In the Bible Christian Ministry
Sunday 4-26-26 (Humble Walk, Part 2)
  • He Is
  • Freedom
  • I Know Who I Am
  • In the Room
  • Trust In God
  • Welcome Holy Spirit
  • Worthy of My Praise
  • Lord I Love You - Todd Galberth
  • My Worship - Phil Thompson
  • Lord I Lift Your Name on High
  • Joy To The World
  • O Come All Ye Faithful
  • Excellent
  • Father, Jesus, Spirit
  • Closer / Wrap Me In Your Arms
  • Lord, I Love You (TGalberth)
  • Let It Rise
  • Lord You're Mighty
  • He is Exalted / Give Him Praise
  • Sing a New Song
  • My Worship
  • Just a Closer Walk with Thee
  • Awesome God - Tammi & Gerald Haddon
  • One Thing Remains
  • Fire
  • We Believe
  • I Am a Friend of God
  • Holy Forever

  • Recap last week

    Jesus’ humility even on the cross

    Who is John the Baptist

    John the Baptist
    Luke 1:15–17 NIV
    15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
    He had miraculous birth:
    Elizabeth his mother was older
    His father was a priest
    An angel visited his father to tell him the news
    He would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. And he was to live his entire life with a Nazarite vow—not taking wine nor cutting his hair.
    Nazarite Vow:
    Him, Sampson, Samuel,
    Luke starts out talking about John the Baptist
    Paul (Acts 18:18)
    John lived a life as directed.
    And preached the gospel and baptized others.
    He preached to crowds. Now we read it as the wilderness but actually
    John set up his ministry at a major choke point
    Jordan River was a natural barrier. The "Fords" were shallow points where travelers, merchants, and Roman soldiers crossing between Judea (Jerusalem) and Perea (the East) had to pass.
    John didn't have to go to the crowds; the crowds came to him. Pilgrims traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem often took the eastern route through Perea to avoid Samaria, crossing the Jordan right where John was baptizing.
    Notice: Gospels show such a wide range of people coming to him—from local peasants to Roman soldiers and tax collectors who were moving along these trade routes.
    He was likely teaching at the place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan with Josua
    Right where Elijah was taken up to heaven
    John had every reason to become prideful.
    As he preached, crowds gathered, people wondered if he was the Christ, and influential leaders took notice.
    John easily could have embraced the titles people tried to give him.
    Yet despite all the attention, he refused the titles people offered him and consistently pointed them to Jesus.
    John consistently directs both the repentant and the skeptical away from himself and toward Christ. He makes clear that he is not the focal point of God’s work

    II. Deep Dive: The Voice and the Friend

    He adopted an IDENTITY
    To understand John’s surrender, we must understand the cultural weight of his role in the 1st Century.
    John identified himself not by his name, but as "a voice" No name just voice
    John 1:23 NIV
    23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ ”
    In the ancient world, a "voice" was a herald who preceded a King. The herald’s success was measured by how quickly people looked past him to see who was coming behind him.
    To make Straight for a King: physically preparing roads by removing obstacles, leveling uneven ground, and clearing paths before a monarch traveled to a city
    The Attire of Protest: John wore camel’s hair and a leather belt. This wasn't just "wilderness chic"; it was a deliberate historical callback to Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).
    2 Kings 1:8 NIV
    8 They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
    By dressing this way, John was stepping into a massive historical legacy, yet he used that legacy specifically to point away from himself.
    John like Jesus would had disciples:

    III. The Paradox of Decrease: John 3:22–36

    John 3:22–26 NIV
    22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
    People were concerned — He is going to mess up our good thing.
    John’s disciples were panicked. They came to him saying, "Everyone is going to [Jesus]" (John 3:26). They were protecting John's "market share."
    The Radical Response:
    The Logistics of the Shoshben: In John 3:29, he calls himself the "friend who attends the bridegroom."
    John 3:29 NIV
    29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.
    The Role: The Shoshben was the equivalent of a "Best Man," but with higher stakes. He was responsible for the logistics of the wedding and, crucially, for guarding the door of the bridal chamber.
    The Climax: He didn't enter the room; he stood outside and waited. His greatest joy was not being the center of the party, but simply hearing the "voice of the bridegroom" from inside. His job was to facilitate a union he wasn't the center of.
    John 3:30 NIV
    30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
    John doesn't pivot his strategy or launch a new campaign. He utters the ultimate rhythmic motion of humility: "He must increase, but I must decrease."
    The Philosophy: John understood that his influence was a "stewardship," not an "ownership." He realized that if he didn't decrease, he would eventually become an obstacle to the very person he was sent to announce.
    Disciple. John would have been a great disciple don’t you think?

    What about US: Managing the Ego

    We often struggle with surrender because we equate "decreasing" with "disappearing."
    We feel that if someone else’s light gets brighter, ours must be fading. We treat influence like a pie—if you take a slice, there is less for me.
    John displays a "Kingdom Mindset." He isn't losing; he is finishing. He shows us that there is a deep, rhythmic joy found in being the "bridge" that others walk across to get to Christ.

    V. The Transition of Influence: John 1:35–37

    The most convicting moment of John’s ministry is when he stands with two of his own disciples, sees Jesus walk by, and says, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
    John 1:35–37 NIV
    35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
    The Result: His own disciples left him to follow Jesus.
    Imagine how hard this had to be for a person with a large ego. You trying to grow a business or a following and your people leave.
    The Lesson: True spiritual leadership is the only "business" in the world where the goal is to lose your "customers" to the CEO. Humility is being more excited about someone else’s spiritual growth than you are about their loyalty to your circle.

    Humility in our Daily Walk

    We may feel like we can’t take the light from God. He shines through us.
    But we can get in the way of people seeing God.
    2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV
    20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
    Appointed, Not Self-Selected: An ambassador does not choose themselves; they are commissioned. This highlights the humility of the role—you do not represent your own platform, your own opinions, or your own brand.
    The Weight of the Sovereign: When a Legatus spoke, it was legally as if the Emperor himself were speaking. To mistreat the ambassador was to declare war on the Emperor.
    Paul specifically defines the ambassador’s message as the "Ministry of Reconciliation." * The Message is Fixed: An ambassador is not a negotiator; they are a communicator. They don't have the authority to change the King’s terms to make them more "popular."
    The Urgent Plea: The tone of an ambassador is not one of condemnation, but of appeal. Paul says, "We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God."
    Because the ambassador is the only part of the "Home Country" the foreigners see, their character is the primary evidence for the King’s nature.
    The Mirror Effect: If an ambassador is arrogant, the foreigners assume the King is a tyrant. If the ambassador is humble and serving, they assume the King is gracious.
    An ambassador must be careful not to let their personal "ego" block the view of the King. They are a window to the Kingdom, not the destination itself.
    Psalm 115:1 NIV
    1 Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
    In our culture, we are told that if we don't announce our greatness, no one will notice it. But in the Kingdom, the moment you have to announce your greatness, you’ve likely already lost the "posture" required to sustain it.
    Here are three ways to frame that thought, depending on the "vibe" you want for your lesson:

    1. The "Insecurity of the Announcement"

    "The loudest voice in the room claiming to be the greatest is usually the most insecure. If greatness has to be announced, it hasn’t truly been achieved. True greatness is a weight that others feel, not a title that you shout."

    2. The "Sole Exception" Paradox

    "History is a graveyard of people who claimed they were 'the best' only to be forgotten. There is only one Person in history who actually was the best—the perfect, sinless, supreme Creator of the universe—and yet He is the only one who never felt the need to brand Himself that way. He let His towel speak louder than His title."

    3. The "Metric of the Basin"

    "We struggle with who is 'the best' because we are measuring from the top down. We look at who has the most followers, the most power, or the most talent. But God measures from the bottom up. In His Kingdom, the 'best' isn't the one standing on the mountain; it’s the one kneeling at the basin."

    A "Brain Wave" for your Notes:

    You could bridge this into a historical example: In 1971, Muhammad Ali famously proclaimed, "I am the greatest!" It was iconic and bold. But later in his life, as he struggled with Parkinson’s, he famously looked back and said, "I was the greatest at a sport... but God is the Greatest."
    The difference between a "Humble Faith" and a "Human Faith" is knowing that even when you are the best at what you do, you are still a servant to the One who made you.
    Being humble is often misunderstood as having a low opinion of oneself or a lack of confidence. In a biblical and historical context, however, humility is a settled posture of the soul that allows a person to be secure enough in their identity that they no longer need to protect their image or promote their own status.
    True humility can be defined through these three rhythmic motions:

    1. Not Thinking Less of Yourself, but Thinking of Yourself Less

    As the common saying goes, humility isn't about self-deprecation or pretending you aren't talented. It is about being so occupied with God’s purposes and the needs of others that your own "ego" stops being the primary filter through which you see the world. It is the shift from "How do I look in this situation?" to "How can I serve in this situation?"

    2. Strength Under Control

    In the ancient Greco-Roman world, humility (tapeinophrosyne) was considered a weakness, something reserved for slaves. Christianity transformed it into a virtue by showing it is actually power under restraint.
    It takes very little strength to be arrogant or to demand your rights; it takes immense strength and internal security to have the "title" but choose the "towel." It is the confidence to be a window that reveals light, rather than a wall that blocks it.

    3. Accuracy in Self-Assessment

    Humility is simply being honest about who you are in relation to God and others. It is the recognition that every gift, breath, and opportunity is a stewardship rather than an ownership.

    I. The Story: The Moon and the Sun

    The Moon: The moon is one of the least luminous objects in our solar system. It has no internal power source and generates no light of its own. It is a cold, dark rock. Yet, on a clear night, it can illuminate the entire world. Its "greatness" is entirely dependent on its posture—it simply stays in the right position to reflect the sun. If the moon tried to create its own light, it would remain dark. Its only "job" is to be a mirror.
    The Sun: In our culture, we are taught to be the "Sun"—to generate our own light, build our own brands, and command our own orbits. But John the Baptist understood the "Rhythm of the Moon." He knew that true increase isn't about generating your own glow; it's about the surrender of staying in a position that reflects the Son.
    The Solar Eclipse: In a solar eclipse, the moon doesn't take away the sun's power or light. The sun is still burning at 27 million degrees. However, because the moon has moved out of its proper "rhythmic position" and placed itself directly in the center, it casts a shadow over the earth. For a few moments, the world goes cold and dark—not because the sun stopped shining, but because the moon got in the way.
    Stained Glass Window: Think of a magnificent stained glass window in a cathedral. When the sun shines through it, the colors are breathtaking, and the stories in the glass come to life. The window doesn't "take" the sun’s light; it reveals it. However, if the glass becomes covered in dust, grime, or—worse—if the artist paints their own name in large, opaque letters across the center, the light can no longer get through. The window is still there, and the sun is still there, but the "increase" of the light is blocked by the "ego" of the glass.
    Quotes:
    "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less... It is the disappearance of self in the presence of God." — Andrew Murray

      • Luke 1:15–17NIV2011

      • John 1:23NIV2011

      • 2 Kings 1:8NIV2011

      • John 3:22–26NIV2011

      • John 3:29NIV2011

      • John 3:30NIV2011

      • John 1:35–37NIV2011

      • 2 Corinthians 5:20NIV2011

      • Psalm 115:1NIV2011

In the Bible Christian Ministry
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