Parables of Jesus - 06 Spiritual Pride — Zac Poonen

Jesus’ Parable of Humility at the Wedding Feast

So today we are going to study the subject of spiritual pride in the parables that Jesus spoke on that subject and we're going to turn first of all to Luke's Gospel chapter 14. This is parable number 25 in our study and verses 7 to 11.

He was speaking a parable here to the invited guests when he noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table and said to them when you are invited by someone to a wedding feast don't take the place of honor lest someone more distinguished than you may be invited by him.

And he who invited you shall come and say give place to this man. And in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you're invited go and recline at the last place so that when the one who's invited you comes he may say to you friend move up higher.

Then you will give get have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. And for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. That is a truth that last verse that comes many times in scripture.

And the greatest example was Jesus himself. Jesus never preached anything that he did not exemplify in his own life. We must never preach anything which we don't exemplify in our own life. The only man who can preach on humility is a man who is seeking with all his heart to follow Jesus in the way of humility that Jesus has demonstrated for us.

The Bible says let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus though he was God humbled himself became a man and became a slave and became obedient to the death of the cross. You know in the Old Testament there's not much emphasis on humility because the Old Testament was dealing with the external life not with the motives and the inner light.

Inner Sin and the Priority of Humility

Jesus came and placed the emphasis on the inside of the cup. He said don't just clean the outside clean the inside. And so Jesus placed a lot more emphasis on inward sins than outward sins. So if you cleanse yourself from outward sins in your life you're actually an Old Testament Christian.

That's a funny statement. But that's what it is. If you want to be a new covenant Christian listen. You must be more concerned about inner sins than outer sins. You must be more concerned about the inside of the cup than the outside of the cup.

And by that little test all of us know whether we are still living under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant. Supposing I were to ask you to make a list of sins in order of seriousness. What would you put as one two three four five.

I mean there are many many sins which would be top in your list. If you had gone to some Old Testament person and asked him to make a list he'd have put things like adultery murder adultery theft. And if you go to a worldly person he'll also put murder adultery and things like that on top.

Would you also put those sins on top. Are those the most serious sins. Well the only way to find out is by asking ourselves which are the sins that Jesus spoke against the most. I mean if you read through the Gospels five or six times you'll get an idea about the sins that Jesus spoke against the most.

Whom did he condemn by his words the most. How many times do you find Jesus speaking about murder and adultery. A few times I'm talking about external murder and adultery. How many times do you find Jesus condemning murderers and adulteresses and thieves.

Can't even find one example. Not that these were not sins they were but they were a little lower down in his list. Right at the top of his list were sins like hypocrisy which the world doesn't even consider a sin.

Pride which also the world doesn't consider to be a sin. Selfishness. The world doesn't consider that to be a sin. Inner wrong attitudes lack of consideration for the needs of others. And the world doesn't consider these things as sins.

And yet Jesus spoke about these things much more spiritual pride was one of the major things he spoke against. And there were a number of parables that he spoke in this connection. And the reason was because the first sin that was ever committed in this universe long before Adam was created was when an angel whom we know as Lucifer that's only a name which means shining one became proud.

The Bible says his heart was lifted up in Ezekiel 28 because of his beauty. So when we realize that you go way back to the beginning of creation and you discover that sin originated in pride. So that's the root.

From that root came so many other sins. So because sin originated in pride salvation had to originate in humility. That's why Jesus humbled himself. An angel wanted to go up. Jesus came down. So this is so important for us to understand that if you and I have any amount of pride in us concerning anything concerning our looks or our knowledge or any type of pride we are got a little bit of that poison of the devil.

And the more we have of humility in us the more we have of Jesus Christ. So here we find Jesus was telling people to always seek the lowly place. That is the point of this parable like Jesus himself. You know in the world when a Christian worker starts his Christian service maybe when he's 19 or 20 years old.

Okay he has he takes a lowly place. You know he's a servant and does all types of lowly jobs. But you see in a Christian organization as time goes on and the man becomes more and more senior and senior and senior he gets a title and a position and a salary and everything else just like a worldly person.

