Total Commitment

How committed are we to Jesus? Are we willing to carry our cross? Have we counted the cost of discipleship? Are we willing to make the sacrifice? Let’s examine our cross, our cost and our sacrifice as disciples in Luke 14:25-33.

Our Cross

Luke 14:25-27 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

Hate is a strong word. Love for human family and even self ought to seem like hate compared with our love for God. No earthly love can be allowed to become an idol replacing God. Discipleship is open to those willing to bear their cross, focusing on self-sacrifice, not possessions.

Did Jesus contradict his command to love our neighbor as ourselves, even family? Is allegiance to him above that of family and self? In context, the word “hate” expresses our moral obligation to Jesus above all others, even self. Jesus redirects loyalties to what is eternal above what is temporal.

Our Cost

Luke 14:28-30 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

Observation towers in vineyards still exist. Ancient city walls also contained watch towers. If thinking of becoming a Christian, then counting the cost beforehand is important. What will we do if family or personal desires pressure us to be lukewarm or even quit? Will we be faithful to the end?

The tower analogy is building a disciple’s life. Jesus wants us to seriously consider the cost. Morally, discipleship includes willingness to give some things up, the opposite of materialistic false gospels. Symbolically, family resources and our own strength cannot finish the job. We must rely on heaven to help us.

Our Sacrifice

Luke 14:31-33 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

In man-to-man combat, those willing to die are more likely to succeed and live. Wartime leaders take counsel from a wide variety of advisors. Good disciples surround themselves with formal and informal mentors with experience and wisdom. Fidelity to Christ means being always ready to place everything else behind us.

Those early disciples did literally abandon family and businesses to follow Jesus. By analogy, we are at war against evil and must be committed to Jesus above material distractions. Morally, being overwhelmed with materialism blinds us to the spiritual battle for our souls. Prophetically, the kingdom belongs to the faithful.

Are we willing to be clay in the potter's hand? (Jeremiah 18:1-11) God knows us inside and out and wants to bless us more than we imagine. (Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18) Paul prodded Philemon to emancipate his slave. Are we called to emancipate the whole world? (Philemon 1:1-21)

Are we willing to carry our cross? Are we willing to pay the cost of discipleship? Are we willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus? Christianity is nothing without carrying our cross, counting the cost and total commitment.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Righteous Inclusion

Some people ought to be excluded, in prison, deported, disqualified from leading a church, and quarantined in sickness. However, other people are marginalized unjustly. Let’s learn how God despises unrighteous exclusion. Let's see what Jesus taught about righteous inclusion in Luke 14:1-14.

Problem: Excluding the Needy

Luke 14:1-6 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. 2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” 6 Again they could not answer.

During a Sabbath meal at a religious leader’s home, Jesus was watched closely. He healed a man with a swelling. Did they set a trap to see if he would heal on the Sabbath? Jesus pointed out the absurdity of rescuing animals on the Sabbath but not rescuing sick people.

The Sabbath was a day of rest. Yet, human traditions often made it a burden instead of a joy. Some traditions can become burdensome rules marginalizing people. Are church services a time of physical and spiritual healing? A weekly rest day pictures eternal rest for the poor and sick.

Who should be excluded or included in church? Should poverty or clothing or imperfections keep a person from being welcomed? Should we exclude certain conduct from leadership? If so, what? What about condoning certain lifestyles? Should the Christian community be fair in who it includes or excludes from community activities?

Cause: Self-Centeredness

Luke 14:7-11 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus observed the pushing and shoving for position at a Sabbath banquet. He shared a parable to teach humility. Proverbs 25:6-7 says something similar. Religious leaders had also arrogantly imposed their vain human traditions. Yet humility brings honor to a Christian leader (Proverbs 15:33; 16:18-19; 29:23).

Take the lesser seat. Arrogance is humbled; humility is exalted. Arrogance is living a lie. The last will be first and the first will be last. Humility is honestly facing reality; we are only dust, humus. Those who humble themselves in obedience to God will receive chief positions in eternity.

What can we do to overcome bigotry? How humble are we? Do we fight to take the chief seats and exclude others with silly rules? Is our participation in church and local community for self-aggrandizement or to help others? Do we monopolize the leadership and exclude others from an opportunity?

Solution: Include the Needy

Luke 14:12-14 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Jesus gave us all a list of people that we ought NOT to invite first: our friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. His A-list included the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. How many people who are on Jesus’ guest list of invitees do we even know personally?

