Romans * 91
True Humility is
Knowing Your Position in Christ
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
ROMANS 12:3 For I say, through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you (The word among is from a Greek word which
not only means near or in your midst, but also signifies at rest. So we can
read this as For
I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is at rest with you
in Christ), not to think of
himself] more highly than he ought to think (or is necessary to
think); but to think
soberly (or in your right mind), according as God hath dealt to every man The Measure of Faith.
Heavenly Father we
have assembled tonight in the name of your only begotten Son full of Grace and
Truth, and we have read from your Holy Word this evening that we should not
think more highly than is necessary about ourselves, but rather we should be of
a ready mind considering the very Rule or Standard by which you have revealed
yourself to us, ought in itself allow for us to be of a humble mind and spirit.
Now, Father I would ask that your presence might be with us tonight as we talk
about you and your dearly begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Now, this evening I want to take our thoughts here on what
Paul has said about how we ought to think in regards to our own place in
Christ.
Paul is simply telling the people not to get too puffed up
by the revelation or Measure of Faith that has been revealed to them, for after
all, it is not of their doing, but it is Wholly of God’s Grace that is
revealing Himself to you.
In examining
Scriptural Humility we find it is not so much a mannerism, or action as it is a
condition of the mind. For Scriptural humility is simply knowing your place in
the Gospel, or knowing your position in Christ.
Brother Branham said
from the message, BE NOT AFRAID IT IS I 61-0414 P 65 Some people thinks humility is something
that ought to wear a skirt. No, no. You misunderstand that. Jesus, the humblest Man that ever lived, He could plait ropes together,
and look on them with anger, and run them out of the temple. Yes, sir. Certainly. E-66 You say, "He had compassion." He
did. Why did He pass through thousands of people that were laying blind, halt,
withered, and found a man laying on a pallet, maybe he had prostate trouble? He
could walk. He said, "When I'm coming down, somebody beats me." It wasn't
going to kill him; he had it thirty-eight years. And the Bible said He passed
through great multitudes of lame, blind, halt, and withered. Is that right,
brethren? A compassionate God, passing through that kind of people, and found a
man laying on a pallet. How many knows what a pallet
is? I was raised on one (See?), so... Then, you... Laying
on this pallet... And there he was, laying there. And Jesus looked around until
He found him, and the Bible said that He knew he had been in this condition.
And He said, "Will thou be made whole?" Why not the twisted man? What
about that woman there with the dying baby? What about these? What--what about
them? "Wilt thou be made whole? He said, "I have no one to put me in
the water. When I'm coming, somebody steps down." Jesus said, "You've
had that for thirty-eight years." "That's right." "All right. Take up your bed and go unto your
house." He never questioned. He just picked up the bed and went walking
on. Is that right? E-67 And the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin court
(the church), questioned Him. "What about all the rest of these?" He
said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you: "I can... The Son does nothing in Himself; but what He sees the Father doing,
that doeth the Son likewise." That's
compassion. Compassion is follow the will of God, not
human sympathy, but compassion. Oh, it's two different words altogether:
sympathy, and compassion. See? If it wasn't, Jesus sure made a rude mistake
when He did that. See?
Too many people have the wrong understanding of what humility is all about. They think the guy who walks around like a dishrag is the one who is humble. But Brother Branham sets the record straight here when he says Jesus Christ was the most humble man that ever lived. Then he speaks of compassion and says, compassion is not human sympathy, but doing the will of God. And that is exactly what humility is, to know your place and to walk in the order for which you were called.
Humility is not some feminine or sissified mannerism, but True humility is knowing your place in the Gospel, and standing firm, for when you have done all you can do to stand, then just stand.
The reason the
children of
DEUTERONOMY 8:1 ¶ All
the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye
may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the
way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to
humble thee, [and] to prove thee, to know what [was] in thine heart, whether
thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3 And he
humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.4 Thy
raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth
his son, [so] the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
DEUTERONOMY 8:14 Then thine heart be
lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of
the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 Who led thee through that great and
terrible wilderness, [wherein were] fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought,
where [there was] no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of
flint; 16 Who fed thee in the wilderness
with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he
might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 And thou say in thine
heart, My power and the might of [mine] hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But
thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for [it is] he that giveth
thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as [it is] this day. 19 And it
shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods,
and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall
surely perish. 20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye
would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God.
We have a promise II CHRONICLES 7:14 14 If my people, which are called by my name,
shall 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.
LETTING OFF THE PRESSURE 62-0622B E-14
Humility is a way to success.
God said he will not share His Glory with no man. Therefore, He will only use those men who are humble enough to give Him all the praise, Honor and Glory.
In COLOSSIANS 3:12 we read, ¶ Put
on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye. 14 And above all these things [put on]
charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let
the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which
also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do]
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Therefore, Humility
is not bowels of mercies, humility is not kindness, humility is not meekness,
nor is it longsuffering. It is listed here as one amongst many different
attributes, but it is not those attributes. And yet if you are a True Christian
you will possess all of these attributes, plus humility.
Humility is knowing your place in the Word,
knowing your place in God’s plan.
