Series:
Exodus
Title: True
Humility
Text: Ex
10: 3-6
Date:
March 18, 2018
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Exodus 10: 3: And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him,
Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble
thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. 4: Else, if thou refuse to let my
people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: 5: And they shall cover the face of
the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the
residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and
shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field: 6: And they shall fill thy houses, and
the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which
neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that
they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out
from Pharaoh.
We dealt with this question, in our question series.
This time I want to preach it a little differently. Let’s hear this word as God
speaking directly to us. To the sinner
who has yet to repent and cast his care on Christ, God says, “How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself
before me?” To the one who is not
submitting to God’s word on how God saves, God says, “How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?” To those in
a trial, God says, “How long wilt thou
refuse to humble thyself before me?” To those dissatisfied with where God
has put them in the world, God says, ‘How
long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me.” To the believer who thinks himself in no
need of this instruction, God says, “How
long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me.”
DO
I NEED TO BE HUMBLED?
Let me ask myself, “Do I need to be humbled before
God? Do I need to be more humbled before God?” Let me
consider my heart and my actions.
Our
triune God in Christ does as he will. Therefore, everything that comes to
pass is God’s will. Everything in the salvation
of sinners is God’s will. Am I in submission to God’s will? Do I never murmur
at God’s providence, not even weather?
The things that please God are God’s will. It
pleased God to choose whom he would, “For
the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath
pleased the LORD to make you his people.” (1 Sam 12: 22) Have I been
humbled to rejoice in God’s free electing grace? Then why do I sometimes think
God might forsake me?
It
pleased God to bruise Christ our Substitute in our place—“It pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall
prolong days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall
my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Is
53: 10-11) Am I humbled to delight in God’s particular redemption accomplished
for his people? Then why do I look to myself for anything?
It
pleased God “that in all things he might
have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell.” (Col 1: 18-19) Am I pleased that all my fullness is Christ alone? Then when do I seek fullness in this world?
“It pleased God by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe.” (1 Cor 1: 21) Has God humbled me by this means? Has he so
often strengthened me by this means?
Then why do I sometimes grow cold?
God says, “how long before you
humble yourself before me.” I need this gospel bread more than I need daily
bread.
It
pleased God to reveal his Son in the hearts of his people at his predestinated
time. Paul said, “when it pleased God,
who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal
his Son in me.” (Gal 1: 15-16) Did God humble me in regeneration in his
time? Then why do I fret at God’s timing
in providence? Do I need to be humbled more and more?
It
pleased God that each of his elect come to him through God-given faith in
Christ—“But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb 11: 6) Has God given you faith in Christ? Then why
do you not confess him in believer’s baptism. If I have, then why do I trust my
carnal sight in unbelief?
It
pleased God to gather his people together in and by Christ--“Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in
the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”
(Eph 1: 9-10) Am I humbled to rejoice that God makes his people one in and by
Christ alone? Then why do I feel alone in my suffering?
It
pleased God to give his elect the kingdom of God by his free grace, apart from
anything in us--“Fear not, little flock;
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Lu 12: 32)
Have I been humbled to rejoice that God saves by free and sovereign grace apart
from my works? Then why do I act like God’s grace is not sufficient to keep me?
In all
these things, I am sure that all of us can say “I need to be humbled more and
more before God.”
TRUE
HUMILITY
Now, let us consider what true humility is. It is not mournful speech, a downcast appearance or outward
acts of humility. That can conceal a proud spirit. Humility is resignation to
the will of God. It is submission to God’s will in his word and submission to
God’s will in providence. Humility
is submission to God’s salvation in Christ through the preaching of the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ. It is submission to Christ himself in
whom God saves. It is the gift
of God by the Holy Spirit of God.
Humility
is the opposite of pride. Pride is what causes all these problems and doubts
and fears in our life. We have a new man which his humbled by God and an old
man that is nothing but pride. Listen to these scriptures that set pride and
humility as opposites.
Proverbs 11:2: When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but
with the lowly is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:19:
Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide
the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 29:23: A man’s pride shall bring him low: but
honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
Did you
know “pride” is the number one thing God hates?
Proverbs 6: 16: These six things doth the LORD hate: yea,
seven are an abomination unto him: 17: A proud look,…[pride of face, pride of
place, pride of race, pride of grace]
Proverbs 16: 5: Every one that is proud in heart is
an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall
not be unpunished.
Isaiah 13:11: [God says]…I will cause the arrogancy of
the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Pride is what caused Satan to be cast out of heaven.
And it filled Adam’s heart when he decided side with his wife against God.
Isaiah 14: 12:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13: For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14: I will ascend above the heights of
the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15: Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit.
This is
why all unregenerate men think salvation is by their will! But sadly, for every
believer, pride is with us in our old man of sin. Pride is our chief enemy!
Yet, while
pride is the number one thing God hates, humility is the spirit God delights to
receive.
Psalm 34:18: The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken
heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
God is
near because the humbled in heart confess their sins before God: truly, with
sorrow for the sake of our Lord who suffered for us. They bow to God’s word—all of it—not parts of
it—all of God’s word. The broken and
contrite believes on Christ for complete acceptance with God—“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not
upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” (Hab 2: 4) Those made humble by God sacrifice praise and
adoration to God for his free salvation in Christ—“The sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
(Ps 51: 17) When in need the Holy Spirit says,
Hosea 14: 2: Take with you words, and turn to the LORD:
say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we
render the calves of our lips. 3: Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride
upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our
gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy [the humbled, helpless, needy sinner].
4: [God says] I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine
anger is turned away from him.
Luke 18: 9:
[Christ] spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they
were righteous, and despised others: 10:
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a
publican. 11: The Pharisee stood
and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are,
extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12: I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess. 13:
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner. 14: I tell you, this man
went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one
that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be
exalted.
Not only
does God receive his humbled child, God continually revives the spirit of the
humble:
Isaiah 57: 15: For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place,
with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
God hates
pride but he loves a broken and contrite, holy spirit.
WHERE DO WE GET A HUMBLED SPIRIT?
Sinners
get a humbled spirit from the preeminently humble GodMan, Christ Jesus. In Isaiah, the LORD declared to whom he would
look to build his house, “to this man
will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth
at my word.” (Is 66: 2) Christ is
the poor and contrite who trembled at God’s word, to whom God looks to glorify
him in the building of his house.
Philippians 2: 5:
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6: Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form
of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name:
Listen to
Christ’s humility. When the time came to
go to Gethsemane to present himself to be made sin, knowing that he would
suffer the wrath of God, he said this:
John 12: 27: Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
28: Father, glorify thy name.
Christ
illustrated what he did for his people on the cross and continually does for us
in cleansing us day by day, the night he washed the disciples feet. He took off his garment and gird himself
with a towel—like he took off his glory as the Son of God and humbled
himself in our flesh. He bowed down to
the saint’s feet—like he made himself the very least on Calvary’s cross. He poured water into a bason—like the
blood and water poured out of his wounded side—he is our justification and
sanctification his people. Then he washed
the disciples feet—like he washed us on the cross, in regeneration and
continually. Afterward, he put his
garments on and sat down—like he arose and sat down at God’s right hand. Brethren,
by making himself the very least he saved us from our sin—and all his elect all
over the world. He said, “he that is
least among you shall be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven”—that is Christ!
Then Christ said something else to his apostles and to us:
John 13: 13:
Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14: If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15: For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you. 16: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater
than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17: If ye know these things, happy are
ye if ye do them.
When the
Spirit of Christ dwells in our hearts, he gives us a new humbled heart! The humbled heart has been filled with love
to lay down our lives to serve God’s people like Christ loved us. The humble
regard brethren better than themselves putting the best construction on
misunderstandings, covering one another’s sin, and carrying one another’s
burden.
Charity never faileth! The love God puts
in the heart between brethren never faileth!
Love never forsakes the gospel and never forsakes the brethren. It is because God sustains the love he puts
in the heart so that we love as God loves—never abandoning those for whom
Christ died.
God says
to the sinner who refuses to confess him in faith, ‘How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?’ If you
refuse then you treasure up wrath upon wrath for the day of judgment (Rom_2:4-5). You prove your ignorance by fighting
against God. You are in danger of
God’s wrath every moment
But to
you and me—believing sinners—who God has humbled by his irresistible grace, he
says,
1 Peter 5: 5
…be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. 6: Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God [as Christ did], that he may exalt you in due time [as he did Christ. How
do I humble myself?]: 7: Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you. [that is what Christ did, he
committed it to him that judgeth righteously, that is what he tells us to
do—commit all our care to Christ.]
Amen!