Humility

I'll begin by saying that it's always interesting how the first message many times ends up being a compliment of the second message, because we don't coordinate things. I feel a person guided by God's Spirit. If he's praying, if he's close to God, he's going to be inspired by God.

But it's so interesting how you see the subject matter many times just complimenting. So I'll build on what Dave Updograph gave in the first message.

So I'd like to start with a question. How can you improve your life up to 100%? Meaning your relationship with God and others. How can you improve it dramatically?

Prove your life, your spiritual growth. It can be done if we will apply the following principle.

How can that be so? Now, love is primarily an attitude toward others. Although you have to love yourself, too. But it is an attitude toward others. But this is a virtue that is a companion to love. It starts as an attitude toward self and then expands outwardly. What is it? Humility. You see Dave Updograph mentioned it. This past, this last hymn that we sang, where you see the humility of David coming out in your loving kindness. And you want this contrite spirit.

Humility is one of the key ideas in the Bible toward spiritual growth. And also, just an attitude of life can change relationships for the better. So what is humility? It's always good to define a term before we just take it for granted that people know what it's about. It's always good to go to a dictionary.

Humility, according to the Oxford dictionary, that's the number one dictionary in English in the world, is defined as the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people. The quality of being humble. Another dictionary has it, a modest or low view of one's own importance. And I always like to go back to the roots of the term. Where does humility come from? It comes from the Latin, umelitas, which actually is derived from humus. How many know what humus is? Humus. That's a soil. Earth. That's why sometimes, I'm sure Bob Diches knows what humus is. He uses it in his garden, right? Good soil.

But in Latin, it was being on the ground, something that you lay on the ground.

And that's a sign of humility, laying low.

Humus is not something that grows on trees. It's soil. It's a bottom area. It's the bottom where you get your soil from. And so that's where the idea of lowly, because it's low to the ground. In the Old Testament, the main word for humility is anach. Anach. A-N-A-H. Which means being bowed down. It's a submission or submitting, either to God or to others.

God's people are called to humble themselves and deal with the pain of self-examination and confession of sins. It takes humility to admit when one person is wrong, to be able to face the pain, self-examination, and then acknowledging sin before God and many times before man when we sin against someone else.

It takes humility to do that. It reminds me of a story of a famous British preacher back in the 1800s. And he was very well known. And he was walking with this military general down the street there in London. And somebody, they were walking along and somebody bumped the general. And the person looked at the general and said, sorry!

And then the general turned to this preacher and he says, he's sorry, but I never say I'm sorry. And then the preacher said, well, you better not sin before God then, because you want to be sorry or else you're going to be sorry. But there are people that just will not acknowledge. They think they're higher and more important. And of course, that's where pride comes in. Prime is elevating yourself, not being lowly of mind, but high-minded. Haughty. All these words that mean rising up. And the Greek word in the New Testament is tepinos.

T-A-P-E-I-N-O-S. And it means lowliness of mind. So how does humility work to promote spiritual growth? The answer simply is it's God's way of working with people. Notice Isaiah 66, verse 2. God is talking here, and he says, For all those things my hand has made, and all those things exist, says the Lord. But on this one will I look, on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word. So we see that God looks at a person that has a humble attitude, that's not there full of pride, thinking he's doing God a favor when he worships him or follows him.

God is doing us a favor. We're not doing God a favor to be here today. Notice in Luke chapter 14, verse 11, Jesus Christ mentions it. This is God's way of working. You want God to work more with you, to bless you, to fill you with his spirit so you will have growth? Then this is the attitude to have. Luke chapter 14, verse 11, Jesus said, For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. And the term actually means, again, the person is going to be put down by God. If they rise up, if they get haughty, vain. But if a person learns to be humble, not to esteem themselves as so important, God is going to work with them.

Notice in Matthew 11, verse 29. Here's where we see why this principle works every time before God. Matthew 11, verse 29. Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart. Humble, and you will find rest in your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus is humble. That's his attitude. And Jesus said in John 14, verse 9.

He told Philip, If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father. So if Jesus is that way, God the Father is too. So they operate out of that principle of humility. Both are that way. And we can go boldly with confidence before their throne. In Hebrews chapter 4, in verse 14. We don't have to be there going like one of these desperate kings, where people just have to tremble.

Remember the case there, the Persian king? That if you weren't called to him, if he didn't raise a scepter, you were killed at that very moment. People trembled. They shook. That's not the way we should go before God the Father, with Jesus Christ there. It says, in Hebrews 4, verse 14. Seeing then that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. This is a confession, and this case has to do with our profession. What we have committed ourselves to do, what we confess we are followers of Jesus Christ, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Yes, when it talks about the throne of grace, it's talking about God being a God of grace, of loving us, of wanting to listen to us. He's never tired. He never gets bored.

He's like a father or son, father or mother toward their son. They're attentive. They want the best for their children.

So it's so important to develop that humility in our lives.

The world doesn't normally proceed this way. If you had the same spiritual attitude of humility, don't think the world is just going to have the same type of attitude. They have a different way of dealing with things. In the most part, we see war, we see battles, we see there are a lot of evil people out there who want to kill us, even if we've never done any harm to them. So remember what we learned a couple weeks ago, that God operates with humanity according to two tracks, two paths. One is a path where He calls people. He gives them His Holy Spirit. He gives them the truth, opens their eyes. He says, you are going to follow me according to this way. But the second track is the way the world operates.

One path is spiritual. The other one is physical. One concerns chiefly the first fruits of God's choosing. One concerns the vast majority of uncalled and spiritually blind mankind. And that's why I wanted to talk about a little bit what has happened here in the past day or so, because it's important to know about these two tracks. And we can go to Romans chapter 13, because we have to understand our part, these two paths, these two tracks that we're dealing with.

Notice what Paul said here. And we could start with a previous verse to see the context. Verse 21, he says, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. So that's the first track. But then he goes on to say, okay, I'm going to explain to you the second track, how God deals here on this earth with people that he hasn't called. He says, let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. So, yes, God has allowed world governments. He is permitting in this present evil and fallen world leaders to rise up.

He will occasionally intervene when necessary, but mostly they're left on their own, having wars and all kinds of dysfunctional governments. Verse 2, therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. So here Paul is saying that we can't become rebels. We can't just go and set ourselves up as revolutionaries. He says, for rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. So he has set it up to maintain a certain amount of order and security. So he is allowed in this second track for police forces and armies and all kinds to enforce certain norms and values.

So this world doesn't become an anarchy. Anarchy means no government. Everybody is just fully free to do what they want. They ransack whatever they want, and there are no laws to punish. There are people that are anarchists who just want to abolish government and say, well, let's all just agree, have a common consensus, but let's not have a government.

And that's never worked with a human nature that we have. He goes on to say, do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. And so if you're a law-abiding citizen, if you drive according to the traffic laws, you have nothing to fear.

Policemen are not going to stop you if you're obeying the laws, but if you're breaking the laws, he has a job to enforce and to enact penalties, which are very painful. Nowadays, here in California, the traffic fines usually run around $500, which is ridiculous, but that's what they are. It goes on to say, verse 4, for he is God's minister to you for good.

So in that sense, ever since the flood where God said, there's going to be these civil governments that are going to be out there, and they're going to be run by unconverted people. But I need to have laws and order. And so there are these people that are there to enforce and to carry out, and we that are part of that first track should be obedient, should be good citizens, not be rebellious.

He goes on to say, but if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister. And here he's talking about like a hired hand, the person that is going to enforce the law, so evil will not run rampant. God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. So it's good to have it. But again, if we were running things, it'd be very different.

In the millennium, when Jesus Christ is going to rule, it's going to be very different. We're not going to have wars. We're not going to be out here just carrying out all kinds of cruel punishment like they do today. Verse 5, it says, therefore you must be subject not only because of wrath, means here what you're going to be subject if you don't want to have their wrath on you.

And some can be very cruel. And once a policeman really feels insulted or angry, it can be police abuse. You don't want to get in that situation. He says, but also for conscience sake, for having Christian principles. We're supposed to show the fruits of God's Spirit. For because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.

So that's why we have governments. And here the governments are something that God has established until Jesus Christ comes back. And that's why you do need brave men, strong men, that when evil happens, they have to act upon it. Or else it's going to get much worse. And you look at the past 50 years where you had just weak leaders that didn't do much, and evil proliferated. And people got away with things. And I remember back in the 1980s, where the crisis now, they're right now kind of commemorating 20 years since the Iran seizure of the American Embassy.

And all of those days, those that lived during that time realized how humiliating it was. But there was an attempt to rescue them. But I recall correctly, they had three helicopters that were supposed to sweep in and grab all the people.

And one of the helicopters, there was kind of a storm, a sandstorm, and that helicopter went down and killed. And then the operation couldn't continue with just two. So it was a botched thing. But afterwards, the Soviets, the Russians, were looking at that. And they said, well, not much is being done for these hostages. And we see that there's not that much of a danger. So that was one of the reasons they invaded Afghanistan the following year. And what was the outcome of that? Well, then they were not allowed to go to the Olympics that year.

They were banned from being part of the Olympics, and they had a couple of other different rules that they were placed upon them. But basically, evil people will do a lot of things when they see there's a weak hand.

So anyways, I just wanted to bring up Romans 13, 1 through 7, that it talks about. It's important to have good rulers, strong governments, so evil will stay away. One other illustration comes to mind. If you ever look in the 1980s, where they had a lot of crime in New York and other places, and the mayor was saying, well, this is the new normal. You just have to accept it. All of these slums and people robbing and doing all kinds of things. It's kind of interesting if you see some of the movies during that time with all the hoodlums and people just hiding in their houses and apartments. They didn't do anything. But then they had a mayor come along, Giuliani, by name, and he said, no, this isn't the new normal.

And he used a zero tolerance and he got things going. And lo and behold, within four or five years, the crime rate went down enormously. And then it spread to the country. They're using a lot of these same measures.

But again, I'm not talking about exactly who is on this side or other. Just talking about effective management of government. When you do things right, it doesn't matter who's doing it, it's going to produce good results. And this is why it talks about the two tracks.

Let's be happy when God is using men that yield and that are able, even if they're not being called at this time, but they do establish law and decency.

So let's go on to the next point, the qualities of humility.

What is humility made of? Let's look in Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs chapter 3 and verse 5. It says, So humility means acknowledging God, putting God first, humbly following His instructions and not being so opinionated and thinking, oh, I don't need God, I'll do it on my own. People really get into so much trouble by doing it that way.

In Proverbs 22, it's not only trusting God, but here another element is added. Proverbs 22 verse 4, it says, So we see that the fear of dishonoring Him with our actions or our words are going to cause a lot of pain and suffering.

So we fear to dishonor God. We don't want to dishonor or disrespect God. We want to deeply respect Him, fearing the consequences of not having humility. That's when a lot of things start going bad. When pride and vanity and ego get in the way, a lot of things go bad. Marriages, businesses, all kinds of relationships go bad.

And of course, the enemy of humility is spiritual pride.

Spiritual pride, where we feel, oh, we're okay, it's the other person that's got the problems.

Or, well, we're okay because we have a higher position than the other person. And so you treat them differently. In Luke chapter 18 verse 9, Jesus used this parable. Luke 18 verse 9, it says, Brethren, this is one of the worst sins there are.

The idea that we are better than others, it's the others who are not as righteous as we are.

That we judge ourselves being great. It's the others that are having all kinds of problems.

And it's the others that need to get straightened out and not ourselves.

It's so easy to have that type of attitude. Remember, it talks about the moat, somebody else's eye, and the piece of wood, the beam that we have in our own eyes.

It all goes to the same type of attitude, pride or humility.

When we talk, is it more pride or is it more humility? Notice, it goes on to say here, Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector, just polar opposites.

Pharisees were just so dedicated, scrupulous.

You can talk about fanatical, dealing with religious things. They had all kinds of rules.

1520 different laws about how to keep the Sabbath. They knew every one of them.

They were very careful. So a Pharisee was there and then you had the tax collector. This was a Jewish person who worked for the Roman government.

He went around collecting taxes from people.

And of course, nobody wants to give up their money.

But these tax collectors, they were employed by the Romans to exact it.

They had police authority to go there. And if you didn't pay your taxes, they could take care. They could take over your land, your home, whatever.

And they were despised.

And so both of them went to the temple to pray.

Verse 11, the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. He was just thinking, man, I'm the best thing since sliced bread, God.

Yep, you made a wonderful person with me.

He says, God, I thank you that I am not like other men.

Yes, well, God, I'm one of the elect and I'm the person that you are so happy with.

I know up in heaven you just beam every time you see me.

And look at these others, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

That's there. Look at him. Boy, God, you probably want to stay way far from him.

When that guy's praying, you just turn your back. But boy, you come and your face comes right at me. Oh, yes, I'm doing it so well. Ever seen people like that? I have.

And then he goes on and pulls out his list of all the goodies before God, all of the things that he's done for God.

Doesn't want God to forget any of those. I fast twice a week.

So they would pick two days out of the week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they would fast.

It wasn't a 24-hour fast of water and food excluded. No, they could have liquids, but they couldn't have solid food.

That was the norm. And he says, I give tithes of all that I possess. Boy, I'm so scrupulous.

But how about the tax collector standing afar off? Didn't want to sit here up in front.

Pugh of the temple. He was way out in the back.

He would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breath, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. He knew what he was.

I tell you, says Jesus, this man went down to his house justified or forgiven rather than the other.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

And so life has a tendency to humble or to exalt, according to the type of humility we have.

So I'd like to go now to examples in the Bible, because it's amazing. Just about every person that you see in the Bible that followed God was a humble person.

We can go to Abraham.

Genesis 18, verse 27. What did he say? Did he have a high opinion of himself? He was a very wealthy man. He had impressive credentials all the way from Ur, Genesis 18, verse 27. This is the way he addressed himself to God while they were discussing the situation of Sodom and Gomorrah. He said, Genesis 18, verse 27. Then Abraham answered and said, he's talking to God, he says, Indeed now I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord. So here he's saying, I'm like dust and ashes. I'm just like dirt before God. You see, that's the way he saw himself before God. He wasn't exalted. He wasn't like a Pharisee thinking all the good things he had done for God. Look, God, I left Ur with all my things behind. Look at all the things I've done. No, God, I'm nobody. And basically, yes, this message has been inspired because actually months ago I ran across some scriptures about humility that really got my attention. It's the one here from the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 3.7, Paul was one of the humblest people that we can ever read about. 1 Corinthians 3.7. He goes on to say, as a minister that paved the way to raise up so many churches, he was an apostle of God, he had miraculous healings, he had all kinds of, he could speak in different languages, gifts from God. And yet he says in verse 7, So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. So he wasn't taking credit that, oh, look at all the churches I've raised up. He said, no, it is God, the one that gives increase. Yeah, he says here, Apollos watered, I planted, different ministers come along, but they shouldn't glory that, oh, these big churches and all the people that they have there, look what I've done. No, it's God, the one that's doing it. Paul understood that concept very well. And here's a scripture that basically inspired the message. Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11. Second Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11. He says, I have become a fool in boasting. So he talked about in chapter 11, all the things he had done. You know, he had been a Pharisee of Pharisees as far as the law, you know, with all the oral elements that the Pharisees had. He was blameless. He says he just scrupulously and disciplined to apply everyone. But then he goes on to say here, I have become a fool in boasting. You have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you. For in nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though I am nothing. That's the way he viewed himself. I am nothing. Now if God's using me, then I am something. But you never forget, we are nothing. It is only God that is there inspiring, guiding, doing all the production. In Galatians, just a couple of pages over, Galatians chapter 6, he goes on to say in verse 2, So again, Paul understood that. He wanted to be around humble people, not braggarts, not those that talk mostly about themselves and all the good things and all the accomplishments and basically not thinking about the other person. Just listening to yourself and patting yourself on the back. Moses was one of the most humble men. Notice Numbers 12. Verse 3, Poor Moses, he got more complaints, even from his own family, even his brother and sister started complaining about him. Let's go a little bit before verse 3, just to get the context. In verse 1, it says, So they said, The Lord indeed spoken only through Moses, and the Lord heard it. God in heaven heard this, and they were starting to disrespect Moses.

