Confronting Pride: Embracing Humility and Servanthood

"Well you guys today I'm really I'm talking about probably the most frustrating topic I could speak on and it's the issue of pride and the reason why this is such a frustrating topic is because okay who really who needs to hear a message on pride the proud people right but if you're proud are you really going to listen you know and so if you really you know I think this through and I just god this is annoying this is frustrating here I am the people who will really need to hear a message on pride are probably the ones that'll just sit back and go you know what that's not me that's not me why do I have to listen to him I'm not arrogant I'm not proud you know it's just like in Scripture you know Jesus confronts the Pharisee so often and they're the ones that need to hear it the most right but they're the very ones that don't hear it they don't have ears to hear the last thing we want to be is like those Pharisee because you read in Scripture and go gosh God really was against those people he was really harsh towards those people well because they didn't listen and they were the ones that needed it most and so there's a part of me that comes to this this this sermon with a sense of pessimism going well that the proud people in this room probably not going to listen to probably not going to hear it and so I pray I pray all week and go god you know what breakthrough and and I will ask you this morning would you please everyone in the room would you please be open just be open to considering that possibly that you are proud okay would you be open to that possibility would you be open to thinking that possibly you are the most arrogant person in this room and that you need this message more than anyone okay can we just be that open and say okay I'm open to the possibility I am totally proud and God put this message just for me if you can't be open let me just tell you right now you are proud okay we just solve it for you um but but let's just all do you know it's it's a frustrating topic because I am struggled with pride my whole life I mean it is that once and I just plagues plagues plagues me that I just fight and fight and fight and and it's hard because what's what's frustrating is people don't take it seriously we don't see it as an awful sin and and what bugs me about it is is what God says about pride God says in proverbs 16 5 he says the man who was proud in his heart is an abomination in my sight the NIV it says the Lord detests those who were proud in heart okay that's time you think about these words an abomination detests and it's this picture the word is talking to a person who was cursed who was cursed by God so disgusting in a sight he can't even look upon him because of his pride I mean I don't want to be a person that God looks at and says you know he's so into himself he's drawing attention to himself that he's detestable in my sight I mean who wants that image of God looking at them that way it's just that we don't look at pride as such an awful sin in fact when I come up here and I confess hey guys I struggle with this you guys just kind of nod your heads okay you know yeah you know I kind of figured Esther that whatever it may be but but we don't we don't look at as an awful sin I mean what if I came up here and I said you guys I've been really struggling with lust lately I mean it's the point where I'm checking a lot of you out I mean you guys would listen to that and go oh that's gross you know just you know this perverted pastor you know what and it would be to the point where just like I don't know if I'm comfortable going to that church you know I because why we look at certain sins as so disgusting and yet yet if I come up here and say you know I struggle with pride it's not who doesn't you know and we just don't see it as really that bad in fact in our society in our especially here in America it's encouraged we give it different titles we say you know believing in yourself or self esteem or building yourself up it's pride and and this is serious stuff because who wants to be detestable in the sight of God and so let's take this seriously you see every day I've got a choice okay I wake up with the morning in the morning I've got a choice I see this is a spotlight it's like we all have a spotlight and see that light over there see there's a sprinkler I don't know what that is guys know that is smoke alarm it flashes on a fire thing it's pretty cool huh does that light out or it just turned off yeah it's out because this one's on that one's broken okay now I have a choice finding all these things I gotta fix okay but um I have a choice see every day I could do this and just kind of point that light to the cross this is what I ought to do this is the posture I should take every day it's just be a guy holding a light and pointing to the Cross and telling people look at Jesus look at Jesus look at God look at God draw all the attention just have my back to them and say you know don't look at me just look at him and point my light toward God that's that's what I'm created for is to bring glory to God to lift him up but more often this is what I do you know look at me look what I've done look what I'm doing right now and drawing attention to me pay attention to me you know we do that we do that in life we want people to look at us we want to show off what we've accomplished and what we've done and we want to draw attention to ourselves and it's not necessarily this person with this huge you know what we assume necessarily that's person with this big ego that thinks he's greater than everyone because some of you may be saying well I don't think I'm that great you know but you know what you can still be prideful tikkun still told struggle with humility because you'll do this Hey look at me look how pitiful I am look how pathetic I am come counsel me help me you know what talk about me me me look at me look how awful I am look at what they look like how you know and it's still it's all just drawing attention to me me me when that is not what we were created for whether we eat drink whatever we do the Bible says we're do it to the glory of God so that we show off who he is and that that we just kind of you know just kind of bow down out of existence and point people to God see that does your life look like that are you a type of person that says you know who cares what they think about me I'm concerned about what people think about God I'm pointing my light at other people who are who are in need hey look at those people who are need let's care for them let's take care of them but it's certainly not pointed at me drawing attention to myself what do you do what do you do with your life see the Pharisees that Jesus is confronting here in Luke 14 they're all about themselves they're all about drawing it that's why they hated Jesus because he was getting the spotlight he was getting the attention we have the story in Luke chapter 14 where Jesus is invited to eat with these Pharisees okay but we but it's not like what are you thinking like when you're invited to dinner as a guest or something like that you know the guest of honor that's that's not the picture here okay it says in Luke 14 verse 1 it says one Sabbath when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee he was being carefully watched ok that shows you right there it was not because he was his guest of honor it's because they wanted to trap him they were watching his every move to see if they could catch him doing something wrong it's being carefully watched verse 2 there in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy dropsy is a disease where you're where fluid starts forming inside your different tissues and cavities in your body and it kind of swells up and it's very debilitating disease so here's this man who's suffering from dropsy here at this dinner and Jesus asked the Pharisees verse 3 and experts in the law is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not but they remain silent so taking hold of the man he healed him and sent him away then he asked them if one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day will you not immediately pull him out and they had nothing to say okay I don't want to spend too much money on this too much money too much time okay I'm still thinking budget I don't want to spend too much time on this passage because we just talked about this a few weeks ago right remember that the Sabbath thing anyone okay couple you guys were here okay that the whole set you know and we talked about the whole issue of the Sabbath and whether it's right to work or this or that so if you missed a you know get the tape but I want to just kind of really briefly explain what went on here you you're at this dinner or Jesus at this dinner with the Pharisees this guy you know has this disease Jesus holds him and just heals him right there you know first he looks at the Pharisee goes hey is it okay if I heal him is it lawful for me to heal on the Sabbath and no one says anything he heals the guy sends him away and it seems like there's no response I mean if I did that on stage right now I mean with someone that you physically knew and you could see was was handicapped and you knew them and you saw me do that you would go crazy you would just erupt you would be blown away that's not what happens here you know they're they're carefully watching Jesus go okay well I don't know if that was okay according to the law I don't know if he can heal on the Sabbath and so Jesus after he does that he looks at me goes listen if one of you guys your religious leaders if one if your ox fell in a well on the Sabbath what would you do it pull them out once you or what if your son better yet what if your son fell in the well what would you do scream down the world tread water for a day you know it's a Sabbath you know what are you going to do because no you're going to pull him up you're going to yank him out of it well he goes so why is it wrong that I'm healing this guy and it says they had absolutely nothing to say but Jesus made a statement in there where he asked the Pharisees is it lawful for me to heal on the Sabbath okay because here's the point what the Pharisees did and we've talked about this before what the Pharisees did was they added to God's law right they added certain Sabbath restrictions the Bible says you know don't do work on that day but they thought it was their prerogative you know to elaborate they felt they had the right to elaborate on God's law and add additional restrictions and define what work means meaning well you can't you you can't do this you can't do that which this is something that the Pharisees added and they were enforcing it as God's law and that's why Jesus says no really is it lawful is it ok according to God's law that I heal this guy and they have nothing to say so you see the Pharisees were so proud that they felt they had the right to alter God's Word that they could add to it or they could take away from it see that's that's the ultimate in arrogance see that the humble person just says ok that's cause word I'm just going to leave it alone and I'm just going to submit to it the arrogant person says yeah that's what God says but I think what he means is this and let me add some things to it let me elaborate on what God has said or I don't really like that when let me change it a little bit because God probably would mean this anyways that's pretty arrogant and you think well who does that as a lot of people do that you see if I were God okay if I were God I would do some things differently okay I read this book and I see God's commands now like them you know they're good commands I see the way he runs the world and his system but I think in my mind there's some things in this book I would change if I were God I just would that's just me I look at some of the commands and go ahead I know if I would have commanded that I look at I probably would have made more works based things myself you know where you can achieve more things for yourself get some more things for yourself based upon this or that I probably would have you know what I would have done is I would have more immediate punishments you know just like little ones you know it doesn't have to be you know this huge thing but he like stores up the wrath for the end and I just think well you know if someone did something wrong I'd want to just zap them a little bit every time or or this or that or or you know just throw an immediate blessing here or there none of this eternity all the time you know and waiting on this or that I mean that's just how I would do it if I were God now most you guys know I'm not and you know I love their that you know I've shared with you before my favorite quote of all time by a human being you know was 12 years ago I heard a guy on the radio a guy named Jay Vernon McGee he's still on well he's long dead but he his sermons are still in the air but he's got this weird little voice and and his statement was this he goes uh this is God's universe and God does things his way now you may have a better way but you don't have a universe and