Video Transcript: Four Attributes of a Conflict Firefighter - Humility

Welcome back, I want to give a quick review of where we are in this course.

Remember, we started out talking about the two fires of conflict, the Wildfire, and the Peacefire. We talked about the choice that exists in every conflict, of which fire will ignite your response to the conflict, the Wildfire or the Peacefire.

We talked about the Peacefire Triangle, and we introduce the three principles that we had been unpacking since then:  How God's purpose changes your priorities and responding to conflict;
How God's power changes your possibilities when responding to conflict; and now this section of how seeking God's presence changes your perspective on a conflict. 

In the section on God's purpose we talked about the three things that every conflict firefighter must know:  That the Lord is always at work; That the reproof of correction is the way of life; 
And the secret of giving thanks in all circumstances. 

We talked about the dynamics of our heart’s desires in the battle of the kingdoms, how the flesh and the spirit are always battling in the midst of conflict for the desires of the heart. And we talked about God's purpose, and Satan's purpose at the fire trap of offense, and that the enemy's goal is to hinder us in our relationship with Jesus Christ. And that God's purposes at the firetrap of offense include deliverance from offense, transformation, reconciliation of relationships, and the destruction of the works of the devil.

We talked about God's power for resolving conflict and reconciling relationships. And we examined the power of the strange fire and the Wildfire accelerants fleshly responses to conflict that may bring temporary relief but wind up making the conflict even more intense. 

And we talked about God's power and what He has provided for us through Jesus Christ, the power to confront sin, the power to confess sin, and the power to forgive sin.

And we also talked about the dynamics between seeking reconciliation of a relationship and the trap of offense. And we finally in the last session, we talked about the roles that exist in conflict. 

So in this session, we begin to examine seeking God's presence and changing our perspective on conflict. And we begin by examining four attributes of a conflict firefighter, someone who can be used of God in the midst of conflict to glorify Jesus Christ.

And what we're going to find as we discuss these attributes is that we don't have them.  But the Lord makes them available to us through Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit.  And as we seek Him in His presence, He changes us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ and gives us these attributes, changes us in His presence, to make us more like Him, so that He can use us for His glory.

The first attribute is humility.  The fire crawl is a posture on all fours on the ground when going through a smoke filled room.  The cleanest air in a smoke filled room is within 12 to 18 inches from the floor. The fire crawl reminds us of the posture of humility, the posture of humbling ourselves before the Father.  Humility is a mark of greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

In Matthew 18, the chapter we've been spending so much time in in this section of the course, in the beginning of that chapter, Jesus said in response to the disciples question of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He called a little child to him and placed the child among them and He said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Who do you think is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  Well, we're told in the book of Revelation, who the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is.   That there's a scroll that no one is worthy to open except for one, and He appeared as a lamb who had been slain.  Jesus Christ is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

If the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is humbled like a child, we can expect to see a humility in Jesus Christ, unlike any other.

Our humility is based most of the time on our unworthiness.  Our sin is exposed, and we're humbled.  We know we're not worthy of the grace and the love that the Father has shown us to Jesus Christ.  We’re brought up short. We recognize that without Him, we're nothing.  And that's humbling.  It's humbling to recognize that you don't have what it takes to please God.  But we're all in that boat. And if you are discouraged today, because you don't think you have what it takes to serve God, and to be the Christian leader He's called you to become, maybe you're struggling with a besetting sin, or maybe you’re even in a conflict is pulling you down, remember this, there isn't one of us who has what it takes. Only Jesus Christ has what it takes to please God the Father.  And He makes that life, His life available to us and to anyone who will receive it. 

Jesus Christ displayed a different kind of humility than the humility that we experienced from our unworthiness.  Jesus Christ displayed a humility that was based on complete, obedient surrender to the will of the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11 reads, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.  Who being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage…rather, He made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”

This is the humility of Jesus Christ. That humility, that in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father, if there's any way to remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.  Jesus always did what pleases the Father.  The Book of Romans tells us that even Christ did not please himself.

This is humility. Surrendering His will to the will of the Father, and always doing those things that pleased him.  And what's great about the humility of Jesus Christ for us is that the Father offers that humility to us and wants to give us that humility, that humility, that will relate to Jesus Christ the same way that Jesus Christ related to His father, that we will humble ourselves before Him and say, Lord, if there's any way to take this cup for me in this conflict, please do that.  But nevertheless, you if you want my brother's sister to have the lantern, just tell me and I'll give it to them. 

Jesus’ humility is unlike our humility.  It's a humility that's grounded in obedience, not in unworthiness.  We don't have that kind of humility.  But as the Lord gives it to us, as He changes us as He grants us the grace to obey and the humility to subject our will to His, He can use us as a Peacefire. 

So if you don't have that humility, you can't earn it.  We sure don't deserve it.  And all we have to do is ask for it and the Lord will begin to change us and transform us and grant us that humility that glorifies Jesus Christ.

In Philippians 2:5-11 we read, “Therefore, God exalted Jesus Christ to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name.  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  This is the humility of Jesus Christ. 

That mindset that is in Jesus Christ, that Paul wrote to the Philippians, encouraging them to let that mind be in them. Paul also wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2:16, he said, “…but we have the mind of Christ,” and by mind we mean the attitude, the mindset of Jesus Christ. 

The Father desires to give us the mind of Christ and as we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices at the Peacefire, He can change us.  He gives us His attitude, He renews our mind as we spend time in His Word, and in time of prayer before him, because the Father desires that we walk humbly before Him.

In Micah 6:8, we read, “He has shown you oh mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with you God.”

Humility, the first attribute of a conflict firefighter.  God bless you.  We'll see you next time.