I've Lost My Earthly Mind

Take 60 seconds and stare at the four black dots in the center of the image.  After 60 seconds quickly look away and blink your eyes a few times as you look at something light or white in color.  If we set our eyes in the right spot and in the right spot for a long enough time we should see what appears to be an image of Jase Roberston from “Duck Dynasty”.  No, it’s not Jase.  An image of Jesus Christ will remain “burned” into our vision for a short period of time.  The image of Jesus eventually fades and disappears.  In order for the image of Jesus to remain in our vision we would need to frequently re-set our eyes on the image.  This exercise is a good example of who we need to set our minds on if we are going to “lose our earthly mind.”

 

READ:  Colossians 3:1-9

 

There are many “things” that are “above” in heaven (ie God, the throne, elders, living creatures with lots of eyes, etc, Rev. 7), but there is only One that we need to set our minds on in order to “lose our earthly mind.”  In order to lose our earthly minds we must set our minds on JESUS CHRIST!  “Losing our earthly mind” is not so much stopping thinking about things on the earth as it is setting our minds on Jesus Christ.  How do we lose our earthly minds?

 

1.      Continuously allow our mind to dwell on THINGS ABOVE (vs 1) – There are two imperatives Paul uses to tell us how our minds need to be focused instead of earthly things.  The first one is the word “seek” which means, “to desire” or “to want”.  The second word translated “set your minds on” means, “to keep on giving serious consideration to something”, “to ponder”, “to let one’s mind dwell on”, “to keep thinking about”, and “to fix one’s attention on.”  Jesus said to His disciples in John 8:23, “I am from above”.  We should want to spend time contemplating Jesus Christ and the things of heaven!  The moment we pause or stop setting our mind on Jesus He will begin to fade in our thinking to a point where we don’t see Him anymore.  But the more we turn our eyes upon Jesus (set our minds on Him), and look full in His wonderful face the more the “things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Sound familiar?

 

2.      Don’t allow our mind to dwell EARTHLY things (vs 2) – Paul says very clearly that we are not to set our minds on the things of this earth.  What are those things on this earth that easily capture our thinking and attention?  Money/possessions, popularity/fame, success/accomplishment, fun/entertainment, me/myself/I, . . . what do we think about the most?  Do they fit into any of these categories?  There are an infinite amount of earthly things that our minds can be preoccupied with and distracted by.  None of these things are “sinful” necessarily but can easily replace the desire we should have for things above.  If we find ourselves wanting these things and thinking more about these things on earth instead of God and His purpose and plan for our lives we may still have not lost our mind.

3.      Put our earthly thinking to DEATH (vs 5) – If there are things that need to be put to death in our lives, they are those things that are purely earthly desires and attachments.  Paul gives 11 specific examples in Col. 3:5-7 of earthly things that not only need to be eliminated from our lives and therefore our thinking.  As we look at those examples, the first thing many of us need to do is change our thinking about some of the ways we are acting.  We will not stop doing any of these earthly things if we do not think that they are sin! Secondly, even if we think something is sinful, that does not mean we won’t be tempted by it, and so we need to stop dwelling on it and thinking about it so we do not act out in sin.  Only when we put to death thoughts about things on earth will our actions and lives begin to be transformed.

What happens to those whose minds remain set on earthly things?  READ:  Philippians 3:18-19.  If our minds remain focused on the things of earth we become ENEMIES of God!  By thinking and therefore behaving in a worldly way we are fighting against God.  If we want to become an ally with God rather than an enemy we need to “LOSE OUR EARTHLY MIND”!!!

I've Lost My Mind

Before we speak or do anything a TOUGHT from our MIND of what we are going to say or do must come first.  Before we eat breakfast our mind has to think, “I’m hungry.”  Before we steal a candy bar our mind has to think, “I want that”.  Before we speak negatively about someone our mind has to think, “I don’t like them”.  Have you ever noticed that your mind NEVER shuts off?  Our mind is a complex computer made up of billions of neurons which make an estimated .1 quadrillion (100 trillion) calculations per second.  Our minds are constantly at work making choices, making judgments, and responding to our environment.  If we are in our “right mind” we are thinking in a logical manner and our words and actions seem to make sense.  But, if we have “lost our mind” our words and actions may seem strange or out of touch with reality.  May I suggest that “losing our minds” is something all believers in Christ should experience!

 

READ:  2 Corinthians 5:11-21

 

In verse 13, Paul describes the radical change that had taken place in his life as a result of Jesus living in and through him by saying, “if we are beside ourselves, it is for God” (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7-12).  A more literal way to translate this phrase would be, “if we are out of our minds (to think or reason in a completely irrational manner, to be insane, or mad).  Paul and his companions were thinking, and therefore living, like mad-men because their lives had been made new by the mind-altering presence of Jesus Christ in their life.

 

The same radical change occurs in our lives when Christ is living in and through us!  When we are living for Jesus Christ it will appear as if we have LOST our MIND!  When we begin walking with Christ, one of the first things to change is our thinking, which will make it seem to those around us as if we’ve lost our mind.  In this passage the apostle Paul shares some of the characteristics in his life that came about as a result of “losing his mind”.  If we’ve lost our mind then these will be characteristics of our lives as well.

 

1.   We’ve lost our mind if the LOVE of Christ CONTROLS us (vs. 14-15) – It was Christ’s display of love on the cross which compelled Paul to no longer live for himself!  Paul felt obligated to no longer live for himself, but to live for Jesus Christ, as a result of His death for his sake.  Paul put it this way in Phil. 1:21, “to live is Christ”!  When we are living for Christ we no longer live life for ourselves.  Others will think we have lost our minds when we start seeking God’s will instead of pursing our own plans and dreams for our lives.  Others will think we have lost our minds when begin orienting our whole lives around Jesus Christ instead of our own personal fulfillment and happiness.  That’s what the love of Christ does to our minds, it is a controlling force which comes in, takes over, and begins dictating the way we live our whole lives.

 

2.   We’ve lost our mind if we KNOW others in regard to their relationship with Christ (vs. 16-17) –

After losing his mind, Paul began to think about others from a different perspective.  Paul no longer came to know others merely by their outward human characteristics (gender, race, appearance, family, personality, affluence, etc), but rather based on their spiritual position “in Christ”.   In Paul’s mind, others were either “in Christ” or not “in Christ”.  Paul thought of others, either as still living according to the old self (sinful nature) or having become a new creation (slaves to righteousness) (Rom. 6:5-14).  Once we’ve “lost our mind” we will start getting to know others beyond the surface and superficial.  The most important question for those of us who have lost our minds is whether or not others have been made new creation through a personal relationship with Christ.

3.   We’ve lost our mind if we are AMBASSADORS for Christ (vs. 18-20) – Paul had been reconciled to God and was assigned the ministry and message of reconciliation.  Paul was immediately given a position and a job to do . . . ambassador for Christ.  As an ambassador Paul was given the authority to speak on behalf of Jesus Christ.  Once we’ve lost our minds and become representatives of Christ, we join in God’s effort to reconcile the whole world to Himself.  As ambassadors of Jesus the message we are to bring to others is, “be reconciled to God”.  This message may not be well received by others, but it is the job description of those who have lost their minds!

In reality, it is those who have not “lost their minds” who should seem strange and out of touch with reality.  Without God all our minds’ can come up with are selfish, greedy, and evil thoughts and decisions!  Remember, although when we are living our lives for Christ we may appear to have lost our minds, we are actually the ones that are thinking most clearly  and accurately about what is true!

Jesus - The King of kings

Clark Kent was a mild mannered journalist for the Daily Planet who was largely passive with an introverted personality.  He appeared gullible and often stumbled clumsily around the office.  Clark Kent’s low-profile extended to his wardrobe typically consisting of a bland-colored business suit, a red necktie, and black-rimmed “nerd” style glasses he was constantly pushing up on his nose.  Clark Kent used these inconspicuous characteristics to blend in with “ordinary” humans and deflect his true nature as SUPERMAN!  Jesus Christ’s 33 years on earth as a man were no less inconspicuous.  During Jesus’ first appearing He disguised Himself as humble and gentle God-man, but when He returns He will reveal his true identity as the God-King!