man that to me it's like that's perfect you know I still remember sitting in my car here and that just go no way you know it's the most simple obvious statement and yet we don't get it you know and and yeah I can look at this book and say you know I wouldn't have done it like this I want to done it like that but you know what he's God and he has every right to do things the way he thinks and he doesn't have to ask my opinion it's his universe but the thing is is that once I realized I was not God I realized okay I need to submit to him so because he's God I'm a creative being I just need to submit to whatever he says that's the role of a created being to a creator but here's the thing that has developed in my life the longer I am alive the more I realize that God is doing a better job at running this universe than I would have okay this is really something you learn you know it sounds obvious but you start going okay the older yet you go I see why my system wouldn't have worked and I see why he said this and why he said that and if we had gone with my rules we wouldn't have this okay okay and you finally surrender and you finally get to the point where like scripture says his ways are higher than my ways see well I still look at the Word of God and disagree with some things I'm wise enough to go you know what I disagree but I think he's right and I'm wrong have you gotten to that point yet where you go well I think this but I'm probably wrong he's probably right see a lot of people never get there and instead what they do is they go well I think this and so that's probably what God meant and they'll change the Word of God they'll alter it in their pride believing that there's no way I could be wrong and you some of you guys are just thinking well I've never done that you sure you sure you've never changed God's Word because it didn't sit well with you in Matthew chapter 19 Jesus says you know what if you divorce for any reason outside of marital unfaithfulness you are committing adultery you don't divorce for a reason other than that you don't pursue divorce for reason other than that some of us go well I don't like that and I don't agree with that you see I think God would have allowed for other reasons too you know what I I think there should be other reasons but I don't dare oppose that on God and I don't dare preach any other reason I just say you know what that's what God's Word says I'm gonna stick to it even if I disagree Hebrews 13:4 says to leave the marriage bed keep the marriage bed pure and undefiled just keep that totally pure that's something that is for marriage and it's sacred and yet nowadays we go well know if you're in love if you really love this person and if you're planning on getting married anyways I think God would be okay with this I think it'd be okay be okay with us messing around and you know doing this it's like okay but understand that's not in the book okay that's not what he said you were adding to it based on what you think God should think because he didn't say that Matthew 18 he tells us to forgive people 70 times seven times and and some of us go whoa but but see I was hurt so badly by this person and I don't think God would want me to love this person I think God understand how deeply I've been hurt that I don't necessarily have to love this person okay but that's not what God's Word says he says to love your enemies that you're to do good to those who hate you you bless those who curse you you pray for those who persecute you that that's what we're supposed to do and so whenever you go beyond those in your world but I think you're adding what is lawful what is in the word in Romans 1 it talks about how the men and women they exchange their natural relations with each other and they gave themselves they were given over to shameful lusts where they became inflamed with lust for one another and they committed these indecent acts men with men women with women God clearly shows that it's wrong and yet will say today well but but I don't think God has a right to to say that especially if he made them that way and and I think that was for back then and this is now and it's it's different now Ephesians 5:25 says husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her and I hear guys say you know what I don't think that applies in my kit you don't know my wife and and you know that verse was written before my wife was created and seriously you know and it's just like well I don't think you know I mean what am I supposed to be be like Christ and let her crucify me and just well you know what all it says his husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her there's not this line where you have to you can stop loving her and suddenly give up on her just like there's no line in that with our relationship with God where God says you know what I don't need to love this person anymore it's Ephesians 5:22 wives submit to your husband's as to the Lord and immediately you go I ain't submit to no one over here you know and it's just listen I am woman hear me roar I am NOT you know what I don't care what that says it must be wrong it must be wrong because I ain't doing it I ain't doing it and I think you know that was for back then and there's a clause after you fifteen hundred years or so we move on to something new but but and then people say well you know and if I haven't offended everyone yet I got more okay but you know the whole point is is you know yeah I'm going to offend people I offended plenty people this weekend but you know I'm not going to change God's word to make myself feel better or to make other people feel better I just say you know what God that's what you said you know that's your interpretation no it's not you just just read it black and white sometimes even red you just read it and it's just right there and it just says you know and and the only way you come to some of these other conclusions is when you in your heart you don't like what it says so you go well it must mean something else so maybe if I twist this a little bit and say this is cultural and say this was you guys just take God's word for what it says you know I mean let's let's be honest when we change those things or we have different beliefs if not because we really sat down one day with an open mind and objective and said I really want to know what this means now we arrived at some of these conclusions because we don't like what the obvious clear meaning is and so therefore we we tweak things a little bit we add to God's Word or we take away from God's Word listen I'm tempted to do it I'm tempted to do it all the time why do you think there's religions that say you know what there's no hell there's no eternal punishment doesn't sit well with them so let's change it doesn't feel good to believe in that that's this is change an alter few things to make ourselves but you see that's that's the ultimate in pride that's what the Pharisees were doing and and listen I'm not saying this is easy okay I'm not saying that these commands are easy to obey what I'm saying is when they're not easy that's when you find out and you discover who's really on the throne of your life it's when you disagree when you read something it doesn't sit well with you what do you do with it do you just say okay but that's what God says and I believe his ways are higher than mine so I'll just submit to it or do you go you know what I can't believe this book because God doesn't think like I do so he must be wrong you know for those who who maybe have been offended or bothered by maybe something I've said let me just ask you something have you ever oh babe God's Word when you disagreed with it sink that through has there ever been a time ever when you read something in God's Word and you don't agree with it but you just go well I'm going to obey it anyways because he's God see maybe I'm too simplistic but but I I look at it this way if I if I make a person out of this play-doh okay I make a guy if I make him and he's created by me he didn't even exist before and I place him on this earth let me ask you what what rights does he have now think about it what rights does that guy or girl whatever it is what rights what rights this he or she have really nothing right I mean even exist a minute ago and I created I made him I breathed life into him what rights can he demand of me well because you mean because I am man therefore I must know you don't get anything I don't have to give you anything I don't give you any right so I'm doing anything for you I'm the Creator you're the created being and see that's the way I look at myself before God you guys I am nothing but a piece of clay the God breathed life into in a moment any moment you can take that life out of me what rights do I have what right how could I look at my Creator and say hey because you've made me this is what I deserve this is right the man of you this is what I think is right yet that's what we do you guys there's this whole self-esteem thing or building yourself up like you are someone you deserve these rights or those you don't deserve anything we don't deserve squat okay I'm on this created being made by God and I just go you know and I'll do whatever you say because I didn't even exist a few years ago you spoke me into existence you made me you formed in my mother's womb and you can take this life away from me any time so what rights do I have and you know where my self-esteem comes from and my security comes from as a thought that wait a second but that God up there who made me says that he's crazy about me and that doesn't that doesn't fill you up and give you a sense of security on this earth I don't know what will and you can keep shining that light on yourself know you know make me feel secure this is it you know what look look at God for a second and think that he made you out of nothing and then he looks down at you and says I love you I'm crazy about you I give you these commands because this is the way the world works this is the way I made it and this is the way I believe it's going to function the best and and and I want to spend eternity with you and watch I'll have my son come down and become like you one of these little beings and I'll have them die on a cross for you I mean all of that it's like gosh that God up there is crazy about me I don't care if I offend everyone in the world I've got a God up there that is crazy about me and cause me his own kid and you know what I'm secure as I need to be that's where my worth comes from that's why we don't need to draw the attention to ourselves because God's given us that attention our job is that just directed back to him and tell everyone what a wonderful God we have is that you or do you alter God's Word are you a person that submits even when you disagree goes on the story goes on he's still at this dinner party and it's and it's interesting because in verse seven he says when he noticed he's watching Jesus watching he knows how the guests they would pick the places of honor at the table and he told them this parable 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 man 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 your fellow guests for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and He Who humbles himself will be exalted since that Jesus noticing you know when the people came in these religious leaders they would all flock to the head of the table where the seats of Honor were it's kind of like the head table at a wedding banquet it's like they all wanted to be there up by that you know the you know the most prominent people and so Jesus tells them this parable now it's interesting it's important that you you see that the word parable there because that means that Jesus was explaining something deeper that's what a parable does he wasn't just talking about where you sit at a feast he's talking about it represents something greater and and he tells us parable he goes he goes it's like when you go to a feast don't go to the position of honor because he says what happens is the host may come and he'll see someone that's more important than you someone that's arriving late that's more prestigious and he'll tell that guy hey once you come up here and sit and you why don't you go find another place you know and then you'll be humbled because you exalted yourself he goes instead when you go to the banquet you should just go sit in the lowliest place so when the host comes in he looked as he what are you sitting back there for come up here to the front with me he says and you humble yourself and hit and you'll be exalted see it's a parable explaining that that's what God does to us and it's really about church leadership because his picture was to these Pharisees who took the religious leadership positions when God maybe didn't necessarily put him there and God was now humbling them he's instead you should have been servants and God would have exalted you to these positions and that happens today people in churches go you know I should be leading that ministry I should be a pastor I should be the elder I should be this I should be that well obviously God didn't think so or he would have put you there you know he'll exalt you to those positions if you belong there and those who are there that don't belong there you know we asked God would you humble them when you get them out of those positions but but as I bring this up I just want you to ask yourself argue the type of person that strives after servant servant like positions or are you the type of person that wants the prestigious spot the people know you as a servant someone who always want to take the humble route take the lesser position that what he or she deserves you're getting a cardio shotgun where do you go middle back in between everyone you know I mean you know it's it's really what what do you what do you do do you want to be the servant do you want the lowest place you know it starts with your kids that's what we did right we scream up for that position of Honor the best spot you know when you go back to this banquet analogy I mean I've done this you know where you ever been to the wedding reception where there you got a bunch of tables and then there's a buffet line and you want to get to that table that's closest to the beginning of the line right or some of you you know you get up during the prayer and you just kind of walk over to the right whoa I'm at the front line I'll start it you know you know I've done that but it is way back in the past you know but uh you know it's just that natural I just want to gravitate to that position of Honor to look at me or am I the person that says you know what I want everyone else to eat first I don't want to serve I want to be like I want you know if there's no food left that's fine I want to make sure everyone else is fed and taken care of you know I don't want to park right up here closest to the church I want to park in that new lot over by Jack's shoes you know so that I don't bug the neighbors and everything else and I want to you know and I want to make room you know the closest ones for other people I mean those thoughts enter your mind you naturally gravitate toward the servant role and allow God to lift you up or either person that strives for honor you guys next week at our Saturday night service there's a possibility that Mel Gibson is going to be coming to our service see I say that something oh I was just kidding I mean he might I didn't lie he might I doubt it but you know but I that up I bring that up is the only service I did that too you know but I bring that up because I want to show you that the next passage okay verse verse 12 okay look look what it says here okay so then Jesus look said to his hosts when you give a luncheon or dinner do not invite your friends your brothers or relatives or rich neighbors if they do they may invite you back and so you will be repaid but when you give a banquet invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind and you will be blessed although they cannot repay you you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous he looks at the host of the party goes hey you know what you invited all these famous rich you know religious leaders he goes next time you have a banquet why don't you invite the poor want to invite the nobodys want to invite the lame want to invite the people that they can't ever repay you and so just inviting your buddies your rich buddies that you know can repay you because you goes if you did that then you would really be blessed you know we preached on this passage about a year ago number I talked about it when in regards to world impact and I talked about how no one obeys this you know when do you ever invite people who are need we just invite people that are friends or we love to be around prestigious people you know there have been some events here at the church where we've had some celebrities show up you know that's why I brought up the whole Mel Gibson thing you know we've had things where we're people that are you know in the movies you know show up to a church event or a picnic and everyone's like who like your reaction you're like oh you know Mel's gonna be in this room oh you know it's just we do you know and you know we've had athletes come and and and then we've had services every service every event we have we have people that are hurting they're needy that are poor they're crippled you know it's interesting whenever we've had a celebrity at a service or at an event they get swarmed afterwards or they have people looking at them staring at them we're crowding around them asking for autographs or this or that shouldn't church be a place where the hurting people are swarmed seriously shouldn't church be a place where everyone's flocking to those who are lonely or hurting or in need are we any different from the world if if we just go flock to those people that we want to be around or we think we can get something from or it's an honor to be in their presence shouldn't church be a place where we're waiting in line to go help out at the special need Sunday school class I mean really in God's eyes if God looked at the church and it were a place where pleasing to him isn't that how it would look is that anyone that comes in with the need they've just got a flock of other believers around them afterwards trying to figure out how they can help see I just don't want to kid ourselves into thinking wow what a successful church look at that huge budget look at all the people that come because you know what that's all garbage if our character isn't there in God's eyes he's looking for a church that's humble that really says okay he's God I'm not let me just do what he says let me I mean don't you want don't you want as you read this don't you want to be a person that naturally gravitates toward those who are hurting I mean I mean I'm not there very few of us are there but don't you in your heart really want to be that type of person known as that type of person and when you love to be a person that really is a servant that is trying to you know take care of everyone else and sometimes neglect yourself and don't you want to be a person that just submits even when you disagree showing that you really understand your place as a created being I think it's what we want it's just wanting it badly enough and recognizing how ugly it is in God's eyes when we're the opposite and so we just take a minute or two right now and just would you ask God to make you that type of person we just bow your heads and just just they pray to gods that God help me to become more humble more of a servant not fighting for my rights I mean to really serve people care for people and take the spotlight off myself" [00:00:04]