If you would, please stand as we say together our memory Scripture for this quarter:
Matthew 6:31-33
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
And our memory refresher Scripture is …
2 Timothy 2:15
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of Truth.”
Please open your Bibles to Acts 9:1-18
Humility in one form or another is spoken of around 100 times in the Bible.
List of humble people in the Bible:
Numbers 12:3
“(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”
Daniel 10:12
“[The messenger in Daniels vision said], ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.’”
Matthew 11:29
Jesus Himself said, “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.”
With that in mind, let’s look at today’s Scripture and see what we can learn about pride and humility: Acts 9:1-18
Paul was proud.
In Galatians 1 we can read of Paul’s confession of the pride he had before Jesus knocked the pride out of him as we just read.
In Judaism Paul was seeking stature and power. After his salvation he declares in
1 Corinthians that he is a servant through whom the Lord works!
In his pride Paul was an enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom on earth.
After his salvation Paul did not stop working so hard but only sought to glorify God and not himself.
Let’s take a look at another man who was prideful and the Lord knocked some humility into him …
(Read Daniel chapters 3, 4 and 5 over enough to give a CliffsNotes overview)
(Chapter 2 the statue in the dream)
(Briefly summarize the chapter and describe the situation that results in Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation)
At the end of chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the supremacy of the LORD.
Daniel 2:47
“[Nebuchadnezzar] said to Daniel, ‘Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.’”
We see here that King Nebuchadnezzar is starting to get an idea that not only someone greater than himself but there is a God superior to his gods.
This is a step towards his humility.
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(Start into chapter 3 - the Fourth Man in the Fire)
(Briefly summarize the chapter and describe the situation that results in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s answer and Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation)
(Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s response to the king)
Daniel 3:16-18
“Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to (King Nebuchadnezzar), ‘We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’”
(Nebuchadnezzar’s response to the LORD’s deliverance …)
Daniel 3:26-29
“Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’
“So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the (royal officials) crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.’”
King Nebuchadnezzar is starting not only to show reverence for the God of Israel but is commanding such reverence from those under his dominion as well.
Another stepping stone to humility …
(Start into chapter 4 - The tree covering the earth and the prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation)
(Briefly summarize the chapter and describe the situation that results in Nebuchadnezzar’s proclamation)
Daniel 4:34-37
“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
“All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’
“At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.”
So, what are the last words we see from Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel?
Daniel 4:37b
“Those Who Walk In Pride He Is Able To Humble!”
Nebuchadnezzar and Saul were both humbled by God.
We don’t know about the rest of Nebuchadnezzar’s life but we can read plenty about Paul’s life.
And, of course it begs the question of, “What about my life, am I prideful or humble?”
There are three things we need to know about humility.
1) Humility always precedes salvation.
We see this when a Jewish ruler comes to Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
We see this when Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached to the crowd in the second chapter of Acts and they asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
All of us who have come to know Jesus as our Savior have come to the place where we have realized that many of our actions and motives are sinful in the sight of God.
This is called conviction. We are convicted by the work of the Holy Spirit within our hearts.
That realization leads to one of three reactions.
One reaction is that this feeling of conviction could lead to a rejection of the advances of the Holy Spirit and running further into sin as an act of rebellion.
Another reaction is that it can lead to seeking the Lord further to try to understand what this is that is drawing us to the Lord. This can be a heaviness of the soul.
Perhaps it might be a feeling that something is spiritually wrong with your life.
Or, it can lead to humility, the confession of those sins to the Lord and repentance which simply means that we turn away from sin and selfish desires and turn to the Lord for forgiveness and transformation.
1) Humility always precedes salvation.
2) Once you are saved humility is an essential part of the Christians life.
In the life of a Christian humility and pride are like oil and water; they don’t mix.
Humility points all glory to Christ while pride attempts to glorify self.
This sort of self-glorifying mentality can even get into Christian music.
It is beyond my comprehension how a serious Christian could ever even sing this song!
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Listen to the lyrics of a song entitled “He Thought of Me”.
He said "Father if it be Your will" as sweat turned into blood
All at once His heart stood still overcome by love.
With ten thousand reasons why it didn't have to be
in mercy, love and mercy He thought of me.
From the garden where He prayed, straight to Pilate’s hall
Where His perfect innocence took the blame for all
Hanging on a rugged cross, though He spoke not a word
In Heaven all over Heaven my name was heard.
I became the center of attention, ‘cause I was laying heavy on His heart
Though the soldiers tore His flesh in anger, I'm went on and tore His world apart.
Way before He ever cried "It's finished". Long before I ever bowed a knee, about the time He cried "Father forgive them" Without a second thought He thought of me.
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Now remember the setting of this song.
Jesus is hanging on the cross of Calvary, being crucified as the perfect Lamb of God for the sins of the world and this song says that al that very moment, “In heaven, all over heaven, MY NAME WAS HEARD … I BECAME THE CENTER OF ATTENTION!”
Really? Really???? God Forbid!!!!!!!!
Now listen to the lyrics of this song which mentions “me” but Christ is the center of attention …
“O Praise The Name”
I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet
My Savior on that cursed tree
His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph's tomb
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone
Then on the third at break of dawn
The Son of Heaven rose again
O trampled death, where is your sting
THE ANGELS ROAR FOR CHRIST THE KING!!!!!
O praise the Name of the Lord our God
O praise His Name forevermore
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord oh Lord our God
© 2015 Hillsong Music Pub. - Benjamin Hastings | Dean Ussher | Marty Sampson - CCLI License
It brings tears to my eyes even reading those lyrics!
Anything. Anything! Anything, that diverts attention from the Lord to me is the ultimate example of stolen valor!!
Jesus said that if you are invited to a banquet, don’t take the best seat or the master of the banquet may come and tell you to move to a lower seat and you will be humiliated. Instead, take the lowest seat and the master of the banquet may come and honor you with a better seat.
Humility in the life of a true Christian is non-negotiable.
1) Humility always precedes salvation.
2) Once you are saved humility is an essential part of the Christians life.
3) Humility in eternity will be automatic!
In the book of Revelation we see wave after wave of worship of the Lord.
This song is taken from Revelation 7
The title seems to flow so easily from our lips, doesn’t it?
I love to say the title this way; “Salvation belongs to OUR GOD!!!!”
Salvation does not belong to allah or buddha or any other god but OUR GOD and to Him alone!
Salvation Belongs To Our God
Verse 1
Salvation belongs to our God
Who sits upon the throne - And unto the Lamb
Praise and glory wisdom and thanks
Honor and power and strength
Verse 2
And we the redeemed shall be strong
In purpose and unity - Declaring aloud
Praise and glory wisdom and thanks
Honor and power and strength
Chorus
Be to our God - Forever and ever
Be to our God - Forever and ever
Be to our God - Forever and ever Amen
© 1985 Restoration Music, Ltd. - Adrian Howard / Pat Turner - CCLI License
So, we need to ask ourselves; “Am I humble?”
Do I seek to please the Lord in all I say and do?
Do I deflect all glory to the Lord?
Final comments and closing prayer.
