Embracing Humility: The Journey of Faith and Dependence
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
"This last week Lynn and I made a quick trip to her home in Oklahoma and we took our five-year-old granddaughter Ella with us. She had been asking to go. It was a fun time and she for the most part was a delight to have on the trip. However, she has entered into that five-year-old stage of I don't need your help." [00:00:00]
"As we're in this series about the power to change, the facts are that in order for change to come, especially the change that eludes us, it goes right through the valley of humble dependence. There's no way around it. So let me just, before we get to today, as we talk more about that, let me just do a quick review of where we have come." [00:05:50] (26 seconds)
"Remember, we're doing this because a long time ago, there were some very desperate people that were addicts. It started with alcoholism, it's expanded to other things, and they were so desperate, they'll say, we'll do whatever. And so they went to the wisdom of the ages, the Bible, in a Bible study called the Oxford Group. And from there, they developed eight principles, which turned into 12 steps to help people change." [00:06:16] (26 seconds)
"Twelve Step Sponsorship says this about the seventh step. It says, taking the third step, that was where we turned our will over to God, was a bold example of spiritual humility, because it was a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. With the seventh step, we have an opportunity to put that decision into practice by asking God to do something specific for us." [00:10:47] (24 seconds)
"Being humble is being open to the will of God, however that will might be expressed. It is also recognizing that we are not able to remove these defects without God's help. They are too much for us acting alone. Now, this is, I cannot emphasize how key this is, this idea that they got from Scriptures." [00:12:10] (22 seconds)
"And actually, he knows what's more important. He knows what you can and cannot do and the order that it needs to happen. You can't dictate when he removes the defects. And that's the thing. A lot of times we go to God and say, okay, this one needs to go, but this one over here, can we just leave that one for a while?" [00:14:27] (20 seconds)
"The Bible says, ask and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must be either willing for Him to do what's required, or you must at least be willing to have Him change your will. Like I always say, if you have a clenched fist, that's fine. You can offer God a clenched fist. But if you do this, He'll leave it there." [00:23:36] (24 seconds)
"Confessing our sins simply means that we agree with God that an act or a thought was wrong. And we acknowledge this to God. We seek forgiveness. And we make a commitment, remember that word repentance, to not let it happen again. And confession, the purpose of confession isn't to make you feel small, but it's to free people. It's to free us from fellowship with Christ." [00:26:07] (26 seconds)
"See, the purpose of the humble yourself isn't just humiliation so you've paid for it, right? The purpose of humbling ourselves is so that we might receive the father's forgiveness and be restored back to relationship with him. That's the main point, that's the main point, to be restored back in relationship with him and also, too, to make us aware." [00:28:12] (22 seconds)
"Step seven is simply the response to become willing in step six. In fact, it's one of the fastest steps because once you're willing, all you need to do is go to God and say, okay, I'm willing. Do this. And the big book puts the prayer this way. It says, when ready, we say something like this. My creator. Notice the creator. So he's the one who designed us. Gives us our purpose." [00:31:06] (25 seconds)
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"As we're in this series about the power to change, the facts are that in order for change to come, especially the change that eludes us, it goes right through the valley of humble dependence. There's no way around it. So let me just, before we get to today, as we talk more about that, let me just do a quick review of where we have come." [00:05:50] (26 seconds)
"Remember, we're doing this because a long time ago, there were some very desperate people that were addicts. It started with alcoholism, it's expanded to other things, and they were so desperate, they'll say, we'll do whatever. And so they went to the wisdom of the ages, the Bible, in a Bible study called the Oxford Group. And from there, they developed eight principles, which turned into 12 steps to help people change." [00:06:16] (26 seconds)
"Twelve Step Sponsorship says this about the seventh step. It says, taking the third step, that was where we turned our will over to God, was a bold example of spiritual humility, because it was a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God. With the seventh step, we have an opportunity to put that decision into practice by asking God to do something specific for us." [00:10:47] (24 seconds)
"Being humble is being open to the will of God, however that will might be expressed. It is also recognizing that we are not able to remove these defects without God's help. They are too much for us acting alone. Now, this is, I cannot emphasize how key this is, this idea that they got from Scriptures." [00:12:10] (22 seconds)
"And actually, he knows what's more important. He knows what you can and cannot do and the order that it needs to happen. You can't dictate when he removes the defects. And that's the thing. A lot of times we go to God and say, okay, this one needs to go, but this one over here, can we just leave that one for a while?" [00:14:27] (20 seconds)
"The Bible says, ask and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must be either willing for Him to do what's required, or you must at least be willing to have Him change your will. Like I always say, if you have a clenched fist, that's fine. You can offer God a clenched fist. But if you do this, He'll leave it there." [00:23:36] (24 seconds)
"Confessing our sins simply means that we agree with God that an act or a thought was wrong. And we acknowledge this to God. We seek forgiveness. And we make a commitment, remember that word repentance, to not let it happen again. And confession, the purpose of confession isn't to make you feel small, but it's to free people. It's to free us from fellowship with Christ." [00:26:07] (26 seconds)
"See, the purpose of the humble yourself isn't just humiliation so you've paid for it, right? The purpose of humbling ourselves is so that we might receive the father's forgiveness and be restored back to relationship with him. That's the main point, that's the main point, to be restored back in relationship with him and also, too, to make us aware." [00:28:12] (22 seconds)
"Step seven is simply the response to become willing in step six. In fact, it's one of the fastest steps because once you're willing, all you need to do is go to God and say, okay, I'm willing. Do this. And the big book puts the prayer this way. It says, when ready, we say something like this. My creator. Notice the creator. So he's the one who designed us. Gives us our purpose." [00:31:06] (25 seconds)
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