Luke 14:7-11

Today, Pastor Jack tells us that prominence and respect feeds the human ego. The human heart loves “positions” and “reputations”. But, humility is seeing the Lord for who He is, and seeing ourselves as we really are.

God is saying to you today:
Jesus didn’t say that our life would be easy, But He did say, He would be with us, through the good and the bad. Lord I have come to far from where I started from. Jesus🙌 I know you didn’t bring me this far to leave me🙏🏾

If you remember last time in the first six verses, do you remember that of, of Luke 14?
Remember Jesus was invited to a pharisee house to have dinner and as they gathered together, do you remember what was going on?
It said they invited Jesus and all their eyes were fixed upon him closely to see what he would do.
Why? Because they said just opposite of Jesus on the other side of him, they said a man who had palsy, palsy and the word that was used, remember Luke, the author of the gospel of Luke was none other than a physician and he used medical terms.
The type of palsy that Luke mentions in the Greek language is a, is a uh a disease that causes you to retain water from your waist up, you begin to get very puffy first uh among the joints, then the arms, the neck, face around the eyes, back of the neck, you begin to retain fluid, then ultimately down into your torso.
And it can be uh as it makes its way to eventual death, the person can be so burdened by this palsy that they can’t even get up they’re so top heavy with the retention of water.
It’s a horrible, painful way to die.
But the Pharisees and a specific pharisee called a feast and they invited Jesus because it was a set up.
Why remember they wanted to see if Jesus would heal this man on the Sabbath day, thereby accusing Jesus of working, breaking the Sabbath because Jesus would no doubt set this man free.
And so that was the diabolical plan. And that’s what always happens.
By the way, when religion and legalism supersedes a true relationship with God. People will travel land. And sea.
Jesus said to make one convert twice the child of hell than they are themselves.
But regarding the a relationship with God, a personal encounter with God, there’s no time for that.
In fact, it’s often talked down about.
So Jesus takes what’s going on and he uses that example of this arrogant setting to reveal something about humility.
And so I want you to look in your Bible with me beginning of verse seven where we pick it up and it says, so he told a parable to those who were invited.
So everybody’s gathered around Jesus has watched all the stuff that’s going on. He healed the man by the way.
Remember he healed the man and let the guy go.
So we assume now the guy is taken off. He’s left.
Jesus speaks the parable to all those who were invited when he noted or observed himself how they chose the best places.
That is the best places to sit, saying to them verse eight, when you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best places.
Lest one more honorable than you be invited by him and he who invited you and him come and say to you, give place to this man and then you will begin to with shame to take the lower place or the lower seeds.
But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place or the most humble spot.
So that when you are invited by the others to come up, they may say to you friend come up higher, then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you for whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
He’s talking about humility and being humble. Now, why is Jesus doing this?
Look back at verse one with me of chapter 14, it says now it happened as he, Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath that look, they watched him closely.
Remember the word. They’re scrutinizing him. They may be participating in the dinner, but their eyes are fixed on Jesus.
They’re watching every move he makes to try to catch him little.
Do they know that Jesus there at the table? He’s got some scrutinizing to do himself.
He’s going to be, and he has been watching them all along the way as to what they do about getting the best seat in the room to set this up.
This almost sounds like I’m kidding.
I’m not, I will mix with you, uh, history, cultural from the day and what you and I go through usually for some of you uh the day after Thanksgiving sale.
Keep that in your mind.
We know from historians that when someone of fame, fortune or influence had a party, the invitations went out but there was an attendant at the gate of that house.
And when the time was right, word would be passed on to the attendant, the gate would be opened and the those invited would come on in.
Ok. When the gates open, those are invited to come on in.
It was a traditional mad dash to get to the seats of prominence.
They don’t, they didn’t sit like you and I sit today, you know how we have chairs and we sit down.
They don’t, they didn’t sit like that many cultures there still today don’t sit like that.
They have a very, very low table about 18 inches high off the ground and they have pillows and they recline at the table, they lay this way and they lay like that around the table.
So up on an arm or they’ll sit cross legged this way and they’ll talk and there’s a absolute pecking order of who should sit where and if you’ve been invited, listen, if you’ve been invited, then you must be somebody important.
