What Makes Us Acceptable to God

For the sermon today, I want to ask the question, what makes us acceptable to God? What makes us acceptable to God? Is it what we believe? Is it our doctrine? Or is it whom or where we assemble to worship Him? Is that what God is looking for? What makes us acceptable to God? Well, I'm not going to leave it a mystery. I'm going to give you the answer right up front, and then we'll go through it. Let's go to Isaiah 66, verses 1 and 2. Remember, Isaiah was written at a time when ancient Israel was in rebellion against God. God was pleading with him through the prophet Isaiah to repent.

Of course, they did not repent, and they were carried off, never yet to be restored back into Israel. But they became slaves and then later scattered and went to their own individual countries. But prior to that happening, God warned them through Isaiah and told them, this is what He's looking for from us, from them, from mankind. Isaiah 66, verse 1.

I'll read from the NIV. Isaiah 66, verse 1. This is what the Lord says. Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Who do you think you are, he says? I created everything. Earth is not big enough to be my pillow, and you're going to build me a house, God asks. Where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all things, and so they came into being, declares the Lord.

This is the one I esteem. He who is humble and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word. And that's what we're going to talk about today, brethren. It's not who we are or where we are that God's looking for. It's not what we believe that He's looking for.

First and foremost, it is what we are that God is looking for. Not who or where, but what we are that God is looking for. God names humility among the most basic requirements that He expects of us. In Micah 6 and verse 8, God says this, Micah 6 and verse 8, what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?

Consider King Saul of the Old Testament. When Saul was early, when God chose him, he was humble. He was small in his own sight. But as time passed and he became more and more popular, he became more self-esteem. He held himself in higher esteem than he ought to, and he became stubborn.

And we know his end. David, on the other hand, a man for God's own heart, was very humble. He made tons of mistakes, huge mistakes. He got his own men killed. He committed adultery, had a man murdered.

And yet he was humble, and he trembled at God's word. And that's what counts with God. What we are like inside is what he's looking for, what we are like in the heart. And here is where we deceive ourselves so easily, brethren. This is where we deceive ourselves, because the heart is a tricky thing.

Jeremiah 17, verse 9. Jeremiah 17, verse 9. It is so easy to walk through this Christian life, and the farther we go down the road to become less humble. Jeremiah 17, verse 9. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick. Who can understand it? We all know that God wants us to be humble, but people have a very different idea of what the word humble means. What is God looking for? What does He mean when He expresses to us that the person He's looking for is humble, is of a contrite spirit, and trembles at His word?

What does that mean? Because there's a common misconception about the word humility or humble. People say, oh, we're just humble folks. We just do with what God gives us. Is being poor humble? Is that what God's looking for? The word can mean that, but that's not what God's talking about. You know, God often uses the word lowly in the Old Testament to convey what He means by humility. In Psalm 138, verse 6, God says, Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly, but the proud He knows from afar.

That is a huge statement. It means that God willingly separates Himself from us, as though we have the worst stinking body odor, and can't stand to be near us when we're proud. How does that feel when God willingly is far from us? Get away from me, my child, you stink. And why do we stink? Because we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Proverbs 16, verse 19. Better to be humble of spirit with the lowly than to divide spoil with the proud. Boy, how do you think it's better? Because if you divide the spoil with the proud today, God stays far away from you.

And I don't want that, and I don't think you want that either. The word lowly often refers to those who are poor, those who are downtrodden or mistreated or despised. But those conditions do not automatically make us humble. That is not what God means when He says He's looking for someone who's humble. Matthew 11, verse 28. Jesus said, Come to me all that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, and get this, for I am gentle and humble in heart.

Not humble in riches, not downtrodden and persecuted, but humble in heart.

We need to narrow in on that and define that very clearly, brethren, because if we leave that idea just ambiguous or fuzzy in our mind, then we really won't know what God expects of us. And as we will see, God doesn't just expect this of us, He requires it of us. For a very good reason, He requires it of us because we won't make it unless we have it. And that is humility.

So what is humble in heart? What does it mean?

Well, the word in Greek means to make low. The word humble in Greek means to make low, or to sign lower in rank. In other words, you're going to rank one thing lower than another.

What exactly are we supposed to lower in rank? When we lower something in rank, what is it that God expects of us? Is it our self-worth? Do you suppose God wants your self-worth lower than everybody else? No, that's not it. And yet some people beat themselves up because they say, God wants me to be humble. Yes, He does, but we have to know exactly what that is so that we know exactly how we're pleasing God. And it has nothing to do with feeling horrible about yourself. You know what we need to feel horrible about?

Is our sins, and our heart, and the way our heart is. But yourself? God loves you. You are dear to Him. So many times in the Bible, He says, you are my special people. He doesn't want you to despise yourself. Despising yourself is not humility. So what is it? If it's not a lack of self-worth, what is supposed to be lower in rank? Do you have an idea yet? I hope you do. You probably do. But if not, you will by the end of the sermon. It's pretty simple. It's pretty clear. It's pretty easy to understand when we just walk through the Scriptures. So let's take a look at exactly what the Bible means when it says that we're supposed to be humble. Matthew 18.

Jesus talks about conflict with each other in Matthew 18. Let's look at verses 3 and 4. He gives us a clue as to what He means by being humble. Matthew 18.3, assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted, you're changed from what you are into what you need to become.

Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as a little child, the humility of a child, what is that? Now, notice that Jesus Christ elevates this to a salvation issue. This isn't something that's just suggested. He says, unless you become as little child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. If you are not humble like a child, if I am not humble like a little child, I will not be in God's kingdom, and neither will you. So, is it something that we all need to know? You bet it is. To quote Hank the cowdog. But he who humbles himself as a little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Little children are very dependent. As they become older, they become more independent. And that's not a bad thing. We want our children to grow up and to become independent and to get out on their own. But have you ever noticed that some teenage boys are incredibly cocky? You cannot tell them anything they know at all. Now, it's not true for all teenage boys, so I don't want to categorize that. Some teenage boys just don't have that know-it-all attitude. But it's really easy for a teenage boy to just be filled with himself. He's indestructible. He can do anything. He knows everything, and you can't tell him anything. He's not a little child anymore, and he's struggling to find his place in life.

Brethren, we are oftentimes like that adolescent boy, very, very oftentimes like that. We get into the church, we get baptized, we're very humble, we repent, and then we learn things, don't we? And we start to know things, and maybe we get a position on a committee or whatever it is. And brethren, we start acting like a teenager, like a know-it-all, and we're not humble at all.

And what about the young first-time mother? Have you ever met a first-time mother? Now, not all first-time mothers are this way, but a lot of them are. They are the experts at raising children. They know exactly how to feed their child, how to swaddle their child in a blanket when their child needs to take a nap. They can look tattered and frayed and coming apart on all sides, and you can't tell her anything. She knows it all. Those old women who are trying to give her advice are such know-it-alls, until that child's probably, what, six months old and she wakes up and it dawns on her? Wow, they really knew what they were talking about! Now, some women from the get-go and good for them listen to advice right off the bat, and that's good. But I have seen some first-time mothers. Wow, you can't tell them a thing, because they're not little children anymore. She's a mom, and she doesn't want everybody looking down on her. She loves that child very much. Her motives are not necessarily that wrong. She's just going about it the wrong way. But she surely isn't humble. But in contrast, brethren, little children respect other people's opinion. In fact, little children respect everybody's opinion. When you're first born, they don't even have an opinion. They have feelings, and they have needs, and wants and desires, but what they don't have is an opinion. They look to mom and dad for everything.

And Jesus Christ said, bless her those who are like little children. He's not talking about the terrible twos. He's talking about little children, the ones you hold in your arms. And if we don't become like these little children, we will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. How humble are they? They respect mommy and daddy's opinion. If mommy says, this is what I need to eat, this is what I need to eat. Everything. If mommy says, that's a bird, guess what that is? To that child, that's a bird. Why is that a bird? Because mommy said it was a bird. If daddy says that that chair is blue, guess what that chair is to that child? Blue. Child has no opinion as to what color that chair is. The child learns that from mommy and daddy. Everything that a child has, he's dependent on his parents. He doesn't even have an opinion. So what are we supposed to hold in low regard?

What does a little child do? Well, he seeks wisdom from others. He's always asking why, how, what, when. A little child asks more questions in one hour than adults ask in a day. In fact, than most adults ask in a week. A child seeks wisdom from others. What are we to rank lower than something else? The answer is simple. Your opinion, your opinion, not your self-worth, is supposed to be ranked lower than something else. Than other people's opinion? Not always.

Definitely not first. Lower than God's opinion. There's something we need to pray about, brethren, that we can see ourselves, whether or not we love our own opinion more than we ought.

Because we are Texan, and Texans have very strong opinions, and that is both good and bad. It's a double-edged sword. We are not easily convinced off of our position, and that's not a bad thing.

Because people try to convince us that God doesn't exist, that we shouldn't keep the Sabbath, we shouldn't keep the law of God, and we're not easily convinced. We're not easily moved off of our own opinion. But there is one opinion, brethren, that we should easily move our opinion lower in rank. Obviously, it's God's. Obviously, our opinion is supposed to be lower than God's. So I have a question. Is God's opinion higher than our own? That's the question we need to be asking ourselves. You know what? That's a trickier question than you might think. I thought about that quite a bit. And brethren, it's easy, once we get down farther in the church, and we've been in the church a long time, and we start to know more and more things, that we can let our opinion creep in and not be humble as a little child and tremble at the Word of God. That's what it said in Isaiah.

That's why I started there. This whole sermon is actually about that verse in Isaiah.

Proverbs chapter 26 verse 12. Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 12. Do you see a man who's wise in his own eyes? We need to pray about this, brethren. We really do. And make sure we are not in love with our own opinion. There is more hope for a fool than for him.

It is good that we are strong, brethren. It is very good that we are strong. We should not be easily moved off of God's opinion. But we should readily give up our own. Our own opinion, what do we know? What do we know? We're born, we grow up, we observe very limited things, we don't see all things in all time as God does. And yet, we hold our opinion high in high esteem.

Do you see a man who's wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

And there is no hope for a fool. So that means that there's no hope for a Christian who is wise in his own eyes. Jesus Christ said that we will not be in the kingdom of heaven. We will not be in God's kingdom if we are wise in our own eyes. Our opinion, our personal opinion, must be lower in rank than God's opinion. His opinion always comes first in our life. And if we walk that way, we benefit so greatly from the wisdom and the love and the guidance that God will give us. And if we're not that way, the downside to that is we can't learn anything. We get so stuck on our own opinion. We never change. We never grow. We never become what we're supposed to become.

Why? Because we love our own opinion. We're wise in our own eyes. But who does this affect? Surely, I'm only talking to a few, and not the majority of the congregation. Surely, this doesn't apply to me, even though I'm preaching it to you. I've got this down, otherwise I wouldn't be qualified to give it to you, right? Obviously wrong. Obviously. Let's look at some notable people in the Bible. Notable people! More than notable people! These were awesome people! These were people that led the congregation of God. These were people to look up to. And yet, brethren, they got wise in their own eyes. Who does this affect? Every single one of us. This applies to every single one of us. Let's look at two very esteemed people in the Bible.

Some, you would think, would be the most holy, most respectable, who were wise in their own eyes and paid for it. Miriam and Aaron. Miriam and the high priest himself. Aaron.

Numbers, chapter 12, we'll read verses 1 through 8. Now, let me set the setting.

This is just after Korah's rebellion. Korah had just told Moses, we're not going to listen to you anymore. We're going back to Egypt.

And he gets killed, and then the next day the congregation says, how Moses could you have killed Korah? And then God started wiping out thousands of them because Moses didn't kill Korah.

God did. And then Aaron runs as fast as he can into the congregation and stands in between the plague and the people, and the plague stops. We're talking about Aaron here. Moses falls down flat on his face, the most humble man on the planet. Aaron, his brother and the high priest, they had just seen that you do not challenge God, you don't rebel against God. This is the setting for Numbers, chapter 12. That had just happened. And then this happens. Who does this apply to, brethren? You and me for sure. Listen to this. Numbers, chapter 12, verse 1, then Miriam and Aram spoke to Moses because of the Ethiopian woman who he had married. For he had married an Ethiopian woman.

Moses! Are you out of your mind? You're the leader of God's people, and you're married to an Ethiopian woman. Now, this is Miriam who put Moses in the little basket and sent him down the river to the Egyptian princess. This was Miriam, big sister. She knew Moses very, very well.

She helped raise him. This was just her little brother. She knew he was a brat. Oh, she knew it.

So they said, has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?

Can you hear the bread rising? They're just puffing up. Hey, God guided Moses. He guides me too.

