From our Pastor

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Humble Yourself.  Raise Up Others.

Luke 14:1-14, Hebrews 13:1-17                                                      September 1-2, 2007

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        When Jesus teaches his disciples, he uses examples that are at hand.  He talks about farming techniques or fishing techniques to talk about bringing people to faith.  He often tells a story or parable set in the times in which they live to make his point.  Here, in Luke 14, Jesus uses what is happening as he speaks to make his point. 

         Of course Jesus is not just instructing about dining etiquette at a wedding banquet.  Jesus has much bigger fish to fry than that!  Here’s his point:  “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (11) We often think that if we’re going to get anywhere, if we’re going to make a name for ourselves, we’re going to have toot our own horn, and organize our own parade. 

          That’s not how things really work with God.  As a matter of fact, even without God, the person who exalts himself will be humbled.  Nobody likes a braggart.  For every person who puffs himself up, there’s someone else waiting with a pin to prick that balloon. 

         For the person who has been successful, who has accomplished a lot of things in this world, it can be hard to be humble.  It’s easy to gradually begin thinking I’m pretty hot stuff.  I do good work.  Others don’t really compare to me.  It can be hard to be humble when you’ve been successful.

         It can be hard to be humble if you’ve been unsuccessful.  When we haven’t accomplished the things we want to do, when we haven’t reached our goals, the temptation is to try to prove how worthy we are.  We’re convinced we’re hot stuff, but no one knows it because things haven’t played out the way we’d like them to.  So we like to make the most out of whatever we have accomplished, and we want people to notice us.  It’s not easy to be humble.

        Whether or not easy, Jesus tells us:  humble yourself.  Sometimes we humble ourselves unwillingly.  When you commit a sin, and your sin is found out, especially when your sin is made public, you’re humiliated.  That is an example of being humbled unwillingly.  It’s sometimes helpful to be unwillingly humbled.  If we have not turned from our sinful ways, it can be helpful to wake up to our need to do so.

         Of course it’s a whole lot better to humble ourselves willingly.  We do that by admitting to God, and to one another, that we are sinners.  We should be specific with God, asking forgiveness for the sins we list before him.  That’s humbling.  That’s difficult.  But when we humble ourselves like that, we’re exalted.  We’re forgiven, made to be whole, clean, holy. 

         That’s because Jesus humbled himself willingly, amazingly.  Jesus had no sin to confess.  But he humbled himself as low as if he had committed sins, for he suffered for our sins.  He went through the shame of the cross.  The worst form of killing the Romans could come up with, is what Jesus went through…  he hung from the cross, a pitiful and unpitied sight to those who passed by.  They cursed him.  They taunted him.  Jesus willingly humbled himself so deeply, so that he could raise us up, so that we could be exalted with him in heaven.

        We should humble ourselves not only in confession, but also in how we live our lives.  Live humbly with others.  In love, consider others above yourself.  Serve God by serving one another.  Raise others up.  We receive some guidelines on that from Hebrews 13.  Verse 1 says keep on loving each other as brothers.  Love puts the other person first.  Love is my thinking about you and not my selfish desires.  That’s a way to raise others up.  Do that for strangers, too, verse 2 tells us.  Entertain strangers.  Remember those who are in prison. (3) It’s so easy to forget or to look down on those who are imprisoned.  Jesus tells us to remember them, treating them as if we were their fellow prisoners.  Humble yourself, raise up others.

        Another way we’re told to raise up others has to do with those most close to us.  If you are married, honor your spouse. (4) Hold your spouse up with respect and love.  Consider the needs and desires of your spouse before your own.  Raise up your spouse.  Humble yourself.  The marriages where husband and wife live this way are wonderful, joy filled marriages.  It starts with me.  Don’t be pointing the finger.  That misses the point of humbling yourself, and raising your spouse. 

        Consider your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. (7) Maybe remember with thankfulness the pastor who taught you as you were growing up, your parents who taught and modeled God’s word.  Remember your small group leader and others in the body of Christ who taught or reminded you of God’s word.  Above all humble yourself in God’s presence. Don’t put money or anything else ahead of God. (5) Remember to rely on God. (6) He’ll never leave you.  He will be your helper.  He’s worthy of our lifting him up, and humbling ourselves in his presence. 

       Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice. (12) How far he humbled himself.  “Through Jesus, therefore, let’s continually offer a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name.” (15) “Don’t forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (16)

       He who exalts himself will be humbled.  When we exalt ourselves we are saying we don’t need any help from God or anyone else.  We’re fine as we are.  Without forgiveness, we will greatly humbled in the end.  But the one who humbles himself, confessing sins to God, will be exalted, forgiven, and given everlasting life.  Humble yourself, therefore, before God’s almighty throne, so that he might exalt you.

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