Humility, true humility, would admit that we also could have been one of the worse dredges of the earth! When we stop and think of the twists and turns in life, we soon realize that short of a few different variables, we, too, could be that drug addict, bank robber, unfaithful spouse, brutal dictator, etc. “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon had a few comments regarding true humility that helps set the stage for our sermon tonight. He said, “It is not humility to underrate yourself. Humility is to think of yourself as God thinks of you. It is to feel that if we have talents, God has given them to us. And let it be seen that, like freight in a vessel, they tend to sink us low. The more we have, the lower we ought to lie.”
Humility doesn’t mean that you hang your head down and walk meekly on the earth being a doormat for everyone that comes along. No, no—that is not what God intended. Humility just means you know your gifts, but you know they didn’t come from you, they came from God. Humility is a protection against pride. Pride will get you all self-righteous when you see someone in sin; someone who has failed to reach the level of God’s directions.
Rather, if you are “heavy” with God’s nature, you are lowly in heart and humble. You realize that all you have and all you are, have come from God and anything else ruling in you would make you one of the “dredges of the earth.”
Scripture References: James 4:6, Matthew 11:29, Matthew 23:12, Colossians 3:12-13, 1 Peter 5:5b-6, Proverbs 15:31-32, Proverbs 15:33b, Proverbs 16:18-19, Proverbs 16:5
The great preacher Charles Spurgeon had a few comments regarding true humility that helps set the stage for our sermon tonight. He said, “It is not humility to underrate yourself. Humility is to think of yourself as God thinks of you. It is to feel that if we have talents, God has given them to us. And let it be seen that, like freight in a vessel, they tend to sink us low. The more we have, the lower we ought to lie.”
Humility doesn’t mean that you hang your head down and walk meekly on the earth being a doormat for everyone that comes along. No, no—that is not what God intended. Humility just means you know your gifts, but you know they didn’t come from you, they came from God. Humility is a protection against pride. Pride will get you all self-righteous when you see someone in sin; someone who has failed to reach the level of God’s directions.
Rather, if you are “heavy” with God’s nature, you are lowly in heart and humble. You realize that all you have and all you are, have come from God and anything else ruling in you would make you one of the “dredges of the earth.”
Scripture References: James 4:6, Matthew 11:29, Matthew 23:12, Colossians 3:12-13, 1 Peter 5:5b-6, Proverbs 15:31-32, Proverbs 15:33b, Proverbs 16:18-19, Proverbs 16:5
Audio: (Click forward button below to play audio of message and/or download mp3 file.)
| 12-21-11_there_but_for_the_grace_of_god_go_i_lp.mp3 |
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