HUMILITY, THE FIRST COMPONENT OF HOLINESS?

Having looked at the wicked heart and the noble heart, we now want to look at the components of HOLINESS.

God said, “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 will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

 

Jesus said, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall HUMBLE himself shall be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).

The Bible says, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, (1) to HUMBLE thee, and (2) to prove thee, (3) to know what was in thine heart, (4) whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or not” (Deut. 8:2).

“Follow peace with all men, and HOLINESS, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

In physics we know that white light is made up of the mnemonic “VIBGYOR.” “R” stands for Red, “O” stands for Orange, “Y” stands for Yellow, “G” stands for Green, “B” stands for Blue, “I” stands for Indigo, and “V” stands for Violet.

If you remove any of the components of white light, you will never get white light, because the components are not complete.

In a similar manner, the word “HOLINESS” is made up of: “H” stands for Humility; “O” stands for Obedience; “L” stands for Love; “I” stands for Integrity (Faithfulness); “N” stands for New Life; “E” stands for Endurance (2 Tim. 2:3; 4:5); “S” stands for Self-denial (Mk. 8:34); and the last “S” stands for Separation.

If you remove any of the components of holiness, you will never be holy, because the components are not complete.

Today, we want to look at the very first component of holiness - HUMILITY. To make it to Heaven in the life to come, you MUST walk in humility in this present world.

Why is it so? This is because without humility HOLINESS is not complete. Therefore, a life that is devoid of humility is not a holy life.

“Humility” is the opposite of “pride.” So to understand HUMILITY, we need to know about pride first.

What is pride? Pride is the feeling of superiority: a snobbish attitude shown by people who consider, often unjustifiably, that they are better than others. For instance, your pride prevents you from mixing with those you consider your social inferiors.

The Bible defines pride as thinking of yourself more highly than you ought to. Apostle Paul said, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, NOT TO THINK OF HIMSELF MORE HIGHLY THAN HE OUGHT TO THINK; but to think soberly (rationally, earnestly), according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3).

Pride is also defined as high-mindedness. “Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4).

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).

The goal of pride is to elevate you (self) above others, and often above God Himself. So pride results from overvaluing yourself and undervaluing others.

Pride leads to restlessness because it makes you dissatisfied with what you have and concerned about what everyone else is doing.

Pride makes you to always hunger for more attention and adoration. Pride leads to destruction. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty (snobbish) spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18).

Pride will bring you low. “A man's pride shall bring him low…” (Prov. 29:23a).

Pride will bring shame to your life. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly (humble) is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2).

Now let’s talk about humility: We have two types of humility: (1) false humility otherwise called HUMBILITY, and (2) true humility.

What is false humility? False humility is acting in an inconspicuous (humble) manner, especially because of shyness or modesty. It is submitting to God on the outside and not on the inside?  

For instance, you come to church and appear to be spiritual, but on the inside you do not really agree with God’s Word.

There are people who look humble but still be so proud. If you look humble on the outside but you do not submit to God’s Word, you belong to this group.

In 1 Peter 5:5 Jesus instructed every Christian to be clothed with humility. Why? This is because:

1. True humility will exalt you. In Matthew 23:12 Jesus said, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and He shall lift you up” (Jam. 4:10).

“…whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4).

2. True humility will bring riches, and honour, and life to you. “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” (Prov. 22:4).

Humility must precede honour. “…and before honour is humility” (Prov. 18:12).

3. If you truly humble yourself, God will do for you whatsoever you ask of Him. “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 will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).

4. God will save the humble person. “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and He shall SAVE the HUMBLE person” (Job 22:29).

5. God does not forget the cry of the humble. “When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them: He forgetteth not the cry of the HUMBLE” (Ps. 9:12).

6. Honour shall uphold the one that is humble in spirit. “…honour shall uphold the HUMBLE in spirit” (Prov. 29:23b).

7. God gives grace to the humble. “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the HUMBLE…10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” (Jam. 4:6, 10).

This is the reason why God allows certain situations in your life just to humble you so that He can do you good at your latter end.

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, (1) TO HUMBLE THEE, and (2) to prove thee, (3) to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or not…16 Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, (4) to do thee good at thy latter end” (Deut. 8:2, 16).

What is that ultimate good that God wants to do to you at your latter end? Once you maintain your holiness to the end, Heaven is your final destination.

What then is true humility?  Being humble is not despising (undervalue, look down on) yourself.

1. True humility is not thinking too highly of yourself. God said, “On that day you will no longer need to be ashamed, for you will no longer be rebels against Me. I will remove all (the) proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on My holy mountain. 12 Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord” (Zeph. 3:11-12, NLT).

2. True humility is being submissive to the voice of God both on the inside and the outside - your outward appearance being a reflection of your inside.

True humility is being totally obedient to the will of God whether you like it or not.

