Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

In Due Time Pt.3

Let's go ahead and turn to Matthew. We'll pick up where we were this morning. As we're looking at some of these principles on humility, we're going to be using a term quite often in this. It's the word "to serve," or "to be a servant," and that that becomes one of the true marks of biblical humility, of being able to die to self-will. When we're talking about that, however, let's realize that it's not the majority of the time, but in some cases one of the great expressions of pride is service. We serve to be seen. We serve to be able to feel good about ourselves. "I've done my part, praise God! I feel good when I help others." So, we begin to draw a self-worth, we begin to take upon ourselves the "Martha spirit," encumbered with serving and helping because that's what makes us feel good. It makes us feel productive. It makes us feel needed. And many times we need to just sit at the feet of Jesus and choose the better part. This person looks like they're so committed helping and serving, and we're judging hearts. We're judging motives, and we're judging ourselves, not others. So as we're looking at why am I doing what I'm doing--am I doing things out of obligation such as the elder son? Am I doing things such as Martha did because of the worth that I receive from it? Humility is really something that is an attitude that has to do with honoring God totally in what we are doing, and out of gratitude is the motive because of what we've so freely received from Him. There's no obligation. I'm not trying to impress God. I'm not trying to pay God back. I'm just thankful for the privilege of being in His presence and because of that whatever He wants me to do I'll do. If it's to be done in obscurity, I'll do it in obscurity. If it's to be done in pre-eminence and seen of everybody and have to deal with all of the praises of men and all that comes along with men wanting to exalt you, and that's what I have to do, then I'll do that; whatever God chooses for me, but humility is required in obscurity or pre-eminence. Wherever God chooses to place you, you still have to have a heart of humility and realize that God is the source. It's for His glory. We're just doing what brings the most honor to Him. That's the spirit of humility that we need to look at and that God is calling us to.

We saw as we were finishing up this morning over in Luke, Chapter 9--let's go ahead and turn back to Luke, and then in Matthew 18, I think, is where we were. In Matthew 18:3 and Luke 9, He's talking about the need to be converted and to become as little children so that we can enter into the kingdom, and that whosoever would humble himself as a little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. We were dealing with the aspect of having to deal with ambition, a false concept, perception of our worth. And you know what, tragically, many times, we have that put upon us by our parents as young people. We're told how great we are and how special we are and how great our family is and how special our family is, and our clan, and our way of doing things, and we just feed pride and distinction into our families. It's a very destructive thing, especially in the kingdom of God because none of us are special. Regardless of what it is that we're capable of producing by the gifts that God has given us in His unique calling, we're only unprofitable servants. We're just doing what we've been called to do. Some of you have grown up with that particular infusion of family pride and individual worth. We have a whole society that's just sucking it out of their thumbs and everywhere else, and everybody is special. Yesterday I was eating lunch and a little league team came in and it was so funny. Here are these little kids, it's raining outside and this kid has the under-eye-shadow for glare from the sun and he had batting gloves on. There was no sun and no bat. It's all image. I'm looking at these little kids, and you remember that paper I was telling you about this morning, about drinking out of the hose and everything? It went on and it talked about some other things we had to deal with. It said that we were a generation that grew up and, actually, everyone didn't make the team. You had to deal with being cut. When I was a kid playing little league, we had--I'm trying to remember what it was in our league. It seemed to me like there were eight teams. This is for the whole county. There were eight teams; twelve kids on a team and everybody else didn't play. You want to know why? You're not good enough. Deal with it. Everybody can't play baseball. Get a baton, get a tutu, but you can't play ball. You stink. No, let's create more teams. Let's create little league minor leagues. Let's create the greatest curse to come upon baseball, "T-ball." If you can't hit a ball, if a kid doesn't have enough strength to throw the ball 45-feet and the other kid doesn't have enough strength and eye coordination to swing the bat and hit it, it's not baseball. You don't put a ball on a "tee," hit it and everybody attacks the ball, nobody is covering first. That's what the back yard is for. That's where dad throws the ball and finally teaches the child how to hit. You don't have to have hundred-dollar uniforms, batting gloves and eye shadow to play T-ball, but everybody has this image of how great they are and we're just building this into people and it stinks. We have a whole society that thinks they're special, and a big majority of them belong in special-ed. It's a tragic thing.

