Sermon for Pentecost 12: "Pride and Humility" (Luke 14:1-14)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis once wrote: “If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

Today, on this 12th Sunday after Pentecost, Jesus teaches us about humility.

So, how can anyone become humble? Well, if we try to become humble, then we aren’t really being humble at all.

[The Situation]

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is in a place that we may not expect. He is dining at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees — and on the Sabbath. Now, something we would expect to happen happens: conflict.

Now, we do not know all the details on why Jesus was dining with a Pharisee, but He was there. He was there not with just one Pharisee it appears, since Luke informs us that “they were watching him carefully” (Luke 14:1b). These Pharisees and lawyers were likely hoping to catch Jesus violating the Jewish Law.

We also do not know the exact details on why a man with dropsy — a swelling disorder — was also there. Could the Pharisees have invited this man in order to trap Jesus? Possibly, but we don’t know.

It was the Sabbath and according to Jewish Law, Jews were not to do any work on the Sabbath.

While at the meal, Jesus sees this man with dropsy and He asks those at the dinner table: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (Luke 14:3b). But there remained an uneasy silence among the Pharisees. In their silence, Jesus healed the man and said, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” (Luke 14:5).

Now, among the Pharisees, there was a disagreement as to the proper answer. Some Pharisees say that no work at all could be done on the Sabbath, including saving people or animals from certain death. Other Pharisees, however, thought that some assistance could be given to those in need on the Sabbath. But these Pharisees did not want to argue amongst each other. They only wanted to see what Jesus would do. Again, only silence from the Pharisees. This follow-up question asked by Jesus implies that actions speak louder than words. But Jesus only receives silence from His critics.

[Pride and the Places of Honor]

Now, prior to the dinner, Jesus noticed something else. He noticed how each man carefully chose where he sat. They each scrambled for places of honor. So, at a dinner like this, what would be the places of honor?

Now, instead of chairs like today, Jews then reclined on couches at the table that would hold three or more people. These choice places were those at the left end of each couch, since the guests in those places had the best view of the host and the other guests.

So, prior to the meal, these men were scrambling to get the best seat at the table. For me, that would have been quite a sight seeing grown men rush for the best seat.

So, Jesus took this opportunity to teach them — and us — about humility as He tells a parable about guests at a wedding feast. Jesus said: “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place” (Luke 14:8-9).

Here, Jesus purposely chose a wedding feast because so many guests would be present. At such a feast, the place of honor would be the left of the couch, which is nearest to the groom. So, if a guest chose the place of honor before so many other guests arrived, he would be seen as “self-important” or “pushy.”

And, if this person were asked to change seats, he would have to take the least desirable place — that is, one on the couch farthest away from the groom and also face deep humiliation in the eyes of the many guests.

Now, Jesus isn’t only talking about proper table manners. He is really teaching about pride and humility.

For decades, many of us have been taught that pride is a good thing. We say things like: “I take pride in my accomplishments,” “I take pride in my school.” But do we know what we are actually saying when we use the word pride? Pride is actually a synonym for conceit, distain, and ego. Do those words actually sound positive?

In reality, pride is the greatest sin. Pride is not fearing, loving, and trusting in God above all things. Pride is breaking the First Commandment. Pride is looking to human accomplishment instead of looking to God. And when we break the First Commandment, we end up breaking all of the other commandments as well.

Now, you may be thinking, “What can I say in the place of ‘pride’?” “How can I break this cycle?” Well, one way to start is to begin using words like: pleased, glad, happy, or delighted.

Now remember, instead of immediately taking the best seat as was the custom of the Pharisees, Jesus says, “Go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’” (Luke 14:10).

You see, the Pharisees’ habit of claiming places of honor at a feast was only a symptom of a serious spiritual sickness: the right relationship with God.

The point of the parable is this: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). Some people “will be humbled,” while others “will be exalted.” Now, what does this mean?

Well, first, who does the humbling? God, of course. Now, these Pharisees were puffed up with conceit over their imagined holiness. You see, they were very proud men. They believed they had the God-given right to judge others using their pride, but in fact, it is God who judges.

