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Introduction: This morning we
are in Colossians 3:12-17 as we continue our study of the Believer’s
Profile. We are using the word profile in the sense of
observable characteristics. If you were to walk into GNH Lumber
Store tomorrow morning and see a man wearing a suit, tie, white
shirt, and highly polished shoes, you would not think that he was a
carpenter who had stopped in to pick up a load of lumber. You would
think that he was probably a lawyer, or a business man, or a banker
who had stopped in on his way to work to pick up something for his
house. You would think this because carpenters don’t wear suits to
work. This is called profiling - drawing a conclusion about a
person based on observable characteristics.
And believers should have a
profile. We should have certain observable characteristics in our
lives that would compel the people in our neighborhoods and
communities and places of work to draw the conclusion that we are
not like the rest of the world. We are different. Paul tells us in
this passage:
And so, as those who
have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a
complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also
should you. 14 And beyond all these things put on
love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called
in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ
richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing
one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And
whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Review: So far, we
have looked at compassion and kindness. Compassion
(“bowels of mercy” - KJV) is when we physically feel another
person’s pain and then do something to alleviate the suffering.
Kindness we never did come up with a good definition
for. The best way to understand it is that it is the opposite of
severity. These two words are linked together in Romans 11, and
severity has the idea of abruptness and curtness associated with
it.
I want to make one final point
about kindness before we move on to humility, and it has to do with
something I have observed in Christian circles over the years. Kind
speech is something that practically every Believer needs to work
on. It seems to me that as Christians, we have a pretty good grasp
of doing kind deeds. We regularly participate in acts of kindness,
like Operation Shoe Box. We get involved in practical ways in the
lives of those who are in dire circumstances. When there is a need
presented, we generally rise to the occasion. But kind speech is a
different matter. I’ve seen Christians say things that were
truthful that were also unkind. I’ve seen Christians say things
that were necessary to say, but were also unkind. And I’m afraid
that many times the only criteria we use to determine whether or not
we should say what we are about to say is whether or not it is true
or necessary. And I believe that is wrong.
Here’s the example. Your child
tracks mud across the newly shampooed carpet and you screech, “How
many time have I told you to take off your shoes before you come
into the house?” That was a violation of what Paul is saying about
“putting on kindness.” Or the husband says to the wife in an
irritated, or impatient, or sarcastic tone, “What part of ‘no’ don’t
you understand?” That is a violation of Paul’s command to “put on
kindness.” And the reason I’m saying both of these examples are a
violation of the kindness rule is because even though what is said
needs to be said, it is being said the wrong way and will not
accomplish your objective.
Look with me at Proverbs 16:21.
The last half of the verse is very instructive, and says, “sweetness
of speech increases persuasiveness.” The KJV says “sweetness of
speech increases learning.” If you want someone to learn from your
speech, it is kind speech that will increase the likelihood of
learning taking place. If you want to be persuasive with your
child, yelling is not the way to go about it. If you want to be
convincing with your spouse, sarcasm will not help. The Bible says
it is “sweetness of speech,” or kind speech, “that increases
persuasiveness.” I heard about a preacher one time who wrote a note
in the margin of his sermon outline, “weak point here, yell
loudly.”
Transition: So as
we consider the Believer’s Profile, we are to clothe ourselves with
compassion and kindness. Let’s look now at putting on humility.
What is humility? Can someone
give us a definition? As I have said before, it is often times
helpful to define a word by defining its opposite, so in this case,
what is the opposite of humility? Pride. What is pride? Someone
said that “pride is the only disease known to man that makes
everyone sick except the person who has it.” The best definition I
have ever heard for pride is that it is an unrealistic view of
self. Or an inflated view of self.
