Stewardship of Humility

Gods Plan for Stewardship By Steve Viars Bible Text: Preached On: 1 Peter 5:5 Sunday, November 10, 01!

Faith Church 55 " State #oad " $ %afayette, &N '()05 Website: Online Sermons: http:**www+faithlafayette+or,*-hur-h http:**www+sermonaudio+-om*faithlafayette

& am #a-hel Heffener and & am a .unior doubt ma.orin, in photo,raphy and -erami-s at Purdue /niversity+ 0his 1e-ember & will have been a member at 2aith for a year and have been involved with the -olle,e ministry for 13 months+ & was saved at the a,e of 1' but wasn4t tau,ht what it meant to wal5 the 6hristian lifestyle+ & went about bein, my own boss of my life until my senior year of hi,h s-hool+ 7y father and ultimate idol in my life, suddenly passed away on 7ar-h ', 011+ 7y role that had been built upon him instead of 6hrist went to pie-es until & transferred to Purdue and ,ot involved with 2aith+ & immediately started attendin, a Bible study and PB2 every 2riday ni,ht+ Not many people 5now of the ,irl & was two years a,o before really -omin, into my faith but those who did, wouldn4t use the -hara-ter traits of 5ind, lovin, or leader to des-ribe me+ 8od has ,rown me in su-h a short amount of time sin-e -omin, to 2aith 6hur-h and there has been one woman in parti-ular who has been instrumental in my ,rowth, even lovin, me enou,h to in-lude me in their family and have me live with them over the summer+ & have ,ained three little brothers and a sister be-ause this woman de-ided to ,ive up her time, treasures and talents to mentor me+ She has set the e9ample for me to dis-iple the youn,er ,eneration of ,irls who are in the -olle,e -lass+ Sin-e livin, at 2aith :est in ;u,ust, 8od has presented me with a multitude of opportunities to ,row my faith in others+ He put me in an apartment with all freshman ,irls that & had never met before movin, day+ & have been so blessed to be able to pour into their lives and even had the opportunity to dis-iple them but not only do & ,et to pour into the lives of my roommates, & ,et to lead other ,irls to ,row their faith and stren,then their own wal5s with 6hrist throu,h Bible studies and other avenues+ & hope -o<lead a Bible study on 7onday ni,hts that is held in one of the apartments at 2aith :est and & re,ularly meet with youn,er ,irls for dis-ipleship either in the study rooms or at 6af= %iterato+ 8od has used 2aith :est in my life to help me to ,row my personal ministry but not only do & ,et to pour into those lives around 2aith :est, & ,et to witness to people all over Purdue4s -ampus+ People in my -lasses have as5ed when & share that & live at 2aith :est, >:hat the he-5 is that ,iant buildin,?@ and & ,et to .oyfully e9plain to them+ Ar people will as5 what the bi, 2$ s-ulpture out front isB someone told me they thou,ht it stood for

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2aith $nterprises+ But 8od ,ives me these opportunities to show that & am not ashamed of the ,ospel and e9plain how iron sharpens iron in the 6hristian wal5 and why this is important+ Never before in my wal5 with 6hrist have & had so many opportunities to pro-laim his name and his 5in,dom than & have this semester of -olle,e at Purdue+ 2aith :est isn4t .ust a buildin, over on Northwestern that &4ve -leaned more times than & -an -ount, it4s the pla-e & -all home+ &4ve renewed my lease for ne9t year and -an4t wait to -ontinue e9pandin, my ministry and -ontinue help ,rowin, the youn,er ,eneration of ,irls to be ,odly women+ 0han5 you+ &sn4t that a tremendous story? 0han5 you, #a-hel, for sharin, with us and so many stewardship themes .ust dovetail in her story+ 0hin5 about the stewardship of sufferin, and all that we4ve been studyin, this fall in 1 Peter and then the stewardship of ,rowth in 6hrist and simultaneously servin, and mentorin, others as she -ontinues to ,row in the %ord+ :hat a ,reat, ,reat story, #a-hel, and we4re so e9-ited about what 8od is doin, in your life and also, than5ful for your willin,ness to stand up before our -hur-h family and tal5 about what 8od is doin,+ 7ost of us probably re-o,niCe the -ruise ship in this pi-ture: it4s the 6osta 6on-ordia after it ran a,round and partially san5 on Danuary 1!, 01 + &t was a terrible tra,edy that resulted in ! persons losin, their lives+ :hat4s almost beyond belief is why this a--ident o--urred+ 0he ship4s -aptain, 2ran-es-o S-hettino was performin, >an unoffi-ial, near shore salute to the lo-al islanders@ whi-h ba-5 in .unior hi,h was 5nown as showin, off+ So he deviated from the ship4s -omputer pro,rammed route -laimin, that he was >familiar with the lo-al seabed+@ Eeah, it loo5s li5e it+ 2amiliar with the lo-al seabed+ 0hin5 about that: all the -aptain has to do is follow the route that is desi,ned and pro,rammed by his superiors and everythin, would be fine unless his heart was filled with pride and he believes he4s better at navi,atin, his ship than those who owned and mana,ed it+ 0he ship was de-lared a total loss by the insuran-e -ompany+ 0hin5 about that: you totaled your ship+ 0hat4s a whole lot worse than totalin, your 0oyota, by the way, from a finan-e perspe-tive but still, it4s not .ust that, it had to be removed from that sensitive reef whi-h is no small feat in and of itself+ 0hat wor5 be,an on September 1"th of this year+ 0he plan is to refloat it, to tow it away and then -ut it up for s-rap+ 6ut it up for s-rap+ 0he lesson here in part is that pride is an in-redibly e9pensive and destru-tive for-e+ 1eviatin, from the ship4s pro,rammed route be-ause he was >familiar with the lo-al seabed+@ 6ompare that to an illustration 6+ D+ 7ahaney used in his boo5 >Humility: 0rue 8reatness+@ &t4s a marvelous boo5 if you4ve not read it+ &n this boo5 he spo5e of another well<5nown boo5, >8ood to 8reat@ by Dim 6ollins+ &4ve mentioned this one before and you probably read >8ood to 8reat,@ many of you, at least+ But 7ahaney said this: >6an a ,ood -ompany be-ome a ,reat -ompany and if so, how?@ 0o find the answer, 6ollins and a team of resear-hers spent five years studyin, 11 -orporations that had made the leap

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from bein, merely ,ood -ompanies to bein, ,reat ones+ 6ollins identified two spe-ifi-hara-ter Fualities shared by the 6$As of ,ood to ,reat -ompanies+ 0he first was no surprise: these men and women possessed in-redible professional willB they were driven, willin, to endure anythin, to ma5e their -ompany a su--ess+ But the se-ond trait these leaders had in -ommon wasn4t somethin, the resear-hers e9pe-ted to find+ 0hese driven leaders were self<effa-in, and modestB they -onsistently pointed to the -ontribution of others and didn4t li5e drawin, attention to themselves+ >0he ,ood to ,reat leaders never wanted to be-ome lar,er than life heroes,@ 6ollins writes, >they never aspired to be put on a pedestal or be-ome unrea-hable i-ons+ 0hey were seemin,ly ordinary people Fuietly produ-in, e9traordinary results+@ :hen 6ollins interviewed people who wor5ed for these leaders, he says they -ontinually used words li5e >Fuiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, ,ra-ious, mild<mannered, self< effa-in,, understated, did not believe his own -lippin,s,@ and so forth to des-ribe them+ :ell, what4s the prin-iple? Here it is: pride ma5es your ship run a,round, humility ma5es your ship fun-tion well+ ;nd, of -ourse, that wouldn4t be a hard -ase to ma5e from the word of 8od, would it? %i5e Proverbs ): !, >; manGs pride will brin, him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor+@ Ar Proverbs 1":13, >Pride ,oes before destru-tion, and a hau,hty spirit before stumblin,+@ & thin5 for most of us when we hear verses li5e that it4s not lon, before we stop thin5in, about 6aptain S-hettino and start thin5in, about ourselves+ How many of our -onversations have ended up li5e the ship on its side be-ause of our pride? How many of our de-isions resulted in ship on the side -onseFuen-es simply be-ause of our pride? How many marria,es ended up li5e the ship on its side be-ause of pride? How many of us have deviated from the route pro,rammed for us in 8od4s word be-ause we thou,ht we 5new a better way? :e were familiar with the lo-al seabed, we told ourselves+ ;m & the only one who -an thin5 of a painful number of e9amples in my own life of all of that? 7ahaney went on to say, >0he sad fa-t is that none of us are immune to the lo,i- defyin,, blindin, effe-ts of pride+ 0hou,h it shows up in different forms and to differin, de,rees, it infe-ts us all+ 0he real issue here is not if pride e9ists in your heart, it4s where pride e9ists and how pride is bein, e9pressed in your life+ S-ripture shows us that pride is stron,ly and dan,erously routed in all of our lives far more than most of us -are to admit or even thin5 about+@ Now, on the other hand, and aren4t you ,lad there4s another hand to this dis-ussion? An the other hand is the power and the e9ample of our mer-iful Savior who said in 7atthew 11: ), >0a5e 7y yo5e upon you and learn from 7e, for & am ,entle and,@ what? >Humble in heart, and you will find,@ if you4ll do that, >rest for your souls+@ :hy is that? :ell, it4s be-ause pride is e9haustin,+ 1id you 5now that? 0hat pride is e9haustin, be-ause we4re tryin, to fulfill a role, namely 8od4s, that we were never desi,ned to a--omplish+ But Desus -alls us to ta5e his yo5e and to learn from him be-ause he is ,entle and humble in heart+ :e all 5now people li5e that, whose lives are li5e the ship on the ri,ht and the fa-t of the matter is that that humility that somehow they have been able to

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develop, that is so -ontrary to this -ulture in whi-h we live and is so allusive, persons li5e that who have been able to follow the %ord and be-ome ,entle and humble in heart, it positively impa-ts everythin, else about them+ So, the Fuestion & thin5 is: how -an we ta5e steps to -onFuer this beastly sin of pride and repla-e it with the life of humility? :ith that in mind, open your Bible, if you would, to 1 Peter 5+ 0hat4s on pa,e 13! of the ba-5 se-tion of the Bible under the -hair in front of you if you need that this mornin,+ :e are in the pro-ess of landin, the plane, so to spea5, on this verse<by<verse study that we have been doin, all fall on the boo5 of 1 Peter+ & had somebody ma5e a -omment to me last wee5 & thou,ht was humorous about Peter+ He said, >Eou 5now, &4d li5e to have a 1N; test done be-ause & mi,ht be a distant relative to the ;postle Peter+ &n other words, so mu-h of what he did, & find myself doin,+@ & thin5 many of us would say the same thin,+ &t4s .ust so easy to relate to the writer of this boo5 be-ause the Bible is not .ust honest about his stren,ths but it4s also honest about his wea5nesses and his failures and we -an so easily relate to him+ By the way, when you stop and thin5 about that, & thin5 that4s another proof of the authenti-ity of S-ripture+ &f the Bible was ultimately the produ-t of human bein,s, you4d better believe they would have air<brushed all of their failures out of the boo5+ But the word of 8od puts Peter4s life, alon, with that of other bibli-al -hara-ters, out there in livin, 0e-hni-olor that that ,ood, the bad, the u,ly, that4s why it4s so easy for us to relate to what it is that we have been studyin, this fall+ :e4re also, simultaneously, in the middle of our Stewardship 7onth whi-h is our -hur-hes annual emphasis the few wee5s before 0han5s,ivin, to thin5 about all that 8od has entrusted to us and whether we4re bein, faithful to the trust+ ;s & was layin, all this out about a year a,o, & realiCed & was ,oin, to have a -hallen,e be-ause there is no way & was ,oin, to be able to deal with all that4s in 1 Peter -omprehensively and still be done before the be,innin, of Stewardship 7onth+ So & thou,ht &4d try somethin, different this year and that is to a-tually -ontinue the verse<by<verse study we were doin, ri,ht throu,h Stewardship 7onth and use those themes that a-tually be-ome a foundation on whi-h we tal5 about stewardship+ ;nd espe-ially as & loo5ed at the 5ind of thin,s that were emphasiCed at the end of the boo5 in -hapter 5, & thou,ht, >Eou 5now, that .ust mi,ht a-tually wor5 this year,@ and & thin5 that4s ,oin, to be espe-ially apparent for what we4re tal5in, about this mornin,+ 0his really is a foundation for this whole matter of stewardship+ :hat we4re ,oin, to do, we4re only tal5in, about one verse+ Eou say, >&s -hur-h ,ettin, out early?@ Eou must be new+ :e4re .ust ,oin, to tal5 about 1 Peter 5:5 but let4s ta5e a runnin, start by loo5in, at the verses we studied last wee5+ So, let4s be,in in 1 Peter 5:1, Peter says, >1 0herefore, & e9hort the elders amon, you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferin,s of 6hrist, and a parta5er also of the ,lory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flo-5 of 8od amon, you, e9er-isin, oversi,ht not under -ompulsion, but voluntarily, a--ordin, to the will of

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8odB and not for sordid ,ain, but with ea,ernessB ! nor yet as lordin, it over those allotted to your -har,e, but provin, to be e9amples to the flo-5+ ' ;nd when the 6hief Shepherd appears, you will re-eive the unfadin, -rown of ,lory+@ 0hat4s what we tal5ed about last Sunday+ Now, add the rest of the ar,ument in verse 5, >5 Eou youn,er men, li5ewise, be sub.e-t to your eldersB and all of you, -lothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for 8od is opposed to the proud, but ,ives ,ra-e to the humble+@ :e4re tal5in, this mornin, about the stewardship of your humility and with the time we have remainin,, let4s .ust wor5 on this verse now and thin5 about three truths to help us be-ome more li5e our humble Savior+ Eou want that, don4t you? ;bsolutely, and so do &+ & need it+ & need this sermon four times today+ No Fuestion about that so -ome alon, for the ride+ 0hree truths to help us be-ome more li5e our humble Savior+ Now, follow the ar,ument of the te9t and you find this: first of all, humility is built on a foundation of proper submission+ ;nd even thou,h we4re only tal5in, about one verse, we a-tually have an e9e,eti-al and interpretive de-ision to ma5e about one aspe-t of this verse and that is: who are the youn,er men that Paul tal5s about? ;nd who are the elders that are bein, addressed in verse 5? & thin5 we would have to -on-lude that the identity of the elders in verse 5 is -onne-ted to the previous dis-ussion in verses 1<'+ 0hat4s a very important prin-iple of Bible study, by the way, or a prin-iple of hermeneuti-s and that is: always try to understand a verse of S-ripture in its -ontent+ So, if you want to understand it, loo5 at the verses before, loo5 at the verses after and you4re more li5ely to have a better interpretation instead of .ust rippin, a verse of S-ripture out of its -ontent+ 0here are few pla-es in the Bible where what is said in one verse has nothin, to do with what was said before or after+ 0hat happens o--asionally li5e in the boo5 of Proverbs, some of them anyway+ But ,enerally spea5in,, that is not the -ase+ 0here are also times, and it4s somewhat true here, where you start with a spe-ifi- prin-iple and then it ,ets e9trapolated out and all of you, in other words, if this is true then apply it to a ,reater ,roup+ But at least at the first half of 1 Peter 5:5, it would appear that Peter is still tal5in, about the spe-ifi- offi-e of elder*bishop*pastor that we studied last wee5+ ;nd sin-e pastors were ,enerally older, he4s remindin, those when he says, >you youn,er men li5ewise be sub.e-t to your elders,@ he4s remindin, those who are youn,er in the -hur-h to submit themselves to the leadership that 8od had ,iven them+ Havin, said that, there is also the issue of prin-ipliCin, the S-ripture+ &n other words, if that4s the -ase in this parti-ular relationship spo5en of here, it may also be true of other relationships as well+ Now, be -areful+ :e do not believe that S-ripture has multiple meanin,s+ 2ran5ly, that ,ets you to a very bad pla-e and so we would only ta5e the position that: if that4s true of youn,er people and the offi-e of elder in the -hur-h but if it4s true of others, we want to see that demonstrated in other pla-es in the Bible+ 0hat4s what & want to do ri,ht now+

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So, .ust thin5 about this: this prin-iple of submittin, ourselves to those who are older is -onsistent with what the S-ripture tea-hes in ,eneral about submission to other older people in our life+ 2or e9ample, S-ripture tea-hes that a,e is often a si,n of wisdom+ &s that ri,ht? Here you ,o, Proverbs 1":!1, >; ,ray head is a -rown of ,lory+@ Some of us are wearin, our -rowns today, huh? 0here it is, ri,ht in the Bible, stop fussin, about it+ >; ,ray head is a -rown of ,loryB &t is found in the way of ri,hteousness+@ 0he point is, remember we4re ,ettin, to humility, but the ar,ument of this te9t is that humility is always built on a foundation of submission+ So, learnin, to submit yourselves to su-h persons in your life, that4s what4s ,oin, to help you ,row in proper humility+ %et me .ust throw the -aveat in, & mean, are all older people automati-ally wise? Nope+ Some people are born fools and they die fools and there4s not a lot of -han,e in between+ & understand that, so a,e is not an automati- reason to ,ive honor but ,enerally spea5in,, with a,e -omes wisdom at least for those who 5now 8od and are -ommitted to ,rowin, in him+ :e also 5now this: -hildren are to honor their parents+ >6hildren, obey your parents in the %ord for this is ri,ht+ Honor your father and mother whi-h is the first -ommandment with a promise+@ Eou see, 8od is the one who has ordained authority in life+ 1o you believe that? Some people who will stru,,le with submission all of their days don4t ever ,et that in their brain and, therefore, they are prideful as a result+ 8od is the one who has ordained authority and people who learn submission as -hildren will be mu-h better positioned to ri,htly submit to those in position over them as adults and, therefore, be humble individuals+ 0he Bible also tells us, in fa-t we .ust saw a ,reat e9ample of it, that older people are to tea-h youn,er people in the -hur-h+ :e won4t ta5e time to loo5 at 0itus , but it4s a deli,htful passa,e in the word of 8od and the idea is that older people have been ,rowin, in 6hrist all of their days and they4re buildin, relationships pro<a-tively with those who are youn,er that are spe-ifi-ally desi,ned to tea-h and to model truth+ ;nd the -orollary to that is: youn, people in the -hur-h open themselves up for those 5inds of relationshipsB they want to submit to those who are older and in so doin,, they are bein, humble+ 7y wife, 6hris, and & and our son, 1rew, were over at %iterato 2riday ni,ht for dinner+ By the way, try the fi, and pear piCCa+ & mean, it4s really ,ood+ ;nyway, my wife thou,ht that was a ,ood idea and & thou,ht it was terrible but & finished it off+ :e were over there 2riday ni,ht and .ust wal5in, throu,h while they were havin, their Purdue Bible fellowship and 6hris made an interestin, -omment+ She said, >Eou 5now, this is doin, e9a-tly what we had hoped it would do+@ :hat we were seein, was table after table after table of -olle,e students with either an older -olle,e student or with an adult from this -hur-h and they were studyin, the word of 8od+ &t was fabulous be-ause that older person had developed the 5ind of wisdom and the 5ind of maturity and then was openin, up their heart and their s-hedule to wor5 with -olle,e students+ ;nd it was also interestin, to see those -olle,e students on a 2riday ni,ht doin, what? Submittin, themselves, sayin, & want to learn from someone who is older+ 1o you see the relationship? Submission breeds humility+ &t was a very humble thin, for those -olle,e students to do and we4re so very, very than5ful for that spirit+

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0he Bible also tells us this: that youn,er people who i,nore the wisdom of those who are older are -ondemned in 8od4s word+ Eou may remember the story of Hin, #ehoboam in 1 Hin,s 1 who as a youn, 5in,, and for those who have been around our -hur-h you 5now this is what & spo5e on the first Sunday & was ele-ted to be-ome the Senior Pastor of this -hur-h+ He was -ondemned be-ause he forsoo5 the -ounsel of the old men in whi-h they had ,iven him and he -onsulted with the youn, men who were ,rown up with him who stood before him+ &f you 5now that story, that prideful approa-h on the part of this youn, 5in, and this is what our -ulture is, the ,lorifi-ation of youth+ 0hat is a bad thin,+ 0his youn, 5in, who forsoo5 the -ounsel of the older men and .ust found out what those he had ,rown up with thou,ht put them in a very bad pla-e for sure+ So &4m sayin,: no Fuestion, it4s a ,eneral prin-iple in the S-ripture that youn,er people are to honor older people in their lives and that be-omes the foundation on whi-h a lifestyle of humility is built+ 0hat4s why you have the ar,ument in this te9t, >be sub.e-t to your elders+@ Be sub.e-t to and >-lothe yourselves with humility+@ &t all fits to,ether+ Here4s another reason why Peter be,ins this dis-ussion about humility with a reminder about the importan-e of submission: it4s be-ause and & hope you believe this and & hope your lifestyle refle-ts that you understand this, rebellion should be one of our ,reatest enemies+ 0he fa-t of the matter is, you have a rebellious stream runnin, throu,h your heart .ust li5e & do and it has to be tamed if we4re ,oin, to ,row in humility+ /nderstand, rebellion was the essen-e of Satan4s fall+ By the way, & do believe in Satan as a real, literal bein, and & believe in a passa,e of S-ripture li5e &saiah 1' whi-h would e9plain Satan4s fall, >How have you fallen from heaven A star of the mornin,, son of the dawn, you have been -ut down to the earth you who have wea5ened the nations,@ and that4s what he does+ >Eou said in your heart & will as-end to heaven, & will raise my throne above the stars of 8od, & will sit on the mountain of assembly and the re-esses of the north+ & will as-end above the hei,hts of the -louds+ & will ma5e myself li5e the most hi,h+@ Eou see, our adversary wasn4t satisfied with his position+ He wasn4t satisfied bein, a -reature, he wanted to be the -reator and he a-tually thou,ht in his pride that he was Fualified for that position+ #ebellion was also the -ore issue in the fall of man+ ;,ain, we ta5e the first 11 -hapters of the boo5 of 8enesis literally+ &f the plain sense ma5es ,ood sense, see5 no other sense+ 0hat, too, is a hermeneuti-al prin-iple that we apply around here+ So, we believe that you -an learn a lot in the early -hapters of the boo5 of 8enesis about this matter of pride and humility and we thin5, by the way, to somehow ta5e that out of our Bibles be-ause we thin5 we 5now better than 8od or we4re embarrassed about somethin, in S-ripture+ 0hat, in and of itself, would be an in-redible a-t of rebellion and pride+ How -ould the -hur-h ever i,nore S-ripture? /nless it was filled with pride+ So, you read about Satan -omin, to ;dam and $ve and the point of that dis-ussion is: 8od -reated you, he pla-ed you in this beautiful environment, he made it possible for you to ,lorify him, to have a personal relationship with him and there4s only one rule+ So don4t be sayin,, >:ell, & rebel a,ainst 8od today be-ause he4s ,ot too many rules+@ &f he had one, in your own flesh, you4d rebel a,ainst it+ ;ll of 8od4s people ,ot that? Ane rule:

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you -an4t eat of that tree and if you do you4ll dieB you4ll fa-e the -onseFuen-e of bein, separated from me+ So, what did Satan, the one who had already su--umbed to his own pride and rebellion say? Eou won4t die+ He4s a liar+ 8od4s 5eepin, somethin, from you, you -an be your own ,od, you -an ma5e your own rules, there won4t be any -onseFuen-es, .ust rebel a,ainst him whi-h is e9a-tly what they did+ #ebellion and pride ,o hand in hand+ #ebellion is a -entral buildin, blo-5 in human -iviliCation+ :e4re not ,oin, to ta5e the time to loo5 at the 0ower of Babel in 8enesis 11 but & hope you 5now your Bible well+ 1o you? Please tell me you 5now these stories better than you 5now the -urrent dan-in, with stars people? Please+ Ane of the reasons that some of us stru,,le with pride is be-ause we don4t have the Bible in our hearts to help ,uide us when we4re tryin, to ma5e daily de-isions+ So, less ,oofiness on the idiot bo9 and more truth from the word will -ertainly help us ,row in humility+ &4m sorry but &4m off my notes, but & hope that -ame throu,h -lear+ #ebellion+ :hat did they say in the 0ower of Babel? 0hey wanted to ma5e a name for themselves by buildin, a tower that would rea-h to the heavens+ Paul later -ommented on that pro,ression when he said, >$ven when they 5new 8od, they did not honor him as 8od or ,ive than5s but they be-ame futile in their spe-ulations+@ &t4s fas-inatin, how that is playin, out on our world sta,e, on our state4s sta,e, on our lo-al sta,e+ So, we have all these business leaders ma5in, these moral pronoun-ements ri,ht nowB we have all of these edu-ators ma5in, all of these moral pronoun-ements ri,ht now and it is that verse fulfilled+ >$ven thou,h they 5new 8od, they did not honor him as 8od or ,ive than5s but they be-ame,@ note this, >futile in their spe-ulations and their foolish heart was dar5ened+@ Here4s the point: you -annot be simultaneously rebellious and humble+ Eou .ust -an4t+ Peter 5new that+ 0his is espe-ially prevalent durin, the $nd 0imes+ Paul said, >But realiCe this, that in the last days diffi-ult times will -ome+ 2or men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arro,ant,@ as if, by the way, the leaders of business ou,ht to help our state ma5e moral de-isions+ Seriously? %overs of money, boastful, arro,ant, revilers, disobedient to parents, un,rateful, unholy, unlovin,, irre-on-ilable, mali-ious ,ossips, without self<-ontrol, brutal, haters of ,ood, trea-herous, re-5less, -on-eited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of 8od, holdin, to a form of ,odliness, althou,h they have denied its powerB avoid,@ there it is, >avoid su-h men as these+@ 0hat is the day and a,e in whi-h we live, friends+ &n the /S and in many other -ountries as well+ Not only do we stru,,le with rebellion, we proudly -elebrate it+ Now we4ve ,otten to the pla-e where we even have reli,ious tea-hers sayin,, >Dust be true to yourself+@ 0here it is+ Dust be true to yourself+ Dust do what -omes natural to you and whenever your desires -ontradi-t what is tau,ht in S-ripture, that4s o5ay+ #eli,ious tea-hers are sayin, that, >that4s o5ay+@ Here4s the new mantra: the Bible is the word of 8od but the Bible is not the words of 8od+ Seriously, tell me about that? :ell, you see, the Holy Spirit may be leadin, you and us into a deeper understandin, of the thin,s of 8od,@ whi-h, surprise, surprise, mat-h what we already naturally wanted to do anyway and that be-omes the

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new word of 8od even if it -ontradi-ts what he has ,iven us in S-ripture+ 0hat4s what we4re bein, told+ $ven in this town+ 7a5e no mista5e about that, my friends, that is -alled heresy and anybody who spea5s li5e that is a hereti- and you -an ba5e it, fry it, put brown ,ravy on it, it is what it is: it4s rebellion a,ainst the revealed word of 8od, fuelin, hearts that are in-reasin,ly and in-redibly proud+ 0hat will topple whatever ship you4re on and it4s my .ob as your pastor to warn you of that+ & realiCe you mi,ht say, >Boy, you ,ot up on the wron, side of the theolo,i-al bed, dude+@ :ell, there is hope in all of this be-ause in this rather blea5 pi-ture steps our %ord and Savior Desus 6hrist+ 8od4s word says submission is a -entral attribute of Desus+ Here4s a ,reat passa,e+ & hope you 5now it, >Have this attitude in yourselves,@ Paul says in Philippians , >whi-h was also in 6hrist Desus+@ &t4s a ,reat te9t and we -an4t tal5 about it all but it says of Desus, >He humbled Himself by be-omin, obedient to the point of death, even death on a -ross+@ :hi-h is why he -ould say, >0a5e my yo5e upon you and learn from me for & am,@ what did he say? >& am ,entle and humble in heart+ Eou4ll find rest for your souls if you follow me+@ :e4ve ,ot a -lear -ontrast, don4t we? An the one hand we have an adversary and we have -ulture+ :e have a world system that promotes rebellion and ,lorifies rebellion+ An the other hand, we have a Savior who has modeled for us a life of submission to the heavenly 2ather that results in the life of humility+ :hi-h route do you want to be on? 0hat4s why, by the way, that submission is a startin, point in establishin, a personal relationship with 8od+ :hat &4m tal5in, to you about this mornin, is -learly part of the ,ospel and Paul said that >if you -onfess with your mouth,@ what? >Desus as %ord+@ 0hat means, in -omin, to 6hrist, we are -hoosin, to submit ourselves to him+ >;nd believe in your heart that 8od raised him from the dead, you shall be saved+@ 0he S-ripture is -lear: we are born in sinB we are born in rebellion+ ;nd there has to be a de-ision made at a point in time to lay down our rebellious hearts and to repent, to turn around and to pla-e our faith and trust in 6hrist as our ri,htful Savior and our ri,htful %ord+ &f you4ve never made that de-ision, & would en-oura,e you to do that today+ 0here is no su-h thin, as salvation without submission to 8od+ ; Fuestion & thin5 when you thin5 about everythin, that we4ve tal5ed about thus far: how am & doin, at the matter of submittin,? How am & doin, at the matter of submittin, to whatever ri,htful authority my 8od has pla-ed in my life? Be-ause & ,et it: there is a dire-t relationship between that and humility whi-h is why Peter said in our 5ey verse, >be sub.e-t to your elders and -lothe yourselves with humility+@ Eou -an4t have one, humility, without havin, the other, submission+ :hat does that tell us then? &t tells us that humility is a .ob for all of us+ & mean, Peter is really -lear about that, >all of you+@ Nobody -an hear this messa,e this mornin, and say, >:ell, that doesn4t apply to me+@ No, all of you in-ludin, the ,uy on this side of the pulpit who apparently needs to hear this sermon four times today+ 0here is probably a lesson ri,ht there+ 0o do what? :ell, to -lothe yourselves+ 2as-inatin, metaphor: to -lothe yourselves+ &t4s li5e standin, at your -loset in the mornin, and as5in,, >1o & want

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to wear the proud thou,hts today or the humble thou,hts before & leave the house? & li5e to mat-h that up with some proud desires or some humble desires? Should & sele-t some proud words for this -onversation or humble ones? How about the a--essory of proud a-tions or humble ones? :hat am & ,oin, to wear?@ 6lothe yourselves+ >:hat am & ,oin, to wear?@ &s anyone here even old enou,h to remember this day when your 7om or your 1ad would loo5 at the outfit that you had sele-ted and said somethin, li5e, >Eou are not ,oin, out of the house dressed li5e this+@ 1o we even say that anymore? Have you ever been at :al<7art and loo5ed at somebody and said, >1oes your 7om 5now you4re dressed li5e this?@ &t4s why you don4t want to -ome to :al<7art with me, by the way+ & wonder if we ou,ht to have that tal5 with ourselves? Before wal5in, into that -onversation, before wal5in, into that meetin,, before wal5in, into that dis-ussion, .ust as5in,, >:hat are you wearin, ri,ht now? :hat are you wearin, ri,ht now in your heart? :hat are you wearin, ri,ht now in your mind? :hat are you wearin, ri,ht now on your lips? :hat are you wearin, ri,ht now on your hands? 1o you really want to ,o out into publi- loo5in, li5e that?@ 6lothe yourselves with what? 6lothe yourselves with humility+ 0he word of humility is a-tually one of the lon,er words in the entire 8ree5 New 0estament, tapeinophrosyne, and it literally means >of low positionB lowlyB undistin,uishedB of no a--ount+@ Now, here4s the important distin-tion here: Hebert helps us understand that the term does not involve an attitude of self<dispara,ement or servility+ 0hat4s not the point+ 0he point is this: a willin,ness to assume a lowly position in order to serve others+ Eou mi,ht be really smart, you don4t have to i,nore the fa-t that you4re smart but you -an still be humble+ Eou mi,ht be very wealthy, you don4t have to i,nore that fa-t but you -an still be humble+ &t4s a matter of willin,ness to assume a lowly position in that parti-ular situation in order to serve others+ &t4s the opposite of self<e9altation+ 0hat4s so -ru-ial: it4s the opposite of self<e9altation whi-h is the very essen-e of sin whi-h is the very essen-e, in this -ase, of pride+ #+ 6+ 0ren-h in his >Synonyms of the New 0estament@ says this, it4s very important: >&t is itself a fruit of the ,ospel+@ Eou say, >:hat do you mean by that?@ %isten, >No 8ree5 writer employed humility before the 6hristian era+@ 0his is not a fruit that the world would elevate as bein, ne-essary or valuable+ &t4s a fruit of the ,ospel+ No 8ree5 writer, none, employed it before the 6hristian era nor apart from the influen-e of 6hristian writers afterward+ & understand what &4m tal5in, to you about this mornin,, it4s -ounter< intuitive+ & 5now that+ 6hristianity, many times, is -ounter<intuitive+ 0hat4s why it4s so important that you a-5nowled,e Desus as your %ord+ 6lothe yourselves with humility to whom? 0o whom? :ell, to one another+ & would en-oura,e you ri,ht now to thin5 about the one anothers in your life and as5 yourself, >;m & -lothin, myself with humility+@ Here4s the point: it4s really easy to be humble with yourself+ &4m in-redibly humble when &4m by myself be-ause & a,ree with myself all the time+ ;nd be-ause &4m so humble with myself, & freFuently -ommend myself for my humility+ &t4s a fas-inatin, -onversation of self<e9altation when it4s .ust me+ But it4s