Jesus told them this parable in order to save them from their unholy pride. Likewise, Jesus is reminding us, as well, since we are just as likely to fall into sinful pride.

I have often heard a radio host say, “ I am humbled to be one of the top radio shows in America.” Each time I hear this — and I hear people say things like this all the time — I always think, this person does not know the meaning of humble. This person is confusing humility with pride.

As Americans, we don’t like the idea of being humble. We argue who is the best at this and the greatest at that. We live in the greatest country, after all. We are obsessed with pride. We say or hear people say, “I’m the best!” “I was born this way!” “How dare you say that about me?”

[Humility]

So, in a world that obsesses about pride, how can we truly be humble? How can we  be truly modest, meek, and low? Well, we can’t on our own. On our own, we only focus inward. As I said earlier, once we think about being humble, we are actually filling ourselves with sinful pride. Our sinful human nature always desires to look inward by only thinking about ourselves. So we must look outside ourselves.

Today, Jesus is teaching us to be humble. But how could we ever become humble?

We can only become humble by clinging to Jesus and His Word. You see, Christ “though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus humbled Himself for you and for me. Jesus is truly God and He lowered Himself to become man, so that in His lowly state, He would lift us up. In this lowly state, “The stone that the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone” (Luke 20:17).

On our own, we could never become humble, because we are drenched in our sin. We are naturally inclined to look inward. We think, “I can do it on my own.” But, we could never inherit salvation without faith and trust in Jesus.

In our sinful estate, which makes us spiritually poor, crippled, lame, and blind (Luke 14:13), Jesus invites us to His table. Jesus welcomes us. Jesus hears our confession of sins and we receive His forgiveness. Jesus strengthens us as we hear His Word and receive His Sacrament. 

We could never repay Jesus for all that He has done for us. To everyone, He gives daily bread — food, clothing, and shelter. He gives all our bodily needs. But through His atoning death and glorious resurrection, He gives all who cling to Him even more! He gives all who trust in Him forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation!

You see, Jesus regards you and me as more important than Himself. This is true humility. He suffered in order to sanctify us through His own blood. Through His death, He is now exalted. Through His resurrection, all who trust in Jesus are likewise exalted!

We can only become humble through Jesus. We can do nothing to inherit salvation on our own. All we can do is fear, love, and trust in God above all things. When we do this, we receive salvation and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 11: "Strive to Enter Through the Narrow Door" (Luke 13:22-30)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Like Jesus, who went on His way through towns and villages throughout His earthly ministry, we, too, are on a pilgrimage, a journey through this life. Our journey is a difficult and rough pilgrimage, which requires patience and endurance. Every person on this earth is on a pilgrimage, and this pilgrimage extends from here to eternity. But where is our destination? Where are we going?

Now, some look inward, as they dig deep into their innermost being, to discover the answer inside themselves. Some conclude that there is no destination. To them, only the journey matters, since there is nothing beyond this life. Others think that we are all being shaped by some Divine being — whatever it may be — and this Divine being will take us to heaven. While the last idea is nice to imagine — especially for those who say all religions lead to salvation, so why not “coexist”? Jesus, however, says just the opposite in Luke 13 on this the 11th Sunday after Pentecost.

You see, there are two paths and only two paths. Either one or the other — the wide way to eternal death or the narrow door to eternal life. To think of our earthly pilgrimage as a destination in itself is along the wide path to eternal death. To forget about eternal death in hell and to believe that all people go to heaven no matter what they believe is actually walking along the wide path to hell.

So, Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24). Right now, the narrow door stands open. But oddly enough, so many people will try to enter it through their own means, and on their own terms, but they will not be able to do so. These people who refuse to enter through the open narrow door think they have lived a good enough life; they think they have given enough to others; they think that they have enough faith. But the thing is, our good works mean nothing to God. Yes, our good works help our neighbor, but they are of no use to God, since as God, He doesn’t need our good works. We can never do or give enough to please God. And any belief, when it is not clinging to Jesus Christ, will never be enough.

The narrow door is standing open, but the time will come when this narrow door will be closed forever. On that Last Day, when Jesus returns descending from the clouds at the sound of the trumpet blast, the door will be closed.

This time of grace that we have now will end on the Last Day. Right now the narrow door is open but on that Last Day, the narrow door will be finally closed. The owner of the house will turn away from Him those who have nothing in common with Him. And the many who did not enter through the narrow door will stand there shocked, desperate, anguished, and enraged.

Jesus says: “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets” (Luke 13:26). This is like saying: “We came to church — it might not have been every week, it might not have been every month, it might have not been too often, but I at least thought about it. We gave to to the poor — we gave to the Red Cross through my phone app. Jesus, we know who you are.” Now, even if you do come to the Divine Service every week and hear Christ’s teachings, have you truly taken His teachings to heart?

You see, being a Christian is not just about going through the motions. As I said earlier, we are all on a pilgrimage. And this pilgrimage is not an easy one. This is why Jesus says again, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24a). In order to enter, we must “strive,” that is “struggle.” Now, when you hear the word “struggle,” what do you think about? Are you picturing yourself doing something? Struggle implies human responsibility. But that is not what Jesus is saying. Rather, “the struggle” is the Christian life of repentance, which is a work of the human heart.

“The struggle” is produced when the Word of God — the very teachings of Jesus — calls one to repent and trust in Him, but at the same time, the sinful human nature wars against God’s Word. This is the struggle known as the Christian life of repentance and faith. The Apostle Paul summarizes our Christian life as the ongoing, lifelong struggle that characterizes the lives of all who are baptized into Christ.

Like any lifelong struggle, we need sustenance. Yes, we come to faith through being enlightened by the Holy Spirit through the waters of Holy Baptism. But our faith life doesn’t end with baptism. Baptism is the entry point of faith. We don’t just get baptized and attempt to be Christians by ourselves. 

Like our need to eat, or to fill our car’s gas tanks, faith has a difficult time running on empty. So, we must remain steadfast “in the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

So, as followers of Christ, we each have a loving duty to warn fellow church members, our family, and our friends that habitual, chronic neglect of God’s Word and Sacrament delivered here in the Divine Service runs the risk of draining one’s faith to empty. And if the church member is physically unable to come, then that person ought to be added to the shut-in list, so that he or she would hear God’s Word and receive His Sacrament.

During Christ’s earthly ministry, the table was one of the prime locations for His instruction so they would know His true identity. To those disciples on the road to Emmaus, their eyes were opened to the crucified and resurrected Jesus only after Jesus opened to them the Scriptures and through the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:31).

So after Christ’s bodily ascension, the preaching, teaching, and table fellowship of Jesus continued in the worship life of the church. Jesus is still present now as He teaches through His Word and continues to serve guests at His Table. For those who now ignore this open door, it will be too late to enter when the final feast arrives at His return on the Last Day.

This is the struggle. Again, the entrance through the narrow door is gained only by those who repent and trust in Jesus for forgiveness. Our sinful nature, however, would rather find another way, since we want to enter through the narrow door on our own terms. For many people, they would rather enjoy living in their own sin than repent of them.

But for anyone who refuses to repent of their sin, Jesus, the owner of the house will say, “I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!” (Luke 13:27). This is Christ’s final reply. No more can anyone plead with Him at this point. The narrow door is closed. Every good work will be counted against this person and will be considered evil, filthy, and unrighteous. Everyone who refuses to repent will be barred from the heavenly feast.

So, let us not be one of those who hears Jesus, but refuses to cling to Him. Let us not follow the wide path to hell. Rather, let us strive to enter through the narrow door. Jesus is the Narrow Door. 

Jesus tell us that people will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, taking their places at the royal feast in heaven.

Jesus, the Narrow Door, is drawing all people to Himself. He has come into this church, teaching among us, preaching His saving Word, and absolving our sins. He does not wish to slam the door on anyone’s face, but He wants each one to enter into the feast that He has prepared. This is God’s call to us.

