Summer Fruit: Strawberries of Self-Control

August 30, 2015                     NOTES NOT EDITED

Summer Fruit:  “Strawberries of Self-Control”

1Cor. 9:19-27

SIS—We have “self” control when the Holy Spirit “controls” our self.

The story is told that during his term as President, Lyndon Johnson, struggled with being overweight.  This was a concern for his wife so she confronted the Leader of the Free World.  (As a side note I think we men especially should note that the power behind any throne is usually a woman. Samson, for example, ruled men with arms like tree trunks but was no match for the batting of a beautiful woman’s eyelashes).  Anyway, back to the President’s weight problem.  Ladybird bluntly said to the President, “How do you expect to run a country if you cannot run yourself?”  Being a wise man, L.B.J. took heed of his wife’s wise counsel and dropped 23 pounds.[1]

The “diet industry” rakes in over $20 billion each yea.  Statistics indicate over 100 million people are on diets.  85% of all those consuming diet industry training and products are women.  The average salary for celebrity pitchmen pushing diet products is between $500,000 to as much as $3,000,000 per year!  But, here’s the real statistic that matters:  “Nearly 65 percent of dieters return to their pre-dieting weight within three years, according to Gary Foster, Ph.D., clinical director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania.”  What does this indicate? It indicates that for most people, “willpower is a myth.”  Even a large number of people who go through the risk and expense of surgery to lose weight gain back a significant amount. 

Nothing illustrates the myth of willpower like the yo-yo dieting experience of millions of Americans.  That is why I choose a delicious, tempting strawberry sundae as the visual representation for my sermon on self-control—to demonstrate the “myth of self-control.”  When it comes right down to where the rubber meets the road (or the spoon meets the mouth), we all have significant deficiencies in the self-control/willpower department.

Diet industry investors know this, and laugh all the way to the bank.  Christians should know this also, especially if you study the word, “self-control” as it is used in the Bible.  Before we get into our study, let’s read our texts together.  READ: Gal. 5:22-23; 1Cor. 9:19-27.

Before we investigate some ways in which we can establish a higher degree of self-control, or discipline, in our lives let us understand what the Biblical word, “self-control” (temperance) actually means.

We must understand that God never expects us to “do it alone.”  We cannot “do it alone.”  What God desires is for us to surrender our self and our will to the control of His indwelling Spirit.  As we learn to do that, the fruit of self-control will hang abundantly on the branches of our lives.

The most significant aspect of the word, enkrateia (ἐγκράτεια, en-krát-i-a), translated “self-control,” is that it was not a very significant word in the N.T., as evidenced by being listed last in Galatians 5:22-23.  In Classical Greek self-control was a highly valued virtue.  The Classical focus was on human willpower.  The N.T. does not use this word often, and not at all in the gospels.  The focus of the N.T. is “Spirit-control.”  Paul does use the idea of human willpower as with the discipline of an athlete (1Cor. 9:25), but only as an analogy of how the Spirit disciplines our flesh through His influence and control.  Enkrateia is related to the krat- stem family, which denotes power, Lordship, or control in its various forms.  Self-control implies an action performed by the “self.”  In the original, the “self” is not the subject that controls, but the “object that IS controlled.”  Self-control as a fruit of the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit’s control of our lives as we surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Self-control is not about what we “do,” but what Christ has “done.”  This is very essence of Christianity and what makes Christianity distinct among world religions.  Now, let’s see how we can cultivate more of this fruit in our lives by understanding the unique qualities of self-control.

1.  Self-control is All-Inclusive (v 27)

Too many Christians compartmentalize their lives.  They fail to see how the physical, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of being human integrate with each other.  As a result, they compartmentalize their Christian experience.  They save all their “spiritual stuff” for church, particularly Sunday morning.  The rest of the week, most Christians simply put their Bible on the shelf, along with their faith.  Paul said,

I discipline my body and bring it under strict control (v.27)

The word, “body,” in this verse is a figure of speech called a synecdoche.  A “synecdoche” is the substitution of the name of an attribute of something for the whole (like “a nice set of wheels” to refer to a car).  Body is a synecdoche representing the whole of life.  Paul also uses the word, “flesh,” in this same way.  When Paul talks about his body he is talking about the totality of his being as a human, created in the image of God.

