And if you would take your Bibles and turn to first Peter chapter five. And there he goes. Alright. Amen. First Peter chapter five.

We just finished with a series on the benefits of salvation, which are many in Christ Jesus. And we're going to change gears a little bit for the next few weeks, keeping your health self humble in 2024. What's left of 2020? Well, in 2025 also, you know, and 2026 would be good as well. But keeping yourself humble.

We read in Philippians chapter two verses three through five. It says this, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Let this mind, what mind?

A mind of humility. It goes on in chapter two to talk about Jesus leaving heaven and humbling himself, becoming a man and a servant and dying on the cross for the sins of mankind. He truly demonstrated for us humility and we need to learn from his example. We need also to learn to humble ourselves and think not only about ourselves, but to also think of others. James chapter four verse 10 says, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He shall lift you up.

Do you want the blessing of God? Do you want to be exalted by him? Then you need to learn not to exalt yourself. At the end of that passage in Philippians two, after it says Jesus became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, it continues, wherefore God also hath, what? Highly exalted him.

So if we want God to show himself mighty in our behalf, to bless us with blessings that only God can give, then we must stop trying to exalt ourselves and let God do that. First Peter five, five and six passage I ask you to turn to says, likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. Not just a little bit, but clothed with it. For God resisted the proud and giveth grace to the what?

To the help me out. To the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Another imperative, another command, humble yourselves. It is our responsibility also to humble ourselves.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Dear heavenly Father, thank you Lord for this day and the opportunity you've given us to look into your word and be challenged thereby, and I pray indeed that you would challenge us to be more like our savior Jesus Christ in the coming weeks that you might teach us to be humble, that you might use vessels that are ready to be wielded by you, are ready to affect for you the lives of others. Lord, I pray that you'd work in each and every heart today, that your spirit would work in our hearts and open our minds and our eyes to see, and that you might change us into the image of Jesus Christ, your son. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

In Sunday school, we've been studying from the book of Esther and we've been studying also about a man named Haman and if you're in Sunday school, you know what I'm talking about or if you've familiar with the book of Esther, you're maybe familiar with the story as well. One person in that story humbled themselves and was exalted. Another person exalted themselves and they were humbled. The person who humbled herself and was exalted was Esther to be queen of Persia. Not only queen of Persia, but the one God put in place to deliver her people.

Contrawise, you have Haman. Haman exalted himself. He worked his way up through the ranks. He sought the highest position after the king. He sought the glory.

He sought the power, and he wielded it for his own purpose. And God humbled him, and boy did God humble him, and great was the fall of Haman. Thus, we're encouraged, challenged, commanded by God. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord like Esther, and he will what? He will lift you up.

He will exalt you. He will be there to carry you and to help you. But we do not need to take this command lightly. If we wanna see the grace and blessings of God abounding in our lives, in our homes, in our churches, we must learn to humble ourselves. The opposite of putting ourselves on a pedestal, of assuming the world revolves around me, and it will always work in my favor.

There are several billion other people on this planet. Sometimes everything doesn't work in my favor, at least not the way I think it should. There are others here too. God is working in their life and they're important to him too, not just me. Why should you always come out on top?

Why should we get everything that we want? Why must everyone do what pleases you or cater to your whims or get out of your way. That comes out most often when you're behind the wheel of a car and you're going somewhere and you're the only one on the road that has a place to be and everybody else is just what? In your way. When they're the one that's obeying the speed limit and you're the one who isn't.

When you're the one who's running ten minutes late, which wasn't their fault. I'm seeking to myself, by the way. Look at me. Pat me on the back. Honor me.

Listen to me. Do it my way. I deserve the best in the first place. That's our human nature talking. And it's natural, but it's not right.

That's pride talking and not humility. Matthew nineteen thirty says, but many that are first shall be last and the last shall be what? First. And really Christ is talking about those that think they're first rather than those who are willing to be what? To be last.

What is there under that Christmas tree for me? What's in it for me? Wonder how our country and society got in the mess it's in? This is how we vote. This is how we live.

Me first. Me first. Does it work really well? Does it work out great for everybody to live me first? No.

But yet we keep trying over and over and over again thinking that this time we're going to get a different result, but it doesn't work that way. You want to have the greatest blessings in your life? Get out of God's way. Quit exalting yourself over everybody else, and you will see God do great and mighty things, not only in the lives of others, but also in yours. God exalts those who do not exalt themselves, Proverbs twenty seven two.

Let another praise thee and not thine own mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips. Moses had to learn some of this the hard way. Even though Moses was a Jew, he was raised in the palace for the first forty years of his life. And he had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. And he left the palace thinking he was hot stuff and he was gonna deliver his people and he was gonna do great things and right away everything went bad.