Do we invite those on Jesus’ guest list? Are church leaders hospitable (1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:7-8)? When we invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, we invite Jesus. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor and earth to the humble (Matthew 5:3-10)?

Ancient Christian communities were known for hospitality (Hebrews 13:2). Hospitals were places of hospital-ity for the needy and strangers. It was an ethical and moral requirement of ancient Jewish and Christian communities. How inhospitable have we become? Our hospitals and hospitality are big business, whereby people making extravagant incomes?

Our society excludes the marginalized, causing poverty, crime, suicide, and drug addiction. Jesus taught the solution: social inclusion. It begins with you and me. When we include the marginalized in our circle of friends, we begin to understand them and the popular lies that have perpetuated their exclusion from society.

When people are justly imprisoned, deported, deemed not qualified to lead a church, or quarantined, those are proper forms of exclusion, when handled righteously. Jesus taught us that excluding the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, is often unrighteous. Let’s learn to include many of those marginalized by society.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Rethinking Community

Intro 

Our world has many marginalized people. The socially excluded lack access to housing, employment, healthcare, civic participation, and legal protection. Second class citizenship leads to poverty, crime, suicide, and drug addiction. The solution begins with something that Jesus taught, social inclusion.

Goal 

Let’s learn how exclusive attitudes create an unrighteous division that God despises, and let's see a principle from Jesus that begins to solve one of our society’s greatest problems, marginalization.

Sermon Plan

We will discuss Luke 14:1-14 and inclusiveness. (To get the most out of this video, pause it and take a few moments to read the passage in your own Bible. Then restart the video for a discussion of marginalization and how to solve it.)

Problem: Marginalized by Absurd Rules (Luke 14:1-6)

Luke 14:1 One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely. 2 There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?” 4 When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away. 5 Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?” 6 Again they could not answer.

Exegesis

Invited to a Sabbath meal at a religious leader’s home, Jesus was watched closely. A man with hydropsy (an oedema, a swelling) was healed. People knew Jesus’ compassion and perhaps set a trap to see if he would heal on the day of rest. Jesus pointed out the absurdity of rescuing animals on the Sabbath but not rescuing sick people.

Hermeneutic

Literally, the Old Testament Sabbath was a mandatory rest day. Morally, human traditions regarding the Sabbath often made it a burden instead of a joy. Allegorically, church traditions can also become burdensome rules that harm the marginalized. Are church services a time of physical and spiritual healing? Prophetically, a weekly rest day pictures eternal rest for the poor and sick.

Application

What exlusive rules does our society have that prevents the marginalized from starting a business or having access to health care and earning a reasonable income? What exclusive rules can we fight to change, so that the socially excluded can get some fairness and justice? Does the Christian community have a responsibility in fighting for fair national and community laws?

Cause: Taking God’s Seat (Luke 14:7-11)

Luke 14:7 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: 8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! 10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Exegesis

Jesus observed the pushing and shoving for position at a Sabbath banquet. He shared a parable about a wedding feast to teach humility. Proverbs 25:6-7 says something similar. Conceited religious teachers had also taken God’s place by imposing their Sabbath rules. Arrogance does not understand the basic wisdom that humility brings honor (Proverbs 15:33; 16:18-19; 29:23).

Hermeneutic

Literally, we should take the lesser seat. Morally, arrogance will be humbled, and humility will be exalted. Arrogance is living a lie. Allegorically, the last will be first and the first will be last. Humility is honestly facing reality that we are only dust, humus. Prophetically, those who humble themselves in obedience to God will receive chief positions in eternity.

Application

What can we do personally and socially to overcome the tendency to snobbishness and social standing? How humble are we? Do we fight to take the chief seats and exclude others by making silly rules? Is our participation in church and local community for self-aggrandizement or to help others? Do we monopolize the leadership and exclude others from an opportunity?

Solution: Being More Inclusive (Luke 14:12-14)

Luke 14:12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

Exegesis

Jesus gave us all a list of people that we ought NOT to invite: our friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. His A-list included the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Who was invited to our last party? How many on Jesus’ A-list were welcomed? How many people who are on Jesus’ A-list do we even know personally?

Hermeneutic

Literally, do we invite those on Jesus’ A-list? Morally, are church leaders setting the example of hospitality (1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:7-8)? Allegorically, when we invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, do we invite Jesus? Mystically, does the kingdom of heaven belong to the poor and earth belong to the humble (Matthew 5:3-10)?