Self-control involves the totality of our being.  Our faith must be integrated into every aspect of our lives.  Self-control must be exercised as much in our spiritual lives as in our physical and intellectual lives.  In the very first story in the Bible, the Word of God demonstrates the “integrated nature” of the human being (Gen. 2:7):

⁷ Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground (‘adama) and breathed the breath (neshamah, pneuma) of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being (soul, nephesh, pseuche).

Just as God is One Being in Three Persons, in a similar way man is one being with three aspects:  physical (adama), psychological (pseuche) and spiritual (pneuma).  The physical is the least important.  Allowing the Holy Spirit to control our mind and spirit is much more important.  Most discussions of willpower and self-control center around physical issues like eating, drinking alcohol, or sexual temptations.  But the real battle (conflict, brabeion (prize of the conflict, v.24) is a “spiritual conflict.”  This is where self-control is most needed.  Paul reminds us that our real contest (race, battle, conflict) is in the spiritual realm, and not “against flesh and blood” (Eph 6:12). 

Church must challenge the mind as well as inspire the spirit.  This is the “renewing the inner man”  the Bible instructs us about (2Cor. 4:16)). Our new Sunday School Curriculum will help you in this renewal process.  It will challenge your mind as it inspires your spirit.  Our new seminary will give you a chance to stretch your theological muscles even as you build your spiritual strength.  Many, perhaps most Christians, have participated regularly in church for years or decades but have never moved beyond what the Bible calls the “elementary principles” of faith (Heb. 6:1).  God calls on us to move from elementary principles to maturity in the totality of our being.  This means we must grow intellectually in our faith as well as spiritually.  Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say, “we must grow intellectually in our faith in order to grow spiritually.  Self-control means that we dedicate our “whole” being to God:  body, soul, and spirit.  Self-control is “all inclusive.”

2.  Self-control Seeks a Reward (v. 24)

²⁴ Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.

Self-control requires strength to swim against the current of self-gratification.  Self-control requires self-denial.  It requires sacrifice.  It involves depriving oneself of something one could just as easily indulge.  So, why would any of us do such a thing? 

We exercise self-control because we anticipate that by giving up something of lesser value we gain something of greater value.  In other words, we get a “prize.”  Now, some hyper-pious people have told me, “I don’t serve God because of what I get from Him, but because I love him.”  In the deli business we had a word for that—
b-a-l-o-n-e-y!  We all love God for what He does for us on a daily—moment by moment—basis.  In fact, the Bible makes this clear:

^1Jn.4:19 We love  because He first loved us.

Man (and animals, and perhaps even plants) respond to “positive reinforcement.”  We are “prize-driven” creatures.  This is an important quality of self-control.  It is a good thing, programmed into our nature by a Loving God.  What exactly is this “prize?”

The word we translate, “prize,” is interesting, though it appears very rarely in Classical Greek, and only twice in the N.T.  It does not appear at all in the LXX (Greek Translation of the O.T.).  Rarity can be interpreted in one of two ways: either the object or idea is of little value, or like gold and diamonds, the object is of great value.  Paul indicates here that the latter is the idea in play.  This “prize” is something of great and exceeding value. Paul tells us that “only one” will win this prize.  He urges in the strongest sense to “run to win.”

The word, “prize,” does not appear in the second sentence but it can be supplied from the context.

The word refers figuratively to “winning the race of life.”  In both cases where Paul uses this word alludes to the “crown” (stephanos, usually woven of olive branches) awarded to the victors in the Olympic games (see vs. 25; 2 Tim. 4:8; Ja. 1:12; Rev. 2:10; 3:11). Paul has in view the resurrection and the promise of heaven’s bliss for those who remain steadfast in the faith (Phil. 3:13-14).

¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

One of the significant qualities of self-control is that it seeks to gain a heavenly prize.  Without this God-encoded drive in a human’s heart, no one will make the sacrifices required to keep the faith as Paul envisions.

3.  Self-control Demands Sacrifice (v. 25)

²⁵ Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything.

Now here is a good example of why you need more than one Bible.  The HCSB is a very good translation and accurately translates the participial contruction of the verse.  Literally, the translation is something closer to the KJV:  every man (pas) that striveth for the mastery (agonizomenos).  If you look closely at that word, agonizomenos, you will notice the root for our English word, “agony.”  This is the Greek word often translated, “athlete,” (as in the ESV).  Discipline, or self-control, involves “agony.”  Self-control is hard work, so hard that without the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will not achieve it.  Some may have more willpower than others as a matter of personality, but in the Biblical sense of remaining steadfast in the faith until the very end, it will involve “agony.”  Another interesting point about this word is it is a “participle.”  This indicates the action is continuous and contemporary with the “running of the race.”  It is not a “hit and miss,” trumped up, flash-in-the-pan attempt at discipline that leads to such activities as “yo-yo dieting.”  This is an everyday-moment-by moment-discipline-of-the-flesh-in-order-to-please-God virtue.  Self-control takes sacrifice—and lots of it!

A few moments ago we examined the idea of the “prize.”  The Greek word literally translates as the “prize of conflict”[2]  The word reminds us that there is not victory without a battle.  So many want the “spoils of war” without spoiling there life of ease and self-gratification.  Ain’t gonna’ happen!  Self-control requires an agonizing effort or our part—a complete and total surrender to the Holy Spirit regardless of what sacrifices must be made.  That’s the key to “winning the prize.”

One of the greatest (if not “the” greatest) professional basketball players of all time is Michael Jordan.  Have you ever thought:  “what’s it take to be a great athlete like Jordan?”  ESPN gives an account of the deciding game in the championship between the Utah Jazz and Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.  Here’s the account:  “Jordan got ill two days before their last and championship deciding game. The day of the game, Jordan forced himself up off his bed and over to the stadium to play. He was slow at first, but as soon as the Jazz took the lead in the second quarter, Michael fired up and carried the Bulls to another championship victory.”  Jordan was so sick for two days he could not get out of bed—but he did get out of bed.  His disciplined life allowed him to fight through the pain (agony) and gain the prize.  It took sacrifice.  Self-control always involves sacrifice.

4.  Self-control Requires Focus (19)  Look back again to verse 19:

⁹ Although I am a free man and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people.

Let me review for a minute.  The prize we examined earlier speaks to the “what” of self-control.  The agony speaks to the “how” of self-control.  Focus speaks to the “Who, or Why” of self-control.

Why am I sacrificing?  For Whom do I seek to control my passions and desires?  Who is the Lord (kratos) and Master of my life?  These questions go to the heart of self-control.  What is the “focal point” of my life that steers my every thought and action?

Over the last few years, if you have been involved in church to any degree, you have heard the phrase, “purpose-driven life.”  The popularity of this phrase skyrocketed when a successful, Southern California mega-church pastor wrote a book by that title.  Originally published in 2002, the total sales in the first year were a staggering 500,000.  By 2005 sales had swelled to over 20 million.  By 2010 the sales were still climbing at over 30 million copies.  The book had a very simple premise:  “life finds its greatest fulfillment and highest level of success by surrendering to the purpose for which you were created.”  Rather than focus on success, one needs to focus on God.  The first line of the first chapter of Rick’s book is:  “It’s not about you.”

