Introduction

Good morning, beloved! I am thrilled to be in your presence today as we gather around God's word, preparing to feast on the divine wisdom it offers. Today, we find ourselves in the heart of the gospel of Luke, chapter 14, a chapter that speaks directly to our hearts, challenging us, comforting us, and calling us closer to the heart of God.

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we often forget the importance of humility. We get caught up in our own achievements, our own success, and we forget the One who made it all possible. We forget to bow our heads, to bend our knees, to surrender our pride at the foot of the cross. But today, we are reminded of the power of humility, the beauty of a humble heart, and the joy that comes from honoring God through our humility.

As we prepare to delve into this rich and rewarding text, I am reminded of the words of Charles Spurgeon, who once said, "Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself." This, dear friends, is the essence of our message today. We are called to make a right estimate of ourselves, to recognize our place in God's grand design, to embrace the humility that leads to heavenly rewards.

Let us now turn our attention to the scripture passage for today:

[Read passage]

Now, let's bow our heads in prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for this opportunity to gather in Your name, to hear Your word, and to learn from Your wisdom. We ask that You open our hearts and minds today, that we may understand the importance of humility in our lives. Help us to see ourselves as You see us, to recognize our place in Your grand design, and to honor You in all that we do. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

So, friends, are we ready to herald humility as a heavenly virtue? Are we prepared to harness humility in our hearts? Are we eager to honor God through our humility? Let's find out together.

Heralding Humility as a Heavenly Virtue

Humility is not just a virtue; it's a heavenly virtue. It's a quality that's deeply valued in the kingdom of God. It's a trait that Jesus himself demonstrated throughout his life. And it's a characteristic that we, as followers of Christ, are called to emulate in our own lives.

Context: In the scripture passage we read, Jesus is at a dinner party. He's surrounded by religious leaders and scholars. And he notices something. He notices how the guests are jockeying for the best seats at the table. He notices how they're trying to elevate themselves, to make themselves look important. And he uses this as a teaching moment.

Jesus tells a parable about a wedding feast: He says, "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests."

The point: In this parable, Jesus is teaching us about the importance of humility. He's teaching us that it's better to humble ourselves, to take the lowest place, than to exalt ourselves and be humiliated. He's teaching us that in the kingdom of God, the last will be first and the first will be last. He's teaching us that those who humble themselves will be exalted.

A lesson for us today: In our society, we're often encouraged to promote ourselves, to make ourselves look good, to strive for the best seats at the table. But Jesus is calling us to a different way of living. He's calling us to humility. He's calling us to recognize that we're not the center of the universe, that we're not the most important person in the room. He's calling us to put others before ourselves, to serve rather than be served, to give rather than take.

This is not an easy lesson to learn: It goes against our natural inclinations. It goes against the values of our society. But it's a lesson that we must learn if we want to follow Jesus. It's a lesson that we must learn if we want to live in the kingdom of God. It's a lesson that we must learn if we want to herald humility as a heavenly virtue.

So, how do we learn this lesson? How do we cultivate humility in our lives? How do we live out this heavenly virtue?

First: We need to recognize our need for God. We need to acknowledge that we're not self-sufficient, that we can't do it all on our own. We need to admit that we need God's grace, God's mercy, God's love. We need to confess our sins, our shortcomings, our failures. We need to ask for God's forgiveness, God's healing, God's help. This is the first step toward humility.

Second: We need to practice gratitude. We need to thank God for all the blessings in our lives. We need to thank God for our health, our family, our friends, our jobs, our homes, our food, our clothes, our opportunities. We need to thank God for the beauty of creation, for the gift of life, for the promise of eternal life. This is the second step toward humility.

Third: We need to serve others. We need to put others before ourselves. We need to care for the poor, the sick, the lonely, the lost. We need to love our neighbors as ourselves. We need to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This is the third step toward humility.

Fourth: We need to follow Jesus. We need to imitate his example. We need to walk in his footsteps. We need to live as he lived, love as he loved, serve as he served. We need to take up our cross and follow him. This is the fourth step toward humility.

These are not easy steps to take: They require effort. They require sacrifice. They require commitment. But they're steps that we must take if we want to herald humility as a heavenly virtue. They're steps that we must take if we want to live in the kingdom of God. They're steps that we must take if we want to follow Jesus.

Harnessing Humility in our Hearts

As we continue to reflect on the teachings of Jesus in Luke 14, we find ourselves drawn to the parable of the wedding feast ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO