Sermon Tone Analysis

Humility  The Way to the Top          \\ Luke 14:1-14 \\ \\ \\ INTRODUCTION: \\ Everyone wants to make it to the top.

Zig Ziglar, a good Baptist deacon, has written a powerful motivational book \\ entitled, I Will Meet You At The Top! His focus is on the material aspect of life, and what is required to be a \\ success, though he does touch on the spiritual.

This raises a question, "Where is the top?"

What will be the \\ criteria by which we measure success?

For Jesus our Lord you never really reach the top in this life.

The \\ success to which He pointed men is realized only in the life to come.

This is the principle by which He himself \\ lived.

He knew suffering in this life in order that He might gain the top, even exaltation by His heavenly Father.

\\ \\ Jesus brought this subject up when He confronted such open selfishness and pride in the home of a Pharisee.

\\ He was invited into the home for a Sabbath luncheon following the worship time in the synagogue.

It was \\ customary for such a luncheon to be a highlight of the week.

It was not unusual to invite several guests into the \\ home, including visiting rabbis or teachers.

The motivation for this invitation may not have been good.

When \\ Jesus arrived in the home, He found a man who had dropsy.

The Pharisees were watching Him like a hawk to \\ see what He would do.

Would He heal the man on the Sabbath day?

Jesus faced the issue by asking a couple of \\ questions they could not answer and healing the man.

From what was said later, it is obvious that Jesus saw \\ their actions as an expression of selfishness and pride.

Dropsy was attribut¬ed by some rabbis to immorality.

\\ They may have felt superior to the sick man, and it is obvious that they were more concerned about their petty \\ little Sabbath rules than they were the sick man.

Pride dries up all compassion from the human heart.

\\ \\ As soon as Jesus had healed the man, and it was time for the luncheon to begin, Jesus encountered another \\ expression of pride.

The men began to jump over one another trying to secure one of the better seats.

They \\ had no regard for their fellowman.

Each person felt himself to be the most important person present.

The \\ honored place at the table would be to the left of the host, and the next most honored would be to his right.

They \\ scrambled to get into these seats.

Jesus had some helpful words to say about this.

\\ \\ Then as Jesus surveyed who was present at the luncheon, He uncovered yet another expression of selfishness.

\\ Present were relatives, friends, and rich neighbors.

Every person present would in some way return the favor.

\\ They had been invited for this very reason.

Jesus took the occasion to give some very meaningful lessons about \\ humility.

He sets forth clearly that humility leads to the top while pride and selfishness lead to humiliation.

\\ \\ I. HUMILITY IS THE WAY TO THE TOP BECAUSE OF WHAT IT DOES TO RELATIONSHIPS \\ The contrast between pride and humility is brought before us clearly in these words of Jesus.

\\ \\ Pride destroys relationships.

It prevents true compassion for the needs of others.

The Pharisees could be \\ callused about the obvious suffering of the man with dropsy because they were thinking only of themselves.

\\ Getting ahead in life was all that mattered to them.

If they could get to the top, they were prepared to push and \\ shove others out of their way.

If you were going for the same thing as they were, it was just too bad.

They would \\ run over you.

They were determined to be at the top.

\\ \\ Jesus counseled that we follow the way of humility because it allows us to see the worth of others.

This is the \\ reason that Jesus counsels us to take the lowest place when we are invited to a dinner.

He is not talking about a \\ mock humility.

He is not talking about the kind of humility that takes the lowest place all of the time knowing that \\ you deserve to be in the highest seat.

Rather He is talking about the kind of perspective that allows you to see \\ the true worth of every other human being.

Let's be honest about it; every person in this room is superior to me \\ in some way.

The least educated of you know more about some things than I do.

Some of you are superior to \\ me in strength physically.

Many of you possess much more of this world's goods than I do.

You have \\ experienced things that I have never experienced.

Humility will allow me to see this.

Humility will allow me to see \\ that you are as much created in the image of God as I am, and that you are just as beloved of God as I am.

\\ Humility will allow me to appreciate the spiritual gifts that God has given to you.

Humility allows me to become \\ aware of my weaknesses as well as my strengths.

\\ \\ Humility will also allow me to accept you as a person of worth.

It will allow me to see that you are indeed worthy of \\ honor.

It will move me to insist that you deserve to be in the place of honor instead of me.

\\ \\ Whenever you have this kind of humility, this attitude toward others, healthy relationships with others are \\ possible.

The proud, arrogant, selfish person cannot build healthy relationships with others.

The longer he lives, \\ the more isolated he will become.

In time the only people he will have around him are those who hang on \\ because they hope to get something from him.

If you are to ever make it to the top in this world, and in the world \\ to come, healthy relationships with others are necessary.

Such humility will allow you to admit to others that you \\ are wrong, and to ask for their forgiveness when you have wronged them.

If you are headed for the top, humility \\ is the only way up.

\\ \\ II.

HUMILITY IS THE WAY TO THE TOP BECAUSE OF WHAT IT DOES TO SERVICE \\ Jesus was constantly emphasizing that service is essential for greatness, and humility is essential for service.

He \\ sets this forth in the lesson in the home of the Pharisee.

The host had done the normal thing in making up his \\ guest list.

He had invited people who in some way would meet his needs.

He had invited friends because he \\ enjoyed their company.

He had invited rela¬tives because this was proper.

It was the thing that was expected of \\ him by others.

He had invited rich neighbors because he wanted to impress them.

There would be times when \\ he might need their influence and help.

Jesus does not forbid social entertainment in this admonition, but He \\ does point to something better.

He says, "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, \\ the blind, and you will be blessed."

Such a group would be excluded in that day from regular society.

They were \\ not welcomed in the temple for worship.

They were counted as though some plague had fallen upon them.

Yet \\ Jesus causes us to consider what we could do to help them.

\\ \\ Pride makes what a man does for others selfish.

Whatever is done is done with a view to what it will mean to me.

\\ The world teaches us to appeal to this in motivating people to involvement.

You demonstrate to them how this \\ will ultimately benefit themselves, and they will give or become involved.

Jesus calls for a humility that makes it \\ possible for us to serve those who will never be able to recompense us in any way.

We do it simply because the \\ Lord has told us to do it, and we do it because we consider those to whom we minister worthy of such ministry.

\\ \\ Your attitude will determine your service.

The only service that is acceptable before God is that which is done in \\ humility.

You will remember the long discussion that Jesus gave of this in the Sermon on the Mount.

He reminded \\ us that if we give our gifts to be seen of men, that will be all that will happen.

We will be seen of men.

But if we \\ give our gifts, and perform our service humbly as unto the Lord, God will take note.

Humility is the way to the top \\ because it makes our service acceptable to God. \\ \\ III.

HUMILITY IS THE WAY TO THE TOP BECAUSE IT RECEIVES DIVINE RECOGNITION \\ Jesus made one of His most profound statements at that dinner.

He repeat¬ed the same statement on other \\ occasions.

It contains a truth by which we must all live.

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he \\ who humbles himself will be exalted."