Humble Service & Generous Lifestyle...part 1...Mark 10:35-45

 

I quoted C.S. Lewis a couple of times in the sermon and here is another.  "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less."  As we venture into a new month, we also move onto two more of Jesus' discipleship practices with His disciples.  These help us to be disciples so we can fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples.  We will look at Jesus speaking and showing humble service and a generous lifestyle.

To look at the positive or the desired result, sometimes it is a help to look at the negative or undesirable result so...pride and selfishness.  This first sermon deals mostly with the topic of pride but selfishness is so closely tied to pride that it comes out in the real life examples that I give.  I should say that when I share real life examples I do so trying not to elevate myself or my hearers or readers but to give flesh to the principle.  I can say that almost every example I have regrettably displayed myself at times.  We learn from our mistakes but hopefully we learn also from applying and holding onto God's principles when the temptation to do otherwise presents itself. 

Although many will remember the stories, the positive points I would like to stress all the more are the characteristics not of a prideful Christian but a humble one.

• A humble Christian has grateful language.
• A humble Christian is willing to serve anywhere.
• A humble Christian has their notebook open.
• A humble Christian is pushing others into the spotlight.
• A humble Christian is confessing before they are addressing.

The last bullet point makes me think of Jesus' illustration about pulling the log or plank out of your eye before attempting to remove the speck from your friend's eye.  The removing of the plank is us being a confessing people.  The removing the speck is us being an addressing people.  The order is so important.  Confess before you address.

Humility involves thinking of others and when you tie it to service it brings in a physical action.  Many times this involves the gift God has given His children called spiritual gifts.  They are from Him and to be used for the common good of His family.  I speak in the sermon about the best (in my opinion) study on spiritual gifts by a pastor named Chip Ingram.  He gives no spiritual gift test with many questions but rather a theology of spiritual gifts, a short explanation of the spiritual gifts and warnings about abuses of the gifts.  Your Divine Design

I speak boldly against pride but know that I struggle with what I am speaking about.  Godly humility comes from a constant focus on Jesus, a commitment to love God and others, and a consistency with a community that disciples you in the ways of God.  Let us make sure all 3 are in place in our lives.

Adam