And he spent the next forty years undoing what he had learned the first forty years. The great blessing and true power doesn't come from exalting yourself, from your position of glory being Pharaoh's grandson, but in being a child of the king of kings and the Lord of lords who humbly accepts that wonderful privilege. Moses was then called the meekest man on the face of the earth And God exalted him. He led a nation of 2,000,000 people out of Egypt and across the desert. God used him like he wants to use us.

Maybe not leading the 2,000,000 people, but maybe the two. He blesses those who choose to glorify him and not themselves. I think of the apostles. At every turn, if they healed somebody or something great happened around them, Immediately, they gave the glory to who? They gave the glory to God because it wasn't about them.

It was about him. When they went to execute Peter, they wanted to execute him on a cross. And Peter said, if you must, please execute me upside down. Do not crucify me in the same fashion as my Lord, for I am not worthy. Think of Daniel and Joseph, gifted with the ability by God to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.

And the first thing they did was to say, it's not me. I'm not doing this. I'm just a what? I'm just a channel. It's God that gave you the dream.

It's God that gives you the interpretation. He used your mind while you were asleep, and he's using my mind while you're awake. I I appreciate it when athletes give God the glory. Some of them kind of flippantly at times, and I think, I don't know whether they really mean that or not. But I really do appreciate it when you can tell they they really mean it and they're not afraid to to use the name of Jesus and not just thank God.

One of the sprinters, Sydney McLaughlin, she every time she won, she always took time. And that's impressive. Shouldn't be impressive. Shouldn't be normal. But I'm afraid too many Christians.

And there were others that just not quite as quick to give God the glory. They they interviewed her after one of the races and they asked her what her favorite song was. And I think they thought they were gonna get some rap song or Taylor Swift song. Instead, they got Jesus Loves Me, which she started singing. And they didn't I don't guess they'll ask her that question again.

That's cool. God blesses those who choose to use what he has given them to the benefit of others rather than just themselves. If you want God's blessing on your life, you must learn that it's not all about your life, but the lives of others also. That's where humility starts, is with that realization. I I think the story of Joseph is really cool.

I I really didn't do not wanna be in Joseph's shoes. He spent years in prison for something he didn't do. I'd prefer not to be in Joseph's shoes. But you know something? God knew what he was doing.

And each step of the way, Joseph simply humbly accepted it. And he didn't get angry. And he didn't get bitter. And he didn't lash out. His brother sold him into slavery and his master sent him to prison after he was falsely accused and but you know, years later when his brother stood before him and he announced to them who he was, he said to them, don't fear.

Don't be afraid because what you meant for evil, God meant for what? For good. To deliver you out of this famine. He put me in this place. You see, Joseph saw a bigger picture than just who?

Than just himself. Rather than getting back at his brothers for what they did to him, he welcomed them with open arms, forgiveness, and mercy, and gave them the best land in all of Egypt. Now, having fired off the opening salvo, let's slow down and take a little more time answering the question. So how does one humble himself or herself as we're commanded to do in first Peter and James? A while back, was at a meeting at the school where my boys went for several years.

And for seven years, I was a crossing guard. That's a good way to stay humble, be a crossing guard. And near the beginning of the year, the school administrator passed out a paper and on the paper, it had 12 tips for staying humble from which I derive some inspiration for this series of messages. Sometimes things like that, you know, the Lord uses different things to kinda direct us and well, that was this one. I have since lost the list, but that didn't keep me from writing the sermons.

Alright? First, know this. It takes help, help from God. No spiritual endeavor will succeed without God's help. Jesus said to his disciples, without me, you can do what?

Nothing. Now, obviously, he didn't mean you couldn't build something or you couldn't accomplish something, but if it's a spiritual endeavor, you need some spiritual assistance. And that's what Jesus was talking about. And if it's true of them, it's also true of who? It's also true of us.

So number one, pray for humility. Pray for it. Ask the Lord to keep you what? To keep you humble. You really want to grow in your humility?

Ask God to keep you humble, to help to destroy the sinful and destructive pride that dwells in that old nature that hasn't quite been eradicated till we get to heaven and still is kind of a drag on us. Ask God to help you. Pray for it often. Like praying for patience, the answer may not always be pleasant but necessary. Don't fear.

Don't fear. You have no reason to fear God. As Paul said, my grace is what? Of God. He said my grace God said to Paul, my grace is sufficient.

It may not always be pleasant but necessary, glorifying to the Lord, and in the end, beneficial to us and to others. You know, you're much much more pleasant person to be around when you're humble. You're much more likely to have an effect on others positively when you're humble. When you're proud, not so much. Ask and it shall be what?

Given. If you lack wisdom, ask of who? God. You have not because you ask not. So ask.

Number one, ask God. Don't be afraid to because wherever God takes you, you're not gonna be there alone, are you? And he is going to get you through. He will. Number two, routinely confess your sin to God.

Turn with me, if you would, to Luke chapter 18. Luke chapter 18. Routinely confess your sins to God. Luke 18 and verse nine. And he spake this parable under certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.

Now, is that the description of the humble or the proud? That's a description of the proud, okay? And by the way, the people he's talking about are religious people. They're they're they go to church. They they follow the rules.

But that's not it's not just about what other people see, it's about what God sees, about what goes on where in here. So he spake a parable and a certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, the religious leader, and the other a publican. Publican was a tax collector, a traitor to his people who collected taxes for Rome. This isn't, you know, the most wonderful person, okay, in many respects.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. In other words, he's really not talking to who? He's really not talking to God. He's just talking out loud. He likes to hear who.

He likes to hear himself. Okay? And he said, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are. Oh, you're not as other men are. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this one, this publican.

So the Pharisee, Lord, I thank you that I'm a good person and I'm not like all these bad people. That was his prayer. That wasn't a prayer. That was a boast concealed as a prayer. Verse 12, he goes on to say, I fast twice in the week.

I give tithes of all that I possess. Yes. And that's all he gave, exactly 10%. And the publicans standing afar off would not lift up so much his eyes unto heaven. You'd be we get the idea of bowing our head when we pray.

Would not lift up so much as his eyes into heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God, be merciful to me. A sinner. I tell you, this man, the publican, went down to his house justified in the sight of God rather than the other. For everyone that exalted himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be, what, Exalted. Does that sound familiar?

That's I think the fourth time we've basically read that in scripture this morning. Who did God whose prayer did he hear? He heard the prayer of the person who was willing to humble themselves and confess their what? And confess their sins. In first Corinthians 11 yeah.

It's on this first Corinthians eleven twenty eight and thirty one, it says, but let a man examine, who? Himself. And so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup, speaking of communion, the Lord's Supper. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. If you judge yourself and see the error of your way and be willing to confess it, then God doesn't have to bring chastening in your life to get you to see it, if you'll just see it and confess it.

First John one nine says, if we confess our sins, he is what? Faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But pride often gets in the way. And we're unwilling to admit to God our failures and our sins. And they stick in our mind and our heart.

And we know that there's something between our self and our savior. But in our pride, we are unwilling to let it go. The fact is that often when we hear a sermon or even read a passage concerning a particular failing of human nature, we think about other people and their failures. We think about the person in front of us or behind us. Don't turn around and look.

We you think of your spouse or your kids or your neighbor or your coworker and how bad they are and their failings and you're unwilling to see whose. Our own. Because guess what? They aggravate you sometimes. Guess what?

You aggravate them. They have their flaws. Guess what? You have yours also. Don't be too quick to judge others.

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew seven, judge not that you be not judged. What he meant by that is don't be so quick to find fault with everybody else when you're not finding fault with who? Yourself. Yeah. We avoid self examination.

Why? Because it's humiliating, not in the sense necessarily of embarrassing, but in the sense of humbling by reminding us of our frailty and of our failure before God. Who wants to be reminded of that? Our pride doesn't want us to be. We don't wanna be reminded.

We don't like it when somebody steps on our toes. I don't like it when somebody points out that I'm carrying a little bit too much weight. Why don't I like it? Well, because I'm mostly what? Responsible for it.

And whose fault is that? It's my wife's fault because she feeds me too much. No. Can't make that excuse. Neither can you.

We don't wanna deal with it. We don't wanna confess to God how we failed. We don't wanna admit that we're not perfect and we need help. Self examination forces us to do that. And you know something?

It is healthy and it's good. But it's not easy. But it's healthy and it's good. And if you want to stay humble, you need to stop examining everybody else and not examining yourself and you need to flip that the other way. Praise God.

He doesn't demand we remember and confess every sin we've ever done for forgiveness or else we would be hopelessly lost. There are times we sin and don't have a clue we sin. There are times we sin and committed so many times we can't possibly remember them all. Praise God that his grace and his bloodshed pardons us from what? All our sins.

Even the ones you forget to ask forgiveness for. But if you want to get victory over a particular sin in your life, if you want to have peace in your heart, if you want to live a life pleasing to the one who saved you, then you must learn to confess your sins before Jesus daily. But you say, haven't sinned in three weeks. Wow. I wish that were true.

And if that's true of you, that is wonderful. It's not true of me. If we learn to confess our sins, it will strengthen our relationship with Christ. It will increase our faith and keep us humble and like the publican in Christ's example. No pain, no what, no gain.

That's a workout motto, but it works for your physical muscles. It also works for your spiritual one. And then finally, morning, three, acknowledge your sins to others. Now, that's hard too. Sometimes, more difficult because you have to look at them while you're saying, I need to lose weight.

James five sixteen says, confess your faults one to another and pray for one another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Some of us find it pretty easy to confess our faults before God who we don't see, but we find it more difficult to confess our faults and open up ourselves to somebody else. You see, God already knows me. So when I confess, I know God already knows that.

But when I confess it to a person, I'm opening myself up. I'm making myself vulnerable. I'm letting them know I'm not the person that I ought to be. And that, for some of us, is much more difficult because it is humbling, which is the point among others. Confess your faults to others, not just to God.

Be willing to confess your fault to others. Humility before God is not complete if there is not humility before men. Being willing to confess to others your shortcomings serves several purposes. It keeps you humble by letting others know of your lack. It keeps you humble reminding you of your failure.

And consequently of his mercy and grace. It helps others to see that no one apart from Christ is yet perfect. Some people get frustrated because, hey, in the Christian life, well, look at all those people. They're perfect and I'm not. They're not perfect either.

We're in this together. It makes you accountable to someone else for help because we all need help. Helps them to know how to pray for you, and prayer accomplishes much. They don't know how to pray if you won't share. And you might not share in front of the whole congregation, and that's okay.

And you might not share with everybody in your life, and that's okay. But find somebody that you can share with. Find somebody that knows what you're dealing with so they can pray for you, so that you can see you're not in this alone. It will help you and it will help them. When we refuse to admit we have failed to others, we bolster our pride, we become hypocritical, and we miss out on the wonderful opportunity for support and the prayers of others.

I chuckle a little bit every time a reporter walks up to the president, whoever the president may be, and say, sir, do you regret you did this? Sir, do you know you did this wrong? And the president never admits it. They will bend over backwards and turn themselves into a pretzel because they don't think they can be vulnerable in their position. And I to a point, I understand that.

But don't do that. Don't do that. It's not healthy. So find someone or maybe more than one you can entrust to share some of your failings with. It will help to keep you humble.

It will add to those who will fight for you, pray for you, understand what you are going through. It will give you strength, stronger than just you by yourself. A threefold cord, Proverbs says, is hard to break. It's easier to break one. So find some friends to let them in.

Thus, the reason God instituted the church. Hebrews ten twenty four, exhorting one another and so much this more as you see the day approaching. We need each other, but you gotta let each other in. And I'm afraid many of us are pretty good at letting God in, but our pride gets in the way of letting others in. And that only hurts us.

It hurts us in the humble department. It also hurts us in getting victory. We need each other. Humble yourselves. Find an accountability and prayer partner.

But first, you must begin with admitting you need a savior. Have you done that? Have you admitted before God, confessed before God that you are a sinner who needs a savior? That's why Jesus came. He came to save you from your what?

From your sins. When people come to me and say, I need to be saved. Question number one is this, what do you need to be saved from? What is it you need to be saved from? Is it from a a difficult relationship?

Is it from some hardship in life? Or do you acknowledge that you need to be saved from your sin and the penalty thereof? That requires something called humility. Jesus said, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. There were some Jews that came to Jesus and they said, what about that group over there?

Look what happened to them. Some terrible calamity, they must have deserved it. Look at this group over here, boy, they had it coming. And Jesus looked right at them and says, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. You know you're gonna die someday too.

And it's pointing on man wants to die, but after this, the what? Judgment. But you don't have to face that judgment alone. You don't have to face that particular judgment at all if you will meet with the judgment of God today and humble yourself and repent of your sin and trust in Jesus who died on the cross and rose again to save you. Secondly, will you commit to praying for humility?

Pray for it. You probably need it. And then confess your sins to God. Maybe there's one on your mind right now. God is dealing with you about.

Person behind you in front of you doesn't know it. The person standing up here doesn't know it. Maybe sometimes you think I do but I don't. But God does, and you do. As we close our eyes in a moment to pray and as we sing a song, why don't you take that moment to confess it to God?

I had to confess a couple things last night as I was finishing up this sermon. How about you? Are you too proud? You know how to deal with that pride? Confess it.

Take that first step. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word today. Thank you Lord for your love for us, your mercy, and your grace for we are a stubborn people And our sin is ever before us, but praise God, so is our savior. And greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world.

Greater is your grace and mercy which abounds to all those who come in humility and faith. And Lord, I pray that you might help us, Lord, to deal with the pride that plagues our heart, that you might make us humble. And, Lord, I pray for your forgiveness, my sins, and of ours today. Lord, that you might conform us more to the image of your son. And if there be one here today that's yet to receive Christ as savior, I pray as we give this hymn of invitation today that they might come, that we might have the opportunity to share with them Jesus Christ and how they might be saved today and forever if they will come as we sing.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.