Accent of Humility
City Church Message Recap: The Accent of Humility
“Jesus Had an Accent” Series by Pastor Kent Munsey
“At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”
Matthew 11:25-26, NKJV
Accents help us connect and identify where people are coming from. Jesus had an accent. In Matthew 11 we see Jesus being questioned by one of his followers, John the Baptist, and Jesus responds with an accent of confidence.
Confidence comes from the place of fruitfulness. Fruitfulness comes when you commit yourself to the seasons of seed, time and harvest. If you want to grow in confidence, you have to stay in the place of fruitfulness. You need patience and endurance to wait on the harvest.
If you’re lacking confidence, commit yourself to the process in that job, that relationship, or that task that’s in front of you. If you sow, if you stay faithful, if you are patient, you will experience the goodness of God, and you’ll develop an accent of confidence through the seasons of doubt, fear and rejection.
The second accent we see Jesus demonstrate is one of humility. Jesus had performed his greatest miracles in three different cities, but their responses ultimately did not lead to repentance or fruitfulness. Jesus is dealing with the pain of their unresponsiveness, indifference, inaction.
In Matthew 11:25, Jesus responds in humility. We can all relate to giving our very best to something or someone, and them not being responsible with it or stewarding it well. In response, Jesus thanks God that the way God works is through humble people.
That accent of humility comes from the place of heartbreak and sorrow. You can’t gain Christ-like humility overnight; you have to develop it over the seasons of life. When we get to the place of sorrow and heartbreak, we’ll either develop an accent of humility, or an accent of pride.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less. Don’t look at the hurt and disappointment through the lens of your own inadequacy, but thank God that he’s allowed you to walk through this, because you know that God exalts and gives grace to the humble.When we know that humility is our accent, we can process everything through that lens.
Our attitude should be: He humbled me because he had something greater for me. He humbles us to show us who he is: our God is humble, he is gracious and he is kind.
Discussion/Reflection Questions:
- Do you have an accent of confidence? Why or why not?
- Do you have an accent of humility? Why or why not?
- What areas of your life do you need to recommit to the process of fruitfulness in order to develop an accent of confidence?
- What areas of heartbreak or pain can you think of that might allow you to develop an accent of humility?
- How have you seen humility produce positive fruit in your relationship with God and with others?