BEGINNERS GUIDE TO HUMILITY – LUKE 18:9-14

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ ¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  (Luke 18:9-14)

Being the best St James Church we can be

A Pharisee – respected religious establishment figure.

Tax Collector– traitor, despised, corrupt Quisling figure

“No matter how bad you are – if you will confess your sin and ask for mercy then Jesus death on the cross means he has a place for you in his Kingdom. But if you boast about your goodness – and expect Jesus to applaud you – then he wants nothing to do with you.”

1)God’s Mercy is a gift, not a reward

Where would you put yourself?

• Learn to be humble rather than self-righteous.

i)                 Be honest about yourself

Compare upwards to God, not downwards

ii)Humble yourself by serving others

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil.2:3-4)

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (John 13:3-9)

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I want to know more:

• To read: Respectable Sins, by Jerry Bridges
• To read: Humility: True Greatness – CJ Mahaney
• To listen (or read): What is humility? – John Piper,
• To dig deeper into Luke 18: Piety, Persistence, Penitence, and Prayer (Luke 18:1-14) – Bob Deffinbaugh,