You know you join a company as a ordinary worker and one day you may rise up to become the vice president. There's not much difference between that and a lot of Christian organizations and churches. But what was Jesus on the last day of his earthly life.

I mean you can't get a greater leader than Jesus Christ. What was he. Was he a director or a chairman or superintendent. Or he was just a son of man. He said I'm an ordinary man. What was he doing on the last day.

He was washing the feet of his disciples. My dear brothers and sisters take the lowly place all your life all your life. Never mind the way other Christians go. Don't make them your example. If you make them your example I guarantee you'll go astray.

Make Jesus your example. Take these parables he spoke of. Is it take the last seat. Humble yourself. Let God exalt you if he wants to. But you go for the last place always because it says here in verse 11 this is a law of God.

He who humbles himself will be exalted. He who exalts himself will be humbled. And this is the way that Jesus chose throughout his life. You know you and I did not decide where we are going to be born.

You know that you were just born maybe in a hospital maybe in a house maybe in a room. There was only one person who came to this earth who planned before he came to this earth where I'm going to be born.

And that was Jesus Christ. And he had all eternity to plan. It wasn't just a few days he planned from years and years and years and years to be born in a cowshed with cows and donkeys. Why we say there was no room in the hotel.

There is that the reason you mean an almighty God who runs this universe all the stars and planets could not find one room for his son. When he came to the earth he couldn't plan even that much. No that was deliberate.

I believe God made that donkey on which Mary was going slow down a little so that by the time she reached Bethlehem there would be no rooms. Because God wanted his son to be born in a stable right from day one Jesus practiced what he was going to preach.

It would take the last place. I have never in my life met a human being who was born in a cowshed. Even the poorest of people are born in a place better than a cowshed. Jesus came underneath everybody because only such a person can lift up everybody.

If you try to be over everybody you can't lift them up. You can just preach to them. So take the lowest place. And that is the way God wants us to go. And I want to say one more thing before I move on.

Christ’s Exaltation Through Humiliation

The Bible says that Jesus is today at the right hand of the father. He's been given a name which is above every name. Now my question is why did he get that place. Now if you ask me why did he have that place in eternity past that's because he was the second person of the triune God equal with the father.

But after he became a man 2 ,000 years ago now why is he at the right hand of the father. The answer to that is given in Philippians 2 verses 5 to 8 where it says because he humbled himself. Therefore God is exalted him to the highest place.

So there's a reason why he has been given the highest place and that is he humbled himself. Never forget that. Not because he was a son of God but because he humbled himself he got the highest place. So when we understand that principle he who humbles himself will be exalted.

It applied even to Jesus. So then we get the answer to that question which James and John asked. You know. And James and John's mother as well. We want to sit on your right hand and your left hand in glory.

And Jesus said I'm sorry I can't give you those places because those places are reserved. So who is going to sit on Jesus right hand and left hand in glory shall I tell you it's going to be those who humbled themselves the most in their earthly life next to Jesus.

I mean nobody humbled themselves as much as Jesus. He was maximum. He was born in a cow shed. He died on a cross and he always served and he was always taking the low place. He never had a title never had anything that exalted him above other people washed people's feet.

He was the absolute lowest. He obeyed God 100 humbled himself every single moment of those 33 and a half years. So he deserves the highest place next to him. Second and third. Whoever God saw in all these years who humbled themselves the most in their earthly life.

Consistently those are the people who are going to sit on the left hand and right hand of Jesus. It may not be some great preacher. It may be some unknown widow from some unheard-of country who humbled herself.

You know there's equal opportunity for all of us. All of us may not have the gift to be great preachers. But all of us have an opportunity to be great in the eyes of the Lord if we humble ourselves. Okay let's go to the next parable number 26.

The Vineyard Laborers and Serving Without a Contract

And that is in Matthew's Gospel chapter 20. Matthew's Gospel in chapter 20 we read about the laborers in a in the vineyard. Here it speaks. You know the story about a man who went out at 6 o 'clock in the morning.

Verses 1 to 16 see. This also concludes with a statement at the end in verse 16. The last shall be first and the first last. You remember the statement Jesus made at the end of the last parable. He who humbles himself will be exalted.

