Church of Christ - Jesus' Humility

2. These men were not concerned about doing what was right. They were not concerned about the woman. They obviously were not concerned about the man that she was with because he was not there. The law didn’t say you shall execute just the woman caught in adultery. It said the adulterer and the adulteress (Leviticus 20:10) shall be put to death. Maybe the man was a powerful influential man and they didn’t want to cross him, but the woman was weaker than they were. They pretended to be zealous in purging sin from Israel, but they were cowards seeking strife with Jesus. If they were such zealous men seeking to follow the law they could have done like Phinehas and ran the woman and the man through with a spear (Numbers 25:6-8).

3. Jesus didn’t go along with their strife. He didn’t say a word to them. Jesus was slow to speak and slow to anger. He just bent down and wrote something in the dirt. I don’t know what he wrote but it ended the strife. Jesus was merciful to the woman. He said, “Where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way and from now on sin no more.”

4. Those were the best words this woman could hear. Her sin had been made public. She was a condemned woman, but Jesus forgave her. She recognized him as her Lord.

5. Romans 8:1-2, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

6. Are we like Jesus who did nothing from strife? Or are we like the scribes and Pharisees who only look for sin in others to prove how "righteous" they are and to condemn those weaker than we are.

B. Do nothing from vain glory (empty conceit)

1. This ihas to be one of the hardest things to do. What is there that man does that is not from vain glory? What does man do that at least some of his motivation is not to bring honor and glory to himself or to win praise?

Who is there who passes a single day without, in some respect, desiring to display himself?
What minister of the gospel preaches, who never has any wish to exhibit his talents, eloquence, or learning?
How few make a gesture, but with some wish to display the grace or power with which it is done!
Who, in conversation, is always free from a desire to show his wit, or his power in argumentation, or his skill in repartee?
Who plays at the piano without the desire of commendation?
Who thunders in the senate, or goes to the field of battle; who builds a house, or purchases an article of apparel; who writes a book, or performs a deed of benevolence, altogether uninfluenced by this desire?
If all could be taken out of human conduct which is performed merely from “strife,” or from “vain-glory,” how small a portion would be left! (Barnes, Philippians 2:3)

2. Matthew 8:4, When Jesus healed the leper, He said, “Don’t tell anyone.”

3. Matthew 9:30, When Jesus healed the blind men, He said, “See here, Let no one know about this.”

4. Luke 8:56, When Jesus raised Jairus daughter from the dead, Jesus instructed them to tell no one what happened.”

5. Many times when Jesus healed someone he told them to tell no one.

6. Jesus wasn’t healing people for his own glory and recognition. He did it because he was a man of compassion and to help them believe that God had sent Him.

7. John 7:18

8. John 8:50

9. Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus practiced what he preached. He did nothing from empty conceit.

II. Take the form of a servant (How can I take the form of a servant?)

A. Don’t regard equality as a thing to be grasped (rights, Paul did fight for his rights.

1. Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master.”

2. If I am going to be a servant, I am going to have to empty myself or make myself of no reputation.

3. John 13:13-16

4. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. They needed a lesson on not regarding equality as a thing to be grasped. Jesus left heaven to be a servant of men, not to be served. Right at the last supper the apostles are arguing about who is the greatest among them.

5. Luke 22:24-27

6. Jesus teaches them a lesson in humility. They wore sandals and the roads were dusty so their feet became dirty. It was a common custom of hospitality to wash a guest’s feet. A servant normally performed this. None of the apostles would have offered to wash one another’s feet, but Jesus the greatest among them washed their feet. They were all too important to wash feet. They thought they were about to be put on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Washing feet was a job for servants, not for them.

7. Jesus even washed the feet of Peter who would deny him in a few more hours.

8. He washed the feet of Judas who already had the money in his pocket to betray Jesus. It is one thing to serve those who are good to you, but to serve those who deny you and betray you is not regarding equality as a thing to be grasped.

B. Empty yourself (vs. 7)

1. Jesus gave up the riches of heaven

2. II Corinthians 8:9

3. Jesus left heaven to be born into a poor family. When Joseph and Mary went to the temple to make a sacrifice after Jesus was born they were too poor to offer a lamb so they offered two doves or pigeons. (Luke 2:24)

4. During Jesus ministry, Jesus said, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." (Matthew 8:20)

5. Before Jesus became a man He was rich. He had infinitely more wealth than Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and all the other billionaires put together.

6. When Jesus told the rich young ruler to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor He knew what it was like to empty himself.

7. Remember Jesus example of emptying himself. He gave up everything to take the form of a servant.

C. Be obedient

1. Jesus was obedient to the point of death on a cross.

2. Those who are not obedient are rebellious. They are not humble they are proud.

3. When someone tells you about your sin and you say I don’t want to hear any more, and you refuse to change, you are arrogant and rebellious.

4. When Nathan the prophet rebuked David for his sin, David said I have sinned. He repented and changed his ways, and he didn’t do it again.

5. That is the way we are to be. If we are in sin, repent, and don’t repeat your sin.

6. If you are in sleeping with someone you are not married to you are in sin. I read an article Thursday that said, “40% of the children in the United States are born to unwed mothers.” (Stobbe, Mike, AP Medical Writer,U.S. Births break record; 40pct out-of-wedlock, March 19, 2009, Atlanta) (I took it off of qwest.com) The author of the article thought the problem was a lack of using contraceptives. The problem is immorality! These men and women behave like my cat and the tomcats that come to see her when she is in heat. Then they leave and I get stuck with buying cat food and wondering what I am going to do with the kittens. She is a cat. That is what she is supposed to do. Humans are not cats. You are condemned and on your way to hell if you are relations with someone you are not married to, unless you repent. Then Jesus will remove your condemnation.

7. But if you say, I like my sin, I want to act like a cat in heat or the tomcats around her-- Then you are arrogant and disobedient and are not remembering the example of Jesus humility

III. Humble yourself (Why humble myself?)

A. If you don’t, God will humble you.

1. I Peter 5:5-6

2. We are to clothe ourselves with humility. It is much more pleasant to humble yourself than to have to be humbled.

3. When Jesus chose his apostles, He chose fishermen, a tax collector, and common laborers. He didn’t choose Caiaphas, Annas, and the scribes and Pharisees. They were proud men. Jesus could do nothing with them. They wanted Jesus destroyed. The priests and the Pharisees and those who followed them are gone. 2,000 years later there are many who still follow Jesus and his apostles.

B. So you can be exalted

1. Luke 14:7-11

2. Philippians 2:9-11

3. Jesus has been highly exalted. He is at the right hand of God.

4. If we want to be used by God we must humble ourselves.

Conclusion

Moses was a great man in Egypt. He was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians. He was a man mighty in words and in deeds. According to Josephus he was a powerful general. When he was forty years old he killed an Egyptian who was beating one of his fellow Hebrews. He thought the Hebrews would realize that God had raised him up to deliver the people out of slavery. They didn’t realize this. Moses was 40 years early. Pharaoh found out that Moses had killed the Egyptian and Moses fled to Midian. He spent 40 years taking care of his father-in-laws sheep the most detestable job for an Egyptian (Genesis 46:34). When Moses had learned humility. Now God could use him. He was nobody and he knew it. He tried to get God to find someone else. He had no army and powerful position just him and God. God exalted Moses. He made Moses a god to Pharaoh. He was going to rule Pharaoh and tell him what to do.

We are the same many times we think we are somebody very important. God can’t use people who are arrogant and rely on themselves. He needs someone who will rely on Him. Jesus example of humility is for all of us to follow.

We must have the mind of Christ, take the form of a servant and humble ourselves.