PORTERVILLE POST | The Right News at the Right Time

| Become as Little Children
***************What can that mean?
The Right Word^© - Dec 29, 2024
with Brother Scott : scott@portervillepost.com

In what is the general theme that we are working under (Taken for Granted: the Words of Jesus), last week I spoke on making “the Case for Forgiveness”.

For anyone that cannot find it in their heart to forgive, that person should know this: Such a man or woman is in outright rebellion and disobedience to the will of God and His command to forgive and is still a slave to their old nature’s prideful independence from God, which without sincere repentance will be very, very costly.

† Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food*, and that it was pleasant to the eyes**, and a tree to be desired to make one wise***, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

† 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh*, and the lust of the eyes**, and the pride of life***, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

( Haughtiness and selfish pride are set against God )
Haughtiness and selfish pride are set against God, and His Word condemns such things over and over again. But God highly esteems its opposite, which we will look closely at today, especially since Jesus talked about and illustrated it by His own life among His disciples and those that would hear Him teach; and that is that we are to walk in humility and service. It seems that being first, and greatness, and having authority over others was on the mind of His twelve disciples (and not just once) and Jesus needed to tear down such aspirations, which were the inspirations that led Eve to sin.

† Matthew 18:1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

† Mark 9:33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last (lowest) of all, and servant (Gr. diakonos: attendant, waiter, deacon) of all.

† Luke 22:24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

† Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. . . 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The Holy Scriptures have much more to say on this subject of walking in humility but what the true followers of Jesus need to first understand for their own selves is that failing at being humble is to block needed grace from God. He will not bless a prideful man or woman any more than is needed to help them keep moving spiritually forward, if they can be motivated to.
The things of pride, haughtiness, and an independent spirit offend the Lord. And although things like these in a believer will not likely disqualify one from receiving eternal life, though such attitudes and practices can lead one way off the strait and narrow road, “pride, haughtiness, and an independent spirit” will not result in the praise of God and honor in His kingdom, as is implied by those passages we just read through.

This is especially true of those that step into a leadership capacity in the church.

Now regarding pride, grace, and humility:

† 1 Timothy 3:6 [A bishop] Not a novice (new convert), lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. (like at † 3 Jn. 1:9)

† Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty (lofty) spirit before a fall ... 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility (modesty, meekness).

† Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another ... 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend (be low enough to join with, be companions) to men of low estate (low degree in life). Be not wise in your own conceits.

† James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble ... 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

† 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

If you are a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, then you will not despise what the Holy Spirit says to us in the Word; we are to walk humbly before our God:

† Micah 6:6 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

† Psalm 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

† Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

† Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Humility: A modest or low point-of-view of one’s own importance; the attitude and feeling that you are no better than others. Recognizing one’s own limitations and weaknesses. Freedom from pride, arrogance and self-exaltation. Seeing the values of others as no less than your own; not thinking you are better than other people.
[ Willing to help or serve others even in undesirable or detestable conditions.]

Now if Jesus, Who was the Son of God and revealed in the Scriptures as God Himself, illustrated and exceeded these definitions, how can ones born again by the Spirit of God dare to walk in that which the Eternal God hates—pride, self-importance, even arrogance? We cannot if we want His help and blessings.

† Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

† Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, 2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

The Lord said in † Matthew 18 “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”; and in the same breath He added this: “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” In all candor, I do not aspire to be looked upon in the kingdom as “great”… but when I get to Heaven I do want my earthly life to be one that God has both respect for and is pleased by, so therefore, I want to “learn” from Him and be as humble as a child.
You see, if a loving mother asks her young child, “Would you get a towel and clean up that spill for mommy?” or Daddy says to his little guy, “Hey buddy, I left my gloves way out in the back of the yard, can you go get them for me?” There is nothing but joy in running those little errands—it’s not too much to ask, or too hard, or even inconvenient for an innocent and humble child; but for many adolescents today, they would act like they are deaf, or sneer and grumble and even say, “Well, why can’t you do it? Don’t you see I’m busy?”
Ahummm—And so goes many that say they are followers of Jesus Christ. They’re too busy, don’t have the time, wouldn’t stoop to do this menial service or that one, so they put it off, delegate it to someone that is a true servant, or hate the doing of it and-it-shows!
How lowly will we allow ourselves to behave and act in the service of our Savior and King?

† Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

( Learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart )
“Learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Although there are other things we can look at to reinforce the call upon our lives to walk in humility in service to the Lord, perhaps there is none better than this last passage we will read through.
There is much to learn from Jesus, and what He said and did in the last 24 hours leading up to the cross is equally instructive. What He shared with His 12 disciples at the last supper was to make a bold impression on all that would truly follow Jesus.

† John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; 3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; 4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

I do not know if you have ever washed another person’s feet, especially who was not at least a family member or a spouse but I have. The act is a passive command of the Lord to do so. Literally? Yes, but more-so in a fashion by often- actions that are equally humbling—but for many, demeaning to a person that is proper, proud, self-important, too good to do something that is below him or her—and so, such disciple of Jesus walks away from the opportunities to minister love and acceptance, and allow their hands to be the hands of Jesus. It was expected of first century disciples and still is today.

† 1 Timothy 5:10 [As to supporting widows, they were to be] Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. (Also † Luke 7:44 -- the practice was customary for a host to provide to a guest through the lowest slave in the household.)

The Lord Jesus is like the loving parent that asks the young child to see to this or that little act of service—and there is no argument, no hesitation, or grumble or growl but a soon fulfilling (see † Matt. 6:10b) of that which Jesus Himself would do if He were there instead of you or me (Oh! but as His followers, He is there within us).
We are called to show the love and care of Jesus and in circumstances that might be inconvenient, distasteful to us, even grungy or smelly or mentally disgusting to even consider doing like washing the feet of 1st century men or women that had walked the streets of ancient Israel filthy with raw sewage and animal dung. I have literally and figuratively done it and I will do it again and again for my Master as He shows the opportunity. Maybe you will too—even though perhaps until now you would never, ever be caught dead doing such things.
Let us not take for granted the words of Jesus but instead be diligent to learn what He means for us to know-and-do by them. Words that Jesus spoke ~ many have taken for granted:
“become as little children.”

† John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.