You think I’ve been invited? They would say, where’s your invitation right here? And you’re proud about that.
So when the door opens up, the attendant, I’m sure steps away because just like the day after Thanksgiving sale at four o’clock in the morning, the guys go in and they’re all running around and this was an absolute tradition of what they did.
They made a beeline for the chief seats. Technically, they’re four chief seats.
Four people could sit as close to the host as possible.
Notice this, Jesus is not the host, not only is Jesus, not the host, but we don’t even think Jesus is sitting near the host.
Why? Because do you remember in our study last time, where was the man that had the palsy?
He was sitting opposite Jesus.
They did not see a handicapped person or somebody that did not have notoriety near the host.
It’s some of it, some way of an insult to place Jesus.
If you think about it down the rank across from this man who needs to be healed.
Do you think Jesus was bothered by that? He loved it? Oh, boy. Oh, goody.
I get to sit across the street from the guy that needs to be healed, by the way.
I think Christians ought, think like that. Where’s my slice of pie? Give me the big chair.
How come I’m not first. Hey, why don’t we be quiet and let God see us where we wound up being sat.
Maybe there’s a divine appointment that he wants us to talk to somebody around us.
We need to relax on that about who’s first?
Hey, just remember whoever’s first, Jesus is gonna be last.
So we ought to all fight for the last seat in the house.
So this situation is taking place and all these guys scrambling and it’s kind of comical because they’re very dignified.
They get their robes, they’re all Pharisees and lawyers of the word of God and, and influencers of the community, the gate opens up and they pull up their robes and they’re running and, oh, this guy got my seat.
Oh, how about this? Some guy dives in and grabs the other seat like they’re going after, you know, some ipod for sale on Christmas or something.
I don’t know. And they’re all going for it. And Jesus look here, he’s observing them.
They think they’re coming to observe what Jesus is gonna do. He’s watching how they all scramble for the seats.
It’s a mad house. It’s absolutely crazy.
And so watching this, Jesus takes opportunity knowing that he’s going to heal this man, knowing that it’s a set up that they might catch him in breaking their traditions by working on the Sabbath.
Jesus is going to be teaching them something that you and I must have in our lives vitally important.
So church, here we go. Number one, is this be humble or being humble?
Why being humble is a good thing? Why being humble is a good thing?
Number one, it’s a good thing because it’s reality. Let’s be honest. We all should be humble.
Now, some of you don’t even want to hear me say that pastor. Do you realize who I am?
I don’t know who you are and it doesn’t matter who you are. Has God given you position in life?
Well, I don’t know, I’ve worked pretty hard to get where I’m at.
Excuse me, God gave you the ability to work hard to get where you’re at. Who are you?
Who are we really? The truth is that every one of us who can be appreciative and be thankful for what God has done should be humble if God is working in your life to do a great thing, you should be the most humble person in the community.
Are you the mayor? Then you should be humble when you realize that you’ve got so many people to be responsible for.
Are you the police chief? You should be humble because you’ve been exalted to such an influential position.
Are you a school teacher? You should be humble.
You say Jack, you don’t live in the dog eat dog world that I live in.
It’s the survival of the fittest. No, we don’t buy that.
If we as Christians today in this room are following Christ.
There’s one thing that we need to understand the Bible tells us in First Peter God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
How will you? And I choose to live our lives for Christ.
We will either live it like him, for him or we will live it the way the world says to live it and we’ll drape Christianity over it or we’ll do it the way that we were taught by maybe grabbing all the gusto we can in this life and then slapping a Christian sticker on it.
It’s not true and it’s not going to work.
Being humble is a good thing because humility is a reality and it’s a powerful reality at that.
And verse eight, it says when you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place.
Don’t go grab that seat, don’t do, don’t do a head dive and, and steal that seat out from somebody else.
Less a more honorable one than you come. That’s been invited.
Jesus is saying, when you come in Christian to some place, take the humble path.
He was there tradition to do the opposite. But listen, we don’t respond to traditions.
We’re to respond to the word of God and what the Bible has to say about that.
