I want to read verse 18. 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 18. Then went King David in and sat
before the Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house that thou
has brought me Hitherto. I want to attempt to speak on
the subject humility. Humility. Are you a humble person? Now, if you said yes, I can assure you you're not. Humility. What is humility? Now, the man whom God called
a man after his own heart was a humble man. And this was his
response. Before I continue, let's seek
the Lord's blessing and prayer. Lord, we come into your presence
in Christ's name, and we ask that you might teach us what
true humility is, and that you would enable us to humble ourselves
under thy mighty hand. Bless us for Christ's sake, in
his name we pray, amen. Now I love David's response to
the gospel. David, the man after God's own
heart, when God says all these things to him that he's gonna
do for him and in him, his response is, who am I? And what is my
house that you would do this for me?" Now, every believer
responds to the gospel with humility. Every unbeliever responds to
the gospel with anger. When they hear the true gospel
preached, the gospel of God's grace, they get upset. They don't
agree. They don't like what they hear. They don't have the right
response. They get mad. Why? Pride. an over-inflated
view of self. Pride. But every believer has
a just view of himself, and that's what humility is, a just view
of yourself, and they respond to the gospel with humility. Now, I suppose pride is the most
groundless thing in the world. Why do I say that? You know,
somebody being proud. It disables a man from hearing
the gospel. But it's so groundless because
Paul said, what do you have that you didn't receive? Who makes
you to differ from somebody else? What do you have that you didn't
receive? Do you have anything to be proud about? Whatever you
have, God gave to you. It didn't come from your strength
or the energy of your flesh. It's the gift of God. What do
you have that you didn't receive? I Googled humility to see what
the Google guys would say. Of course, that's right, you
know, but they, I didn't really, I don't know that I liked the, well, here's what Google said,
a modest or low view of one's importance. Well, that's okay,
but I like what Spurgeon called humility a lot better. He said,
humility is a just estimate of oneself. a just estimate of oneself. Now, pride is an inflated view
of self, and humility is a just estimate of oneself. Now, it's
not simply self-deprecating and saying regarding something that
you really could do, oh, I can't do it, and thinking that's humble
and saying that. It's not just a self-deprecating
view. The one man who truly knew he
could do anything, who had complete self-confidence, who had no insecurity
whatsoever, the Lord Jesus Christ was a humble man, meek and lowly
in heart. And that expresses the beauty
of humility, doesn't it? The Lord Jesus Christ, almighty,
Eternal, immutable, described his own heart thusly, I'm meek
and lowly in heart. How beautiful is humility and
how obnoxious is pride. Now, David had a just estimate
of himself when he said, who am I and what is my house that
you do these things for me? Now, turn with me for a moment
to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now here is a just estimate that
I, like I said, Spurgeon called humility, a just estimate of
self. And I believe this is a great definition of a just estimate
of self. First Corinthians chapter 15,
verse 10, Paul says, but by the grace of God, I am what I am. Now there is, I think, the most
comprehensive definition of humility that you'll find in the scripture.
By the grace of God, I am what I am. Now, how many times have
you said or have you heard somebody say, there go I, but for the
grace of God. We've used that statement, there
go I, but for the grace of God. And when we make that statement,
we say, by grace, I'm not like that person. I'm not doing that. And it's only by grace, but I'm
not doing that. I think it's very interesting
that Paul said in Romans chapter 2, verse 1, Therefore thou art
inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, for you
that judgest doest, not you would do, not you used to do, but you
do the precise same things. Now, how's that sound to you?
Does that click? Do you know that that's so with regard to
you? And you don't so much say, there go I, but for the grace
of God. But by the grace of God, I am
what I am. Now, first of all, what am I? Here's a just estimate of myself.
I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. Now, I've said
this numerous times, and maybe it'll click with somebody. Say,
what is a sinner? A sinner is somebody who all
they do is sin. Would that be you? A sinner is
someone who cannot not sin. Would that be you? Answer that. Would that be you? A sinner is
someone who cannot stand in judgment of anybody over anything. It would be gross hypocrisy for
them to judge anybody about anything. Would that be you? A sinner is
someone who has no claims on God. I can't say, Lord, you need
to do this because, no, no claims. I'm a sinner, and what a blessed
thing that is, because Christ came to save sinners, and it's
only by the grace of God that I see I'm a sinner. There was
a time when I didn't see myself in that light. There really was,
but I do now, and that's by the grace of God. I'm elect. I'm chosen of God. And I know
that's by the grace of God. I know it's not because he foresaw
something in me and said I'm going to choose him because I
saw he would do this or he would do that. No, no, no. I'm elect
because of the free and sovereign grace of God. He chose me simply
because he would. Simply because it seemed good
in his sight. Now that's a just estimate, isn't
it? I'm a sinner. Now that's a just estimate. And
I'm elect by the grace of God. I'm redeemed. And that redemption
is by the free grace of God. Didn't have anything to do with
me. It wasn't because I decided to accept Jesus Christ as my
personal savior. I was redeemed by his grace.
I'm justified. I'm a justified sinner. That
means, you know, I'm talking about myself as a sinner. I don't have
any sin. I stand before God without guilt, and that is totally by
His grace, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. I'm a believer. Do you know I
really believe what I'm saying? I believe with all my heart. I believe what I'm saying, and
I know the only reason I believe is because of His grace. I am
what I am by the grace of God. I'm preserved. I've not fallen
away. Not yet. By the grace of God,
I won't. But the only way I'm preserved
is by grace. You see, this is a believer's
just estimate of themselves. I am what I am by the grace of
God. Now, can you say amen to that?
That's the personal testimony of every single believer. I am what I am by the grace of
God. And the beauty of humility. I love
what John Calvin said when someone asked him, what are the three
greatest Christian graces? Three most important Christian
graces. He said, well, number one, humility. Number two, humility. Number three, humility. Who am I? What is my house? You know, everybody loves a humble
person. They're not self-seeking. They feel no need for that. They're
not judgmental. They feel unqualified to judge
anybody because they really believe that passage in Romans 2.1. You're
inexcusable whatsoever you judge somebody if you're guilty of
the same thing. Now somebody that says, well, I'm not like
that. At least I don't do this. You
just blind yourself. Really, when it comes right down
to it, somebody in this room is thinking, I don't do all these
things. I mean, there's many things I
don't do. Well, you just are completely ignorant of the state
of your heart. God hadn't taught you the gospel. He hadn't taught
you who you are. Because if he's taught you who
you are, you know that's true about yourself. You can't look
down in moral superiority toward anybody. The humble person doesn't
try to take credit where credit's not due. The humble person is
not easily offended. They can be rebuked and corrected
and profit from it. Now, regarding humility, how
can you think of the Lord and not be humble? Think of his holiness, his absolute
immaculate holiness. Think of his immensity. He's
everywhere at once. You think of his sovereignty,
he's in absolute control of you. You know, when we talk about
the sovereignty of God, he's actually in control of the thoughts that
are going through your mind right now. He's absolutely sovereign
over the free actions of men. I love that. Yes, men do what
they want to do. Whatever you want to do, that's
what you do. And God's completely sovereign over that. Somebody
says, I don't believe that. Well, He's sovereign over that,
too. He's in control of everything. And I love that. I love that.
But when you think of the character of God, His absolute justice,
His power, He's all-powerful. He's got the power to make sure
His will always comes to pass. His immutability, the fact that
he's incapable of change. You think of how many times you
change in an hour. Think of the thoughts that go through your
mind just in an hour's time. He never changes. You think of his
eternality, the fact that he never had a beginning. You think
of the fact that he gave his son for you. How can we be anything
but humbled into the dust, knowing who He is? Look back in 2 Samuel
chapter 7 once again. Look what David said in verse 23. And what one nation in the earth
is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem
for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do
for you great things and terrible for thy land before thy people,
which thou redeemest to thee from Egypt, from the nations
and their gods? Did David believe in sovereign grace? That's pretty
obvious, isn't it? What he says regarding what God
had done for Israel. For thou hast confirmed or appointed
thyself, thy people Israel, to be a people unto thee forever.
For thou, Lord, art become their God. You can't think of his grace
to you, his sovereign, electing, discriminating grace. And he
made a difference between you and other people. If you're saved,
he did something for you he didn't do for somebody else. And your
thought is, why? How come? Now, an unbeliever
hears of sovereign grace and they're upset. Well, how could
that be fair for him to do something for one and pass somebody else
by? And that's because of an inflated
view, a proud view of man. If you really believe that you're
a sinner, you can't possibly respond like that. If you really
believe that what I said about sin, you can't possibly respond. Who am I? Turn with me for a
moment to Colossians 3. I want to look at a few scriptures. Colossians chapter 3, verse 12. Put on therefore as
the elect of God, holy and beloved. Now here's the elect of God's
clothing. Bows of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one
another and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against
any, even as Christ forgave you." Now, you think of Christ's forgiveness
of you. Did he forgive you because you
were sorry? Or because you promised you'd
never do it again? or because you said, I'm going
to turn things around if you'll just, no, no. The only reason
he forgave you is for Christ's sake. Is any other reason needed? No. No, He can fully and freely forgive
you for Christ's sake. And forgive you in such a way
as that sin is not even remembered. It's not even acknowledged because
it's put away. Christ didn't only forgive the sin, He removed
the sin to where there's no reason for anger. Now, you think of
how freely He forgave you. As He forgave you, even so, you
do the same thing. This is the clothing of God's
elect. Did you know that humility clothes
every grace? If you have faith in Christ,
you know it's the gift of God. If you have love, you know it
came from Him. If you have hope, you know it
came from Him. Every doctrine in the Bible calls for humility.
Every doctrine. Why me? When you think of election,
why me? When you think of redemption,
why me? Every doctrine of the Bible is calculated to produce
humility. There isn't any room for pride
anywhere in the gospel that we believe. Turn with me for a moment
to Luke chapter 18. Beginning in verse nine. And
he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that
they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up into
the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
thus with himself, I love the way the Lord adds that. He doesn't
say he prayed to God, he's praying to himself. God, I thank thee,
I give thee the credit that I am not as other men are. A religion of comparison. I'm
comparing myself to somebody else and I look pretty good.
