Theme: Let the Lord exalt you
Text: Pr. 25:6-7; Heb. 13:1-8; Lk. 14:1-14
The first sin in the history of the universe was the result of pride. Pride believes in doing things one’s own way and it was pride that made Satan declare “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High”. (Isaiah 14:14) Pride gives a person a wrong view of himself and a wrong view of God. Pride is all pervasive in the world today. It is pride in their children that prevents parents from acknowledging their wrong doings. It is an accepted fact that parents are the last to know and accept that their children are on drugs. It is pride that prevents a man from asking someone else for directions even when he is lost. It is pride that makes one believe that success depends on his works and not on God. It is also pride that makes us change the meaning of the word of God in such a way that it leads to destruction for “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death”. (Pro. 14:12; 16:25) “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. (James 54:6) This is because a humble person understands he is dependent on God and cannot do anything on his own. He understands that just as he is dependent on air to breathe, so he is dependent on God to live. Humility pleases God and His response is exaltation. Humble yourself and let the Lord exalt you.
The Lord’s exaltation is the result of a humble attitude for the Lord chooses to exalt those who are humble. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you”. (1 Peter 5:6) A humble attitude is demonstrated in a dependence on the Lord. “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way”. (Psalm 25:9) The Lord teaches the humble His way so that they “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2). , “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). A humble attitude manifests itself in serving. A servant attitude was one of the main things Jesus taught His disciples and it is no wonder that one of His last acts before His crucifixion was the washing of the feet of His disciples.
“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall”. (Pro. 16:18) In our third Scripture reading Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and then tells a parable about two people invited to a dinner. Both these events illustrate the difference between a proud person and a humble person. Healing on the Sabbath was condemned by the Pharisees because of the way they interpreted the Law. Their pride led to a wrong interpretation of the Sabbath as the day of rest that prevented them from doing the will of God whereas Jesus chose to obey God’s will to heal the sick to give him rest. At the dinner, the proud person, desiring to show off, looks around and chooses a place reserved for the honoured guests. He had a wrong view of himself, of others and of God. He saw himself as the one who deserved to be noticed and honoured. The humble person because of a biblical view of himself, of others and of God chose a place reserved for the ordinary guest. The Pharisees behaved the way they did because of pride but many of us here today still behave the same way. The Pharisees were concerned about being noticed and honoured but not about a fellow human being who needed healing. They preferred to leave him in his suffering rather than do what God would have done. Are we more concerned about pleasing ourselves and our fellow human beings rather than pleasing God? Let us learn to be humble and dependent on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
God desires to exalt us by bringing us from where we are to where He is. He has made all the necessary provisions and through His Word reveals our present sinful condition and our need for a Saviour for “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). We need a Saviour because we are incapable of paying the price ourselves because of our sinful nature. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin with His blood to give us eternal life “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Rom 6:23. When Jesus cried out on the cross “It is finished”, the price had been paid in full. Our sins were forgiven, past, present and future and we were made righteous. “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous”. (Rom. 5:19) The resurrection of Christ and His ascension to heaven is proof of our justification.
“The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor”. (Pro. 15:33) Humility comes before exaltation. Christ humbled Himself when He came to do his Father’s will, not his own. He came to serve, not be served. He came to seek and save the lost. We proclaim this truth of His humility and exaltation at every service in the words of the Apostle’s creed. It vividly describes Christ’s humiliation and exaltation. After declaring our belief in the Father and the Son with the words “I believe in God the Father almighty and in Jesus Christ His Son”, we declare the humiliation of Christ. “Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate. Was crucified and buried.” He left His heavenly glory and was humiliated here on earth before God exalted Him and we declare His exaltation in the words “On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God almighty”. Let us follow the example of Christ. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”” (1 Pet. 5:5)
At salvation our spirit is recreated to provide a dwelling for the Holy Spirit so that we can glorify Christ. He fills our spirit with love so that we can love and demonstrate that love by our relationship with the disadvantaged, imprisoned and those who lack and are suffering. When God saves us He also empowers us to live His life. God does not want us to come to Him and then continue to live a life of defeat and discouragement. He saves us so that we can overcome evil and save the lost. He has given us “authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt us”. (Luke 10:19) God empowers us for service. He does not want “that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance”. (2 Pet. 3:9) He has commissioned us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. (Matt. 28:19)
The Holy Spirit is God’s supernatural gift to the believer to enable him live a supernatural life. Christ did not save us and then leave us alone as orphans. His promise to us is “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. (Heb. 13:5) The place that I have seen a great display of love is in the prisons and among prisoners. I went to preach in the prisons the last Sunday before the discharge of a prisoner who had led the Church in prison for several years. The love they demonstrated towards him was so sincere that I felt the inadequacy of my love and the love of many believers. Christ has given us all that is necessary for a successful and victorious life of love. He wants the world to take notice of us as His own special people as we live the abundant life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Have you received Christ’s gift of salvation? Have you welcomed the Holy Spirit into your life? Do you have a relationship with the Holy Spirit?
The months leading up to last Thursday have been days of prayer. Suddenly everyone was praying for peace and we can rejoice and thank the Lord for preserving the peace of the nation. Why does there always have to be a treat of destruction before Christians unite in prayer? The amazing thing this time was that Christians were not praying for their own needs and beliefs but for the nation. The attitude of pride was absent and humility and dependance on God was evident in the whole nation. If we would continue praying this way Ghanaians will be blessed and Ghana will become a blessing and a light to the nations. Ghana will become what Christ has destined it to be. The way up is down. To be where Christ is we first have to die and be buried with Him. Only then can the Lord exalt us by raising us up and sitting us with Him in the heavenly places. By confessing Christ as Lord and Saviour we avail ourselves of all the provisions of Christ. We die and are buried with him and then are raised and seated with Him with all power and authority so that our lives can glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
