When asked what were the three most important Christian virtues, Augustine replied, "Humility, humility, and humility." Yet, this great virtue is in rather short supply in our culture. Even very good people seem to have a hard time being really humble. One day Linus tells Charlie Brown, "When I get big, I'm going to be a humble, little country doctor. I'll live in the city, and every morning I'll get up, climb into my sports car, and zoom into the country. Then I'll start healing people...I'll heal everyone for miles around. I'll be a world-famous, humble, little country doctor." Linus didn't realize that wanting to be world-famous and humble don't quite mix. I also think of a well-known Christian businessman who was visiting a church and was asked to give his testimony. He said, "I have a fine family, a large house, a successful business, and a good reputation. I have plenty of money so I can support some Christian ministries very generously. Many organizations want me on their board of directors. I have good health and almost unlimited opportunities. What more could I ask from God?" As he paused for effect, a voice shouted from the back of the auditorium, "How about asking Him for a good dose of humility?"
Friends, our journey through 1 Corinthians brings us today to Chapter 4:6-21. Here Paul addresses a number of specific concerns with the Corinthians, but the one which is most obvious in this chapter is their lack of humility. A shortage of this plagues the church today as well. I think Christianity would benefit greatly if there were more humble individuals in both pulpits and pews. I also have a feeling that many of us at First Baptist Church could use a bit more humility as well. So let's pause and pray that God would use His Word to build true humility in our lives today.
Let's take a look at the situation in Corinth. Pride was a common attitude in the church. We have mentioned before the divisions which existed because many of the folks at Corinth had picked their favorite teacher, formed a little clique, and decided their group was better than all the others. Also, a lot of the people in the church were quite resistant to some of the instructions Paul had given to them. We see that in 4:18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. Apparently, they were saying something like, "Paul? Who does he think he is? We don't have to listen to him." Both of these problems were rooted in pride. That attitude was popping up its ugly head in various situations. 4:6a Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." The Corinthians have failed to heed what was written in Scripture as to how leaders were to be viewed. 4:6b,7 Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? The Corinthians had forgotten a very basic fact of life: God is the source of everything which is good. 4:8 Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings -- and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! Paul is using a bit of sarcasm here. The Corinthians think they are on top of the world. They think they are pretty hot stuff. They see themselves as superior to the apostles. 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! Again, Paul is using irony to make his point, but even if the Corinthians were not choosing to put things in those words, Paul does describe their attitude. They think they are much wiser, much stronger, and much more honorable than the apostles of Jesus Christ. They were a group of proud people.
In contrast, humility was a common attitude among the apostles. Even though they had been chosen as the representatives of Jesus Christ, they did place themselves on a pedestal. Instead, 4:9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. The image is derived from the Roman arena. Condemned criminals were often sentenced to fight to the death as gladiators. They then would be paraded before the public as objects of derision. Paul implies that the apostles often get no more respect than that. He continues to describe how lowly their position has become. 4:10-13 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. Is Paul boasting here? No. Years ago Walter Brennan starred in a television western called The Guns of Will Sonnet. Whenever he would describe one of his exceptional abilities or accomplishments, he would end with the phrase, "No brag, just fact." That is what Paul is doing, "No brag, just fact." He is simply pointing to the true humility which is evident in his life and in the lives of the other apostles. Why is he doing this? 4:14,15 I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Remember, he was the one who had first brought the Gospel to Corinth. He was the founding father of the church there. 4:16,17 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. In other words, Paul says, "You folks in Corinth are a proud group of people. I have learned that following Jesus means following a path of humility. I am sending Timothy to help you learn to become humble people."
But, wait a minute, why is humility so important? Is pride really that big of a problem? The short answer is, "Yes, pride is a problem." Now, we need to realize that the word "pride" has a couple of different meanings, so in a sense there is a good pride and a bad pride. In a couple of weeks, some of you who are parents will watch your son or daughter walk across a stage to receive a diploma. You will probably experience a very positive, very healthy feeling which we often label "pride." That is a good attitude, a good type of pride, and it is not what we are talking about today. Even the feeling of pride that some of you may get as you receive one of those diplomas is not necessarily bad. Whenever we accomplish something good, it is only natural that we have a positive emotional reaction.
