Hearing with Humility

“Hearing with Humility”

Brimfield Faith UMC / March 18, 2012

Genesis 37:5-11

SPIRITUAL PRIDE

In college I started attending a church that focused on certain spiritual gifts. I remember when I first started attending the young adult group I was pretty intimidated by this. I held these people on a spiritual pedestal. There were even a few people in the group that gave off an air of arrogance that they were superior to other Christians because could hear from. What I came to realize was that these young adult were no different than me and all had their own personal struggles. They were not perfect Christians. Their gifts didn’t make them better than others. They were gifts from God not things to boast about.

I have to admit that sometimes I think of myself I fall into this kind of thinking. I am a fairly competitive person. I like to win. I like to think I’m better than other people than things. Anyone who has ever played sports with me knows that I am a bit competitive. (OK more than a little bit.) Outside of sports there are even times when I find myself falling into this thought pattern as well. I want to be the best pastor and leader that I can be. Not only do I wanted to be the best that I can be, I want to be better than other pastors. This idea that I’m better than other is a sin issue called pride.

If we are honest pride is an issue we struggle with. We like to know we are better than somebody else. When we were kids there was nothing worse than being picked last in kickball. At work we don’t want to be the least productive person in the office. Some of us want to be the best, others just wanted to be better than at least a couple of people. Pride is part of our cultural identity.

PRIDE

In the Bible, pride is a two sides of a coin. There are positive uses of pride in the Bible. When pride is a reasonable or justifiable, there is nothing wrong with it. Paul talks about how proud of the Christians in Corinth. There is a darker side to pride though. Negative pride is defined as an excessive self-esteem or arrogance. The Proverbs make numerous warnings against pride. Proverbs 21:6 states it plainly: “Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the lamp of the wicked—are sin.”

Pride is attributed in several Old Testament as one of the downfalls of Israel at different times. (Isaiah 3:16, Ezekiel 16:50, Hosea 13:6, Zephaniah 3:11). It calls to mind to events of 2001, when we suffered the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Without diminishing the great tragedy that occurred that day, I remember President Bush coming out and vowing justice, even vengeance, would be served. He then proclaimed three countries in the world as the Axis of Evil: Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. The American public ate this rhetoric up. It demonstrated to the world that was superior to the rest of the world. That would crush anyone that tried to supplant our status in the world. Prideful is often exulted as a virtue in our culture.

Joseph is another instance of spiritual pride being his down fall. As a teenager of 17, he is baby of 11 brothers. As a kid, he surely got picked on and mistreated by his brothers. Nevertheless, his father Joseph favors Joseph. This pride leads to resentment by the other brothers. When Joseph receives two dreams from the Lord, he arrogantly shares these dreams with his brothers to claim a place of superiority over them. In his eyes, he is not only favored by his earthly father but now by his Heavenly Father as well. This pride pushes his older brothers over the edge to the point they fake his death and sell him into slavery into Egypt. Pride was at the heart Joseph’s downfall.

Pride begins in the heart but always overflows into your actions. If you watch the reality show Survivor, one of the players this season exudes pride. His name is Colton and he grew up in the “Country Club” environment. He has an attitude of entitlement and frequently looks down on other people. Proverbs 21:24 describes his behavior well: “The proud, haughty person, named “Scoffer,” acts with arrogant pride.” It is that snotty person who peers down on you with looks of judgmental disgust. My guess is that his pride is going to catch up with him on the show eventually. Pride is the downfall of many great people and nations.

HUMILITY

Those who are prideful may not see it as a problem, but there are dire consequences to a prideful attitude. Proverbs 16:18-19 provide a transition away from pride towards its opposite virtue of humility. “18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 19It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.” The Biblical alternative to pride is the virtue of humility.

In worldly standards, humility is defined as a condition of lowliness or affliction where a person experiences a loss of power or prestige (Tyndale Bible Dictionary). By this definition, humility is a weakness and stands in stark contrast to pride. Recently President Obama apologized for the handling of a foreign policy issue with another country. Critics chastised because they felt this show of humility was weakness. Their stance was that America should never apologize for our actions because a posture of humility is a posture of weakness.

While some people confuse humility with weakness, others confuse it with low self-esteem. Some people cover their low self-image under the guise of humility. This is not humility. Saying your gifts and talents are solely from God is dishonest and I believe insults God. It is okay to have a sense of pride in your hard work and accomplishments while acknowledging that God has given you certain gifts. Musicians will try to avoid pride by deflecting attention. It is okay to have a justified sense of self-respect and pride. It is not bragging or taking the glory from God to accept a compliment as a compliment.

In Biblical terms, humility acknowledges an utter reliance on God. Humility leads to an honest assessment of your current condition. Humility realizes that we might not have all the answer and others might have something to teach us. Humility is a desire to serve others before serving your own interests. Humility is to treat all people as equals and to treat everyone with dignity and respect. In Luke 14:7-14, Jesus teaches about the importance of humility and hospitality. In verse 11 he teaches that “all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Humility is a virtue that can be transformed into a strength. The term servant-leader has become popular in both secular and sacred circles recently. The model focuses on leader who is willing to serve others, not just be served by others. In the church this might mean the pastor runs the vacuum once in awhile. It means the boss might help run copies. Nothing is above or below the servant-leader.

Jesus was the ultimate servant-leader. At the Last Supper in John 13, the disciples are gathered around the table preparing for dinner. There is no servant present and therefore no one to wash the dirty, dusty feet of those gathered. This job was reserved for the lowliest person in the group. The pride of the disciples prevents any of them from taking up the task. It would present them in a place of weakness. Instead, Jesus disrobes and assumes the task of washing the disciples feet. He demonstrates the position and how a servant leader acts and leads. He or she is willing to get dirty and serve when the situation calls for it. Jesus transforms humility from weakness to strength.

MOVING TOWARDS HUMILITY

It is the Lord that ultimately brings humility. The Scriptures teach that God through the circumstances of the world can humble a person or a person can willingly submit to the Lord and assume a posture of humility. I want to suggest a couple of soul training exercises to move us closer to a place of humility in the Lord.

#1. Acknowledge your need for others and for God.

Joseph is an example of how the world brings him to a place of humility. After his spiritual pride flaunts his favor with his father and with God, his brothers sell him into slavery. Several times Joseph rises to places of prominence only to find himself humbled. Potiphar’s wife, dreams interpreted from jail, and several other events break his pride. Finally, Joseph is released from prison and he again rises to a place of prominence in the Egyptian courts. This time he doesn’t assume a posture of arrogance. In fact, when his family comes to Egypt looking for food, Joseph is a changed man, a humbled man. He says to his brothers, “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.” In the end Joseph acknowledges that God has granted him favor and there is no pride in that.

You also need to let go of your self-reliance and haughtiness. This past Thursday would have been Jude’s one-year birthday. The journey of grief from losing my son has humbled me in so many ways. It broke me, humbled me and taught me to rely on God and others. I’m not yet where Joseph is with his brothers in Genesis 45 but I’m trusting God to move me closer to that place with every passing day. It takes true strength to admit there are times when you simply need help. You can’t do everything on your own and it’s time to start realizing it. I would encourage you to take some time to consider how you can allow God to massage humility into your spirit.

#2. Look for places to serve and love others.

In Matthew 19:30 Jesus reminds us that “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” God values the person who is humble and choose to serve rather than fight for a place of honor and prestige. Jesus loves flipping the world upside down and that is exactly what he does when it comes to pride and humility. Therefore, I would encourage you to serving at Open M in June or consider going on the on the Henderson Mission Trip. These experiences will humble you in many different ways. I served at Open M twice last year. The service experiences were humbling in many different ways. I learned to think less of myself and more of others. I had to put others needs above my own. This is at the heart of learning humility in your own life.

Hearing God’s voice, it can cause spiritual pride. Joseph fell into that trap and we see where that god him. Instead of pride, hearing God’s voice gives us a unique opportunity to serve, to minister and to love others. Hearing with humility is the only way for the Christian. Look and listen for places to serve and love others. When you listen to your Lord, and seek to serve you will humility will sneak into your soul. Joseph found humility the hard way, you don’t have to.

Let’s pray.