At that time, probably his first wife had died, and Moses had taken another woman that was of the faith, but of the Ethiopian race. And then he goes on to say in verse 3, So God added that point, because nobody could have evaluated all the people on earth at that time, but God could. And he had it inspired in the scripture, talking about the humility of Moses. Also, David was a very humble man. Notice what he said in 1 Samuel 24, verse 14. 1 Samuel 24, verse 14. David called himself a dead dog and a flea. He compared himself to a dead dog and a flea.

1 Samuel 24, verse 14.

He says, After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judged, and judge between you, talking about Saul and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand. So it was when David had finished speaking these words to Saul that Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown me this day how you have dealt well with me, for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. And so David was known for his humility. And of course, I could go on and on with the different cases of God's men and women who had that same attitude. And of course, the greatest example of humility of all is Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 2, when I say Jesus Christ, please have in mind that God the Father has that same humility. If they would have changed places, it would have been the other one who would have sacrificed himself. Philippians 2, verse 1, Paul says, But in lowliness of mine, humility in many of the versions, it says, Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross, which was the worst type of death. And some historians consider that it was still the most atrocious way to die designed by men, because you could last sometimes for days. The torture was so horrible, that you'd be grasping for air and gasping for air. And yet, being hung in that way, they talked about being the worst. Jesus Christ humbled himself. And then in verse 9, He humbled Himself to the very lowest point. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. That's every name under, except for God the Father, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on earth and of those under the earth. And when it talks about under the earth, it has to do with people that in those days they lived in caves. They lived inside the earth. So it's talking about that. It's not talking about some special place in the earth's core or something like that. No, it's just talking because those days, it's not like housing today, that you have a lot of. You really didn't have that much. And there were a lot of caves. People would go all the way down and have their little house there. Continuing on, it says, And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So we see the greatest example of Jesus Christ. And this is an attitude that if we acquire that, if we deal with people, our lives are going to change. People are going to be attracted more to us, even if the world has their own track. And by the way, that's why we don't do the same things as the world does, because we're not going to go to the point where you are going to lose that humility. We have to be able to keep it in war as well as in peace. And so what are some action steps that we can take? Here are five... no... six action steps. The first one is, think. Not me first, God first. Then you, and then me. That's the proper order. Number two, think of others superior to you, and not you superior to others. In a person's prayer, that's one of the things that would be a good idea to incorporate, is to say, help me walk humbly before God and man every day, and to consider the other superior to myself. If we can have that mentality, that's a goal. Things are going to go so much better. Number three, think of yourself as a life of service to God and to others. Not to be served by others. Many say, well, I want to be rich, so I'll have people serve me, and then I can have all these people doing everything for me. That's not where it's at. But Christ did not come that way to be served, but to serve. Let's go to Matthew 20. Verse 28.

It says, And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. He had the attitude. We're not here to high and mighty and look down on other people. That's so common, but that's not the right attitude. Number four is to learn to self-sacrifice, to deny self for the benefit of others. Even opening the door for a lady is a way to self-sacrifice. Number five, you have to strike a balance. This does not mean you become a doormat, to just be stepped on and remember, meekness is not to be confused with weakness. You can be meek and humble. You still have self-dignity, respect. So you should have that balance. You can be humble, but at the same time, that doesn't mean you have to be weak. And the sixth point is that humility and love go together. Notice in 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4, there are companions along the way of life. 1 Corinthians 13, verse 4, it says, Love suffers long, so does humility, and is kind, so is humility. Love does not envy. Humility doesn't envy. They're happy when somebody's doing better. They know that things are going to go better when somebody is being blessed. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up. Humility doesn't parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely the way it talks and the way it acts, does not seek its own. It's thinking about the other person as well. Is not provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. And you can add humility. Its sidekick, its companion, never fails as well. And we know right now this type of attitude is not the one that is governing this world. But when Jesus Christ comes back, the attitude of humility will be taught from the top all the way down. Jesus Christ is still going to show that beautiful attitude of service when He comes back. He doesn't change. Even if He's King of kings, He's still going to be there serving, loving, helping others. Let's go here to one other scripture in Luke.

