Humility    2 Chron. 7:14     Wednesday Night Bible Study   12/23/03

I. Definition of Humility

  A. To bend the knee, to bring into subordination

  B. Lit – recognizing and acknowledging my total dependence upon the Lord and seeking his will for my every decision

    1. Luke 14:11 – humility is the “queen of Christian graces”. The start of my walk with the Lord is to know my own sinfulness and weakness and to always feel the need of Christ.

      a. Root of humility – to know my own heart

        1. Isa. 6:5 -

    2. Prov. 3:6 – first step of his directing our paths, our acknowledging Him

    3. 1 Peter 5:5 – the more we humble ourselves the more he’ll glorify us in due time

      a. J. Hudson Taylor – “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.

        1. 1 Cor. 15:10 -

      b. Plaque in Bro. Leake’s office, “attempt something so great that unless God intervenes you’re bound to fail”.

  C. Rom. 7:8 –

II. Basis of Humility

  A. Jas. 4:10 -

  B. 1 Peter 5:6 –

1.      Humble ourselves in the sight of God – not man- God truly knows our heart

    2. Dan. 4 – King Nebuchadnezzar learned what happens when a person fails to humble himself.

    3. Satan himself found out about not humbling himself

    4. Luke 18:11 -

  C. Phil. 2:3 -

  D. Bill Gothard – “we must become nothing before we can become something”.

  E. Thomas Watson, Puritan pastor, gives us some principals to know if we are humble

    1. Are we  weaned from ourselves Gal. 2:20

    2. We won’t complain about our situation, no matter how bad it is, but thank God for it. – 1 Thess. 5:18

    3. We will see others more clearly

    4. We will take Christ on his terms not ours