Yes, there is a lot of Law in today’s Gospel text, which is why Martin Luther once said of this warning, “It is enough to frighten the greatest saints.” 

Despite all the frightening talk about a narrow door becoming closed and people being shut out and weeping and gnashing their teeth, there is gospel present. Thank God, there is a door: Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank God, Jesus is the doorkeeper too — that very Jesus who is on His way to Jerusalem to suffer and die and be raised again for our salvation.  Thank God, our salvation depends upon His knowing us and not upon our feeble claims of knowing Him. Thank God, there is a table in the kingdom of God at which we, by grace, may be privileged to eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Thank God, people from all directions shall sit down in the kingdom of God. Thank God, some who are last can be first. Thank God, everything depends finally upon His doing, and not our doing.

Right now, the narrow door is wide open. God is gracious to us. Here, Jesus speaks His sacred Word of Absolution: “I forgive you all your sins.” As we receive the Lord’s Supper this day, we receive a foretaste of the eternal feast in heaven, the forgiveness of your sins, the very Body and very Blood of Christ under the bread and the wine. God uses these means — Word and Sacrament — known as the Means of Grace to keep us all on the path to the narrow door. God uses His Means of Grace to guarantee your salvation.

So, while we may not always know where we are going on our earthly journeys, Jesus knew where He was going. He knew His destination. He set His face toward Jerusalem, to the cross of Calvary. And as Jesus spread wide His arms as He was nailed to the cross, the narrow door to heaven was thrown open to all who repent and cling to Him as their Lord and Savior.

Here, Christ calls out to you through His Word and Sacraments. Repent and trust in Him. Receive His forgiveness. Enter the narrow door. Recline at His table. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen!

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 10: "The Race Before Us" (Hebrews 11:17-12:3)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

The beginning of any half-marathon or marathon is a party. As you begin running, you are swept along by thousands of runners as you witness crowds lining the streets cheering you on through positive reinforcement with chants and music. The runner begins to believe that he or she could run forever.

But as the miles pass by, the crowds begin thinning out. Soon, it is just you and your fellow runners. And the runners begin to become further apart along the course. Eventually, even the best runner hits a wall. It could be from lack of training, it could be from lack of nutrition, or it could be from lack of sleep. Physically and psychologically, you’re busted. You’re done.

Twice, some years ago, I ran the Indianapolis 500 Mini-marathon. I wasn’t the best runner, but as I made my way toward the finish line, I would see runners pull to the side. One of those times, when I was not in my best running shape, I had my doubts. But I was determined to finish the race. You see, I wanted the trophy at the finish line. Eventually, I just tuned out my mind and put one foot in front of the other. The miles eventually passed by and those crowds at the beginning of the race returned at the finish, even when you are not in the front of the pack. The party I witnessed at the start line returned to cheer on the runners at the finish line.

Today, on this Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, we are reminded that as Christians, “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” as we “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

[The Race of Faith]

Last Sunday, upon my installation as your pastor, I joined the race of faith that you have been on here at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. This race of faith is not an easy one. Oftentimes, it is grueling. We are cheered along by the faithful, but oftentimes the jeering of the unbelieving world makes even the most devout Christian wonder: “Should I continue? Maybe my life would be easier if I would follow the cultural trends?”

As we heard preached last week by Pastor Cumming, Hebrews 11 is known by many as the Faith Hall of Fame as it features the Heroes of the Faith. We hear of the great deeds of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the list goes on. They believed in God’s promise of a coming Savior and for that trust, they were counted among the righteous. This is inspiring to any Christian. This text offers hope, comfort, and encouragement to any Christian.

But oddly enough, as we heard in today’s epistle from the Book of Hebrews, people of faith bear witness to God more clearly through their suffering than their accomplishments. We see this in how the apostles refused to deny their faith in the crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus when they faced the imminent prospect of persecution and death. Through the Holy Spirit, the writer of Hebrews proclaims this of the Old Testament saints: “Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword” (Hebrews 11:35b-37a).

Others just lost their occupations and became destitute due to their faith.

