The Doctrine of Humbleness

I don’t know why it is. I get so slowed down in this particular portion of Ephesians, but it’s just so important. We’re looking at the fourth chapter of Ephesians, and talking about the worthy walk. What does it mean for a Christian to walk worthy? And we’ve been suggesting to you that walking worthy means living a life that matches your position in Christ. The first three chapters of this wonderful epistle deal with the position of the believer, the last three, the practice, the first three, the doctrine, the last three, the duty.

How do we really learn to live up to who we are, and how do we walk worthy? We said the word worthy last week has to do with balance. It’s a word that’s used to equalize a scale. We are to equalize our behavior in accord with our identity. We are to live as who we are. This is a basic principle of the word of God. We are to live in accord with who we are. We are to live up to our position. Now, how do we do that? How do we really walk worthy? Well, the answer comes in verses two and three.

Let’s look at it. With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering for bearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now, the way we walk worthy is in all lowliness and meekness and long suffering and for bearing love and unity. Those five things are the characteristics of the worthy walk. That’s where it all begins. Now, humility is basically the overarching principle. It’s as if the first word all lowliness really encompasses the remaining four. They all sort of fit in, and yet they’re different, and there’s a progression.

Where there is all lowliness, there will be meekness, and there will be then long suffering, resulting in forbearing love with the end result of unity. So there is a sense in which they are tied together, almost like synonyms in a way, although there are shades of difference, and then there is also a sense of progression. But the key to the whole thing is this concept of humility. Now, humility is a very elusive thing. And we want to talk a lot about humility, but sometimes we really don’t understand it. Just exactly what is humility.

You know, it’s that thing that when you’ve finally gotten it, you’ve just lost it. It’s very elusive. When you finally say, I am now humble, you just forfeited it. So maybe it’s when you don’t know you’ve got it that you’ve really got it. But that isn’t always true either, because some of us know we haven’t got it, because we know we’re proud. It’s a very elusive reality, and yet it’s a very necessary thing. You can see here that it is at the heart of the worthy walk. If you’re to walk worthy, humility must be a reality in your life.

Now, Jesus came into the world as the high, exalted King of kings and Lord of lords. He came exalted above any human being who had ever lived. And yet, the Apostle Paul says in Philippians chapter 2 that he humbled himself, that he was found in fashion as a man, that he took upon him the form of a servant and humbled himself. So even the Lord Jesus Christ was humble. In Matthew 11 29 he said, for I am meek and lowly in heart, the exalted Lord Jesus Christ, meek and lowly and humble. He was born in a stable.

He never had a place to lay his head. He possessed no property. He owned only the garments on his body. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. He was always a stranger. His only home was the Mount of Olives, where he would retire in the evening in quietness with the Father. He was humbled. The one who, as the song said, left the ivory palaces and came into a world of woe, humbled himself. And he set a standard for us, because in 1 John 2 6 we see John says, he that saith he abideth in him ought to walk even as he walked.

So however he walked is how we’re to walk. And if he walked in humility, that’s the way we are to walk. But that’s foreign to our world. Our world is not a world that accepts humility. Our world is a world that exalts pride. We don’t hear great talks about humility. In fact, in our society, as in all of society that is generated by Satan, all of human nature throughout all of history has looked down on humility as weakness, as infirmity, as something to be despised, something ignoble. We think of the humble person as the proverbial Caspar Milka toast, who’s afraid of his own shadow, who’s sort of silly-mouthed, the inevitable Mr.

Peepers’ complex. Well, what is true humility? Is it that? We like to talk about the things we’re proud of. You hear people say that constantly. Well, I’m very proud to say. You know, just go to a luncheon sometime, and you’ll hear it about 50 times, we’re so proud of so-and-so. Well, I’m proud of this. Well, I’m certainly proud. This is a part of our society, ostentation, boasting, parading, demanding, exhorting. We’re forever and a day pinning awards on everybody and his uncle. You know, I look at my kids, and from the time my kids have been little enough to tumble and dance, they’ve been stacking up trophies to the point where it’s almost absurd.

They’re so honored. The only thing is, everybody gets one. You know, just everybody. They pass them out like peanuts. You know, we’re like that. We’re forever passing out awards. God has called us to humility, but our world throws pride at us incessantly. You know, pride was the first sin ever committed. Do you know that? The very first sin ever committed was pride. And it was committed by an angel by the name of Lucifer, who decided that he would exalt himself above God. Read it in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. The whole story is in both of those texts.

I will, I will, I will, I will, I will. He said five times, and once God said, no, you won’t. Through him out of heaven. Pride was the first sin. I will be exalted. I will lift myself. And in Proverbs 11 too, the Bible says, When pride cometh, then cometh shame, but with the lowly is true wisdom. In Proverbs 16 5 it says, Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. In Proverbs 16 18, pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall. In Proverbs 21 4 it says, A high look, that’s the external, and a proud heart, that’s the internal, is sin.

Humility is always the virtue of the righteous, and pride is always the mentality of the unrighteous. And it’s a grief to the soul of anybody who knows Jesus Christ or should be, to see Christians engaged in pride, to see ourselves engaged in it. Folks, I don’t know how to tell you this. I have not finally overcome pride. That’s a battle every day, isn’t it? Every day. Satan keeps that one at you over the time. But just so you get God’s perspective, look with me back at Isaiah chapter 2 verse 11. Well, we better go back to verse 10.

Enter into the rock and hide in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty. Listen, when you start comparing yourself with God, you better get under a rock. You’re a bug in comparison. You better crawl in the dirt somewhere when you see the majesty of God. When you’re compared with the glory and majesty of God, you better get under a rock. Thank you for joining us in this exploration of the doctrine of humbleness. Until next time, remember to keep the faith, stay strong, and continue to shine your light in the world.

To hear these daily devotions of your daily bread, please log on to goddessgovernment.com. Goodbye, and may your faith always lead the way. [tr:trw].