Walk Humbly

Micah 6:8 NIV

8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

If you are saying finally a topic that I don’t struggle with because I am a humble person, then you might want to rethink that just a little.

The Lord always has a unique was of humbling me. My typical and by typical I mean more than one occasion introduction is that I am a speaker for someone else. At College of the Ozarks, I was a fill in when someone could not make it.

Most recently I got to speak at the Branson/Hollister Rotary club. The reason I was asked is because Martin Dingman, a successful business man who makes really high end leather products could not make it.

Here is how the introduction went. Martin Dingman, a successful business man in our community was to speak today. He called me and said he could not be here. So I called my friend from Rockaway Beach and asked him if he could fill in.

(They don’t say it but his schedule is always open as a fill in guy)

He said yes and so he is here today. Before Jonathan comes I want to let you know that Martin Dingman said he could reschedule with us.

When I think I have made it and get a good invite, then the Lord has a great way of humbling me and reminding me of who He is and who I am not.

Walk Humbly is not the first reaction of the flesh. The flesh’s first reaction is pride

Pride: A reasonable or justifiable self-respect; or improper and excessive self-esteem known as conceit or arrogance

Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Pride. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1752). Baker Book House.

Pride comes naturally. It is not something you have to teach. It is from the flesh and who we are.

I am speaking to a group of men so I am sure you are familiar with pride.

My pride comes out when someone wants to help me. I don’t like getting help.

One Summer I was putting some HVAC ducts into an addition we built on our house and the metal caught my knee and I had to have stitches. This put me on crutches

My wife and father in law said they were going to mow the yard. I was not going to let this happen without me. So I in my pride got my weed eater down and with my crutches I was trying to weed eat my yard on crutches.

In that moment I realized my pride! I am constantly helping others but not wanting to receive help myself!

Humility:

An attitude of lowliness and obedience, grounded in the recognition of one’s status before God as his creatures

Manser, M. H. (2009). Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. Martin Manser.

I have come to recognize that Pride is often insecurity masked.

Or to say it another way often insecurity causes people to appear very prideful

Think about it for a second. If I tell you to think of someone you know who you think is very prideful, then think about whether or not you believe they are secure in who they are or insecure.

It has been my experience that some of the people who know everything there is to know about everything, that these are the most insecure people. They don’t stop talking sometimes because if they allow others to talk then they could be wrong and they can’t handle that.

Let me show you the most humble act and individual in all of history

Philippians 2:1–4 HCSB

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

v1 and v2

If you are in Christ, in His love, Fellowshipping with the Spirit, any affection and MERCY

FOCUS

Think the same way, have the same love, share the same feelings, and focus on one goal

Narrow in on this!

Scripture over and over speaks of a sober mind in Christ. Sober up your mind and get focused.

Stop letting technology cloud your thoughts

Focus in on one goal

V.3 and V.4

Humility:

Consider others as more important than yourselves

That is be interested in others thoughts, actions and ideas.

Be open to what they have to say and listen to them

Listen to your wife and your children. Hear what they have to say.

I have had to do this working with people in poverty. I have learned to listen to them and try to understand what they think they need verses what I think they need.

It is easy for us to be prideful and think we know more than the people we serve. We are not the Savior. Jesus is! Often times when I have sought to listen and understand I have learned more about Jesus through those I was serving than what I was teaching them.

Philippians 2:5–11 HCSB

5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

v.5 Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus

v.6 he was in the form of God and yet did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.

In Jesus’s life you see that he never uses the fact that He is Lord for his own advantage. He never throws the boss card for his own benefit. Jesus is serving on behalf of others

v.7 The ultimate act of Humility

He emptied himself, assumed the form of a slave, took on the likeness of man

v.8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death and even to death of a cross.

The most humiliating punishment was taken by the creator of the universe for our benefit

v. 9 God exalted him

v.10-11

Humility shows itself in my life when I find it necessary to apologize to my wife or children.

I battle it out. I know I am wrong. I know what I said should not have been said or I know that my action was wrong.

I battle this though. I justify it out in my head 20 times. I determine that I should not apologize.

I keep battling and then realize the right thing for me to do.

This was true recently when we were out hiking as a family. We were in the middle of no where Arkansas. We took the kids out for an adventure over Christmas break and went hiking.

We were out in the woods having a great time and my 13 year old said to me. Dad I want to travel the world.

I responded with Macy I will be glad if you travel out of your bedroom. I laughed and she responded with “hey!”

I replayed that over in my mind several times hiking out. I thought about it on the drive home. I rehearsed it in my head.

My child had told me she wanted to travel the World and maybe God is shaping that dream in her head to share the Gospel and I as a father trying to be funny crushed her dreams.

I thought about this for two days.

I built up the courage and went to my daughter one on one and humble myself and said to her Macy what I said about you not traveling out of your bedroom was not ok

As your dad, if you want to travel the world then I want to get behind you and for you to travel the world.

