Proud of Our Humility

Text: Matthew 23:1-12

Focus: Being humble

Function: To help improve our Christian witness

Form: GOK

Intro:

Being raised in an Anabaptist tradition, I too can claim what the rest of the Brethren can claim: “We are PROUD of our humility.”

And I mean it without hypocrisy. Humility is something to be honored, something to be grasped. It is something for which to strive.

With humility, we can fulfill the scripture, “Give preference over one another in honor.”

With Humility, we can indeed care for our neighbor as much as we do for ourselves.

With humility, we can seek the value in another person's viewpoint.

With humility, we can recognize that even a little child has something that they can teach us.

With humility, we can forgive, repent, admit we are wrong and admit we are sorry.

With humility, we can be genuinely happy when someone else gets an honor that we thought we deserved.

I remember a Church picnic once. We were playing another church in a pick-up game of softball.

Gary Willig, a man who wasn't terribly athletic, but he was big, hit the ball completely out of the park. And he shouted out: “Praise the Lord!”

I cringed at first. I thought the other team was going to react. You know, if you are on the other team and someone hits a walk off home run, it makes winning the game that much harder. And for someone to shout praise the Lord at what could be your defeat, well it just doesn't sit right. But the other team rejoiced with him. I knew that I had arrived within a group of humble Christians.

They were genuinely happy when the competition did well.

So, we can almost honestly say that we are proud to be so humble.

I remember my dad used to have to trip over the legalism behind being humble.

And finally one day, when one of his sons, not me, did particularly well at something my dad just said: “doggone it! I am just going to admit it. I am proud of my son!”

And the world didn't stop spinning.

Humility.

What a great Christian virtue.

Remember Micah 6:8: God has told us the three things that are important to Him: 1). Do Justice, 2). Love Mercy and 3) Walk humbly before Him.

Isn't that an interesting list of things to chase after, things to strive for and things to excel with?

Note what is not on that list: Make a lot of money. Beat the competition. Win the World Series. Not that winning and competition are evil in themselves. But what does God really want from us?

Jesus is speaking about living the Christian life and obeying God.

I love the introduction to the passage in the Message: “Religious Fashion Shows.”

Jesus points at their own religious leaders and speaks about the hypocrisy of their entire religious system. And in so doing, He wars us as to how the cancer of hypocrisy can manifest itself in any religious system.

Wouldn't religion be great if there was complete sincerity on the part of every worshiper?

What if we could find the perfect Church?

Well I know this, the moment I step into it, it ceases to be perfect.

That is true for all of us.

The fact is, there isn't.

As perfect as we all strive to be, eventually, we are all going to have to face our own hypocrisy. It is better to strive to be good and fall short than to have no morals at all, and live up to them.

But that doesn't excuse hypocrisy and that is what Jesus is speaking against with these religious leaders.

He says: “They are really good at explaining morals, but they don't live up to them.”

In John 13:34, Jesus makes all the rules of the Bible simple. He boils them down to just one easy commandment. Jesus said: “a new commandment I give to you, love one another.”

These religious leaders were really good at looking good because they followed all the rules. But they still didn't practice the sacrificial love that Jesus states sums up the entire law. But they were sinning by not loving each other.

The best proof of that is the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus tells them that the greatest command is to love their neighbors as themselves. The religious leader, the text says: “wishing to justify himself” says, “But who is my neighbor?”

Here he is, trying to make a short list of who his neighbor is. He is trying to look like he was following the law in all its technicalities. But in so doing, he was trying to shorten the list of neighbors. Listen, the list of who our neighbor is extends, as Jesus says, even to our enemies. Love your enemies as yourself.

So, although he technically followed the law, he missed the whole point of it.

Jesus points out the futility of their religion if they refuse to practice what they preach. Jesus said: They make broad their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels on their garments, give long prayers and make a great show.

You may ask, what the heck is a phylactery?

If you read Deuteronomy 6, where God gives the great command to follow God's law, God says that they are to investigate this word so much that it would be as if they wrote it on their foreheads.

So, the leaders fashioned leather pouches, fancy and ornate leather pouches, placed Deuteronomy 6:4 in the pouch and wore them as a head band.

I think it is pretty cool to wear a scripture verse there instead of a gang symbol.

But all of a sudden, it became an object of religious pride, religious competition. They made bigger and fancier pouches as if somehow the bigger the symbol, the more righteous the person wearing it was.

It doesn't work that way.

God checks into the heart of people.