And the Lord heard it. Now they're in trouble. Verse 3, Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting. You know you're in trouble when you get called to the principal's office. So the three came out, and then the Lord came down in a pillar and a cloud and stood at the door of the tabernacle and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both went forward. And then he said, Hear now my words, if there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make myself known to him in a vision. I speak to him in a dream. Notice the eyes here. This wasn't about Moses. They weren't stepping on Moses' toes. Verse 7, Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly and not in the dark saying, as he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses, my servant? What did Aaron and Miriam forget?

They forgot that it was God who set their little bratty brother up as the leader of ancient Israel.

And they saw the man, and they got mad at the man for marrying an Ethiopian woman.

And they knew that God worked with them, too. They knew it, and they weren't wrong.

But what they did forget was that God put him in charge. And they decided to stand up and correct him. And so what was the punishment? Miriam gets leprosy, covered in it like she's got full-blown leprosy. And she had to stay outside the camp for seven days. And here's the worst part.

Everybody knew it. The whole camp of Israel, millions of people, had to sit and wait. And nobody moved until the seven days was up. And Miriam was cleaned and came back into the camp.

Why? Because she got cocky. Who does this topic affect, brethren? If it affects Miriam and Aaron, it affects you and me. We must take our opinion and make it lower in rank than God's opinion. God's opinion is what counts. And when God says, I look to someone who is humble in heart, it's someone who puts lower in rank his or her own opinion. Proverbs chapter 3, the Bible is replete with this topic because it is a requirement. Because we will not learn, we will not grow, we will not be converted without it.

God will not finish his work in us because we won't let him if we're not humble. Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5, Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding.

Don't trust your opinion. You don't know that much. No, you don't. And neither do I.

God does. Continuing on, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Notice how God makes the same, being proud and being evil. He considers pride evil. It's evil, and evil will not be in his kingdom.

Here's the danger. As we begin to learn, we also may begin to assume that we know an awful, awful lot. And I have seen some pretty strange debates throughout the years, and even in this congregation, from people who think they know an awful lot. True humility makes us cautious about how much or how thorough our understanding is. When we're humble, we don't have those kinds of debates where we separate from each other.

Rather than those debates don't happen when we're humble. Debates still happen where we learn. How else do we learn unless we bounce it off somebody else? And that person will say, well, that's not right. And you'll say, yes, it is. And you'll hash it out. That's just dialogue. That's a good thing.

What happens is, when we put our opinions so high, we start to judge the other person. Well, if they don't understand this, they're not even a Christian. And if they're not a Christian, I'm not going to fellowship with them. 1 Corinthians chapter 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 1. This topic is pretty big. You can see why it's so important to God. 1 Corinthians chapter 8, verse 1. Now, concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge, but knowledge pops up. Love edifies. It means build up, like one brick at a time.

Love is patient and kind, and it doesn't puff you up. It builds you up.

And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, that's an amazing statement. He knows nothing yet, as he ought to know. You think you're an expert in something? Phew! Okay, go out and create a planet. Don't create a planet. Just make water. Let's keep it simple. Just create water, the greatest scientist in all the world, if they could possibly get along with each other long enough to get into a sink tank they could not come up with water out of nothing. God did. Did we think we know so much? Well, we know nothing as we ought if we do.

I'd like to quote something from my dad, Roger Foster. My dad talked a lot about this in his ministry, and this is one of the things he said.

Quote, The word heresy is related to the word opinion. A heretic is one who has an exalted view of his own opinion, a view that is in error. But because of his exalted opinion of his own judgment, he places himself above being taught or corrected. Often such a person will listen, but only to find out how others object to his opinion. He listens only to strengthen his own prejudices. He does not listen with a humble heart that is willing to admit error on his part. He is not humble, and that is the root of heresy.

Holding our own opinion in high esteem will destroy us, brethren.

Here is an example of people who respect their own opinions, and it destroyed them.

Judah. Now, the nation of Israel had already been taken captive for rebelling against God. They saw it! They saw their brethren being carried away with hooks in their mouths attached to other people so they couldn't run away without ripping the lips out of them. They saw ancient Israel be wiped out for the very thing they were doing. So God wiped them out. God sent the prophet Jeremiah to warn them and then to lament over them after they were wiped out.

