County musician Mac Davis, sung a song entitled: ''Hard to Be Humble.'' [Sing]: ''Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror. Cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me. I must be a 'heck' of a man. Oh, Lord it's hard to be humble. But I'm doing the best that I can.''
As americans, or even more so a modern Christians, we have become a more self-consumed people haven’t we? Its one thing to be proud of God, your country, your church…Its entirely something else to be proud of yourself, a Selfish Ambition!
What takes priority in our lives! What takes precedence in our lives! What should be our focus in our journey! How far are we willing to go to strip away this baggage of bitterness, shame, guilt, idolatry and so on towards the ultimate goal of “Being Humble in Christ.”
A student observed two young children and while observing he made a strange discovery! The small boy and girl was playing and doing child like things when the candy stick they both had in their mouths, the girl unintentionally dropped hers in the dirt and she started to cry. Without so much as a glimpse of a spec of time, the little boy handed over his unfinished candy stick and they both walked away happy!
Now just a simple story like this will give you means to create a thought or theory about servanthood! But what the student really observed here was the young boys humility to surrender his prize possession as any young child would have considered a candy to be and give it to a young pretty lady in need! Or you could look at it as a act of compassion, but again the student observed how such a young child wouldn’t really know the difference as they was only 4 or 5 years old. They wouldn’t know what compassion and humility looked like, the young boy just ‘did it.’
One thing to really differentiate the compelling story to a more personal level is knowing how children, as Jesus described, are innocent and pure in their youth until they reach the age of accountability. Meaning they learn right from wrong, the do’s and don’t’s and that’s a path everyone of us has and will continue to travel. But what does that have to do with Humility?
Friends, from the very beginning, God’s likeness was given to Adam and Eve before sin entered in. Notice how young children before their knowledge of good and evil also are like minded! God made us all in his likeness! One tremendous thing that can truly keep us at times from being humble is PRIDE!
Book of Proverbs gives descriptions on PRIDE and how PRIDE preceeds Destruction!
Have you ever been embarrassed, or brought to a point where even a mere surrender of something no matter how small it would be would render you to a point of absolute shame or even a loss of control? How strong a hold do we have on keeping ourselves in control of something? How do we ever bow down to something like and addiction or even someone else but to find that we are willing to do it but only on certain conditions. An addiction for instance you want to ‘feel’ something, feel complete, whole, attempting to fill the void, even to help block out a pain or memory. In a case of someone else you can’t seem to bow yourself lower to make mends or even make things right for what ever reason!
Let me ask you to put your thinking cap on a minute and try to think on these questions! How dissatisfying was it for Jesus to wash his disciples feet? Even the feet of Judas, whom Jesus knew whom betray him!
How degrading was it to do it?
Why was he compelled to display such an act?
Friends, these are questions I want you to reflect on and we will come to it at the end of the message!
So what exactly is being Humble? The Greek word used here ‘tapeinos’ is used here as to ‘Make Low’ or ‘To assign a lower rank.’
Webster’s dictionary had many accounts of an example such as not be proud or haughty, not being arrogant, expressing spirit of submission which all is good answers but this definition I thought was truly fitting! “To Destroy the Power, Independence, or prestige of someone or something.”
Who is that to destroy? Satan, the evil, the oppression
Paul gives us humility in todays reading “If there is any consolation in Christ,” meaning you received Christ as your Lord and Savior, “If any comfort of love, fellowshiop of the spirit, affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of one mind,” whos mind “Let this mind be in you which also is in Christ Jesus!”
If you and I friends are to put on Christ, to live as Christ, to act as Christ, then here being Humble as Christ is our goal! But let me continue here and say this “Who,” that is Jesus, “being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross!” WOW
Think of it, the son of the living God came to save each of us of our sins only to represent a humble servant! What did Christ say “I came to serve, not to be served!” Friends unselfishness is the ROAD TO VICTORY!
Being humbled, being to the point of humiliation and even to death is a necessity! Do NOT however confuse God’s Love and humility with weakness! Not only do we need to humble ourselves, we need to Glorify God in doing so! You see, we surrender our selves to his divine will for each of us by being ‘Humble’ a direct principle every worldly view will minister against! Why be humble, why sacrifice yourself for this cause or that cause or that person or that deed!
Its all about SELF! Jesus tells us each of us must “Take up his cross and follow me.” I always like this passage as it says ‘his cross’ not Jesus’s cross. We each have sin, burdens, guilt, etc…
Now here is a kicker as a good friend always quoted to me!
In verse 12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.” We are to EXAM ourselves daily!
Friends, we are to be the LIGHT BEARERS. We are to live the shinning light, the beacon, and example of who Jesus is! Scripture tells us When I am weak, then he is strong!
Friends so now back to the three questions I asked you to reflect on!
How dissatisfying was it for Jesus to wash his disciples feet? Not at All! It was his will to server ALL mankind even Judas. It was meant for GOOD!
How degrading was it? Not at all
Why did Jesus do was an act? There could have been other ways to express such humility, but washing the feet of others especially a master washing servants feet was very demeaning in the ancient world, however, It was a sign or a symbol showing how even the highest position of man, our position is low to the ground because we serve the ONE TRUE GOD that reigns over all! He knows every hair on your head and shall always guide and direct his child.
Besides the actual fact God directs us to be humble, God knows what humility is for human nature (sinful) as we are. To give in, to surrender, to give up, having pride, are somethings we carry with us to prevent our journey to be closer to our Lord.
Think friends, being humble is not saying you are less worthy to someone else, it shows how grateful you are what God has truly given to you that when others don’t have it just like that young boy I mentioned earlier, he was willing to give up what he had.
I challenge you friends today to let the Holy Spirit be your guide friends in every area of your lives. I challenge you also to examine yourself ‘DAILY’, look and pray deep in your heart what is preventing you from becoming more Christ like in being humble! Submit yourselves to God! “Seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL these things will be added to you.” Your anxieties, worry, cares, burdens, everything!
Let Gods healing and righteous hand sweep you out of the depths and bring you to the highest points all by being humble, Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost!