We have begun looking at why you should attend your church to be taught the Bible. This week I want to show you that you should go to church to be humbled.
Humility is something we all should seek. Peter reminds us that ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’ (1 Peter 5:5). So if you want to be on the side of God you need to be humble.
And it is through the public reading of the Bible that people are often brought to realise their position before God. In the Old Testament you see this during the reign of King Josiah. When the priests are cleaning up the temple they find the Book of the Law of the LORD. ‘Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes’ (2 Chronicles 34:18-19). King Josiah is then commended by God for his humility ‘Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace.’ (2 Chronicles 34:26-28).
The same thing happens in the New Testament when Peter is preaching to the Jews. Peter finishes with ‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ (Acts 2:36). Then we see the response of the people: ‘When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”’ (Acts 2:37). Peter’s instructions to them are: ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 2:38). With humility comes repentance, forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore it is clear that God often uses the public reading and preaching of his word to bring humility to sinners. And it is by going to church on Sunday that you can hear the Bible read and preached and so can be humbled and experience the blessings that come with humility.
Do you attend church so that you will be humbled?
Joel Radford
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