Humility – 3

Humility – 3

Subject – Humility Found in Jesus

By Rick Welborne

Luke 22:23-27 (NLT2)
²³  The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.
²⁴  Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.
²⁵  Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’
²⁶  But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.
²⁷  Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. 

--Please know the context of the text we just read. Jesus just told them about His impending death and how He would suffer to establish a new covenant in His blood. Beautiful and sacrificial humility.

--He tells them that the person who will betray Him is sitting at the table with them. They take a few minutes to question who could possibly do such a thing.

--Quickly they go to the important issue and the one that shows their lack of humility. They began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest. 

--Imagine me telling my pastoral staff that someone among us is a false minister and he will betray me and my demise is close at hand. 

--They discuss that for a little while but move quickly to which one of them will be the greatest. Hmmm!

--We have already established that this virtue of humility that Christ had was simply His surrendering to letting God be God. Humbling to God that He will be everything in His life. 

--We see how the Son of God in heaven and the Son of Man on earth lived and submitted His life to God only to bring honor and glory to His Father alone.  

Philippians 2:8-9 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                        ⁸ …He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
⁹  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

1. The Humility of Jesus in His Own Words.

--Listen to the words of Jesus as He speaks of His relationship to the Father and how He consistently uses the words “not and nothing” speaking of Himself.

John 5:19 (NKJV) ¹⁹ …the Son can do nothing of Himself, 

John 5:30 (NKJV) ³⁰ I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 

John 5:41 (NIV) ⁴¹ "I do not accept praise from men,

John 6:38 (NIV) ^38…I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.

John 7:16 (NIV) ¹⁶ Jesus answered, "My teaching is not My own. It comes from Him who sent Me.

John 7:28 (NIV) ²⁸ I am not here on My own, but He Who sent Me is true. 

John 8:28 (NIV) ²⁸  So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.

John 8:42 (NIV) ^42… I have not come on My own; but He sent Me. 

John 8:50 (NIV) ⁵⁰ I am not seeking glory for Myself; 

John 14:24 (NIV) ^24…These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father Who sent Me. 

--These words from Jesus show how it was so obvious that God the Father could use Him to purchase redemption for all of us. He was nothing that God might be all.

--He resigned Himself to the Father’s will and power so that God could work through Him. With all He did with His own power, His own will, His own glory, He could still proclaim, I am nothing. Humility.

--Jesus’ life of total surrender, submission, and dependence upon the Father’s will was His source of perfect peace and joy. 

Andrew Murray – Jesus lost nothing by giving His all to God. God honored His trust and did all for Him, and then exalted Him to His own right hand of glory.

--Because Christ humbled Himself and because God was always with Him, He also found it possible to humble Himself before men and to be the servant of all.

--His humility was simply the surrender of Himself to God allowing Him to do in Him what He pleased, regardless of what men might say about Him or do to Him.

2. Our Call to Self-denial – Humility.

--We often hear that we want to be partakers with Christ, to have what He had and to be able to do what He did. We are called to a life of self-denial.

--We must be willing to acknowledge that there is nothing good in ourselves. We are just empty vessels in need of God filling us. We must do as the Apostle Paul…I die daily. 

--I know this is hard for us to grasp but if we will ever conform into the image of Christ, it will be with the absolute knowledge and surrender of self to Christ so God can be everything. Our calling:

Romans 11:29-30 (NCV)
²⁹  God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them.
³⁰  At one time you refused to obey God. But now you have received mercy, because those people refused to obey.

--I know when we think about these verses, “The gifts and calling of God is irrevocable.” We normally think of being a pastor, missionary, prophet, teacher and I believe that is somewhat true.

--But I also believe it is much deeper than that. We are all, yes all, called to a life of self-denial so that when people see us, they see Jesus. This is the nature of true humility.  

Psalm 149:4 (NKJV)
⁴  For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. 

--Sadly we have not been taught or sought after on our own what it means that Jesus was meek and lowly of heart. His humility before God releases our understanding that God is truly all in all.

--This is the life Christ came to reveal and to impart—a life surrendered to God through our death to sin and self. If we feel this is out of our reach, so much the more, we should seek Him.

Isaiah 57:15 (NLT2)
¹⁵  The high and lofty One who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. 

--It sounds like to me that living a life of self-denial and a life of humility is a wonderful place to dwell because our humility and self-denial gives God room to heal us.

--How many marriages, families, churches, businesses, cities, countries, etc. could be healed and be put back together if we denied ourselves and humbled ourselves before God and people.

--Sadly, too often, pride will not allow us to do it because of our selfishness. We think it is about winning and losing but when we don’t humble ourselves, we all lose.

3. The Secret – Nothing but a Clay.

--Please, God, help us learn the secret of knowing you in deeper way and, therefore, being able to understand the beautiful nature of the God we serve. 

--Help us, help me, learn that I am nothing but clay in your hand. A vessel, and a broken vessel at that. If I don’t humble myself in the Potter’s Hand, I am sunk.

Isaiah 29:13-16 (NIV)
¹³  The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
¹⁴  Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."
¹⁵  Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"
¹⁶  You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "He did not make me"? Can the pot say of the potter, "He knows nothing"? 

--Pride is telling God we don’t need Him and humility is telling God that whatever it takes to make me a vessel of honor, I am willing. Break me if You have to. We must realize:

Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. 

--The wisdom of humility is that we know all that we have received was given to us by God. As we submit in the Potter’s hand and wait on Him, He forms us according to His will. 

--Jesus saw Himself as clay in His Father’s hand and His desire was to serve Him. Therefore, He wanted to serve those in whom the Father loved. Us. 

--Life Church we are clay. Clay has no life without God. Clay has no will so we submit in His hands. Clay has no purpose until the Potter creates it. Clay’s job is to submit to the Potter.

--Are you clay in the Potter’s hand? Are you clothed in humility? Examine your daily life? Ask your friends you can trust if you are humble. Ask God to help you humble yourself like Jesus.

Romans 13:14 (NLT2)
¹⁴  Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.