But there were a few people who got away. The Babylonians took Jerusalem, but a few people escaped, and they thought they had it made. Brethren, God will not let us go. It's not that He hates us or He's going to come pummel us because He's angry with us, but He will come after us so that we learn, so that He doesn't lose us. He's not willing to lose us, so He will not be light on this issue. He will not tolerate pride in His church. It stinks to Him. Jeremiah 44.

What about those who got away? Well, God found them, and God dealt with them. You can't pull one over on God. You can't do it. This is an inescapable thing that we all must face. Jeremiah 44. The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, the land of Migdol. And I can't pronounce the others. They lived scattered around.

Saying, verse 2, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, you have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem, and all the cities of Judah. And behold, this day they are in desolation, and no one dwells in them. Because of their wickedness, they have committed to provoke me to anger. And in that they went to burn incense to serve other gods whom they did not know, nor you, nor your fathers. So the people who fled were just as guilty of abandoning God in their pride and in their wickedness as the people in Jerusalem. But they had gotten away. Verse 4, However, I have sent to you all of my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate. But they did not listen or incline their ear.

Well, they didn't need God's opinion. They had their own opinion. They had their own life, their own riches, their wealth, their parties. It's basically what idolatry was. Idolatry was a big party. You'd go and have a party and fulfill your lust. I'm sure there was alcohol or drugs, a lot of sexual immorality took place. That's what idolatry was. They would not listen. They would not come out of the world. Brethren, we must not be that way. Must be humble. But they did not listen or incline their ear and turn from their wickedness to burn incense to other gods.

Notice how God compares humility to evil or prided to evil. If you don't incline your ear, you're doing wicked. One goes with the other. Verse 10, They have not been humbled to this day, nor have they feared. They have not walked in my law or my statutes that I set before you and your fathers. Do we walk in God's law in our heart, or do we walk in our own opinion? There's a big difference between respecting God's opinion and putting it above our own, brethren, and aligning ourselves with God. Well, God is right. I'm right, so I'm going to stick with God. I'll keep the Sabbath, and I won't eat pork, and I'm a Christian.

Well, not so. Not so.

They have not walked in my law or in my statutes that I have set before your fathers.

Therefore, verse 11, thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, behold, I will set my face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all of Judah, and I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt, to dwell there, and they shall be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt.

They're not going to get away from God, and neither are we. You don't run from this issue.

They shall be consumed by sword and by famine, they shall die from the least of the greatest, by the sword, by famine, and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach. For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by pestilence, so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt will dwell there and escape or survive. Just like Jonah couldn't run from God, we can't either. You can't run from God, brethren. Isaiah 57, verse 15.

For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, Whose name is holy, I dwell in the high places, this is Isaiah 57, and verse 15. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit. God says this over and over again to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite. Tell you what, brethren, if we're humble, God is so merciful. Mr. Petty has said it so many times, God is only hard on us as we make him be. If we're humble, some of you are laughing because you remember that. If we're humble, he's gentle. If we're proud, he loves us too much to get away with that. How's your opinion, brethren? Is it a little too high? We can't let our opinion, our scriptural knowledge, our supposed righteousness separate us from each other. This is the Passover season. It is a time for unity. It is a time to forgive each other of what we hold against the other people that in this congregation, whatever they've done to us, friends have been friends for decades and now mad at each other. I don't know. I'm not thinking of anybody specific. I just know what goes on. Husbands and wives, siblings, it is time to let it go. How do you do that? Well, you start with a humble heart.

Not thinking you're so great, not thinking your pain is the only pain on the planet.

You have caused it too. Think it through. It's time to come together and not be separate. God will separate those who are proud from those who are humble. It's a promise that He will do it. 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 19. I'll read from the New Living Translation. 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 19.

But I will come, and soon, and if the Lord lets me, then I will find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God's power. How are we doing?

Are we back to reality? Or do we have a puffed up opinion of what we know?

Are we hungry for the Word of God? Do we tremble at His Word? Or are we experts in the Word of God, in our own opinion? 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 19. Brethren, every man has to struggle with this. Every woman does.

It was said before we were born, so don't feel bad about it. I don't mean feel bad about it, but don't feel like you're the only one. Like I'm talking to you. I am, but I'm talking to everybody.

Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 2. This includes all of us. Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 2.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. That goes for every single one of us who's a human being. If you're not human, this does not apply. If you're human, every way that you do is right. Well, I know how to do that. How high is your opinion? How high do you value your opinion?

