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The Integrity of True Humility Msg 912 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: It was the late Donald Gray Barnhouse who once said,
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  Speaker 1: love that reaches up is adoration. Love that reaches out
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  Speaker 1: is affection. But love that stoops is grace. We're here
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  Speaker 1: because love stooped and reached people like us. We who
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  Speaker 1: are so undeserving. We live our lives realizing that if
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  Speaker 1: it were not for grace, we wouldn't have a direction
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  Speaker 1: in life. We wouldn't have a purpose. There would be
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  Speaker 1: no sense of fulfillment. You realize that grace is what
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  Speaker 1: God does for us who do not deserve it. who
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  Speaker 1: cannot ever earn it and will never be able to
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  Speaker 1: repay it. It comes from his heart and reaches ours
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  Speaker 1: at the cross. For that, we are eternally grateful. We're
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  Speaker 1: involved in an interesting series on integrity. Walking... with integrity
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  Speaker 1: in days of adversity. We've looked through a number of
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  Speaker 1: Old Testament examples of those who have done that. And
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  Speaker 1: now we turn into the New Testament and we find
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  Speaker 1: another who is an example of a rare trait, integrity
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  Speaker 1: of true humility. His name is John, John the Baptizer.
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  Speaker 1: We meet him in John chapter 1 and other parts
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  Speaker 1: of the Gospels, but today it's John 1 along with
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  Speaker 1: John chapter 3. So locate in your Bibles the first
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  Speaker 1: chapter of John. We'll momentarily look past the first five
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  Speaker 1: verses and we'll begin at verse 6. down through verse 8,
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  Speaker 1: then we'll move over to verse 19, and we'll read
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  Speaker 1: through verse 23, and then a section out of chapter 3. First,
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  Speaker 1: John 1, verse 6. Once you locate that, stand with
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  Speaker 1: one another, please, for the reading of God's Word, then
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  Speaker 1: remain standing for prayer. I'm reading from the New Living Translation.
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  Speaker 1: God sent a man, John, to tell about the light
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  Speaker 1: so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John
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  Speaker 1: himself was not the light. He was simply a witness
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  Speaker 1: to tell about the light. Verse 19. This was John's testimony.
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  Speaker 1: when the Jewish leaders sent priests and temple assistants from
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  Speaker 1: Jerusalem to ask John, who are you? He came right
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  Speaker 1: out and said, I am not the Messiah. Well then,
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  Speaker 1: who are you? They asked. Are you Elijah? No, he replied.
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  Speaker 1: Are you the prophet we are expecting? No. Then who
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  Speaker 1: are you? We need an answer for those who sent us.
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  Speaker 1: What do you have to say about yourself? John replied
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  Speaker 1: in the words of the prophet Isaiah, I am a
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  Speaker 1: voice shouting in the wilderness. Clear the way for the
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  Speaker 1: Lord's coming. Now turn please to chapter 3, locate verse 25. 325.
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  Speaker 1: A debate broke out between John's disciples and a certain
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  Speaker 1: Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So John's disciples came to him
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  Speaker 1: and said, Rabbi, the man who you met on the
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  Speaker 1: other side of the Jordan River The one you identified
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  Speaker 1: as the Messiah is also baptizing people. And everybody is
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  Speaker 1: going to him instead of coming to us. John replied,
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  Speaker 1: no one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.
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  Speaker 1: You yourselves know how plainly I told you I am
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  Speaker 1: not the Messiah. I'm only here to prepare the way
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  Speaker 1: for him. It is the bridegroom who marries the bride.
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  Speaker 1: And the bridegroom's friend is simply glad to stand with
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  Speaker 1: him and hear his vows. Therefore, I'm filled with joy
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  Speaker 1: at his success. He must become greater and greater. And
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  Speaker 1: I must become Less and less. You won't read that
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  Speaker 1: anywhere in today's literature outside the Bible. You won't hear
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  Speaker 1: that philosophy promoted. And tragically, you will rarely see it modeled.
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  Speaker 1: So today's message is overdue. Nothing is more Christian than
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  Speaker 1: walking humbly with our God. May we bow before him.