Proverbs 25 verses six and seven says, do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king and do not stand in the place of the great for it is better for you to uh for him to say to you.
Come up here my friend than for him to have you removed from his presence and you behold the king’s face.
Can you imagine? You’d rather have the king say, hey, Jack, Fred, Susie Bob, come on up here and have honor.
But see, ego runs ahead of stuff. Ego runs ahead of God.
Um We all battle with this. You said Jack, what’s, what’s the deal?
What’s the big deal about humility? We’re all humble people.
Listen, if you think if I think I’m humble, then I’m not humble.
You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series. Just go to Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. And for now let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
If in your heart, God has worked to work in your life that you are so thankful and so grateful just for right now to be drawing breath.
You’re humble. Proverbs 16 18 says pride goes before destruction and a hotty spirit before a fall.
I wish if I was the, the, the guy that does um what’s it called? America’s Funniest home videos.
Do you ever watch that show? Why do we like that program?
The, the, the animal stuff is funny and the other kind of stuff is funny. The motorcycles crashing or whatever.
That’s funny. But do you know what do you notice what you and I laugh at the most when somebody who really thinks there’s something they slip and fall in that program.
Have you seen that? Why do we bus stop laughing?
Because there’s a little bit of knowledge within us that, that’s the worst thing in the world that, that could happen to you and thank God it’s happening to him and not me puts a little bit of fear in you.
When the guy is strutting around and doing his thing and slips and falls, you bust up laughing.
The Bible says, pride comes before a fall.
God allows that God brings that about in our lives because he doesn’t want us to be destroyed by pride.
The the truth is humility is a reality and we must embrace that. Lord make us a humble people.
I heard something yesterday that caused me to think.
Did you know that prior to us being involved in World War II, America had the concept of isolation.
We believe that nobody could get to us because of our great oceans on either side.
And when we began to wake up to the fact that we were going to have to be going to war because of Pearl Harbor and what was going on up in Alaska as the Japanese were coming over and Japanese invaded Alaska and what was going on in Europe did you know that our US military budget, we could hardly afford anything.
Did you know that our soldiers drilled with wooden guns that were fake and some of them used sticks, branches from trees to march?
Did you know that? By the way? I think that’s why we won World War Two. We were humble.
We didn’t know it, that the God that kept America was strong.
Now, we got all the power in the world and we’ve evicted. God don’t tell me we’re powerful.
I don’t care if you have the biggest baz in the world.
If God’s not on your side, you ain’t powerful.
We need the Lord back in America in a very powerful way.
I love our troops.
And so do you, that’s why we wanna send them out with God’s hand upon them.
But there’s a sense where humility we need to embrace that because it’s the true reality.
And we’re to never assume a position. Jesus is warning us also.
This humility is, is good because it’s Christ like Jesus was humble.
I always find that that’s a mind blower to me. Church. He’s eternal.
He’s the eternal God who the Bible says became flesh into this world.
For what to show us the kingdom of God, the will of the Father to die on the cross, for our sins, to be resurrected from the dead and to ascend back up into heaven to come again.
Someday as the Bible says, Jesus Christ humility is good because it’s Christ.
Like if anyone had any business being proud, don’t you think it’d be Jesus?
That’s why pride in our hearts is number one, disgusting.
Number two, comical because if we strut around like we own the world, we’re walking on a globe that he owns.
If we are using breath to curse somebody, it’s the very breath God’s giving us. We should walk humble.
The Bible says we should be careful as we walk on this earth because we are down here and he is up in heaven above isn’t God patience.
Verse nine says, and he who invite you.
And the other guy comes to you and says, give place to this man.
Humility is a good thing because it’s Christ like Jesus never, never struggled to be number one, he didn’t have to.
He was ridiculed, mocked and scorned. And the Bible invites us to be humble like him.
And what absolutely charges my heart is that all that he has listened.
The Bible says that he’s the word of God.
The Bible says that on his robe is king of kings and Lord of Lords.
The Bible says that his eyes in heaven right now are as a flame of fire and his face is so bright that the sun and the moon when he comes back will flee from his presence.
The Bible says, he names all the stars. He knows them by name. He numbers them.
