This is something that God is trying to really drive in and show us.
Now, I want to show you one more example of this in the Bible.
Go to Genesis 4.
I'm skipping over King Josiah.
Josiah is another one, a little different situation.
He didn't really go into any kind of a wicked sin, but the Bible talks about the fact that
because he humbled himself, God basically withholds his judgment on the whole nation because of
Josiah humbling himself.
But go to Cain, because I think Cain is a perfect example of this in the Bible.
While you're turning to Genesis 4, I'll read for you from James 4, "Humble yourselves in
the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
The Bible says, "Humble yourselves therefore unto the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same as the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven."
Okay?
Humility is what I'm talking about.
And a big part of humbling yourself is admitting you're wrong.
A big part of humbling yourself is admitting you don't know everything.
See, the proud person knows everything.
In fact, the proud person, everything they do in life is the right way.
That's why they don't need to change anything.
That's why they don't need to go to a church that's going to tell them to change.
That's why they don't need to read a Bible that's going to tell them to change.
That's why their marriage is perfect.
Their child rearing is perfect.
Their work ethic is perfect.
Their Christian life is perfect.
Their thoughts are perfect.
Their eyes are perfect.
Because they're so proud, they just think everything they do is fine.
And they never need to change.
And how dare anyone correct them?
But a big part of humbling yourself is when you hear reproof or rebuke saying, "You know
what?
That's something that I need to change.
That's something that I need to work on."
Cain is the perfect example of a person who could not take rebuke.
It says in Genesis 4, 4, "And Abel, he also brought of the first things of his flock and
of the fat thereof, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.
And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell."
So why is Cain mad?
Wroth means very angry.
Cain was wroth because God didn't accept his offering.
God didn't respect his offering.
God wanted him to bring the blood.
God wanted him to bring the first things of the flock.
God wanted him to bring an animal sacrifice.
And instead of an animal sacrifice, Cain brought fruits and vegetables.
He brought his best.
God didn't accept it.
And so Cain got angry, but God is going to try to talk some sense into Cain here.
And it says, "The Lord said unto Cain," verse 6, "Why art thou wroth?
And why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted."
So isn't God giving Cain another chance here?
He's saying, "Look, Cain, don't get mad.
Don't let your countenance fall and get all sad and down in the mouth.
If you do well, you'll be accepted, Cain.
It's not too late to fix it."
Okay, you've done wrong.
You messed up.
Maybe you're a little embarrassed that you've made this fancy fruit basket for me and I
don't want it.
Okay?
I know it's a little embarrassing.
But if you do well, you'll be accepted, Cain.
And if not, sin lieth at the door.
And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field
that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.
And on the New Testament, we get a little more insight into this in the book of 1 John.
It says, "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew
he him, because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous, marvel not, my brother,
and if the world hates you."
So we see here that Cain was the type of person that could not accept correction.
And you're the same way if that's how you are.
If somebody comes to you and says, "You've done wrong," if your parents tell you, children,
you know what?
You've done wrong.
You're going to be disciplined and you get mad.
And look, there are children who when they're disciplined by their parents, they get mad.
Have you seen it?
Children who are disciplined by their parents, they become angry and enraged that their parents
are disciplining them.
You know, and that was Kane's reaction.
They get Roth.
Their countenance falls instead of just realizing, hey, wait a minute, if I do well, I will be
accepted.
Now, children often don't believe this.
And look, when I was a teenager, you know, I felt like sometimes that my parents were
being unreasonable.
Right?
And probably every teenager feels that way.
And I felt like my parents were very unreasonable when I was a teenager.
And I remember I made a statement to my brother, and I was wrong when I said this.
I shouldn't have said this, but this is what I said.
I said to my brother one time, I said if Jesus lived in our house, he would get screamed at
every day.
Because I said if our brother were Jesus, like if Jesus were growing up in this home
and Jesus were a teenager in this house, he would get screamed at every day.
Because that's what I thought.
I felt like my parents are so unreasonable.
Even if I was perfect, even if I was like Jesus, my parents would scream at me.
And I was really frustrated by that.
But you know what, later, when I got into, you know, when I turned 17, I got into a good
church, Regency Baptist Church, and started hearing a lot of good preaching, and made
a lot of changes in my life, and started being a better son, and started being nice to my
parents and trying to help them out and be a good son.
You know what, they instantly responded to it.
And for years before that, I felt like my parents are just really hard to get along
with.
And it's impossible for me to get along with my parents.
And I said, you know what, when I turn 18, I'm out of here.
I mean, I was counting down.
When I turned 18, I was going to be gone.
I was going to get my own apartment and get out of there because my parents are unreasonable.
But you know what, when I got in church, I started realizing, and I'd been in church
but I was in these kind of churches that I talked about this morning, so I wasn't getting
any good preaching.
When I started getting under some good preaching and reading my Bible, I started to realize,
you know what, there's a lot of things that I'm doing wrong.
I'm the problem.
I'm making a lot of mistakes.
And as soon as I just even just made the tiniest effort toward my parents, I mean, I just took
the smallest step toward them.
They were just so nice to me and treated me so well, it instantly showed me the error
of my ways.
You know what, I could have fixed this any time I wanted to.
You know, here I am thinking if Jesus lived here, he'd be...no, he wouldn't have.
He wouldn't have at all.
Because as soon as I took just the smallest step toward my parents, they took huge steps
toward me, and they started treating me very well and giving me all kinds of privileges
and treating me very well because of the fact that I just took the small...you know, I started
helping out with some housework without being asked and just talking to them respectfully
and just...you know, and stuff.
If you would have asked me before that, I would have thought, "Well, I'm doing everything
right."
But then once you actually start doing things right, you realize, "Wow, I wasn't doing things
right at all."
What's the difference?
You've got to be willing to humble yourself, you know what I mean?
And look, part of humbling yourself is realizing, "Hey, I'm the problem.
It's not my parents that are the problem.
It's not my husband that's the problem.
It's not the boss at work that's the problem.
It's not the pastor, he's not the problem.
Maybe I have a problem.
Maybe I'm the one who needs to make some changes here."
And that takes humility to even think that way.
But you know what?
If you humble yourself, you're going to find mercy, both with God and with human authority.
Okay?
Because when you say to human authority that you're going to be humble, you know, it's
like the Bible says, "A soft answer turneth away wrath."
But grievous words stir up anger.
You know, you start talking back, and especially you start talking back to God, you've got
a serious problem.
And so take this to heart, my friend.
Humble yourself.
If it can save a guy like Ahab from getting destroyed and a guy like Manasseh from getting
destroyed, if it can get a guy like Manasseh out of prison, you know what?
We ought to realize this is a powerful tool in our lives and that we need to get on our
knees and that's part of being humble.
You know, getting on your knees is a humble position.
You know, getting on our knees and praying to the Lord and saying, "God, there are a
lot of things about me that are not right.
There are a lot of things that I need to fix and I need to change.
And I'm not going to try to justify my sins to you, God.
I've done X, I've done Y, I've done Z, and I was wrong.
It was my fault.
There's no excuse for it.
And I want to change.
You know, help me to do better.
I'm sorry.
You know what?
When God hears that, that is music to His ears.
I mean, that is a sweet smell in His nostrils.
And He looks at that, and He sees the sackcloth, and He sees you on your knees, and He sees
you fasting and praying and sorry.
That'll get His attention.
And you know what?
God will smile upon you if that's your attitude.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, please.