Now what are we doing in the Church? What are you doing with your kids? Are you bringing your kids up to think that they're special, or are you bringing them up to understand they're loved? You don't have to be special to be loved. You want to be great? Become a servant. You want to be great? Come to grips with what your gifts are and what God's called you to do and where He's placed you in the body and do it for Him and not to be seen of men. Do it for Him and not personal gratitude and gratification. Then you're great in the kingdom. These are the things we have to teach that go contrary to human nature, and it goes contrary to our society, and it's a very strong spirit. Is there anybody in here that might possibly like the praises of men? Is there anybody like that? Do you like people to like you, to speak well of you, to think that you're successful, to think that you're great, you're talented, you're a nice guy? All of these things that are the praises of men--let's say it another way, the acceptance of men. We all like that, but if we'll look a little bit deeper and really deal with our heart issues, the Scripture teaches, and the truth of the fact is, in every one of us is the desire to be pre-eminent. In every one of us is that knowledge that we are special, we are best, we are the most valuable of the species. We don't always knowingly, rationally, conceive, articulate or even entertain those thoughts, but it's in there because the Bible says it is. Some of us have dealt with it in a more mature way. Others have dealt with it by the gifts of the Spirit, by building the character of Jesus in our lives through trials and through years of disciplining the natural man; but it's in there because we're all the children of Adam. The one who tried to usurp the throne of God put his spirit in us. It's called sin. It's called pride. It's called self. It expresses itself in different ways to different degrees, but that's who we are. What do we have to do to deal with that? How can we humble ourselves? How can we come to grips with the fact that we are not special?

Now, most of us in here would say, "We know it intellectually. We're in the process of crucifying self in the flesh. I'm making progress. I'm happy with where I am in the journey. God is doing good things in my life." As a fellowship, I'm blessed. If we were going to compare ourselves by a lot of other folks, we're doing pretty well. We really are as a group. You are some of the most loving, caring people that I have the privilege of being around. At the baby dedication this morning I was sharing with Keith. I said, "How blessed you are to have a family of people like this. They had nothing to gain, to go through all of the trials that you've been through, personally, family, personal, the different things, and to just lovingly continue to embrace you, accept you, accept your family, go through the trials, go through the maturation process, and nothing to get out of it. Just because we've been loved, we can love. Thank God for what we have here. Amen? I mean a genuine love and concern of people for your life. We are blessed! I think we're doing it about as well as it can be done anywhere that I've been able to observe, and you know what? We all stink. We are so ugly. I'm talking about the propensity, the tendency, the thing that has to be daily crucified. If we're not careful--we've grown to a certain place that we can get a wrong image of ourselves. We can begin to think we're doing pretty good, and we lose sight of the grace of God, the mercy of God, the purification of the Word of God, the iron that sharpens iron. We forget that we're a product of a whole and begin to think it's us, and we want to guard against that. We also want to realize that--you'll notice the last number of teachings we've been dealing with that spirit that's in the world. It's becoming so strong, the spirit of antichrist, the humanism, the deification of man, the focus on humanity instead of God and how that's overtaking the churches today. We've talked about the "seeker-friendly" churches. We've talked about the "purpose-driven" church and all of these things that are the real popular message today. We've tried to point out, be very careful because the focal point is man and not God. It's how man can be exalted and how man can become preeminent over circumstances, not over God. They haven't come to the place yet of preeminence over God, but preeminence over life. Well, who orders life? You see, these teachings say you can be preeminent over these circumstances. God is the author of the circumstances in your life. Resist these circumstances. Resist these trials. Emerge and be successful, and triumph in this. Many of these things that they are telling us we are to triumph over is God trying to humble us. Man has successfully built his tower of Babel and nothing is impossible to him. Just as God spoke in that day and said, "Man has come to this place and I'm going to have to come down and confound him." We're there, beloved. Everything that I've been trying to point out to you for months now is this: don't listen to the teachings that you're hearing on the radio and stuff. Don't listen to the doctrine in and of itself. It can sound fine. What is the purpose? What is the motive behind what is being taught? Is it the honor and glory of God, or the honor and glory of man? Because you can teach the same message, say the same words and have two different focuses and motives. It's a very dangerous day we're living in, the spirit of this age.

Because of that, in an environment where the individual is being exalted, we want to talk about how to protect ourselves and recognize genuine humility. When Satan is wanting to exalt you, we need to learn how to be humbled. Amen? If Satan wants to exalt me, I want to be humbled. Satan was the author of self exaltation in the garden. He used the same methods on Jesus in the temptation. Didn't he? "These kingdoms are mine to whomever I want to give them. If you just bow and worship me I'll give you all of these kingdoms and the power of it" (Matthew 4:8-9). Self-exaltation--throw yourself off the pinnacle. "Isn't it written that the angels will come and bear you up and you'll be seen as preeminent? You'll be seen as someone that God has preserved and protected." "Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God," was Jesus response (Matthew 4:7). "Man shall not live by bread alone," was Jesus' response. "Get behind me Satan, for it is written you shall worship the Lord God and Him only," was Jesus' response. So we want to talk about the need to see ourselves as less in a generation when everybody wants to see themselves as more.

How do we pull it off without a spiritual pride manifesting? How are we going to pull this thing off without a false humility, a pharisaical humility, an ascetic, monastic humility? How are we going to do this thing? By biblically being able to fit in a body as we've been placed and serving one another with the gifts and the placement of the Holy Spirit, and being content in that, not having to have something else, realizing that God has put you where He wants you. He's doing in your life what brings most glory to Him at this time, and you don't have to hang with another group of people. You don't have to be able to stand on the platform. You don't have to have a title. You don't have to have a role. God's working in you right now and humility is accepting His will and His placement and His momentary purification that's manifesting right now in your life, casting your care on Him because He--say it--cares for you. Knowing God cares, knowing that He's actively working and being able to rest in that, without any ambition. So let's deal with that. That's where we stopped this morning.

Ambition--here comes Mrs. Zebedee. "Can my sons be exalted? Can they sit one on your right hand and one on your left hand?" Do you feel any need for preeminence here in the body? Do you feel any need to be recognized? Do you feel any need to advance from helper to assistant of the nursery? What's in man? Isn't it cool--I've never worked there, but I think it's cool--I'm trying to think, I hope nobody--surely nobody here works for McDonalds. Isn't it cool how if you work for McDonalds and they want you to do more work and put in more hours they make you, what? Manager. They give you a title, no money, more work, more hours, manager, nighttime manager. After everybody goes home and it's just me and the roaches, I'm in charge. These corporations know human nature. They know how to deal with people. They know what it is that causes people to feel good about themselves. If I'm doing such a good job, let me put in fewer hours and give me more money. That will tell you how valuable I am. Yeah, and then when you make demands on that is when you get to hear that old song, "Got along without you before I met you." Is there any need of preeminence? Do you need to be manager or can you be happy being second-class burger tosser? Are you content with what God is doing in your life at this moment? Does He do all things well? Is God late? Is He wrong? What is it you really need that will finally make you happy? You see, discontentment is one of the greatest revelations of a lack of humility. Discontentment is one of the great revelations of pride in our lives. Patience is the fruit of humility, the ability to be consistent and just say, "God is working in my life. Where I am right now is exactly what I need at this moment." Are you going through any trials? Are you experiencing different pressures in life? Are things not going the way that you had it all planned out? The money is not here for the Africa trip yet. Somebody else bought that house out from under you that you had a contract on. Can we humble ourselves to the will of God and believe that all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose, or does there have to be a preeminence? When I talk about preeminence, it's manifested in two different ways. One is a position of preeminence to where men see me exalted. I'm in a position now that I have the praises of men, the recognition of men. I have authority. I have power. That's corporate preeminence, and then there's individual, personal, private preeminence. In other words, the exerting of my will in decision-making, in my planning processes, in my pursuit to be perceived as greatest.

