United Church of God

Proper Esteem Through Humility

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Proper Esteem Through Humility

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Proper Esteem Through Humility

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Take advantage of a few simple steps to help further develop humility as a much needed and required foundation for esteeming others more significant than ourselves.

Sermon Notes

PRESENTER'S NOTES

This week we received the sad news from Mr. Dennis Luker that he no longer feels able, due to health, to fulfill the role as president of the United Church of God. Therefore, though he hopes to finish this present term, he will not seek another term, nor would he accept any offer to another term.

Something that quickly stands out in this letter is his expression of profound gratefulness to Jesus Christ for leading us through our recent troubled times and into a period of “growing strength, stability, and unity.”

Additionally, he ends his letter with direct thanks to us not for showing faith and dedication to him or his office, but to God and the body of Christ.
 
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. (NKJV)

Lowliness of mind is a way of describing humility or meekness.

And, “esteem” means to “judge”, “account”, “suppose”, “think”.

Low self-esteem, therefore, is to judge the self as low; not a humility, but a humiliation; something bad, or lacking, having little or no value compared to something.

High self-esteem, therefore, is to judge the self as high, not necessarily from a perspective of pride; but having a positive view of one’s own worth compared to something.

I don’t actually desire to discuss SELF-esteem, but esteem of others based on a proper perspective of self.

Today, I want to explain a few simple steps, or points, to help each of us further develop humility as a much needed and required foundation for esteeming others more significant than ourselves.

In 1908, Gilbert K. Chesterton, in his book, “Orthodoxy”, wrote, “Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert--himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt--the Divine Reason.”

I have not read further to find Mr. Chesterton’s definition of “the Divine Reason”, but for the purposes of today’s discussion, let’s define it with a verse in First Timothy…

1 Timothy 2:3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So, let’s keep that concept of “the Divine Reason” in our minds as we go further into this subject of humility and esteem.

Our greatest barrier to humility and meekness is found in pride, so how do we overcome pride, which promotes the self, and replace it with humility, which promotes others?

3 Points

1. Self-examination - We must know our own reality, and without comparing that reality with the reality of others, we must take stock of what is right and what is wrong and fully and completely acknowledge our shortcomings.

Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?

This leads to the second point, which is a BIG, FAT point full of explanations that might take a lifetime to cover – and we should use what we have of life to explain it.

2. Compare ourselves ONLY to God! – The fact is that point #1 can only start the process of developing proper humility if one acknowledges the difference between right and wrong. But, the source of RIGHT is God. So, when we examine ourselves, as I already hinted, we must NEVER compare ourselves to other people, but to God.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,…

Every member of the human race was, is, and will be in the very same boat, whether having lived an overall good life or bad life, healthy life or sick, wealthy or poor, slave or free, white or not.

That boat is this earth, and this earth is our grave without salvation through Jesus Christ.
As soon as I start comparing myself to another person, even as a follower of Jesus Christ, comparing myself even to those who do not appear to follow Jesus Christ, I assure myself I WILL NOT COME to a proper state of humility or meekness. And, without developing true humility, I CANNOT properly esteem others as better than myself.

It is one thing to develop a proper view of ourselves by looking inward and comparing ourselves only to God, but this is not enough to have true humility, which leads to the third and final point…

3. Honor God with Action – When we properly examine our own hearts and carnal actions, and we then properly compare ourselves to God, intentionally daring not to compare ourselves to others, this brings us to true repentance, and only then do we gain the advantage of God’s favor.

Remember that repentance is not just being sorry for sin, but turning away from sin and living out the truth.

After committing a terrible sin (against God), David writes in…

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

David goes on in verse 13,

13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

So, King David, already a follower of the Lord, a man after God’s own heart, came to a point where he had to examine himself, not in comparison to other people, but to God, and he found himself lacking, even deserving death, but he goes on to profess that, if God would forgive him and renew him, he would teach other sinners God’s ways.

This leads us back to the first scripture given, today, but let’s begin in verse 1 of Philippians 2…

Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.

Surrounding this instruction to treat others better than ourselves are actions; affection, mercy, like-mindedness, love, unity, and looking out for others.

As we grow in God’s understanding, if we examine ourselves, comparing ourselves only to God, then can we can grow in godly humility, a critical quality for carrying out true actions of love for God as shown by our love for fellow man.

I did say, “godly humility”, and I said that because God Himself is humble.

Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

As we come to the spring Holy Days, let us not come to them following an annual cycle of self-condemnation, for if we are Christian, we have already been freed from sin through Jesus Christ at baptism, and have been given the power to overcome with the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit.

Instead, let us examine ourselves, comparing ourselves not to others, but to the perfect righteousness of God, not to beat ourselves up, but to be reminded that by His sacrifice and by His power are we made alive, a destiny that, as Paul professed to Timothy, is intended by God for all of mankind in due time. Every day, and as each year passes, we should be able to come to the Passover, not just older, but wiser in the knowledge of God’s righteousness, so we do not come to each Passover in some sort of recycling of repentance, but instead into a deeper understanding of ourselves as compared to our God, repenting daily. This should lead you and me to a greater state of gratefulness and joy. With each coming Passover, our hope should grow, because more than yesterday, more than last year at Passover, and more than at any other time in the past, we have developed a greater humility and ability to esteem others as better than ourselves, even though we know we are all in the same boat.

Jesus Christ was and is perfect, and He always will be. As part of that perfection, He was, is, and always will be humble or meek. So much so, that, though we were dead in our sins, He was willing to die for me, for you, for us. Let each of us esteem others, all others, as He esteems us.