There are two things, however, that make it a bad type of pride. If either of these is true, it is a very destructive attitude. The first problem is if we forget about God and think our accomplishment is due to our own ability or effort. There is nothing wrong with celebrating an achievement, as long as we remember there is nothing that we have not received from the Lord. Our celebration should always include expressions of praise and gratitude to God. A lot of folks think it is goofy when a football player scores the winning touchdown, and then tells the sportscaster, "I want to thank the Lord for giving me the ability to get into the end zone." No, I suspect football games are not very high on God's priority list, but I believe no one would score a touchdown if God had not graciously given that individual the physical ability to play the game. When we try to take credit for our accomplishment and ignore what God has given, pride has become a problem. The second way pride becomes a problem is when we think we are better than someone else because of something we have done. If receiving that high school diploma causes you to think, "Well, I'm a better person than that guy in my class who did not graduate," then pride has become a problem. So the first reason why humility is so important is because it frees us from the problem of destructive pride.
The second reason humility is important is because it is necessary for spiritual maturity. There is no way to become a mature Christian unless we learn to be humble. Now, to be honest, that is a truth which I resisted for quite a while. You see, for years I had a tendency to be a bit proud, and even a little arrogant. I knew it was not good, but I didn't really think it was a big deal. But then the Lord, through His Word, helped me see how wrong I was. For example, Luke 18:14 says, "...everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Most importantly is Proverbs 3:34, a verse quoted by both James and Peter in their letters: "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Pride hinders our relationship with God. C. S. Lewis put it this way, "A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and of course, as long as you are looking down, you can't see something that is above you." A number of years ago I began to realize that if I was going to experience more of God's grace in my life, if I was going to grow to maturity as a Christian, I needed to learn to be humble. Now, I know I have a long way to go down this path, but I am thankful that I am moving in the right direction. And those of you who think I seem a bit proud and arrogant sometimes, you should be thankful that you did not know me years ago. Friends, if we are to have healthy souls, if we are to be faithful in following Jesus Christ, we need to get rid of the pride and put on humility. F. B. Meyer once said, "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts."
The third reason why humility is important is because it enables us to share the Gospel more effectively with other people. One of the reasons the Lord Jesus was able to relate so well to others was humility. Matthew 11:29 "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." Now, Jesus certainly did have some enemies, but in general people, especially ordinary people, found Him to be the type of person they wanted to be around. I think part of the reason for that was His humility. Christians are often accused of coming off as "holier than thou" and unfortunately that can be a very accurate description. We sometimes deceive ourselves into thinking that we are better and smarter than other people because we have received God's grace and trusted in Jesus Christ. Of course, grace by its very nature is undeserved and unmerited and our character or intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. As Christians we should not view ourselves as better than other people, but someone has said that we should consider ourselves as beggars who are simply telling other beggars where to find food.
Friends, I am convinced a key ingredient in being effective in Christian ministry, either as a pastor or a lay person, is to develop the attitude that Paul says we should have in Philippians 2:3,4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. This way of thinking is very much against the grain in our culture which is extremely self-centered. We are still a part of the "me-generation." But, even though many folks claim it is their right to be selfish if that is what they want to do, we don't admire that quality in others. We like people who are interested in us, not just in themselves. We listen to people who talk about our concerns, not just their own. Therapists report that inmates of mental institutions say "I" or "me" twelve times more often than residents of the outside world. As their conditions improve, the patients use the personal pronoun less often. It is no surprise that a Christian who is constantly talking about himself or herself, doesn't have much impact on other people.
A very prosperous farmer was asked about the secret of his success. He replied, "I learned from an old rooster on my father's farm. He could peck harder, jump faster, fly higher, and fight better than any other rooster we had. But he lost most of his fights, even against tiny roosters. The trouble was that just as he was winning a fight, he would stop to crow. I learned a key to success is to not crow when you think you are doing well." Friends, I think pastors, Sunday School teachers, and many other Christians need to learn that the key to success in ministry is not to crow. Our job is not to convince people how wonderful we are, but to show them how glorious Jesus Christ is.
Now, before I go on, I need to say just a few words about humility and self-esteem. Many folks think helping people build greater self-esteem is the most important thing we can do for them. I doubt that it is the case. We need to remember that studies show that about 80% of the American people believe they are more intelligent, more honest, and more talented than the average person. Now, perhaps some of the other 20% struggle with low self-esteem, but it is clear that is not the problem for many folks. Biblical humility is not the same thing as low self-esteem, however. Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles were very humble people, but I think it is obvious that they had a very healthy self-esteem. Humble people are really those who esteem, or think of themselves accurately. They do what Paul tells us to do in Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. As Christians our goal should not be low self-esteem, or high self-esteem, but humility which is simply a realistic view of who we are; sinners who have become God's precious children through Jesus' death on the cross in our place.
