The Integrity of True Humility, Part 1

Notoriously Jesus flipped her expectations upside down. For instance, when the disciples were elbowing their way to the front of the line. Jesus described a world that was driven not by personal ambition but by humility. He said among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader be your servant. Certainly not the way of our world today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll describes one of the finest models of this virtue. He was esteemed by Jesus guesses name title this message, the integrity of true humility is the late Dr. Harry Barnhouse, who once said reaches all his adoration. Love reaches out his affection and love that students his grace we are here because love stooped and reached people like us, we who are so undeserving we live our lives realizing that if it were not for grace, we wouldn't have a direction in life.

We would never purpose would be no sense of fulfillment. Realize that grace is what God does for us do not deserve it cannot ever earn it and will never be able to repay comes from his heart and reaches hours at the cross. For that we are eternally grateful were dog and an interesting insert a series on integrity walking with integrity in days of adversity.

We put through a number of Old Testament examples of those who have done that and now returning to the New Testament we find another who is an example of a rare trait integrity of crew humility's name is John John the baptizer we meet him in John chapter 1 and other parts of the Gospels. But today it's John one along with John chapter 3, so locate your Bibles. The first chapter of John will momentarily look past the first five verses and will begin in verse six, down through verse eight and will move over to verse 19 and will read through verse 23 and then a section of chapter 3, first John one verse six. I'm reading from the new living translation. God sent a man drawn to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light. He was simply a witness to tell about the light verse 19. This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders said priests and temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John who are you he came right out and said I am not the missile will then who are you, they asked are you Elijah no reply to the profit we are expecting no then who are you, we need an answer for those who sent us. What you say about yourself. John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah. I am a voice shouting in the wilderness clear the way for the Lord's coming.

I turned pleased to chapter 3 locate verse 25 325, a debate broke out between John's disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing.

So John's disciples came to him and said Rabbi, the man who you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah is also baptizing people and everybody is going to him. Instead of coming to us. John replied, no one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven yourselves know how plainly I told you I am not the Messiah I'm only here to prepare the way for him. It is the bridegroom who marries the bride and the bridegroom's friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his bowels.

Therefore, I'm filled with joy and his success, he must become greater and greater. I must become less and less. You will read that anywhere in today's literature outside the Bible you will hear that philosophy promoted and tragically you will rarely see it modeled. So today's message is overdue. Nothing is more Christian than walking humbly with our God to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies.title this message, the integrity of true humility is so rare to find great giftedness and enormous celebrity along with true humility. How rarely do the rich and famous, walk humbly with your God. If they even acknowledge there is a God question that stop and think about any film star who has been awarded top honors or something will paid professional athlete who is weighted to the top ranks of his or her particular sport who remain people with a servant heart we truly care about others through life does not revolve around themselves. A reporter was interviewing Marion Anderson, the accomplished American contralto who had bought in one worldwide.

A clean is a concert soloist reporter was impressed to find this Anderson had not only simply grown gray she had grown great simply before Hester this a musical celebrity who remain calmly poised and completely. I'm impressed with herself and with her many accomplishments. He asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. She did many great moments by then and her friends who packed the room where the reporter and Marion Anderson stood close together were at a loss to know which one of those great achievements, she would name.

For example, there was that night that conductor Arturo Toscanini announced a voice like hers comes once in a century, but she didn't mean that moment.

Furthermore, 1955 she became the first African-American to be invited by the Metropolitan Opera company to sing on their stage in New York to leave that moment either.

The following year she became the author of a bestseller by Lord, what a morning was titled and remained a bestseller for months. She didn't name that book in 1958.

She was appointed as United States delegate to the United Nations.

There was that memorable evening should be invited to the White House for private concert with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt alongside the king and queen of England, but she didn't name either of those great achievements, her hometown, Philadelphia had not long ago awarded her the award and with it came a $10,000 gift for the recipient.

In honor of how much you admit to their city. She didn't name that event in 1968 she was awarded the Presidential medal of freedom and to top it all off, there was that Easter Sunday when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue before 75,000 people sang her heart out before so many who applauded her and the crowd included all the cabinet members every Supreme Court justice, and most from Congress. She named none of that is her greatest moment. Which of these which he named none of them miss Anderson quietly told the reporter. The greatest moment of my life was the day I was able to go home and tell my mama she didn't have to take and washing anymore. Unlike most, she made no attempt to hide her humble roots.

She was in the words of Mindy in that day raised on the other side of the tracks. Her roots portrayed her as a mere human being who had been greatly blessed of God. She never forgot her life as an example of my opening words. Great giftedness. Great celebrity alongside true humility. I search the Scriptures carefully for quite some time to find just the right example there rare even in the Bible.

I was drawn first to a statement Jesus made about this man. In Matthew 1111. Of all those who have ever lived.

None is greater than John baptized Jesus said that of all of ever lived that is greater yet he's just a man got just the way his biography begins literally, there was a man sent from God. John, I'm impressed that it's just anthropologists just man is my father used to say in yours as well get to put his britches on one leg at a time. He needed sleep like everybody else got tired, he knew what it was to bleed when he was cut into Bruce when he was struck.

He was a man just a man. What stands out about him is is what it doesn't say. According to John 1041 he never once performed a miracle so it wasn't miracles that drew people in the wilderness to follow John. He certainly wasn't physically attractive either. His garb or his presence or his diet attracted no one is just a say again, a man the reason I emphasize that is because the first five verses highlight one who is the God man the Lord Jesus in the beginning was the word word was with God the Word was God. Not not John, this is Jesus. He created all things.

Many people do not realize it was Jesus in the beginning you created all things and it was not anything created that was created that he did not create and he gave to all creation life. John didn't create an John gave no one life is just a man and it was that like the Jesus emanated that sent brilliance into darkness. John didn't emanate like if I may. Jesus was like the sun shining forth light.

John is like the moon. The moon has no light.

All of this light is reflected light.

That's John just abandon any never forgot that. I love that about John. He you never ever read even once.

Of the envy or jealousy, even when his congregation is lessened because of messiahs congregation growing will see that in a few moments, so let's keep John off the pedestal. He doesn't fit their neither do any of us.

He was sent by God, that's true.

That's what the Scripture says he had a calling he didn't just strike out what he felt like doing.

He was sent by God, one purpose to be a witness to tell the truth regarding the one who was to come right after him. We call that the forerunner but it quickly reads in his biography, he was not that light, he introduced light so this brings up the first of four characteristics of humility that I find in John Butterworth emulating in our lives by the grace of God, but the spirit of God hears the first accepting our God-given role, including our limitations.

He accepted the fact that he had been sent by God.

He also accepted the fact that he was not the light.

He was not the Messiah. He was not Elijah. He was not the prophet he knew who he was. Never try to be someone else.

It's beautiful to see how this emerges when you look at verse 19 and following you. You read of its this interview between John and those who came from Jerusalem to report his identity.

When anyone draws a crowd it draws the interest of people who are in authority for whatever reason they want to find who is this person who's an individual author in the wilderness, drawing a crowd so they sent these individuals were not named talk to John about who he was in there. The question is pretty simple.

Who are you just tell us who you are. You notice the first answer I am not telling who is he begins by telling who is not only get a mistake you've read about Messiah. You know he's coming. I'm not him. I'm not the Messiah, so youngsters limitations. He understood what he wasn't. Let's read on down in verse 23 John replied the words of the prophet Isaiah I mime a voice I'm a voice shouting in the wilderness clear the way for the Lord's coming of the voice. He's the word I'm just a voice is the light just a lamp. His word lingers all soon be forgotten. If I tried. In our words, we would say he was prematurely martyred for not just because never complete because he was never important to John and then they want to know who is in his chosen who is not his cousin told him who he is, except I'm I'm just a voice in the wilderness that doesn't satisfy I am not Elijah citizen. Furthermore, I baptize with water right here and in the crowd and someone you do not recognize though his ministry follows mine. I'm not even worthy look at these words in verse 27 I'm not even worthy to be his slave to untie the straps sent this thoughtful humility. He believed that so the second characteristic I find this giving full effort to resist the total soul temptation to be someone you're not the first is accepting our God-given role, including our limitations, and the second is giving full effort to resist even subtle temptations to be someone or not. I call for repentance. He takes away the sins of the world. I'm only a man. He is the Lamb of God, I'm a voice in the wilderness. He is the eternal word. I pointed to the way he is the way the truth and the life of the above we get over to chapter 3 something interesting happens along the same line of thought a little time is past and so there's a debate that breaks out over ceremonial cleansing. According to verse 25 in the John's disciples don't miss that John is the following. There they really love John they really believe in his message and and they repented and there they lined up alongside him in their narrow part of his team if you will. There his disciples there learning from him so these two gathered around him and her job was for him came to him and they said Rabbi not know. Look closely to see a whole lot of humanity emerging Rabbi the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah. I understand Jesus is unknown is right in the beginning when he starting his ministry is another Jewish man for all. Everyone knew until John goes, the Lamb of God. He came to be baptized. John was reluctant to do it. The voice came. This is my son, my beloved one.

Him and the dove came was clear to John.

This is Messiah and so they refer to him.

You know the one you you identified as Messiah. John he's now baptizing people he's doing what you been doing. Furthermore, everybody is going to him. Instead of coming to us. John's response to this verse 27 no one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. So everything we have the gift that's grace. No read on. You yourselves know how plainly I told you I am not Messiah midway through a brand-new message Chuck Swindoll. This is insight for living. Chuck titled today study the integrity of true humility. And if you like to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online at insight world.or when this message is the ninth in a brand-new teaching series from Chuck is titled walking with integrity in times of adversity and would like to invite you to deepen your engagement with these daily studies through the interactive study notes provided online. We call this resource. Searching the Scriptures and we think you'll be impressed with the format of this online resource because it's designed to help you hear God's voice as he speaks to you through his word. Plus, you can either enter your own observations into the digital document or print out the PDF and share it with friends you find this and more.

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