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amaCin, when & ,et around people who don4t seem to be Fuite so impressed+ ;nd what does S-ripture say? 6lothe yourselves with humility toward one another+ & would en-oura,e you ri,ht now to thin5 about all the one anothers in your life: thin5 about your spouse, do you -lothe yourself with humility toward them? 0hin5 about your 5ids, thin5 about your friends, thin5 about your -o<wor5ers, thin5 about your nei,hbors, thin5 about your e9tended family+ &n fa-t, you4re ,oin, to be ,oin, off for 0han5s,ivin, in a little bit, -lothe yourself with humility toward your mother<in<law+ 6lothe yourself with humility toward ;unt So<and<so+ &t4s not always an easy thin, to do and yet that is what S-ripture -alls us to do+ 0hin5 how that dovetails with stewardship+ & want to as5 you to pull this out for a minute, this bro-hure that4s in your pro,ram+ %et4s thin5 about how humility dovetails with stewardship+ Ah, my, my, my, my+ By the way, what did we learn last wee5 that & am to you? ; shepherd, ri,ht? Some of you are sayin,, >&4m not ,oin, down this trail with you+@ Ees, you are so .ust -ome alon, .oyfully+ Baa+ &4m to be your shepherd, &4m .ust doin, my .ob+ :e4re all sheep of 8od+ &t doesn4t offend you for me to as5 you, does it, what would humility loo5 li5e in terms of the stewardship -ommitments that we4re all tryin, to ma5e to,ether? 0hat4s the point+ %oo5 at the top where it says >Personal 8rowth+@ :hat we4re en-oura,in, you to do is to thin5 about whether or not you ou,ht to be a better steward of the opportunities to spend time with 8od every day+ :hen you in the mornin,, before you even leave your house, ta5e time in the word and ta5e time prayin,, what are you sayin,? Eou4re humblin, yourself before the %ord and sayin,, >&4m not even ,onna wal5 out of this house in my own stren,th+ &4m ,onna -ommit myself to the %ord even that means that & have to spend a little less time primpin,, for -ryin, out loud+@ 0hat4s a humble thin, to do+ People who .ust blast out the door in their own stren,th are behavin, in a way that is proud+ %oo5 on the ba-5+ :e have all these opportunities for servin,+ :ell, people who serve have humbled themselves before the %ord and said, >%ord, my ,ifts and my abilities and my time, they belon, to you+ & want to humble myself in servi-e+@ :e saw, by the way, a ,reat e9ample of that yesterday with a -ouple of our youn, men from 2aith 6hristian S-hool interviewed by the newspaper and they were Fuoted in that arti-le about # rated movies+ :hy in the world would hi,h s-hool teena,ers tal5 about the importan-e of purity? &t4s be-ause they are submittin, themselves to their %ord+ 0hey -ame off as very humble youn, men yesterday and & was so than5ful for them+ So than5ful+ :hat they saw that as: an opportunity to serve+ & was around the -hur-h a little bit yesterday as & freFuently am+ &t4s amaCin, how many people were around here servin,, servin,, servin,, servin,+ 0he only way you -an have a -hur-h that serves is if you have people whose hearts are filled with humility+ 0hen there is the issue of ,ivin,+ & don4t tal5 a lot about ,ivin, around here but the fa-t of the matter is, it4s not your -hur-h needs your money, it4s that you need to ,ive+ ;nd the reason you need to ,ive is be-ause it humbles yourself before the %ord+ Eou4re sayin, to 8od, >& re-o,niCe that all & have belon,s to you, even my ability to earn a livin, and & want to

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,ive of my firstfruits to you be-ause & want to humble myself+ ;nd then & want to as5 you to bless me as & would see5 to use all that you have entrusted in a way that honors you+@ :hen we were at 2aith :est the other ni,ht, in our hearts, we4re able to say, >0han5 you, 8od+ 0han5 you, 8od, for ,ivin, us the privile,e to be involved in this 5ind of a ministry+@ &t4s a whole lot better than a new -ou-h+ &t4s a whole lot better than a shiny -ar, blah, blah, blah+ &t4s a humblin, thin, to be able to parti-ipate in the wor5 of 8od+ 0im and Be-5y 6ohen are in the Philippines+ 1on4t you want them to be well funded today? :hat an in-redible opportunity they4re ,oin, to have for ministry in these -omin, days and mu-h of our money ,oes ri,ht out into ministry around the world+ People who are humble want to .oyfully ,ive and eventually that4s what you end up lovin,+ :here your treasure is, that4s where your heart is ,oin, to be+ Eou mi,ht say, >:ell, Pastor Viars, you4re 5ind of bein, pushy with us, this whole humblin,, humility thin,+@ :ell, one of the reasons is be-ause of the -onseFuen-es+ & mean, what does the S-ripture say about the -onseFuen-es? Here it is: >8od opposes the proud+@ &f you4re a proud person and you wal5 out those doors without repentin,, you are as5in, for 8od to oppose you+ 0hat4s a really bad pla-e to be+ 1o we ,et that? >Hey, put up your du5es, 8od+@ Eeah, smart, we4ll see you on your ba-5+ >8od opposes the proud but he ,ives ,ra-e to the humble+@ & hope we4ll pray for this in our individual lives but & hope also we4ll pray for this as a -hur-h+ 8od has blessed us in some in-redible ways+ &t would be very easy for us to ,et way too bi, for our ministerial brit-hes, do you 5now that? ;nd 8od would ta5e -are of that in a heartbeat+ %et4s as5 the %ord to help us be submissive people who are, therefore, ,rowin, in humility+

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