And I'm giving you the credit. It's only by grace. I'm giving
you the credit that I'm not as other men are. Now that's no
different than saying there go I, but for the grace of God,
same thing, same thing. I thank thee that I'm not as
other men are. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers. Which, by the way, he was an
extortioner, he was unjust, and he was an adulterer. He was lying.
He was lying. That's all you can say about
this guy's prayer. It was a lie. Wasn't any truth to it. And he
probably believed this, and it's because he didn't know what sin
was. Anytime you can think of yourself, at least I don't do
this, what you prove by that is you don't know what sin is. You've never really seen who
God is. You've never seen who you are, and your religion's
a sham. This man's religion was a sham, wasn't it? God, I thank
thee that I'm not as other men are. I fast twice in the week,
and I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican,
standing afar off, would not lift up so much his eyes unto
heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me,
thee. sinner. I know it says a sinner
but in the original the definite article is used God be merciful
to me the sinner. Now here's two men completely
polarized and look what the Lord says in verse 14. I tell you
this man went down to his house justified rather than the other The Republican went down to his
house justified. The Pharisee went down to his
house in his sins. And the Lord's the only one who
can make that distinction. And look what he says. Here's the
unalterable law of the kingdom of heaven for everyone that exalts
himself. What? Shall be abased. No doubt about it. You exalt
yourself. God knows how to abase you. And
he's going to do it. Nebuchadnezzar found that out,
didn't he? Them that walk in pride, he knoweth
how to abase. And he always does it. But look
what it says next. He that humbleth himself. You humble yourself under the
mighty hand of God. He's right and I'm wrong. That's about the only way you
can say it. He's right, and I'm wrong. You take sides with God
against yourself. You agree with God. He that humbleth
himself. Humble yourselves under the mighty
hand of God, Peter said, that he may exalt you in due time. You humble yourself, you will
be exalted. God promises that. Oh, the importance
of humility. Can we possibly get a hold of
the importance of this thing? Look in Luke chapter 14, verse
7. And he put forth a parable to
those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out
the chief rooms, saying unto them, when thou art bidden of
any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest
a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. And he that
bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place,
and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when
thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room. And he that
bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, friend, go up higher.
Then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that
said it meet with thee. For whosoever, here's that exact same statement,
whosoever exalts himself shall be abased. And God's the one
that's going to do it too. And whosoever that he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted. Proverbs 18.12 says, pride goes
before destruction and before honor is humility. Turn to Isaiah
57. Isaiah 57. Verse 15. For thus saith the high and lofty
one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in
the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite
and humble spirit. I want to say this reverently,
that's who God hangs out with. That's who God counts as friend.
That's who God dwells with. The high and lofty one who inhabits
eternity dwells with that one who's of a contrite and humble
spirit. Look in Isaiah 66. Thus, verse 1, thus saith the
Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house that you build unto me? And where is the place
of my rest? For of all those things hath
mine hand made, and all those things hath been, saith the Lord.
But to this man will I look. This is the man God pays attention
to with favor and grace, even to him that's poor and of a contrite
spirit. and trembles at my word. Proverbs 13, 10, listen to this. Only by pride cometh contention. Only by pride cometh contention. Micah 6, 8, what does God require
of thee? To do justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God. Now, to do justly. Well, the
only way I can do justly is if I'm justified. It doesn't mean,
well, I always try to do the right thing to do. I always try
to do the right thing. You do not. You do not. Don't say something like that.
That's hypocrisy. The only way you can do justly
is by being justified. When Christ did justly, you did
too. To do justly, to love mercy, I sure enough love mercy, don't
you? Now that, I fit that bill. I love being saved by sheer mercy. And what does God require of
you? To walk humbly with thy God. Two other scriptures real quick.
Ephesians chapter four. Verse one. I therefore, the prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you are called. Now, don't you want to walk worthy?
I do. I want to walk, whatever that
means, I want to walk worthy. What's the first thing he says
when he talks about this worthy walk? What's the first thing
he says? With all lowliness, humility. First thing he mentions when
you walk a worthy walk, worthy of God, worthy of the gospel,
adorning the gospel of God, the first thing he mentions is humility.
Look in Romans chapter 12. I beseech you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through
the grace given unto me to every man that's among you, here's
the first thing he says with regard to this seeing your body
a living sacrifice and so on. I say to every man that's among
you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith. Now may the Lord give us grace
to walk in humility before Him and each other. You have that,
you have a bunch of happy people, don't you? May God give us grace
to do that. Now, I was a little bit disheveled
when I came in, Carol, and I'm so happy to see you. And I talked
to Albert yesterday, and he seemed to be doing well. And we're thankful
for the Lord's mercy and grace on him and that operation. Evidently,
he's doing well. So we're thankful. All right,
dismissed.