Untitled Sermon
CIS Humilty Talk1
The more self-confident we are in our conduct, the less dependent we will be on God, and the less likely we are to allow Him to work through us (see John 15:1–6).
So what exactly does fear and trembling really mean? Does it mean outright fear or just simple respect? When we bought our first house, there were some issues with the electrical panels that needed to be fixed before our loan would be approved. Being sort of a handy person and wanting to save some money, I decided to do the work myself. It involved installing a new circuit breaker box. The day of the project, the power company came to disconnect the power and said they would come back at 4:00 PM to hook it back up. The linemen explained to me the consequences of touching the 220 volt cables, wished me well, and then drove off. The cold sweat and knot in my stomach demonstrated my fear. It was not a debilitating fear, but one that drove me to pay the utmost attention to what I was doing—to make sure I did exactly what was expected of me. The fear was grounded (pun intended) in an accurate view of my limitations and what 220 volts could do to me.
There are some parallels between my wiring job and our relationship with God. Having too high a view of myself and my abilities (independent of God) is disastrous. Arrogance leads us to push the limits too much, to do things in our own strength. Conversely, having too low a view of ourselves is not helpful either, making us doubt God’s love or purposes for us. We need to remember that God chose to redeem us for His good pleasure, making us His children and coheirs with Christ! What could boost our self-esteem more than this?
When we contrast these two verses, there seems to be a tension between personal action and reliance on God:
Philippians 4:13 (LEB): I am able to do all things by the one who strengthens me.
John 15:5 (LEB): I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything.
These verses actually argue the same point: apart from God working in us, we cannot accomplish anything of lasting value. This doesn’t mean we should treat God like a power source or means of inspiration; God needs to be the one working in us. When He is, all things are indeed possible, but only because of His involvement.