The Humility of Christ
 

A Most Unique Quality of Our God
…Unique among all the gods of this world!

By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© December 4, 2011
www.pastorkennedy.com
(On the website above, click the link to “recent message notes” to view this message online.)

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
tell of His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him;
strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
Psalm 96:1–6

Of all the gods of this world, “the God of all Creation” stands out with overwhelming attributes which separate Him from all the other power hungry, ego-boasting, war-mongering, conniving, self-centered gods of this world.  These attributes are: 

True Kindness,
True Love,
True Graciousness and
True Compassion;
which could be summed up in two words… 
True Humility!

Who Jesus Christ Is, was revealed in how He came to the earth, being born of a unknown but precious virgin, and placed in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn, in that small and insignificant town of Bethlehem.  It is also revealed in how He lived (a sinless, gracious and serving life), and why He died (on the cross for our sins), establishing the point of His Gracious and Loving Humility.  
Who ever heard of a God, being like that?  

Not long ago I shared with you a favorite Christmas song and it is time to share it again.

How Should A King Come?

How should a king come?  Obviously a “normal” king of this world should not present himself as did “the God of all Creation” – unless he wanted to display a Character far deeper and profoundly more substantive than any other false god.

If you want to know why anyone should follow this Creator God, and why our Living God gives me the most compelling reason to worship Him, it is because He is truly Humble and He loves me with an everlasting love!  

(Somehow in my natural/carnal behavioristic, humanly-skewed comprehension of gods and kings and presidents and world leaders, it is hard to get my head around the astounding fact that the God who created all things – HE Who Created ALL THINGS; who saved me with the Redeeming Sacrifice of His own Son’s precious blood, and who has a phenomenal love for everyone in the world…and will be the final Judge of all mankind…He is the ONE who has the deepest humility – a humility which can never be fully comprehended!)

This God loves me!  
This God loves you!

And This God wants us to be like Him.

Dare we say that, “This is how a Real King Should Come?”

Some of “the gods of this world” try and try to emulate those qualities (becoming “angels of light”), but can never fully evidence these qualities as part of their person, because the very base-quality of their nature eventually betrays their deception.

We Are to Emulate our Heavenly Father
The true Child of God is to evidence the attributes of our Heavenly Father – and we are empowered to evidence the reality of those qualities by the Power of His Holy Spirit!  

Whenever one sees a confessing believer in Jesus Christ not evidencing the qualities of their Heavenly Father, they need to understand they are seeing instead the crippling effects of a believer’s base, carnal nature.

The Bethlehem Candle
The second candle in the Advent candle lit today is “Bethlehem”.   Bethlehem is the symbol of Jesus Christ’s humble birth – being born in an insignificant, small and lack-luster town, from which He was presented to the whole world in a place for cattle, a stable.  His first cradle: a manger of hay.  How should a King come?  A worldly king doesn’t come like that!  Only a Humble King.

If there is one group of qualities that draw the spirit of a believer toward his or her Savior and Lord, I believe it could be these profoundly majestic, but graciously humble qualities.  These could easily be the underlying qualities that uniquely draw people to God, because they reveal a depth of reality never seen before – something that adamantly defies superficiality! 

The Manger in Bethlehem demonstrates the real and symbolic revelation of God’s profound humility.  This is a living demonstration of the depth of God’s amazing Character.

Luke 2:1–7
2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

From this humble beginning in Bethlehem, let’s follow an Interesting Sequence of Scriptural Passages
Let me share with you a sequence of verses that reveal the continuing evidence of Christ’s humility and mature servant’s heart – both during His life on earth, and, as it will be revealed into eternity!

1.  Jesus Christ taught that “The Meek” would inherit the earth –

Matthew 5:5 
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:11 
	11 	But the meek shall inherit the land 
and delight themselves in abundant peace.

God will one day bring His Holy City to the earth (Rev. 21) – and the “meek” (those who are finally made complete in the Image of God – with their new imperishable, immortal, and incorruptible spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:35-58), will most certainly “inherit the earth” and “delight themselves in abundant peace”)!

2.  Christ Exampled Humility in Coming to Earth as the model for all His Followers.

Have the same mind as Christ Jesus: that of a Servant – not like the self-centered power brokering attitude evidenced by the rulers of this world.

Philippians 2:1–11
Christ’s Example of Humility
2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

3.  There is Going to be an Astounding Heavenly Wedding Banquet one day – and guess who will be serving?

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Revelation 19:6–9 
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 
		“Hallelujah! 
		For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 
	7 	Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, 
		for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 
	8 	it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— 
		
		for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 
9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Isaiah 25:6–10 
	6  On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples 
a feast of rich food…
	7 And he will swallow up on this mountain 
the covering that is cast over all peoples, 
the veil that is spread over all nations. 
8 He will swallow up death forever; 
		and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, 
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, 
for the Lord has spoken. 
	9  It will be said on that day, 
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. 
This is the Lord; we have waited for him; 
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” 
	10  For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain….

