How to be Humble - 1 Peter 5:6-7

It's actually been that long. October, I think it was.

And it's a pleasure to be back. I brought my daughter this time.

My wife, unfortunately, couldn't come, but next time.

Today we're going to look at just a really short passage, actually.

I don't usually preach really short passages, but I am today, from 1 Peter chapter 5.

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

And I'll read it. We'll read it together.

And then we'll take a look at a really common word for Christians.

Really common.

You know, we have our sort of vocabulary that we use as Christians, like the word holy.

At home, we'd call that an in-house word, right?

So it's a word that we use all the time. We just sort of throw it around.

Or we use the word love, right, or grace.

We have these words that we understand as Christians in particular kind of ways, right?

And sometimes they're words that other people don't use too much.

A word like holy.

Now, a word that we use a lot, that everybody knows, that everybody's sort of familiar with, is humble.

Every Christian ought to be humble.

Or humility. We use that word, too.

But what do we mean by it?

And it's one of those words that we're so familiar with, that sometimes we maybe don't ask,

what does it really mean to be humble, right?

So that's sort of the first question, just something to think about.

What does it really mean, if you hear somebody say, or maybe you say, you know?

I'm sure there's people you know, and when people ask you about this idea, he's very humble, right?

Or he always sort of shows humility, or she's very humble.

But what exactly do we mean by that?

And I think it's important for us to understand what exactly we mean by that,

since it's such an important thing for a Christian, right?

We talk about that all the time, that one of the main things that would sort of characterize a Christian

is that he or she is humble.

But what do we mean?

What do we mean?

So let's just read, or I'm just going to read just a little bit of this from chapter 5.

So Peter's writing to a church.

It's a very, very young church.

They're in trouble, basically, for being Christians.

They live in a place, in a time, where it would be very, very hard to be a Christian

and people don't notice.

It would be hard to be, at home, we would say, under the radar.

It was hard for these Christians that Peter's writing to

just to live in their society and not be noticed as being different.

And so they're under a lot of pressure from their neighbors

and from sort of officials and people like that.

And he gets to this end.

And Peter, this is a great little book.

He addresses everybody.

He addresses husbands and wives and people who are servants

and people who work and young people and older people.

He addresses everybody and sort of has specific things to say to them.

And he comes here to the end.

And last of all, he addresses the church leaders.

In chapter 5, he says, this is verse 1,

To the elders among you I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings

who will also share in the glory to be revealed.

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them,

not because you must, but because you are willing,

as God wants you to be, not pursuing dishonest gain,

but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you.

Right?

So that's like not being sort of making sure everybody knows you're in charge all the time.

That's kind of what he means about don't lord it over people.

But being examples to the flock.

And when the great shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to the elders.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility.

Right?

So now he's talking, he's starting to talk to everybody.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud,

but shows favor to the humble.

And it's just the next two verses that we're going to spend our time looking at this morning.

Verses 6 and 7.

Humble yourselves, therefore.

Why?

Why humble yourself?

Because God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.

Right?

He's quoting from the book of Proverbs there.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

So, the title of this sermon is, How to Be Humble.

Now, it's kind of odd to stand up and say, you know what?

I'm going to teach you how to be humble.

Right?

It makes me uncomfortable to do it.

And, you know, I mean, first of all, I mean, you can think, who is this guy?

And first of all, if you are humble, why would you get up and talk about what it means to be humble?

And then, if you're an American, that's even less likely.

Right?

Because one of the things, I mean, we're known for lots of things.

Right?

Not all of them good.

One of those things is not typically humility.

Anywhere I go in the world, it's not really one of the first things that people say about Americans.

But whatever the case, there's a really good reason I'm speaking to you about humility and how to be humble today.

It's because of everybody I know, I'm the one who needs to hear it most.

So, I'm not going to talk to you about how to be humble because I've got it mastered,

or because I'm the expert in humility.

Besides, if I was the expert in humility, you would know because I wouldn't talk about it.

So, it's really because I'm not very humble that I'm up here talking to you about what it means to be humble.

Because I need to be humble.

We all do.

But here's the great thing about Peter.

People sort of ignore Peter, right?

Because we spend all of our time with Paul or reading Jesus in the Gospels,

and Peter kind of gets put on the sideline a little bit.

But the great thing about Peter is he tells you what to do over and over again,

and then he tells you how to do it.

And that's the great thing here, is all I really have to do is just repeat to you what Peter says.

Because he tells you to be humble, and then he says,

by the way, here's exactly, exactly the way you do it.

So, when you leave here today, not because I know everything about humility,

but because the Apostle Peter was such a good guy,

you're going to leave here today knowing exactly, exactly what you have to do to be humble.

Now, there are a couple of things that come to mind when we think of the word humble,

and sort of two things.

And they're not really biblical humility.

One is there's sort of a humility, like you don't want to speak your mind, right?

You think, well, this is just my opinion, right?

And everybody has an opinion.

I don't want to force my opinion on others.

Here's something that somebody said about that kind of humility, right?

So, it's sort of the humility that says,

no, you know, I don't want to push my opinion on others.

Your opinion is as good as my opinion.

Who am I to say that's right?

Who am I to say this is wrong?

It's just my opinion.

If you think that's right, that's fine.

I'm not going to sort of overstep my boundaries.

So, there's that sort of humility.

And a Christian man said this.

Every day, one comes across somebody who says,

who says, my view may not be the right opinion.

But, of course, his view must be the right one.

Otherwise, he wouldn't hold it.

It wouldn't be his view.

He must think that's the right one.

He just won't say that he thinks it's the right one.

We're on the road to producing people too modest

to believe in the multiplication table.

We're in danger of creating people

who think the law of gravity

is just a matter of personal opinion

that you don't want to force on others.

In old times, people were too proud to be convinced.

But today, people are too humble

to be convinced of anything.

And that was written by a man called G.K. Chesterton

in 1908.

Right?

And it sounds like it was written yesterday.

So, there's that sort of humility.

But I would say, that's not biblical humility.

That's not what it means to be humble in the Bible.

Just saying, well, you know, that's your opinion.

And that's fine.

It's just as good as my opinion.

Right?

Or, who am I to say that's wrong?

Who am I to say this is right?

It's just my view.

Now, in the world,

that might be considered humble.

But that's not what the Bible means by it.

The other thing is this.

And I think this is the more likely thing

that we do as Christians.

And that is, we confuse, maybe,

what it means to be humble

with just the way a person is.

So, if somebody's quiet,

if somebody's unassuming,

if somebody is sort of a,

I don't know, wallflower.

I probably shouldn't use it.

At home, we would say a wallflower.

I don't know if that's self-explanatory.

It's like somebody who doesn't stand out,

whatever the case.

But they're quiet.

They don't assert themselves.

And we say, well, that's a humble person.

And they may be.

And, of course, it's good to be quiet.

It's good not to just speak when others are speaking.

It's good to sort of be reserved.

Those are all good things.

But I happen to know

some people who are very quiet,

and the reason they're very quiet and reserved

is because they don't generally think

other people are worth their time.

So, they don't really speak to them that much.

So, somebody could be quiet,

but not at all humble.

Somebody could be reserved

and often themselves

and not speak to others,

but they may be the least humble people

that there is.

So, sometimes we think humility

is just a character trait.

And it may be, but it might not be.

But that's kind of what we think.

You think being humble is just being quiet.

Well, sometimes there's many of us.

I can think of one in particular

who needs to be quiet more than he is.

But, that's not all.

In fact, that's not what Peter means.

Here's what it means to be humble.

There's four things we're going to talk about.

And don't worry, four sounds like a lot,

but it's going to go really fast.

Because Johnny said,

I only had two and a half hours to preach.

So, two and a half hours will easily do these.

Four things.

Number one, if you want to know

what it means to be humble,

according to the Apostle Peter,

which means according to God,

number one is,

you have to begin,

not with yourself,

and what does it mean to be humble,

you have to begin with who God is.

Right?

So, strange, isn't it?

How to be humble.

First thing, start with God.

Number two,

if you want to learn what it means to be humble,

is you submit to God's power.

This also doesn't really sound like,

how does this have to do with humility?

