WHEN WE MOVE OUT, GOD MOVES IN! Part 1
“Moving Out in Humility”
(All my sermons use illustrations from Sermon Central and scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted)
Several years ago I was the preacher of a church in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After I had ministered there for a while, I saw a need to have Revival and I asked my good friend Rick Dunn of Dallas GA. to come and share with us. A.K.A. “Bubba” was unable to come at the last moment due to a very critical health problem with his wife. The task fell therefore to me, to write a five part series of sermons on a moments notice, and I had NO idea what I was going to preach on. I decided at that moment that the series would be called “When We Move Out, God Moves In.” I wrote those sermons in haste, NOW, some 6 years later, I take the idea and attempt to re-write the series to fit our church.
I believe that everyone sitting in this room right now would love to have more of the fruit that God provides. They would love to have more love, peace and joy in their lives. They would love to be able to display more gentleness and self-control in their walk with Jesus. They would love to have more patience and kindness in their relationships with other people. And I believe with all my heart that these things happen, when we allow God to move in our lives. Now, many people have accepted Jesus, but the fruits of His Spirit are not very visible in their everyday walk, the question is WHY? I believe the answer is; there is NO ROOM for GOD. So many people today are so full of themselves that there is little to no room at all for God to work in their lives. I am praying that at the end of this five part series, we will see how we can become less that He might become greater. John the Baptist uttered those very words in reference to Jesus: John 3:27-30 To this John replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ’I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.
Or in other words, each of us will only have what God sends us, John never claimed to be the Savior, the church belongs to Jesus, the church being the BRIDE and Christ being the Bridegroom, John is the one that attends Christ, he is the best man, and he is full of joy when he hears the voice of the groom. John says, I must become less that HE might become greater. OR, I have to get rid of ME in order to have more of HIM.
The lesson this morning is on HUMILITY. When we move out in humility, God can fill us with His Spirit. I want to use a story from the Old Testament to show the proper attitude to have before God. Now, I see one of the biggest problems we have today, is keeping a Humble attitude before our God. This problem with humility extends to all of us, preachers, elders, deacons, Christians of all kinds. We simply act as if we can handle all things on our own, as if we really do not need God. We want His blessings, mind you, but we are unwilling to do things His way in order to receive that blessing.
In the Book of Joshua, chapter 7, Joshua is taking possession of the land granted to Israel by God. Joshua has some men spy out some land and decides he need only send 2 or 3 thousand men to take the land, for with God all things are possible. However, the men get their butts kicked and Joshua shows us what it means to MOVE OUT! Look with me at verse 6 in Joshua 7: Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell face-down to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads.
Joshua and the elders tore their clothing and sprinkled their heads with dust as signs of deep mourning before God. They were confused by their defeat at this small city, especially after their great victory only a short time before at the city of Jericho. You see after that victory, Joshua got kind of full of himself, instead of God and he forgot to consult God on a much smaller problem. It was after he was defeated that he decided to consult God. Josh 7:7-9 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?"
Now, after the pain of losing men and being defeated, and in the midst of becoming worried that the surrounding enemies will hear that they got routed and there will be more trouble, THEN they become humble, fall on their faces and seek God’s help. You notice, in the start of the chapter there is NO mention of Joshua seeking God’s counsel about the small city of Ai. But after the fact, he looks to God. Isn’t it easy to get so full of ourselves that we lose perspective? Don’t we sometimes think that we can do it ALL?
Morris, the loudmouth mechanic, was removing the cylinder heads from the motor of a car when he spotted a famous heart surgeon who was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his Mercedes. Morris shouted across the garage, "Hey Doc! Is dat you? Come on ova’ here a minute." The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to where Morris the mechanic was working on the car. Morris straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag, and asked argumentatively, "So, Mr. Fancy Doctor, look at dis here work. I ALSO open hearts, take valves out, grind ’em, put in new parts, and when I finish dis baby will purr like a kitten. So how come you get da big bucks, when you an’ me is doing basically da same work?" The surgeon leaned over and whispered to Morris the loudmouth mechanic, "Try doing it with the engine running."
Now Joshua and the elders fall on their faces and God answers, Josh 7:10-12
The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.
NOW, they consult God, and He simply tells them that it is a problem of obedience. You see it is not just about having the right attitude before God, acknowledging Him as Lord and Master of our lives, BUT also about being obedient to what God commands. Humility is the right attitude combined with obedience, and this is moving ourselves out so that God can move in.
Not only does God want us to do this, He shows us how -
Phil 2:5-8 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!
Do you hear these words, Jesus who is GOD did not worry about the fact that He was in the very nature God, but became a servant and OBEYED what God called Him to do.
Now don’t we get caught up sometimes thinking that we are IT? That we have been at this Christian thing for so long now that we don’t need to be told anything. That we are in a place where we don’t really even need God anymore, because we are IT? His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is intelligent. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started, so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, this had never happened in this church before!) By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, an elder is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the elder is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this young man, everyone is saying to themselves that you can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the elder to reach the young man . The church is utterly silent, except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the elder does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t feel alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, "What I’m about to preach, you may never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.
Does NOT Jesus give us the same demonstration of Humility and allow us the tools to see the importance of emptying ourselves so He can fill us up?
It is easy to be so full of pride that we allow it to effect who we are in Christ. When we start to think to much of ourselves, it really leaves no room for our mighty God to work in our lives.
In Paul Harvey’s “For What It’s Worth Department” there was a story about a man named Speedy Morris. Speedy was a basketball coach for LaSalle University. He was shaving one day when his wife called out to tell him he was wanted on the phone by Sports Illustrated. Speedy Morris was so excited by the prospect of national recognition that he nicked himself with his razor and ran –with a mixture of blood and lather on his face—down the hall promptly falling down the stairs. Limping and in some physical distress he finally got to the phone and the voice on the other line said: “For just seventy five cents an issue, you can get a one year trial subscription….” SOURCE: Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations and Quotes, 2000, pg. 222.
If we have the right attitude combined with obedience, we will think less of ourselves and allow God more room to work in our lives. It will allow us to have a greater dependence on Him and less on what we can do. I believe with all my heart that one of the main reasons that churches in American are not growing the way that they should is because many are depending on what they can do and less on what God can do. I mean that they are dreaming about things that they can do, budgets they can balance, buildings they have money to build, outreach that can be done by their people and there is no dependence on God. If you want God size results you have to have God size dreams. Faith is not believing in what we can SEE, or hoping in the things we are CERTAIN of. Stepping out in humility involves becoming dependant on God to do the things that we cannot do, and knowing the difference between those things that take faith to accomplish and those things that can be done by our will. When we get out of the way and trust God to do as needs to be done, HE CAN WORK in and through our lives.
It really is a challenge to our pride. Do you remember the story in 2 Kings 5 about the great commander Naaman?
2 Kings 5:1 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Naaman hears about God’s Prophet and goes through the proper channels to get where he needs to be, and he finds himself before the Prophet of God. Elisha tells him what he must do to be cured, he must wash in the Jordan river if wants to be healed.
2 Kings 5:11-12 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
Here is a man not unlike men and women of today. He was great in the eyes of others, he had stature, and was well known. He thought this Prophet would come out to meet him, he thought he would be recognized and held in high esteem. Instead he was told to wash in the Jordan. He even names other rivers that are better fitted to a well thought of man like himself. Humility allows God room to work.
2 Kings 5:13-14 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ’Wash and be cleansed’!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Humility should challenge our pride and make us certain of where we stand. It should but to rest the high thoughts we have about ourselves and our abilities.
Roger Staubach who led the Dallas Cowboys to the World Championship in ’71 admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn’t call his own signals was a source of trial for him. Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a "genius mind" when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team. Roger later said, "I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory."
Sometimes we need to just get over ourselves and allow God the room He needs to change our lives, we are not God and do not know all things. Pride is a powerful enemy of faithfulness. It is a tool that Satan does not have to work to hard to use, he has used it since the beginning of time. In the Garden of Eden he said to Eve, you will know the things that God knows, and PRIDE took over.
Now before I close this morning I must clarify one thing about Humility. Being a humble Christian does NOT mean considering ourselves as worthless. We were created in the image of God and he is not making any junk these days. (Nor has He ever made junk) God is a perfect God, and created us with great plans for our lives. We are not worthless to Him and therefore we are not worthless. Humility should show us how unworthy we are of the great gifts and blessings He bestows, but in no way does it mean we are worthless. God would not send His Son to die for a worthless people.
No, humility should not make us feel worthless, it should really INCREASE OUR APPRECIATION FOR GOD.
When we look at the vast expanse of creation. We should wonder how God concerned for people that constantly disappoint Him. Yet, God created us only a little lower than Himself of the angels!! The next time you question your worth as a person, remember that God considers you as highly valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the great Creator. AND because God has already shown how valuable we are by sending His One and Only Son to die for us, therefore, we should be set free from feelings of worthlessness.
We should respect God’s majesty and compare ourselves to His greatness. When we look at creation, we should feel small by comparison. To fell small is a healthy way to get back to reality, BUT, God does not want us to dwell on our smallness. Humility means proper respect for God, not self-depreciation.
The 1996 auction of the Jackie Kennedy Onassis estate was expected to bring 5 million dollars, but the first night alone they took in 4.5 million. A worn footstool went for $33,350 and a silver tape measure went for $48,875. The night’s highest price was for a walnut tobacco humidor that belonged to President Kennedy. It sold for $574,500. Many items auctioned were common; they became valuable because of whom they belonged to. When we feel common and question our value, it is good to know that we “belong to the Lord”
Rom 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Moving OUT, so God can Move In - involves humility - it means having the proper attitude before God, it is an attitude that Jesus showed us at Calvary, it is an attitude that involves obedience. Jesus obeyed even to the point of death. This attitude is essential if God is going to have room to work in our lives. Humility means having dependence on God, realizing that we can not accomplish the things that need to be done in our lives without the power of our God. Having this kind of dependence will allow God room to work and it will be a challenge to our pride. Pride is the tool of the devil, he will use it to break us away from the one that we need to stay connected to. Humility is what God wants and this does not make us worthless but helps us to see we are not worthy.
God tell us that humility is essential:
2 Chron 7:13-14 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land
This morning as the musicians come forward, can I ask you? - Are you giving God room to work in your life? Is there room for him to make the changes He needs to see in you, or you clutching to your old self and not allowing Him room to work?
Have you humbled yourself before a mighty God?
This morning, if there is a decision you need to make, please come forward.
INVITATION