He knows if our motives are revenge, pride, greed or genuine love. God knows our motives better than we do. He sees our hearts. So Jesus is condemning a kind of religion that looks good, but doesn't cause people to actually act in love toward their fellow men.

Next week we are going into the prison. I am going in with a group of people who are Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Eastern Orthodox, Baptist and Charismatic.

Because of that, we aren't allowed to tell how to baptize, we aren't allowed to anoint someone with oil for healing, we aren't allowed to pray in tongues. We aren't allowed to do or say anything that isn't practiced by the entire Church as an whole.

And yet, I got an email from the Lay Director asking us to wash the feet of others next week.

As far as I know, the only group in there that practices foot-washing as a regular act of worship is us.

And yet the leader of the group sent us all an email this week about foot washing.

And it was unique. He wasn't talking about the residents. He was explaining to us how some of the guards resent our presence. The guards are instructed to consider the prisoners as numbers, not as men.

And we come along with cookies, great food and overwhelming mercy.

Some guards resent it.

And their resentment gets in the way of our work.

But the leader told us to especially look for ways to wash the feet of the guards, to show them love, to forbear with their resentment and instead of reacting negatively, use it as a chance to love them even more.

Because Jesus said: “Love your enemies as much as you love yourselves.” (Matthew 5:43)

Listen, in this teaching, Jesus is condemning the very system of religious hierarchy and domination.

Listen to these very strong words about religious systems and hierarchies: “Don't call anyone teacher,” “don't call anyone father,” in The Message it is paraphrased to modern language and he says “don't call anyone Reverend, or Doctor.”

I get amused when I hear the phrase: “Dr. Phil.” I confess that it makes me feel good, even though I do not have a doctorate.

And when I sign a marriage license, I use the term Reverend. It is a title that I have earned. If I had earned a Doctorate, I would probably use that title as well.

The scriptures say that we should render honor to whom honor is due, respect to whom respect is due. And the Bible itself says that the calling of preacher is worth double honor.

We live in a culture that values the disrespect of authority. We, as a culture are suffering from the disrespect of authority. I wish there was more.

So, how do we reconcile “double honor” with “don't call anyone teacher?”

What is Jesus talking about here?

It isn't a contradiction.

He is talking about power and authority. And he is warning us about the potential for abuse of that power and authority.

Sometimes I visit a church and I see a sign at the best parking spot: “reserved for Pastor.” And I wonder about that sign. I wouldn't be comfortable with it. Because Jesus said that if we want to be great, then we need to become more of a servant, not more of a “lord.”

That does not mean that authority and authority figures do not deserve our respect. The Bible commands it.

He is talking about religious leaders flaunting, or exercising their authority into positions of power.

I believe that there are two reasons why the world's structures of power, authority and domination are bad for the Church.

First, God gave power to the entire Church.

Jesus' plan is to create a Church where everyone is a priest. We call it the Priesthood of All Believers.

Listen to 1 Peter 2:9-10:

The Message (MSG)

^9-10But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Whatever greater power the leader wields, then those under him have lesser power. But Jesus is in us, in all of us.

When the Charismatic movement swept across American in the late 70's, it met a lot of resistance by Church leaders. I believe a lot of that resistance happened because it threatened their power base.

So, the world's system of power keeps the individuals in the Church from realizing just what God can do through you.

You have great potential with God inside of you.

The second problem with the world's power system is that Jesus gives His power in a way that is completely different than the way people gain it in our world.

Jesus is creating a religious system that does not conform to the standards of the world. Two of the disciples wanted more power than the other 10. When the 10 found out, they were angry with the two. Jesus said:

Mark 10:42-43 New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴²So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. ⁴³But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

A system where the first are last and the last are first. It is a system where the weakest has as much, if not more, power than the strongest. It is a system where the greatest person is the one who isn't being served, but the one who serves.

Throughout the Scripture, God keeps telling us to rely on Him and not us.

Gideon faced an huge army with 300 people and defeated them.

Isaac was born to Sarah when she was 89 years old. Jesus fed 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves. When the Egyptian army wanted to kill off the Israelites, God protected them with a curtain of fire and then parted the sea.

Elijah was fed by ravens. Manna appeared on the ground and if someone collected extra, it rotted, and if someone collected too little, it miraculously expanded.

In all of this, God is saying to us that His ways are higher and better than ours. And those who strive in fear or fighting with others to get ahead have missed His purpose for us as Christian.

These last words should both haunt and inspire us: “The greatest among you will be your servant...”

Hopefully they inspire us more than haunt us. But the reason why worldly leader lord their power over others is because it is just human nature. It is a part of our human nature that we ourselves need to resist, to struggle against. When we live by faith, we live in an attitude of service toward others.

Convictions of Steel

Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

Focus: Sacrifice

Function: To help people live sacrificial lives.

Form: GOK

Intro:

I love the introductions to the letters that Paul writes to the Church. He always finds such good things to say about them

Almost every epistle, or letter, is written to help correct some problem that is hurting their church. In Philipi, there were two women who were fighting. In Corinth, there was feuding over the gifts of the Holy Spirit, plus some other sin going on, believers suing each other, immorality, etc. In the Church in Thessaloníki, the problem is that they are so excited about their mission that way to many people had stopped working in order to preach the gospel. It is from these books that we get the phrase, if a person doesn't work, they shouldn't eat.

He wasn't talking about lazy people. He was talking about people who had so much zeal to share their faith that they were placing a burden on the rest of the church who were supported them.

They had too many evangelists.

It is not a bad problem to have.

Most pastors in Western Churches have a hard time getting people involved in outreach. It isn't that people don't love the Lord. But people are always to busy with other things.

These believers were busy with one thing, sharing their faith with others.

From his introduction, our passage this morning, we see that Paul is writing this letter to a group of people who have a strong and sincere faith.

In the opening verse of this passage, the author of the paraphrase “The Message” says this cool phrase: “the Holy Spirit put conviction of steel inside of you.”

Conviction of Steel.

When I think of that phrase, steel, I recognize that their conviction, the way they were convinced about what it means to follow Jesus, placed them in a mindset that even if they had to face steel, the persecution of a sword, they were not going to waver.

Another author, Bryce Flenderson, calls this Church, “A Model Church.”

Those are some pretty good complements.

And in many ways, that is what you all are.

Verse 5 “⁵because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.”

The verse tells us where they got this strong faith, these strong convictions. They did not plant it in themselves.

When Brother Paul is complementing them, he is quick to point out that their convictions of steel did not come from inside them. It came from God.

Brother Paul and his group spoke the words. They merely said them. But the Holy Spirit drove those words home into their hearts.

They have a strong faith, and it is because God placed it there.

Listen, the Holy Spirit is responsible for the strength and nature of our conviction. If we have strong faith, it isn't something that we did. It isn't something that we can boast about.

But did that mean the Holy Spirit was stronger in them than other people?

No, it is the same Holy Spirit. But they responded. Apparently, there was some sort of Catalyst that made this work in them.

And we see it in verse 6. “⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,”

First, they were aware that Paul was persecuted for preaching Jesus. But they didn't leave it to the preacher. They choose to endure as well. They too, didn't let persecution stop them.

How do we feel about the idea of being persecuted?

Well, it isn't anything any one of us jumps into line to sign up for. If there is a line for persecution and a line for blessing, we are going to jump into the blessing line. We want blessings, and God promises to bless us are true.

Political persecution is foreign to us. We live in a country where we can freely worship, speak our minds and express ourselves without fear of imprisonment by civil authorities.

Freedom. Religious freedom is one of our ideals and we need to thank God for it. So we are protected.

But let us remember that God can use trials and persecutions to make us stronger.

We looked a couple of weeks ago in Philippians were Paul mentions a significant source of persecution as coming from other Christians. Christians who were becoming religious instead of trusting Christ.

There are things we preach which are unpopular, even among other Christians.

The message that we are called to turn the other cheek is not at all popular. The message that we are to forgive without condition goes against everything our culture teaches us.

Listen, the message that the meek shall inherit the earth is a foolish message to the people who live by worldly standards.

And the sad thing is that there are many people who claim Christianity who also mock these principles.

Jesus said, if they persecuted me, then they will persecute you as well.

If we are not being criticized for having a value system that treats the poor like kings, that gives grace to people the world wants to condemn, then we are not following Jesus.

Listen to Jesus' mission statement: Luke 4:18:19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to set the prisoner free, to heal the sick, to help the blind see again, to proclaim the times that God will forgive.”

Those are Jesus' marching orders.

Friday night, in team preparation for the Kairos weekend in prison, one of the men was sharing how Kairos is going into Uganda.

The prisons there are nothing like here. The prisoners get no food, unless a family member brings it to them. They get no medical attention unless a family member brings them medicine.

The man was sharing it in the context of someone in his church complaining about him asking for cookies for prisoners.

He said, in Uganda, 4 out of 5 prisoners die in their prisons.

Contrast that with the report that prisoners here in the United States are catered to.

Listen, the name of the Prison is Warren Correctional Institute. I did Bible Study back in Pendleton Indiana at the Pendleton Reformatory.

