can all do to bring the grace of God into our lives by simply humbling ourselves to Him.

But the opposite is also true! PRIDE disrupts the flow of grace!

PRIDE

How do you define PRIDE?

[Wait for responses...]

Dictionary says, “PRIDE is a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

It is an inwardly directed emotion that can easily offend others and carries with it a connotation that displays an inflated sense of one’s own worth or personal status and typically makes one feel a sense of superiority over others and can easily make someone look condescendingly at others.”

Biblical definition: “PRIDE is being puffed up or inflated with egotism.

To give the impression of substance when one is really filled only with air.”

It’s easy to step across the line from humility to arrogance.

Before we know it, we cross the line and begin to diagnose the cancer in others, and miss the person standing in front of us!

Pride has a thousand faces, but always the same aim, to make more of ourselves and less of God.

C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself: it is not thinking of yourself at all.”

Pride is always a masquerade.

We enter the hall wearing a mask.

We receive the praise of men, knowing all along that we look nothing like the costume we wear.

Pride leads to the kind hypocrisy in which we keenly discern the flaws of others because we are haunted by our own.

When I think about GRACE, HUMILITY, and PRIDE—I am taken back to an amazing Old Testament example of a man too proud to yield to God, who discovered God’s grace when he humbled himself before God.

Look at an amazing Old Testament example of a man too proud to yield to God, who discovered God’s grace when he humbled himself before God.

King Manasseh, one of the most wicked, evil, selfish kings, who ever reigned over Israel…

2 Chron 33:1-

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Even in the midst of gross sin, I notice, God is still speaking to Manasseh!

Despite his long list of sins against God, God still reached out to Manasseh!

Do you think God hides from your sin? No!

Even after a long list of rebellious acts against God, the text reveals that God was still reaching out to Manasseh.

If you’ve been told that God hides from your sin, you’ve been misled.

Our sin is one of the very reasons God continues to reach out to us.

He loves us and refuses to give up on us.