Chuck Swindoll tells the story of
Uncle Zeke who lived in Muleshoe, TX. Uncle Zeke had a problem with
pride, and could never admit he was wrong. One day Uncle Zeke was
walking along the street and he happened to shuffle into the
blacksmith shop, sawdust all over the floor. What he didn’t know
was, just before he got there, the blacksmith had been working with
an uncooperative horseshoe and beat on it till it was black. It was
still hot, but it wouldn’t cooperate, so he tossed it over into the
sawdust. Zeke walked in, looked down and saw the black horseshoe.
He picked it up, not knowing it was still hot. Naturally, he
dropped it very fast. The old blacksmith looked over his glasses
and said, “Kinda hot, ain’t it, Zeke?” You know what Zeke said?
“Nope, just don’t take me long to look at a horseshoe.” That’s
pride. It is an unrealistic view of self, or an inflated view of
self. 1 Cor. 4:7 says, “What do you have that
you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as
if you have not received it?”
So once we understand pride, it is
a little easier to understand humility. Humility a proper
understanding of self. It is an accurate view of who I am. Paul
says in 1 Cor.15, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
Let me quickly give you three
points of application about humility.
1. Humility is one of God’s
explicit expectations of us - Micah 6:8
“He has told you, O man, what
is good; And what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice,
to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God.” Humility
is not a noble aspiration. We view it that way many times. It is
one of those things we know we should be working on, but it seems
such a lofty goal that we only give it a half-hearted effort because
everyone will understand if we don’t achieve it. “What does the
Lord require of you . . . To walk humbly with your God.” It is
not something to put on the “to do list” and think you can get
around to it at your convenience. “What does the Lord require of
you . . . To walk humbly with your God.” That doesn’t sound
optional to me. Humility is one of God’s explicit expectations of
His children.
2. Humility is a preservative
- Prov. 18:12
“Before destruction, the heart
of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor.” Humility is
a preservative. It can literally save your life. How many people
have lost their lives due to their inflated view of self? Or their
exaggerated view of who they are? A similar proverb is Prov. 16:18
which says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a fall.”
In the sports world, a great
example of pride going before destruction was the summer Olympics
several years ago. The basketball team the United States assembled
was referred to as “The Dream Team,” very probably the most talented
group of basketball players on the earth. As you looked at the
teams from the other countries, you could pick out a superstar here
and there, but as you looked at American team, you could count 12 or
13 superstars. But how did they do? Miserably? It was
“humiliations galore.” And some people say the reason they did so
poorly was because they didn’t have the time to practice together as
a team, which may have been a legitimate factor, but “pride goes
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
3. Humility puts you on God’s
side - James 4:6
“God is opposed to the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.” I want us to think about
warfare for a few moments. When it comes to war, there are various
types of battles. For instance, there is guerilla warfare. This is
small scale fighting. It involves snipers and a low casualty rate.
Then there are skirmishes or firefights. These are somewhat larger
in scale and involve a few more casualties, but generally they are
not prolonged, offensive efforts. They happen when a patrol group
or a convoy gets ambushed. But then there massive operations.
Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Freedom. These are examples
of huge military efforts that involve all the branches of the United
States Armed Forces. They are prolonged, offensive efforts that
involve intricate strategies.
What does this have to do with
James 4:6? Look at the word “opposed” in the phrase, “God is
opposed to the proud.” The word opposed there means “to arrange
for battle,” or “to set oneself against.” That is God’s perspective
on the person who is not humble. When God sees a proud person, He
does not engage that person in guerilla warfare. He does not set up
snipers to take pot shots at him. He doesn’t engage the person in a
skirmish. God sets himself up against that person in battle array.
He launches a massive operation. That is the thrust of the word
“opposed.” God is opposed to the proud. On the other hand,
humility puts you on God’s side. That is where the safety lies.
Conclusion: Let’s
remember this as we go into the week ahead of us. We need to
remember to have a proper view of ourselves. We need to remember
that humility is not optional, God expects it of us. Let’s remember
that humility is a preservative. Humility is what puts us on God’s
side, which is the safe place to be. |