When you are truly humble you won’t struggle with anything God has said in His Word – you won’t rebel against God’s Word.

3. True humility is not effacing yourself. In other words, true humility is not making yourself inconspicuous. It is not withdrawing yourself shyly.

4.  Humility is not having to prove yourself. “The wise don’t make a show of their knowledge, but fools broadcast their foolishness” (Prov. 12:23, NLT).

Insecure or unstable people feel the need to prove themselves, but wise people don’t have to prove anything. But wise people know they are capable, so they can get on with their work.

5. True humility is not destroying your sense of self-worth.

6. True humility is honest recognition of your own worth, your worth as God sees you. For instance the Bible says, “…as He is in Heaven right now, so are you in this world” (1 Jn. 4:17). God sees you as more than a conqueror, God sees you as a winner, God sees you as a new creature in Christ Jesus, God sees you as a success. To destroy your sense of self-worth is not acceptable, because it denies the value God placed upon you when He created you in His image and when He sent His Son to die for us.

7. True humility puts others first and allows you to be content with God’s leading in your life. Such contentment gives you security so that you no longer have to prove yourself to others.

8. True humility is to reduce your power of independence.

9. True humility is to totally depend on God for everything.

10. True humility means thinking of others as better than yourself. “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself” (Phil. 2:3).  

11. True humility means accepting the authority of those over you (1 Pet. 5:5). 

12. True humility is childlikeness. “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4).

13. True humility is gentleness. A person that is truly humble does not slander anyone, and he avoids quarreling.  Instead, he is gentle and shows true humility to everyone.

“To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men” (Tit. 3:2).

14. True humility is willingness to confess your sin (Ps. 51:3-4).

15. True humility is to totally comply with God’s Word. It is to totally obey the plan and purpose of God for your life (Jer. 29:11).

16. True humility allows you to take advice. “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom” (Prov. 13:10).

How can one discern one with a humble spirit?

1. A humble spirit can be seen in your willingness to genuinely communicate with the lowly.

2. A humble spirit will not look down on anyone created by God.

3. A humble spirit is one which can be taught, one which can be exhorted, and one which can receive explanation. Many believers are too haughty in spirit; therefore, they can only teach others, they cannot be taught. They are unteachable!

These believers are so immovably stubborn in spirit that it is hard for them to be taught. Even though they realize that they are wrong, they still hold on to their own view.

4. Only a humble spirit has the capacity to receive.

God needs a humble spirit to manifest His virtues. A proud spirit cannot listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and co-labour with Him. Therefore, your spirit must be void of any trace of pride, and must always be soft, tender, and flexible.

Your spirit must be humble, always waiting on the LORD, and without any resistance towards the LORD before it can walk with Him.

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.”

What does it mean to humble yourself before God? It means to yield to His authority and will, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him. Bow down before the Lord, and He will lift you up (4:10; 1 Pet. 5:6).

How do children humble themselves? Little children recognize that they are lost without their parents. They depend on their parents for guidance. They realize that they are not independent. A child even takes permission from his parents before going to pee-pee. Therefore, God expects you and I to depend on Him totally for everything.

Look at the example of Solomon (1 Ki. 3:7-15). Here Solomon was saying to God, “I come to you as a little child comes to his parents for guidance. God, tell me what to do.” This is humility. Solomon was totally dependent on God.

Another example of humility is Christ: Jesus was God, yet He made Himself nothing and suffered death on the Cross for us (Phil. 2:5-11).

The key characteristics of Jesus Christ are praised in this passage:

(1) Christ has always existed with God; 

(2) Christ is equal to God because He is God (Jn. 1:1ff; Col. 1:15-19);

(3) Though Christ is God, He became a man in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for all people;

(4) Christ did not just have the appearance of being a man - He actually became human to identify with our sins;

(5) Christ voluntarily laid aside His divine rights and privileges out of love for His Father;

(6) Christ died on the Cross for our sins so we wouldn’t have to face eternal death; 

(7) God glorified Christ because of His obedience;

(8) God raised Christ to His original position at the Father’s right hand, where He will reign forever as our Lord and Judge. How can we do anything less than praise Christ as our Lord and dedicate ourselves to His service!

Jesus had all the glory and honour, but for our sakes He died so that we could be saved and have eternal life with Him (Heb. 2:9). Jesus is the ultimate role model of gentleness and humility (Matt. 11:29).

How do I become humble?

a) Humility comes when you recognize that you need God, and then watching God meet your needs! Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says, “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands. Yes, He humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna. . . . He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life.”

b) Humility comes from developing sympathetic and tender hearts toward others. 1 Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.”  

CONCLUSION: The Word of God should settle God’s stand in this matter: Without holiness no man shall see the LORD (Heb. 12:14).

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

·         Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor).

 

Promise of God: This week, “God will undo all that afflict you and give you fame instead of shame” (Zeph. 3:19-20).