The Foundation of Humility

Welcome to Worship in the Word with Pastor Robert Morris. We're in a series called The Four Living Creatures, where Pastor Robert shares what the four heavenly creatures in the Bible represent for the body of Christ worldwide, the church, and our own lives. Today's message is about the face of the ox, which symbolizes humility and servitude.

This is an incredible message, so let's join Pastor Robert now. So we're in a series called The Four Living Creatures, and last week I talked about the four foundations because there are four creatures and each creature has four faces—a man, an ox, a lion, and an eagle. And we talked last weekend about that the man represents grace because Jesus is the Son of Man, and he brought grace and truth when he came. So this week we're going to talk about the face of the ox, and the ox represents servanthood and humility. So the title of the message is The Foundation of Humility. The Foundation of Humility. So I just want you to think about how God blesses those who walk in humility. One of my life verses, God gave me this verse many, many years ago. I can't even tell you how long ago, and I was at Wayne Drain's church.

Many of you probably remember Wayne Drain. He comes every year for our prophetic presbytery. He's been doing that since the first year of the church, and I'd heard he had a prophetic gift, and so they were praying over me before I spoke, and Wayne said, I have a word for you, Pastor Robert, if that's okay, and I said yes. But this is what he said. He says, Have not I given you a life verse that you've only told your wife about?

And I remember thinking, now this is pretty interesting. There's 31,103 verses in the Bible. If he says the verse, I'm going to know this is a word from God. And he said, it's Micah 6-8, and here's the verse. He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Well, I knew it was a word from God through Wayne for me. But that verse, to do justly, to love mercy, to be a gracious and kind person, to do what's right, to be kind, to be merciful, and to walk humbly.

So we're talking about humility, walking humbly, right? So here's the first point, the highest position. I'm going to tell you, in the Bible, what's the highest position in the Bible. The highest calling that a person can achieve, or can walk in.

The highest calling. Now most think it's an apostle, but the apostles themselves tell you what the highest position is. Romans chapter 1 verse 1, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle.

Notice he says what he's called to do, but he tells us what he is. He's a servant. Philippians 1-1, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus. James 1-1, James, a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1-1, Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. The highest position for believers is a servant. Think about when Jesus came to this earth, what did he do? He said, I didn't come to be served, I came to serve. Philippians 2 says he took upon himself the form of a servant.

He became a servant. That's the highest position you can have in the kingdom of God. The problem is that we get so concerned and so fixated on what our position is, what our title is, or what we have, or what we're supposed to do, or what we're supposed to accomplish, or what we've done in the past, or we get very, very fixated on what God's called us to do, and we want everybody to know, hey, this is my calling, this is what I'm called to do. Well, I can tell you what all of us are called to do, we're all called to serve. We're all called to be servants. I've known of people that in workplaces have demanded certain titles. They've demanded I want a certain title.

Can I tell you something? It really doesn't matter what my title is, what I do is I'm a servant. I'm going to serve people.

That's what Jesus did. Who has the name above all names, he comes to serve. That's the title that Paul and Peter and James and Timothy, that's the title that they took upon themselves. Your identity is not in what you do. It's not in your title. It's in whose you are.

It's also not in what you own. Here's an incredible scripture. If you've never seen the scripture, I want you to meditate on it. Luke 12 verse 15. For one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. That's Jesus. One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. So it consists in Jesus.

We're going to get a little bit more into that in a moment. We have some high school friends. There's four couples. We went to high school, Debbie and I, with two of the guys and two of the girls. And now they all have spouses. And we get together every year.

We weren't able to last year because of COVID, but we're hoping we can this year. But we get together every year for an extended weekend and we just have fellowship and fun. They all love the Lord. They're great folks. So when we started doing this, you got to remember, we knew two of the guys, two of the girls, because we went to high school with them.

We knew some of the others, but a couple of the spouses I didn't know. So there's one of the guys there. And so I said to him, just trying to get to know him, I said, so what do you do? And he said, I'm a trash man. And I said, oh, well, do you like it? He said, I do.

I like it a lot. And I said, well, how long you been doing it? He said, almost 20 years now. And I could see then some of the other couples that knew him because they all live in the same city. And Debbie and I are in the Metroplex now.

They're in the city where we grew up in. And I could see them starting to smile, you know, because I'm asked these questions. Do you like it? And, you know, things, you know, how long you been doing it? And so then I said to him, well, do you have to, you know, get up early in the morning? Because my, you know, understanding of trash people is if you forget to push your trash out, they come right before you remember.

That's been my experience. So I'm thinking you've got to get up really early and get started because whatever it is, I'm not quite there yet. Or I'm running down the driveway, you know. So I said, so do you have to get up early, you know, to do this? He said, no.

I get in the office about eight normally. And then I could see him smiling. And then one of the other guys said to me, he's the manager of the whole trash facility for all of his sexes. And he has employees and he has a multimillion dollar budget and, you know, all this stuff. But here's what I really respect about that guy.

And I know him really well now. His identity is not in what he does. He didn't have to tell me I'm the boss. I got people reporting to me and I oversee millions of dollars. He said, I'm a trash fan.

It's kind of like Paul who writes a third of the New Testament. And someone says, what do you do? He says, I'm a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's what I do. So that's the highest position. Here's number two. The highest place. The highest place. Mark chapter 9. I love this passage. Verse 33. Then he, speaking of Jesus, came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them, what was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?

But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. This is the first pastors conference right here that ever took place. And he sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. You need to understand that success in the kingdom is not how many people you can get under you. It's how many people you can get over you.

It's how many people you can serve. I'm very adamant that we give God the glory at Gateway Church. You won't hear me say things like, I did this, and I decided, and I did this, and I'm this.

You'll hear me talk about, we have this. The elders and I made this decision. The staff and I made the decision.

When we made the decision to go online, Todd, Pastor Todd, Pastor Thomas and I were making a decision for the good of the congregation. But I don't get up and say, I did this and I did that. And it's not that I'm doing it so much on purpose, it's just normal.

It's just natural. Because we build the kingdom of God together. We have prison campuses.

We have a campus in Jackson Hole. We do these things. Not I. Humility is at the core of the values of Gateway Church. Because, what do we have to be proud of? God's doing it all. We're simply cooperating with Him. God's the one that's moving. God's the one that's working. God's the one that's opening prison doors. You can't open 450 prison doors in a few months. But God can.

And we can walk through that door. Philippians 2-3, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. But in lowliness of mind, I love this word lowly, because this is the ox.

The ox is called the lowly servant. In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves. And then it goes on and tells us this is what Jesus did. And then I want you to notice, because we're talking about the highest place.

So I'm going to get to why I'm calling it this. I want you to notice, when Jesus esteems himself lower than others, what happens? In verse 9, it says, Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above every name. Now remember this creature, this four-faced creature, goes higher and higher.

And that's what I want to talk to you about. We want to go higher and higher in our relationship with God. But the way you go higher in the kingdom is you go lower. If you try to go higher, God puts you lower. If you try to take the best seat, He walks you down to the last seat.

If you take the last seat, He walks you up to the first seat. It's all opposite in the kingdom of God. If you want to have authority, you get under authority. If you want to receive more to be able to help people, you give more to be able to help people. Here's a big opposite.

If you want to live, die. It's all opposite in the kingdom. So if you want to help more people, then you learn to serve more people. You don't put yourself up at the top, you put yourself at the bottom, which is what Jesus did. But then He exalts you.

Look at these scriptures. Job 5-11, He sets on high those who are lowly. Luke 1-52, He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. Matthew 23-12, by the way, Jesus said this many times.

This is just one time that He said it. Matthew 23-12, and whoever exalts himself will be humble. And he who humbles himself will be exalted. If you try to lift yourself up, He says, I'm going to take you down. If you put yourself down, I'll take you up. In 1 Peter 5-6, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

Now, some of you might be thinking like this. Well, Pastor Robert, you're saying if I humble myself, He's going to exalt me. But I don't want to be exalted. I want to be humble.

Yeah, but the more humble you get, the more He's going to lift you up. Now, again, you might be thinking, but I don't want to be lifted up. I don't want to be seen. I don't want to be a center of attention.

That's wonderful. That's the way you're supposed to think. So why would I be saying the highest place? Why do we want to be lifted to the highest place? Let me just say it this way.

It's real simple. The only reason I want to be lifted up is so I can lift someone else up. The only reason I want to be put up on this platform maybe is so I can pick someone else up here and help them up.

Now, I don't want to be put on the platform to be seen. I want to go higher in my relationship with God so I can help someone else higher in his relationship with God. So we're not talking about that God wants to exalt us for us to be seen or someone to focus on us or give us praise or glory. We're only talking about God wants to take us higher like this creature goes higher in worship, higher in prayer, higher in service, higher in grace so that we can take others higher in worship, higher in prayer, higher in service, higher in grace. That's the reason that we're lifted up. That's the only reason we do it.

When I went to Shady Grove Church, which is our North Grand Prairie campus, I hope I don't have to do that every time, but it's fun for this time. Okay, so hey, I'm serious. I love you guys.

So I don't even know what that means. If that means something bad, y'all send me an email and let me know. You probably won't have to let me know.

My kids will let me know. But when I went to Shady Grove Church, I was 23 years old, and I went to one service, and I knew this is where God wants me and my family. And so I talked to Pastor Olin and said, God's calling us, we're going to join the church. He said, well, here's what I'd like for you to preach. You got to remember now, I started preaching when I was 19, and by the time I was 20 and 21, I was preaching crusades in coliseums larger than our South Lake campus and football stadiums and things like that. So when I came to join the church, he said, well, I want you when you join the church that weekend, some people know you and all, and I want you to preach that weekend.

So I said, okay. So I went and I preached that weekend, and there were three ladies. This is my understanding of how Pastor Olin and Sybil told me this. Three ladies that were very just prayer warriors for the church and intercessors for the church, but they had prophetic gifts. Sometimes they would give a word, and they were so in touch with the Lord because they prayed so much that it was always just right on base.