The Bible is not a book about man.  The Bible is a book about God.  Man plays an important part to be sure, but everything that exists exists for the purpose of bringing glory to Yahweh, the One True God.  The Bible teaches us that:

³ Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.  ⁴ For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight.  In love  ⁵ He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, ⁶ to the praise of His glorious grace.

Paul repeats that phrase, “to the praise of His glory,” several times throughout the first chapter of Ephesians.  The entire creation exists to praise and glorify God.

Ps. 19:1  The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

Listen to how the NLT translates Paul’s view on self-control and focusing on God’s purpose in verses 26-27:

²⁶ So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. ²⁷ I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

Paul said that he would not waste one step or one action in pursuing God’s purpose for his life.  He would discipline his mind and body like a boxer preparing for a world title match.  But, what was the purpose Paul exhorts us to focus on?  He makes this very clear if we go back to verse 19 which we read earlier.

¹⁹ Although I am a free man and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order TO WIN MORE PEOPLE.

A person can be successful in every area of life, but if they are not passionately pursuing souls to be saved, that person will die a failure.  That is the purpose for which God was born in our world.  That is the purpose for which God in Christ died on the cross.  That is the purpose for which Christ rose from the grave on the third day—TO WIN PEOPLE FOR ETERNITY!

Self-control means nothing if it is only for the purpose of “getting something for ourselves”—the prize.  That’s a part of the issue of self-control, but only a part.  We must focus all of our efforts toward the single goal of winning people for Christ or everything else we do in life—however lofty it might be—accounts for nothing.  At one point in his writing, as the Holy Spirit moved upon him, Paul declared in verse 16 of this chapter:  “Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.”

The fruit of self-control involves focusing on the purpose of bringing glory to God by bringing many to faith in Christ.  Ask yourself:  do I beat down my body into subjection in order that “every step I run is for the purpose of bring others to Christ?” If you are like me, the answer to that question should break your heart.  I am very easily distracted from the purpose for which God called me in Christ.  Exercising self-control puts my life back into proper focus.

CLOSE:  Each week for the last nine weeks we have placed a new fruit in our Summer Fruit Basket.  Our spiritual basket now contains, love,  joy,  peace, patience,  kindness,  goodness, faith,   gentleness, and self-control.  The source of this fruit is the Holy Spirit that enters a person’s life at the moment of salvation.  Without the Spirit, there is no salvation.  Without the Spirit, there is no fruit.

I pray that we will each visit this list often and ask ourselves how the “fruit harvest” it going.  God saved you to bear fruit.  May your life be heavy with the fruit of salvation.

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[1] Adapted from sermoncentral.com

[2] TDNT (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament)

Summer Fruit: The Honeydew of Humility

August 23, 2015      [NOTES NOT EDITED]

Summer Fruit:  The Honeydew of Humility

The Book of Esther, esp. 4:12-16

SIS—God accomplishes great things through humble people.

My text this morning is the Book of Esther.  I don’t often take an entire book of the Bible as my text, but it seems the best avenue for addressing the issue of “humility.”  We will read some introductory verses and then I will briefly outline the story to give us a good context.  Join me as we read God’s Word this morning. 

