Pride and Humility - Which One Defines Us?

This morning my Bible lesson is a story that always amazes us. Mark 9:33-37 is the story in which Jesus catches the disciples in a pride filled moment. Take a look.

Mark 9:33-35
And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”  But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.  And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

I love this story. I find it humorous that when Jesus asks them what they have been discussing they just ignore Him and refuse to answer. It’s funny because the man asking the question already knows the answer, He’s God and they know it. The parallel verse from Luke 9:47 explains that “Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side.” The response of Jesus is classic. He just sits down and gets to the point of revealing their prideful hearts.

We read these stories and wonder how the disciples could be so dense. Jesus is the epitome of humility and they have been under His teaching for a good while and yet they are arguing over which one of them is the greatest.

But who are we to criticize? Many of us have been following Christ a very long time. I have. Yet pride continues to plague us as well. Jesus doesn’t need to know the reasoning of our hearts, He could simply open our Facebook pages where we fill the internet with stories about us. We post this dreadful thing called the selfie and what could possibly defy the concept of humility more? I do it. Just yesterday I put up a post that seemed to be humorous but at its core was my deep-seated desire for approval of others. The world of psychology has convinced us that our problems are rooted in a lack of self-esteem but that is simply not true. We are filled with self-esteem and a desire for more, just as the disciples were. And its destroying this culture. We are the me, me, me culture.

The Bible is replete with instruction against pride. Humility is the hallmark of the true Christian life, yet it is a rare trait amongst even Christians today. This morning we need to go back to the Bible and be reminded of what it says about pride.

Pride defiles us. Look at the other things pride is lumped together with. Be careful judging the sins of others; we aren’t really any better.

Mark 7:20-23
And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Pride disgraces us.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

 

Pride stirs up strife.

Proverbs 28:25
He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, But he who trusts in the LORD will be prospered.

 Pride will bring judgment.

Proverbs 16:5
Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.

Pride is an abomination to the Lord. That ought to scare the pride right out of us and it ought to break our hearts.

God does not want us to be prideful in any way of any thing we do. In truth, we didn’t even do it; He did.

Isaiah 66:2
"For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.

God has made clear what He expects of us.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

Jesus warned us.

Luke 14:11
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Paul exhorted us.

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.

James instructed us.

James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Jesus set the example as Paul explained.

Philippians 2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. There is that word again; obedient. Humility is not an option for the Christian and if we made it real in our lives we would change the world.

I am guilty. How about you?

The writer of Hebrews speaks to our hearts and I close with that reading. We all need to regroup and refocus. This is a good place to start for none of us are where we ought to be.

Hebrews 12:1-4
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.  In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

How to Get God to Look Upon You

Isaiah 66:2 "For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD. "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Are you humble? Careful when you answer that. To confess yourself as humble, is to not be.

Are you contrite of Spirit? Does your own sin drive to you despair?

Do you tremble at His word? Or do you simply hear it and let it pass you by? Do you even read it? Do you stand in awe when it is preached on Sunday? When you read it does it cut into your own heart and cause you to see the depths of your own depravity in light of its revelation of God's Holiness?

If we want God to look upon us, then we must go humbly before Him, broken and in tears over our sins, and then tremble before Him as we listen to His Word. But to listen to God's Word is more than simply hearing it; it is letting it do the work on and in our hearts that shows we have been raised to new life.

This is when God looks down upon us and sees the heart that truly wants Jesus.

His Word is not just something to feel good about. it is the very bread we need to live upon.

Church, let us return to a reverence for God and His Word. Then God will look upon us.

How to be restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established in the true hope of Christ.

Finishing up my reading of 1 Peter this morning I wanted to share the admonitions he gives us to follow. First of we are to be humble. Though Peter begins with a direction to the young men, he goes on to extend this command to us all.

1 Peter 5:5
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Humility is sorely lacking in us Christians today. The world teaches us just the opposite and modern psychology follows right along. We live in the me, me, me world, but if we are to be Disciples of Christ we must humble ourselves. Peter is clear about what God’s position is on pride; He opposes the prideful. I don’t know about you but I do not desire any opposition from God. I long for and need His grace. I want to be humble because God gives grace to the humble.

But in our flesh we want to be important. The truth of the Christian life is that in this world we are not to be important but we are to be God’s light and we are to consider others as more important than ourselves as Philippians 2:3 commands us. If we live a life of humility here, there will be a great reward in due time. That due time may very well be in eternity. When Christ came to the earth as a man He modeled this for us. He had to endure the shame and the pain of the cross before He ascended into the glory of His rightful place at the father’s right hand. Who are we to expect differently?

1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Next Peter speaks a word that we all need to follow.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Sometimes in the midst of all our troubles in this life we get anxious. But God cares for us. Jesus preached the greatest sermon ever that explains just how much God cares for us. Read Matthew 6:25-34. Do you believe the words of Jesus? If you do then do what He says in verse 33 and “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” He cares for you. He went to the cross and suffered and died for you. Trust in Him.

Next Peter warns us to be self-controlled and alert.

1 Peter 5:8
 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Notice that we have to actively participate in this life. We need self-control. I’m not very good at that. How about you? Self-control is one the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. So we must humble ourselves and pray always that we be filled with the Spirit. We must confess our weakness so that we can live in the strength God provides through the Spirit who lives inside all believers.

We have an enemy and He is a formidable one. But He who lives in us is greater. So we must resist the devil.

1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

We are in this together as the Body of Christ. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to stand against the enemy. So we must remain firm in our faith. We need to encourage each other in our days on this earth. This is what church is. It is God’s people bearing each other’s burdens.

But clearly we live as Christians in a time of war; spiritual war. Ephesians chapter 6 explains. This life will be a life filled with battles. But Jesus has already won the war. We just need to stand firm in our faith as we mop up the final resistance of the enemy until Christ returns. There is sure hope in His return. Peter reminds us.

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

Suffering is part of our Christian life. But in the end God will complete in us what He began. Suffering is how we grow to be like Christ.

So when times get hard offer Him your complete praise. Trust in Him that He will “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Pray. Read His Word every day making its hope and its truth the foundation upon which you stand. God is in control. You can believe that.

1 Peter 5:11
To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Humble yourself and let God have the reins. It’s His dominion, forever and ever.

Amen.

What Does a Christian’s Attitude Look Like?

 

As Christians we are supposed to look differently than the rest of the world. No, the Bible isn’t talking about clothing (though some Christians do need to look in the mirror before going out in a lack of clothing that encourages lust).  The Bible is talking about how our minds and attitudes are adorned as the unsaved world far too often sees very little of Christ in us. The Apostle Paul is very clear in the letter to the Philippians about what our attitude should be. In Philippians 2:5 Paul says that, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

These are strong words and a strong challenge to us. But the truth is God did not save us to just let us remain in our old ways. When one becomes “born again” it means just that; new life. That new life demands change and Jesus knew that our old nature, the flesh as the Bible refers to it, doesn’t die off without a lot of effort. The new life demands radical action. Galatians 5:24 tells us that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” One of the vilest passions and desires we carry is our selfishness. We think way more of ourselves than we even realize. Going back to chapter two of Philippians we read what Paul instructs us to do in terms of our attitude.

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Paul says do “NOTHING” out of selfish ambition or conceit. Then the words get even stronger. “In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Talk about counter-cultural. Our culture is all about “me”. The selfie defines us today. Facebook has done more to promote self than anything in history. Troll through Facebook; most people’s posts and pictures are filled with themselves.

Jesus is the perfect example of humility. Jesus was, is, and will always be God, yet He willingly set aside His glory to be born in a stable. He lived thirty years in mostly obscurity on this earth and then when He did go public He allowed Himself to be humiliated and lived the life of a homeless drifter. Then came the cross; the emblem of suffering and shame that He willingly bore for all of us. Paul paints the picture very well.

Philippians 2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

We cannot just ignore this scripture. No it must wake us up and it must inspire in us a new passion to live for God. But like Christ, we must face a death. We must take up a cross. We must crucify our flesh. We must change our attitudes toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must change our attitudes towards our families. We must change our attitudes towards our neighbors. We must change our attitudes towards those who call themselves our enemies. All of those people out there must become more important to us than ourselves. Maybe we need to break all our mirrors and disable the selfie functions on our phones. You know you can actually use that phone to call someone and ask they are and maybe offer some encouragement.

The Christian life is not about us. It is about glorifying God. None of this is easy. Even Jesus on the night before He went to the cross struggled with His trip to the cross.

Matthew 26:36-39
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”  And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

So which shall we choose? Our will? Or God’s will?

God’s will for us is that we humble ourselves and consider others as more important than ourselves. He did not leave us alone to battle with our selfish desires. Jesus promised in John 16:7 that He would send us a helper. The Holy Spirit lives inside each Christian and He came and will empower us to live like Jesus.  But we must take that one small step of humility and ask Him to do the work.

Will you? Will you consider others as more important than yourself?