NUMBERS 12:1 ¶ And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because
of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian
woman. 2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard [it]. 3
(Now the man Moses [was] very meek, above all the men which [were] upon the
face of the earth.) 4 ¶
And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto
Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they
three came out. 5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood
[in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both
came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you,
[I] the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, [and] will speak unto
him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses [is] not so, who [is] faithful in all mine
house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were
ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And the anger of the LORD
was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 ¶ And the cloud departed from off the
tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam [became] leprous, [white] as snow: and Aaron
looked upon Miriam, and, behold, [she was] leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto
Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin
upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12 Let her
not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of
his mother's womb. 13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O
God, I beseech thee. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If
her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that
let her be received in [again]. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven
days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in [again]. 16 And
afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and
pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
Again we will go back to brother Branham’s sermon on IT IS I BE NOT AFRAID 62-0726 and look again on what he had to say about true humility pp.-45. Now in this scenario brother Branham presents the disciples talking about Jesus and the woman at the well. They are on there way into town and they spot him talking to this woman, and they overhear the conversation, and they can hardly believe what they are hearing. Just think of it, after following this man for a couple years and finding him without spot in his life, and then all of a sudden you see him holding this conversation with a prostitute?
But we come to find
out that He asked her for a favor. He said, 'Bring Me a drink.' Well, we know
that no rabbi, or no one of our Pharisees would never
ask a woman like that to do anything for him. But here was our Master, the God
of creation, setting here in a body of flesh and asking a woman of ill-fame to
bring Him a drink, do Him a service." Amen.
That's what makes Him God to me, because He
humbled Himself. God is humility. Don't never
forget that. Humility is God. Never boastful, it's always humility. "And we
listened at Him. We thought, 'Surely in a minute He will grab a stick and run
her back down to the city where she belongs.' But He said, 'Bring Me a drink,'
and they got to talking religion. She said, 'We worship in this mountain. You
say at
E-46
Matthew said, "Yes, I remember. (He's the one that wrote it, you
know.) Oh, yes. I--I remember it. My heart failed. I thought, 'My, my. Uh-huh. There's our Master one time wrong,' (See?),
because He told her she had a husband, go get her husband, and she said, 'I
have no husband.' And then He turns around and said, 'You've told the truth.'
Then we all were puzzled. Here He says, 'Go, get your husband,' she said, 'I
have no husband,' He said, 'That's right.'" Look.
"Go get your husband." "I have no husband." "You're
right." Now. "Oh, we were all astonished,
and our hearts beat, and we raised up over the bushes
behind Him to see what He was going to say next. Oh, He was wrong. She said, 'I
have no husband,' and yet we believed Him to be the Messiah. How could that
great Messiahic sign be wrong? And we knowed He was Messiah, because He did the sign of Messiah.
Therefore we... (Messiah is God, the anointed. And the anointed is the Word.
And the Word was manifested. See?) We knowed
that He was Messiah. And here He was. Every time it hit but this time.
But now it had missed, for He said to the young woman, 'Go, get your husband,'
she said, 'I have none.' He said, 'Thou hast said the truth. You said well, for
you've had five, and the one you're now living with is not yours.' Oh."
"And we noticed what that woman said. She turned with startled eyes, and
she said, 'Sir, I perceive that You are a
prophet.'" Now, that... Really, in the King James is mistranslated. It's
all right. It's okay like that. But if you'll take your margin reading on that,
and run it back in the original Greek (and many of the scholars here read it),
it said, "Thou art That prophet." See?
That's the margin reading. "Thou art That
prophet. I perceive that Thou art That prophet."
"Now, we know that when Messiah cometh, is called the Christ (That
prophet, Messiah, Christ, all the same Person), when He comes He will tell us
all these things." "And Jesus said, 'I'm He that speaks with
you.'" "And that woman run into the city and begin to tell all the
men, 'Come see a Man that told me the things that I've done (Now, watch.), told
me the things that I have done. Isn't that the very Messiah?' And you know, we all went into the city to find out what happened. And
all the men in that city believed the woman's testimony. Oh, it was a great
time."
In the book of Acts we find the Apostle Paul showing his true humility as well.
ACTS
20:117 ¶
And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus,
and called the elders of the church. 18 And when they were come to him, he said
unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner
I have been with you at all seasons, 19 Serving the Lord with all humility of mind,
and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of
the Jews: 20 [And] how I kept back nothing that was profitable [unto you], but
have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, 21Testifying both to the
Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto
Now, we have seen
that every ministry under the Pillar of Fire has walked in true humility. Moses, Paul, Jesus and William Branham. Each knew their place
and did exactly what God showed them to do. Nothing more and
nothing less. That is true humility. Knowing your
place in the Word.
PHILIPPIANS 2:3 [Let] nothing [be done] through strife or
vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let
each esteem other better than themselves. And
the word lowliness is the same Greek word used for humble yourselves.
COLOSSIANS 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a
voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, (Now, before I read any further let me say that this translation
in the King James version is terrible, because it sounds as though it is saying
let no man rob you of your reward of worshipping the angels, which this word
angel means messengers, as though it is something that is your reward. But that
is so unscriptural. The right way to read this sentence should be like this.
Let no man who is a worshipper of the messengers rob you of your reward, …) intruding into
those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which
all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit
together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject
to ordinances,
You see, it is the wrong spirit that intrudes into things
they know nothing about, and speak as though they do. These are those men in
this message who come on with a false humility and such false sweetness until
you ask them about the Parousia of Christ or ask them about the difference
between the Father and the Son and they will snarl and try to keep you from
your reward, using their worship of the messenger and their false humility to
do so.