Series: Buzz Words
Week: 1
Passage: Various
Title: What is Humility?
Focus: Christian Living
ATTENTION: C.S. Lewis once said, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
INTRODUCTION: “Humility” occurs 10 times in the NASB. Four in the OT often mean “the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people” while the 6 in the NT mean either “lowliness of mind” or “meek”. Alternatives for the word “humble” such as “humbles” or “humbled” occur 89 times in 82 verses in the NASB (65 verses in OT and 17 verses in NT). These words often mean when a “proud and disobedient person is brought into subjection” or “submission to another's will”. Sometimes humility is forced while other times it happens willingly. When all info is studied, five traits of a humble person rise…
#1. Humility is Obedience to Jesus Christ First (Zeph. 2:3a and James 1:21)
• Explanation: Zeph. (OT Prophet) said a humble man “seeks the Lord… carrying out His ordinances… seeking righteousness and humility.” (2:3a).
o The humble strive for three things: (1) The Lord, (2) Righteousness, and (3) humility.
• Righteousness and humility come from seeking the Lord first, which gives the Christian “shelter” from God’s wrath.
• Likewise James says “put aside all filthiness and wickedness and in humility receive the word which is able to save our souls.” (James 1:21)
o One who has “in meekness” received the Word (Gospel) is saved by God’s Word, which eliminates wickedness (gives “shelter”).
• Illustration: "Humility is that a spirit of obedience… a humble spirit is a yieldable, subject, obedient spirit." Jonathan Edwards
• Application: The humble obey God’s Word as greater than anything else! To do otherwise would declare (1) we have more knowledge than God, (2) we have more direction than God, and (3) believe God’s ways are useless.
o The humble stay focused on the Word first!
#2. Humility is then Submissive to Authority (1 Peter 5:5 and Matthew 18:4)
• Explanation: Peter declares “Younger men… be subject to your elders (leaders)… all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (5:5)
o Peter’s charge (to young or old) was to place themselves willingly under those who had been given authority (leadership).
• Even those in authority serve: Jesus served the disciples (washed their feet). We cannot practice humility without practicing service (being submissive).
• Matthew says "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:4)
o The disciples were more concerned about position than practice.
• Service must be directed toward people.
• Illustration: Years ago, the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and their founder, Gen. William Booth, could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them. It was one word: "OTHERS."
• Application: A humble servant cares about others. Service is the practice of active submission.
o “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Martin Luther King Jr.
• Be submissive to authority to stay on the path of humility.
#3. Humility Takes No Pride in Oneself (Proverbs 18:12 and 11:2)
• Explanation: Proverbs claims, “with the humble is wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2) and “humility goes before honor.” (Proverbs 18:12)
o The humble puts no trust in themselves (“lack arrogance and pride”). They listen to (1) the Lord and (2) the authority over his or her life.
o A person who thinks he or she is greater than another will experience a “downfall” (Proverbs 11:2; 16:18; 29:23a) but the humble will have strength and the determination to live.
• Illustration: Pride in the Bible frequently refers to negative characteristics such as arrogance, vanity and being “puffed-up”. The Greek and Roman cultures had a particular hatred to pride as the person who this trait was self-destructive and offended the gods.
o If the secular think pride in one’s self is destruction how much more do you think God hates it?!
• “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” Augustine
• Application: God hates the proud because it brings…
o (1) Disgrace (Proverbs 11:2), (2) breeds quarrels (Proverbs 13:10), (3) happens before destruction (Proverbs 16:18), and (4) brings humiliation (Proverbs 29:23).
• Stay humble in knowing God working in and through you!
#4: Humility Accepts God's Providence (James 1:9)
• Explanation: James says, “Let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position.” (James 1:9)
o Circumstances change but the humble know joy because they are contentment on the inside due to the provision of Christ. Popularity and wealth will pass away but those that place their faith in Christ are the brothers and sisters of humility.
• Illustration: “The matters we or the world might consider trivial, He cares about and wants to remedy. He longs to relieve our worries and has promised to supply our most fundamental needs.” Charles Swindoll
• Application: In short, humility is the one who says, “Don’t worry… God is in control.” It is the one who refuses to worry, to doubt, and to question the Lord.
#5. Humility Values Others Over Self (Philippians 2:3)
• Explanation: Paul says we are to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.” (Philippians 2:3)
o Humility then is a virtue every Christian strives for as we seek each other’s best. Paul encouraged the Philippians to consider others before themselves!
• Illustration: “C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity makes a brilliant observation about gospel-humility at the very end of his chapter on pride. If we were to meet a truly humble person, Lewis says, we would never come away from meeting them thinking they were humble. They would not be always telling us they were a nobody (because a person who keeps saying they are a nobody is actually a self-obsessed person). The thing we would remember from meeting a truly gospel-humble person is how much they seemed to be totally interested in us. Because the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less .” Tim Keller
• Application: How much do we think of others? How much do we value others more than we value ourselves? This is contradictory to the culture of today!
CONCLUSION: The Humble…
1. Are Obedience to Jesus Christ First
2. Are Submissive to Authority
3. Take No Pride in Self
4. Accept God’s Providence
5. Value Others More than Self
“Do you wish to be great? Then begin by being. Do you desire to construct a vast and lofty fabric? Think first about the foundations of humility. The higher your structure is to be, the deeper must be its foundation.” Saint Augustine