In America, persecution of Christians was once thought of something that only happened “over there.” But, little by little, persecution of Christians is becoming a mainstream idea.

When Christians are faced with public hostility for our confession of faith, we are too often tempted to withdraw from the battle in the public domain, or even give in to what the culture demands. We are lulled by false hopes of social acceptance and economic prosperity if we only give in to the culture by denouncing the Christian faith. This is what the sinful world desires. The sinful world wants every Christian to denounce their faith in Christ.

And, overall, the wider Christian Church here on earth has not helped the situation as so many denominations have abandoned Christian doctrine in hopes of increasing the numbers in the pews.

So, whether we are persecuted or not, we are all engaged in a contest, which is the battle against Satan and the powers of darkness. This is part of our vocation as Christians, the good works that God enables in us by what we do and what we suffer.

For those Heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11, they all lived in fearless service to God in public life. By faith, they achieved much against impossible odds and powerful opponents. They were all confident in God’s protection and reliant on the power that God provides for them in their weakness.

We, too, are included with those saints of the Old Testament era and the New Testament era. We are included as the congregation that stretches back in time, encircles the world, and reaches out into the future and up into heaven. We are all a part of an eternal community, known as the communion of saints, which includes all the people of God in the Church Militant — those living today — and the Church Triumphant in heaven.

Like those who came before us, the Red Sea was no barrier to faith. The walls of Jericho were no barrier to faith. What appear to be hopeless odds are no barrier to faith. For all of them, faith soon became sight.

For those saints who experienced mistreatment and persecution, don’t feel sorry for them. They valued earthly comfort little compared to the eternal Christ. Earth’s safety was secondary when placed alongside eternal salvation. Through thick and thin, they would not deny their Lord! Faith endures in the face of suffering.

[The Great Cloud of Witnesses Look to Jesus]

All of these descriptions of faith were not about the faithful person. These descriptions were ultimately about faith in Jesus Christ. These Heroes of the Faith looked ahead to the Savior that God was promising. They didn’t know who the Savior would be. But they trusted in God and His word and they believed.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Again and again, God’s people will face sufferings and persecutions at all times and all places. But Jesus endured the ultimate suffering. 

Like that half-marathon or marathon race, we, too, have people of the faith surrounding us on all sides, like a huge crowd in a public place. This crowd is like “a great cloud” that envelops us. These witnesses are hidden from us now and are only seen by faith. But we still hear their voices as they testify about God in word and deed through the Scriptures. We hear the voices of the prophets and apostles in Scripture who support us and urge us on as they wait for us at the finish line.

So, we run with endurance the race that is set before us. But how do we run this race? How do we endure? Well, we endure by “looking to Jesus,” just as the great cloud of witnesses did. Jesus is just as present with us as He was and is present with those before us as “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 2:2).

Jesus is the One and only Champion. This list of Heroes of the Faith culminates with Him. Through His obedient life, suffering, and death, He opened up the way into God’s presence by taking our sins upon Himself. He is the “author” of the race. He is both the founder of faith and its content. He was the first to run the race to the end. By faith in Christ, we are perfected by His sacrificial death as He protects us and He brings us to the goal of the race by His offering for us and by providing for us with His very flesh and blood. So, by running the race of faith, we wholly depend on Jesus from its beginning to its very end.

Here in the Divine Service, the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus is before us. He is here for us to see with the eyes of faith.

By faith, we, too, look to Jesus. And, by faith, we see Him, we behold Him, here, in our midst, through the Means of Grace — Word and Sacrament. By faith, we see our joining to the Lord’s death and resurrection in the waters of Holy Baptism. By faith, we trust that the forgiveness of sins proclaimed is Christ’s forgiveness. By faith, we discern Christ’s Body and Blood under the bread and the wine. By faith, we recognize that the Word proclaimed is the only sure and certain Word that grants eternal life. By faith, we witness God’s consoling love in our hands and in those of others.

Jesus is in our midst in His Word and Sacrament. The race is set before us. We continue to run, but this race is already won! We have the victory and all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen!

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +