A Life of Reverent Humility Before God — Jeremy Utley

Turn with me please to Isaiah chapter 52. I'd like to continue in the spirit of the song we just saying, I don't know if you've thought much about those words that we saying, but I would encourage you to think about what you just saying to the Lord what we just saying together.

We'll wish we had given him more. Do you believe that. Hopefully. Hopefully you do. Hopefully I do, but to me, what should be one of the marks of my life if I believe in the light of his face when I see him.

Reverent Humility Before the Exalted Christ

I wish that I had given him more I think one defining mark that that's true for me in my life is that my life will be characterized by a reverent humility, that there'd be a reverent humility that marks my life and that's what I wanted to talk a little bit about today I really appreciate that song choice, because I feel that that's it's so important to really let that message grab ahold of our hearts that when we see him.

Well wish we had given him more. I believe that's true. If you look with me as I said at Isaiah chapter 52. And if you look at the, this this truth came home to my heart as I was reading the Bible recently.

Verse 13. It's speaking here about the final day, maybe that day in the light of that heavenly place. And it's speaking here about what the response of kings is going to be when they see Jesus Christ highly exalted.

It says in verse 13 Isaiah 52 verse 13 behold my servant will prosper. He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted, just as many were astonished at you my people so his appearance was marred more than any man and his form, more than the sons of men.

Thus, he will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of him for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand. And I was blessed to see it says here kings will shut their mouths when they see the manifold wisdom of God revealed, because it says he's going to be high and lifted up he's going to be exalted.

And I can imagine that the kings of the earth say well how did he get there. And there's an unfortunate chapter division I think his brother Zach has often told us the chapter divisions are put there much later, but the kings of the earth might say how did he get there then look with me in Isaiah 53 verse one, who is believed our message to whom is the arm of the Lord been revealed.

How did he become high and lifted up. He grew up like a tender shoot before his father, like a root out of parched ground he had no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

And I was blessed to see it's unfathomable to think about it but how did he get to the point that he was high and lifted up, it says here, he grew up, it sounds crazy. God grew up, Jesus Christ grew up, and not like some majestic thing either it says in my margin, a tender shoots a suckling hardly noticeable easily snuffed out.

Imagine how vulnerable that life there was in the manger when Jesus came to the earth. He grew up before him, the one who's highly exalted. And that's what it says in Philippians two for this reason God highly exalted him why, because he humbled himself.

And it's incredible to see. I can imagine the kings of the earth as they stand there on in the light of that heavenly place saying, wait, what this one who's highly exalted he grew up like a tender shoot.

And I think that the prophet would say yes. Yeah, he had no visible specialness of any kind. That's why you passed him by. That's what I see here. The kings of the earth are going to shut their mouths on account of him and I see the prophet saying that's why you passed him by.

I believe that kings of the earth will marvel at the manifold wisdom of God it says in First Corinthians chapter one, and verse 27, God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and it's easy I don't know about you but for me as I read this I say, what stupid kings, what silly kings, you know that we can scoff because we have come to appreciate Christ in a certain measure.

How could they miss him. Do you think that those kings are gonna marvel, those kings are going to shut their mouths, but I was challenged to see. I don't know if you notice but it shifts the language shifts, it shifts from saying kings will shut their mouths to we.

The prophet continues. That's, he doesn't just say that's why you kings of the earth passed him by. He says he had no stately former majesty that we should look upon him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken a man of stars. He was despised and we not the kings of the earth. We did not esteem him. And it struck me that shift from thinking of course the kings of the earth miss him to thinking.

I missed him. I would pass him by. It says in john chapter one that he came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. And we can think he came to the earth and the wise and exalted ones of the earth did not receive him.

But it says here he was despised and we did not esteem him and what I took to my heart was a warning of the Lord he said, Jeremy you think that if you were there at the cross you would have picked up the towel.

You think you'd be wiping my brow. You think what a shame these Romans crucified him or what a shame that people left the scene of the cross, beating their breasts as it says, or what a shame that the disciples fled.

You do the same thing. You're no different. And the Lord challenged me. Don't kid myself with thoughts about how could they how could those people neglect him. I need to see. I am the one who crucified the Lord.

I neglected him. Don't lie to myself he was despised and I did not esteem him. And this, this whole Isaiah 52 and 53 passage has a very different tenor. If I think it's the kings of the earth who didn't esteem him.

I have one attitude. If I see by and by. When I look on his face. I'll wish I'd given him more. It's not, it's, I think is new covenant disciples we have to be very very careful not to have some haughty attitude.

Yeah, the people of this world, don't esteem Jesus Christ. I didn't esteem him. We have to make it personal. I did not esteem him he was despised. And we need a revelation. That's what stood out to me.

It's not just the kings of the earth who are going to shut their mouths on account of him. What had not been told them they will see, I believe. One day, I will shut my mouth on account of what had not been told to me.

All the understanding that I did not have. And to me what it spoke to me was, I need reverent humility before God. I need to really see it's not someone else who neglected Jesus. I neglected Jesus. And even today, he comes to me.

And I esteem him not as it says, I despise I forsake. I have to see that the, the biggest problem is me, not the Romans, not the disciples who fled not the people who are there who beat their breasts, not the women who looked upon impotently me.

I'm the biggest problem. And if I really see that if I really take the song that we sang to heart. It'll produce a humility in my life a reverent humility Lord it's me. The problem is with no one else the problem is with me.

Reverent Humility Applied to Trials, Love, and Scripture

And I wanted to speak about just three areas where I feel the Lord was challenging me to make it practical. How do I make reverent humility. The mark of my life, practically speaking, and three areas that I feel the Lord was encouraging me to remember where trials is one to how I view God's love.

And three, how I think of God's word, and I want to speak about each of those things very briefly, reverent humility will be practical will be made practical in my life by how I look at trials, how I look at God's love and how I look at God's word.

Trials as a Privilege Rather Than an Entitlement

And what I'd say about trials is we have in our natural man a very very deep seated sense of fairness. And I say that as an eldest child, every oldest child in any family if you want to know, for example in my house growing up if you wanted to know how many cinnamon rolls, the middle child had you know who to ask as the eldest.

I could tell you down to two decimal places, how many cinnamon roll as everybody had had out of the pan, and by the looks on people's faces, who was most likely to give up their extra if I asked them nicely and at what time right.

The eldest always has this very deeply ingrained sense of fairness. And I think it's part of our lives that and we can our outlook towards God can be affected by our sense of fairness, we can think, especially in regards to trials this isn't fair.

It's not fair. And what it spoke to me is if I have if my life is characterized by reverent humility, practically speaking, I'll stop having an attitude of entitlement that says, I don't deserve this trial.

And I'll start having an attitude. I'll start looking at trials with a sense of privilege. I want you to look with me please at First Peter chapter two. It's an incredible verse. Verse 19. It says this finds favor or grace.

If for the sake of conscience towards God a person bears up under sorrows, when suffering, even unjustly. What credit is there if when you are if you when you said and are treated harshly you endure it with patience.

But if when you do what is right and you suffer for it. This finds favor with God and then he says, you've been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you. And he left you an example for you to follow in his steps, he committed no sin.

And nor was any deceit found in his mouth, yet he was reviled. And we can think how can this thing happen to me how can this great injustice happen to me. And what it reveals is we misunderstand the gospel, you know, you know, people who don't know the Lord.

Yet, they see you know how can good people suffer, and it shows it belies a misunderstanding about the seriousness of sin seriousness of sin, they haven't seen how sin totally breaks broke the world, everything in the world is broken because of sin.

But soulish Christians can interact with trials and say, this isn't what I signed up for. I, in so far as we view trials with a sense of this is unfair what what it reveals is we've got the wrong gospel.

We thought we had a gospel that said we were exempted from difficulty, but the gospel we've been given for sincere Christians is to say, you know what's unfair. I can't believe I get to follow in Jesus footsteps.

He left me this example. And I get I have the privilege of manifesting the life of Jesus Christ me a violent aggressor me a blasphemer. I shouldn't get to imitate Jesus Christ. I shouldn't get to part momentary light afflictions produced for me an eternal weight of glory, who am I.

You see how that sense of unfairness changes from entitlement to it's a privilege to suffer. It says in Hebrews 13 that you joyfully accepted the seizure of your property. What attitude did those disciples have towards difficulty it wasn't the thought that they should never have faced difficulty it was, it's a privilege to be counted worthy that's what it says in the book of Acts, they rejoice that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Lord's sake.

And if we want to have reverent humility mark our lives a practical outworking of that is we stop thinking in terms of entitlement, and we start thinking in terms of, I want to glorify the Lord every single area of my life.

And if he's appointed this trial. It's because he sees it's a way that Jesus Christ can be exalted. I don't want to miss that opportunity. Jesus said in Matthew chapter five in the Sermon on the Mount, verse 11 blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you rejoice and be glad.

Do I have that sense of reverent wonder, who am I that I could have rewards in heaven. I who deserve hell. There's nothing fair about the gospel and eldest children, especially if you're an oldest child.

One thing you have to remember is the gospel is not fair, and you don't want it to be fair. It's the most unfair thing in the world. Praise God for the unfairness of the gospel. That's the first area.

God's Love Reveals God's Worth, Not Ours

Reverent humility redefines our sense of fairness and our sense of how we view trials. But the second thing is reverent humility sees God's love differently. What I'm trying to describe just to make sure that everybody's tracking with me is what is reverent humility look like practically in our lives, practically.

If you turn with me please to First Timothy chapter one. We start seeing God's love differently. If you look with me at verse 16. This is what Paul says for this reason I found mercy, so that in me is the foremost Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him.

So why did God show us his love and we can see Paul as an example. Why does God show us his love. It doesn't have anything to do with us. It has everything to do with God. He wanted to demonstrate his perfect patience you know he chose the most unlovely, let me ask you a question children.

If you if you heard one of you know one of the brothers in the church or someone out of the park say, I'm the strongest man in the world. And you said really prove it to me and they said watch this. I can take this phone and lift it over my head.

What would you say, would you say wow they're so strong. No, you'd say you have to lift up something heavy, right. You don't prove you're strong by lifting something light. This doesn't show I'm strong.

In the same way, how does God prove his love by choosing that which is lovable and saying look I'm so loving, that'd be like God lifting a phone saying he's strong. No, he chooses that which is the most unlovable.

For this reason I was shown mercy, so that in me the chief of sinners, not that I'd be shown to be so lovable, but that God could demonstrate his perfect patience, and in the world today, I hear so much Christian music talking about God's love but you know what it's all about.

It's all about the singer. It's almost as if singers are saying, I'm so lovely, I'm so lovable, I'm so great, and God loves me because I'm just wonderful. That is not why God loves us. God loves us because we're totally unlovable.

And he demonstrates his perfect strength by loving that which is unlovable. And if we have this view of God's love that puffs us up, we're not humble. Every time we're reminded of God's love, you know what it should do?

It should lift him up. We should go, are you serious? You love me? Unfathomable. You must be so loving. It's meant to exalt him. And insofar as God's love exalts us, we're proud. And practically speaking, what humility looks like is every time I hear a message about God's love, it exalts him.

And it puts me where I need to be, which is at his feet. Look with me at Ezekiel chapter 36. There's this amazing verse that speaks of the new covenant in Ezekiel 36. Verse that we love. We love to mention it.

If you look with me at verse 25. It's a new covenant promise in Ezekiel 36 verse 25. The Lord says, then I'm going to sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. And I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I'll put my spirit within you. I will cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances.

This is an incredible example of the new covenant promise. I mean, look, can we get a better description of the new covenant? You go, why, Lord? Why would you do this? Is it because I'm so lovable? Is it because I deserve it?

Twice the Lord answers that question in this same passage. Why is the Lord going to do this? Look with me at before and after. He tells us why. Ezekiel 36 verse 22 says, therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord, it's not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I'm about to act, but for my holy name.

And then again, if you look just after this amazing new covenant promise in verse 32, he says again, I'm not doing this for your sake, declares the Lord. Let it be known to you. What should God's love tell us about?

It must tell us about him. Doesn't tell us about us. It tells us about him. And reverent humility, practically speaking, always sees God's incredible love as a reflection of his worth, not as a reflection of our own worth.

And the current that's out there today that's trying to build us up, saying you're worth it, you're whatever, don't listen to it, disciple. Jesus Christ is worthy. And the fact that he loves us should demonstrate how much more loving and strong, like a super man lifting thousands and thousands of weight overhead.

We should say, it's impossible to love me. If we hear any of these songs and think anything other than, it's totally impossible to love me. Something of the spirit of this age has gotten into us. And we need reverent humility to come and flood our hearts.

I'll wish I had given him more. I won't say, wow, you're so lucky to have me. I'll say, I can't believe you chose me. You must have wanted to demonstrate patience beyond what anybody else could have imagined, Lord.

Thank you. The last area that I wanted to mention, practically speaking, is reverent humility has to acknowledge my absolute need in regard to God's word for him to remind me of his word. We'd spent a lot of time focusing on memorizing God's word in our church and in our homes.

Dependence on God to Remember and Understand His Word

Hopefully we're talking, hopefully parents were obeying God's word, which says, talk about it when you walk on the road and put it on your doorpost, right? We're talking about God's word. Have I seen, I am totally helpless to remember God's word unless he reminds me.

And my memorization plan is useless unless the Holy Spirit brings his word to my mind in the moment I need it. Look with me, please, at Luke chapter 22. This is the scene where Peter is broken over having denied Jesus.

Children, you probably know the answer to this question. What reminded Peter that Jesus said he was going to deny him? You remember? He's at the fire and three times he says, I don't know this man. And then what happens?

Yes, a rooster crows. Yes, that's what one of the children said, a rooster crows. Jesus told him a cock will crow three times. Look with me and see, is that what reminded Peter? Luke chapter 22, verse 60.

Peter said, man, I don't know what you're talking about. Immediately while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had told him.

Did the rooster remind Peter? To me, what blessed me to see, no. Jesus looked at him. And when Jesus looked at him, Peter remembered his word. And I want to conduct myself with that reverent humility.

It doesn't matter how many verses I've memorized, Lord, if you don't look at me and remind me of the word which you've spoken, I won't, even if you give me all the signs, rooster can crow, it won't do me any good unless you look at me, Lord.

We can see even just another, go to Luke chapter 24. My memory is dependent upon Jesus' initiative even. And I think it's really important, by the way, because we can take a command like, for example, take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.

And we can say, okay, now I'm going to do it. I'm going to take every thought captive. I don't know if you've struggled with that or if you've taken that verse seriously, but as I have, you know what I realize?

My thoughts run rampant unless what? Jesus Christ looks at me and reminds me of his word. And when he says, hey, take that thought captive, then I do it. If he doesn't remind me, I don't take any thoughts captive.

And I praise God that it's that way because he gets all in heaven. Anytime I've obeyed that command, you know who gets the credit for it? He does because everyone's going to see. Yep, he reminded Jeremy again.

What credit do I get? It's all his doing. And I saw in Luke chapter 24, it says on the road to Emmaus, if you look with me at verse 16, it says their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. These are two disciples who are walking.

And Jesus joined them, but they didn't see. And then if you look with me at verse 31, and we can see that's kind of the state of the natural man. In our natural man, we're incapable of seeing Jesus Christ.

Their eyes were prevented and our eyes were too once. But then in verse 31, it says their eyes were opened in the breaking of bread, and they recognized him. And we can see that as the first work of grace of God, that he opens our eyes.

But what's amazing to me is go down to verse 45. 14 verses later, Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures. Hang on, 14 verses ago, didn't the Lord open their eyes? Not enough. He had to open their minds to understand the scriptures again.

And these same men, you know what happened? The Holy Spirit had to come upon them and he opened their eyes again. And what I see here is simple. It's a simple point. Even after having seen Jesus and recognized him, I still have a need of his eye-opening power.

He has to open my eyes to see his word again, again, and again, and again. So these are just three simple areas. I started out by saying our lives should be marked by reverent humility, just like we sang, Lord, when I get to heaven, I'm not going to look around at the kings of the earth and go, these guys should have known.

I'm going to say, I didn't even know. I wish I had given him more. That reverent humility should mark my life. And three areas, at least for me, the Lord's been reminding me are, get rid of an attitude of longing for fairness in trials.

Your entire life in salvation is totally unfair. Praise God for it. Rejoice that you can be counted worthy to suffer. He left you an example to walk in his footsteps. Second, whenever I consider his love, let it speak much of him, not of me.

His love says nothing about me. It says everything about him. And third, when I think about his word, even when I seek to memorize his word, memorize it with all humility, recognizing if he doesn't remind me, I won't remember.

And even if I do remember, it'll just be a work of the flesh. He's the one who has to look and stir and open my eyes and open my heart again and again and again. I want that reverent sense of total dependence, total leaning on the Lord.

The Lord gets all the credit for it, 100%. I get 0 credit. Lord, I want that to be my life. May God help me. May he help us all conduct ourselves with that humility for all of our days.