“The Pilgrim’s Path” Part-1, Mathew 5:1-12
Humility
Introduction
As a teenager I spent two years living in Butte, Montana. Butte is nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in a small valley which rests directly in the shadow of the great continental divide; a massive mountain range which stretches from New Mexico through Colorado – where its highest peaks reside – through Wyoming, Idaho, and finally passing through and ending in Montana.
Easily seen from most parts of the Butte Valley is an immense statue which stands 90 feet tall at an elevation of more than 3,500 feet above the city of Butte, which lies in the valley below. The statue is more than 8,000 feet above sea level. It is a beautiful statue names “The Lady of Rockies” which is in the likeness of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The statue was constructed in honor of women and especially mothers everywhere. It was a nondenominational venture supported entirely by donations. It is a beautiful statue and a great source of pride for the local people.
One particular summer, my cousin, Lee, and I decided that we were going to walk up the mountain and touch that statue. He had only moved to Butte a couple of months before this time, along with his mother and younger sister. I had lived in Butte for a year, but I had never given much thought to touching the statue. So we decided to ask his mother to drop us off as the base of the mountain in about as straight a shot to the top as we could assess very scientifically, with our index fingers and a straight line drawn in the air to what looked liked a good spot.
She dropped us off fairly early the following morning with our backpacks loaded lightly, carrying a few bottles of water and a couple of sandwiches, we set out to climb the continental divide; a task which no doubt would take not more than a few hours and require little more than the breaking of a light sweat. As it turns out the terrain, which appears from the valley floor below, to be relatively flat is in fact riddled with crevices, cliffs, and giant rocky outcroppings of every variety. It took us nearly as long to get half way up as we had planned to be on the mountain altogether! At one point in our adventure we both had the most ominous feeling that something was following us up the mountain. Convinced that it was a mountain lion we gathered large walking sticks to defend ourselves.
After several hours of climbing, we finally reached near the top of the mountain. Through the trees we could see the gleaming white of the statue. Finally we came through the trees and stood near the base of the statue.
Very much to our surprise, however, what stood in front of us was a giant field of immense boulders which littered an area of several hundred feet beneath the statue. From the valley below it appears as thought the statue has a field of rocky debris beneath it. This is partially true. In fact, these boulders are the remains of the work of blasting the peak of the mountain apart to clear space for the statue and create a flat pedestal upon which the statue stands.
Not to be deterred, we climbed those boulders as well. Finally we were less than 40 or 50 feet from the statue but we were not to touch the statue that day, or any other for that matter, because the bas of the statue is hewn flat and the rocky outcroppings around the statue block travel of foot completely. Despite all of our efforts we were thwarted by that mountain and did not reach our goal. We left in defeat, trudged down the mountain, and made our way to the waiting spot where Lee’s mother, my aunt was to pick us up.
After we arrived home one my uncle asked us what we had been doing all day. After we told him of our adventure for the day he informed us that we should have asked him to drop us off rather than my aunt because unlike my aunt who had only lived in Butte a few months, he would have known to take us just a few miles from where we had been dropped off to a smooth road that leads right up to the statue from the back side of the mountain. As it turns out, we could have touched the statue that day by way of a walk up a road or even a ride all the way to the statue.
While there are perhaps many lessons which could be learned from this story, I have always considered this a good example of the pitfalls of pride. Lee and I were strong, we were young, we were both athletic and in incredibly great shape, and were also both filled with pride. Rather than being humble enough to know that someone might have had helpful information about mountain in front of us, we set out to climb this huge mountain, our way. At the very least, it would have been helpful to ask someone for a map! I am reminded of the words of Proverbs 12:15 “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.” (NIV)
Very often pride clouds our judgment. When faced with the mountains in this life, rather than humbly asking others for help we rush off to disaster, heartache, or simply much unnecessary and fruitless work. Whereas pride is an obstacle to fruitfulness, growth, and success, humility is the smooth road to the top. At the end of the pathway of pride, no matter how successful we may be, we find a sheer cliff, impeding our ultimate progress, but the pathway of humility is laden with the greatest treasure of all; knowing God.
Transition
This morning we will embark on an 8 week journey discovering what I have called “The Pilgrim’s Path,” that is the way of the Kingdom, the path of the righteous. In the gospel of Mathew 5:3-12 is recounted Jesus sermon on the mount.
The principals of the Sermon on the Mount are often referred to as the beatitudes; a phrase derived from the Latin word beatus, which means a state of blessedness or happiness which not contingent upon outward circumstances.
The Pilgrim’s path is not the path to be saved; it is the path of the saved; it is not the path which earns Heaven but it is the path of the citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. The path that Jesus lays out in 8 primary principals in the Sermon on the Mount is the pathway of the pilgrim who is already on his or her way to Heaven.
Simply stated; the beatitudes are not to be seen as a way of earning Heaven but a way of living for those who have been made citizens of the kingdom according to God’s grace. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus inaugural address, as He explains what He expects from followers of the way; from citizens of His Kingdom.
Exposition
In Mathew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV) Here, Jesus words echo those of Proverbs 16:19 where it says, “Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.” Pride is an affront to God but lowliness of spirit is a means of great blessing. Humility is the pathway of the righteous.
In the Kingdom of Heaven it is not the strong but the humble that are to be exalted. This is entirely because in our strength the means to be exalted does not exist. Man has the distinct inability to save himself. Humanity in general and each one of us find ourselves in the precarious position of having neither the means nor the ability to save ourselves and yet the personality of humanity is marred with pride.
From the very beginning man has attempted to save himself, to exalt himself, to glory in his own strength. This is the message of the account of the Tower of Babel in the Old Testament. Genesis 11:4 says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
(NIV) Men have from the start been on a mission to make a name for themselves.
Men are ever busy building towers to this very day and if we are honest we would have to say that we have a few towers in our lives as well, don’t we?
Each one of us, to varying extents, is equally guilty of the very same thing. Every day we have a decision to make and every day we make this decision. When our feet hit floor as we spring from our bed, or groggily roll out of it, after we push the button on the alarm clock or start the coffee pot, we have a choice to make.
We must answer the question, “who will be crowned this day as the king of our life? Which path will we follow this day?”
Will we pick up the crown of pride, the crown of self reliance, the crown of self exultation, and do it our way or will we take our crown and place squarely at the foot of the throne of the God’s grace? Then, as we travel the distance of the day at hand, in each moment, in each decision, in each situation that we face, will we make Christ King or ourselves? Will we travel the Pilgrim’s path of humility or will we traverse the rocky and stony path of pride?
Proverbs 14:12 says that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (NIV) In every moment of our lives, inherent in each and every decision is the matter of kingship, humility, and pride. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us plainly what is expected of citizens of His kingdom.
At the very heart of the matter of kingship is the choice that we have been given to act out of humility as we crown Christ King of our lives, or to act out what comes, for all of us, much more naturally; pride, which is at the heart of the sin disease which plagues humanity. Pride is the dark cloud in our lives which blocks from us the beauty and warmth of the knowing God and living fully in the experience of knowing the light of His grace permeating every dark corner of our lives.
The matter of kingship in the Christian life must not be overlooked if we are to be people of the Pilgrim’s path, if we are to be people of the way of the Kingdom. At their very core, sin, selfishness, and pride are about kingship and these are the things which stop us from having deeply satisfying relationships with God. Pride is the cliff separating us from God, even at the end of a long and arduous journey.
Sin is the lion following us on our path, seeking to devour us as it ensnares and traps us within it cruel grip, its teeth tearing us to shreds even as it lips entice toward it with promises of earthly pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness. Earthly happiness, the shallow sort of peace that the world offers through sin, never lasts because it is based on outward circumstance, but beatus, the happiness that it is offered through humble submission to Christ is not contingent upon outward circumstance. Happiness is based on happenings; genuine and lasting peace is based solely and completely upon Christ.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.” (John 14:27 NET)
Pride is the rocky outcroppings impeding our path just as much as it is the prevailing and dominating factor in our inability to crown Christ as King; to make Him not only savior but Lord of our life. Jesus is not only sweet savior. He is also sovereign Lord and King. Pride is a dark fog covering the mountain obscuring our view of Christ. It is the dark fog in our hearts keeping us ever looking inward when we ought to be ever and only looking unto Christ!
Humility then is primarily about making Christ King because humility is not about seeing ourselves in a lowly stature but seeing Christ in all of His supreme beauty, majesty, and worth. Humility is ascribing the unsurpassable worth to Christ and in so doing, crowning Him King of our lives. Humility has absolutely nothing to do with devaluing oneself, as it is often misunderstood, and everything to do with valuing Christ.
We are God’s creation and of immense worth and value. God made His creation and called it good. He sent Jesus and said that He was His beloved son in whom He is well pleased. Then, by the adoption we have received through faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible says that we have become sons and daughters of God. A diamond is of incredible value, but it is nothing compared to the one who made it. You and I are of immense worth, but our ultimate worth flows from the one who made us.
Conclusion
Dear saints of God, may you be encouraged, this very day, to set aside the destructive power of pride and commitment to our own strength, knowledge, and power. These things are fleeting but Christ is eternal.
Lay down the pride which impedes us along the stony trails of this life in favor of that thing which places us in the greatest position to receive the overwhelming blessing of knowing God along the journey; a humble appreciation for who we are in the light of who He is.
Consider the words of the classic hymn: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
Amen.