Now, let me just insert one thing here that will help us. Natural success, preeminence, exaltation, abundance, authority, prominence, whatever adjectives you want to use--don't shy away from these things and think that that's humility. If God is the source of your blessing, your preeminence, your prosperity, then the way you respond to that is the expression of humility in your life. What do I mean by the way you respond? You just humbly go around and say, "Well, you know, God just blessed me," and it's just words, and you know you're better than everybody else. Or is there a true recognition in your heart as God is the source? "I don't deserve, I've been blessed, I've received the grace of God." Now here's the kicker. Listen, this is very important. I don't have to possess these things to, number one, establish any self worth or personal value, and two, I don't need any of these things to believe in the goodness of God. Pride believes that gain is godliness. "I have these things because I'm spiritual. I have these things because I'm blessed and I'm talented. I have these things because I deserved them. I have these things because, frankly, I'm just better than anybody else at what I do. I have these things because I'm God's favorite." Gain is godliness. The Scripture says, "Stay away from that kind of a doctrine. Godliness with contentment is great gain." Do you feel that the more you get, the easier life is, the more you obtain that you must be doing stuff right and pleasing God? "I'm going through some trials. Things aren't working out. It seems like everything I touch just goes up in smoke. God has deserted me." God may be testing you. He may be trying you. He may be purifying you. He may be humbling you, but He doesn't love you any less. You can never experience true humility when you're trying to earn God's acceptance. There needs to be a rest in that relationship, an assurance of who we are. Humility comes when you know who you are in Jesus Christ, accepted in the beloved.

And so James and John looking to come to a place of preeminence--there are a couple of different things. Let me show you the other aspect of this. Go over to Luke 14 for just a second and I think this will help us. When I talk about ambition and preeminence so often we put it into the realm of work and we think of the workaholic, the type A personality, these types of things, and I'm really talking about an attitude. Luke 18 is what we really need to take a look at, verse 9: "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." Let me ask you a question. Are you holier than everybody else? Do you know a little better than everybody else? Are you the one that hears from God beyond what anybody else can hear? Are you the one with special revelation? Are you the one that has new understandings? Are you the one that always hears the Word of the Lord to set course in a given situation? Are you pliable in your oversight of your family, in dealing with your wife and your children? Or are you always right? I want to tell you something. Nobody's always right. We're dealing with heart attitudes. We're dealing with perception. It's not just the natural type A success stuff. The quietest meekest appearing person among us can have the strongest stranglehold of pride on their lives in this community, because it's all how you see yourself. And you know what? There are a lot of people that absolutely refuse to wear certain types of clothing, dress a certain way, drive a certain vehicle, live in a certain neighborhood, because, "I'll tell you what, bless God, I'm just too humble for that. I'm not like those people that have to show off. I'm humble." Right! And you also have very little value on your personal opinions, don't you, in your great humility.

