Bible Study Notes

2-27-16 Work Session

Humility

by A. Murray

Pray

Intro

         Bible study/devotions this year will focus on humility

Humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God, and allows Him as God to do all.

         Start off w/ Humility, by Andrew Murray,

                  PDF copy emailed & along w/ a link to audio version

 12 chapters, one each week we work

                  Go from there

Chapter 1

God Created us to show & share His goodness

A.     Murray, Humility, p. 5

When God created the universe, it was with the one object of making the creature partaker of His perfection and blessedness, and so showing forth in it the glory of His love and wisdom and power. God wished to reveal Himself in and through created beings by communicating to them as much of His own goodness and glory as they were capable of receiving.

         We best do that by humbly emptying ourselves before him

         That gives God room to work

Pride is the opposite of that & interferes w/ the great blessings God wants to give us & empower us to give to others

         Falling of Satan & his angels

         Fall of man/Gen. 3

         [and in our own lives]

We must therefore be restored to full humility to regain that connection to the full blessedness that God offers

Examples

Luke 5:1-11

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

three bucket example

Jesus is the way we obtain that restoration

         He paid the price to get us back

         He modeled how that restoration works & looks

We must follow Jesus’ example of humility to fully receive the blessing he paid for

Humility is the only soil in which the graces root

We must empty ourselves all the time, continuously, to receive & give the full measure of the Blessing God wants for & from us

                 

Meekness and lowliness of heart are to be the distinguishing feature of the disciple as they were of the Master

Hard to do

        

humility is not a thing that will come of itself, but that it must be made the object of special desire and prayer and faith and practice.

there is nothing so natural to man, nothing so insidious and hidden from our sight, nothing so difficult and dangerous, as pride.

But it is possible

                  Grace to the humble

How

1 Peter 5:5-6

clothe yourselves [intentional action] with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time [trust that God will get you there in spite of interim difficulties].

James 4: 6-8

But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favor to the humble. 7 Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you [actively seek God’s help]

Luke 11:9-13

'So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. [actively seek God’s help]10 For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? 12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion? 13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'[trust that God will get you there in spite of interim difficulties].

         The book

         Study the lives Jesus and great folks that God used

Prayer Requests