Chapter 4 - Humility in the teaching of Jesus.

 Chapter 4. Humility in the teaching of Jesus Christ. 

Learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart. Matthew 11:29. 

Whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Man came to serve. Matthew 20:27.

We have seen humility in the life of  Jesus Christ as he revealed his heart to us. 

Now, let us listen to his teaching. 

We will hear how he speaks of humility and how fully he expects it of men, especially of his disciples. 

 Let us take time to reflect on these passages though we can only briefly mention them to see how often and how  earnestly Jesus Christ taught this grace. 

It will help us understand what he truly asks of us. 

 First at the beginning of his ministry in the beatitudes which open the sermon on the mount. 

Jesus Christ says, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 

With his very first words, he shows the door through which we enter his kingdom. 

Those who know they have nothing in themselves, the poor in spirit, are the ones to whom the kingdom belongs. 

Those who do not seek anything in themselves. 

The meek will inherit the earth.

 The blessings of both heaven and earth are for the lowly. In both the heavenly and earthly life. 

Humility is the key to blessing. 

Second, learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest for your souls. 

Here Jesus Christ presents himself as our teacher and points to the spirit in which he teaches and which we are to learn from him. 

Meekness and loneliness of heart. 

This is the one thing he offers to teach us humility. 

And through this, he promises rest for our souls.

Third, humility is not only a virtue, it is a part of our salvation. 

The disciples had been arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom. 

They brought their question to Jesus Christ.

 In response, he placed a child before them and said, "Whoever shall humble himself as this little child shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 

Who is the greatest? This is a deep and searching question. 

What will be the highest honor in God's kingdom? 

Only Jesus Christ could have given this answer. 

The chief beauty of heaven, the true mark of a heavenly mind, the highest of all graces is humility. 

He that is least among you, the same shall be great. 

Fourth, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, asked for the highest places in Christ's kingdom at his right and left hand. 

 Jesus Christ answered that those places were not his to give, but the Father's, to be given to those for whom they are  prepared. 

But more than that, he taught them not to desire such honor at all. 

Their focus must be on drinking the cup of suffering and sharing in his baptism of humility. 

Then he said, "Whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the Son of Man came to serve." 

In heaven, humility is the standard of glory. The one who is lowest is closest to God. 

In Christ's kingdom, the highest position belongs to the humblest heart. 

The first place in the church is reserved for the servant of all. 

Fifth, when speaking to the crowds and his disciples about the Pharisees and their love of prominence, Jesus Christ once again declared, "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant." 

In the kingdom of God, humiliation is the only ladder to honor. 

Greatness is measured not by status but by service. 

 Sixth, in the house of a Pharisee, Jesus told the parable of the guest who chose the lowest seat. He concluded with these words. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. 

 This is God's unchanging rule. 

There is no other way. 

Only those who lower themselves will be lifted up. 

Seventh, after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus Christ repeated this same truth. 

Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. 

 In God's presence, in prayer, in worship, in all spiritual life, nothing has value unless it is filled with true deep humility before God and others. 

Eighth. After he had washed his disciples feet, Jesus said,"If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." 

By his command, by his example, by every call to obedience and likeness to him, Jesus shows that humility is the first and most essential mark of a true disciple. 

 Ninth. At the last supper, even as Jesus prepared to give his life, the disciples were still arguing over who was the greatest. 

Jesus Christ answered, "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief as he that serves. For I am among you as one who serves." 

This is the path Jesus Christ walked. 

This is the power and spirit in which he accomplished salvation. 

And this is the life into which he saves us. 

A life of humility that makes us the servant of all. 

Yet how rarely this is preached, how seldom it is practiced, how little its absence is noticed or confessed. 

The issue is not only how few resemble Jesus Christ in his humility, even in part. 

The deeper issue is how few even think of making humility a clear and constant aim. 

How few people desire it, pray for it, pursue it, how little the world has seen it, how little it has been seen even in the innermost circle of the church. 

Whoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. 

Would to God that we truly believe Jesus Christ means this. 

We all understand what defines a faithful servant. Complete devotion to the master's interests, careful thought and effort to please him. 

Joy in his success, his honor, and his happiness. 

There have been servants on earth who showed these qualities so fully that to be called a servant was their glory. 

 Many of us have discovered a new joy in the Christian life through yielding ourselves as servants. 

Yes, even slaves of God. 

And learning that His service is our highest freedom, freedom from sin and self. Now, we must learn a further  lesson. 

Jesus calls us to be servants of one another.

 And as we accept this calling from the heart, we will discover that it too brings deep blessing, a new and fuller liberty from self and sin. 

At first, such service may seem difficult. But that is only because pride still lives in us, still believes it is something. 

When we learn that to be nothing before God is the very glory of the creature, the spirit of Jesus Christ, the joy of heaven, we will welcome every opportunity to be made low, even in serving those who wrong or trouble us. 

When our hearts are set on this as true sanctification, we will begin to study every word of Jesus on humility with eagerness. 

No place will seem too low, no task too humble, no length of service too long, if only we may share in the fellowship of him who said,"I am among you as one who serves."

 Brethren, this is the path to the higher life, down, lower down. 

This is what Jesus always taught his disciples when they were thinking about greatness in the kingdom or asking to sit at his right hand and his left. 

Do not seek or ask for exaltation. That is God's work. 

Your work is to humble yourselves to take the lowest place before God in man, the place of a servant. 

Let this be your single aim and prayer. God is faithful.

Just as water always seeks and fills the lowest place, so God, the moment He finds a soul truly low and empty, will pour in His glory and power to lift up and bless. 

He that humbleth himself, that is our part, our one concern, shall be exalted, that is God's part, and He will surely do it by His mighty power and great love. 

People sometimes think that humility and meekness take away what is noble, courageous or manly. 

But oh that we would truly believe this is the nobility of the kingdom of heaven. 

This is the royal spirit shown by the King of heaven Himself. 

This is what it means to be like God, to humble oneself, to become the servant of all. 

This is the way into the joy and glory of Christ's continual presence within us and of His power resting upon us. Jesus, the meek and lowly one, calls us to learn from Him the way to God. 

Let us take these words we've read and study them until one truth fills our heart. 

My one great need is humility. 

And let us believe this, too. 

What Jesus shows, he gives. 

What he is, he imparts. as the meek and lowly one. 

He will come and dwell in the heart that longs for him. 

Chapter 5 - Humility in the Disciples of Jesus (continue here)