Jesus Christ, Exampled Humility and established His own precedent by washing His disciples’ feet.

John 13:1–5 
13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus Christ the King – continues His precedent by serving those who Love Him and are His Bride, at His Wedding Feast!

Luke 12:35–37 
35 “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.

Jesus Christ does not evidence weakness through His servant attitude – He simply vindicates who He has been from the beginning…a Humble and profoundly Gracious King who evidences His greatest strengths through His amazing consideration and love of others, while retaining, without question, His Great Power.

4.  As for Christ’s Great Strength and Power…there is no comparison.

Revelation 19:11–16 
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Lamb and The Lion
Jesus Christ is both the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah!  Meekness and Majesty.

Meekness and Majesty
By Graham Kendrick

5.  Jesus’ Expectation for Us is to Evidence that Same Attitude of Service as He did

Matthew 20:25–28 
25 …Jesus called [His disciples] to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  See also Mark 10:42–45 

Additional Scriptural Passages that underline Christ’s expectation for His Followers

Romans 12:16 
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Romans 12:3 
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:10 
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Ephesians 4:1–2 
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…

Colossians 3:12 
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…

1 Peter 3:8 
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

1 Peter 5:5–7 
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

WARNING

6.  There is a price to be paid for sincere love, graciousness, care and humility.

The deliciousness of eating the forbidden fruit of gossip, hatred, anger, lust, enmity, deceit, carnality and pride mitigates against, in abundant proportion, the depth and sincerity of following the gracious and humble character of our Heavenly Father.

≈	 If you are truly loving, your love will be suspect to those who sustain themselves with carnal, perverted, self-gratifying love.

≈	 If you are honestly gracious, your graciousness can be taken advantage of and potentially abused by those who are self-centered and are consumed with the passion and pursuit of their own perceived advantage.

≈	 If you are humble, your humility will be seen as weakness to those who are proud and boastful.

≈	 If you evidence genuine faith, the agnostic, atheist, and self-made egotist will ridicule, as a sham, your faith in God.

There is a price to be paid for sincere love, graciousness, care and humility.

  The prophets of old paid, often with their own lives, for their sincere, honest, godly and forthright service to God.

  Jesus, the most gracious, compassionate and loving Son of God, paid for His humility, care and righteousness, with His own life…but He surprised all of creation with the profound Redemption of His ultimate sacrifice!

  Jesus taught that there would be adversity toward those who truly loved Him and lived as He exampled.

  Jesus’ disciples were empowered by the Holy Spirit and gave their lives while following the intent of Christ’s commands.

But, 7.  There are also great benefits for living such a life!

  You can rest in the depth of your soul, knowing who you truly are, before the Living God.

  You can rejoice for being counted worthy to suffer for His sake.

Acts 5:41 
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Matthew 5:10–12 
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Romans 5:3–5 
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Hebrews 10:34 
34 For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

  You have the hope of enduring fruitfulness through death to your old carnal nature, with a harvest of blessing because of your new life toward God.

John 12:23–26 
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

  You can benefit for eternity in the reality of the reward, which God Himself will give to those who faithfully serve Him!  

Matt. 25:20-23
 “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” 

1 Corinthians 2:9 
But as it is written: 
	“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 
	Nor have entered into the heart of man 
	The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Conclusion

1.  Jesus Christ taught that “The Meek” would inherit the earth 

2.  Christ Exampled Humility in Coming to Earth as the model for all His Followers. 

3.  There is Going to be an Astounding Heavenly Wedding Banquet one day – and Jesus Christ will be serving!

4.  As for Christ’s Great Strength and Power…there is no comparison.

5.  Jesus’ Expectation for Us is to Evidence that Same Attitude of Service as He did

6.  There is a price to be paid for sincere love, graciousness, care and humility.

7.  There are also great benefits!

~~~

Of all the gods of this world, “the God of all Creation” stands out with overwhelming attributes which separate Him from all the other power hungry, ego-boasting, war-mongering, conniving, self-centered gods of this world.  

God is the epitome of:

True Kindness,
True Love,
True Graciousness and
True Compassion;
and
True Humility!

Who Jesus Christ Is, was revealed in how He came to the earth, being born of a unknown but precious virgin, and placed in a manger, in that small and insignificant town of Bethlehem.











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