Walking Humbly: Embracing God's Will and Presence
Summary
Walking humbly with God is a profound journey that transcends mere religious rituals and external displays of piety. It is a call to align our lives with the divine will, as revealed in Micah 6:8, which emphasizes doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God. This path is not about inventing new ways to worship or seeking personal glory through religious acts, but about embracing the simplicity and depth of a life lived in accordance with God's revealed truth.
True worship is not a matter of personal taste or invention but a response to God's clear revelation. It is about obedience and faith, not about creating a religion that suits our preferences. God has shown us what is good, and it is our duty to follow His guidance without adding our own interpretations or requirements. This involves a deep commitment to justice, mercy, and humility, which are the true markers of a life pleasing to God.
Walking humbly with God requires a constant awareness of His presence and a recognition of His sovereignty in our lives. It is about living in a way that acknowledges God's nearness and His role as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. This humble walk is characterized by a spirit of dependence on God, a willingness to submit to His will, and a readiness to accept His providences, whether they bring joy or challenge.
Moreover, humility before God naturally extends to our interactions with others. A truly humble person, aware of their own need for grace, will treat others with kindness, gentleness, and respect. This humility is not a sign of weakness but a reflection of Christ's own character, which draws others to the beauty of a life transformed by God's love.
Ultimately, walking humbly with God is a source of deep peace and joy. It frees us from the burden of self-reliance and the anxiety of trying to control our own lives. In surrendering to God's will, we find rest and contentment, knowing that we are held in His loving care. This humble walk is not only a test of our salvation but also a symptom of spiritual health, leading us to a life of holiness and communion with God.
Key Takeaways:
1. True Worship and Obedience: True worship is not about personal invention but about following God's revealed will. It requires obedience and faith, not the creation of a religion that suits our preferences. This involves a commitment to justice, mercy, and humility, which are the true markers of a life pleasing to God. [03:17]
2. Constant Awareness of God's Presence: Walking humbly with God requires a constant awareness of His presence and a recognition of His sovereignty. It involves living in a way that acknowledges God's nearness and His role as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. [10:03]
3. Humility in Interactions with Others: True humility before God extends to our interactions with others. A humble person, aware of their own need for grace, will treat others with kindness, gentleness, and respect, reflecting Christ's character. [19:16]
4. Dependence and Submission to God's Will: Walking humbly with God involves a spirit of dependence on Him and a willingness to submit to His will. It means accepting His providences, whether they bring joy or challenge, with a heart of gratitude. [42:11]
5. Peace and Joy in Surrender: Walking humbly with God is a source of deep peace and joy. It frees us from the burden of self-reliance and the anxiety of trying to control our own lives, leading to rest and contentment in God's loving care. [48:04]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Micah 6:8
- [00:25] - The Question of Worship
- [01:07] - God's Revelation of True Worship
- [02:20] - The Folly of Inventing Religion
- [03:17] - Obedience Over Sacrifice
- [05:10] - God's Requirements: Justice, Mercy, Humility
- [06:48] - The Importance of Moral Character
- [09:17] - The Excellence of Humble Walking
- [10:03] - Recognizing God's Presence
- [12:03] - Appropriating God as Our Own
- [14:39] - Walking with God in Daily Life
- [16:13] - The Essence of Humility
- [19:16] - Humility in Our Interactions
- [25:45] - Salvation by Grace Alone
- [32:22] - Humility as a Symptom of Spiritual Health
- [42:11] - Submission to God's Will
- [48:04] - The Joy of Walking Humbly with God
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Micah 6:8
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Micah 6:8 say about what the Lord requires of us? How does this verse summarize the essence of true worship? [00:11]
2. According to the sermon, why is it important to follow God's revealed will rather than inventing our own ways of worship? [01:36]
3. How does the sermon describe the relationship between humility and our interactions with others? [19:16]
4. What are the consequences of walking humbly with God, as mentioned in the sermon? [48:04]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the sermon interpret the phrase "walking humbly with God" in terms of our daily awareness of His presence? [10:03]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that humility before God should influence our behavior towards others? [19:16]
3. How does the sermon explain the connection between humility and spiritual health? [32:22]
4. What does the sermon imply about the role of surrender in experiencing peace and joy in our walk with God? [48:04]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current approach to worship. Are there areas where you might be adding personal preferences rather than following God's revealed will? How can you align more closely with Micah 6:8? [01:36]
2. Consider a recent interaction where you may not have demonstrated humility. How can you approach similar situations differently in the future to reflect Christ's character? [19:16]
3. How can you cultivate a constant awareness of God's presence in your daily life? What practical steps can you take to remind yourself of His nearness? [10:03]
4. Think about a challenging situation you are currently facing. How can you practice dependence and submission to God's will in this context? [42:11]
5. Identify a specific area in your life where you struggle with self-reliance. What changes can you make to surrender this area to God and experience His peace and joy? [48:04]
6. How can you demonstrate justice, mercy, and humility in your community this week? What specific actions can you take to live out these values? [05:50]
7. Reflect on a time when you felt distant from God. What steps can you take to restore your walk with Him and ensure that you are living in humble communion with Him? [14:39]
Devotional
I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional.