Reading:  Galatians 5:22; Esther 4:12-16

Esther is one of the most interesting books in the Bible.  It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God.  This caused it to be challenged as inspired Scripture even to the time of the Reformation.  Yet, it has been a part of the Jewish Bible since ancient times.  The story is a simple one with set against the backdrop of three sub-plots.  The story begins when Xerxes, the Persian King, summons his wife, Queen Vashti, to join him at a celebration.  For reasons not given, Queen Vashti refused the King’s invitation.  Understandably, the King was furious and consulted with his advisers who advised him to issue a law that Queen Vashti be stripped of her crown and never again enter the presence of the King.  King Xerxes made such and order.  His advisers suggested Xerxes find another beautiful woman who would please him to be the queen.  After many years and a long process vetting many beautiful maidens, a beautiful young Jewish girl, adopted by her cousin, Mordecai, caught the eye of the King.  Xerxes made her his queen.  Another subplot involves Mordecai, the Jew.  He overheard servants of the king discussing a plot to assassinate Xerxes and warned the king through Esther.  Thus, Mordecai gained favor and position in the kingdom.  A third subplot involves a Persian named, Haman.  He’s the villain in this story.  The King honored Haman as a position as one of the highest nobles.  All the royal officials would bow down to Haman when he passed, except Mordecai the Jew.  Haman decided to get revenge on Mordecai by tricking Xerxes into issuing a decree to destroy all the Jews in the realm.  Haman convinced Xerxes the Jews were plotting against him. Here is where the main plot of the Book of Esther begins.  Mordecai convinces Esther to intervene on her peoples’ behalf by telling her husband, King Xerxes of Haman’s evil plan.  What Mordecai was asking Esther to do could very well lead to her death.  We read:

^4:9 Hathach came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.

¹⁰ Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard  and who has not been summoned—the death penalty.  Only if the king extends the gold scepter will that person live.  I have not been summoned to appear before the king  for the last  30 days.” ¹² Esther’s response was reported to Mordecai.

¹³ Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king’s palace. ¹⁴ If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place,  but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”

The main plot of the story sets in contrast the beauty of humility and the ugliness of pride—Esther representing beauty and Haman representing pride.  Haman’s pride shows in his response to an invitation from Queen Esther to attend a party.  Haman did not know the Queen intended to expose his plot.  Haman says,

^5:10He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh to join him. ¹¹ Then Haman described for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal staff.  ¹² “What’s more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am invited again tomorrow to join her with the king.

Haman’s pride will lead him to hang from the very gallows he built to extract revenge against Mordecai, whom he hated.  Pride is an ugly thing.  The Scriptures say, “pride leads to a fall” (Prv. 16:18).  By contrast humility is a beautiful thing.  We will learn that God accomplishes great work through humble people.

My study this week impressed upon me the complex nature of “humility, or meekness” as I have studied the “Fruit of Humility” in Galatians 5:23.  Translations offer several options for translating the original Greek word:  “gentleness” (HCSB, et. al.) is the most popular among modern versions.  The King James Version gives us, “meekness,” which is a good term.  The Good News Translation offers the option of, “humility,” which is also a very good translation.  All three words--gentleness, meekness, and humility—describe important aspects of the original word.  Using Esther as a model, we will examine the “Honeydew of Humility.” 

One of the reasons I choose to focus on humility as a translation rather than, “gentleness or meekness,” is because the latter two in English can be misleading.  Even humility can be greatly misunderstood.  For example, humble can give the impression of “inferior,” as in “a person of humble means.”  Or, a “humble dwelling” as opposed to a lavish mansion.  The Biblical word related to “humility, meekness, and gentleness” represents something powerful, not inferior.

Humility actually gives us the boldness to do things that otherwise we might try to avoid.  I remember a very humble employee that had worked for one particularly company for over 20 years.  This man was known for never bragging or seeking attention of any kind.  Then, one day he seemed to get a spark of boldness.  He marched into his boss’s office and said, “Sir, I deserve a raise!”  The boss, somewhat surprised by the boastful attitude of the employee responded, “Charlie, that’s not like you to barge in and make such demands.  What makes you think you deserve a raise?”  Charlie replied, “You need to know that I have three other companies calling me on a regular basis.”  “Is that so,” the boss mused.  What other three companies are after you?”  Charlie responded quickly, “The electric company, the phone company, and the gas company!”

Humility helps us break free from our pride and do things we might otherwise be uncomfortable doing because we are concerned with what God wants, not what we want—except perhaps for Charlie.

Humility, as the Bible portrays it through the life of Esther has three distinctive elements:  Surrender, Strength, and Success.

1.  Surrender (4:15-16)

Look again at verses 15-16 of chapter 4:  ¹⁵ Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, day or night. I and my female servants will also fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is against the law.  If I perish, I perish.”