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  Speaker 1: What a privilege it is to call you our Father,
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  Speaker 1: to know that you are there, you are never far away,
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  Speaker 1: and though we cannot see you, we claim by faith
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  Speaker 1: your presence. Our need for you is total, not partial.
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  Speaker 1: Our desire for your will in our lives is immense,
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  Speaker 1: though at times we don't live like it. We acknowledge, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: the reproof of reading of a life like this, and
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  Speaker 1: then we examine our own lives, and it touches us
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  Speaker 1: to our hearts. Father, I pray today for humble husbands
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  Speaker 1: and wives, humble teenagers. I pray for teachers who walk
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  Speaker 1: in humility. I pray for leaders who model what it
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  Speaker 1: means to give and to serve others. I pray that
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  Speaker 1: we might grow within our ranks a body of people
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  Speaker 1: who truly believe that you must increase and we must decrease.
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  Speaker 1: Who really mean that? Who make that their life motto?
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  Speaker 1: Not just words to say that sound spiritual, but we
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  Speaker 1: really mean it. I pray for professionals who practice their
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  Speaker 1: profession with humility. I ask you today, Lord, that you
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  Speaker 1: would give us hearts that break over the needs of
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  Speaker 1: our world. That rather than gossiping against those we do
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  Speaker 1: not appreciate or like that we'll pray for them, that
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  Speaker 1: we'll trust you to deal with them. And rather than
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  Speaker 1: getting even or getting back, I pray that we'll release
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  Speaker 1: the grudges. I pray for humble individuals who perfect forgiveness. Forgiveness.
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  Speaker 1: Like Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us,
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  Speaker 1: who came not to be served, but to serve and
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  Speaker 1: to give his life. Speak deeply to us as we
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  Speaker 1: see in these words on the pages of John 1
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  Speaker 1: and John 3, a life that modeled true humility Finally, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: I pray as we walk with you that the deep,
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  Speaker 1: deep love of Jesus will not only be told through
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  Speaker 1: our lips, but will be seen in our lives. May
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  Speaker 1: we live it, live it, from one day to the next.
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  Speaker 1: May we be lost in wonder, love, and praise for
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  Speaker 1: your son, Jesus. May he be our focus this day,
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  Speaker 1: this week, for Christ's sake. Everyone said amen. Please be seated.
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  Speaker 1: It is so rare to find great giftedness and enormous
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  Speaker 1: celebrity along with true humility. How rarely do the rich
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  Speaker 1: and famous walk humbly with their God, if they even
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  Speaker 1: acknowledge there is a God. You question that, stop and
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  Speaker 1: think about any film star who has been awarded top
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  Speaker 1: honors or some well-paid professional athlete who has made it
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  Speaker 1: to the top ranks of his or her particular sport,
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  Speaker 1: who've remained people with a servant heart, who truly care
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  Speaker 1: about others, to whom life does not revolve around themselves.
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  Speaker 1: A reporter was interviewing Marian Anderson, the accomplished American contralto,
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  Speaker 1: who had by then won worldwide acclaim as a concert soloist.
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  Speaker 1: The reporter was impressed to find Ms. Anderson had not
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  Speaker 1: only simply grown great, she had grown great simply. Before
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  Speaker 1: him stood this musical celebrity who remained calmly poised and
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  Speaker 1: completely unimpressed with herself and with her many accomplishments. He
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  Speaker 1: asked her to name the greatest moment in her life.
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  Speaker 1: She'd had many great moments by then, and her fans
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  Speaker 1: who packed the room where the reporter and Marian Anderson
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  Speaker 1: stood close together were at a loss to know which
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  Speaker 1: one of those great achievements she would name. For example,
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  Speaker 1: There was that night that conductor Arturo Toscanini announced, a
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  Speaker 1: voice like hers comes once in a century. But she
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  Speaker 1: didn't name that moment. Furthermore, in 1955, she became the
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  Speaker 1: first African American to be invited by the Metropolitan Opera
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  Speaker 1: Company to sing on their stage in New York. She
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  Speaker 1: didn't name that moment either. The following year, she became
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  Speaker 1: the author of a bestseller, My Lord, What a Morning,
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  Speaker 1: was titled, and remained a bestseller for months. She didn't
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  Speaker 1: name that book. In 1958, she was appointed as United
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  Speaker 1: States Delegate to the United Nations Ambassador. There was that
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  Speaker 1: memorable evening she'd been invited to the White House for
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  Speaker 1: a private concert with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt alongside the
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  Speaker 1: King and Queen of England, but she didn't name either
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  Speaker 1: of those great achievements. Her hometown, Philadelphia, had not long
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  Speaker 1: ago awarded her the Bach Award, and with it came music.
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  Speaker 1: a $ 10, 000 gift for the recipient in honor of how
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  Speaker 1: much she had meant to their city. She didn't name
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  Speaker 1: that event. In 1968, she was awarded the Presidential Medal
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  Speaker 1: of Freedom. And to top it all off, there was
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  Speaker 1: that Easter Sunday when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue
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  Speaker 1: before 75,000 people and sang her heart out before so
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  Speaker 1: many who applauded her. And the crowd included all the
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  Speaker 1: cabinet members, every Supreme Court justice, and most from Congress.
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  Speaker 1: She named none of that as her greatest moment. Which
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  Speaker 1: of these Would she name none of them? Ms. Anderson
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  Speaker 1: quietly told the reporter, the greatest moment of my life
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  Speaker 1: was the day I was able to go home and
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  Speaker 1: tell my mama she didn't have to take in washing anymore.
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  Speaker 1: Unlike most, she made no attempt to hide her humble roots.
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  Speaker 1: She was, in the words of many in that day,
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  Speaker 1: raised on the other side of the tracks. Her roots
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  Speaker 1: portrayed her as a mere human being who had been
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  Speaker 1: greatly blessed of God. And she never forgot that. Her
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  Speaker 1: life was an example of my opening words Great giftedness,
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  Speaker 1: great celebrity, alongside true humility. I searched the scriptures carefully
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  Speaker 1: for quite some time to find just the right example.
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  Speaker 1: They're rare even in the Bible. I was drawn first
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  Speaker 1: to a statement Jesus made about this man in Matthew 11.
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  Speaker 1: Of all those who have ever lived, none was greater
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  Speaker 1: than John the baptizer. Jesus said that. Of all who
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  Speaker 1: have ever lived, none is greater. And yet, he's just
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  Speaker 1: a man. In fact, that's the way his biography begins. Literally,
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  Speaker 1: there was a man sent from God, John. I'm impressed
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  Speaker 1: that it's just Anthropos, just man. As my father used
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  Speaker 1: to say, and yours as well, he had to put
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  Speaker 1: his britches on one leg at a time. He needed
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  Speaker 1: sleep like everybody else. He got tired. He knew what
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  Speaker 1: it was to bleed when he was cut and to
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  Speaker 1: bruise when he was struck. He was a man. Just
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  Speaker 1: a man. What stands out about him is what it
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  Speaker 1: doesn't say. According to John... 1041, he never once performed
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  Speaker 1: a miracle. So it wasn't miracles that drew people into
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  Speaker 1: the wilderness to follow John. He certainly wasn't physically attractive.
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  Speaker 1: Either his garb or his presence or his diet attracted
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  Speaker 1: no one. He's just, I say again, a man. Now
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  Speaker 1: the reason I emphasize that is because the first five
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  Speaker 1: verses highlight one who was the God-man, the Lord Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God.
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  Speaker 1: The Word was God. Not John. This is Jesus. He
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  Speaker 1: created all things. Many people do not realize it was
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  Speaker 1: Jesus in the beginning who created all things. And it
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  Speaker 1: was not anything created that was created that he did
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  Speaker 1: not create. And he gave to all creation life. John
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  Speaker 1: didn't create and John gave. no one life. He's just
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  Speaker 1: a man. And it was that light that Jesus emanated
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  Speaker 1: that sent brilliance into darkness. John didn't emanate light, if
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  Speaker 1: I may say. Jesus was like the sun shining forth light.
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  Speaker 1: John is like the moon. The moon has no light.
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  Speaker 1: All of his light is reflected light. That's John. He's
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  Speaker 1: just a man. And he never forgot that. I love
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  Speaker 1: that about John. He You never ever read even once
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  Speaker 1: of envy or jealousy. Even when his congregation is lessened
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  Speaker 1: because of Messiah's congregation growing. We'll see that in a
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  Speaker 1: few moments. So let's keep John off the pedestal. He
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  Speaker 1: doesn't fit there. Neither do any of us. He was
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  Speaker 1: sent by God. That's true. That's what the scripture says.
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  Speaker 1: He had a calling. He didn't just strike out and
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  Speaker 1: do what he felt like doing. He was sent by God.
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  Speaker 1: One purpose. To be the witness. To tell the truth
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  Speaker 1: regarding the one who was to come right after him.
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  Speaker 1: We call that the forerunner, but it quickly reads in
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  Speaker 1: his biography, he was not that light. He introduced the light.
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  Speaker 1: So this brings up the first of four characteristics of
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  Speaker 1: humility that I find in John that are worth emulating
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  Speaker 1: in our lives by the grace of God and by
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  Speaker 1: the Spirit of God. Here's the first. Accepting our God-given role,
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  Speaker 1: including our limitations. He accepted the fact that he had
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  Speaker 1: been sent by God. He also accepted the fact that
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  Speaker 1: he was not the light. He was not the Messiah.
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  Speaker 1: He was not Elijah. He was not the prophet. He
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  Speaker 1: knew who he was. Never tried to be someone else.
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  Speaker 1: It's beautiful to see how this emerges. When you look
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  Speaker 1: at verse 19 and following, you read of this interview
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  Speaker 1: between John and those who came from Jerusalem to report
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  Speaker 1: his identity. When anyone draws a crowd, it draws the
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  Speaker 1: interest of people who are in authority for whatever reason.
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  Speaker 1: They want to find out who is this person? Who's
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  Speaker 1: that individual out there in the wilderness drawing a crowd?
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  Speaker 1: So they sent these individuals who are not named to
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  Speaker 1: talk to John about who he was. And their question
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  Speaker 1: is pretty simple. Who are you? Just tell us who
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  Speaker 1: you are. Did you notice the first answer? I am not.
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  Speaker 1: He doesn't tell him who he is. He begins by
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  Speaker 1: telling him who he's not. Don't make any mistake. You've
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  Speaker 1: read about Messiah. You know he's coming. I'm not him.
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  Speaker 1: I'm not the Messiah. So he understood his limitations. He
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  Speaker 1: understood what he wasn't. Let's read on. Down in verse 23,
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  Speaker 1: John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah, I'm
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  Speaker 1: a voice. I'm a voice shouting in the wilderness, clear
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  Speaker 1: the way for the Lord's coming. I'm a voice. He's
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  Speaker 1: the word. I'm just a voice. He's the light. I'm
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  Speaker 1: just a lamp. His word lingers. I'll soon be forgotten.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, John, in our words, we would say he
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  Speaker 1: was prematurely martyred for an unjust cause. Never a complaint.
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  Speaker 1: Because he was never important to John. And they want
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  Speaker 1: to know who he is and he tells them who
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  Speaker 1: he's not. And he still hasn't told them who he is,
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  Speaker 1: except I'm just a voice in the wilderness. That doesn't satisfy.
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  Speaker 1: I'm not Elijah. And he says, and furthermore, I baptize
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  Speaker 1: with water right here in the crowd and someone you
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  Speaker 1: do not recognize, though his ministry follows mine. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: even worthy. Look at these words in verse 27. I'm
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  Speaker 1: not even worthy to be his slave, to untie the
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  Speaker 1: straps of his sandals. That's not false humility. He believed that.
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  Speaker 1: So the second characteristic I find is giving full effort
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  Speaker 1: to resist the subtle temptation to be someone we're not.
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  Speaker 1: The first is accepting our God-given role, including our limitations.
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  Speaker 1: And the second is giving full effort to resist even
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  Speaker 1: subtle temptations To be someone we're not. I call for repentance.
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  Speaker 1: He takes away the sins of the world. I'm only
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  Speaker 1: a man. He's the Lamb of God. I'm a voice
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  Speaker 1: in the wilderness. He's the eternal word. I point you
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  Speaker 1: to the way. He is the way, the truth, and
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  Speaker 1: the life. I'm none of the above. When we get
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  Speaker 1: over to chapter 3, something interesting happens. Along the same
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  Speaker 1: line of thought, a little time has passed, and so
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  Speaker 1: there's a debate that breaks out over ceremonial cleansing, according
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  Speaker 1: to verse 25. And then John's disciples, don't miss that.
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  Speaker 1: John is a following. They really love John. They really
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  Speaker 1: believe in his message, and they've repented, and they've They've
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  Speaker 1: lined up alongside him and they're a part of his team,
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  Speaker 1: if you will. They're his disciples. They're learning from him.
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  Speaker 1: So these who gathered around him and are jealous for
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  Speaker 1: him came to him and they said, Rabbi, now look closely.
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  Speaker 1: You're going to see a whole lot of humanity emerging. Rabbi,
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  Speaker 1: the man you met on the other side of the
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  Speaker 1: Jordan River the one you identified as the Messiah. Understand,
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  Speaker 1: Jesus is unknown. This is right at the beginning when
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  Speaker 1: he's starting his ministry. He's another Jewish man for all
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  Speaker 1: everyone knew until John goes, that's the Lamb of God.
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  Speaker 1: He came to be baptized. John was reluctant to do it,
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  Speaker 1: but the voice came, this is my son, my beloved one.
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  Speaker 1: Hear ye him, and the dove came. It was clear
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  Speaker 1: to John, this is the Messiah. So they refer to him.
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  Speaker 1: You know, the one you identified as Messiah. You know, John,
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  Speaker 1: he's now baptizing people. He's doing what you've been doing. Furthermore,
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  Speaker 1: everybody is going to him instead of coming to us. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: I'm smiling because it sounds so much like churches. They're
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  Speaker 1: leaving us and they're going over there. They're getting bigger.
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  Speaker 1: We're getting smaller. Something's wrong. Wrong? Is the goal to
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  Speaker 1: be big? Where's that in the scriptures? I can't find
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  Speaker 1: it anywhere. It comes from our carnal heart. That's where
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  Speaker 1: it's from. I mean, we're the ones who baptize. What's
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  Speaker 1: he doing baptizing? And we've got our group, and some
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  Speaker 1: of them are leaving us to go to him. I
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  Speaker 1: love John's response. Look at this. Verse 27 says, no
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  Speaker 1: one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.
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  Speaker 1: So everything we have is a gift. That's grace. Now
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  Speaker 1: read on. You yourselves know how plainly I told you
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  Speaker 1: I'm not the Messiah. So he's not talking to his disciples.
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  Speaker 1: He's driving at home. You understand I'm not the one.
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  Speaker 1: I'm not the star. I'm not the pivot point. I'm
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  Speaker 1: just a voice. I told you that plainly. I'm only
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  Speaker 1: here to prepare the way for him. Read on. It's
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  Speaker 1: the bridegroom who marries the bride and the best man
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  Speaker 1: is simply God. glad to stand with him and hear
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  Speaker 1: his vows. By the way, have some of you men
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  Speaker 1: been best men in a wedding? Is that the easiest
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  Speaker 1: role in the world? That's what best men do. Try
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  Speaker 1: to stay awake, listen to the vows, smile, yet It's
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  Speaker 1: so great. I've been a best man only a few times.
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  Speaker 1: That's usually not my role, but I love it when
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  Speaker 1: it's my opportunity to do nothing. So I'm there. And
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  Speaker 1: I'll watch the preacher as he does his part. I'll
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  Speaker 1: watch the bridegroom as he sweats. I'll watch the bride
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  Speaker 1: as she looks beautiful. It's so great. I take delight
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  Speaker 1: in the vows. I listen to the words. I have
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  Speaker 1: nothing to do. I'm just invited. as a friend of
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  Speaker 1: the groom. And look at what he says next. Look
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  Speaker 1: at what he says. He says, it's the bridegroom who
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  Speaker 1: marries the bride. The best man's simply glad to stand
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  Speaker 1: with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I'm filled with
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  Speaker 1: joy at his success. Amen. Isn't that great? That's one
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  Speaker 1: preacher talking about another preacher. You don't hear that very much.
