Greetings and blessings in the name of Jesus Christ,

In the past few weeks the Lord has greatly impressed upon my heart about the necessity of humility. Humility cuts across the grain in the vast expanse of our life experience. In humility we can most clearly understand and appreciate what God has done and revealed to us in the work of the Cross. When we walk in humility we can most aptly appreciate how Jesus humbled Himself to die for us on the Cross.

The word humility can mean several things. The greek word prauþthv can mean consideration, gentleness humility or meekness. The other greek word for humility is tapeinofrosu/nh which means humility or humility of mind. Today we will be talking about the first meaning of humility.

Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

James 1:21, "21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

James 3:13, "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom."

1 Peter 3:15, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

The Book of James was written to reflect statements based on wise living much like that of the book of Proverbs. This book has a practical emphasis on it not stressing theoretical knowledge but godly behavior. James wrote with a passionate desire for his readers to be uncompromisingly obedient to the Word of God. It has at least 30 references in it to nature as befits one who spent a great deal of time outdoors. He complements Paul's emphasis on justification by faith with his own emphasis on spiritual fruitfulness demonstrating true faith.

Humility cuts across the grain of our natural human experience and reaches into the innermost parts of our lives. When Jesus talked about blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth He was speaking to a people who thought that they had everything together.

Another word for meek is gentle. The Greek word for gentle is "praos", which means to be mild or soft. When Jesus was hailed as the coming king in the Triumphal Entry, He was described as gentle (Matthew 21:5). The opposite of gentleness is harshness. The very word harsh implies intimidation, or something to be feared. This however clearly isn't the case with Christ. He was going to Jerusalem to die for our sins. He came into the world to empty Himself, and to take on His shoulders our sin. He gave up His rights as the Son of God, so that we could have life in Him.

Jesus is the epitome of meekness. His character and being radiates meekness. Meekness is picture of the interior of the soul. It is the strength that comes through trials and tribulations. Meekness comes as a result of following the road of Christ. It is only in following the Lord that we can become meek. Meekness does not connotate weakness. Meekness is power under control.
Matthew 27:11-14, "Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, 'Are You the King of the Jews?' And Jesus said to him, 'It is as you say.' And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. Then Pilate said to Him, 'Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?' And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed."

The United States has the greatest military in the history of mankind. T he reason why it is the greatest military force in the world is not because of the things that it does (while they are impressive), but rather, because of the things that it doesn't do. The same is true of Jesus. It was not the things that Jesus did that impressed the masses, it was the things that He didn't do that impressed the crowds.

Greatness does not come to those who seek it, but to those who are meek. This verse is talking about Jesus, and His restraint. He could have given an elaborate explanation to Pilate, but it is what He didn't say that impressed Pilate. Often times it is the things that we don't say or do that speaks the most about our character. Meekness should be a characteristic of each and every believer.

Meekness was a characteristic of Christ, and if we are to be like Christ then we should also seek to be meek. George MacDonald put it wonderfully when he said, "We cannot see the world as God means it in the future, save as our souls are characterized by meekness. In meekness we are its only inheritors. Meekness alone makes the spiritual retina pure to receive God's things as they are, mingling with them neither imperfection nor impurity."

Meekness comes not in recognition of our needs, or in understanding the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It comes only with a heart that is deeply affected to go on the Road towards Christ. The great Puritan pastor and writer Jonathan Edwards said, "Nothing is more apparent than this: our religion takes root within us only as deep as our affections attract it."

It is through the engagement of the will that is compelled by the love of Christ that one will ever become meek. Christ was the perfect example of meekness. Philippians 2:6-11, "Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Adolfo Quezada perfectly illustrates this when he said, "The more control you try to grasp, the less you have; the more control you surrender to God, the more under control your life becomes. Surrendering control doesn't mean you have become passive or fatalistic. It does mean you trust that God has given you the physical, emotional, and spiritual tools necessary to negotiate life. To surrender control to God releases the tension within that keeps you from responding to life with all your capacity.

When you stop pushing and pulling to have things your way, you are more apt to see things God's way. As you focus on God and on yourself, you detach from your obsession with control and perfection. You learn to relax and play as a child and protect yourself from harm. You see things from a spiritual point of view. You set aside anxiety, experience emotions fully, and express them effectively. You leave guilt and shame behind, embrace hope, and build on the foundation of good."

Matthew 16:24, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'" If we are to truly to go on the road towards Christ, then we must embrace the Cross of Christ. This very act engages the will, and requires that we totally empty ourselves of every emotion, and allow the Lord to touch the inner parts of our wills.

The act of following Christ starts by humbling ourselves. Jonathan Edwards said, "The best protection one can have from the devil and his schemes is a humble heart." G.B.F. Hallock once said, "The greatest expression of humility on occasion is simply to remain silent and let the applause go to the other person, the person of greatness." John Ruskin said, "I believe that the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power. But really great people have a curious feeling that the greatness is not in them, but through them. And they see something divine in others and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful." Bernard of Clairvaux said, "So long, then, as I am not united to God, I am divided within myself and as perpetual strife within myself. Now this union with God can only be secured by love. And the subjection to him can only be grounded in humility. And humility can only be the result of knowing and believing the truth, that is to say, having the right notions of God and of self." F.B. Meyer on John the Baptist said, "The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ."