Quotes
True religion is not a new design displaying each man's taste, but a copy from a plan framed and fixed by the Lord himself. We are to follow a path well defined and not to map out a cause for ourselves. We are not like children crying in the dark after an unknown father whom we seek by ways of our own, but we are as babes who follow wither the warm hand of love gently draws them. [00:01:31]
The true worship of God is not left to be a matter of conjecture, to be worked out by man's thought from within, but it is a matter of distinct revelation to be received by faith from above. Do we all know this? Are there not some among us or at least around us who desire a religion of their own? [00:02:41]
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Those who are acceptable with God are those who do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him. Every man who is a true Christian does justly. If faith does not make a man honest, it is not an honest faith. [00:06:45]
Humble walking with God signifies first a perception of God's being and presence. In order to our acceptance with God, we must know that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him. We must recognize distinctly that there is a God and that he is near us, that he is real and true, and that we are living in actual nearness to him. [00:09:47]
To walk humbly with thy God is as needful as to do justly and to love mercy, but few there be that find it and hence at this time I would earnestly insist upon this vital, this essential point. I pray God the Holy Spirit to make humble walking with God to seem as important to you as it does to me. [00:08:44]
Walking humbly with God involves a profound deference to his will and a glad submission to it, yielding both active obedience and passive acquiescence. Humble walking with God cries under cutting afflictions, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." When the Lord bids me serve him, I must cry for grace to run in the ways of his commandments. [00:17:44]
If a man once really comes to live and act as in the sight of God, his life must be one of eminent holiness, and if under a sense of God's glory he abides in deep humility of spirit, we may expect to see about him all that is tender and quiet. Like his Lord, he will be meek and lowly in heart. [00:19:06]
The man who is loved by the all-merciful is one who loves mercy. The God of mercy cannot take pleasure in the churlish and brutal, the hard, the cruel, the grasping, the oppressing, the sternly unforgiving, and not such as the Lord delights in. Another point remains; it is the third thing, and it is put third because it is of the highest importance. [00:07:21]
To walk humbly with God is to feel, if ever such a poor condemned soul as I am shall be saved, it must be by an act of free and sovereign mercy, for if justice hath its way apart from mercy, I am driven forever into the darkness of despair. I am come to this past myself that is salvation be it all of myself. [00:26:26]
When God sends, as it seems to us, the wrong providence, when he does to us that which seemeth unwise and unkind, we are still to say, "He must be good to Israel, and all his dealings must be wise and kind." I am but as a wild ass's colt and know nothing and can judge nothing. God knoweth all things and let his will be done. [00:43:19]
If you walk humbly with God, you will feel safe. What can harm the man who sits at the feet of the great Lord and waits his will? Ah, now you feel that happen what may, nothing can harm you, for you are ready to bow before it and let the Lord alone reign. What peace it gives you when you feel that if there be anything about you which grieves your God, you will gladly let it go. [00:48:14]
The man that leaves everything to God finds joy in everything. Mercies which to others are commonplace are sweet to him. He wonders at the love which God displays in them all. As mercies come to him, he receives them with songs of thankfulness. He is grateful to think that he has bread to eat and raiment to put on, for he knows how unworthy he is. [00:49:07]
Chatbot
-
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Jun 23, 2022. Do you have any questions about it?