Be Humble or You'll Stumble

It was pride that took Lucifer out of heaven. It was pride that took Adam out of Paradise. It was pride that took Saul, King Saul, first king of Israel out of the kingdom which provide significant hazard, king of Babylon out of Babylonian society was pride payment out of the Persian court was pride that changed Angels and Demons. It is pride that changes friends into enemies. Pride ruins everything. Here's what pride is the cancer of the soul walking in humility isn't always easy but it opens the door for hope to fill your life that we continue our counter of Skip's top 40 messages, connect with Skip Heitzigs of you to check the number 39 the message be humble. Skip looks at how Christ humility led him to the cross into your eternal hope before we begin, we want to let you know about an amazing opportunity you have to visit the sites with the prophets and kings of the Bible from God and his pipeline you are taking a trip to Israel in 2022 90 on the journey.

Nazareth, the Jordan River including the Temple Mount in the car and that's just a quick look at the trend. Find out more about the trip.

Inspiration Chris.com/CA Q okay were in Philippians chapter 2 Skip Heitzigs extorts today's five guys on an airplane small alert crafters preacher. There was a doctor, a lawyer in the pilot so the flying this little private airplane and in midway in the flight some problems happen. The pilot shouts back Mayday Mayday displays going down. As you can tell there's five passengers aboard, but we only have four parachutes so you guys decide to stand, but I'm outta here. The pilot jumps out of the person so the doctor immediately says life saved so many lives in my lifetime I deserve to live, so he grabbed a parachute and the doctor jumped up and the lawyer said like the smartest guy in the world. So I deserve money grab package about so now there's two people after one parachute.

There's the preacher and there's a little boy so the preacher says little boy look bigger whole life ahead of you, me, I lived a good long life and when I die, I know I'm going to happen. So you take the last parachute and you jump in the little boy smiles and relax, Rev., smartest guy in the world just jumped out of the airplane with my backpack was the moral of that story. Moral of that story is Proverbs chapter 16, which says pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Be humble or you'll stumble.

Be humble year stumble be meek or you'll get mashed B cell flasks, or you'll get squished as the moral of that story. Pride is the oldest sin in the universe, and it shows no signs of growing weaker with age been around a long time and it's good to be with us for some time. CS Lewis said pride is the chief cause of misery in every nation and families since the world began to think about. It was pride that took Lucifer out of heaven.

It was pride that took Adam out of Paradise. It was pride that took Saul, King Saul, first king of Israel out of the kingdom it was pride that took Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon out of Babylonian society was pride that took Amon out of the Persian court was pride that changed Angels into demons, it is pride that changes friends into enemies.

Pride ruins everything. Here's what pride is the cancer of the soul. And if it's left undiagnosed and untreated it will, it will destroy spiritual life, so the antidote is humility is the cure for this agelong disease humility that has been the theme in chapter 2 of Philippians. As Paul writes to this church spent all about staying humble verse one of Philippians 2 on bringing you back over what we covered. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ any comfort of love any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same lobbying of one accord, of one mind.

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in the lowliness of mind. That's humility.

Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interest of others so sacrifice over self humility over vanity, preferring one another over being prideful toward one another C to get along with people you have to adjust.

You have to be interested in them. You have to esteem them as important and if we dare to shine the spotlight off of ourselves for just a minute and onto others for a while. We will discover that unity is the result of our humility. That's been the theme of this apostle now after that principle he now gives us an example verse five let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus because Jesus is as we have seen the ultimate example. He is God, but he entered time and space in a human body. Jesus left heaven's magnificence to come to Earth's mass. He left Lori to face Lori went to the cross. That's where Paul left us in verse eight, but now there's a change. Now Paul wants us to know that all of that self-sacrifice and humility was rewarded by God. That's also part of this teaching. It was rewarded when Jesus was exalt. So that theme was the humiliation of Christ. Now it's the exultation of Christ to look at verse eight. Once again, you need bursae to understand verse nine because of the first word in verse nine but let's look at verse eight and being found in appearance as a man, he Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God has also highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven of those on the earth, and of those under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father we told you last week that this was one of the first hymns of the early church. Most scholars believe this was the first creed of the early church were they would take theological truths write them out and then the church would sing them so that's my commission to the worship team. Let's put that's put these truths to music.

I love this little tree.

This little him.

That was some soak according to this little him.

They started with a Christ preexistent glory and went all the way down to the low point which is the cross and then from the low point to the post incarnation glory and dominion of Jesus Christ, all in just a few verses what I like to do in looking at these verses with you to show you three fundamental facts about humility three fundamental truths. First of all, when you arty know humility is sometimes painful factor usually is. You know it's hard is humble yourself before Percy got a swallow some prior unheard.

It puts you out a little bit and and and it's painful about that is part of the thought in verse eight concerning Christ being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient. Watch this to the point of death, even the death of the cross Jesus birth was miraculous and in Jesus life was extraordinary but it's Jesus death, that is the epicenter of redemptive history and I noticed that when people think about Jesus worldly people and talking about non-Christians as much a worldly people when it comes to thinking about Christ. They prefer the Jesus of Christmas they like that Jesus is the little baby Jesus and of the angels are sing and the shepherds were there. The wise men come, but that is not the focus of of the New Testament.

The focus of fact the whole Bible isn't. Isn't that the the manger, but the cross it's not is not the Jesus of Christmas is the Jesus of Calvary was that the baby in the manger. It's the body on the cross. Even Jesus in Revelation 13 is referred to as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That is, it was always in God's mind from the beginning that the epicenter of all history, all redemptive history would be the cross.

And even when Jesus was born member. They brought gold, frankincense, and what that's embalming fluid.

Did you know that murder is embalming fluid. So think about Mary getting embalming fluid.

Thanks-I guess minute could be sold and you could use the money for something, but embalming fluid murder was a very costly embalming fluid.

We know that because when Jesus died, they took 100 pounds of murder and aloes and playset on Jesus body and buried him in a tomb. So, even from his birth.

It was pointing to his death and and we always need to keep that framed in our hearts.

Did you know that if you were to read the four Gospels and count the chapters that speak about Jesus first 30 years of life on earth.

You only find four chapter that even mentioned what was going on in the first 30 years of his life. But did you know also that 85 chapters speak of the last 3 1/2 years of Jesus life so anything are focusing on last 3 1/2 years. Of those 85 chapters 29 of them focus in only on the last week of Christ on the earth, and of those 29 chapters 13 deal with the final day of his life. So if you count up verses Matthew Mark Luke and John, you find 579 versus that are focused in on and deal with the last 24 hours.

Jesus life as he goes to the cross so all pre-New Testament history looks forward to the cross all post New Testament history looks back to the cross grants groggy British commentator said cut the Bible anywhere and it bleeds, he's right. You could cut the Bible in Genesis 22 Abraham sacrificing his son it'll bleed right there because it anticipates God sending his son on that same mountain if you cut the Bible in Psalm 22, which is a poetic description of the crucifixion. It bleeds if you cut the Bible in Exodus 12. Speaking of the Passover. It bleeds if you cut it in Leviticus 5 the sin offering. It bleeds cutting in Isaiah chapter 53 it bleed. It's all about the sacrifice, all about the cross.

So much so that even when John the apostle gets a vision of heaven and looks at the lion of the tribe of Judah. He said, and I looked, and behold the Lamb as though it had been like Tony slain in heaven. You could see marks on this Lamb as though it had been killed. Have you ever thought of this. The only work of man you'll see in heaven are the marks of crucifixion on the body of Jesus Christ. And he'll wear that as a badge of honor and glory because that's how you got there a Lamb as though it had been slain.

So, for Jesus humility was painful because for Jesus. It meant crucifixion.

The most degrading. The most embarrassing. The most excruciating form of death at the time known to man. Crucifixion was invented by the Persians.

They were pantheistic. They believe the earth was sacred and want people to die on it so they raise them up on a pole. That's how they invented crucifixion because of that belief later on.

The Romans took crucifixion and they perfected it. What I mean by that is, they managed to let crucifixion become the death that was preferred for capital punishment for noncitizens, because it deliberately delayed death four hours and even days so people get the maximum torture before they died. Jesus was humble enough to go to death on the cross. Why why such humility, why, why, lower yourself from heaven to earth and then from earth to the cross.

Why go that low because it's that humility that provides the one thing you and I need more than anything else in the world. Forgiveness. Forgiveness. What will why would God go to that extent, to forgive us answer. Love as he loves us. For God so loved the world that he gave you can still ask Wesley why does God love us that much that I can answer. I don't get answer for that because I II know us. I certainly know me and why God would love me that much. I know of a good answer for just a decision he made.

I'm glad he did what my favorite hymns is called the love of God. Some of you've heard of the love of God by Frederick Lehman written in the 1800s, the love of God is greater far than anchor pain could ever tell it stretches to the far the started reaches to the lowest hell is my favorite line in the song, could we would think the oceans fill in where the skies of parchment made were every stock on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade to write the love of God would drain the oceans dry nor could this scroll contained the whole though, stretched from sky to sky the unfathomable love of God in sending his son to pay the penalty for sin so that we could be forgiven for Jesus humility was painful. Pellets apply that for you and I humility is going to be painful not as painful as it was for Jesus. Probably not, says in the book of Hebrews we have not resisted to the point of shedding blood but it's gonna cost nonetheless it hurts. As I said to swallow pride is gonna cost you comfort to be humble it's gonna cost you.

Perhaps your reputation if you humble yourself. It could cost you a whole lot of misunderstanding, it's gonna cost you time. It's even going to cost you money so humility is sometimes painful but here's the second fundamental truth about humility in this really the crux of these verses. Humility is always hopeful beginning in verse nine it's a complete reversal of verses six relates over 678. It's like Jesus went down down down down death on the cross now beginning in verse nine it's he went up up up to the highest possible level. Verse nine. Therefore God is also highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and those under and of those under the air, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. Notice the word therefore, therefore, in verse nine refers back to the thought in verse eight. So here's a thought, because Jesus humbled himself before the father. The father has exalted Christ is what the father has done for Jesus. What is he done highly exalted him highly exalted him the words highly exalted. It's one word in the Greek it's who pair some which means hyper exalted who pair hyper or super exalted means to lift up and over. So Jesus said I'm going low low low and goddesses, I will lift lift lift I will hyper lift. I will super exalted Jesus thought struck me as I was going through the study this week I'm going through this. I'm looking at at what God's estimation of his of Jesus and exalting them in this thought struck God the father's treatment of Christ view of Christ.

Estimation of Christ is the polar opposite of the world's estimation of Christ, for the most part it is. So here's an example. When Jesus came to heal the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue and locate it says they laughed him to scorn when Jesus said no man can serve two masters. You can't serve God and money. We are told the Pharisees sneered at him. When Jesus raised up Lazarus from the dead leaders plotted to put him to death. When Jesus stood before that same crowd, the Sanhedrin, in Matthew 26 they spat in his face date beat him other struck him with the palms of their hands. And when Jesus was given by them to the Romans says they struck him they mocked him, and they led him away to be crucified. So how did the world treat Jesus with rejection and extermination.

How do God treat Jesus with hyper exaltation, super exultation now the focus of Paul is the upward trajectory after the cross, the upward trajectory of being exalted God highly exalted him what I want you to do what I want to do a sort of expand your knowledge of that and let you know that the exultation of Christ came in four phases.

First of all, there was the resurrection. Jesus died at the hands of sinful men, but it says in acts chapter 2 Peter says this Jesus whom you crucified. God has raised up to new life resurrection first phase of the exultation second phase his ascension into heaven.

The disciples were there when it happened. They stood on the Mount of olives presented her with Jesus and suddenly he starts like floating up there watching by the vanished outer side. He he left he ascended up into heaven where he sits at the right hand of God takes us to the third phase after the resurrection after the ascension.

His dominion Jesus after the resurrection said all all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. So Jesus took his rightful place of doom dominion with the father in heaven, and the fourth phase was a new position for Jesus, intercession.

Intercession is what I want to think of Jesus is not an active is not the sin around heaven looking at the father going. So what we do today or what what will just gonna hang out together. He's very busy. He's very active. Jesus died on the cross he acted as Savior by becoming the sacrifice today is playing the role of the great high priest. So this with the book of Hebrews says in chapter 17 Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. And when intercession is right is praying for you as I make you feel Jesus Christ is praying for you speaking about can you lose with that.

That's number 39 message on the top 40 messages, it's from the series Technicolor find the full message and more Scripps teachings organized into playlists that took you through the entire sermon soon YouTube.com/Calabrese now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you feel a deeper sense of purpose as you explore God's love for Neil Armstrong to first first words are well now all around. He's not coming if the first new sleep center and then again with buzz Aldrin 1959 July number that before. John gets out of the Eagle project that payment first step in the mood gently, but just before that the elders opened the pouch and took out the wine and bread represented body, but if you Christ, and he he had a personal communion service and that moment when I found out about it about a year previously hit me like a thunderbolt you noted to realize that the first thing ever on the moon with the left upper new hardcover resource receive your copy when you get to $35 and more to support this program. Just go to connect this to.com or call one 898.com or call one 868 now if you want to stay up-to-date on the latest from his ministry and from Scrip to follow Skip on Facebook, twitter and Instagram find important announcements and great encouragement from Skip that casket height at Skip HPI see two-minute intima escapades and shares another top 40 message Christ returns to Skip presentation of connection communication to go through ever-changing time