UNDERSTANDING HUMILITY (Lesson I)

Mt 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

A study of this attribute will produce a greater appreciation for it. As Basil described it, it is "the gem casket of all the virtues." Our study is divided into three areas: Attitude Ordained, Word Explained, and Attribute Ingrained..

I.         ORDAINED: Necessary, indispensable, commanded condition

            A.        Romans 12:16; Colossians 3:12-13.

            B.        Manifest humility to anothers, and to God (1 Peter 5:5-6).

II.       EXPLAINED

            A.        Prior to Jesus, humility was looked on as a cowering, cringing, servile quality; yet Christianity sets it in the very forefront of the virtues. [Barclay]

            B.        Romans 12:16 and Philippians 2:3-8 give us an excellent understanding of its usage.

            C.        Array of verse that give synonyms (Mat. 11:29; Luke 1:52; 3:5; 2 Cor. 7:6; 10:1; ).

            D.        ILL–“Prince and the Pauper”

            E.        We can understand the word by its opposites (Luke 18:9-14; 1 Peter 5:5; Mat. 23:12).

III.      INGRAINED VIRTUE: Important virtue in one’s makeup.

            A.        It’s always been one of the characteristics of God’s man: David (2Sa 6:12-23); Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Mat. 21:5); Paul (Act 20:18-21); Children (Mat. 18:4).

            B.        ILL–“Philip, remember that you are but a man.”

            C.        Pride goes before a fall.

CONCLUSION: We are creatures, and for the creature there can be nothing but humility in the presence of the creator. Christian humility is based on the sight of self, the vision of Christ, and the realization of God. [Barclay]