Right?

So, begin with God.

Number two, submit to God's power.

Number three,

trust in God's promise.

Right?

Well, this has nothing to do about humility,

it sounds like.

And number four,

act on God's love.

Act on God's love.

And that's kind of the how-to part.

Right?

So, I'm just going to go through these really fast.

The first one is really fast.

Look what Peter says.

Humble yourselves,

therefore,

under God's mighty hand.

So, he doesn't begin

with the people that he's speaking to.

In other words,

it's not just,

go make yourself humble.

He says,

humble yourself

under God's mighty hand.

Now,

when you hear that phrase,

mighty hand,

what do you think of?

What do you think of?

What comes to mind?

Well,

you know what comes to mind

when I think of it?

Is I think of like a school principal

who's always

like

ready

for you to do something wrong.

And the minute you do,

and that's all they live for.

Right?

And when I was growing up,

I had a particular,

a particular principal

in elementary school.

And I think her whole life

was based on waiting for me

to do something wrong

just so she,

and she was always right.

I would.

But we think of like

God's mighty hand,

like that God's stretching

his hand out

and the minute you do

something wrong,

he's ready to come down on you.

Do you ever think about God

that way?

Some people do.

Some people think that God

is basically just sort of

always hovering over.

Like,

I'm going to get you.

I'm just waiting.

And I'm waiting.

And I know

you're going to mess up

just like you messed up yesterday.

And the minute you do,

because I'm God,

I'm going to jump all over you

and smack you down

and teach you a lesson.

Now,

we sometimes view God that way,

but that is not how God

reveals himself to us.

And when Peter talks about

God's mighty hand,

it absolutely doesn't mean

the hand of God

that's getting ready to smack you

the minute you do something wrong.

It is God's hand

that is stretched out

to save you.

And the reason I'm pretty confident

this is true

is because that's how

God's hand is talked about

in the Bible itself.

Listen to Exodus 3, verse 19.

Exodus 3:19

But I know,

this is God speaking to Moses,

I know that the king of Egypt

will not let you go

unless a mighty hand

compels him.

So I will stretch out my hand

and strike the Egyptians

and all the wonders

and I will perform among them.

After that,

he will let you go.

Deuteronomy 5.

So, in other words,

yeah,

God's mighty hand

is stretched out

and that's bad news for Pharaoh,

but it's good news for who?

It's good news for his people.

Because God's mighty hand

is God's hand,

as it were,

that's reached out

and ready and willing

and able

to save his people.

So God's mighty hand

is on your side

if you're a child of God,

if you call upon the name of God,

if you call yourself a Christian.

God's mighty hand

is not just there

to take you down a peg.

And of course,

yeah,

of course God does punish them.

I'm not saying he doesn't,

but that's not what this text is about.

This text is about God saving

and God wanting to save.

And then Deuteronomy 5.15,

here Moses is talking to the Israelites

and reminding them

of everything that God's ever done for them.

Deuteronomy 5.15,

and you will remember

that you were a slave

in the land of Egypt

and the Lord your God

brought you out of their house

by a mighty hand

and an outstretched arm.

And I think Peter

gets his language from the Bible.

And so when he says

under God's mighty hand,

that's the hand he's thinking about.

It is the hand

of the all-powerful God.

But it's the hand

of the all-powerful God

that is stretched out

on behalf of his people

to save them.

Right?

And so I think

that's where Peter

gets his language.

That's the idea

of the hand of God.

And so we want to be careful

when you hear the phrase

humble yourself

under God's mighty hand.

You don't just think of

I better do this

or God is going to

teach me a lesson.

I think sometimes

as Christians

we think of God

as though he's just

some kind of version of us.

And that is

he keeps a list of wrongs

and he's up there like

you know this is

the third time this week.

Right?

That he's sort of

just always ready

to reprimand us

no matter what.

And that he's keeping

a list of wrongs

and he's thinking

one more time.

Right?

I've let you go three times.

Three times.

You've done the same thing

three times.

I'm going to let it slide.

You keep pushing me though

I'm all over you.

Or that he's just

sort of spiteful.

Or that he's moody.

And so some days

he forgives you

and other days

he's fed up.

But the great news

for you is

in that way

God is not like you.

God doesn't sort of

wake up on the wrong

side of the bed.

God is not different

tomorrow than he is today.

God is not

changing his mind

and thinking

you know I know

I said I would do this

but here's what

I'm really going to do.

But sometimes

we think of God

that way.

But that's not

how Peter's beginning.

Peter's saying

humble yourself

under God's mighty hand.

Why?

Because

he lifts up

the humble.

He opposes the

now God's hand

is against the proud

but the humble

he lifts up.

And Peter's getting

ready to tell you

what you've got to do

to be humble.

So you want to be

lifted up by God's

mighty hand?

Hang in there

just for a minute

and I'll tell you

exactly

how to do that

and it's probably

going to surprise you.

Right?

So you

we began with God

so I just kind of

put those two things

together.

Right?

So that's the

submit to God's power.

Right?

So I kind of put

two points together.

Begin with God

who God is

not with yourself

and humble yourself

under God's mighty hand.

So see we did

two points

really fast.

So now we're

to the third one

and we're going to

slow down just a little bit.

The second one

sorry

third one is this.

Trust in God's promise.

Look what he says.

Humble yourselves

therefore under

God's mighty hand

that he may lift you

up in due time.

Now this is

in fact

a promise

that God

is going to

lift you up

in due time.

And now

real quick though

I want to say this.

Peter is not saying

if you're going

through something

right now

and remember

here's the thing

these people

were going

through lots of things.

He's not just

giving them like

hey you all sit down

and we're talking

about humility.

They're suffering

virtually every day

for being Christians

and their lives

are filled

with struggles

and all kinds

of other things

just like yours are.

So he's not just saying

I'm going to teach you

a lesson on humility.

He's ending this letter

by telling them

reminding them

reminding them

who they are

who God is

and how to live

before God

and it's all about

what it means

to be humble.

And so he says

that he may lift you up

in due time.

Now what's this due time?

Well ultimately

what Peter is saying

is this.

There is nothing

that you can be going through

nothing that you can be doing

nothing that you will face

that God will not

lift you out of.

Now

you can hear that

and agree with it

and think

yeah so eventually

one day

eventually right

I'll sort of get through this

and it'll be better.

So we think of

we can read this

and think that

the Christian life

is just

I'm going to put up

with a whole bunch of stuff

and then eventually

it'll finally be over.

But that's not what

Peter is saying.

When Peter says

he'll lift you up

he doesn't just simply mean

at the end

in heaven.

Though that is true.

That is very true.

But he doesn't just

simply mean

he will finally

lift you up

put you in heaven.

But for now

you just put up

with whatever

you have to put up with

bear it

you know

sort of

shoulder to the wheel

nose to the grindstone

and you just

bear it

bear up

whatever is happening

and eventually

God will then intervene

and take you to heaven

for now though

right

you just sort of

hang in there

and hope that that happens.

And sometimes

we view it that way.

And certainly

certainly

there are many

many many things

that we will not

be released from

until

we arrive

in heaven.

That's very true.

But we also

don't want to think

of heaven

as just

the thing

that finally

comes

when I finally

get all this

stuff out of the way.

And until then

it's kind of hopeless.

I'll just

I'll make it

eventually

but now

it's just

sort of

misery

or whatever else

I'm going through.

That's not what he means.

That's not what he means.

But he's calling them

he's calling them

to trust

that God

is on

their side.

And that's

he's getting

closer and closer

and closer

to telling them

exactly what they

need to do

to be humble.

But he's wanting

to make sure

that first of all

they understand

God is not

against them.

And

it would be easy

if you were

some of these people

to wonder

right?

Because they're

suffering

because they're

Christians.

And you get

in a situation

where you're

suffering

for whatever

however you

might be

suffering

whatever it is

you might be

going through

and it's easy

to start to

think

maybe

and you know

that God

doesn't forget

right?

And you know

that God

doesn't ignore

people

and you know

that God

knows everything

but you start

to think

there's something

wrong

with me

because

God is

not paying

attention to me.

God is sort of

checked out

of my life.

