A HUMBLE SPIRIT
Philippians 2:2,3,5,6,7,8,9
[2] Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
[3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
[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:
2 Chronicles 12:7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
2 Chronicles 12:12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.
Job 22:29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
For our time today, please take the time and really take notice of just some of what God’s Word says about a humble spirit. I am surely not going to apologize for using so much Scripture for the thought, as it is the Word of God that is our Authority and is the only thing that will truly teach us this subject. Know that I struggled with leaving some Scripture out because there is so much our Lord wants us to know about humbling ourselves as we seek to know more of HIM. If we just read our text today, we see some great and powerful truths and promises from God. As Christians, it should be our purpose for living just to be more like Jesus in every aspect. In verses 6 to 8 above, we see that Jesus who has all power and was equal to God, left all of heaven, took on the robe of flesh, became a servant, was obedient to the death of the cross and died on a cross between two thieves. This is the greatest example of a humble spirit that God has ever given man. Think for a moment of how humble and lowly the God of the universe had to become to die for the sin of man and fulfill the will of the Father. In verse 9 of our text, because of the obedience Jesus displayed through HIS humble Spirit, God the Father highly exalted HIM and gave HIM a name above every name, hallelujah!
How does this relate to us as God’s Children? In 2 Chronicles 12, the Bible tells us that King Rehoboam strengthened himself and forsook the law of the Lord. He had exalted himself in pride and now the enemy was ready to destroy the kingdom. In verse 7 and 12 above, we see the people humbled themselves and then King Rehoboam humbled himself and God’s wrath turned from him and the Word then tells us, “in Judah things went well.” Praise the Lord! God honors a humble spirit and steps in when we take ourselves off the throne and put Jesus in HIS rightful place. We see that when Job was cast down and reached the bottom and had nowhere to go, the Lord lifted him up! In our Christian walk and in our churches, if we are ever going to see an awakening and revival like we have never known in our lifetime; it will only come if we humble ourselves and turn from our sin. This is a promise from God. We need not to struggle with it, or wonder IF it will happen…God said it would, IF we would.
A humble spirit will be seen when we empty ourselves and there is nothing left of us. Be sure, that sometimes God has to humble us through trials, sickness, and heartache so HE can get out of us what HE desires. We cannot be full of self and have a humble spirit for the fruit of a humble spirit is self-less-ness. When and if we want more of God in us we must let go of more of us. We must make room for Jesus until HE has every bit of space in our earthly tabernacle. This is when our humble spirit let’s all around us know that Jesus is near us and on us. My Christian friend, do you have a humble spirit? Have you seen yourself through the eyes of others? When and if you do, I pray that you will see Jesus and not yourself. We must recognize that a humble spirit will be present when the Lord draws near. The steps of a humble Christian will have the footprints of Jesus all over it. Today, if you are looking for the way out or UP from your situation; would you let Jesus exalt you and lift you up? The way up is always down.
Bro. Lawrence Longworth
Isaiah 61:1 “the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”
Comments