Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/church4u/sermons/87057/humility/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Turn, if you can, to Micah chapter 6. Micah chapter 6. Now, again, it's in the minor prophets.

[0:10] ! Just to help you find it. It's sometimes a bit tricky. The seventh book before Malachi.

[0:30] It's sort of in the middle of the minor prophets. You've got Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah. I know sometimes they're hard to find them, especially when the book name's in the middle of the page and you've got to open the whole page to get there. Micah chapter 6 verse 8. Talking about humility tonight. Humility. And the call goes out still about this call to humble ourselves, to walk humbly. Micah 6 verse 8 kind of encapsulates just what God kind of draws it right down to. Right down to this phrase, this simple stanza, this simple sentence that kind of captures everything that God wants for us. It's really wrapped up here in this simple sentence. One sentence. And Micah 6 verse 8. It says this, He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. It's a call that goes out still. What does the Lord require of thee? You know, these are desperate times. It's a desperate hour. The world is full of selfishness and pride. And our nation seems unashamed before God, before a holy God as to what would please and honour him. It's like they don't care. And it's no wonder we have problems on this planet. There's so much arrogance and assertiveness and there's self-censoredness and there's very little thought of humility, of walking humbly with thy God. There's little thought of humility, of exalting the Lord Jesus. That's something people don't kind of capture.

[2:42] Humility. You know, that might cramp our lifestyle. It's what some people would think, isn't it? That, oh, if I was to humble myself and put others before myself, that that might, you know, means that I'm going to lose something. I'm going to lose out. And yet judgment looms in this self-centred world. Will we take heed? You know, there's people that say, I'm proud to be an Australian. Or, you know, some would say, I'm proud to be an American. You know, it's the best country in the whole world. And they get so prideful about their country.

[3:17] But really, this is not a time for proud Australians, but for Australians who will humble themselves. Amen. That's what God wants us to be. Sure, we can have some loyalty to our land and some gladness for the blessings of God that God showers upon this land that we're privy to, that we're blessed by. But we're not proud. We're humble before God. We acknowledge him as the giver of every good and perfect gift. And it says this, it says, He hath showed thee, O man, what is good. This tells us what's good and what's not good.

[3:54] Not what the government might say as they might legalise things that are plainly not good. And even propagate things that are definitely not good in our schools to our very children and grandchildren. God have mercy on them. We must humble ourselves. That is our greatest need. That is what we have need of. God calls us to a humility of walk, of life, of conduct.

[4:15] Father, what doth the Lord require of thee? Can we ever stop and think, what is it that God wants me to do, to be, to think, to tell, to show, to be? One way or another, God will humble us. And the proud God rejecters who spit in his face and have careless thoughts, if any thoughts are not good, are you? One way or another, God will humble us. And the proud will face God's judgement and they'll answer. My message tonight is on humility. Now, of course, no one has yet written a book that's got the title, Humility and how I attained it. You know, as if there would be some quick and easy man-made way, some man-made plan to be humble. And then we brag about how humble we are. But really, in presenting this tonight, I'm not putting out in any fashion that I have achieved it. I am still working on it, believe me. I'm no expert on the subject of humility. But God helping us, we can all learn something about what the

[5:24] Word says about humility, which is what matters. And the message is clear. We must walk humbly with our God. Keep humble. Or you'll stumble. Keep humble. It's a critically important thing that we are humble. And this special quality is God-given. And it's God who requires it.

[5:43] Thankfully, he enables it. He makes it happen. It's interesting, in contrast, how the world elevates the self. As you might want to turn to 2 Timothy 3, that familiar one about the perilous times that will come. 2 Timothy 3. And you could reckon, I put to you that it seems just like the 20, 2021, doesn't it? 2 Timothy 20, 21. No, 2 Timothy 3, 1 through 2, it says this.

[6:19] It says, High-minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. We could read more on such a theme as we see there. But just focusing there on lovers of their own selves. And then all the other things kind of follow on from that. You could say boasters, proud, you know, heady, high-minded, just big shots, just puffed up. You know, it says that knowledge puffs up. You know, even some that might have knowledge can be some of the most inflated braggarts and show-offs.