This is the spirit that Jesus is getting to here. Look at this. It says, "They trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others." We talk about disputable matters. We talk about each one of us having to fear God and work out our own righteousness with fear and trembling. Are you absolutely intolerable of other's application and personal consciences, those that don't think like you do? They don't do it like you do. Now you may not be hostile. You may not be a gossip. You may have never expressed it to anybody else, but what do you think? No, I mean, really, what do you think? How do you perceive where you are and where everybody else is? "And they despised others." "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, [I like that phrase, "prayed thus with himself." Nobody else was good enough to be around him.] God, [You know some people will say this. A lot of us would think it, but some people would even say it.] I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, [Can you imagine! This man is praying this out loud.] or even as this...[guy over here. Man, how would you like to be in a prayer meeting like that? You're in there trying to seek God and some guy is praying, "Lord, I thank you I'm not a crud ball like this guy over here."] (Luke 18:9). Jesus goes on and He's revealing this and he said, "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (verses 12-14). Do you know it all? You're wiser than your counselors? You know more than mom and dad? Do you know more than husband? Is there always an elevated opinion of your opinion? Now, I'm not talking about a false humility where, "No, I don't have anything to say. I don't have any input." How about just letting yours be on the level with everybody else's and letting God choose what's best? Put in your two cents worth. But do you have to defend it? Are you afraid to put it in because it might be rejected? Are you afraid to put it in because people might perceive you're being proud and trying to take over? Are you afraid to say something because you don't want to look stupid? You might have the answer, but you don't always have the answer. Are we going to inject our knowledge, our understanding because it's going to be helpful to somebody or because it will be seen as being helpful to somebody? "I'm the answer man." What are the real motives here? You see this Pharisee, this man that was justified in his own eyes, this man that thought highly of himself, boasted in his works, but what he was really boasting in, Jesus said--look at verse 9--trusted in himself, and that becomes the real issue of humility. True humility just doesn't trust self, but will absolutely cast the care upon God knowing that God cares for him. I trust God. I'm going to do it God's way. I'm going to do it for the glory of God. I can't out give God. I'm going to scatter to my increase. I'm going to give because I've so freely received. It doesn't matter what I'm going to get back. I don't give to get. I give because it's been given to me.

Many of us are so proud of our service, but we're serving in positions that we like. I'm so proud of my service in the nursery. I'm so proud of my service in the sound room. I'm so proud of--how about taking the sound room guy and putting him in the nursery? He may not be so ready to serve, too much sound in there. Do we take pride in doing what we like to do? "I'm just serving." No, you're doing what you like to do. How about when you have to do something you don't want to do, when you don't want to do it, when it's very inconvenient, when it takes away from what you really want to do? "I'll do it because I'm obligated. Dear God, I wouldn't want somebody to think I'm not a servant." What goes on really? See that's what we're talking about. I can identify with that. I do a lot of what I do out of obligation and not a servant's heart, and I don't like it, but I do that a lot. I'm just a lousy guy. I'm more interested in me. I want to do what I want to do. Over the years as I've habitually made the right decisions with the wrong attitudes, my attitudes have changed, because as I've chosen against self, self has lost it's preeminence and now the character and the motive has begun to follow the action, and by reason of use our senses are enhanced to discern good against evil. And you know what? I'm actually a more humble person than I used to be. On a scale of one to ten I'm probably one-half now. I'm really moving up, at least in my eyes. I don't know exactly what grade Father is going to put on me, but I know His judgments will be just, but in my eyes I'm about one-half because I know what's in here, and I hate it. But I'm just going to choose to do good and do what's right. I'm going to let God try me and purify me and reveal my heart and make decisions individually, momentarily to obey when the opportunity presents itself. See, I've already made up my mind; I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do, even if my motives are wrong. I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do and let God deal with my heart. Choosing to obey contrary to your natural desires.