As we engage the will we become more like Christ. It is through the engagement of the heart that we are made meek. At the seat of every believer's heart is the hope of eternal life in Christ. It is this hope that should cause us to be meek. Humility causes the heart to be engaged. The act of humility causes the will to be engaged, and the heart of God to be invoked on our wills. When this engagement occurs our agenda is tossed aside, and we are then able to understand the workings of the Spirit of God in our lives.

Meekness is not an end in and of itself though. We are commanded in Zephaniah 2:3, "Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek humility." James 1:21 also commands believers, "Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls." John MacArthur said, "Meekness is necessary because we cannot witness effectively without it. I Peter 3:15 says, "Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

The one thing that will always stop us from experiencing God's power in our lives is pride. Meekness is the opposite of pride. Meekness brings glory to God, but pride brings dishonor to God. Humility in relation to fellow Christians gives God glory.
Romans 15:5-7, "Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God."

Meekness is not an end in and of itself. It can only be experienced in a relationship with Christ. Nothing that isn't of Christ can remain in our lives if we are to be meek. It is only through a complete surrender of the will, emotions, and the mind that we can experience meekness. Meekness is a characteristic that believers should demonstrate in their Christian lives. While humility is an engagement of the will it is meekness that makes our character strong. As Jesus stood before Pilate on trial, for being the Son of God it was meekness that Jesus demonstrated. It is through trials and tribulations that we grow in meekness.

Many things can characterize the road to Christ, but none of them can go without a proper understanding of meekness. Jesus, before He went to Jerusalem, emptied Himself totally of everything, and walked the road towards the Cross to die for us, so that we could embrace, experience, and become His children. It is through this experience that we are made meek in the innermost parts of our hearts.

James 4: 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

A meek person is not one who says that they have it all together or celebrates in their own idealogy but rather a person who submits to God. A truly meek person is one who is gentle who is loving. What we need in our culture today are people who understand the message of humility in a world that is full of greed. We live in a world that is born on its own ideas, philosophies, philosophers and theologians even. What Jesus calls us to is not more, but to decrease so that He can be more. What Jesus calls us to is a live a life of submission unto Him. What should we do? We should submit to Jesus because He is our Chief Shephard and King. We should do so because to do so is to resist the devil and he will flee. It is time that our congregations were instructed under the light of His Word.

It is time for the stream of ministry to be purified and renewed under the light of God's Word. What the devil hates more than anything is ministers of God to preach and live the Gospel. What satan and his minions hate more than anything is for a congregation to taste of the goodness of God. What God wants is for more of His presence and Word to be proclaimed and lived out in community. Jesus prayed in John 17: 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." On account of what Jesus did on the Cross we have been given the title of sons and daughters of the living God a calling which places us as conquerors in Christ! If He has called us His children what should we do? If we follow after the Chief Shephard that means that we need to submit to our Commander.

In our world today there is great hesitance when the word submission is used. Their can be many reasons for this-men abuse their post and abusive their wives. Women are told that they cannot be promoted or they get demonted or let go. Men likewise get the same treatment, so all across the board we feel beat up and neglected. Does this mean we should stop submitting to one another and most importantly to God? What our world does and what God desires is always in conflict in our society because humility is not something the world wants or desires. What the world wants is for its desires to be made manifest in the right now sense but what God wants to do is to build character within your heart and life so you can make an impact where you are. Which one do you want the right now like when you go to a fast food restrauent or do you want character? It is going to take men and women of character to build churches where people can experience God's love in a healthy way so that they will not only progress in spiritiual edification in growing in Christ's name, but also growing in His power flowing through them by His Spirit for His glory.

It is time for we as the people of God to humble ourselves as well. It is time that we reached into the hurting and neglected in our congregations that have been beaten and torn for years by people who preach at them but don't care about where they are going for. What we need in our congregations is for God to renew a right Spirit so that His Spirit can again soar within our congregations. It is time for revival to flow in our churches and land now more than ever dear friends. But revival can only come when the people of God stand with God. It is time that we allowed Jesus to flow through the halls of our ministries. It is time that we allowed the mighty move that so many people want to talk about to actually occur. It is only about Jesus and as we come to Him in repentance we will once again experience a great move of His Spirit. Let us therefore humble ourselves under God's mighty hand for God resist the prideful but exalts the humble. Let us submit to God because He died for us in the person of Jesus. Let us cleanse our hands and purify our hearts because of what Jesus did. Let us turn once again as a people unto Jesus our Savior. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

What our people today need more than ever is a message that cuts at the grain of their existence. What our churches need is a people born with a hunger to see revival in our land. What our churches need is people praying on their knees for revival in this land, and for our churches. Will you be a prayer warrior for our churches throughout our land today? Are you one who has been humbled by God? The Scriptures say humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. What you have sown into your life may or may not be Jesus best for you, but what Jesus wants for you to begin is to sow those prayer seeds into people's lives so that the seed can grow into maturity. It is time friends that we arose and heard the Word of God. Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand and He will lift you up. Glory be unto Jesus for coming down and humbling Himself to die for our sins. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus to be an example to us of what a humble life really is.

Hallejiuah!

In Christ Alone,

Pastor Dave