LUKE 14:7-14 "AND HE PUT FORTH A PARABLE TO THOSE WHICH WERE BIDDEN, WHEN HE MARKED HOW THEY CHOSE OUT THE CHIEF ROOMS; SAYING UNTO THEM, 8’WHEN YOU ARE BIDDEN OF ANY MAN TO A WEDDING, SIT NOT DOWN IN THE HIGHEST ROOM; LEST A MORE HONORABLE MAN THAN YOU BE BIDDEN OF HIM. 9AND HE THAT BADE YOU AND HIM COME AND SAY TO YOU, GIVE THIS MAN PLACE; AND YOU BEGIN WITH SHAME TO TAKE THE LOWEST ROOM. 10BUT WHEN YOU ART BIDDEN, GO AND SIT DOWN IN THE LOWEST ROOM; THAT WHEN HE THAT BADE YOU COMES, HE MAY SAY UNTO YOU, FRIEND, GO UP HIGHER: THEN SHALL YOU HAVE WORSHIP IN THE PRESENCE OF THEM THAT SIT AT MEAT WITH YOU. 11FOR WHOSOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED; AND HE THAT HUMBLES HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED. 12THEN SAID HE ALSO TO HIM THAT BADE HIM, WHEN YOU MAKE A DINNER OR A SUPPER, CALL NOT YOUR FRIENDS, NOR YOUR BRETHREN, NEITHER YOUR KINSMEN, NOR YOUR RICH NEIGHBORS; LEST THEY ALSO BID YOU AGAIN, AND A RECOMPENSE BE MADE YOU. 13BUT WHEN YOU MAKE A FEAST CALL THE POOR, THE MAIMED, THE LAME, THE BLIND: 14AND YOU SHALL BE BLESSED; FOR THEY CANNOT RECOMPENSE YOU. FOR YOU SHALL BE RECOMPENSED AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST’."
Introduction: George had a friend with an inflated opinion of himself. As a friend should, George decided to help his friend lose this quirk. Subtly, George mentioned that he knew Johnny Carson. The friend said, "Oh, yeah, prove it." In a few minutes, they were in front of a large house near the beach. After knocking, out came Johnny Carson saying, "Come on in, George, and bring your friend." On the way home the friend grudgingly said, "OK, so you know Johnny Carson."
Obviously, this was not enough, so George said offhandedly, "Yes, he and I and the president are well-acquainted." The friend looked in the air, at nothing, and cried out, "That’s too much, I’ll pay the costs--let’s go to D.C. and see." At the White House, they just arrived, and out came the president to greet them, saying, "Come on in, George, and bring your friend." Later George’s friend looked around sheepishly and admitted, "Well, yeah, you do know the president."
George sensed his friend needed further deflation. So casually he remarked, "Yeah, but you know the pope has a nicer office." "What!" yelled his wide-eyed friend. "You know the pope! I’ll bet you ten thousand dollars you can’t even get in to see the pope." In a few days, they were in Rome, with George knocking on a door to the Vatican. A cardinal came out extending his hand to George, but saying, "Your friend will have to stay outside!" About an hour went by, when out came the pope onto the balcony, waving at the crowd, with one arm around George. Later, outside, George looked around for his friend and found him out cold in the courtyard. George rushed over, helped his friend up, and apologized for shocking him so. But his friend simply shook his head and mumbled, "It’s not that you knew the pope. It was the crowd! They kept asking each other, ’Who’s the guy with George?’" [James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 451]
I. Against Pride - verses 7-11 (ambition vs. humility)
A. Ambition
1. Desire for recognition honor, notoriety, and position
2. Someone has said, "Ambition is a get-ahead-ache."
3. They sought the chief seats - the highest seat of honor at a dinner or banquet was immediately on the right side of the host. The next highest was immediately to the hosts left. The closer one was to the host indicated the higher the guest was regarded.
Matthew 20:20-21 "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons (James and John), worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom."
4. Many debase others in order to exalt themselves.
5. Sir Philip Sidney. (Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 3) "TO BE AMBITIOUS OF TRUE HONOR AND OF THE REAL GLORY AND PERFECTION OF OUR NATURE IS THE VERY PRINCIPLE AND INCENTIVE OF VIRTUE. BUT TO BE AMBITIOUS OF TITLES, PLACE, CEREMONIAL RESPECTS, AND PAGEANTRY, IS AS VAIN AND LITTLE AS THE THINGS ARE WHICH WE COURT."
6. Richard J. Foster (1942- ) THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS NOT PUSH, DRIVE, CLIMB, GRASP, AND TRAMPLE. DON’T LET THE RAT-RACING WORLD KEEP YOU ON ITS TREADMILL. THERE IS A LEGITIMATE PLACE FOR BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS; BUT IT SHOULD HAVE ITS ROOTS IN THE CALL OF GOD, NOT IN THE DESIRE TO GET AHEAD. LIFE IS MORE THAN A CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP.
7. Proverbs 25:27 "It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory."
8. John MacArthur (Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 2.) "SOME PEOPLE GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THEIR OWN HOLINESS THAT THEY LOOK AT THE TRINITY FOR A POSSIBLE VACANCY."
9. Verse 11 - "FOR WHOSOEVER EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED; AND HE THAT HUMBLES HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED."
10. The embarrassment of being displaced and disgraced. - note verses 8 & 9
a. Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."
b. Galatians 6:3 "For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
B. Humility
1. Humility is rewarded - verses 10-11
a. Proverbs 29:23 "A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit."
b. Thomas À Kempis (C. 1380-1471) "ALWAYS TAKE THE LOWEST PLACE, AND THE HIGHEST WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU, FOR HIGH STRUCTURES REQUIRE A SOLID FOUNDATION. THE GREATEST, IN THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, ARE THE LEAST IN THEIR OWN OPINION; THE MORE WORTHY THEY ARE, THE MORE HUMILITY WILL BE SEEN IN THEM."
c. ACCORDING TO A JEWISH PROVERB GLORY AVOIDS THOSE WHO CHASE AFTER IT AND IS ENDOWED ON MANY WHO DID NOT TRY TO PURSUE IT.
2. Greatness is found in humility
a. Matthew 18:4 "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
b. ANDREW MURRAY SAID, "THE HUMBLE MAN FEELS NO JEALOUSY OR ENVY. HE CAN PRAISE GOD WHEN OTHERS ARE PREFERRED AND BLESSED BEFORE HIM. HE CAN BEAR TO HEAR OTHERS PRAISED WHILE HE IS FORGOTTEN BECAUSE...HE HAS RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF JESUS, WHO PLEASED NOT HIMSELF, AND WHO SOUGHT NOT HIS OWN HONOR. THEREFORE, IN PUTTING ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HE HAS PUT ON THE HEART OF COMPASSION, KINDNESS, MEEKNESS, LONGSUFFERING, AND HUMILITY." HUMBLE PEOPLE ARE NOT CONSCIOUS OF BEING HUMBLE. AS DR. M. R. DE HAAN USED TO SAY, "HUMILITY IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD CONSTANTLY PRAY FOR, YET NEVER THANK GOD THAT WE HAVE."
3. Humility is the result of...
a. Measuring oneself with Christ not others - Acts 17:31 "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
b. Being conscious of God’s continual presence - Proverbs 15:3 "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
c. Knowing oneself - Romans 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
II. Against Prejudice - verses 12-14
A. Most serve those from whom they can derive some benefit.
B. Those at the feast had a common fault of passing from common hospitality into a social festive extravagance with the expectation of reciprocal action on the part of the guests. It had become an experience of self-gratification. Therefore, the only ones who would be invited would be those who would be in a position to reciprocate equally or even to a greater extent.
C. In a game of Bible Trivia, an eight-year-old girl was asked, "What is another name for the Lord’s Supper?" Thinking hard she finally said, "Pot luck!"
D. The equivalent today would be what we call social events for the purpose of networking.
E. Christ was not condemning having a normal Christian social life. He was condemning a self-serving attitude and a respect of persons.
F. James 2:1-9 "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. [2] For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; [3] And ye have respect to him that wears the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: [4] Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? [5] Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? [6] But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? [7] Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? [8] If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: [9] But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."
G. God regards the poor equally with the rich (Job 34:19). The fact is that both poor and rich are the product of His hands. Most people, if honest, will have to acknowledge that the rich are given more attention and respect than the poor are.
H. Cartoonist Bret Legg (Leadership, Vol. 13, no. 1.) "NOW, WHILE THE INSTRUMENTS PLAY, PLEASE SHAKE HANDS WITH TWO PEOPLE WHO AREN’T IN YOUR CLIQUE."
I. Christ calls for genuine charity. When was the last time you did exactly what verse thirteen calls for?
J. God promises blessings to those who consider the down and outer and the outcast.
1. WHETHER [THE POOR PEOPLE YOU HELP] ARE WORTHY OR UNWORTHY, THE REWARD FOR YOU WILL BE THE SAME. John Chrysostom, Christian History, no. 44.
2. Psalms 41:1 "Blessed is he that considers the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble."
3. Proverbs 19:17 "He that hath pity upon the poor lends unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."
4. John Bunyan wrote, "HE WHO BESTOWS HIS GOODS UPON THE POOR SHALL HAVE AS MUCH AGAIN AND TEN TIMES MORE." - ("Money in Christian History," Christian History, no. 14.)
5. Matthew 19:21 "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."