So, it is good to be humble. If you are not convinced of that yet, I just pray that God would work in your mind and heart. If you agree that it is good to be humble but, like me, you sometimes find it hard to be that way, let me give you some practical suggestions. These are steps to finding true humility.
#1) Compare yourself to God, not to other people. If we do this consistently, we cannot help but be humble. Many of us are indeed smarter, more honest, and more talented than some folks we know, but when we compare ourselves to God, all of our delusions of grandeur evaporate. I might think I'm a pretty good basketball player if I compare my abilities to those of my wife Nancy (although she does fine), but compared to Kevin Garnet, I am not very good at all. Likewise, when we compare ourselves to God, it is clear that each of us falls far short of the standards He sets.
#2) Remember, you are only a Christian because of God's grace. As I said before, grace by its very nature is undeserved and unmerited. I am a child of God, not because I am better than anyone else, but because God has graciously chosen me as His own. It is what Jesus has done, not what I have done; it is His cross, His blood, which makes me who I am. If it were not for the grace of God, I would deserve hell just as much as Hitler or Stalin. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst. When I understood that was true of me as well, it helped me find humility. There is a wonderful old hymn which says, "I'm only a sinner, saved by grace." Most recent hymnals don't include it. I am afraid that is a bad sign. Each of us needs to remember, "I'm only a sinner, saved by grace."
#3) Recognize that God is the source of everything we have. Not just our salvation, but the air we breathe, the water we drink or catch fish in, the food we eat, our friends, our family, our health, every talent or ability we have, all of the things which bring us joy and pleasure, are gifts from God. As James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father..." If you are doing well in your business or career, getting good grades at school, doing great at sports or music, or raising children who are all above average, that should not cause you to be proud. The success you enjoy is only because of the gifts God has given you and because of His blessing on your life. When we remember that, it helps keep us humble.
#4) Admit your mistakes. Confess them to God and when it is appropriate, admit them to other people. Years ago I bought a card for a friend which said, "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Not as much as you were, but I was wrong." She didn't appreciate it. Friends, I've learned that being willing to say, "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Period," can be very important in maintaining good relationships with other people. I'm also learning that it can be very healthy for my soul. Every time I say that I am sorry, every time I admit I made a mistake, I remind myself that I am far from perfect, and that I'm not as wonderful as I might like to think. Admitting my mistakes and confessing my sin, including my pride, has helped me to be more humble. I think it will do the same for you as well.
#5) Acknowledge the gifts that other people have. Admit that others have abilities and achievements equal to and greater than your own. Do that both in your mind and with your lips. Sometimes in an effort to keep our pride intact, we minimize the accomplishments of others and magnify their flaws. We hear and say things like, "Oh, yeah, Mary is #1 in the class, the valedictorian, but she's really not that smart. I bet the teachers gave her A's just because they heard she was smart. Besides, it would not hurt her to lose about fifteen pounds." So what?! Why can't we just say, "Yes, Mary is our class valedictorian. She really did a great job academically the last four years." Even pastors, maybe especially pastors, can struggle with this. Let's say you come up to me and say, "Pastor Dan, I visited a church last week, and I was really blessed by the message that the pastor gave." When that happens, I sometimes am tempted to say, "Yes, he is a pretty good preacher, but..." "Yes, but he doesn't relate to people very well." "Yes, but his theology is weak." "Yes, but there are some problems in his church." Or even better, "Yes, but he seems kind of proud and arrogant to me." Why can't I just say, "Yes, it is great that God used him to minister to you."? Well, the reason I don't say that is usually pride, but if I start learning to say that and think that, it will keep me from climbing onto a pedestal where I don't belong.
Friends, are you a humble person? If so, don't become proud of that fact. Keep hunting for true humility. If you know you should be a little more humble, I encourage you to pick one or two of the five steps we have just mentioned. Then, this week spend time praying that God would help you do that and become more humble. Humility is important, for each one of us. As we close, Crys is going to sing a song which reminds us that our purpose in life is not to try to get people to praise us, but rather for us to give praise to God.
------------------------------------------------------
Go to www.life.1stbaptist.org/sermons.htm for Pastor Dan's full text Bible based sermon site