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  Speaker 1: If there's one sin we preachers make more than any other,
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  Speaker 1: it's envy. It's just raw envy, jealousy. You wouldn't know
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  Speaker 1: this because you probably don't go to pastors' conferences. I
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  Speaker 1: stopped going a long time ago It's usually a study
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  Speaker 1: of one-upmanship. Now, you may not come right out and
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  Speaker 1: say it, but you're really saying, how big is your church?
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: They go, oh, whatever, whatever. Oh, how big is yours?
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: How much property do you folks have? What's your budget?
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: How many did you baptize last year? You know what
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: we're doing? We're like dogs smelling each other. It's just dumb.
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  Speaker 1: It's just dumb. Dumbest thing in the world. What does
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: it matter if I have 12 or 12,000? What does
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  Speaker 1: it matter? I don't deserve any following. Nor do you.
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  Speaker 1: You see, this brings up the third characteristic of humility.
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  Speaker 1: Seeing God's hand in another's success and rejoicing over it. Oh,
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: It's a beautiful thing to see. Talk about a need
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: in the body of Christ, not just among pastors, you
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: know that, it's among all of us. It takes humility
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: to push aside all this, well, I'm gonna say the
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: two words, all this competition and all this comparison. Those
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: are the sins that lead to envy and jealousy. Done
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: a little study on both. I want you to listen
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: to the results. Competition, listen to the definition. Striving to
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: come out ahead. Without humility, we view others as rivals,
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  Speaker 1: not brothers and sisters. Not people on the same level
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: at the foot of the cross. They're rivals. They're taking
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: our sheep when they never were our sheep to start with.
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: You're not my people. You've never heard me call you that.
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: You're God's people. I'm not your own. I don't own you.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: You don't answer to me. Let's get it real straight.
• 34:51
  Speaker 1: We all serve one head. He's called Christ. He's called
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: the Lord. He's the head of the church. So we're
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: not competing with some other church or some other body
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: or some other group. Let me go on. We're forever
• 35:14
  Speaker 1: striving to be number one when we're competitive. We fight
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: to be up front, to be seen, to overshadow others,
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: to be larger than To be better than, to have
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: more than, that's called competition. Has no place in the
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: body of Christ. Has no place in the believer in
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: the body of Christ. Here's the other, comparison. Competition grows
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: out of comparison. Comparison is the habit of examining for
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: the purpose of noting the similarities between and or the differences.
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: Without humility, we lack individual acceptance of others and personal
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: contentment within ourselves. Hope you're hearing this. We envy others,
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: we become jealous of them, Envy is resentful desire for
• 36:28
  Speaker 1: another's advantage, possessions, or accomplishments. It's a major issue among Christians. Now,
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: jealousy is the fear of being replaced by a rival.
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: Let me spell out the major differences between envy and jealousy.
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: Listen closely. Envy begins with empty hands, mourning over what
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: it doesn't have. Jealousy begins with full hands, but is
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: threatened by the loss of it. Envy wants to have
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: what another possesses, is unwilling to rejoice on behalf of
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: another who has more. Jealousy wants to possess what it
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: already has. It's unwilling to release it to bring another joy.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: Song of Solomon 6.8 says it perfectly. Jealousy is as
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: cruel as the grave. As a young man, I was
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: eaten up with jealousy. I about lost this lovely lady
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: I ultimately married because early in our engagement, I was
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: so jealous of who she looked at, who she talked to,
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: what she was wearing, how she was responding, what others
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: said to her. And finally, she said to me, if
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: this keeps up, there will be no further engagement. As
• 38:19
  Speaker 1: cruel as the grave. It's interesting, by the grace of God,
• 38:28
  Speaker 1: I conquered it. I can honestly say, I do not
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: say this out of any pride whatsoever, but that cured me.
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: I didn't want to lose her. And my jealousy was
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: driving her away. Envy and jealousy separate. They never draw together.
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: John has no envies, no jealousies. He says, I applaud.