[7:29] And that's something to deny, to avoid. But the world elevates the self, doesn't it? It elevates putting man on a pedestal, whether it's himself or making some worship of men, of men's pleasure, of lovers of their own selves. It's one of the main problems of our lawless world. It's the self, the I, the ego. And yet the world would teach people how to have self-esteem.

[7:56] Now, of course, there's maybe some healthy self-esteem. But that sense of that self-esteem that kind of puts man as the centre of the universe and elevates man as if man is something to be made a king of and to elevate unduly. Because really, the self is something we should guard against. It's something, the I, the ego, you know, me, myself and I, it's that kind of self-centred way of living. And when the world teaches people self-esteem, it can lead to self-conceit and that self-elevation, that self-praise, that self-centred way of thinking.

[8:37] It's really the middle of sin is I, isn't it? S-I-N, sin. It's the I, sin. And it's also of pride. The middle letter of pride as well. P-R-I-D-E, pride. I is in the middle, the ego, the self, the man who will not submit to God, the one who will shake his fist in his face. And pride is at the heart of unbelief. Pride is at the heart of backsliding. You know, when we go witnessing at times and you might present the gospel to someone and, you know, it's almost like, oh, how dare you threaten me that I would have to submit to what this book says or that I would have to submit to a holy God and actually submit to the gospel and I'll be saving grace of his command to trust in the Lord. I would have to bow my knee to the Lord Jesus. And they will not. They're defiant because it's the I that's not bowed. And you'll see this as you might present the gospel. They would argue against bowing the knee to Christ. They will deny the Bible. They'll hate the Bible. They will defy the God they claim to deny. You know, these are atheists who would get so militant and worked up and so hating of God. Yet at the same time, they say they don't believe in a God. It's kind of quite funny in a way, isn't it? Sad, really.

[10:05] They will not defrone themselves from the throne of their lives. They want self on that throne and crowned. No wonder these are perilous times, I'll put to you. People care little for humility.

[10:19] You know, for someone to be humble, it's kind of seen as a weak thing. And yet of Moses, it says he was the most meek man on all the earth. And he was praised for that. His meekness was a strength for him. And yet our world would put down someone who would have a humble spirit. And they would elevate those that want to make much of themselves. You know, when you think of it, we don't hear much of, we don't hear anything of humility seminars. You know, come and learn about humility or come and learn about, have a humility training course where you can learn to be more humble.

[10:56] You know, it's rather the opposite, how to be a success, how to be a flashy, grand, successful person. As in success without God. Make a success of yourself. Put self in the spotlight. And yet, humility is rather that quality that God commands. And he offers, he wants us to learn that. And God's word shows us how. How we can find this great quality of life. We see that James 4. If you want to turn further to James, the book of James, chapter 4. And it's a recurring theme in the word of God, this theme of humility that the men and women of God were the humble men and women.

[11:42] That God, they were humble enough for God to get a hold of them and to use them for his glory. So he got the glory. James 4, verse 6 through 10, it says this. It says, But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but he giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore unto God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners. Purify your hearts, ye double-minded.

[12:16] Be afflicted, be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

[12:28] It's saying there, God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. And it says, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Now why do people have trouble with the devil, ruling their lives? It says there's two things here. Submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You know, we've got to have the both of those in action. Submit to God. Come to God and say, God, I submit to you, to your rule over my life, to your will for my life. Show me the way to live, what to do, how to go forward in my life.

[13:09] But you have a submission of heart to God, and then a resisting of the devil. And it promises, God promises for you, the devil will flee from you. It's a simple two-fold formula there.

[13:22] And why is there this trouble with sin? Because people have not submitted to God. We can have a cleansing, we can have a purifying, we can have a right standing before him, as we humble ourselves to God. Why are people so downcast? There is one who will lift us up.

[13:42] You know, whatever your situation of life, whatever trouble or circumstance or heaviness, if you're feeling downcast, it says, this is the answer, humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. If you want an uplift tonight, humble yourselves. That's the simple answer.

[14:04] One follows the other. Humble yourself and he shall lift you up. Simple, isn't it? And yet, we miss that humility. We want to find some other way. We have need of humility in our daily lives.

[14:18] It says, God, resist the proud. They will not come under his lordship. They want to be the lord of their own lives. They will not receive his word. They deny and they defy God and they deny his word.

