[1] Unshakeable Hope 5 ~ God Gives Grace to the Humble 1 Peter 5:5 and Daniel 4

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1 [1] Unshakeable Hope 5 ~ God Gives Grace to the Humble 1 Peter 5:5 and Daniel 4 Couple in 90 s having trouble remembering things. Went to the dr. really you re fine you just need to practice some good habits of writing things down so you won t forget. Later night watching TV, husband said honey I m going to fix a bowl of ice cream, would you like some? She said I d love a bowl of ice cream.. You better write it down so you won t forget. I won t forget. I d like strawberries on it. Why don t you just write that down so you won t forget. I won t forget. I d like some whipping cream too. I can do that. You better write that down. I won t forget. He went into the kitchen and doesn t come out for 30 minutes. When he finally emerges he has a plate and on the plate are bacon and eggs. He presents it to his wife. She just shook her head and said I knew you d forget. Where is my toast? We are doing our best not to forget the great and precious promises of God as we continue our series Unshakeable Hope: Building Our Lives on the Promises of God. There are over 7,000 promises of God in the Bible and this fall we are focusing on just a few of them to help anchor our lives in a stormy world. Today we are continuing with our fifth promise found in [2] 1 Peter 5:5: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (NKJV). I heard Max Lucado share a story that reminded him of this promise. Lucado would often go to a lake cabin to finish his books. He would get up early and work all day usually taking a break for either breakfast or lunch to go into town and eat at a local café. On one occasion he noticed as he walked into the restaurant that people were looking at him. Two gentlemen turned to look at him, one woman just stared at him as he walked by, a wife caught her husband s attention and pointed at him. Lucado realized he was getting a lot of attention and came to the conclusion that these people must be readers of his books and recognize him from the 1

2 cover photo. While he was eating he started thinking about how people might ask for his autograph and request a photo to put up on the wall right next to George Bush who had also eaten at the restaurant. After he at his meal and headed to the cashier to pay, he again noticed everyone was looking at him. sso, he waved at everyone. It was only as he stepped into the restroom before leaving that he realized why everyone was looking at him his chin was covered in blood. Apparently he had nicked himself shaving that morning and didn t realize it. As a result it looked like he d been in a fight in the back alley no wonder everyone was looking at him. Oh, the things God does to keep us humble. i The Bible teaches us that God has strong feelings about pride and arrogance. The Bible has God saying in [3] Proverbs 8:13 I hate pride and arrogance (NLT). In Philippians 2:3, Paul urges: Don t do anything only to get ahead. Don t do it because you are proud. Instead, be humble. (NIRV) And our verse for today, 1 Peter 5:5: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (NKJV) The problem with pride is that it causes us to reject God s rightful place in our lives which leads to devastating consequences. 1. Satan s pride caused him to rebel against God and be cast out of heaven (see Isaiah 14:14; Ezekiel 28:17). 2. Adam and Eve s desire to be like God plunged the world and human race into sin (see Genesis 3:5, 14 19, 24). 3. In Proverbs 16:18, we read, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall (NIV). One of the greatest examples of the negative effects of pride and its consequences is found in the story of King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of a mighty empire. During his rule, greater Babylon s population reached as high as half a million people. ii 2

3 [4] Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Jerusalem and carried thousands of God s people into captivity. Among his captives were four Jewish young men named Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In Daniel chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar had a 90 foot tall golden statue made of himself and then demanded that everyone bow down and worship him. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a fiery furnace. God saved them and Nebuchadnezzar was amazed by this but it didn t change his attitude, he didn t humble himself. God warned Nebuchadnezzar in a dream and through Daniel s interpretation of the dream that judgment was coming to him. God sent at least three messages to warn him, but Nebuchadnezzar refused to listen. [5] Nebuchadnezzar was transformed into an animal like creature who ate grass for seven years before he finally repented and confessed that God is able to humble the proud. When the mighty fall, the fall is mighty. One minute Neb was at the peak of power; the next he was banished like a caged creature. We are left with this lesson: God hates pride. [6]God resists the proud because the proud resist God. God detests what pride does to his creation. Pride causes us to want to be king of the hill, and our lives become all about us. We forget we re needy creatures who are dependent on God for our very lives. Exhibiting humility places God in his rightful place in our lives and positions us to receive his grace. It took seven years, but King Nebuchadnezzar [finally] learned this lesson. God gives grace to the humble because the humble are hungry for grace. iii Humility allows us to do what pride will not and that is confess our need for God and receive God s grace. Pride hardens the heart and keeps us from a relationship with God. Humility acknowledges our total dependence on God and opens the way for us to be in relationship with God and to receive God s grace. 3

4 So how do we cultivate humility? Here are a few tips from God iv. [7] First, we need to assess ourselves honestly. Humility is not the same as low self-esteem. Being humble doesn t mean you don t think highly of yourself, but that you think rightly about yourself. Romans 12:3 instructs: Don t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. We need to assess ourselves honestly not wondering what are other people thinking of me? But more important, What is God thinking about me? The first question will lead us to pride, but the second question will lead us to humility. The Bible almost from cover to cover declares, God is thinking of you with love, with a deep desire to be with you, and with the power to change your life into what he designed it to be. [8] Second, don t take success too seriously. Deuteronomy 8 warns Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up make sure you don t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God [and all God has done for you]... If you start thinking to yourselves, I did all this. And all by myself. I m rich. It s all mine! well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this. (Deuteronomy 8:11-16 MSG) Ecclesiastes 5:15 reminds us We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can t take our riches with us. (NLT) We must remember the brevity of life and the frailty of success. [9] Third, celebrate the significance of others. Philippians 2:3-4 teaches Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 4

5 A little boy came home from school one day and told his mother he tried out for the school play and got a very important part. He was chosen to sit in the audience and clap and cheer. If you are called to do that for someone else, be grateful. [10] Fourth, don t demand your own parking place. Jesus said in Luke 14:10-11 Instead, take the lowest place for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (NLT) Demanding respect is like chasing a butterfly you ll never catch it. But sit still and it will come to you. Proverbs 27:2 gives this wisdom: Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth. (NLT). [11] Fifth, never announce your success before it occurs. As one king said, a warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won. (I Kings 20:11 NLT) [12] Sixth, speak humbly. In first Samuel 2:3 Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don t speak with such arrogance! (NLT) In other words, don t be cocky. [13] Finally, as Galatians 6:14 reminds us, never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT) Don t brag about who you know or what you ve done, brag instead about the make of the stars, the ruler of the universe. Live at the foot of the cross. When you approach life from this perspective it becomes easier to set aside pride and develop an attitude of humility. [14] What wreckage has pride produced in your life? What areas of pride do you need to acknowledge and confess? Pride shipwrecks the soul. So confess your pride and take your place under God s gracious care. The pathway of humility is the pathway of grace. 5

6 i Max Lucado, Grace for the Humble February 4, ii Mark Mayberry, The City of Babylon, Truth Magazine, February 17, 2000, iii Max Lucado and Andrea Lucado, Praying the Promises: Anchor your life to unshakeable hope (Nasvhille: Thomas Nelson, 2018), 67. iv iv Max Lucado, Grace for the Humble February 4,