Very unassuming ladies. So this lady comes up to Pastor Olin after I preached, and she said, I have this word for Pastor Robert. And he said, great. So he brings her over and she's like, here's the only thing I remember about the word that she said. She said, your face is going to be in every living room.

I was 23 years old. How did she know that our television program would one day go into every country in the world? Every country in the world. But why does God want our television program in every country in the world? So I can get recognized?

No. So I can help more people. So I can take the messages that I share with you and have someone in South Africa hear that same message, or in Brazil, or in Europe somewhere all over the world, and they get changed.

That's what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about God putting us in a high place so we can be seen. I'm talking about someone putting us in, God putting us in a high place so we can influence others. So the highest, we talked about the highest position and the highest place. Here's point number three, the highest prize. The highest prize. Philippians 3, 14, Paul said, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. So he says, I'm pressing for the prize.

But what's the prize? Well, you've got to back up a few verses in Philippians 3. First of all, he lists all of his credentials. He lists all his credentials.

But then he tells you what he thinks about all of them. Verse seven, but what things were gain to me, these I've counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ. Now just remember the knowledge of Christ.

We'll get back to that. Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things. And I count them, these are all these things, as rubbish that I may gain Christ. Now, some of you, I'll keep going, but some of you might remember the old King James.

Maybe you grew up on that. There's a different word that's used in the old King James. It's actually closer to the meaning in the Greek. He doesn't say I count them as rubbish or trash like newer versions. He said I count them as dung.

D-U-M-G. Do any of you remember hearing that scripture? I count it as dung. Okay, nevermind. So, but let me tell you what this word in the Greek means. I'm not trying to get graphic with you.

I just think it's interesting. It means animal excrement. Dung. So let me go a little further.

Let me help you. He said, you know, all this stuff, all these accolades I have, and this background I have, and this schooling I have, it's just dog poop. It's dog poop compared to knowing Christ.

It just doesn't mean anything to me. And then he goes on to say, and be found in Him, and not having my own righteousness as it was from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may, we're looking for the prize, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death. You know what the ultimate prize is, the highest prize? It's knowing Jesus. It's knowing Jesus. It's exactly what I said last week about the book of Revelation.

It's not about all the charts and all that stuff. It's about Jesus. We get so focused on all the other stuff instead of Jesus, the revelation of Jesus Christ. It's not just knowing Him the first time you walk down an aisle and get saved. It's growing you.

Think how much more you know Him now, after however long you've walked with Him, and how you can't ever get to the end of Him. He's just phenomenal. He's incredible. That's what Paul is saying. And the way we know Him more is by counting everything else as just dog poop, just rubbish, trash. I'll show you a couple scriptures more. So, thus says the high and lofty one, Isaiah 57, 15. High, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit. Psalm 138, 6. Though the Lord is on high, yet He regards the lowly. Matthew 11, 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. You want to know how to find rest?

Any of you ever get tired? It's learning about the lowly one. It's learning about Jesus. Now, when we mature, we should become more and more humble.

If a person gets more and more prideful, we've got a real problem. Because that person's not getting closer to Jesus. That person's getting farther from Jesus. You can actually get older and not mature.

You're just older. We are to mature in Christ. The sign of maturity in the kingdom is humility.

And I'm going to give you my closing illustration here. I'm going to use three scriptures to do it with Paul. Greatest apostle, no doubt. Highest apostle, no doubt. Wrote a third of the New Testament.

Pretty incredible. Got caught up in the third heavens and couldn't even tell us the things that he saw. And he actually said in one place, some of the revelations I have, I can't tell you because you wouldn't be able to understand them. We don't even understand some of the things he did write about.

But he said there are other things I can't write about because you definitely wouldn't understand them. Paul died in 66 AD. He got saved in 36 AD. He was a Christian for about 30 years. 20 years after becoming a Christian. 10 years before his death.

Everyone follow me? So he died in 66 AD. In 56 AD, he writes 1 Corinthians.

And in 10 years before he died, he's been a Christian now 20 years, he makes this statement. For I am the least, 1 Corinthians 15, 9, of the apostles. I'm the least of the apostles, who I'm not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. Seven years later, three years before his death, he writes Ephesians. Ephesians 3 verse 8, he writes, To me, who am less than the least of all the saints.

Less than the least of all the saints. Two years after that, one year before he dies, he writes 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 1 verse 15, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. So 10 years before he dies, he says, I'm the least of all the apostles. Three years before he dies, he says, I'm the least of all the saints. One year before he dies, he says, I'm the chief of all sinners. He just keeps going down and down and down in his assessment of who he is without Christ.

That's called humility. And the farther you go down, the more God can lift you up so you can be able to lift others up. We want you to take a moment to think about what Pastor Robert shared today and really listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. If you want to connect with us or check out some of Pastor Robert's other messages, visit pastorrobert.com. And if you haven't already, go follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter so we can be a part of your community. Thanks for tuning in with us today. Next time, Pastor Robert is going to share about worship. We pray peace and blessing over your week.