Because as a society, we try to be just and God fearing people, our goal goal is to reform, to correct. Our goal is to help the prisoner integrate back into society as a useful functioning part of it.

The punishment is the sentence. They are denied freedom. They are cut off from their families. They eat prison food. They cannot go out for a hamburger whenever they feel like it. That is their punishment. When we enter the prison and the heavy metal door slams behind us, it feels strange. When the guards refer to call the men by their name, instead they call them by a number, they are reminded of just where they are.

We have the chance, from God, to share the love of Jesus with them.

So what if worldly minded people want to criticize us for doing what Jesus called us to do?

You know the passage in Matthew 25. Jesus said: “When you visited the prisoner, you visited me.” And Jesus also said: “if you refuse them, you refuse me.” Jesus loves prisoners.

And that is contrary to the world's attitude. Christians loving prisoners? What about justice for the families? People ask.

They are not catered to. The Prison we are serving in is an harsh environment. It is a dangerous place.

But it isn't Uganda. Don't raise your hands, but how many of you know someone you care about who made a mistake and is now in prison?

How would you feel if that person had a 1 in 5 chance of surviving like they do in Uganda?

How would you feel if your son, or your daughter, got bad advice from their accountant and ended up in jail for fraud and that jail term became a death sentence?

And, there are people who say “Well, what if they committed involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence? Then why should they get off when someone else died?”

But if it was your child. Your child. Could you say that they deserve to die for a death they caused that was not premeditated?

So, Kairos is working to change the prison environment in Uganda. And Guess what? They are being persecuted for it.

But listen, God loves the prisoners. And God can change hardened hearts.

There were studies done in Russia, when Christians were imprisoned for being Christians that the survival rate of the rest of the prisoners was raised dramatically if the prisoner had a Christian Roommate.

Jesus' mission statement: “I came to set the prisoner free is also our mission statement.”

So this man, after telling us how we are making a difference for the Kingdom of God went on to tell me that a man in his church told him that the prisoners were getting what they deserved and he would never make cookies for them.

You people are different! Thank You!

And Jesus said if they persecuted me, they will persecute you. We may be criticized for supporting a ministry that cares for prisoners. But when we do it, we support Jesus Himself.

Listen, the sentence, being cut off from freedom is their punishment. But they are just as loved by God as you and I.

And my friend, a day to day Christian who attends his particular local church is being persecuted.

And here is the neat thing: It makes his faith stronger, not less. When he is criticized, he trusts God more.

These Christians in Thessaloníki had deep convictions as a result of persecution.

I am preaching to myself here as well. What would happen if when we have an hard time, instead of whining and complaining, we practice the scripture, In everything give thanks for this is the will of God.

Why were these Christians model Christians? Because their faith had a catalyst, something to make it stronger. It was persecution, the thing Jesus said would happen to us if we are indeed His followers. They were persecuted and God made them better for it.

Perhaps it is time for us, as a Church, to seriously consider if comfort and security is more important than being faithful.

Now I refuse to preach shame. I refuse to guilt people into motivation.

Listen, it takes a gift, a calling from God to go into a prison. It isn't for everyone. As a matter of fact, it is just for a few. I was called to this ministry by Brother Dan Patterson. And right after I said yes, Sister Mary Taynor, not knowing that I was signed up, started talking to her Sunday School Class about these Christians who make thousands of cookies for prisoners. I took that as a witness, a reassurance by the Holy Spirit, that this is what God us to.

But it is not a safe place. It is a ministry that only a few people can do. Your ministry does not have to be Kairos.

But God may be calling you to risks. God is calling all of us to do is to be willing to take risks in order to be faithful.

These Christians saw their pastor take risks, verse 6: “you imitated us...”

And then they prayed and God lead them into their own ministries.

And I mean it. This is the kind of people that you are. I remember coming to Bear Creek Church. At my former Church I begged them to send a mission team down to Tijuana MX because I believed in the ministry and work of my good friend Gilbert Romero.

And this is the answer I got: “we are afraid...”

But I came here and before I was here two weeks it was “Pastor, we are going to Tijuana, you should go with us.”

Listen, I don't want anybody doing anything foolish in order to prove something to someone else.

But we are called to live by faith. We are called to be available, even for persecution.

And it was this attitude that made them model Christians.

I am not making this up. (READ) the next verses.

That is exactly what happens to these Christians. All of a sudden, they become an example to churches in cities all over the Mediterranean about what it means to have the zeal to preach Jesus.