February 16th 2020 - Brother Jeremiah Shipley

Humility Is Not Shame

Good morning. If you have your Bibles go ahead and open up to Philippians. We're gonna be in chapter 2. Let's open up in prayer. Father God, we love you. Help us to love you more. God we honor you. Show us how to honor you more Lord.

Lord bless the work of our hands for the work of our hands may bless you. Father the field is ready for the harvest. So Lord let the harvest come. Let us be the laborers the tools in your hands that you use in your name.

I pray. I'm a All right today we're going to be talking about humility. We're gonna be talking about three things when it comes to humility. We come out humility of mind and our own mind we're gonna talk about Humility and others and in other words how we treat talk and deal with others and we're talking about humility before God.

So first of all, we're gonna have to talk about Humility and what that is, but also we're going to talk about what it's not. So we're gonna be in Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 and 4. The first thing we have to understand is that humility is not shame.

Humility is not shame. It is not a Down-looking as if we are bad. And in fact scripture speaks quite the opposite in Hebrews chapter 12 scripture says that Scripture said let us run with endurance. The race that lies before us keeping our eyes on Jesus the source and perfecter of our faith.

Who for the joy that lay before him adhered across and despised the same? People often preach this verse, but I feel like they leave out that last part that that Christ despised the shame. What does that mean?

What does it mean that he despised the shame? We brother Andrew just or had us just read a verse that said that anyone hung on a tree is cursed. That is a shameful thing to do. It is a shameful Act to be hung on a cross naked and beaten and mocked.

This is a shameful disgraceful Dishonorable thing that the God of heaven went through and the shame of that. We will have to face in small part the same and it says that Christ despised the shame and so in the same way We must also despise the shame.

Often time in our lives. I feel like shame will come and try him and put itself in our mind. May that be through friends. Christian friends made that be through. Our own sin our own desires made that be through though.

Sometimes we throw this around too loosely the fiery darts of the enemy because we should not also pretend Ultra-baptist that that doesn't happen. Right, well, let's not also pretend like there's not such thing as spiritual warfare.

Don't swing two way too far one way on the pendulum. So we must also remember that that this shame that comes to in our mind. We must despise it. We must reject it and the question how do you do that?

How do you despise the shame that comes in our life. The shame of doing what is honorable in the face of everybody else the shame of doing what is right when you're alone. No one else is there. The first way you do is by speaking truth into your own life.

You have to speak truth to yourself. Pastor Ben. Pastor Ben talked about this one time and I never forgot it. He really hit home. We're talking about the whenever anxiety depression fear. Insecurities when these things start coming to your mind if you do not speak truth To yourself then it's going to be a perpetual cycle that you're going to go through.

You must speak truth to yourself. You're like, yeah, but you need go get help you need. You won't allow yourself to go and get help if you don't speak truth to yourself first. You won't allow yourself.

Lies seep into your own head and your own lives are always the most deceptive. Your own lives are always the most convincing. Your own lives are always the ones that will take you the farthest and Leave you hung out to dry.

So it is our shame and our lies that we have to speak truth into and recognize first and Without that recognition. The second thing is is should be a little more obvious. Is that after we speak truth, then we must have to act on this truth.

Because according to first John Truth without action. You're just a liar. If you say I love my brother and yet hate them in your heart. Well, then you're just a liar. And you are not a child of God. So let us read verses three and four.

Philippians chapter 2. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit but in humility. Considered others is more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interest, but also the interest of others.

This is almost if you will allow me to make a correlation. This sounds almost like a proverb. It makes one statement and then immediately makes a contradictory statement like instead of this do this, right?

So The opposite of humility if you will is doing something out of selfish ambition and doing things out of conceit so so Flip it around. It's the same thing flip it around. So we must rid ourselves of Selfishness and conceit and consider others as more important than ourselves.

One other thing I want to address before I move on is another way that I believe shame affects us and shame holds us back and that's in worship. That's in worship and let me explain what I mean by that.

Is you'll say something like this you'll say I don't. I don't need to worship right now. Me and God aren't on good terms. I haven't I haven't repented. How can I go before God in worship when when I haven't repented I'm not ready to repent.

I don't. I can't I can't do that right now. First of all that shame lying to you. Second of all, there is no such thing as worship without repentance. Because you have to understand what worship is worship is the recognition of the holiness and greatness of God.

You can't do that without recognizing your own failures in your own sins. You can't look at Isaiah when he stood before the throne of God before the presence of God in chapter 6. He said the first thing he said was what woe is me.

What a man of unclean lips I am. The first thing he said was I'm a man of unclean lips. Before he recognized how good God was. Before he recognized how loving God was how powerful God was. The first thing he recognized was how unworthy he was.

So when when you come in here or in your own time in your own car or whatever of worship. There's no way. Not in my mind. There's no way you can worship without repentance. In my mind, that's impossible.

It's impossible to truly worship this Holy God and not repent. She's trying to worship. Okay. Moving forward. We also have to think about humility before others. So the first one is humility in our own mind and That includes recognizing the shame that comes that includes recognizing false humility.

Which is shame that recognizing that not allowing that to to speak lies into our life. Let's rather we have to speak truth. Right. The second thing is humility before others. See it says value others as more important than yourselves.

This does not mean. Or this does mean putting their needs above mine. This does not mean that your needs aren't important though. This is another attribute of shame that we want to talk about is that sometimes humility means oh, well, I'm not important.

What's up, you okay? Yeah, I'm good. Don't worry about it's not important. No, no, no, no. No, no, no, no. We want to say well, don't worry about me. My problems aren't important. Go help someone else.

What I'm going through in my life that's not important. No big deal go help someone else. That's false humility. You are not being humble there. That is not humility. Humility is more of hey, I am struggling.

Um, I need help. That that's humility. It's not putting yourself down. It's putting others first. Scripture says the last shall become first that doesn't mean last by sitting there and doing nothing. Let everyone walk over you.

That that's not putting yourself last. That's not how that works. Putting yourself last means as I'm walking forward. I'm gonna push everyone else ahead. It's not putting myself last if I just sit here and do nothing and let others walk ahead and walk over me.

Then what fruit am I bringing to the kingdom? What good for the kingdom am I doing? It's selfish there because the only thing you're worried about is yourself. The only thing you can do is yourself if I sit here and my own pain.

Then how can I help you with yours? See it's not about us. I tell the youth all the time. They don't like hearing it. I say what you want does not matter. What you want is irrelevant. And guess what what I want Really doesn't matter.

It really doesn't it's Irrelevant like 95 of the time it just doesn't matter. Because if we did what we wanted all the two what we wanted to all the time, then we wouldn't have a job. We wouldn't have a job.

We wouldn't have very good marriages or kids or parents. We wouldn't have very good friendships. Right if we did what we wanted to all the time our life would be a sham. But for some reason when we apply this to God, we want to ignore that and put that to the side we treat the tangible as of a reality while we treat the holiness of God as it as A falsehood as as something that's intangible.

And so we're just not going to treat it real. Is it not create the most Intangible thing though is the most real thing. The truest thing is the thing that's above us. So we have to remember this speak truth into our lives and reckon this that recognize that and put that into action.

The next thing is we have to remember that. It's about submitting our own lives. John 15 13 says this. Greater love of no man than this when the man lays down his life for his friend. You cannot do that value valuing your life above someone else's.

If you value your life so much, how can you lay it down? Christ is that's what Christ did for us. He laid his life down for us not because he valued his life so much because he valued ours. He valued our life that much.

So that we could come to him. So the question here is how much do you value your life? And the second part is how much are you valuing someone else's not that you're putting yourself down, but that you're raising others up.

We had a meet-and-greet time in here. How many strangers did you go greet? There's a brother right back there. How many people know his name? Third row glasses. He's been coming here on Sunday nights and a couple Wednesday nights Tuesdays and Thursdays name is brother Steve.

How many people know that because you value your time. You value your time and your opinion above everyone else's. You know, it's crazy. You don't know what someone else is going through. You really don't let me tell you the story.

I was at I Was at the BCM which is the University of Memphis Baptist collegiate ministry and this dude would just walked around like Eeyore. I mean he was just walking around like this depressed dude and like I just walked up to my say Hey, man, how you doing?

Good to see you. You know, whatever. Not even thinking anything of it and he just looked at me said Thank you so much, man. And I'm just like like whatever like I Got him. Whatever. Like I just said hi to you.

But for me, I realized then I was like man. Some people don't get encouragement. I Told that story to a brother of mine and he told me said before I came to this church. I never got encouragement. He said my family didn't encourage me.

My brothers. They only dogged me. They didn't encourage me. He said my friends. They didn't encourage. I never got actual encouraged. I'm like, hey, you're doing good. Keep going and that just kind of took me back it's like how often do we take for granted what we have and Then because we take it for granted.

