Good morning and welcome in today. Today were to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of James but before we do that I wanted to tell you a story.
Many years ago my family took a tent, supplies and my pickup truck and went out to South Dakota for a month. Outside of a town called Deadwood we found a place to camp across a dry riverbed where we setup camp for a few weeks. After being there for a short while there began a week of torrential rain. That was some of the hardest rain I’ve ever seen in my life. If I recall correctly I thought I had seen a dog house floating down one of the rivers.
One day when we went into town for groceries it was raining so hard that by the time we got back, the dry creek bed that we had to cross over to get back to our campsite had turned into a huge deep river that we couldn’t cross or even attempt with four-wheel drive. I decided to take the family to a hotel until things dried up after a few days but the rain persisted.
We couldn’t get back to our campsite to get our belongings until I found out from a Forester that there was only one way to get there, on a small road by Galena. We managed to take this one path all the way back to our campsite load up and go back out the way that we came. It was the only way in, and the only way out.
All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God and there is only one way out of our sinful condition, it’s through the road of humility before God.
James 4:10 – Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
The scriptures teach us alot about the virtues of humility, but do you really understand what true humility in the heart is?
A humble person is not proud and does not believe that they are better than other people. Pride is having or showing a feeling of being better than others or haughty. Pride doesn’t want to admit faults.
Proverbs 16:18. Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 18:12. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.
A humble person has the qualities of being meek and quiet. Somebody who is meek is quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive. In order to be lifted up out of our sinful condition, we first must show humility towards God. Only then can we really accept what we are, and get forgiven by Him.
It’s doubtless that God truly cares for each of us. Even when we were still in our sins, Jesus died on the cross for us so that we could have forgiveness. God loves us but it is because of our own pride that we turn away from His love, spurning His affection and resisting to do those things that please Him.
As I’ve always taught, sin is the opposite of love; love for God or love for others. In order to become a Christian in your heart I believe you first have to be humble in the sight of God. The reason why I say that is because you have to confess and admit the truth that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Like the one road back to our campsite, the only path to forgiveness is through humility. Let’s take a look at the following example.
Luke 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
In order to be forgiven by Jesus Christ or others in the church who we have offended we have to Humble ourselves and apologize. However minut the infraction may seem to be we need to apologize to others. Only through the humility of accepting fault can God cleanse us from our sins.
Matthew 23:12 – And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The greatest example of humility in the scriptures is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Lord Of Glory and King of Kings but yet he washed his own disciples feet.
John 13:3-15
3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
Without humility people are going to fall, and God will recompense them for their pride.
Deuteronomy 32:35 – To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
Remember the humble statement that the Apostle Paul said to the church, I’m the chief of sinners.
Jesus is so humble that he could have destroyed this world in a blink of an eye because He’s God almighty but he chose not to and allowed himself to suffer at the cross.
Phil 2:3-9. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Jesus taught the disciples who the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven were, and it had to do with humility before God.
Matt 18:1-4 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
You will only find one road to forgiveness with God, it’s the road of humility. In order to be lifted up into eternal life someday and be exalted, it’s going to require forgiveness with God and that will only happen through humility.
Luke 14:11 – For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Have you asked forgiveness and humbled yourself before God like the humble publican? Mercy is waiting for you.
That’s where I’m going to stop for right now, but Lord willing, I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody.♥️
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