Love Is Not Proud Series

Introduction:

A. The story is told of a teenager who regularly babysat for her minister’s 5 year-old daughter.

1. One of their favorite things to do when she babysat was to play the card game “Go Fish.”

2. One evening, after winning several games, the little 5 year-old kept bragging about how good she was at the card game.

3. Jokingly, the teenager said, “I’m going to have to teach you a little humility.”

4. Immediately, the 5 year-old asked, “How do you play that game?”

B. Humility is not a game to be played, but is an aspect of love and life that we need to learn.

1. As you know, we are in a series where we are trying to learn how to make love a way of life.

2. We are trying to embrace the love that God has for us and then give that same kind of love to others.

3. We are learning that love is more than a feeling, and an attitude, love is actually what we do.

4. So far we have discovered that love must be kind, and patient and forgiving, for it to be love.

5. Today we want to explore the relationship between love and humility.

6. We want to learn what it means to have a love that is humble, a love that is not proud.

I. What the Bible Says about A Love that is Humble.

A. As we have done throughout the series, let’s begin with 1 Corinthians 13:

1. The Bible says: “Love…does not boast, it is not proud” (NIV, 1 Cor. 13:4b).

2. Other translations read like this:

a. ESV – “Love does not boast; it is not arrogant.”

b. NET – “Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.”

c. The Message – “Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head.”

3. So from this short simple verse, we understand that love doesn’t show-off or parade itself, it not pompous and does not sing its own praises.

4. Love does not put on airs and love does not over-estimate tis own importance.

B. There is a basic biblical principle that is echoed throughout the Bible that we must never forget: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).

1. If we want to walk with God and be helped and blessed by Him, then being humble must be our goal.

C. Several of the passages we have been looking at in this study of love also include humility as an important characteristic of a loving person.

1. For instance, Ephesians 4:2 says: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

a. Being completely humble is quite a goal, wouldn’t you say?!

2. Another passage we have looked at repeatedly is Colossians 3:12, which says: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

a. Just as we have discussed the need to be enveloped in kindness, and patience, we also need to be enveloped in humility.

b. This is our calling as followers of Jesus.

D. And just as we have seen in our other lessons about the characteristics of love, God also possesses this characteristic: Jesus is humble.

1. Jesus displayed a love that is kind, patient and forgiving, and He also displayed a humble love.

2. Jesus described Himself with these words: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29).

a. Isn’t that amazing, the God of the universe, our Savior and Lord is humble in heart!

3. In Philippians 2, when Paul wanted to challenge us to be humble, he used Jesus as an example.

a. Paul wrote: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! (Phil. 2:5-8)

b. How about that: Jesus, who is God in His very nature and equal with God in every way, He was willing to humble Himself, and take the nature of a servant, and be obedient in death.

c. As we will learn today, humble love causes us to put the needs of others ahead of our own needs – that is what Jesus did.

4. Another great example of Jesus’ humble love was the time when He washed His disciples’ feet.

a. The Creator and Lord of the universe, got down on His hands and knees and washed the dirt off the feet of His disciples (that story is found in John 13).