So here's this Pharisee and he has this self-righteous attitude. Now, none of us would be so bold as to speak these things out publicly, but what is your opinion of your opinion? What is the value that you've placed on your revelations, your understanding, your application as it pertains to everybody else? How teachable are you? Or are you always the one that has to be the teacher? Can you be instructed by a little child; because even a little child can lead us. Are you amendable to the truth or just your understanding of the truth? We have to guard against this pharisaical attitude of preeminence, self-righteousness, trusting in our tithing, trusting in our prayer life, trusting in our morality, so proud that he has never committed adultery, but he was committing adultery the very moment he was saying he was never guilty of it. He was committing spiritual adultery because he was worshiping another god--himself. So we see that aspect of it. Preeminence, putting self on the throne, doesn't always have to be an observable position. It doesn't have to be in the natural arenas that men look for success and preeminence. It can be a stronghold internally in your heart of judging other's motives, of judging other's revelations, of judging other's consciences, and because they don't line up with yours there's a despising of them. "Well, I never said I despised them." You separated yourself and exalted yourself to a position beyond them. What else do you call it except despising? You've seen yourself better than them. What else do you call it except despising? "Well, I wouldn't be that harsh." You have to take that up with the Lord. How do you see yourself in these different areas?

Turn back to the fourteenth chapter of Luke and I think we'll end with this one for this evening. Verse 7, Jesus again in another one of His parables, it says, "...he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; [and if God ordains it they'll call you up and say], that when he that bade the cometh, he may say unto the, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. [And then He goes on to say:] When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; [Get the spirit of it. It doesn't mean that you have to go out and invite somebody you don't even know to dinner. That's not what He's saying here. He's talking about giving to get.] But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

The spirit here, then, is so much of what humanity does. We call it networking. "I'm networking." No. You're greasing the wheels. You scratch my back I'll scratch yours. I started to say, you scratch my back and I'll let you scratch it again. Isn't that how it should work? What am I going to get out of this? "We don't want to have them over. They might invite us to their place. I don't eat on paper plates and plastic forks. They're beneath me. If I go over to their place I'll probably eat Domino's [pizza]. I'm above them. They have nothing to give me. Let me bless them. I'll give them a coupon to Outback [steakhouse]. At least they'll get one good meal a year." We see ourselves as preeminent. We see ourselves needing nothing from them but, beloved, we need fellowship. We need all that the body can offer us. We don't fellowship or invite or include people because we can get something out of it. Maybe they need something genuinely. There may be nothing that you derive in this at all but those that you've put together--you may not even be the source, but the fact that you invited A and B and C that something in these lives and gifts in the interaction will cause edification of the body and needs will be met. There's nothing to be gained. The whole spirit here is recompense. What am I going to get out of this? It's a very interesting thing. You may get more than you bargained for. You may get a revelation of your own heart, your attitude of preeminence and superiority. You know, the Clampets may not even want to come to your house for dinner. How do you see your role in the body of Christ? Is it servant of all?

Father, we thank You tonight for Your Word and we ask that as we continue in this subject matter that You'd give us insight into our own hearts. Why are we doing what we're doing? Why aren't we doing what we should be doing? How can we best honor you? Surely it's by washing one another's feet.

As we're preparing to spend just a few moments at the Lord's table, something that's very interesting if you'll look at the chronology of this subject. Early on in the ministry Jesus taught them about this spirit of ambition and their debating about who would be the greatest among them, and He rebuked them sharply, as you saw this morning. If you'll look at the chronology, at the very moment when Jesus needed most people to tarry with Him, to stand with Him, right in that period of Gethsemane, of the humility of bowing Himself and washing their feet, they were still arguing who was the greatest among them. Where are we in the perception of ourselves and have we girded ourselves with that towel ready to do whatever God calls us to do to glorify God, to edify the community, to be used up for His glory? Father, give us that heart, we ask, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand together as the brethren come. We're going to take a few moments and spend some time at the Lord's table. The humility of the incarnation--as heads of our homes, husbands do you have the ability to wash your family's feet? Authority is never superiority. It's just responsibility to represent God. He made us who we are. He placed us where we are and it's for the purpose of edifying a body that will endure, that will finish the course; and to deny ourselves and all of our natural appetites to pursue first His glory, to be willing to do what He called us to do, where He placed us. It's different areas as I've said earlier. It can be obscure. It can be preeminent. Humility is knowing that God placed you and that you're responsible to honor Him where you are. It's not about you. It's about the preparing of His kingdom, a willingness. Humility is the decision to obey contrary to our natural desires, a dethroning of self that God might be all in all.

So, as the brothers serve us tonight and we take these emblems, let's just hold them together and rejoice in the fact that we've been chosen and given grace to die to self and to be less before men that we might be more before God. Make that real, we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. As the brethren serve, just go ahead and hold these. We'll take this time to reflect upon the goodness of Father. "Who am I and my house," David said. "Who am I and my house that we would be called into this awesome responsibility of representing such a holy God?" Is it being worked out of you? Are you being freed from that lie that your parents told you, that you were special? Or are you spreading it to another generation? Our righteousness, our worth, our gifts are as filthy rags. We have nothing of value but what we've received of the Lord. Adam's family, the preeminent ones, in all creation the preeminent, eyes opened, the ability to will, the ability to create, the ability to live separate from God. Of all God's creation, we're the only creatures that live separate, independent. And we pass it on from generation to generation. Some of us add religion to it, some of us add philosophy, some of us add humanistic morality, but very few bring the cross. Very few introduce to their children, to their offspring, "It stops here, the family dies here." We become amalgamated with the kingdom. We are absorbed into Jesus and His blood. Self identity, self preservation, self exaltation, it stops right here; servants of all. You don't hear a whole bunch of that. What a great privilege to embrace the cross and be freed from that Pharisee's trust in himself. Isn't it scary? If you're like me and you're looking at yourself and going, "I hate this every day." And then every once in a while I stop and think, "Where would I be without Jesus?" If this is scary, what would it have been without the blood, without the Word of God, without the indwelling Holy Spirit? Then you just start going, "Praise God! Thank you, Jesus!" You don't emphasize, then, the need; you rejoice in the victories that have been won. There are probably one or two of you here tonight that are still dealing with pride. If there are, at least this will encourage you. What would we be without Him tonight? What mess would we be in without Him tonight? If we're this big of a mess with Him, oh thank You, Jesus, for Your love and for Your blood and for Your grace. Hallelujah!

Let's just rejoice in Him tonight and thank Him for the free gift. Thank Him for the victories that have been won. Thank Him for the work that's continuing in us, the washing of the water of the Word, the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. If we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all of our sins. Oh, Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus, for Your goodness, Your mercy. Thank You for the grace to take up the cross. Thank you for the illumination of our heart that without Your grace and Your mercy we're unable to comprehend. We see its wickedness, its rebellion, its pride and then we see it subdued by Your finished work on the cross. And we see ourselves now as You've proclaimed us, sons of God, heirs and joint heirs of Christ Jesus. We see the victory that has been won as we say, "I've been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

So now as a life free from independence, selfishness, my boast is in your work, and we hold these emblems tonight and we rejoice that the victory has been won; the price has been paid. I not only have legally been freed from sin and judgment, but practically I am free to live dependent upon You, casting care upon You, trusting in You as a little child. You said, "Let us come as little children." That means it's a decision. I come to You tonight, Father, and I can't do it on my own and I have no delight in myself, but I'm proud of my Dad and I want to boast in my Dad, and I want to be like my Dad. Thank You for making the way through this blood and this broken body. Finish the work in me, in Jesus' name. Amen.

With thanksgiving let us partake of the bread and the cup and rejoice in that victory won in Jesus. Hallelujah! Just take a moment and thank Him tonight. Thank Him tonight for the grace to live tomorrow as a little child, totally dependent, no confidence in our own ability, no confidence in decisions, no confidence in direction, in vision, but knowing that our steps are going to be ordered by God tomorrow. He's going to lead us into the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. His Spirit has gone before us. His glory is our rear guard. All things are working for good to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. Are you able to cast that over on Him tonight? That's a spirit of humility, praise God! You're never safer than when you've been freed from self. Amen.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "I feel like a little child." Amen. Go in peace, God's love go with you.

Back to Top | Audio   |   Purchase Audio   |   Bible Teachings   |   Print