Word of Salvation – Vol. 41 No. 30 – August 1996
True Humility
Sermon by Rev. J. Rietveld on 1Peter 5:5-6
Scripture Reading: Phil 2:1-11
Suggested Hymns: BoW 27:1-3, 6; 305 (after Sermon); 404; 315
Dear Congregation,
Our text today says: “Clothe yourselves with humility;” and
“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.”
Today I want to proclaim Jesus Christ to you as God’s humility,
and say that “only in humility is freedom.” “Only in humility is freedom.”
In the “Sayings of the Desert Fathers,” there is a story about humility:
A woman who had cancer of the breast heard of Abba Longinus and sought to meet him. Now, he dwelt at the ninth milestone beyond Alexandria. When the woman came looking for him he was gathering firewood by the sea. Approaching him, the woman said: “Abba, where does Abba Longinus the servant of God live?” She had no idea it was he. His reply was: “Why are you looking for that impostor? Don’t go to him. He is an impostor. What is the matter with you?” The woman showed him her trouble. He made the sign of the cross over the place and sent her away saying; “Go, and God will heal you, for Longinus cannot be any use to you. The woman trusted these words and was healed on the spot. Later, when she was recounting the episode to others and describing the old man, she discovered that he was the Abba Longinus.
It is better to remain unknown than to be given fame as a wonder-worker.
For the past five or six years, I have been pondering this business of humility and faith, and in that time I learnt a great deal of God, and prayer, and humility. In my fallen-ness I learnt the need to be humble. So I prayed to God:
“Father, humble me.
Lord Jesus, humble me.
Holy Spirit, humble me.”
Without fail every time I prayed that prayer, some issue or event would arise within days often the same day – and it would leave me feeling battered and bruised.
And as I examined my heart, my conscience and my feelings; I’d think to myself: “Lord, why does it have to be so painful?”
I began to understand something.
I asked God to humble me.
He did – always painfully. Always.
So I changed my prayer.
I’m not a masochist. I don’t like pain.
I started to pray:
“Father, teach me humility.
Lord Jesus, teach me humility.
Holy Spirit, teach me humility.”
It was a slightly different nuance, you see. I understood that, and I know God understood that. I wanted to be in possession of this virtue of humility. It’s not that I wanted to AVOID pain (I don’t, and I won’t). But I certainly didn’t want to INVITE pain.
“Lord, teach me humility,” I prayed. “I know this wretched pride within me, this longing to be right on my terms, this self-righteousness, this wanting to succeed and achieve and make a name for myself. Lord, teach me humility.”
Well, the good news is that some of those painful experiences decreased over time. It took me a couple of years to work it out, you see. But the bad news was that I felt a restless sense of disquiet within. I knew something wasn’t quite right.
The Lord WAS teaching me humility precisely in that restlessness. But He was also teaching me that THIS wasn’t the way to pray either. He also answered this prayer by teaching me something different. I’ll tell you what it was in just a moment.
The root meaning of the word “humble” and “humility” literally means “to level a mountain.” It’s a good picture, isn’t it? To level the mountain of SELF, that seems to be wanting constantly to rise up like a volcano, driven by the seething cauldron of sin hidden away deeply out of sight. Level the mountain of SELF.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about humility and being humble. Humility is not the same as meekness. Humility is not always having a sweet-tempered disposition. And it is certainly NOT the terribly mistaken notion that seems so prevalent in Christian circles. A kind of Stoic fatalism that says that everything that happens must be exactly the way and the will of God.
It is NOT a matter of copping it sweet and bowing under the will of the sovereign God of heaven and saying:
“God, You must WANT my Dad to beat me”;
“God, You must WANT me to remain unemployed”;
“God, You must WANT me to be poor”;
“God, You must WANT tensions in my marriage”;
“God, You must WANT the troubles in our church”.
That kind of dumb fatalism – it’s dumb because we dare not say anything – is actually saying:
“God, You must WANT sin!”
It looks like and it sounds like we are so humble in upholding God’s sovereignty, when in fact it tears the heart out of the doctrine of the sovereignty of God.
And it tears the heart out of our humanity being created in the image of God. And indeed it tears the very heart out of the gospel of grace and power in Jesus Christ.
That is not humility. It is Stoicism an ancient philosophy Paul combatted in Acts 17, and a modern heresy that we combat today. It is fatalism. It is NOT humility.
No, humility is something else. It is about submitting to God totally, and that doesn’t always mean copping it sweet. It simply means the refusal to submit to any other power or person or social expectation and ascribe to that power or person or expectation the sovereign rights of God.
Humility is about expecting everything from God; and that means I don’t expect my wife to fix our marriage – I expect God to do that. I don’t expect me telling my kids will make them followers of Jesus Christ – I expect God to do that. I don’t expect my wisdom or preaching or praying to fix up the church (even though I will go on preaching and praying) – I expect God to.
Humility is about hoping and trusting ONLY in God;
not in the church;
not in the minister;
not in the Heidelberg Catechism;
not in my bank account;
not in my health;
And, I hope you can hear this:
not in the Bible!
But ONLY in God (who is indeed the God revealed in the Bible).
But perhaps humility is better described than defined. In the 12th chapter of the book of Numbers we read that: “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”
Now I don’t know if you perceive Moses as a humble man or not. In my Bible I have underlined all the prayers he prayed to God, and I used to think they weren’t so humble at all.
Whenever Moses ran into trouble with the people of Israel (and that was pretty much most of the time) – from the golden calf incident where he became enraged, right through all the complaining and whingeing and all the power games different people played – Moses went to God and he prayed.
And if I can grab the guts of what he prayed, it inevitably went something like this:
“God, this business of taking us out of Egypt was YOUR idea. Getting stuck on the edge of the Red Sea was YOUR idea. Going through the Sinai Desert was YOUR idea.
Now God, I know we’re a bunch of complaining whingers – I know that. But You see, God, it’s YOUR power that’s at stake here; it’s YOUR name that’s at issue here.
If you don’t come to the party here, God, if you don’t fix us up – do you know what the nations around here will say? “The LORD was NOT able to bring these people into the land He promised them on oath!” (Num.14:16).
Now Lord, I know what the problem is – it’s us.
I know how to fix it – but I can’t.
I know I’m the most educated fellow around here, but that means “didley squat!”
LORD, YOU MUST DO IT – and You alone!”
Now that, congregation, is humility. It sounds arrogant but that IS humility.
Let me return a moment to Numbers 12. Miriam and Aaron are jealous because they think they know about God just like Moses does, so they speak against him.
They speak against their brother.
They speak against the Lord’s anointed.
And the Lord is angry and punishes Miriam with leprosy;
He brings their words into reality – He separates the family.
And what does Moses do? He cried out to the Lord: “O God, please heal her!”
That is humility! And God did heal her.
Let me paint you one more picture. It is a story many of you already have etched into your minds. David is creeping down into the camp of Saul who is trying to kill him. He sneaks down with Abishai into Saul’s tent, and takes his spear and water jug. And Abishai, the guy with David, whispered in his ear: “Mate! Why don’t you kill him now? God has given him into your hand! I’ll tell you what – here; let me do it. I’LL do it right the first time!”
But David said:
“No! No!. The Lord will deal with him.
I’m NOT going to.
The Lord anointed Him;
the Lord can deal with him.”
That, congregation, is humility.
Sometimes it is mistaken for arrogance.
When you are confident ONLY in God,
then you can be supremely confident, but it is not arrogance.
Sometimes it is mistaken for weakness.
When you know you can fix the problem but you don’t,
because you insist that the Lord deal with His own,
you may be called weak but it is humility.
And, congregation, I chose those two examples of “the Lord’s anointed” because that is the context of our text. It is in the context of eldership and leadership that we are called to humility.
It does NOT mean – and Peter doesn’t say that either – that our elders and ministers are always right and they’re doing a great job.
But humility DOES mean that we will NOT take matters into our own hands. Humility DOES mean that we will NOT speak against the Lord’s anointed.
Humility DOES mean that we will cry out to God, day and night. We will, with BOLD HUMILITY, call upon God to BE God, call upon God to save us and to heal us.
Humility DOES mean, in what appears to be utter weakness, that we will WAIT upon God to deal with our troubles; we will wait upon God to restore our crown.
Because, congregation, I want to say to you, and I do pray that you will not hear this as arrogance on my part; but I say on the full authority of this Word of God: that when you speak and act against the Lord’s anointed – even if you are right! – even if your analysis is perfectly correct! – then hear this: God…is…opposed…to…you!
God opposes the proud. And if we will not humble ourselves, God will humble us, even if it means destroying all that we hold dear.
How do we humble ourselves?
How do we clothe ourselves with humility?
Come with me to Calvary.
I invite you to come and stand around the cross, where a man hangs – naked, battered, bloodied and bruised. Can you see Him?
Come and bring all your “righteousness” here!
How much do you have?
Bring all your “Reformedness” here!
What do you think it means?
Bring all your analysis about the church and its problems here!
How much do you think it will help?
Stand here at the cross, and see the humility of your Lord.
It is for you! It is your freedom!
I prayed to the Lord: “Humble me!” — and He did; with so much pain.
I prayed to the Lord: “Teach me humility” – and He left me restless; till I came again to Calvary.
I now pray: “Grant me the humility of Your Son!”
And I have found peace,
and rest,
and freedom.
Amen.