But the Lord weighs the hearts, he says. Humility is a matter of the heart, and that's what God is looking for. There's no pretending. There's no faking. God sees right through you. He sees right through me. Don't put your trust in your own opinion. Don't put your trust in other people's opinion. Oh, get them! The multitude of counsel, there is safety, but put God's opinion first in rank. Put his opinion higher than your own, especially. The heart is deceitful above all things, and it tricks you and me the most. My heart tricks me. Your heart tricks you.

That's the purpose of that Scripture. No one on this planet knows even a discernible fraction of what the Creator God knows. How high do you hold your own opinion?

Luke 14, verse 11. Luke 14, verse 11. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Don't seek praise from other people.

Seek praise from God, first and foremost. Don't look to be seen by other men.

That's human nature. That's what the Pharisees did. But that is puffed up. That is arrogance.

What are you trying to accomplish in the Church? Ask yourself that, privately, when you're alone, when nobody's watching. Ask yourself, what do I really want to accomplish? Is it status?

Do I need status? Do I need other people to tell me that I'm okay? And if other people don't tell me I'm okay, then I feel terrible. Do you know that that's arrogance? That sounds like low self-esteem, and it is. But there's an arrogance there. You don't need other people's affirmation.

You need God's affirmation. Put his opinion first. You're already special to him.

He's invited you. He's called you. That's why you're listening today.

Hey, ask yourself, in the private times, do I want status? Do I need other people to pat me on the back?

Brethren, we need to be very cautious of status. We constantly measure ourselves against each other.

We want to be regarded. We want higher status. We want to compete and climb. But that's not God's way. That's an attitude that leads us away from God. God says, Ooh, you stink!

I want to read from an article in the United News titled, Cultivate the Spiritual Fruit of Humility.

Jesus taught us to be humble. Blessed are the meek, he says in Matthew 5.5. He said himself, I am meek and lowly of heart. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as a little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Two of those we've already read.

Continuing on. It is also powerfully liberating to be free of the burden of trying to maintain a pretense of being more than we are and to be free of the constant gnawing and fear of being found out. Neither knowledge, nor length of service as a Christian, nor stature in the church, nor material prosperity, nor any other measure of personal status makes us more special or exalted before God. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3, 23. And God desires all men to be saved. 1 Timothy 2 and verse 4. And God shows no partiality. Acts 10, verse 32. End quote. And that's the article. I thought, what a good comment! What are you trying to do? Become more special in the eyes of God? You cannot possibly become more special to God than you already are. You're there. Now you have a job to do. And that job is to become converted to grow. And you can't do that if you're proud. And being humble doesn't mean being low in self-esteem. It doesn't mean being low in self-worth. You have huge worth to God. It just means put your opinion below His. It doesn't even mean don't have an opinion. You can have an opinion. It's okay.

It's just not okay to put your opinion above God's. Colossians chapter 2, verse 18. Brethren, don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Don't let people stroke your ego and puff you up. Be humble. Colossians chapter 2, verse 18. Let no one cheat you of your reward.

That should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Continuing on. Taking delight in false humility. The worship of angels intruding on those things which are not seen. Vainly puffed up by His fleshly mind and not holding fast to the head.

Oh, you have such great spiritual knowledge. Things that are unseen. You're so wise and everybody flocks to you. Honestly. Do you have that high of an opinion of yourself? I hope not, because that's a salvation issue. Not holding fast to Jesus Christ the head.

Continuing on. From whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. If we are not connected humbly to Jesus Christ, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we don't go. That is, to the kingdom.

What makes us acceptable to God? Is it what we believe? Is it with whom or where we assemble to worship? Well, Isaiah 66, where we started, tells us what God is looking for.

In verse 1 of Isaiah 66, this is what the Lord says, "'Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool.'" How awesome is God! And how awesome is His love for us! "'Where is the house that you will build for me?

And where will my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?' And so they came into being,' declares the Lord. "'The one who I esteem, he who is humble and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word.'" His word is higher than our own opinion.

To us, we say, whatever God wants, whatever God's will, that's what I want. It's not who we are or where we are, but what we are that's most important to God. Be humble. Tremble at God's word.

Respect His opinion. Put your own opinion low in rank. Become moldable and shapeable in God's hands, like little children are with their parents. And let God work in you. Let Him convert you into the person He wants you to become. Be humble. And then, get ready for the spiritual growth that you will receive.