Humility
Guest Speaker Pastor Joel Slater
Godly Humility: Not looking DOWN on oneself, rather looking UP at who God is.
Godly humility is grounded in the nature of God. Rather than focusing on self, we look to Jesus, who humbled Himself and took on the form of man in full submission to his Father's will. The use of "meek" and "humble in heart" in Matthew 11:29 emphasizes Christ's humility before humankind, whom he came to serve. Meekness and humility are often interrelated as both are righteous traits for doing the will of God. If we are to be like Christ, we should also live a life of humility.
Philippians 2:5 tells us we are to have the same mind as Jesus. What does that look like in our daily lives?
1 Peter 5:6 says we are to humble ourselves under God's mighty hand so that He may lift us up in due time. Until we humble ourselves by surrendering to God's will and process, we can never be fully used by God.
Have you ever found yourself in a season of waiting? Were you frustrated with the timeline, or did you see it as a time of preparation? How do we shift our mindset to align with God's timeline?
Read Isaiah 6:1-5. We read about Seraphim praising the Lord. Read Psalm 8, Psalm 19, and Romans 1:20. Discuss what these verses teach us about the glory of God.
What’s the difference between a life of Godly humility vs. one of humiliation?
Isaiah 6:1-8 describes Isaiah's encounter with the glory of God.
Isaiah saw the Lord on His throne in all His majesty and glory. Isaiah is undone, overwhelmed, and awed by God's greatness.
Isaiah saw Himself and saw that he was a sinful man in need of a Savior.
Isaiah's humility led to mobility. His response to God's splendor and majesty was to say, "Here am I. Send me!"
How does Isaiah perceive the Lord in verses 1-4?
How does Isaiah perceive himself in verses 5-8?
How were Isaiah's attitude and self-understanding transformed between verses 5 and 8?
Like Isaiah, who in your life eagerly responded to God's call? How has their testimony impacted your walk with God?
Micah 6:8 challenges us "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." The Israelites have focused on offerings and emphasized sacrificial worship to the exclusion of justice and kindness. It's good that they considered the nature of their offerings, but God requires more than sacrifice when entering His presence. He isn't looking for a specific type of offering—He's looking for a specific type of person. Our mission is to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. Humility is not second nature, but if we are to be like Christ, we must strive for it to be the default position of our hearts.
What doing justice, showing love and kindness, and walking humbly with our God look into our communities?
What is your main takeaway from this message?
Make a Move:
Isaiah knew what it was like to feel fragile because of his sin and recognized His need to be humble before God. What voices are competing with God's voice in your life right now? Have you humbled yourself before Him? God desires to send you to do His work in drawing people far from God into a relationship with Him. What will be your response?
Prayer Prompt:
God, you have called your children to a life of humility, not humiliation. Help to find our identity in Christ, so our self-worth is based on Your glory, not our accomplishments. Help us to see ourselves as image-bearers of the King, sons, and daughters of our heavenly Father, so when Satan whispers lies in our ears, whether telling us we’re worthless or puffing up our ego because our eyes are fixed on You, we know who we are and whose we are. Amen.
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Worship Set: Open the Heavens I Won’t Stop Now I Jireh