He who exalts himself will be humbled. Here something similar. The last will be first and the first will be last. And so here's this owner who went at 6 o 'clock in the morning to collect workers for his field to work in his vineyard.

And those days they used to work for 12 hours not 8 hours like today. So they start work at 6 o 'clock in the morning and finish at 6 o 'clock in the evening. So he now the thing I want you to notice here in verse 2 is he made a contract with those workers.

That's a very important thing I want you to notice. I mean today we would say it's like a written contract where both parties signed. He made a contract with those people. You work 12 hours and I'll give you one denarius.

One denarius was the wage for one day. I mean if a laborer today gets 60 rupees a day. Well that's it. I'll give you 60 rupees one day's wage for ordinary labor. And they went and worked at 9 o 'clock.

Verse 3. He went out and saw some more people and he told them he also made a contract with them. The contract is whatever is right I will give you. In other words I'm not asking you to work without any pay.

I'm gonna pay. You come and work. They came to work then at 12 o 'clock. Verse 5 and 3 o 'clock in the afternoon he again went and did the same thing. Did the same thing means he made a contract again.

Contract. How many hours will you work till 6 o 'clock in the evening. Okay. I'll give you so much fine. Then at 5 o 'clock in the evening when there's only one hour left for work it says in verse 6. He went and looked at some other people.

Oh he said why have you been standing here idle so long. 11 hours. You haven't done any work. Yeah he said. Well nobody hired us. And now notice a difference. Notice a very big difference. Go where 7 and work in my vineyard.

No contract. That was the difference between this group and all the other groups before the 6 o 'clock 9 o 'clock 12 o 'clock 3 o 'clock all had contracts. This group had no contract. He didn't tell them that he'd give them anything.

So why did they go. They may have said at least we get some exercise for one hour. Even if we don't get any pay it doesn't matter. If we don't get paid we'll just go and do some work. There are two types of workers in God's vineyard.

Those who work on the basis of a contract. And those who work without a contract. Those who work because they get a salary. That's the first groups. And those who say well Lord I love you. When Jesus called his disciples did he make a contract with them.

Old Covenant Bargaining and New Covenant Service

In the Old Testament. Yes. When he called the Levites he promised the Levites. God the law promised the Levites. You Levites are going to get 10 from all the tribes of Israel. They will take care of you.

So all the other tribes gave 10 to the Levites. That was a contract. But when Jesus called his 12 disciples there was no country. You love me God and servant. No contract. Jesus was distinguishing here between Old Covenant and New Covenant.

Those who serve the Lord on the basis of a contract. That means Lord if you do this I'll do this for you. You know there are people who you read testimonies in magazines where or somebody gives a testimony in a meeting I gave my tithe to God and God gave me a scooter.

Isn't that good. It's a good way of doing business with God. But it's a contract. And when you are doing making a contract with God like that you're under the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant you don't make a contract with God.

You don't say well Lord if I give you my tithe will you bless me. Will you give me a better house rubbish. I'll get nothing. See Jesus didn't say come and I'll give you this and I'll give you that. And the other thing if you pay your tithes and you give that that's all Old Covenant.

You know that's only up to Malachi. In Malachi you may read about tithes. But once you come to Matthew it's not there in from Matthew when Jesus instituted the New Covenant he told the Pharisees okay you fellas can go and pay our tithes.

But he never told his disciples that he told his disciples you love me and give everything to me. And what will you get. You'll get a lot of persecution. You'll get a lot of suffering and but you'll have the kingdom of God.

You want it. They said sure we must not forget what the Lord is offering us. Don't get wrong ideas in our mind concerning what Christianity is all about. Because we hear a lot of this type of teaching today and we see the difference here.

Rewards, Grumbling, and Equality Before God

Finally when the rewards were given it says here that the evening came verse 8 and he called the four men and said call the fellows who came at five o 'clock in the evening and give them a reward first.

Why did they get a reward first. Because they came without a contract. Those who are lost will be first. Those who come to serve the Lord without a contract are going to get the greatest rewards in heaven because they did not serve the Lord on the basis of a business contract.

They say Lord I love you. I'll give my life for you. If you give me food to eat praise the Lord. If I don't get food to eat I'll still serve you. If you give me a house to live in praise the Lord. If you don't give me a house to live in I'll sleep in the railway station and serve you.

That's what I said when I quit my job. I said if I don't have a house to live in I'll go and sleep in the railway station and serve the Lord. But my service for the Lord's got nothing to do with salaries.

Got nothing to do with money. It's got nothing to do with her. I get a house or food or anything. I'm not under the old covenant. The old covenant is abolished. And if you serve the Lord like that at the end of your life you'll be a happy man.

Otherwise you'll always have some complaint and some grumbling. Somebody else got more than you and somebody got a position or a title or a salary or something or a house better than you. And you'll be a miserable person.

And I've seen a lot of miserable Christians and miserable missionaries in my life. They were all people who work for a contract. And you find these people were like that. You see when these people came along afterwards they thought hey we're gonna get more.

If this fellow got a denarius who worked only for one hour we worked for 12 hours we should get 12. But when they came they also got one denarius and they began to grumble. When a worker begins to grumble you know he's made a contract.

He's an old covenant worker. He's not a new covenant worker. New covenant workers never grumble because they say Lord I don't have any contract with you. You gave your life for me. You gave your blood.

I'm not writing any contract. So that's the way we are to serve the Lord. That's the first thing we learned that if you make if you try to do a business agreement with God you'll always be a miserable unhappy complaining grumbling type of person like all these people here and their complaint was how can you make these fellows equal to us.

You know a Christian can a Christian worker who feels others cannot be equal to him. He's in the old covenant. What do you mean. Somebody can't be equal to you. Do you know that in I believe this that in my acceptance before God I may have been a believer 43 years.

But someone who was converted yesterday is equal to me. I believe that I believe that he can come before the father just like me. He's a brother. I'm a brother. He's a sister. I'm a brother. We are equal in our acceptance before God.

I may have a little more experience. I may have some gift. But when it come before God we are equal. When a father has children they're all equal. It's very important. And when a person feels in in any Christian church or organization how can that fellow be equal to me.

He's got a little bit of the devil in him because the devil doesn't like anybody to be equal with him. No demon can dare to be equal with Satan. Oh boy they push him down to the lowest level. But Jesus he took the lowest place.

Learn a lesson from this and I believe that'll save you from a lot of problems in your Christian life. And one more thing I want to say is that you know there's a message of hope here for those who have come to the Lord late in life that means if you came to the Lord after wasting 90 of your life 11 hours out of 12 means more than 90 of your life.

A person can say I will be so discouraged Lord what have I done. I wasted 50 60 years of my life. Well thank God you're not dead yet. God can still use that little bit of life that's left if you don't make a contract with him.

If you say Lord I want to totally serve you in your vineyard I want to live for you totally. You may discover that some of these people who have served the Lord only for a short time one hour out of twelve get a far bigger reward than some others who served for a long time.

Because it's not a question of how long you served like seniority but how you served. Did you serve with joy or did you serve with grumbling. And the Lord says here one hour happily is much of much better than 12 hours with grumbling.

So it's there's no question of seniority in God's God's eyes. It's a question of humility. It's a question of joy serving the Lord with joy. Many who are first will be lost. Remember this our acceptance before God is based on the merit of Jesus Christ.

If I come to the Lord and say well Lord I've been a believer 43 years. Can't you answer this prayer for me. God will say no sorry. But if you say Lord I'm a sinner but Jesus died for me in Jesus name I come.

Can't you answer this prayer for me. The Lord will say yes. Sure. There's a great danger when we are senior to begin to think that God will listen to us because we are senior. And then God listens to the prayer of that junior person because he's got no merit.

He's got no experience. He's got no seniority. He just comes in the name of Jesus. He gets an answer. And the senior fellow is still struggling. He gets no answer because he's not coming in the name of Jesus.

He's coming in. He may say in the name of Jesus in his prayer but he imagines his own merit. Okay now parable number three number 27 Luke chapter 17 and verse 7 to 10 where we read about Jesus said about a servant a slave who is working in the field.

The Unworthy Slave and the Discipline of Service

Speaking picture again of a Christian worker who is working in the field. And plowing is a picture of serving the Lord tending sheep. Picture of serving the Lord. And when he's coming from the field. Now listen to this.

