LESSON 4
Disciples are Humble
The Kenosis
Though Jesus was fully God and equal to the Father in all ways as the Second Person in the Trinity, He lowered Himself and became man. Thus, Jesus became the God-Man, 100% divine and 100% man.
The term that is used to describe the lowering and humbling of our great Lord and Savior is the Greek word “kenosis,” which means, “to make of no reputation or to empty one’s self.”
Therefore, Jesus left His glory and place in heaven and came down to earth in the form of a man to become the Savior of the world. Take a moment to read and study Paul’s description of this great and powerful event in the life of Jesus known as the “kenosis.”
Philippians 2:5-11,
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing (kenosis), taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If Jesus, the Second Person of the God nature, the Bright and Morning Star, the Alpha and the Omega, would make Himself nothing and become a man that could die for the sins of the world, how much more should we His disciples learn to humble ourselves and make life not about our selfish needs and desires.
Jesus gave the greatest example of a servant when He left the worship of the angels in heaven and became a man on earth to die on the cross for the sins of the world. He displayed the highest degree of humility by becoming a man subject to the natural laws of the human condition such as hunger, fatigue, and even death.
During His earthly ministry Jesus never made people feel that He was too good for them. He loved to serve people and be there for them in their times of need. Jesus showed great humility in His relationship with the twelve disciples. He was always patient and forgiving towards them, even when they betrayed Him. Jesus was a great leader by being a great servant.
Luke 22:24-27,
24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
Who’s the Boss?
Today in the church many people have a difficult time submitting and serving the pastor and the leadership God has placed over them. Over my 15 years of ministry I have seen people come into the church and get saved and within a couple of months try to teach the pastor how to run the church- Lord have mercy!
One of the hardest lessons I find that people have to learn is humility. I know for me it took awhile as well. I had to learn the hard way in Bible College. When I first came to college I felt like I was the “best of the best.” I loved to pray, preach, witness, and study my Bible. I thought I was the perfect Bible school student and I felt it should be their honor to have me in their school.
So much so that I felt it was my job to teach the professors who had been in ministry over 25 years how to do their job. Well, after one day when I had corrected my professor who was in charge of the jail ministry, they brought me before the dean of boys for correction and discipline. In that meeting they told me that if I did not repent and accept their discipline then I would be expelled from the school.
So I dropped out. I went down to my dorm, packed up all my clothes, got in my car and left to go back home. The only problem was my Mother, who had led me to the Lord nine months early, said I couldn’t come back home because she wasn’t going to let me live there.
So there at the gas station with my car all packed and nowhere to go, I finally stopped and listened to the Lord speak to my heart. I believe He had been trying to talk to me for sometime, but now I was finally ready to listen. The Lord basically told me that He was the one who had brought me to the school and the leader’s discipline was a part of His plan.
Therefore, I went back to the school, called up the dean of boys, and I repented and begged him to let me come back to school. Thankfully they took me back and gave me another chance. Now today, the dean of boys, Reverend Anthony Freeman, has been a spiritual father and mentor to me. He is on the board of our church and I contact him all the time seeking his advice and counsel.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:15, “Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” Today I have a loving spiritual father and great leader in my family’s life because I could humble myself. For everyone reading this book- you need to do the same!
I look back on that day now even with tears in my eyes and I thank God for the people that loved me enough to tell me I was wrong and needed to change. My punishment in the school was to clean the toilets everyday until they said I had changed my attitude. I have never been the same since.
Today as a pastor I see people leave one church and go to the next, just like I tried that day and they don’t take time to listen to see if God is the one who is actually correcting them. I ask that you would read the following verses and then pray for God to make you humble.
Helpful Hint: If you think you are already “humble” enough- that is evidence you really need to read this and pray!
1 Peter 5:5-6,
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Prayer for Humility:
Father, I come to You today and I ask that You would make me humble like Your Son Jesus. Father, I pray that You will teach me how to listen to others and follow the leadership that You have placed in my life. Take away my pride and make me a leader that serves. Transform my life by Your power in Jesus name.
Therefore, show me the areas I have become unteachable in, lazy to serve, and unwilling to change. By your grace mold me and shape me into the servant you want me to be. Help me not to be like the Pharisees who thought everyone else needed you except them. Teach me to be the first to recognize my need for You, godly leadership, and discipline. I trust you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ten Lessons in Humility
I would like to give you a list of verses that teach different aspects of humility and then comment on one of them so that you can get a better understanding of how to walk in humility as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 10:3,
“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”
Lesson 1: Listen to godly advice. This verse teaches the importance of listening to others that have a Word from the Lord for us. Pharaoh could have been spared if he would have listened to Moses, but since he was prideful he lost his life, his first-born son, and much of his army and Egypt’s wealth. Sin and pride will cost you more than you will ever want pay.
2. Deuteronomy 8:2,
“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”
Lesson 2: Do not quit when things do not go your way. Sometimes God will allow trials and tests to come into our lives to humble us. Many times you may face difficult times and think the best way out is to run away, but God wants us to be humble and learn how to serve Him and keep His commands even when times are tough.
3. 2 Chronicles 7:14,
“if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Lesson 3: Come to God in brokenness not pride. The first thing we must learn to do to receive answers to our prayers is to humble ourselves before God. We need to take off the “masks” that we put on and admit to God that without Him we are nothing. Also, before we can truly repent of sin, we have to be willing to admit we have sinned.
4. 2 Chronicles 34:27,
“Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.”
Lesson 4: Always obey the Word of God. When King Josiah found the laws of God, he humbled himself and did all that he could to make Judah pleasing to God. Therefore, the Lord blessed Him and the nation of Judah. We must humble ourselves, hear the Word of God, and respond with passion and obedience.
5. Proverbs 29:23,
“A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”
Lesson 5: Seek humility and honor will follow. This verse declares that pride will bring people low and it eventually will bring total destruction, but the humble will gain honor. The best way to gain honor in the church and at your work place is to learn how to be humble and not to walk in pride. Pastors and employers love to honor people that can listen and follow directions.
6. Isaiah 57:15,
“For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
Lesson 6: If you want to hang around God, stay humble. God says He will live with those who have a humble and lowly attitude. He also promises to bring life and strength to their spirits. What an awesome promise to the humble!
7. Matthew 18:4,
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Lesson 7: Greatness is given to humble people. Here Jesus teaches His disciples that to be great in the kingdom of God they must be humble like a child. Children can more easily admit they don’t know everything, they are willing to be guided and helped, plus, children love to learn new things. Today humble yourself like a child and learn to rely on God as Your Father and be willing to learn from others in authority.
8. Matthew 23:12,
“For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Lesson 8: Go down in humility to go up in God’s kingdom. Jesus teaches that in His Kingdom it is the opposite of the world’s system. In His kingdom the way “up” is “down” and the way “down” is “up.” Meaning, when people try to do things their way, God will bring them down to nothing, but those who are willing to humble themselves and learn from God and others in authority they will be lifted up and exalted.
9. Hebrews 13:17,
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
Lesson 9: Obey your leaders, it is worth it. Here we learn that God has placed leaders in the church to be our teachers and mentors. Everyone is to submit to them so that they can enjoy their work unto God. Wherever God has placed you in the church make sure you have a “spiritual covering” and submit to the leadership in place.
10. James 4:6,
“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Lesson 10: Grace always abounds in the life of the humble. Here the Bible teaches us that God will give grace and favor to those that humble themselves, but to those that are proud He will not bless, rather He will oppose them. If God opposes you, there is no one to rescue you, therefore live life with humility.
Five Practical Ways to Live Humble
As a disciple you must learn to walk in humility in all areas of your life. Maybe you will have a boss who mistreats you; you must choose to be humble even when your patience is being tested. One day at church you may feel you can do things better, but you must choose to be humble and submit to the authority God has placed over you.
You might feel in life you’re too good to help the poor, clean the churches’ toilets, listen to your husband or wife’s advice, remember to humble yourself like a child and be willing to do anything that pleases God.
Man is not at the center of the universe, God is. Life is not about you; life is first about God and then it is about others. Humility is learning to make life about God even when it does not “feel good.”
Humility means serving others even when it hurts. It didn’t “feel good” when Jesus went to the cross. It didn’t “feel good” when David was being chased by Saul. It didn’t “feel good” when Moses served the Israelites for forty years and they complained. However, each one was blessed and rewarded when they served God and people with true humility.
Five Practical Ways to Live in Humility
(1) Submit to God’s Word: Always read the Word of God with the heart that says, “God teach me Your ways and change anything in me that doesn’t line up with You” (2 Timothy 3:16).
(2) Be Under Authority in the Church: No matter who you are God wants you to be under Biblical authority. Find a pastor or leader that can train you in the things of God. Someone that is willing to tell you when your wrong and be willing to listen no matter the cost and stick with them the rest of their life (Hebrews 13:17).
(3) Have an Accountability Partner: Find a peer that you can talk about your life to and be open to their suggestions and advice, try to listen more than you talk (James 5:16).
(4) Follow the Guidelines for the Christian Family: Learn the way God wants the family to operate and find your place being right where God wants you to be and do it without compromise or excuse (See Lesson 5).
(5) Follow the Rules of Society: Obey the laws of the government, the rules on your job and the social values of your culture so that you can be an example of a real Christian and a true disciple to the world around you (Romans 13:4).
Questions:
1. What is the “kenosis?”
2. Explain how you are to be humble like Jesus?
3. What times in your life did you lack humility? Explain two situations.
4. List three verses that teach humility and the lessons you can learn from them.
5. Name and describe some consequences you could suffer if you live in pride.
6. Give three examples of how you can walk humbly in the church, on the job, and in the home.
7. Memorize James 4:6.