Let's see here.

Yes, in Luke chapter 13...no, chapter 12.

He says this in verse 35.

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when He will return from the wedding, that when He comes and knocks, they may open to Him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when He comes, will find watching, repenting Jesus Christ's coming. They're preparing spiritually for that coming kingdom. They have not let this world absorb them. They're still on their watch. They're preparing so that when Jesus Christ comes back, they will be ready. They will be serving Him. Notice the attitude. What does He do with those servants who are humbly serving and watching? He says, He prepares Himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them. Jesus Christ is going to be serving them. What an attitude!

Well, that's the way He is. That's the way God the Father is. That's the way they all want us to become as well. Then in the second resurrection, when we have all these people rise up, that's going to be taught. No more war. No more little Napoleons running around, trying to impose their will. It's going to be a whole different world. Through love and humility, people are going to get along. They're going to be competing to serve the other better. Isn't it wonderful when you have the opportunity to host people and serve them and see the joy and the happiness when they feel they're being served? And not that they come and that you expect them to serve you. That's not the attitude.

And then finally, to finish the message, in Revelation 22, let's start in verse 1. Revelation 22, last verse. Last section here we're going to deal with. Verse 1. Why is it that I use this scripture so much? Because it's the end of the book as far as history goes. This reveals to us what it's all about.

In Revelation 22, verse 1, He said, and He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, symbolizing the purity of God, purity of attitude, purity of mind, purity of spirit, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. And both there, a pure, perfect, in all their ways, in the middle of its street and on either side of the river, was the tree of life which bore twelve fruits. This is symbolic here, reminding man. This is what God created us for, to partake of that tree of life. That's what He wanted Adam and Eve to be part of. But Adam and Eve, through the influence of Satan, decided to go Satan's way. And so we have for these six thousand or so years. And it goes on to say, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Healing here talks about refreshing, restoring. So it has some miraculous qualities to it. And there shall be no more curse. There won't be any pain, like Dave Updegraff mentioned about aging and sickness and all of this. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. And so here you have the spirit of humility. Everybody's going to be serving everyone else. The term here for serve, letriō, in Greek, means to serve and work, but not out of compulsion, but voluntarily, because you want to do it. So we're not going to be some type of slaves, but we're going to do this because we appreciate so much what God has done for us. We want to serve God. We want to reciprocate. We want to help everything together. That's the kingdom where everybody is going to be serving each other, thinking about each other first. You remember that old story about the difference between heaven and hell and one of these different illustrations they had. And one person said, well, I want to see how it is. And so he says, well, I want to see what hell is like first. And then he was taken to this place and there was this huge banquet hall just miles long. And it had this big table in the middle and it had everybody seating there. And it was full of the most delicious foods and the best drinks and everything else. But the problem was that the people had on their two hands, they had what are called ladles, which are these long spoons. And everybody was famished because with all the food, everybody was grabbing and the ladles were too big and they couldn't stuff their mouths with it. And so they were just, everything was dropping and they could never eat. And they were all wailing because nobody had food. And then he says, okay, that's terrible, the scene. Let me see what heaven's like. So he's taken to heaven and guess what? It's the same scene with this long table with food and abundance and everything else. And everybody was sitting on the aisles here of the table and everybody was happy and joyful. But you know what? They had the same ladles, those long spoons. But guess what? They took the food and they were feeding the person in front of them. See? The food can be eaten by the person in front because they were thinking of the other person first. Whereas in this other place, everybody was thinking of themselves first. So it's kind of an illustration. It's just not real, but it does illustrate a lesson for all of us. And so remember, humility is a key for spiritual growth. Let's put it into practice.