I mean we have seen servants work in the fields here in India. And when they come into the field what does the master say. Does the master lay the table and say sir please come and sit down let me serve you.

No that's what Jesus is saying. And does he say okay. You eat and drink and then afterwards no he. The master says okay you worked hard today for 12 hours. Right. Fine. Serve my dinner take care of me first before you go and take care of yourself.

And he doesn't even thank the slave verse 9. Because he did all the things that he commanded verse 10. So also listen. This is a wonderful verse. When you have done everything that was commanded say we are unworthy slaves.

We have done only that which we have ought to have done. You know we have a tendency to become proud because we have done something for the Lord. We feel we have done something for the Lord. And people have done something for the Lord.

Feel I've plowed the field I've tended the sheep. I've done something. What are you. You are not yet an unworthy slave. When do you become an unworthy slave. You know unworthy slave is a degree. A lot of us like to get degrees.

How many of you would like to get this degree unworthy slave. You know when you get it when you have obeyed every single thing that Jesus has commanded. How many of you can say you have obeyed every single thing that Jesus commanded.

None of us can say that. Even if you do that's where you got to begin. Even if you do come to the place where you obey every single command that Jesus gave in the Gospels every single one of them at the end of it what can you say.

I get the degree unworthy slave. Do you understand that. Oh I wish your brothers and sisters would understand that. Because it'll revolutionize your whole attitude when you realize that after you have done everything you're an unworthy slave.

How can there be pride in any Christian worker. Even if he served the Lord for 60 years 70 years has he obeyed everything. He hasn't yet got his degree unworthy slave. And the other thing I want you to notice here is he's not when we serve the Lord it says here verse 9.

He does not even thank the slave. Do you wait for somebody to appreciate you and to thank you for what you've done. See a lot of Christians have problems because they're looking for all these things. I don't want anybody to thank me.

I just want to serve the Lord. It's a joyful thing. I don't go around looking for people to express their gratitude to me and say thank you very much. It doesn't bother me if they say it well and good.

If they don't say it equally good doesn't doesn't make any difference. A lot of people are looking around for appreciation and they're waiting for God to appreciate them. My brothers and sisters take the place that Jesus said.

You know we sometimes can think that we've done so much and we're so important. That sense of importance comes very easily to those who serve the Lord particularly if you're very gifted. You may be a gifted preacher you may be a gifted singer.

You may be a gifted administrator gifted teacher gifted something. And you can begin to think boy isn't this church lucky that they got a fellow like me to preach or sing. Or you know it's very. You don't say that but it's there in your head.

And I tell you it stinks in God's nostrils. You can't smell it but God smells pride very quickly. And a lot of believers stink before God because there's such a lot of pride in them. They don't cleanse themselves.

They keep on thinking how important they are. Do you know that God's work was done in this world long before you and I were born long before these great preachers and great singers and great administrators came along.

God was doing his work. And long after we are gone God's work will still continue. You and I just come for a small period of time just to do a little bit. I don't believe God's work is so dependent on me.

His work carried on for 2 ,000 years before I came to the world. And if the Lord tarries it'll continue long after I'm gone. But for a short period you and I are here on the earth. Let's do what we can for the Lord with humility brokenness recognizing we are not better than any other brother or sister always taking the last place and saying I'm an unworthy slave.

Recognizing in my mind I'm an unworthy slave. Never thinking I'm indispensable. You're not indispensable. Many years ago I read a little poem which I never forget. It's talking about the indispensable man.

The man who thinks he's indispensable. He says if ever you think you're indispensable. This poem said take a bucket of water fill it up. Listen carefully. Put your hand right inside and then pull it out.

You see the hole there. That's how much you'll be missed when you're gone. The size of that hole in the bucket. There's no hole in the bucket. You're there serving the Lord for 20 -30 years. And then you're gone.

Where's the hole. There's no hole. You're not indispensable. Brother sister something will come and fill it up when you pull out your hands. Do that next time you think you're indispensable. So let's take the low place.