Application: Rethinking Community

Ancient Christian communities were known for welcoming the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and strangers (Hebrews 13:2). Some of the first hospitals were places of hospital-ity for the needy. There was usually no charge for the hospitality although the able-bodied helped with household work. These ancient “hospitals” also housed traveling strangers. Hospitality as a profit-making business was almost completely unknown. It was seen as an ethical and moral requirement of local communities in ancient Jewish and Christian culture. Christian homes often had room for strangers and some even included special facilities for the sick. How inhospitable have we become, to where our hospitals and hospitality have become big business, charging large sums by people making extravagant incomes?

Outro/Take Home

Our problem is a society that excludes the marginalized leading directly to poverty, crime, suicide, and drug addiction. The cause of marginalization is social exclusion. Jesus taught the solution: social inclusion. It begins with you and me. When we include the marginalized in our circle of friends, we begin to understand them and how lies have perpetuated their exclusion.

Man-made church rules can be arrogant declarations of exclusion. Christians can also be guilty of the exclusive pushing and shoving that Jesus witnessed among Jewish leaders. Society’s A-list is a perversion, a false exclusivity. Those honored in this world are often on a very different list than those honored in heaven. God’s desire is that we acknowledge our true state, humbly obey Him, and include those that society excludes.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Giving it all up for Jesus

Intro 

Health-wealth preachers try to entice people through material lusts to believe in Jesus, falsely promising a life of health and wealth. Quite the contrary, Jesus asks us to live a life completely opposite to accumulating things, one of giving up attachment to material things.

Goal 

I want us to learn that the Christian life is one lived not only with faith in the cross, but of taking up our own cross of self-sacrifice.

Sermon Plan

We will discuss family, giving up things, and building something more permanent.

5 Ways to grow a large church

If size is more important than faithfulness to Jesus, then here are 5 ways to build a mega church. 1) Promise that obedience to Jesus will improve your worldly stature, 2) promise that people will not have to carry their own cross, because Jesus did, 3) tell them not to count the cost of building but just step out on faith, 4) tell them just to go to battle without counting the cost and rely on God for the victory, 5) tell them they do not have to give everything up to be a disciple of Jesus, but that Jesus wants them to have more not less. These rules will build a mega church with a large following. Of course there is only one thing wrong with them, they are the exact opposite of what Jesus taught (Luke 14:25-33).

Hate Family

Those words are appalling! They are all too real for many people. Many teenagers go through a stage where they hate family. In some cases it is the only course that they are able to take in order to grow up and become independent. In other cases it is the only way they can muster the strength to escape an abusive relationship. Jesus also uses similar words in Luke 14:25-33. In the exaggerated language of Hebrew teachers, he taught his disciples to hate family and even their own lives. Someone who claims to take the Bible literally finds difficulty in a passage which seemingly contradicts Jesus’ teachings on love. Some suggest that he meant love less by comparison. Hate is a strong emotion. It takes passion to succeed in life’s most important endeavors. Is discipleship impossible without passionate fervor?

Family Honor

What Jesus meant in Luke 14:25-33 when he said to hate family can be better understood when we consider the cultural context in which that hyperbolic statement was made. Some Bible commentators remove this from our modern sense of emotion associated with the word hate. Instead, it seems that family honor or tradition was often offended when a person became a Christian. This is certainly the case for some today, when either a family group or even a professional community is incensed when one member declares belief in the God of the Christian Bible. In this kind of scenario Jesus is not really professing a hate of individual family members per se, but the family dignity that has been idolized and stands between a believer and God. What did righteous kings of Israel do with idols? They smashed them.

What we Give Up

Some are proud to give up alcohol, card-playing or working on the Sabbath to follow Jesus, although he demanded none of those things of the Church. It is typical of human beings to invent something easy to give up rather than what Jesus actually taught. In the exaggerated language of Hebrew teachers Jesus’ demanded that we give up family and our very lives (Luke 14:25-33). In the cultural and linguistic context, disciples were not asked to hate family in the same sense that we use that word. It simply means that Jesus and what he actually taught must be the first priority in our lives. Being a true follower of Christ means that we are willing to give up anything else being a higher priority than Jesus. Jesus taught that we love others, but less than we love God.

Jesus vs. Health-Wealth Preachers

If Jesus were to confront materialistic health-wealth preachers today what do you think he would say? Perhaps he has already said it. First of all, what is health-wealth preaching? it is a false teaching often found among televangelists. It goes something like this: if you send the preacher a gift, it will be like a seed planted in God’s garden which will return to you as healing and wealth. Strangely, Jesus never asked for money to heal people and in Luke 14:25-33 he spoke to potential disciples about what they must give up to become his disciples. Does this mean that God will never bless us with money or health? Of course not, but it is not always promised. Often the best thing for us is not to be healed or become wealthy. God wants what’s best for us.