READ:  Revelation 19:11-16

Jesus Christ is going to return as the KING of kings and LORD of lords!  When Jesus returns, it will not be as a helpless baby in a manger.  He will not return with a gentle and mild temperament.  He will not return as a humble servant.  He will not return and endure shame and suffering.  He will definitely not return to die.  When Jesus returns, his identity will not be mistaken.  When He returns, it will be with an awesome display of justice, judgment, wrath, punishment, and power.  When He returns, He will rule and reign over all creation forever and ever!  What will the return of the King of kings and the Lord of lords be like?

1.   The King of kings will return sitting on a white HORSE leading an ARMY into WAR (vss 11, 14-15) – No more humble donkey (Mt. 21:7), but a war horse symbolizing a military general leading his army against one final enemy!  Jesus fury, wrath, and anger against evil, wickedness, and sin will be unrestrained.  When Jesus returns He will be leading an innumerable heavenly army into a war to end all wars against the rebellious kings and evil spiritual forces of the whole world . . . Armageddon (Rev. 16:14-16).

2.   The King of kings will return wearing CROWNS on His head (vs 12) – No more twisted crown of thorns (Mt. 27:29), but rather a stack of crowns symbolizing His royal honor, power, and authority!  Phil. 2:10-11 says that, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!”  All the inhabitants of the earth will bow down, face to the ground, and submit to Jesus’ position as King.  When Jesus returns He will be given all the glory and honor due Him. 

3.  The King of kings will return wearing a bloody WHITE ROBE (vs 13) – No more scarlet robe (Mt. 27:28), but rather a white robe dyed red symbolizing the forgiveness of sin and victory Jesus earned on the cross.  By shedding His blood on the cross, Jesus Christ made a new covenant by paying the penalty for the sin of the whole world.  When Jesus returns He will eat the bread and drink the cup once again with all those who have been purchased by His blood and been forgiven of their sins.

4.  The King of kings will return holding an iron SCEPTER in his hand (vs 15) – No more flimsy reed (Mt. 27:29), but rather an iron rod symbolizing the righteous judgment He will execute on His enemies!  All those who have not obeyed the gospel will be repaid with the punishment of eternal destruction for all the evil and sin they have committed (2 Thess. 1:6-10).  When Jesus returns He will justly strike down and destroy all His enemies who have rejected and opposed Him.

CONCLUSION

So what are we supposed to do as we wait for the King of kings and the Lord of lords to return?  1 Timothy 6:11-16 tells us, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”  Jesus Christ’s heart as the King of kings is to sovereignly rule and reign over all creation for all eternity.  Is He reigning in your heart and life today?

Jesus - The King of the Jews

Wrong expectations can cause us to miss some of the most obvious and meaningful things in life.  If we expect to make a lot of money, we may miss the occupation that will bring us fulfillment and satisfaction.  If we expect  to get all A’s in school, we may miss the wonder and adventure of learning something new.  If we expect to get every note right in a song, we may miss the joy of making music.  If we expect to win every game, we may miss the exhilaration of competition and playing the game.  Wrong expectations can cause us to overlook some of the things that God wants to reveal to us!

Wrong expectations caused the Jews to miss their Messiah King! At the time of Jesus arrival, the Jews were wrongly expecting a king who would overthrow the Roman government and restore Israel’s (John 6:15).  God had declared through Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3, 35:11), David (2 Sam. 7:12-13) and the prophets (Is. 9:6-7) that a He was going to send a Messiah King who would deliver the people of Israel from their oppressors and establish an everlasting era of peace, justice, and mercy.   From Zedekiah (597-586bc), Israel’s last king, until Jesus Christ, the Jewish people of Israel had been without a king ruling over them for over 550 years.  Anticipation of God re-establishing an earthly king was at the center of Jewish expectations.   

Jesus was not who the Jews were EXPECTING, but He was their KING!  The Jewish King would arrive under the radar of Jewish expectations.  Although the Jewish expectations of the Messiah King were wrong, it is obvious from Scripture that God intended for Jesus Christ to be more than just an earthly king, but a different kind of King who would rule and reign for eternity!  How did the Jews miss their King?

1.  Jesus the Jewish King was born in BETHLEHEM (Matthew 2:1-6) – Jesus’ entrance into the world was not a kingly event.  Jesus was born in a small village 5 miles south of Jerusalem.  Because there was no room at the inn for Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem, Jesus was born in barn or cave where animals were kept overnight.  His bed was a trough that animals were fed from.  Jesus’ birth was on not one of nobility, but instead one of humility.  The King of the Jews did not ascend mightily to a throne, but rather descended in a lowly manner to the earth.

2.  Jesus the Jewish King conducted His triumphal procession riding on a DONKEY (John 12:12-15) – During this time period, Roman leaders would publically celebrate a military victory by proudly ride a chariot through the city with a procession of soldiers.  The prophet Zechariah had predicted Jesus’ pre-victory triumphal procession, but instead of riding on a chariot He was riding on a donkey.  The King of the Jews’ humble victory parade showed that He had an even greater conquest in mind.   

3.  Jesus the Jewish King was coronated by being MOCKED (Mt. 27:27-30) – Jesus being crowned as King was a mockery.  Soldiers of Pilate sarcastically hailed Jesus as the King.  They belittled Him, embarrassed Him, made fun of Him, and physically abused Him.  Treatment worthy of a criminal, not a King.  Treatment that the sinless Christ had neither earned or deserved, and yet He endured such ridicule and shame in order to wear the crown of a true King.

3.  Jesus the Jewish King assumed the throne by His SUFFERING and DEATH (John 19:1-3, 14-22) – Earthly kings rule and reign with power and strength.  Jesus’ power and strength were displayed in His weakest, most vulnerable moment.  Through death, Jesus displayed His power over death.  Jesus gained the ultimate victory over death by raising from the dead 3 days after He was buried in a grave.  Jesus’ victory over sin and death makes Him not just the King of the Jews, but all who would believe in Him!

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews and most all of them missed and overlooked Him for the King that He was and still is.  Do we have the wrong expectations of Jesus?  Is it possible for us to miss or overlook who Jesus Christ is in our lives?  Be careful not to make the same mistake as the Jews.  Jesus Christ is God-Himself, born as a man, who humbly endured the shame and punishment of the cross in order to save us from our sins and resurrect us back to life in order to rule and reign with Him in heaven for eternity.  Is Jesus your King!?!

Jesus - The Promised King

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to have Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build you a new house?  To have Ty Pennington jump off his bus and shout into a megaphone, “good morning . . . family”!!!!!  Extreme Makeover goes all out, they demolish the house you are currently living in and build an elaborate new house with the specific needs of the family in mind.  Every room is catered to the individual who is going to be living in it.  It would be hard to imagine anything more exciting than Extreme Makeover building you a new house.  What if God promised that He was going to build you a house?  The Lord promises to build king David a house in . . .

READ:  2 Samuel 7:1-17

After the Lord had given David rest from his enemies and a house of cedar to dwell in, David tells the prophet Nathan that he is going to build a house for the Lord.  In response to David’s desire to build the Lord a house, the Lord says, “you are not going to build ME a house, I am going to build YOU a house!”  God had more in mind for David and the people of Israel than simply conquering their enemies and giving them a comfortable place to live so they could live happily “for a while” after.  God had in mind for them to live happily forever after!  God promised David a royal household from his lineage that would rule and reign forever.

JESUS CHRIST is the promised King who will reign on the throne FOREVER!  The promised King would do MORE than just deliver His people from their enemies.  The promised King would do MORE than just give them a comfortable home to live in. Through Jesus the King, God was planning to provide an eternal home where all who receive him as King can dwell with God forever!  How do we know that Jesus is THE promised King?

1.  The promised King will be from the OFFSPRING of David of the tribe of JUDAH (vs 12) – After king David was dead and gone God was going to raise up another King from David’s biological family.  There were twelve tribes of Israel and David was from the tribe of Judah.  READ: Mt. 1:1-3, 5-6, 16 The first thing the gospel writer Matthew does to show that Jesus is the predicted King is lay out his family history.  Just as God has promised, Jesus entered into humanity through the royal bloodline of Israel, His great, great, great, x23 . . . grandfather was king David.

2.  The promised King will build an eternal HOUSE for His Father (vs 13, 16) – David wanted to build a house (temple) where the presence of God could dwell “permanently”.  Up until that time, the presence of God was in the ark of the covenant which was housed in a “tent” (tabernacle) that moved about.  God had something even more permanent in mind than David.  In Matthew 12:6 referring to Himself Jesus said, “something greater than the temple is here.”  And in John 2:19-21 referring to His death and resurrection Jesus said, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up . . . he was speaking about the temple of His body.”  God built the eternal house that He promised David with the physical body and blood of Jesus Christ.  Believing in the person of Jesus Christ grants us entrance into His body (the church) and an eternal dwelling place in the presence of God.

3.  The promised King will be God’s SON (vs14) – Not only would the promised King be from the lineage of king David, He would be from the family line of God Himself!  The relationship between the Lord and the promised King would be one of a Father and a Son.  In Hebrews 1:2-3 before quoting 2 Sam. 7:14 in speaking about Jesus it says, “God has spoken by His Son . . . He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature.”  Jesus the King is God Himself in the flesh.

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is the promised King of kings!  He is the house that God promised king David He would build out of his lineage.  He is the house that God built, destroyed, and raised up again so that we could dwell with Him for eternity.  We can join God’s kingdom and dwell with God forever by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and allowing Him to rule and reign in our lives.  Is Jesus Christ your King!?!

King Josiah - Heart of Obedience

What was the most “painful” punishment you have experienced?  Spanking, grounding, time out, loss of privilege, detention?  All of these might be described as forms of wrath, painful consequences for disobeying authority.  We have all experienced some or all of these punishments as a result of disobedience.  I remember one spanking I received growing up.  My brother and I were lying in front of the TV, my dad asked me to do something, and I either didn’t do it or complained about it, and without warning, I got swatted.  When we disobey, we deserve punishment.  Complete obedience is necessary if we are going to avoid the punishment God rightfully gives as a result of sin.

Josiah was 8 years old when he became the sixteenth king of the southern kingdom of Judah (640–609 bc).  In his 18th year as king the “Book of the Law” (Deuteronomy or Pentateuch) was discovered while repairs were being made on the temple.  Hilkiah, the high priest, found the book and gave it to Shaphan, the secretary, who read it to King Josiah. Upon hearing the message of the book, Josiah became aware of his and the people of Judah’s disobedience and tore his clothes and humbled himself before the Lord. 

READ:  2 Kings 22:13, 16-17, 23:1-3

In order to be right with God, we need to be OBEDIENT to His commands!  God demands obedience, anything less than perfect obedience demands punishment.  As soon as Josiah heard the Book of the Law he knew that in order to be right with God he and the people of Judah needed to start doing the things He commanded them to do!  What do we learn about obedience from king Josiah?

1.  The consequence of disobedience is God’s WRATH (2 Kings 22:13, 16-17) – In Max Lucado’s book “In The Grip of Grace” he describes God’s hatred for evil as a, “holy hostility, a righteous hatred of wrong, a divine disgust that destroys His children.”  The word God uses to describe His hatred and overall attitude toward sin and resulting punishment is WRATH!  God’s wrath means that He intensely hates and punishes all sin.  During Josiah’s reign the people were sinning and not even aware of it and were subject to God’s wrath.  Upon discovery of the Book of the Law Josiah quickly responded to avoid God’s wrath.  There is no easy way around it, our sin makes all of us objects of God’s wrath (Eph. 2:1-3).  When we disobey the commands of God, His purity and holiness allows for no other response than righteous punishing anger. 

2.  Obedience requires READING the Word of God (2 Kings 22:11, 23:1-2) – When Josiah realized the consequences of sin and disobedience to God’s commands he quickly exposed the people to the Book of the Law and read it to them.  Josiah immediately eliminated the possibility of ignorance as an excuse for their disobedience.  If we are going to be obedient to the Word of God there is no substitute for spending time reading, studying, and memorizing it.  Not just the bits and pieces that we like or agree with, but ALL of God’s Word.  From Genesis to Revelation we need to be reading “the book” and being obedient to the truths we discover inside!

3.  Obedience is a pre-determined decision based on COVENANT (2 Kings 23:3) – After hearing the Book of the Covenant, Josiah and the people of Israel committed to being obedient to God in everything He commanded them to do.  Our culture has lost the idea of covenant.  Covenant is an indissolvable relationship between two parties where each is unconditionally committed to the other.  Being in covenant with God is not a casual “in one day, out the next” relationship. Relationship with God is an unconditional commitment knowing Him and being obedient to His Word. 