All the animals obey him says the scripture, all you can go on and on and on.
And the Bible says that your king Jesus will come to you humble lowly.
Zechariah 99 says riding on the back of a donkey meek and lowly that’s how we’re to be.
We’re to be mimicking him. Unfortunately, in our culture, humility is viewed as weakness, isn’t it? In our culture?
Humility is, is something that is kind of a sickness. What’s wrong with you? You need to assert yourself.
Jesus Christ had absolute humility and meekness and we are to mimic him.
One commentator writes that this man who is sitting at the table is thoroughly enjoying himself.
Good food, wine is excellent. The crowd thinks I’m somebody and the view from the seat is perfect.
What could be better? And then he goes on to say, then there’s a tap on his shoulder and you look, yes, you don’t belong here and you got to get up and move back.
Jesus is telling them that it’s not about being number one and being honored by people and being one who is somehow looked at the Bible says in first John two verse five.
But if anyone obeys the word of God, God’s love is made complete in Him.
And this is how we know that we are in him, whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus walked, we are to be mimicking Jesus and certainly in this area of being humble and I love this.
Uh Somebody may say, or announce I’m a Christian and I think we ought to start doing this church.
Are you with me? Everybody here right now.
When we say, or when we hear someone say, I’m a Christian, we should be thinking this way, the true definition of a Christian.
I’m a Christian. Oh, where do you serve?
I cannot be a Christian and be a non servant. It’s impossible.
You can put all the stickers and T shirts and identification that you can muster upon ourselves and yourself.
But until we serve Christ in a humble fashion, the Bible challenges us that we may not even know Him.
It’s a serious thing. Thirdly under this point, why being humble is a good thing?
Verse nine teaches us and, and then you begin with shame to be taken down to the lower place.
That is that humility is good because it’s discipleship, discipleship. So what do you mean by that?
Listen, if we are schooled and trained from the word of God to mimic Jesus Christ.
If we are to do, you know the saying, the, the, the arm, the what would Jesus do?
What would Jesus do? I can tell you this right now, whatever Jesus would do, it would be the humble thing, it would be the humble thing.
So if we keep that in mind as Christians, yes, I’m a Christian.
Well, then that means you’re a disciple and that you’re taking the humble route, meaning this.
What do I do in my life with my life? For him, for his glory.
What would Jesus truly do is what I’m supposed to do.
See, but Jack, I wanna do the other thing. We all want to do.
The other thing now, I can say this because she’s not here right now.
Lisa is 3000 miles away. So don’t tell her, I said this but it actually, it’s, I was taken to the airport yesterday morning.
It was really early, but there’s like too many people on the freeway that ear that early.
But that’s ok because we’re in the carpool lane. There’s two of us.
So I was doing the California version of 65 miles an hour that you’ve all created that California version and I’m going down and somebody decided in the carpool lane to, to do their version of, of the speed limit.
And there’s a line of traffic by this guy.
And so being the servant, humble person that I am, I start thinking, does this person not know that even the other, the slowest lane on the freeway is going faster than him.
So you just surely here comes the little point where he can move over and go out.
He’s going to go out, right. I mean, he’s going to pull out and let all of us go by.
Right. Oh, no, it’s a Saturday morning.
He probably had a Starbucks in his doughnut and he’s doing, he’s just going along and I go and now it’s, it’s the lane that you can pass because I’m not about to break that lane again.
That was too expensive the first time. So I’m law abiding.
I’m like, you know, and so I go around and this is where the Lord busted me.
Um, I just, I looked like that in passing, you know, that Lisa is doing her Bible study, you know, your women’s Bible study thing that you’re going through.
What did you just do?
And I said I showed the man my disapproval of him’s parking in the Carpool lane and the Lord began to speak to me, Jack.
That’s pride and you’re not being very humble and you’re gonna, I gave you a message about being humble and you’re gonna talk to people tomorrow about it.
You’re a hypocrite pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called Be Humble.
Thanks for being with us today.
You know, this message called Be Humble is part of Pastor Jack’s series called the Gospel of Luke A series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to this world.
And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Everybody. Pastor Jack here.
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