I was acting in a fixed mindset and not speaking to you about a growth mindset and Macy I want you to grow and achieve the wildest of dreams

She said thanks dad and its ok

Men we need more of this humility in our lives. We need to admit when we are wrong.

1 Peter 5 speaks further about humility

1 Peter 5:5–7 HCSB

5 In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

v.5

In the previous verses Peter is speaking about Pastors and Elders and then he moves from the subject of Pastors/Elders to how everyone should treat each other within the church.

No one is exempt from this. This includes church officers and non officers, young and old, new Christians and mature believers, children and adults, rich and poor.

Clothe yourselves with Humility

Humility is an attitude that puts others first. Which includes but is not limited to desires, needs, and ideas of others. Placing these as more important than your own.

It takes active energy to put on Humility.

(Putting of of a coat)

You have to choose humility

Yesterday I had to choose humility… (Becoming a better official)

It can be hard to choose humility

It is not in the flesh to be humble.

The flesh says I know and I don’t need any help. I can do it on my own. I don’t need anyone else. I will get through this.

How prideful that statement is!

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble

Proverbs 3:34 HCSB

34 He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble.

James 4:6 HCSB

6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Pride says God I don’t need you.

Humility says God I need you.

This is why morning devos are so important because it is waking up for the day and saying God I can’t do this and God I need you!

God resists the proud but gives grace (unmerited favor) to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 HCSB

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time,

Among other things this involves bowing to the wisdom and will of God, accepting the twists and turns of his will and entrusting all this to him. This is true in times of suffering as well.

Handled properly Suffering can produce humility

Lament Well is key to being humble

No doubt as I shared yesterday that these last years have been very challenging. We have been through a lot. As believers, we have faced many changes. Our culture continues to shift.

We have experienced an immense amount of grief and loss. As a pastor I have had two people pass away because of covid but before that happened I lost two great church members. One had lung cancer and we didn’t know it. When they discovered it she was gone in two weeks. The other was a young women in our church that had taught our preschool since my 13 year old was in there. She had a clot in her lung and passed away.

Covid caused us to not be able to experience a normal funeral for these and was very hard.

Grief and loss can be difficult and I think in our never stop society that we have lost the ability to stop and lament or grieve.

Not stopping to lament or grieve is costing us. Our body, emotions, spirit were designed for times of lament. When we fail to lament or grieve it increases anxiety, worry, pride and fear.

In his book Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Peter Scazzero speaks of the importance of acknowledging our grief.

He goes on to explain that grief acknowledges a loss of control. It lets us know that we are not in control and that is something we don’t like. We want to be in control of everything. It is healthy for us to admit that we are not in control and that God is

Isaiah 45:3 HCSB

3 I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that you may know that I, Yahweh, the God of Israel call you by your name.

Pumping gas you here advertisements about how to celebrate the passing of someone you have loved. You can send them off in a firework display or hot air balloon anything to make it quick and less painful.

Perhaps we are missing the treasures of darkness and riches from secret places, so that we may know that He is Yahweh the God of Israel who called you by name.

This goes beyond personal lament or grief there are also times of National lament or grief. You will see this in scripture when a Nation goes through tragedy or disaster there is Lamenting or grief.

We have certainly been through so much as a nation and it is right and proper for us as men to stop and lament. To stop and humbly admit that God I need you.

When God deems it best, He will exalt or lift you up from your humble circumstances. This exalting may be increased spiritual blessing and deeper fellowship with himself or also in terms of responsibility, reward, or honour which will be seen by others as well.

1 Peter 5:7 HCSB

7 casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

Casting all your cares on Him, because He cares about you

Proper humiliation is attained by casting all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.

How prideful it is to say I can handle this? I got this.

Here is the Psalmist casting his cares on the Lord

Psalm 44:17–26 HCSB

17 All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten You or betrayed Your covenant. 18 Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from Your path. 19 But You have crushed us in a haunt of jackals and have covered us with deepest darkness. 20 If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 wouldn’t God have found this out, since He knows the secrets of the heart? 22 Because of You we are slain all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. 23 Wake up, Lord! Why are You sleeping? Get up! Don’t reject us forever! 24 Why do You hide Yourself and forget our affliction and oppression? 25 For we have sunk down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. 26 Rise up! Help us! Redeem us because of Your faithful love.

1 Peter 5:7 HCSB

7 casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

In Humility...

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary b. Gain Humility by Casting Your Cares on God (5:7)

Therefore casting all your anxieties on him is the path to humility, freeing a person from constant concern for himself and enabling him or her truly to be concerned for the needs of others.

Cast means to throw something upon someone or something else.

You clothe yourself with Humility and then you cast all your cares up on Jesus.

The word cares in 1 Peter 5:7

Means concerns or things one is anxious or worried about.

1 Peter 5:8–11 HCSB

8 Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world. 10 Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. 11 The dominion belongs to Him forever. Amen.