How not to grow a Church

I used to own dozens of evangelism and church growth books. I eventually gave them all away as being inadequate in their approach. While they contained good ideas, none of them approached church growth from Jesus’ point of view. Some things that Jesus taught would be unpopular among the church growth gurus. Imagine telling a crowd that they have to give everything up to become disciples, even their own lives (Luke 14:25-33). You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, yet Jesus at times seemed to use more vinegar than honey. Why? A famous church planter once admitted that he knew how to build a church that was a mile wide but only an inch deep. Church growth methods often forget that Jesus said that HE would build his church, and his church is being built on his teachings.

Provocative Jesus

People outside the church often think of Christians as either namby-pambies or idiots with half a brain. How many would think of believers as self-sacrificing people who make a difference. That’s the example and challenge set before us by Jesus. Jesus is provocative. He dares us to think differently about everyday life. In Luke 14:25-33 he challenged would-be followers to be willing to renounce family, personal life and possessions. Succeeding in politics, climbing the corporate ladder or living a military life make similar demands but nobody thinks anything of that. When a religious leader makes such a challenge, why does it seem strange? Provocation is often used to refocus people onto what is important. Rather than attending church for the music, preaching, healing or social life, do Christians today also need to refocus on the important need for self-sacrifice?

Willingly to the Cross

Jesus didn’t stay at home in Galilee and wait for the cross to come to him. He willingly marched towards Jerusalem and certain death. He didn’t run away or find an excuse to avoid the cross. He didn’t defend himself or try to escape. He had counted the cost and was willing to pay the price. Along the way he challenged would be followers to count the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:25-33). Are we willing to be laughed at by family or friends? Are we willing to be ignored or treated badly by others? In some countries today, Christians are murdered or ostracized by family members for their faith. Would we be willing? Are we willing to be excluded from certain social or professional circles because of our faith? Do we willingly grab hold of and carry our cross?

Building Something Permanent

TV advertising often encourages us to do something useless. It may be to blindly follow a mindless fashion, put the latest overpriced thing in our mouths or waste hard-earned money on other fruitless pursuits. As we mature, we prioritize differently and many people leave such shallow and empty ideas behind, looking to invest in something more profitable and permanent. Few of us, even in the Christian community, seem to really focus on the most permanent things of all to build. In Luke 14:25-33 Jesus spoke of the planning and forethought it takes to build a tower. When building something more permanent in life it also takes a certain measure of sacrifice. A life that is only about partying and selfish pursuits is a waste. A meaningful life which builds something eternal begins by sitting down and estimating the cost.

Sustainable Giving

Jesus’ challenge to give up everything we have (Luke 14:25-33) must not be taken in isolation from the entire Bible. Jerusalem went too far. They shared everything in common but failed to relieve long term poverty. They are an example of taking Jesus' hyperbolic teaching style more literally than he intended. Jerusalem’s story is of failure to alleviate poverty. When the generous sell everything only the selfish have resources left. Jerusalem church was unprepared for famine and later needed outside help. The grand experiment in sharing all things was a failure. Perhaps they misunderstood Jesus’ words. Perhaps Jesus did not mean to sell everything and so become poor ourselves. Perhaps a middle road, of giving up the use of personal possessions for selfish purposes, and investing resources in some way for sustainable giving makes much better long term sense.

Being Mocked

Christians are quite familiar with being mocked. People criticize our faith or try to deconstruct it in order to justify their own lack of belief in God. We are accused of being stupid fools and illogical thinkers if we don’t blindly follow the modern scientific religion of a Godless Genesis. In a small way, our being mocked is a taste of the cross. Jesus was ridiculed over and over again as he endured heartless beatings and brutal crucifixion. On his journey to the cross, he mentioned another kind of ridicule which he was not willing to bear. In Luke 14:25-33 he discussed the mockery of someone who began to build a tower but did not finish it. As we build something permanent in a life of faith let’s count the cost lest we receive the ridicule of not finishing.

Battle Attitude

It is well-known in military circles that morale is a very important in battle. When combat is man-to-man, often those willing to die are the ones who succeed and live. Perhaps that is what Jesus referred to when he spoke of preparing for battle in Luke 14:25-33. Christians face a battle with the odds, at least humanly speaking, stacked against them. Far superior forces both in and out of the Church, are prepared to fight against the message of Jesus. Do we have the stamina for battle or should we settle for peace? Like Martin Luther, reformers of any age, face ostracism and living under dire threats. Pastors who put Christ ahead of tradition sometimes lose their jobs. Christians who put their faith ahead of their careers sometimes lose promotions. Before battle it is wise to consider the cost.

The cost of ignoring Jesus

What does it mean to ignore the message of the cross? Do we put family values ahead of Godly values? Do we put building a worldly edifice ahead of following God? Do we try fight against God or evil? In Luke 14:25-33 Jesus discussed the cost of being a non-follower of his. When Jesus literally carried his own cross, he was shouldering the instrument of his own death. Now that’s commitment! Most of us who are Christians are glad to bear his name and receive his blessings, but are we able to pay the price of discipleship? No, we are not, but somebody did. Commitment to Christ will also involve struggles, opposition and sometimes even death. But, what is the cost of ignoring Jesus’ Gospel. Can we afford the cost of not taking up our cross in total commitment?

Preaching smooth things

The smooth prosperity Gospel is popular among some Pentecostal preachers and televangelists. In Isaiah 30:10 the people asked their prophets to preach pleasant deceptions. A motivational speech is not real preaching, but it is more popular than the Gospel. Exciting music and dramatic speaking may shake our planet but cannot heal like the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How can we tell a preacher of the Gospel from a motivational speaker? Nehemiah describes the re-establishment of true religion in Israel and it began with real preaching (Nehemiah 8:8). The Bible was read and expounded. Paul encouraged Timothy to preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). A real preacher uses the Bible. The Gospel is not always pleasant-sounding. It demands that we put God first and that we count the cost. It demands self-sacrifice and total commitment (Luke 14:25-33).

Costs of salvation & discipleship

The cost of salvation has already been paid. Jesus paid that on the cross. There is nothing that we can do to pay that price. No amount of good living, no amount of money, no amount of sacrifice can replace the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus our Savior (Titus 2:11-14). However, there is a cost that we must be willing to pay, the cost of discipleship. As disciples we have so much to offer the world in our way of life. Luke 14:25-33 is a difficult and demanding passage. Jesus expects us to sacrifice. That means undivided loyalty, commitment of time and money. People sacrifice for a piece of gold at the Olympics, or a Super Bowl ring or a career. Ought we to be more willing to sacrifice for the only thing in our lives that is permanent?

Outro/Take Home

We ought to love our families, but put God first. We ought to give up a materialistic attachment to things, and build something more permanent. Let’s learn total commitment to Jesus and his reign.

Rethinking the guest list

Intro 

Products are often sold as exclusive. What does that word mean in reality?

Goal 

I want us to learn that the word exclusive often carries with it an unrighteousness that God despises.

Sermon Plan

We will discuss exclusiveness and inclusiveness.

1. Exclusiveness

Breaking Exclusive Rules

Have you ever been in one of those churches where you were told touch not, taste not, and don’t do this or that on the Sabbath? That’s one thing I love about Jesus. He breaks the rules — the ones made up by mere mortals. One silly old religious rule that people invented excluded relief from suffering on the day of rest. Where’s that in the Bible? It isn’t, and Jesus pointed that out in Luke 14:1-14. Why do we make up burdensome rules? Do they not make us rely upon people instead of God? Do not our traditions too often stand in the way of the teachings of Jesus? Should we perhaps follow Jesus and break some rules? Will we then find true salvation from all the oppressive chains that bind us? Will we then discover faith, hope and love?

A Real Place of Honor

In Luke 14:1-14 we see how Jesus observed the pushing and shoving for position at a Sabbath banquet. His commentary is as relevant today as then. We live in a world where greedy people taking advantage of others are given higher places of honor than who give in self-sacrifice and humility. So, what is the real place of honor today? We may imagine the CEO of a large corporation who has a quarter billion dollar bonus and salary package with houses as big as hotels, access to a private jet, chauffeured limos and audiences with national leaders as having a real place of honor. Such honor is temporary and artificial. Yet a humble person who is hospitable to the poor, crippled, lame and blind has a real place of honor where it counts, at the resurrection of the righteous.

Exaggerated self-importance

When we have an exaggerated view of ourselves, we will often try to exalt ourselves in front of other people. We may do it by grabbing the best seats at a gathering of friends (Luke 14:1-14) or by simply bragging. Self-praise stinks. Another symptom of an ego-driven life is the temptation to put others down. We see both self-praise and devaluing of others throughout life and despise it. We may ignore those who we consider to be not as pretty, or not as smart, or not as wealthy. Such an attitude is living a fiction. The reality is that every human being is equally as important and Christ expects us to live in such a manner as to acknowledge that as a fact. That means that we don’t exalt ourselves and we treat those who others disdain with respect.

Ego Trips

Ego trips have always been and will probably always be a part of human history. National arrogance, election boasting and self-promotion are both old fashioned and new. Jesus addressed that very issue in Luke 14:1-14. Such pushing and shoving over power and prestige also occurs within the church, where it contradicts the most basic tenets of our faith. Jesus taught a parable about guests and hosts of wedding feasts and parties. The object lesson was that a guest ought to take the lowest place and a host ought to include the lowest people as guests. Jesus’ simple advice is seldom heeded. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. True long-term success in life is not gained by arrogant self-importance, but by humble and realistic self-assessment as no better than anyone else.

Humble pretense vs. humble reality

Some commentators of Jesus’ parable regarding guests and hosts seem to imply that he is encouraging us to act humble for personal gain. The parable is found in the passage Luke 14:1-14. The idea behind false humility is deceiving others so that they will think well of us. Did Jesus teach us to manipulate and mislead others by pretending? True humility is sincere, not deceptive. It literally means that we honestly face the reality that we are only a breath away from returning to dust, humus. Yet, we naturally run from humility. Wealth and possessions and entertainment deceive us into believing that we have a pseudo-immortality, that we can save ourselves or that we are somehow “self-made.” Nothing could be further from the truth. True humility is not faked. It is simply an honest self-estimation without flattery or deception.

2. Inclusiveness

The guest list

If we could choose any three guests in the entirety of human history for Sunday lunch, who would we invite? Many of us would include Jesus on that list, but do we? Jesus said that what we have done for the hungry, thirsty, foreigner, naked, sick and prisoners we have done for him (Matthew 25:31-46). If we think about it we may not want to invite Jesus, because he had a way of making a scene when invited to dinner. In Luke 14:1-14 he was a guest at a party and remarked as to how people behaved, jockeying for social advantage and playing political games. Then he gave us all a list of people that we ought to always include. He said that we ought to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.

Rethinking Community

Ancient societies, especially Christian communities were hospitable to the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind (Luke 14:1-14) and to strangers (Hebrews 13:2). Yet, there is an unanswered question of security. How did such peoples protect themselves from crime and prevent strangers from taking advantage of them? This too was addressed by ancient Christian communities in several ways. First of all, ancient societies did not have such a privacy mentality as we do today; rather the community was there for mutual protection. Homes were designed to be only semi-private, with open access for mutual policing and security. Also, ancient Christian communities readily welcomed strangers, but if their stay was to be longer than a day or two they were expected to contribute to the work of the household. Perhaps we can learn from their greater sense of community.

Hospital-ity

Some of the first hospitals were created by the early Christian community as places of hospital-ity for the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind (Luke 14:1-14). There was usually no charge for the hospitality although those who could, often helped with some of the work. These ancient hospitals also had another purpose, they also housed traveling strangers. Hospitality as a business was almost completely unknown. Instead, hospitality was seen as an ethical and moral requirement of local communities in several ancient cultures. Christian communities taught people to have a room for strangers in their homes and some even built special facilities specifically for the hospitality of not only the sick, but also traveling strangers. How far we have fallen to where hospitals and hospitality have become big business, charging large sums and making extravagant incomes for some.

The Christian Ghetto

Whether it be Chinatown, Harlem or a Gypsy camp, we are all somewhat acquainted with ghettos. They can be places to fear, where those of a different race or culture seem unwelcome. Christian churches can seem like that to those on the outside. Even friendly churches that are tolerant of a diversity of opinions can seem suspiciously inhospitable to outsiders. How do we overcome this “Christian ghetto” syndrome? Jesus offered some very helpful advice in a world where rich, poor and outcasts would eventually meet together in local house churches. In Luke 14:1-14 he mentioned the kind of hospitality he expected of believers. Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. In ancient society these were often considered to be misfits. Do our churches have a broadly welcoming atmosphere of open hospitality without regard to socioeconomic status?

Outro/Take Home

Society’s A-list is a perversion of the truth. It is a false exclusivity. Those who are honored in this world are often on a very different list than those who will be honored in heaven. God’s desire is that we include many that society excludes.