We're not willing to share it with others. Right because we take for granted. We don't focus on we assume that everyone else has it. We assume that everyone else gets it. We assume that everyone else understands they don't.

They don't. I think it's hilarious some of the greatest critics of Christianity are the ones who know nothing about it. And so sometimes we criticize others and or assume that they know something. We know nothing about them.

We know nothing about them. We assume because they have this or they have that that they got it together. They have a lot of money. So they're good. They don't have a lot of money. They're bad. That's not how that works.

Ladies and gentlemen That is not how that works. At all. I I know a Counselor who works for Lakeside and has her own practice on the side. She's my number one customer is straight white males. That's my number one customer.

Straight white males. She said because they are the biggest ones who will hide it and cover it up and go and buy a whole bunch of stuff. And fool everyone else, but inside they're dead. She's not even a Christian she's not even a Christian and She recognizes this.

Humility is not putting up the facade. Ladies and gentlemen humility is bringing it down and showing your scars. And note the difference between a scar and a wound. A wound means you're still hurting.

A scar means you're healed. Don't be scared to show a scar. A scar means there's been healing. A Scar means hey, look, I made it through. A Wound means I'm still dealing with it and healing. Know the difference and don't never be ashamed to show either but especially a scar because that's a victory of Jesus Christ.

Humility Before God, Vulnerability, and Submission to His Will

All right, let's moving on which so we have humility of the mind and ourselves talking about shame and false humility. We have humility before others talking about laying your life down putting them ahead.

It's not about us sitting around and letting others walk over but it's about pushing them ahead, right? It's not about thinking of ourselves less but thinking of less of ourselves. Right. So humility before others last one is humility before God will be done.

Humility requires vulnerability though. Humility requires vulnerability. Insecurity and vulnerability are opposites. The two cannot the two cannot take up the same space. If you're insecure, I guarantee you you are not being vulnerable.

There are two people you have to be vulnerable for number one vulnerable for God and number two vulnerable for others. You have to be vulnerable for God and you have to be vulnerable for others, let me explain.

My favorite example of this is babies. Kids children, I don't think that there's a better Visual of us to God than a father or mother to a baby. Because if you really are true with yourself, we are so helpless.

We are so hurting we are so in need. Just like a baby is to the father to the mother. It is insane to me that Ava will do something stupid. Josiah will come over and spank the mess out of her. She starts immediately.

Crying and screaming and what's her first reaction? To run right back to the dad who spanked her and have him hold her. Is it is that not insane? That the father who just punished me and hurt me both a physical.

Emotional. I'm now gonna run and cling to that person for my security. That's being vulnerable and that's what we must do with God. That's being vulnerable. It's not hiding away when the Lord comes and speaks to you.

Sometimes he. Sometimes the Lord will put pain in your life. To turn you back to him and let me and let me qualify it like this. If he didn't put that pain in your life, how far would you have kept on walking for you realize?

How far would you keep on going on your own track on your own path and Not turned around if that pain that hurt that the tragedy whatever had not come into your life. There's no telling. There's no telling you to gone on forever.

Because the pastor always says sin will take you farther than you don't want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay. So sometimes things come in our lives to make us realize and turn around. So we can go back to him.

That's a blessing. When that happens though, your response is key. Do you get angry and bitter towards God? Do you accept his learning and keep going? Do you accept the teaching and keep going? I learned this not too long ago.

Pastor Jeff taught this and I don't know probably none of you remember you remember. That the gospel is the story of the disciples going on the water and facing the storm that happened twice. That happened in two different accounts because they didn't learn the lesson the first time.

They didn't learn the lesson the first time so God said fun. We'll try again. We'll try again. The first time they did it Jesus calmed the storms. This is what the disciples said they said. What kind of man is this who can control the wind and the waves?

The second time they did it. It says they fell down in fear and worship and they said truly you're the Son of God. Now you understand. Now you understand first you said what kind of man is this second time?

It was the recognition of truly truly. This is the Son of God. So when you come to that place in your life. Your response is vital and key that you have to humble yourself before God and become vulnerable.

Before God you have to come to him in your deepest darkest times. If you don't set a time aside to for prayer with God, then how can you be vulnerable for God? You have to set a time aside and you have to come to him and Allow yourself to be vulnerable.

Sometimes you'll say this why do my white home this. God already knows of this. But he wants to hear it from you. God already knows my sins here. He knows my problems. It doesn't matter. He wants to hear it from your mouth.

How many times when you're in trouble with your parents, but they still wanted to hear from you. It didn't matter that they already knew he still wants to hear it from you. Because that's a personal relationship.

Relationship it's a personal relationship. How often do you go to God. Don't use the dumb excuse of what he already knows. No. It doesn't work like that. The second thing is you have to be vulnerable for others.

You have to be vulnerable for your brother sister in Christ without that. There can't be healing guys. Confess your faults one to another so that you may be healed. Without confession to one another how much healing do you expect to get?

You confess with your faults one to another. Healing will come. You don't confess your faults one to another. Wisdom and the counsel of many. God made the church for a reason you come here on Sundays and then you don't use it for the reason God made it.

Use this as a social club. As a place to hang out. Not as a place to get accountability and wisdom and guidance and health and stability and security. So when you don't be vulnerable for the people of God, you don't get wisdom guidance stability.

You know, you don't get accountability. You don't. You don't get these things as pastor says the church is God's plan a for reaching the world and Sanctification of his people. He doesn't have a plan B.

He doesn't have a plan B. It's the same reason why you shouldn't say well, I'm praying on the lake. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go on vacation this week and I'm gonna go to Nashville or st. Louis and I'll do my worship time on the road.

It's not the same. It's not the same and don't try to lie to yourself and definitely don't try and lie to me and tell me it's the same. Cuz it's not. It's not. You're not allowing yourself to be vulnerable before the people of God.

You're not allowing that. You must allow that so you have to be vulnerable for God. You have to be vulnerable for people. Last point will be done. You have to be Humble to the will of God and Submission of God's will.

So two things here. We're gonna read in Philippians chapter 2. Starting in verse 5. So just next verse down. Adopt the same attitude that of Christ Jesus. Who existing in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited?

Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant taking on the likeness of man and When he had become a man He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even a death on a cross.

You have to humble yourself to obedience now. We'll have another sermon will become a more in obedience later. But you have to be humble enough to even allow yourself to obey. Because if you think in your mind that you know, what's best you will never obey the Word of God.

You will never submit yourself to the will of God if you think you know, what's right? You can try it your way or you can try it God's way. You've been trying it your way for how long now. How do you try something else?

You've been trying it your way for 15 20 25 years. How do you give God's way a try? Just give a try see what happens. Tell me if I'm wrong. You submit everything you have to the will of God and you tell me how that works out.

The God of you of the universe came down became a man and humbled himself. To obedience to even to death pastor preached last week revelation 1211. And we'll overcome by the blood of the lamb the word of our testimony and we loved not our lives.

Even to death and we love not our lives even to death. That's obedience. That's humility. That's not my life as much as I value the will of God. That's not valuing my life more than I value the Word of God.

Last thing that will be done is submission to God. Brother Andrew go ahead and come on up. Y 'all don't have to turn there, but Daniel chapter 3. Daniel chapter 3 Shadrach Meshach and you know Abednego or however you want to pronounce it.

They're all they're all about to be thrown into the fire. Y 'all folks real quick last thing they're about to be thrown into the fire. And this is what they look they look at King Nebuchadnezzar the man who holds their life in their hands.

And they say hey King. We just want you to know this that we know that our God has the power to save us from your hand and bring us to life afterwards. But even if he doesn't We still will not worship you see that's a submission a humility to submission that's Far beyond what we know we have to understand that and reach that.

It's that hey. Even if God doesn't save me even if God doesn't heal me. Even if God doesn't bring me out of this pain, even if God doesn't heal my marriage. Even if God does even it I will still choose to serve him.

I will still choose to worship him. I will still choose to praise him. I will still choose to follow him and all things. That your life circumstance is irrelevant to what your action should be. Because what you want doesn't matter.

Your life circumstance is completely Irrelevant to what we should say and do. It's completely irrelevant. So as brother Andrews about the saying you need to ask yourself what humility do you need today?

If you say well, I'm good. All right. Well, you're just gonna sit there and worship. Are you gonna repent during that worship? Because if you're not then there's probably not any real worship there. Are you being vulnerable before God?

Are you being vulnerable for his people? If not now's a good time to do that because I wouldn't suggest trying to do it later. We're not promised later. What I promise I mean is this ain't a scare take me that's just how it is.

We're not promised. What is it you need to do today. We all have some step we need to take what's yours now is the time to do that.