I mean I hear

all those things

I believe all

those things

the things

that the preacher

talks about

and the things

that we talk

about

things we read

in the Bible

I know

those things

are true

I just don't

think there

may be true

for me.

I know God

is kind

and gracious

and loving

and he's

on the side

of his people

I just

maybe think

not so much

for me

personally

and we kind

of do that

right?

There's probably

nobody in here

as a Christian

who doubts

that God

is loving

and gracious

but

and you might

not admit it

and I might

not admit it

there's times

where we think

yeah he is

loving and gracious

but there's

something wrong

with me

I've done

something wrong

and he's not

acting that way

towards me

he does that

for others

and I know

all these stories

and I've read

these books

and I've heard

these testimonies

but for me

in my life

right now

not so much

and everybody

I think has felt

that way

and so what

Peter is saying

right

and he hasn't

even told them

how to humble

themselves yet

he's getting

them ready

so that they

understand

if they want

to be

humble

that they will

start with

who God is

remember that

God is

mighty and

willing to

save them

and not just

back when they

became a Christian

but the whole

way

and that

he is on

their side

and is going

to fulfill

every promise

for them

and all

these things

all these

things

are the

background

for what it

means to

humble yourself

now

that finally

gets us

to the

fourth point

and look

at it

humble

yourselves

therefore

I'll just

read the

two verses

again

under God's

mighty hand

that he

might lift

you up

in due

time

then seven

cast all

your anxiety

in him

because he

cares for you

now

it sounds

like two

things

doesn't it

it sounds

doesn't it

because you

might think

what

he's not

even talking

about humility

anymore

in verse

seven

it's what

it sounds

like

right

because

there's

even a

full

stop

there

humble

yourself

under

God's

mighty

hand

he

will

lift

you

up

in due

time

full

stop

then

cast

your

anxieties

on him

because

he

cares

for you

but

Peter

is not

telling you

to do

two

things

he's

telling

you

to do

one

thing

and

then

telling

you

how

to

do

it

now

think

about

it

for a

second

verse

six

humble

yourself

how

do

you

do

it

right

if

this

is

two

things

if

it's

humble

yourself

done

two

cast

your

anxiety

on

God

what

is

the

first

part

how

do

you

do

it

do

you

just

think

okay

humble

yourself

here

it

comes

here

it

comes

it's

coming

okay

I did

that part

now

I'm

going

to

cast

my

anxiety

what

is

it

what

is

it

to

humble

yourself

did

you

ever

I mean

just

think

about

it

for a

second

don't

answer

out

loud

you

don't

have

to

answer

out

loud

but

just

think

of

verse

six

all

by

itself

humble

yourself

under

God's

mighty

hand

what

does

that

even

look

like

in

your

mind

as

you

imagine

it

you

might

even

have

a

vision

of

yourself

what

what

how

how

do

you

do

it

so

I'm

just

going

to

ask

you

how

do

you

humble

yourself

you

know

how

you

humble

yourself

by

understanding

that

Peter

is

not

saying

humble

yourself

command

number

one

humble

yourself

command

number

two

cast

your

anxieties

on

God

what

he's

saying

is

this

humble

yourself

here's

how

you

do

it

you

cast

your

anxieties

upon

God

or

cast

your cares

on

him

right

I've got

like

three

different

translations

going

on

my

head

so

I

need

to

keep

looking

down

all

your

anxiety

on

him

because

he

cares

for

you

that's

how

you

humble

yourself

how

do

you

humble

yourself

you

humble

yourself

by

casting

your

anxieties

on

God

and

not

trying

to

carry

them

yourself

so

he's

Peter's

great

he

tells

you

humble

yourself

and

then

says

oh

here's

how

you

do

it

now

you

think

what

does

casting

my

anxieties

have

to

do

with

humbling

myself

well

think

about

it

for

one

minute

what

could

say

what

could

show

humility

more

and

say

to

God

that

I

am

trusting

in

your

promises

I

am

trusting

that

your

hand

has

reached

out

to

save

me

your

mighty

hand

and

that

you're

on

my

side

more

than

coming

to

God

with

all

of

your

anxieties

and

whatever

they

may

be

and

saying

to

God

and

standing

before

God

with

your

hands

open

saying

I

can't

bear

these

myself

I

am

not

strong

enough

to

bear

the

things

in

my

life

and

hand

them

over

to

God

that's

what

biblical

humility

looks

like

biblical

humility

is

this

is

saying

to

God

I

can't

handle

my

own

stuff

and

we

need

to

hear

this

every

single

day

and

it

doesn't

matter

what

your

stuff

is

by

the

way

I

can

just

start

naming

some

things

and

I

will

it

could

be

your

anxiety

over

your

job

or

needing

a

job

or

maybe

losing

your

job

it

could

be

anxiety

over

your

children

whether

or not

they're

believers

or whether

they're

ill

or any

number

of

things

it

could

be

anxiety

that

you

have

over

parents

it

could

be

anxiety

you

have

over

people

from

work

because

of

whatever

tensions

or a

boss

it

could

be

anxiety

you

have

among

yourself

just

with

friends

it

could

be

the

anxiety

you

feel

just

when

you

leave

the

house

and

deal

with

other

people

it

could

be

the

anxiety

of

knowing

or

waiting

for

a

phone

call

from

a

doctor

and

you

suspect

bad

news

or

getting

that

phone

call

and

it

is

bad

news

it

could

be

the

anxiety

that

comes

from

struggling

day

in

day

out

day

in

day

out

with

temptation

and

sin

he

says

all

your

anxieties

he

doesn't

just

sort

of

name

five

all

of

them

so

what

that

means

is

whatever

you

got

you

think

well

what

anxieties

well

just

ask

yourself

what

anxieties

do

I

have

and

then

what

you

say

is

I'm

not

going

to

try

to

handle

these

myself

I'm

not

going

to

try

to

fix

these

myself

and

we

do

that

right

we

do

that

we

know

we're

usually

pretty

aware

of

what

our

problems

are

now

we

have

some

problems

we're

not

even

aware

of

and

other

people

see

but

I

imagine

that

every

one

of

us

are

pretty

much

experts

on

what

our

problems

are

but

yet

how

often

do

we

think

I

need

to

work

on

this

and

then

I'm

going

to

get

my

relationship

with

God

right

you

know

as

soon

as

I

work

on

this

thing

in

my

life

this

temptation

or

this

sin

if

I

can

just

take

care

of

this

and

work

on

this

then

I

can

go

to

God

in

prayer

because

you

think

you

ever

ask

God

for

something

you

ask

God

to

help

to

release

you

from

some

sin

and

temptation

you

think

I

can't

ask

for

this

again

certainly

I've

used

all

my

chances

and

so

what

I'm

going

to

do

is

I'm

not

going

to

commit

this

I'm

not

going

to

fall

in

this

sin

I'm

not

going

to

fall

in

this

sin

again

and

the

minute

I

don't

fall

in

this

sin

again

then

I'm

going

to

be

back

in

sort

of

I'll

be

back

on

God's

good

side

and

then

he'll

start

answering

my

prayers

so

in

other

words

what

you

say

is

I'm

going

to

start

with

myself

I'm

going

to

fix

myself

I'm

going

to

fix

my

problems

I'm

going

to

fix

my

sin

I'm

going

to

fix

my

anxieties

I'm

going

to

take

care

of

them

and

then

whatever

the

bits

I

can't

handle

then

I'll

take

the

leftover

part

that's

too

much

for

me

and

then

God

will

take

care

of

it

now

I

don't

think

any

of

us

think

in

those

sort

of

black

and

white

terms

but

that's

how

we

act

when

it

comes

to

God

that

we're

going

to

fix

the

little

things

or

the

things

that

we're

too

ashamed

to

bring

back

to

God

we're

going

to

work

on

those

and

then

get

our

relationship

back

on

track

with

God

what

Peter

is

saying

is

this

no

you

want

to

be

humble

and

here

basically

Peter

is

saying

you

want

to

live

a

real

authentic

Christian

life

he's

not

just

talking

about

a

characteristic

of

a

Christian

by the

way

what

it

means

to

be

humble

he's

really

talking

about

what