The most important element of humility is surrender.  Esther faced a life threatening challenge by seeking the will of God on the matter.  “Fasting” is a spiritual discipline that puts a person in a state of dependence for the purpose of seeking God’s will.  Spiritual surrender recognizes that we are not the “masters of our own destiny.”  We are not our own in any way.  Paul expresses this by reminding us:

^{1Cor 6:  19} Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit  who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

Notice particularly those words, “you are not your own.”  Carnal man rebels against such a notion.  Pride gives us a false sense of superiority, and that lies at the root of all the evil in the world.  Someone has called pride, “The Father of All Sins.”  Pride drives us to reject the command and control of Almighty God and substitute our own desires for His decrees.  Pride declares we are “Masters of Our Own Destiny.” 

Here is a picture of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Office Building located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in Downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States prior to April 19, 1995, a little over 20 years ago [PIC].  Here is that same building on April 19, 1995 [PIC].  Here is a picture of the Oklahoma City National Memorial with 168 empty chairs honoring the lives of people killed that day, including 19 children [PIC].  Here is a picture of the man that set off that bomb [PIC].  Timothy McVeigh died by execution for this horrible crime.  He did not speak his last words, but had the Warden pass out a sheet of paper to each news representative (about 10).  That note included lines from a poem titled, “Invictus.”   McVeigh did not speak but he did write a statement that the warden passed out to each of the reporters in the witness area.  this note, written by Timothy McVeigh  said:

Out of the night that covers me, Black is the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeoning of chance, my head is bloodied but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears looms but the horror of the shade and yet the menace of the years finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.  McVeigh signed the note.

The “Black Pit of Evil” did indeed engulf the sorry soul of Timothy McVeigh.  The blackness came from the shroud of pride that covered McVeigh and shut out the light of God’s grace and mercy.  McVeigh was NOT the Master of His Own Fate nor the Captain of His Own Soul.  He was prisoner to pride and the captive to the sin he embraced.

The war against sin in our lives is not won by our conquests, but by our surrender.  Plato put into the mouth of Socrates these words, “Know thyself.”  For Socrates truth mattered above all else.  Truth begins by seeing things as they are, not as we want them to be.  Aristotle, Plato’s chief student would later expound the idea that the beginning of knowledge is to put things in their right “categories.”  In his great work by that name, Aristotle put every possible notion of human apprehension in one of ten categories.  The great philosopher, Confucius, said in a like manner:  “The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.”

Pride confuses the categories of life.  Pride causes us to “misname” the notions of life.  As a result of the sin of “pride,” man confuses the categories of Creator and creature.  Notice this happening in the lives of the very first humans.  The Devil’s enticement to disobey God and eat the fruit was:

“You will be as gods!” (Gen. 3:5)

The truth of the matter is this:  there is a God, and you are not Him and you will never be Him!  Humility means that we seek no position or hold any idea of “superiority” over others but we are completely surrendered to God to be used for whatever purposes or designs He chooses.

Esther realized this.  She surrendered to God’s absolute control over her life—even if it meant she would LOSE her life.  This is the foundational element of true humility—giving up control of your life—absolutely, resolutely, and without any reservation at all.  To the degree that we can do this, is the degree to which the eternal power of Almighty God can flow through our lives.  Surrender leads to another element of humility:

2.  STRENGTH

Esther was a strong woman.  Look in your Bible in 2:7:  ⁷ Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin  Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she didn’t have a father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.

Along with being a woman in a male dominated world, Esther was an orphan—and, on top of that a Jewish orphan.  The Jews were in Persia (Iran) at this time, the remnant from grandparents who were carried off into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon (Iraq) a century before.  Jews were in society, but never seen as equals.  Esther was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth.  Her greatest asset was her beauty and humility.  Her humility allowed her to be not only “pleasing to look at,” but she had a captivating presence also.  She was a humble lady, but she was a strong lady.  She did not let a bad start lead her to a bad finish.  Humble people are strong people—whether they are men or women.

