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About Humility and Power…
— Is this a contradiction in the Bible’s teaching?

Today we focus on a call to Humility… (In the lesson to follow, we will look at our POWER.)

— Romans 8:5-8 (ESV) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (6) For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (7) For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. (8) Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

— Matthew 19:21-26 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  (22)  When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (23)  And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.  (24)  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”  (25)  When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”  (26)  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

— Quick questions: Do you think that the people admired the success of this ‘rich young man’?

– AND – What do you think God considers success? …(Why the difference?)

 

We need to understand that here God is telling us that in this life we are powerless to do any lasting good. For we cannot in our own power accomplish anything that lasts for eternity.
— For all earthly things will pass away… Solomon in his old age wrote, “all is vanity.”

SEE Ecclesiastes 3:18-20 (GNB)  I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals. (19) After all, the same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. (20) They are both going to the same place—the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it.

— Are you feeling HUMBLED yet?  (King Solomon, in his old age was, perhaps even depressed.)

Note!!! – This also shows how Solomon struggled with Spiritual truth.

Let’s read of how God dealt with an interesting historical example of self-pride,
the opposite of humility…

*NEXT PAGE – God gives a lesson in humility to King Nebuchadnezzar…* (ESV Bible used.)

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(Pg.2) – Right after proclaiming, “God is king forever; he will rule for all time.” (In Daniel 4:3)
King Nebuchadnezzar calls the Prophet Daniel, called by his Babylonian name Belteshazzar, in to interpret his dream… (From Daniel 4:9-18)

— “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. (10) The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. (11) The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. (12) Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. (13) “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. (14) He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. (15) But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. (16) Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. (17) The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ (18) This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

— The Hebrew Prophet Daniel tells the king… (Daniel 4:20-26)

“The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, (21) whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— (22) it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. (23) And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ (24) this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, (25) that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. (26) And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules.”

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(Pg.3)     Now read Daniel 4:28-34… All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. (29) At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, (30) and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (31) While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, (32) and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (33) Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. (34) At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; (35) all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

— I hope that you find this story from the Kingdom of Babylon interesting… For there is a lesson in it for us all, if we are paying attention… (Check off your answers to the following)

Q1. Do you think that God was working with this king of Babylon?      O YES.     O NO.

WHY? (See Daniel 1:1-7) ___________________________________________________________________

Q2. Do you think God can use worldly situations to accomplish His will?     O YES.     O NO.

How can this apply in our lives? ______________________________________________________________

Q3. What did King Nebuchadnezzar do that triggered God’s action to humble him so?

How can this apply in our lives? ______________________________________________________________

Q4. Jesus revealed a secret about our own humility and power in… Matthew 19:25-26?

— When the disciples heard this, they were completely amazed. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.  (26)  Jesus looked straight at them and answered, “This is impossible for human beings, but for God everything is possible.”

WHAT’S THE SECRET?____________________________________________________________________

Q5. Our next study will be about ‘our POWER’…

As a preview let’s talk about what Philippians 4:13 means to you…
— “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”

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We can close with further discussion as we move to a time of prayer.

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(Pg.4)     Supplementary discussions:

1/ What do we see of the power of the flesh in this world?

— Romans 8:5-8 (ESV) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh…

2/ Next, I would like to look at where this fleshly hunger for power came from…

SEE Gen 3:1-6 ESV  Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, (3) but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (4) But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

3/ Why were Adam and Eve unsatisfied with the way God had made them? – (Why did they want to be like God?)

4/ Where did this desire, which was against God’s will for us, come from?

(We can blame Satan, but if you really think about this you will have to admit that they had a hidden desire for more power, and Satan simply used it against them, so as to deceive them.)

— This original sin of the flesh, has been inherited in each and every one of us. It is not placed upon us from outside forces, but it is part of our fleshly nature… We call this our sinful nature.

Looking forward to the Power to overcome our Flesh…

Romans 6:1-7 (ESV) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? (2) By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (3) Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? (4) We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (6) We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. (7) For one who has died has been set free from sin.

To be continued, next session…