Luke 14:7-11

This morning, I invite you to turn with me once again to the book of Luke. Luke chapter 14 and verses 7 through 11. Luke chapter 14 versus 7 through 11. And he put forth a parable to those who were bidden when 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 honorable man than now be bidden of him, and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place. And now begin with shame to take. the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, friend, go up higher. Them now shall have worship in the presence of them that sit at meet with thee. For whosoever exalted himself shall be abased. that humble himself shall be exalted. May God blessed to us in his holy and sacred word this morning. In observing Christ’s behavior, you often find important lessons which can easily be overlooked. Here our Lord displays a profitable, medifying, edifying, edifying, confideifying, conversation. conversation at the dinner paper. Whatever Jesus did in life, he was concerned to glorify God, even in his eating and drinking. He always has something edifying to say. And when you’re dining with friends and family, does your conversation extend beyond the common mundane talk, even in the companion of strangers and his enemies, he said things that were good and beneficial with your souls. Let us learn from Christ to spiritualize common things, even like eating dinner. And this mindset does not come naturally, of course. We have to pray that God will help us to have the mind of Christ. so that we could do this as well. Now, you find people pridefully seek to exalt themselves, as verse 7 indicates to us. And he put forth a parable to those who were bidden when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms saying under them. Jesus here marked, and that means he took note of. how people strove to get the best place, the uppermost seats at the dinner. Now, the word chief rooms in this passage in the Greek does not literally mean rooms or chambers, but best seats or literally best residing places. In other words, in other words, at the table. And here they wanted to be close to the head of the table. In general, this was common behavior for those who were invited. There was a lying for position, so to speak. Notice how even the ordinary actions of life that we go through, Christ is observing. Even the matter of how we sit is taken into account. He observes what you do, not only in religious assemblies, but even how you sit at the dinner day. He knows why you choose to sit in the cheap seats. He knows it reveals the attitude of your heart, as he tells us here. The pride of men is behind these actions. Or we might say, elective. of humility is denied these actions. People seek to exalt themselves by this simple behavior. Jesus here does not keep this observation to himself. He observes, but then he speaks about it. He takes this occasion. Now Luke calls what he says here a parable. It’s a spiritual teaching as suggested by the common circumstances of life. True Christian humility is founded upon a deep sense of your own unworthlessness, unworthiness, if you would. Humility is seen in one’s willingness to give place to others and to consider others better than yourself. It leads you to walk humbly both before God and men. Not to strive to get a higher seat at the table based upon the fact that you are superior, others. Real humility originates in the heart-felt conviction of your lost and condemned and a depraved condition by nature. There is a complete renunciation of self-righteousness and an indebtedness for the free grace of God that’s found in Jesus Christ. When Abraham and his nephew Lott left Egypt, you recall they left very rich, they had a lot of sheep and had. So much so, we’re told that the land could not sustain them. If they stayed together, it was just too much. And strife broke out, of course, between the herdsman of Abraham and the herdsman of law. And Abraham was unhappy about this because they were fighting over the grazing land. And Abraham said, let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, between thy, my herdsman, and thy herdsman for we are brethren. So Abraham suggested that they separate. And he gave Lot, you recall, the first choice, you pick the land. If you go to the right, I’ll go to the left. And if you go to the left, I’ll go to the right. Well, Lott chose the best land for himself. All the plain of the Jordan, because it was well wired, we’re told. And so he, took the best land. Now in this, Abraham showed great humility. He didn’t say, you know, I should pick first because I’m older. I’m the elder. I’m the senior. Nor did he pick first because he was wiser than lot as evidenced by their lives. So he gave, if you would, the chief seat. the law. So you choose. And lot selfishly exalted himself by taking the best in the land. Only by pride comes contention and the seeking to exalt yourself over others. Amble spirit would prevent many disputes and lead, I think, to a much more peaceful life. Scripture says, Romans 1210, he kindly affectioned one toward another with brotherly love in honor preferring gone another. So you find people pridefully seek to exult themselves. Now, secondly, you find those who seek to exult themselves are often abased as we see in verses eight and nine. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not now in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. He that bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place. And thou begin with shame, take the lowest room. Jesus pictures here a large gathering, like a wedding feast, if you would. And those who seek to obtain the higher position because they believe they’re better than others. However, by striving to assume the best seats, they find themselves forced to give place to someone else who is more honorable. It would be humiliated. To have everybody watching as you had to move down to a lower seat, it ought to check your high opinion of yourself to think how many people really are that are actually more honorable than you. Many are more honorable in respect to social status and personal merits and accomplishments. So instead of being proud and seeking to get the best seat, give place to others, an honest assessment should make you realize there are many to whom you should give place. Now, the master of the feast will make the assessment of all the guests. Those more honorable will not be kept out of a better seat. That’s what we’re told here. Pride leads to shame. And in the end, for a fault. and you will be degraded and disgraced. It generally happens in society. Those who endeavor to push themselves forward improperly are thereby lowered in the public esteem. Scripture says in 1. Peter 55, be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace. In the kingdom of the Medes, in the Persians, Prince Heyman had an exalted position, you recall. King of Azuarez promoted Hayman, and certainly Amen had a very high opinion of himself. He was perturbed that Mordecai the Jew would not bow before his chariot when it passed by. And so he was so angered by it. He was so angered by it. he was going to kill off all the Jews in the entire world kingdom on the Medes and Persians for the behavior one mean. So he went to the king and used his influence to obtain a decree for the indiscriminate killing of the Jews. Haman also had gallows constructed, 75 feet high on which to hang Mordecai in discremen. grace so that the whole city could see it. And he planned on going the next day to the king and requesting the hanging of Mordecai. However, in God’s providence, we find that he thwarted him. Turned tables on him. For that night, the king went to sleep. Instead of calling for the musicians, and the maybe the court jester or something, he decided to have the chronicles of his kingdom read. Maybe he figured that the entire mouth. And so they read in there that Mordecai the Jew had overheard a plot against the king and because of that he saved the king’s life. And the king said, well, how was he rewarded for this? He finds how he wasn’t rewarded for it? And so the king is thinking about this, and about this time, Heyman shows up in the court because he went early to obtain permission to immediately hang Mordecai. And as he’s brought before the king, the king asked him this question, what shall be done under the man whom the king delighteth on? Now, it’s interesting that what we’re told in scripture that Mordecai thought this, who would the king delight to honor more than me? And so his thinking was, what would I like? What would give me the most honor? And so he said this, for the man whom the king delighted to honor, that the royal apparel be brought which the king uses to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon and the crown royal be set on his head. And let this apparel and horse be delivered at the hand of one of the king’s most notable princes and they would lead him through the streets and cry out this is what the king will do for those whom he delighteth on. Esther’s chapter six. Now, he’s thinking, I’m really going to be exalted by this. And you can imagine the shock and the dismay of Haman, when the king says, I want you to do that for Mordecai the Jew, and he’s going to have to be the one that leads the horse through the streets. You can imagine just how downfall and he was when he learned that he wasn’t the one to honored. There was somebody more honorable than him. And he never recovered from that blow. From that point on, the story goes in the opposite direction. Everything turned against Amen, and God brought about his humiliation and destruction. As the story told us. So you find those who seek to exult themselves are often abased. Thirdly, you find those who should show humility are often exalted. Let’s look at verses 10 and 11. When thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bay thee thee cometh, he may say unto thee friend, go up higher. Them thou shalt have worship in the presence of them that sits at meet with thee. For whomever exalted himself, shall be being based, and he that humble himself shall be exalted. Those who come to the feast and are content to take the lowest seats are more likely to be exalted, we’re told here. You take for granted that the host who invited you to come has invited those who are more honorable than you. But perhaps this may not be the case. and you will be told friend go up higher. And the rise higher is to begin low. This will gain you honor and respect in the eyes of others. You will be seen as humble and an honorable person. And you will be highly respected by doing so. Now the word worship that’s used here in these verses, the Greek word literally means glory or on. honor. The English word is not now used in that manner anymore. We use the word respect or honor. Jesus is not advocating that you get worshiped, literally, in this text. You actually have an honor reserved for you in doing this. Now the Lord here refers to the advice. Now, you will actually have an honor reserved for you in doing this in doing this. Now, the Lord here. Now the Lord here refers to the advice of Solomon. Let’s look at this passage in Proverbs 25, six, and seven. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king. Stand not in the place of great man. What is better, for better it is, for better it is, that it be said unto thee, come up hither than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince. whom thy eyes have seen. So you can see the message here that Jesus’ is teaching comes from the book of Proverbs for us and is certainly a very important message. So here’s a caution against ambition. Considering yourself better than others. Sadly, even sitting under Christ’s heavenly instruction did not keep the disciples from fighting over who was the greatest among, as you recall. Part of our fallen nature is the love to have a preemence. That needs to be mortified. You need to cast down this high tower of conceit and cultivate a deep sense of your utter worthlessness. Jesus provides a wonderful example of humility in scripture for us. Think of him veiling his glory in tabernacle and honor. The Bible says he made himself of no reputation. See him on the night before his crucifixion. washing the disciples feet. See him, you know, wandering through the world poor and scorned and despised by men. Suffering as a criminal in the eyes of men. Enduring the shameful death of the cross. And you are witnessing the humiliation of one who had created this world. Think about that. He who is a man. the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of his person becoming a servant. We’re redeemed his people. Christ’s condensation, condensation can never be equaled. And we see now, of course, he’s highly exalted at the Father’s right hand. So you find those who show humility are often exalted. Let me close this morning by talking about the value of humility. Humility is one of the best of the graces of the spirit. It’s always a distinguishing feature of all the great saints. We talk about Abraham, Moses, Job, David, Daniel, Paul. They all had this. And certainly that is something that we should show. try for as well. Notice that humility’s root is right knowledge. We have to have right knowledge of our own heart and ourselves. We also have to have right knowledge of God and His infinite majesty and holiness. Right knowledge of Christ and the price that was paid to redeem yourself. If you know these things, and you understand them are right. You can’t be a proud person. Look at Jacob. He said he was not worthy of the least of God’s mercies. Not worthy of. Look at Job. When he was confronted by the Lord, he said, I am vile. Look at Paul. He said, I am the chief of sinners. In lowliness, of mind, you will always esteem others better than yourself. I once had someone I was speaking to and he talked about people in the church. He said, I don’t know about all these other people, but I know I’m, you know, I’m converger and I’m doing this or that of the other. And the only thing I could think about was you’re exalding yourself. You’re pushing yourself forward. You’re better than all these other people. Well, he wasn’t. And time proved that to be the case. So let’s keep in mind this lesson on the importance of humility that we find in our text. So let’s close with the word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks for this privilege of pondering your words just for a few minutes. We pray, Lord, that you might strengthen us in the faith, that you may help us. us to have a humble heart and we may look for your blessing to rest upon us. Encourage us in the faith, we pray. Let us stand now for the benediction. Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.