[14:29] They will not even examine it. And it's hard when you challenge someone respectfully, when you're witnessing and you spell it all out, you lay it all out before them and they still reject.

[14:43] It's like they will not bow to the Lord. They will not bow to his authority. That God would actually have an authority that they must submit to. And the main problem with unbelief is really pride.

[14:57] It's pride. They will not bow to him. So the absolute answer for the world all around us, for everyone, for everyone of humankind, every man, woman and child, the absolute answer is humble yourselves before God. How can we get that? How can we get that humility? We receive it. It's the product of God's grace. It's all thanks unto him. It says what? He says it gives more grace to the humble. He gives grace to the humble. He gives it as we draw near to God. Get your heart right with God.

[15:31] God gives grace to the humble. You know, it's like you don't have to force it to happen. Just simply ask him for it and receive it from his hand. Thank God it's thanks to his grace. More grace, Lord.

[15:49] That's our great need. It says he gives more grace, but he giveth more grace. You know, I know I need more grace. Don't you? Who needs more grace? I know, you know, we kind of joke at home, Julie and I, when we, not that we would ever have an argument, but, you know, that's, you know, God's giving me more grace. You know, you need more grace to have that interaction with others. Sometimes, you know, of course it's me rubbing Julie up the wrong way, not her the other way around. But, you know, that God gives you grace, doesn't he, in the human life, in those human concepts of that human interaction, of the relationships of life. God gives us grace so that we can love, we can forbear one another, we can go through those times of trouble and of difference and God gives more grace. Thank God.

[16:41] We need more grace and it's thanks to that, his grace. That's our great need and it says he shall lift you up. He shall lift you up. That's his promise. He says it here. It's in black and white. He signed his name to it. Amen. It's before us. It's a legal document, the word of God. It's authority. It's authorized and that's his promise for us and there's a way that you can be lifted up as you humble yourself.

[17:07] It's a way that you can learn to please God. It boils down really to humility. It's how we please God. You know, when all is said and done, are we humbling ourselves before him? Or, you know, sometimes we might come in some prideful way.

[17:24] You know, even as a Christian, we can get prideful. You know, we can get to that point. Well, I can. Sometimes you think you know it all and then something comes out of left field and you've got to search the scriptures. You've got to get right with God. You've got to find that. What is he what is he prompting me to learn? So how can I grow? And he's showing that area of growth that I need.

[17:49] And that's as we humble ourselves. We say, I depend upon God. I depend upon his word. I depend upon his truth. And when I can't find the answer, I'll search for it here and he'll show it to me.

[18:01] There's a way that you can please God and it's humility. So ask God to supply his grace. Humble yourself and pray. It's another thing. If there's a lack of humility, there's a lack of prayer.

[18:15] Because we think, oh, I can do it all on my own. And we don't stop to pray. We don't ask to stop to ask for his help. We don't stop to ask for his leading, for his direction, for his will. Humility will lead us to pray, to prayer.

[18:33] That's another thing people without humility can scarcely do. Pray. They miss this great lifeline, this great communication link with their creator. Pray, dear one. Pray, pray through. Pray on. Keep on praying. Keep praying.

[18:50] God in his grace will supply his grace. He'll give you more grace. Isn't there a lack of grace today? A lack of grace? No wonder marriages are in trouble.

[19:01] No wonder families are in trouble. No wonder nations are in trouble. Because there's not. Grace is lacking. Grace to forbear. Grace to bear. Grace to suffer. Grace to deny ourselves.

[19:13] Grace to put us second and the other ahead of us. Grace not to be selfish. Grace not to be self-controlled. Grace not to be, well, rather, we should be self-controlled, yes.

[19:24] But grace not to be self-centered. We need that grace. What about grace to crucify ourselves? Such that we would deny ourselves. Grace to care for others. Grace to show unconditional love. Grace to put ourselves out.

[19:40] Grace to go the second mile. We need that, don't we? I need that. Grace to pray through. Grace to seek after God. Grace to keep holy. Grace to keep right.

[19:51] Grace to talk right. Grace to forgive and get things right with others. Grace to keep sweet and keep kind. God didn't say he would give grace to the talented, to the strong, to those most experienced, to those most schooled, to those people most religious or the ones that seem to have the most goodness of their own making.