Jesus Christ is a King who was 100% obedient to His Father!  Philippians 2:8 says that Jesus, “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Jesus’ obedient death on the cross makes it possible for us to be forgiven in the midst of our disobedience.  There is no way that we can be perfectly obedient, that is why we need Jesus’ perfect obedience and Him bearing the wrath that we deserve for our sin.  Jesus bore God’s wrath on the cross, the punishment we deserve, so that we can be forgiven.

King Hezekiah - Heart of Humility

I don’t have any hesitation admitting that throughout my life I have struggled with pride.  I am probably even guilty of pridefully attempting to look humble . . . isn’t that a pitiful contradiction!?!  By default, I attribute my success and accomplishments to knowing what I want to do, making a plan, working hard, and being persistent.  A prideful motivation for me to be “successful” is the desire to be thought of highly by others.  Not so much publically, but just to obtain a faultless reputation among anyone and everyone who knows me.  I have learned that being prideful is self-seeking and an attempt to live life independent of God or in place of God. 

King Hezekiah was 25 years old when he became Judah’s 11^th king and reigned for 29 years.  2 Chronicles 29:2 says that, “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord”, and 2 Kings 18:5 says, “there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”  It appears that Hezekiah had plenty of reasons to be proud.  Two of Hezekiah’s greatest successes/accomplishments were, 1.) rebuilding and restoring proper worship in the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Chron. 29:3-36) and 2.) defeating the Assyrian King Sennacherib (2 Chron. 32:1-21).  Probably Hezekiah’s greatest accomplishment was at the end of his life when he overcame the sin of pride . . .  

READ:  2 Chronicles 32:22-26

No matter what God accomplishes through us, He expects us to remain HUMBLE!  As great as Hezekiah was and everything He accomplished, he was still imperfect, he was prideful.  Whether his pride showed on the outside or not, God knew that in his heart he had thoughts like, “look what I have done!”    What do we learn about humility from king Hezekiah?

1.  Humility means RECOGNIZING who gets the credit for our accomplishments (vs 22) – It’s pretty clear WHO deserved the credit for king Hezekiah’s accomplishments.  Verse 22 says, “the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib.”  2 Kings 19:35 says that God sent an angel and killed 185,000 men in Sennacherib’s army causing him to retreat from Jerusalem.  Although Hezekiah was king, it was God who caused him and Israel to be victorious.  No matter what we accomplish in life, God is the one who provides the talents, abilities, gifts, and/or circumstances to bring it about.  We must always be aware of God’s activity in our lives and ready to give Him the credit He deserves.   

2.  Humility means RETURNING to God the praise and acknowledgement we receive for our accomplishments (vs 23, 25) – After Israel’s victory over king Sennacherib they brought “gifts to the Lord” and “precious things” to Hezekiah.  Hezekiah’s victory over Sennacherib also made him a lifetime VIP on the world stage.  It’s easy to see how the praise and acknowledgement Hezekiah received went straight to his head.  Keeping public praise for our accomplishments points to our pride.  Instead, when we receive public praise and acknowledgement we must use it as a platform to bring glory to God.  When the spotlight shines on us, we must be the ones who humbly redirect the attention to the One who truly deserves it!

3.  Humility means REPENTING when we have become PRIDEFUL (vss 25-26) – As great of a king as Hezekiah was, God still brought wrath and punishment upon him and Judah and Jerusalem because of his pride.  As a result of Hezekiah identifying his pride and humbling himself and turning from his sin, God extended his life 15 years.  No matter how good we are or how much God accomplishes through us, there are consequences for stealing God’s glory and keeping it for ourselves.  Beware of pride and be quick to repent so that God can continue to use us in His service!

CONCLUSION

Jesus Christ is a King who humbly gives glory to His Father!  In John 17:1, 4 Jesus says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you . . . I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do (cf. Jn. 8:54).”  At the moment that God would accomplish something amazing through His life, Jesus was ready to give the glory to His Father.  When God accomplishes the work He gives us to do, we must humbly give Him all the honor and the glory!