Worship as the Goal of Christian Service

There's one other thing I want to point out in this parable and that is worship this slave. You know it's a picture of serving God. And then we come into the master's presence. What do we do. We can't say no Lord serve me.

No. Now we have to serve the master. And that means worship. We serve come back and worship. That's how our service becomes effective. A lot of Christians don't know how to worship. And by worship I don't mean just singing choruses.

Here in the meeting I'm talking about worshiping God adoring him all by ourselves. How many of you worship God when you are alone. I have some wonderful times of worship at three o 'clock in the morning when everybody is asleep.

In fact some of my best times of worship are in the middle of the night when everybody's asleep all by myself just me and God. I want to encourage you to be a worshiper. I don't care if I don't serve.

I want to be a worshiper. I'm gonna worship God in all eternity. Seek to be a worshiper. Jesus said you shall worship and you shall serve. Don't seek to serve without worshiping. You read Ezekiel 44 sometime.

Take time to read it sometime. The Lord speaks there about two types of workers. The Levites who serve the people and the sons of Zadok who worship me. Who serve me. And the Lord said the sons of Zadok are superior.

So all of our work must be a service for the Lord. You know I can stand here and serve you. Or I can stand here and serve the Lord. I want to serve the Lord. I want even my preaching to be an act of worship offered to God.

And when I do that then I won't be seeking to please you. I won't be waiting to get thanks from you Lord. Even this is an offering for you. That's the way you must serve when you preach in the open air.

The streets. I remember when I was a young man I was preaching all the streets in Arnachulam. I think I covered every street in two years there standing there. It was an offering to God. I worship God.

I was serving God. And I learned in those days to offer everything to God. I wasn't bothered what people thought about me. I wasn't doing it because somebody told me to go. I went on my own. I was worshiping God.

Let all your service be like that. The slave works and comes and serves the master. And finally not. Finally another parable number 28. Luke chapter 18 is the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector.

The Pharisee, the Tax Collector, and Justification

And again we find here Jesus concluding this parable by saying in Luke 18 verse 14 he who exalts himself will be humble and he who humbles himself will be exalted. So here in this story of the Pharisee and the tax collector Jesus said this fact.

This parable is meant for certain type of people. Which people are they. The people verse 9 who trust in themselves that they are righteous and look down on other people with contempt. In other words whenever you feel that you are a little superior to other people better preacher holier man better singer better musician better organizer bigger church 101 stupid things believers are proud of better knowledge of the Bible or anything.

You feel that you are a little superior. And then you look down on somebody else who doesn't know as much as you. This parable is for such people. And he says about this Pharisee who went into the temple.

And he he doesn't say he opened his mouth. Notice that he did not open his mouth. You know proud people don't necessarily open their mouth because when you say these things openly it looks so crude. We won't say oh god.

I thank you that I'm not like other men. How many people will stand up here and pray. Oh god I thank you. I'm not like other men. Nobody will pray like that. We've got more sense because nobody will respect us.

We keep all our pride inside. Otherwise we lose our respect. That's how this Pharisee was. It says he prayed with himself. That means it was only in his mind. Verse 11. What was he thinking in his mind.

God I thank you. I'm not like other people. It's not a prayer. It's do you feel that way. I'm not like other people. Lord I thank you. I'm a humble man. I thank you. I'm not like all these people in those dead denominations who don't know you.

I thank you. I've got better understanding better doctrine better this better that better Bible knowledge better this so many things. There's so many things we can be proud of. And Lord I thank you. I'm a holy man.

Maybe I thank you that I fast twice a week. I pray I give my tights. I do all these things. And certainly I'm not like this wretched tax collector over there. We can despise people because of their community.

Oh you know that those type of people are always like that. But we are sort of a superior community. That's the Pharisee so much of that in the world. And Jesus said the other fellow who's in the corner he humbled himself.

He wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven. Verse 13 he said God be merciful to me a sinner. I'm just a rotten old sinner. Please be merciful to me O God. And Jesus said that man verse 14 went to his house justified.

God said that's the one who's declared righteous because he said I am. The real translation is the sinner. Do you know the difference between the sinner and a sinner. When I say this is the pulpit it means there is no other pulpit in this room.