HUMILITY

James 4:6-10

6. But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and He will flee from you.

8. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

INTRODUCTION:

HUMILITY – A modest or low view of one’s own importance. A heart attitude that involves meekness, obedience, respect, and modesty.

In the context of the Bible it means recognizing who we are in comparison to Almighty God. It is the opposite of being filled with pride and self-righteousness.

Luke 18:9-14 The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9. He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

10. “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God I thank You that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

13. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat 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 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I. GOD RESISTS THE PROUD

Matthew 23:12 (1-36- to the Scribes and Pharisees)

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles

himself will be exalted.

Seven woes: hypocrites, blind guides, lawless

1.vs13. For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces.

2.vs15. For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

3.vs16. You say, ‘if anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ The temple is greater, because it makes the gold sacred.

4.vs23. For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

5.vs25. For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. First clean the inside of the cup and the plate that the outside also may be clean.

6.vs27. For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocricy and lawlessness.

7.vs29. For you build the tombs of prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30. Saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31. Thus you witness against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34. Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35. So that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son Barachiah, whom you murdered (stoned in the courtyard of the temple) between the sanctuary and the altar.(2 Chronicles 24:21 & 22) 36. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Old Testament example: Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation

Daniel 4:28-37

28. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.

29. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,

30. and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?

31. While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,

32. and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will.”

33. Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.

34. At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation;

35. all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and He does according to His will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”

36. At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.

37. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are right and His ways are just; and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.

Psalm 51:6 & 17

6. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

New Testament example: Jesus - Philippians 2:3-11

3. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6. who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7. but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

9. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,

10. so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Prodigal Son – Luke 15:20-24

20. And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

21. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22. But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

23. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.

24. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and now is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

II. SUBMISSION TO GOD IS IMPORTANT

1 Peter 5:6-7

6. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the

proper time He may exalt you,

7. cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.

III. RESIST THE DEVIL – James 4:7

You are not being humble when you fail to resist the devil and those things which are evil.

*SATAN IS A ROARING LION AND WE MUST STAND FAST BY HUMBLING

OURSELVES TO GOD.

IV. WE MUST STAND BEFORE GOD AS LITTLE CHILDREN

Matthew 18:4 Whoever humbles Himself like this child is the greatest in the

kingdom of heaven.

CONCLUSION: We can be lifted up!

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 If My People Pray

13. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people,

14. if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

* This is God’s response to Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the Temple in chapter 6.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.