[20:16] God doesn't give grace to those that maybe the world might esteem as more fitting of grace. But he gives grace to the humble. He gives grace to the lowly.

[20:26] He gives grace to those that would bow their knee, their heart, their will, let go of their pride. God resists those who are prideful. And when you see someone who's prideful, doesn't it, isn't it an off-putting thing that you cannot measure up because they're putting you down.

[20:45] It's like they're putting you under their thumb and ruling over you. And it's the opposite. Grace is the opposite.

[20:56] Humility is the opposite of pride. And God's got a way of getting us to that place of humility. Like he got Paul there with that thorn in the flesh of his humbling, of his trials, of his tests.

[21:09] You know, Paul went through the ringer, you could say, in terms of, you know, the beatings and the deprivation, the imprisonment, the suffering, the stretching of Paul.

[21:20] It's just a constant. We see certainly a couple of accounts of the multiple things that Paul endured as a witness, as a preacher of the gospel. And certainly it wasn't what the prosperity preachers of today would say, that everything should be just perfect and easy.

[21:37] But rather it was the opposite for Paul. Because Paul was in the school of grace. He was learning the lesson of humility. For another Bible example, we could consider the King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.

[21:49] King Nebuchadnezzar, he had a pride problem. Just listen to him as he talks here in Daniel 4, verse 30. It says, Then the king spake and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty?

[22:10] And while the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee. I have built my power, my honour, my majesty.

[22:27] The kingdom is departed from thee. Now God has a way of humbling the proud. The prideful of this land, the prideful of this world will be brought very low.

[22:38] He will bring them down from their loftiness. Pride is a very foolish thing, isn't it? Very foolish to be prideful.

[22:49] To be self-centred in such a degree that you shut God out of the equation of your life. And what a tragic mistake.

[23:01] I know this scripture in Luke 12 means a lot to Julie because it was the scripture that a preacher used the night that Julie got saved. 40 odd years ago. Is it?

[23:12] How long? 50? No, I shouldn't be giving away how old she is. No, not that she's old. But Luke 12, it talks about that night. That night that this preacher was talking on the theme of the fool.

[23:27] Luke 12 verse 16 we read that our Lord says, He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plantifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my goods?

[23:42] Fruits, rather. And he said, This will I do. I'll pull down my barns and build greater. And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to, I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.

[23:57] Take thine ease. Eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, This night thy soul shall be required of thee.

[24:10] Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? And here is this man, What shall I do? I have no room. My fruits, my barns, my fruits, my goods, My soul, myself, I will say to my soul, No.

[24:34] God said tonight, Thy soul shall be required of thee. You know, this is a scripture that spoke to Julie that night as the evangelist preached and said, Thou fool!

[24:44] She thought, Well, that's me tonight. Because I'm outside of Christ. And she humbled herself. She trusted the Lord as her saviour. She didn't want to be staying in that state of being a fool.

[24:57] Building a life without God. But rather that God would be the centre of her life. You know, we can be like that rich fool, priding ourselves on all our achievements, of all our plans, of all our great grand plans.

[25:11] And yet we'll be brought low. God has to kill pride. He has to kill it. Nail it. Nail it. Self, pride.

[25:24] Self, will. It has to die. And we can make a life like the rich man and miss God. We miss everything. We miss heaven. It's to miss the point of living.

[25:38] Self has to die. Why? That Christ would be all and in all. Another example we could think of is of a time where Jeremiah the prophet went to the potter's house as the potter was shaping the vessel on the wheel.

[25:54] There's clay in his hands. And it says that the vessel was marred. There's some fault. There's some mistake. It wasn't right.

[26:08] And he had to throw it back on the wheel again and start from scratch. He had to pound it back and maybe shape it, water it, crush it, refashion it.

[26:19] And Jeremiah, as he visited that potter and saw him shaping the clay, there was a picture you could consider of God shaping of a human life, of that clay that is our life.

[26:33] We're marred. There's sin as grossly affected us. We need to be back on the potter's wheel that he can remake us for his glory as a new creation to be remade.

[26:52] Thank God. God does not discard the human vessel that is marred. He does not throw it away. It gets crushed and soaked and refashioned and then repurposed and made a vessel of glory, a vessel for God's honour, for the master's use.

[27:11] The potter remoulds the clay and seems good to the potter to make it. And sometimes we as Christians, maybe we've got to get back on that wheel again, round and around and oh, it's like life can be like that.

[27:25] Maybe the potter is just doing another bit of refitting for his glory. And what can we do as clay? We must simply yield.

[27:39] Simply that. Not strive against God saying, ouch, that hurts, I don't want to go back on that wheel spinning around and around and having this all, this discomfort, this pressing, this pushing, this prodding, this changing of me, but it's for him.

[28:00] It's unto him as he changes us from glory to glory to glory. You know, sometimes we get content with the glory that's over here, but he's got a greater glory in the sense that he's changing us from glory to glory to glory.

[28:17] There's something more that God wants, isn't there? More grace, more glory, more of Jesus as he shapes us and yet we can be like a vessel that would be dry and hard and not malleable, not such that it can be kneaded and shaped and made soft but hard and resistant.

[28:42] God wants us to simply yield as the vessel of clay. And friends, pride can be destructive as it holds back the hand of God, as it defies God, as it resists God.

[28:57] And as with Satan we see in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, pride was the reason for his downfall. As it says in Isaiah 14, 12 through 15, it reads of him, and it sounds a bit like some of these, you know, it almost sounds a bit like those that would be prideful that the world would exalt.

[29:18] People like, I'm kind of just picturing it as Muhammad Ali says, I am the greatest. You know, it's just I, I, I. And it sounds just like Lucifer here in Isaiah 14 where it says of him, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning?

[29:36] How art thou cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high, yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit.

[30:04] You know, Satan in all of his self-glory and his bravado, his self-will and his self-centeredness of Lucifer himself, God says you're going to be brought down to hell.

[30:19] You know, pride comes before a fall. And friends, if you're outside of Christ, you might say, well, I'm thinking about becoming a Christian. As there's one in the Bible that he said, I'm almost a Christian.

[30:31] You've almost persuaded me. I'm almost a Christian. And almost it's not enough. It's not near enough. Near enough is not good enough as far as heaven goes.

[30:42] You're either in or you're out. And if you're out, you're still in pride. You're still saying, I can do it my way. Rather, God, do it your way in me.

[30:53] Pride comes before a fall. Lucifer's fall, Adam's fall. Even back in Genesis, it's where it all began. Adam, with his self-will, we must die to self.

[31:05] It's Adam's fault and it's our fault. It's our frailty. It's our lack too. As Adam's sin, it's our sin.

[31:16] It's been said that the devil can't do anything with the humble man. If he tries to discourage him by telling him he has no account, he already knows that. And he only leans harder on God.

[31:30] And when we get humble, the devil can't injure us because we're not lofty and prideful. We can't fall because we're at the feet of Jesus. Amen? The devil cannot do anything with the humble man.

[31:43] And then it says God can do everything with the humble man. God can do everything with the humble man. He can put him where others would get a big head and spoil everything.

[31:54] If you would be used of God, then humble yourself. Humble yourself. It's the true greatness. Some people may say they are proud that they are humble.

[32:06] I'm not talking about that either. You know, there's, what's it called, a false humility where we think we're so humble that we're proud of being humble. But of course, then it's wrong too.

[32:18] It's not real. It's about genuinely being humble before God. And humility is wisdom. It's the wise thing. In Proverbs 11 too it says, When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is wisdom.

[32:34] When we are willing as Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his word. That was humility. She wasn't big noting herself or clashing the pots and pans saying, as Martha, as it were, trying to make out that she was such a big servant.

[32:54] She was just quietly sitting at his feet, hearing his word. He commended her for that. Humility. How do we get this in this 21st century?

[33:05] Humility is found as we enter the school of Christ, as we enter the Lord's school and even in the Lord's school, if you like, of the disciples. Even then, the human nature, the human pride, human ego surfaced in Luke 22.

[33:22] They were arguing, who's going to be the greatest? You know, these holy men of God, these, the 12 chosen, those handpicked by the Saviour to be the church.

[33:36] They couldn't get on with each other. They were still having these verbal arguments and this selfish kind of infighting going on, this clashing going on.

[33:49] Who will be the greatest? Luke 22, 24. And it's human nature, isn't it? That even we can differ and come to heated arguments, sometimes over pretty much nothing.

[34:05] And our Lord gave us the living demonstration of humility, didn't he? As he laid aside his garment, as we read in John 13, verse 4, he took the towel, he girded himself and he began to wash the disciples' feet.

[34:19] You know, we can gloss over John 13 and not think that was really deep. That was, that was humility. That was absolute. You know, the servant who washed the feet of those who entered the house, this was the lowliest of the low.

[34:35] This was the, this was the, I don't know how you describe it, the scungiest, scummiest, the most grossest thing that a man could be, that, that servant that would wash the feet of the travellers who came to the home and our Lord took that role, that very role, the lowliest of places and really our Lord's whole life was one of humiliation.

[35:09] Think of where he came down from, the very throne of glory that he would step down, down, down, down, down, down to become a man as a man without sin yet still a man.

[35:27] What a humiliation and then a servant of servants. The perfect example and we ought to identify with him such that I want to be like him.

[35:39] it shows us how, what humility is and we bow before him and friends tonight, can we bow to this one who is worthy of our praise and place our life, our future into his hands knowing assuredly he'll take care of us.

[36:02] Humble yourself. Humility is brokenness before him. we get a sensitivity about our sin. We stop pretending that we've got it all together and we want him to get a hold of us and to take us, to make us, to be that clay in his hands, that his fingertips can meld us, mould us, shape us, press us and press out that which is opposite, pride.

[36:32] Of pride it says that wars and fightings come from pride. Men fight against God in their prideful ways. Men hate God. They fight against him. They rebel.

[36:43] They will not bow down. And I know we've referred to it a number of times of late in our Bible study of Proverbs 6, the things that God hates.

[36:54] Amongst them is the proud look. Proverbs 6 verse 17, he is against a proud look. It's interesting when you see fashion models and you see some pictures of them and almost they've all got this prideful look, this smug, smart, kind of condescending look about their faces, this proud look.

[37:18] Even to look proud is something God condemns. Humility is the opposite of that. Proverbs 15 33, it says the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom and before honour is humility.

[37:32] If we aspire to be an honourable man, an honourable woman, then humility comes first. Then honour.

[37:44] And humility is associated with salvation. Really, isn't it? To really, truly trust the Lord means we say, Lord, I'm yours.

[37:56] It's saying, you are the master, I am at your service. Humility is associated with fellowship with God. We can't fellowship with God if we want to big-know ourselves and make more of ourselves than we ought and rather make much of Jesus, make much of him.

[38:18] humility is associated with revival. As our preacher referred this morning, I already had intended to refer to 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 heal their land.

[38:51] He wants his people to humble themselves, to pray, brother, sister, this is the place to go, the place of humility. Not humility in the sense of conformity to some religious institution or some machinations of men, some as if we should, like a bit of a monastery, that kind of thing where people just become zombies or clones of the pastor, but the sense that we should humble ourselves and find what God wants of us before him, that we go straight to him, we get right with him, we get things right with him and we'll be prayerful, we'll seek his face and he'll show us the wicked ways we ought to turn from them and he will bring healing, he'll bring forgiveness.

[39:47] Friends, humility, it's submission to God, that's what it is, it's about you and God, it's not you and the pastor, you and the church, it's you and God, you and God, have you got it right, have you got things right with him?

[40:00] Friends, we've got to get that connection sorted, where it's broken and pride can break that connection, pride can dull that communication with him and God commends rather the humble spirit and we can get prideful, I can get prideful about what I know, you know, even what we know, even if it's the right thing, amen, even if it's the right doctrine, knowledge can puff up, we've got to watch ourselves, amen, I look back and think the things that I've done, I know I've referred to it before, I rebuked an older man, he was a godly man, he was off track on his doctrine but it wasn't my place to rebuke him because I was just a young tacker, I was only a two year old Christian and I rebuked this, he was probably 80, he was a 70 year old man who knew the scriptures, he just had some wrong teaching and

[41:04] I acted in the flesh there, I was fleshly, I was prideful, I was right but how I said it was wrong, what I said was wrong, how I went about it was wrong, I think of times I've been in churches and I've caused some trouble for the pastor as well, I think that was wrong with me, I shouldn't have done that, even though I felt that it was right what I said, but it's how I said it was wrong and we can all think, well let's fess up before God as the things, wow I've done some dumb things in my life as a Christian and I look back and think I could have done better with that, I could have been more humble in how I did that, in what I said and how I said it and pride can get in us even when we've got the right doctrine, we can get prideful and something to guard against, amen.

[41:55] And so God commends the humble spirit, we see in 1 Peter 5 verse 5 it tells of how you younger submit yourselves unto the elder, yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud but he giveth grace to the humble.

[42:12] Now I like to say really this is our church dress code, our church dress code is that we should be clothed with humility, that's what we need isn't it? You know I could say you've got to wear a tie, no I don't say that but make sure you've got humility on today, put some humility on when you get up in the morning and when you get dressed for church, when you get dressed for life, when you get dressed for work, when you get dressed for every day that you get up, put humility on, be clothed with that, amen, be clothed with humility because that's how God's spirit works, he resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble.

[42:47] people. Sometimes it's about having conscience, I want to have a humility in how I conduct myself and how I interact with people. God's spirit will work in that. Friends, we've got that dependence upon God, that's what we need, that's our absolute essential need, to depend upon him.

[43:04] God always gives grace to the humble. And let's just to close one last scripture, it's Isaiah 57, 15, just to wrap up tonight. I know these are some scattered thoughts but hopefully it's the theme of scripture, that's the theme of scripture that I want to just underline.

[43:20] This is a recurring theme of scripture and it's a very clear message from God. Get rid of pride and get a hold of humility. That's the simple, that's what I boil it down to tonight.

[43:34] And Isaiah 57, verse 15 says this, and it's our Lord God talking here. Isaiah 57, 15, for thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I will dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

[44:00] The one who inhabits eternity, his name is holy, says he deigns to dwell in that vessel of the man, the woman who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

[44:17] Now we can be poor in this world, rich in faith. It's about what matters, isn't it? We can be rich in this world, poor in faith. I'd rather be the other way around, wouldn't you? Poor in this world, rich in faith.

[44:31] It's about what's our priority, what matters, what are we putting our emphasis on? I want to be rich in faith. I want to be such that ultimately the Lord will exalt me because I'll humble myself before him and he promises that.

[44:47] He says he will dwell with us. He says that this is what the Lord has required of us. It's saying that God gives grace to the humble. He gives more grace.

[44:59] He says humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. He shall lift you up. It says that he will lift up you that are lowly before him in contrast to Satan and such that are brought down and he's against the proud look and we should be as those our Lord commands that you would be the servant of all.

[45:24] Find a place to serve and repentance is really a good response here tonight as if God has touched on something for you that God's authoritative word is such that before honour is humility and if you want to be an honourable man an honourable Christian then humble yourself before him and I urge you tonight again just plead with you here that are listening if you've yet to trust him humble yourself before him find his saving grace come in faith trust him now for his saving let's pray Lord we bless you and thank you that you are the high and lofty one you inhabited the eternity yet Lord you deign to dwell with man and you dwell in the one who has that humble and contrite spirit Lord your word tells us to be contrite to be broken up over our sin to repent

[46:28] Lord we repent of pride I know for me I repent of pride and others might want to say the same here tonight look if pride is getting in the way of my fellowship with you Lord help me to keep humble that I don't big note myself to others but I just keep that heart that is lowly and righteous because you have made it such help us to keep in that lowly place where we're willing to do the lowly things those things that are most those the things of the servant that we can be your servants Lord that will be like that clay not hard and resistant but soft and pliable in your hands Lord do that work we pray if there's any yet to trust you that they might simply cry out Lord I believe I believe you died on the cross for my sin rose again I receive you as my saviour now your gift

[47:29]  I receive it by faith I don't fully understand it but I know your word says I can receive it and I do and Lord pray for that one that might say that tonight we pray for each one as Christians we might enter that school of humility that school of grace and Lord our constant prayer will be more grace more grace for your glory Lord in Jesus name amen bless God