One of the reasons I chose to use the word, “humility” to translate the original word in Galatians for this particular fruit, instead of “gentleness (HCSB)” or “meekness (KJV)” is because gentleness and meekness, in English, are not strong enough to convey the idea of “power and strength” wrapped up in the original Greek word.  The original word implies strength.  It speaks of great strength that comes from being a conduit for God’s power.

Humility is not helplessness and meekness is not weakness.  Gentleness is not feebleness.  There’s a beloved Christmas Carol that describes Jesus as:

GENTLE Jesus, meek and mild,

Look upon a little child (C. Wesley).

What meeker, milder, or more gentle than a child?  Children are weak and vulnerable and do not even possess the strength to hold up their own heads.  This kind of Jesus—meek and mild—is safe, even endearing to the staunchest skeptic of Christianity.  However, this picture of “meekness, gentleness, and humility,” is NOT represented by the Fruit of the Spirit we call “meekness, gentleness, or humility.”

The word translated, “gentleness” in the HCSB (and others) is also translated, “humility” (TEV), or “meekness” (KJV).  The Greek word, prautēs (πραΰτης, prow tace), occurs in numerous forms in the Bible.  It cannot easily be reduced to a single word in English, though gentleness, meekness, and humility together offer a good range of its meaning.  Humility seems best suited of the three because the English words, gentleness and meekness, are too weak to convey the foundational strength of the Greek.  We find the word from, prautēs, used in reference to “taming wild horses,” especially for use a war horses.  Horses are powerful beasts but can be controlled by training and a bridle.  Humility (meekness, gentleness) imply “power under restraint, or authority.”  This sense of “power” is lost or diminished by English equivalents of “humility, gentleness, or meekness.”  Meekness is often views as weakness and humility is often viewed as inferiority.  Biblically, humility (meekness, gentleness) is seen as both strong and superior.  Humility may be compared to the conduit through which a powerful surge of electricity flows.  Humility is a powerful virtue and a source of supernatural strength.

Now, we are always to practice self-restraint in regard to how we interact with others—especially our enemies.  Humble people do not react to others, they respond with power under restraint.  In Classical Greek, especially with the influence of Aristotle, the word, prautēs, represented a disposition that fell near midway between “anger and spineless incompetence” (TDNT ⁶⁴⁶).  One of Aristotle’s primary contributions to the issue of virtue was his concept of the “Golden Mean,” or in modern vernacular, “moderation in all things.”  Humility is power under restraint, and the restraint derives from realizing who WE are in Christ, and the value that God places upon others.  Humility demands that we use the strength God gives us to help and assist others, and not to enrich ourselves.

Humility makes us a conduit through which the eternal, immeasurable power of God can flow through our lives.  Humility is like the wires that transmit power all over the nation—or even the world.  Most of us never think of the power that flows constantly all around us.  A few of us have experienced that power when we foolishly cross two live wires in our house (of course, we always thought the power was turned off).  It can give you quite a “surprise,” and even a burn.  Under the right conditions, household current can kill you.  Household current operates on about 110 volts.  That’s more than enough to get your attention.  Consider the power flowing in the lines above your house.  These high voltage wires crisscross the landscape of our nation, though many high voltage wires are being buried under ground.  These high voltage wires typically carry about 750,000 volts—or almost 7000 times the voltage of your home.  This much power is absolutely deadly and can instantly kill or seriously injure anyone that comes in contact with the wires. The power flowing through the lines does not damage the wire because the wire is designed to carry the power.

This is the same principle at work with the Fruit of Humility.  When we humble ourselves and we are in the proper relationship with God, His eternal power can (and does) flow through us exhibiting strength and power that is nothing less than supernatural.  This is what Jesus referred to when He said,

I assure you: The one who believes in Me  will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these (Jn. 14:12).