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: The Messiah's group is larger. That's the way it's supposed
• 38:59
  Speaker 1: to be. I'm thrilled. You see, true humility cancels out both.
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: John saw God's hand in Messiah's success and he had
• 39:19
  Speaker 1: zero interest in clinging to those who had been following
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: him or having a larger following than the Messiah. no
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: he said his group enlarging really pleases me I'm filled
• 39:37
  Speaker 1: with joy by the way I came across years ago
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: I found very interesting little piece It's a spoof on
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: how things would be among Jesus and his disciples if
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: they did things like they're often done in our day today.
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: A little humorous series of statements. Here's the way it
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: would have been. Pete is the one who begins the meeting.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: The meeting has been called at the request of Matt, John, Tom,
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: and little Jim. Bart, lead us in prayer, okay? Sure.
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: Almighty God, we ask your blessing on all we do
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: and say, we earnestly pray that you will see our
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: side as your side. Amen. Pete immediately follows with, Jesus,
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: we've been following you around for some time, and we're
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: getting concerned about the attendance figures. Tom, how many were
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: on the hill yesterday? 37. Pete, this is getting me ridiculous, Jesus. 37.
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: You're going to have to pep things up, Jesus. We
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: expect things to happen. John, I'd like to suggest that
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: you pull off more miracles. That walking on the water
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: bit was the most exciting thing I've ever seen, but
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: only a few of us got to see it. Now,
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: if a thousand or so had a chance to witness it, man,
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: we'd have more on the hill than we could handle,
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: little Jim. I agree. I agree. The healing miracles are terrific,
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: but only a limited number really get to see what's happened.
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: Let's have more water to wine, more fish and chips.
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: Never hurts to fill their stomachs. You need to still
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: more storms, Jesus. Have more signs. People like that. Pete, Brian.
• 41:57
  Speaker 1: And another thing, publicity is essential and you tell half
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: the people you cure to keep it quiet. You got
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: to stop saying that, Jesus. Let the word get out. Matt,
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: now I'm for miracles. But I'd like to hear a
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: few stories I can understand. All this, those who have
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: ears to hear, let them hear. Just clouds the issue, Jesus.
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: You have to make it clear so most of us
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: be able to take some home with us. Big gem.
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: I'd like to offer a new order of service. Start
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: with a story. Then do a big miracle. Followed by
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: an offering. Then maybe a saying or a poem or something,
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: followed by a small miracle. Something to bring them back
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: next time. Oh, you can pray if you like. Tom, yeah,
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: we got to do something, Jesus. Little Jim, that's for sure.
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: Attendance has been awful. Hits you like a spear. You
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: wonder how many elder meetings include stuff like that. Not ours. Never. Never.
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: This isn't something we manipulate. This isn't something to draw
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: a crowd. This isn't something to make you feel good.
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: This isn't something to outdo the church down the road.
• 43:47
  Speaker 1: We're not outdoing. This is a calling. We take it seriously. Now,
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: we have fun. It's a great time. Absolutely. But this
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: isn't about us. This isn't about some game plan that
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: competes with some other outfit. The secret is really in
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: verse 30. Talk about a motto to live by. Look
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: at it. You've heard it. It's worth repeating. He must increase.
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: I must decrease. That isn't a motto to hang on
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: your door. Someone said, humility is the fairest flower that grows.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: As soon as you display it, it withers. You live it.
• 44:59
  Speaker 1: You live it. This brings up the fourth characteristic of humility.
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: Being fully committed to the exaltation of Christ and the
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: submission of self Fully committed to the exaltation of Christ
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: and the submission of self. Fully committed to the exaltation
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: of Christ and the submission of self. Fully committed to
• 45:30
  Speaker 1: the exaltation of Christ and the submission of self. It's
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: all about him. It's why we do our music. It's
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: all about him. It's why I study. It's why I preach.
• 45:46
  Speaker 1: It's why we witness. That's why we tell people about Jesus.
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: Fully committed. Our greatest delight is to enthrone Christ while
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: dethroning ourselves. We look for ways to give him center
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: stage and then slip off behind the curtain and applaud
• 46:09
  Speaker 1: with everyone else as he gets the credit. We consistently
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: reject praise for ourselves as we deliberately redirect it to
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: our Lord and Savior. That's the way we live our lives.
