Rev. David Holwick E
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
January 30, 2000
Titus 3:1-5
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I. Who wants to eat "Humble Pie"?
A. Humility is not honored by many religions, philosophies.
1) The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle praised
self-sufficiency, the opposite of humility.
2) German philosopher Nietzsche said humility was part of a
perverted morality created by inferior people.
a) Instead, we should strive to be superman.
3) Even some noted as great Christians lack humility.
There is a persistent myth that Count Leo Tolstoy was a
great Christian, and even a saint.
He may have been a great novelist, but he was not a good
Christian.
In fact, he was a self-righteous egoist who felt himself
to be "God's older brother."
Tolstoy once arrogantly penned these words in his diary:
"I have not yet met a single man who was morally as
good as I. ... I do not remember an instance in my
life when I was not attracted to what is good and
was not ready to sacrifice anything to it."
This statement was repeatedly proved to be a lie by his
habitual adultery and neglect of his family.
Tolstoy's diary goes on to say that he was baffled by the
failure of other men to recognize his qualities:
"Why does nobody love me? I am not a fool, not deformed,
not a bad man, not an ignoramus.
It is incomprehensible."
#2675
B. However, humility is at the center of Biblical faith.
1) Without humility, you cannot be saved.
2) Fortunately, you are in luck. You are about to hear the
best sermon on humility that has ever been preached!
II. The Bible's perspective.
A. Humility has its foundation in the character of God.
1) Ps 113:5-6 has God high up, but he stoops down to our level.
2) Humility is proper perspective of guilty creatures in the
presence of their holy Creator.
a) Humility comes from realizing our distance from a holy
God.
b) We don't just "fall short," we barely rise up.
B. Old Testament.
1) In Proverbs 11:2 "When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
2) Isaiah's cry: "Woe is me! I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips." Isaiah 6:5
3) Micah's classic theology:
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
C. Jesus is the ultimate example of humility.
1) He emptied himself to become one of us. Phil 2:6-9
2) He was gentle and humble in heart. Matt 11:29
3) He stooped to washing the disciples' feet. John 13:5
4) Best exemplified in the cross of Jesus, a
supremely humiliating act.
III. What it means for Christians to be humble.
A. Jesus wants his followers to be meek and humble. Matt 5:3
1) Have John the Baptist's attitude toward Jesus:
"He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30
2) John Newton, writer of "Amazing Grace" - #4222
"I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest
attainments in the school of Christ and the
brightest evidences that he is indeed our Master."
B. Avoid false humility.
1) Like all virtues, humility can be faked. Col 2:23
a) Especially dangerous for religious people.
b) Paul exhorts them to the real thing in 3:12.
2) Humility is not self-contempt.
a) It is not straddling between egotistical vanity and
self-hatred.
b) It doesn't minimize our achievements or exaggerate our
failures.
c) It is not easily obtained.
C. Be liberated by genuine humility.
1) Humility is thinking true, realistic thoughts about God and
ourselves.
2) Christian scholar Dennis Voskuil says the refreshing gospel
promise is...
"Not that we have been freed by Christ to love ourselves,
but that we are free from self-obsession.
Not that the cross frees us for the ego trip but that the
cross frees us from the ego trip."
This leaves us free to esteem our special talents and, with
equal honesty, to esteem our neighbor's talents.
Both are gifts from God.
#139
IV. Myths about humility.
A. The humble look down on themselves and their abilities.
1) We recognize our sin before God, but we also recognize
his grace. God can make rotten people whole again.
2) God gives every Christian a special ability.
B. They let everyone walk all over them.
1) Jesus gives tough commands - "turn the other cheek, go the
extra mile."
a) Christians go out of their way to keep harmony in our
relationships.
b) Even to loving enemies!
2) Yet Christians were noted for their boldness.
a) Timothy is warned not to be timid. 2 Tim 1:7
b) We don't boast about ourselves, but we do about God.
C. The humble do not strive for excellence.
1) When God calls us to humility, he calls us to
submission, not mediocrity. Jam 4:6-10
2) God doesn't want our second-best.
D. The humble do not need praise.
1) Jesus did a lot of encouraging, even just before
his crucifixion.
2) It is appropriate to praise the good deeds of believers.
I participate in a webring with other pastors who share
their sermons on the internet.
Our particular group is called Kerusso and is very popular.
It also happens to have a statistic page that shows how
many visitors you get compared to the other pastors.
Another pastor on the ring sent me this email:
Date: Jan 26, 2000
From: preachim@scan.missouri.org (Preach Him)
To: dholwick@aol.com
David
You have a helpful site. I just noticed on the
Kerusso Stats page you took over number One in the
number of hits. I had been number one for a few
weeks. You bumped me. You have more helps and
I applaud your efforts to help other preachers.
Jim
Dr. Jim McCullen
http://scan.missouri.org/~preachim/sermons.html
What was my reaction?
[I pump the air with a power punch and say, "YESSS!"]
Seriously, it feels good to know your work is appreciated.
And all of us are brothers doing it for the glory of God.
There is only a TINGE of pride involved!
V. How to hang humility.
A. Wealth and possessions.
1) We tend to think we got our stuff with our own smarts.
2) Riches can lead us into pride.
B. Success and accomplishments.
1) Success fulfills our longing for significance.
2) Our abilities allow us to rely on ourselves rather than
God.
3) Ted Turner crowed after his big gift to the United Nations,
"If only I had a little humility, I'd be perfect."
#5203
C. Fame and prestige.
1) It was said of King Uzziah in the Old Testament,
"His fame spread far and wide ... But after Uzziah
became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.
He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the
temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of
incense. 2 Chronicles 26:15-16
2) Few famous people stay level-headed.
a) Fame feeds our ego and satisfies our longing for
self-worth.
b) But it is only temporary.
D. Physical beauty.
1) The king of Tyre, model for Satan: "Your heart became
proud on account of your beauty." Ezek 28:17
2) It is even harder in our culture because we put so much
emphasis on externals.
E. Piety and devotion.
1) Being religious can kill humility.
a) Proud Pharisee: "God, thank you I am not like other men."
2) Be careful we are really focusing on God, and not our own
virtue.
VI. Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
A. God gives grace to the humble.
1) He will give us what we need.
2) If we are humble, he will hear and heal us. 2 Chron 7:14
B. Make an honest assessment of yourself.
1) Get someone else to make an assessment for you!
2) Try to recognize your pride points.
3) Compare yourself against Jesus.
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This sermon draws upon several articles in Discipleship Journal #105,
May-June 1998:
"The Joy in Humility," by Warren and Ruth Myers, page 32.
"Myths about Humility," by Carol J. Ruvolo, page 35.
"Here Comes the Pride," by David W. Henderson, page 38.
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 139 "Looking On The Bright Side - Without Blinding Yourself," by
David G. Myers and Malcolm A. Jeeves, in Christianity Today,
April 22, 1988, page 28.
#2675 Commentary: "James, Faith That Works," by R. Kent Hughes,
Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1991, page 130.
#4222 John Newton (1725-1807), quoted in "Online Christian Quotation
of the Day," Robert McAnally Adams, curator, November 1, 1997.
#5203 "Pride's Breeding Ground," by David W. Henderson, in Discipleship
Journal, May-June 1998, page 41.
These and 5,000 others are part of a database that can be downloaded,
absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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