Humility turns us into dynamos of supernatural strength.  We saw this earlier in the life of Esther as she faces a possible death sentence when we read, “If I perish, I perish” (4:16).  Her attitude was one of strength, boldness, and confidence, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

As we have already observed, “humility” (meekness, gentleness) as a Fruit of the Spirit, operates much differently than the way culture commonly views it.  By surrender, we win the battles of life because when we humble ourselves before God, He fights the battles for us (Ex. 14:14).  Rather than being a position of weakness or frailty, humility expresses itself in the life of a believer as strength—supernatural strength.  Humility is not helplessness and meekness is not weakness.  Just the opposite.  This brings us to a third element of humility:

3.  SUCCESS (8:7; 10:3)

If you humble yourself before God, you WILL BE successful.  Humility does not mean inferiority.  The common use of the word, humility, associates it with situations that are less than presentable or fall below some accepted standard.  For example, we often here of some celebrity or successful person as “coming from very humble beginnings.”  Humble, in this instance meaning “poor,” or inferior by societal standards.  I was reminded of this idea while watching Kathy Lee Gifford give a moving tribute of her husband, Frank Gifford, who passed away last week.

Anybody that has ever watched an NFL game or had any kind of conversation in regard to the NFL has heard the name of Frank Gifford.  He was a college hall of fame player at USC, and went on to the NFL hall of fame as a professional.  He then became a hall of fame broadcaster with Monday Night Football for 27 of its first 28 years.  He was a true celebrity.  When he died August 9^th of last week, his estimated net worth exceeds $18 million dollars.  That is a respectable sum to acquire—especially when you consider Frank Gifford’s “humble beginnings.”

Gifford was literally born into the depression in 1930.  His dad, an oil driller, struggled to find work—as so many did.  Before Frank entered high school he had moved 29 times.  There were times the family was so poor they ate dog food.  This is truly what it means to have “humble beginnings.”

Yet, humility as a Fruit of the Spirit does not paint such a picture of poverty, lack, deprivation, and inferiority.  Humility is not related to failure.  Humility is a fast track to success.  Lowly estate may be one component of humility, but not the most significant component.  As we said above, humility is a conduit for great power and strength.  It is also a pathway to great success in life.  Consider Esther’s path from an orphan Jewish girl, to the Queen of Persia, to the saving benefactor or her people, to the owner of the very assets of the man that conspired to destroy her and her people.  Look at chapter 8, verse 7:

⁷ King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) said to Esther the Queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked  the Jews

The same principle of success through humble obedience to God applied to Mordecai as well.  He was just a Jewish exile in Persia at the beginning of the story.  Notice his rise to power and prominence in chapter 10:

³ Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus, famous among the Jews, and highly popular with many of his relatives.  He continued to seek good for his people and to speak for the welfare of all his descendants.

Far from being a position of inferiority, humility is God’s pathway to great success in life.  God has promised to “exalt the humble.”

1Peter 5  ⁵And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time.

The word, “humble,” used twice in this passage represent is synonym for the noun translated, “humility,” in Galatians 5:23.  Resisting the proud and exalting the humble is a common theme throughout the Bible.  A Greek language scholar commenting on this synonym for humility remarks, “The mission of the gospel involves putting the mighty down . . . and exalting the humble” (Trench ¹⁶³).  Humility has never been highly prized among men as it is generally viewed as some sort of “inferior position” that will lead to inferior results in one’s life, or failure.  The opposite is true.  Humility is the pathway to great success—success that transcends this life and applies to one’s account in heaven.   Esther’s life, as with others in the Bible, perfectly demonstrates this principle.

I hear a lot of talk about “humility” among church goers, but I don’t see the kind of expressions of that fruit that I see in the life of Esther.  Certainly, I could take a few lessons from Esther.  God does great work through humble people.  We should cultivate this important Fruit of the Spirit.

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