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: What is it going to take to turn our attention
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: away from ourselves and back to Christ? When we start
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: handling our families like that so that we talk about
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: Christ more than what we want or what we expect,
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: When Christ and his standard becomes more important than our
• 46:50
  Speaker 1: rules and regulations at our church. When Jesus and Jesus
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: especially is magnified and you can't even remember the names
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: of the people who played the solo or sang it.
• 47:09
  Speaker 1: I like that. There's a man sent from God. Oh, John.
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: He was not the light. He just told people about
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: the light. I quoted it earlier. I end by reading it.
• 47:39
  Speaker 1: Matthew 11, 11. I want the words to ring in
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: your ears. Matthew 11, 11. 9, 10, 11. I tell
• 48:08
  Speaker 1: you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: is greater than John the baptizer. That's quite a statement.
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: That's quite a statement. My hope is that God speaks
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: deeply to us individually. I mean that. And if there's
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: an ounce of stinking pride that you're cultivating over whatever,
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: something you own or something you do or something you've
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: accomplished or some big deal that you think is that big,
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: You need to know when you die, it's gone with you. Unless,
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: of course, it's making Christ known that lives on. It's
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: like a sweet aroma that fills the hearts of those
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: attending your funeral. That's all they can talk about. He
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: pointed me to Christ, or she was a model. of
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: Jesus to me, and I needed that. Believe me, you'll
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: live like that. You'll have no problem convincing people that
• 49:33
  Speaker 1: Christ is worth believing in because they will never have
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: seen a life like yours. ever and it isn't just
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: walking around pointing your finger up after you've made a
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: good tackle as if that does it that's fine that's
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: okay I want to know what that man's life is
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: like behind the scenes when he's not in a uniform
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: and he's home with his family and he's got a
• 50:02
  Speaker 1: sick baby and a wife that's run out of energy
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: I want to know how he treats him not this
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: Deep down inside, I want to know what kind of
• 50:16
  Speaker 1: daddy he is or mama. It all starts right here
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: at the cross. It all starts there. All the ground
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: at the foot of the cross is level. We bow
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: right there. We all look up. He must increase. He
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: must increase. Please bow with me. Please take these words
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: to heart. Take them personally. The Lord is speaking to you. Yes, you.
• 50:58
  Speaker 1: If you're married, not your spouse, to you. If you're
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: a team member, not to other team members, to you.
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: You own a business, fine. He's talking to you and
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: to others who work around you, each individually. If you've
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: never trusted in Christ, humility begins by submitting to the
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: cross where your sins were paid for, where one died
• 51:32
  Speaker 1: that you might live. And by his grace, He's making
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: his life available to you. Take it. Thank him for it.
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: Then live his life by his grace. Oh Lord, help
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: us all. Help us all. We don't have many models
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: of this. It's like talking about a phantom these days.
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: We've had good moms and dads, we've had good friends,
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: and we're grateful for each one, but how rare it
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: is to really say this individual decreases as Christ increases
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: in his life or her life. I pray that you'd rise,
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: raise up in the midst of our ranks and others
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: around us, other churches, other Christians, that you'd provide a
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: formidable body of people whose lives are so convincing that
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: it takes no persuading to attract the attention of those
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: without Christ. And when they trust in you, may you
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: get the glory. When they live for you, may you
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: be exalted. This is your work. This is your church.
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: This is your word. We sing your songs. We are
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: your people. Help us to model that genuinely in Jesus' name. Amen.
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: The preceding message, The Integrity of True Humility, was copyrighted
• 53:38
  Speaker 2: in 2021 and 2022 And the sound recording was copyrighted
• 53:44
  Speaker 2: in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are
• 53:48
  Speaker 2: reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is
• 53:53
  Speaker 2: strictly prohibited. In the preceding message, Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.
• 53:58
  Speaker 2: is grateful to Christianity Today for permission to use Richard K.
• 54:02
  Speaker 2: Wallerab's article, A Meeting of the Board, from the January 17,
• 54:06
  Speaker 2: 1979 issue of Christianity Today magazine.