Humble Yourselves

No Video this time. Sorry!

28
May 2017, Christ Mountain Top, Easter 7
      New member on 28 May at 8:30 am
Psalm
68.1-10, 32-35, p 792-793 (call to worship)
Acts
1.6-14 (children)
1
Peter 4.12 – 5.11 (message)
Opening:
Robin’s surgery, meals …
The
one problem with all this is that folks aren’t asking me about my broken foot
any more. All they want to know is how Robin is doing! Isn’t it supposed to be
“all about me”?
Teach
new song: “Humble thyself”
Children:
Ascension
We
are not the Savior of the World – Jesus is
Message:
From the passage
– 3 domains of humility in practice
Humility
in the ways we notice it least (in our own lives)
      Suffering – blame and deserving (pride) (1
Peter 4.12-16)
      Judgment – prefer the “unexamined life”
(4.17-19)
Humility
in the ways we notice it most (in others)
      Coercive power (5.1-4)
            “fellow elder”
            “not lord it over”
            “accept authority”
      Suffering, Judgment, Power
      Suffering, Self-Reflection, Serving

Humility
in a simple exhortation
1
Peter 5:5-6
 And all of you must
clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  6 Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.
            God
OPPOSES the proud
From my story:
Mad because my friends wouldn’t obey!
      Humble yourselves therefore under
the mighty hand of God
From Peter’s story
(the only 3 times Peter uses Greek
ou mh)
      Matching the same 3 domains of humility in
the passage!
Surely
not, Lord (re Jesus as “Christ” and prediction of his death)
            Greek ou mh – Mt 16.22
      Messiah: Jesus is supposed to live and to
judge the world
      Peter desires success, not suffering
      But learns that it is not “something
strange” (4.12)
Surely
not, Lord (re disowning you)
            Greek ou mh – Mt 26.35, Mk 14.31, Jn 13.38
(Jesus)
Luke
22:31-32
 “Simon, Simon, listen!
Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,  32 but I have prayed for you that
your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back,
strengthen your brothers.”
      Peter is not prepared for judgment to
begin with his SELF
      Instead, he now accepts it as part of the
path to righteousness and salvation (4.17-18), to deliverance from the “roaring
lion” the devil
Surely
not, Lord (re Jesus washing Peter’s feet)
            Greek ou mh – Jn 13.8
      This work is the work of a servant, not a
lord
      Jesus, by serving, humbles his disciples
            … they are learning to … serve?
      Peter prefers power to service
      Now, he has learned to “accept authority”
and “not lord it over” (5.3,5)
From my story:
Stepping on the pacifier (Humble; fortunately…)
      Humble yourselves therefore under
the mighty hand of God
Fortunately,
since then, I’ve learned everything there is to know about humility.
      Suffering, Judgment, Power
      Suffering, Self-Reflection, Serving
I
don’t really LIKE it
But
it is better than signing up for “God opposes the proud”
And,
the outcome, the transformation in my life,

      Is more than worth the difficulties that
come along with it