Humble Servant

HUMBLE SERVANTS

GAL. 5:16; PHIL. 2:3-4

I. Intro. There was once a lion who was very proud of his mastery over the rest of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure that the other animals knew that he was king of the jungle. He was so sure of himself that he by passed the smaller animals and went right to the bear. “Who is king of the jungle?” the lion asked. “Why of course you are.” replied the bear.

The lion then found the tiger and asked him, “Who is king of jungle?” The tiger quickly responded, “Why everyone knows that you are.”

Next on the lion’s list was the elephant. “Who is king of the jungle?” the lion demanded. The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk spun him a round a few times. Threw him to the grown stepped on him a few times, picked him up again dunked him in the water, and then threw him up against a tree. The lion, who was beaten bruised and battered struggled to his feet. and replied, “Look just because you don’t know the answer is no reason to get upset.” What was the lion problem? He was blinded by pride. Blinded by thoughts of himself.

II. Pride will destroy us!

A. There is no greater sin. Satan’s fall; pride. Adam and Eve pride. Every sin after, pride. We do not often think of ourselves as being prideful. We equate it with braggarts, conceited. But anytime we put ourselves ahead of God or ahead of others. That is pride. It is a sin that every person in this room is guilty of.

B. At school the theme this year is “pride”.

1. Do we really believer that children need more pride?

2. Do we really believe that they need to think more of themselves.

3. That they need to think more highly of themselves.

4. Let us wake up! Children do not need more pride, they need more humility. They need to think more about others then they do themselves.

C. If you look at the problems people have, most come from pride.

1. $$ problems, can’t say no to self, need to buy stuff.

2. Emotional problems, think to much on self. Self pity. Focus on self.

3. Children problems. Taught them to think about self. That they are the most important person in the world, rather then thinking about others. Self.

4. Marriage problems. Think about self rather then spouse.

D. I have been battling depression, anger, lack of faith, etc.

1. Praying for God to reveal to Me something, I wasn’t sure what.

2. We want the “secret to a full spiritual life”.

3. God seeks to reveal these things but many times, we do not want to discover them.

We want the easy way, “Poof” it is done. I was asking God for a sign, a vision. Then I read Matthew 16:4; "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.”

4. But then God did reveal to me a “secret” to a fuller spiritual life. Actually it was no secret is was right there the whole time. It’s called humility. It’s called being a servant, it is called putting others, (everybody) first.

E. There are two enemies to humility. Mentioned in Phil. 2:3-4. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

1. Vanity, selfish ambition, empty conceit. Remember the lion. Think two highly of yourself.

2. Think of yourself over others.

3. These will destroy humility, you cannot have these things and be humble.

F. There is a secret to humbling ourselves contained in Phil. 2:4.

1. Verse 4 from the KJV (Closet to the Greek), “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Quit focusing on ourselves! Never mind how you feel, how does the other guy feel. Never mind what you want, what does the other guy want. Never mind your needs what about the other persons needs. “Look not on your things but on the things of others.”

2. Pride is when our eyes are on ourselves, humility is when our eyes are on God and others.

3. Humility comes when we make others great. Both in our perspective of them, and in our pursuits. How do we make others great?

a. We make them great in perspective by valuing them more then ourselves. Ever see homeless person (DC), (remember the man in Oneonta), the feeling you had when you saw him. Dirty etc. Think of them as better then yourself. That is humility. That man more value then me, that man is one of God’s creation.