September 12, 2004

I like the story historians tell about the funeral of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the greatest Christian ruler of the early Middle Ages. After his death, a mighty funeral procession left his castle for the cathedral at Aix. When the royal casket arrived, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, it was met by the local bishop, who barred the cathedral door. "Who comes?" the Bishop asked, as was the custom. "Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman Empire," proclaimed the Emperor's proud herald. "Him I know not," the Bishop replied. "Who comes?" The herald, a bit shaken, replied, "Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth." "Him I know not," the Bishop said again. "Who comes?" The herald, now completely crushed, responded, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ." To which the Bishop responded, "Enter! Receive Christ's gift of life!"

The point, of course, is that in God's eyes, we're all equally needy. Charlemagne, Mother Teresa, you, and me. None of us will ever be "good enough" to force entrance into the presence of God.That’s what Jesus was trying to tell the Pharisees.He had been invited to the home of one of their big wigs, and He was being watched carefully by them.But while they were watching Him, He was watching them!At a dinner like this, Jewish dignitaries reclined on couches at the table.Each couch held three people, and the choice places were at the end of each couch, closest to the host.Jesus watched as the Pharisees scrambled for these places of honour.He saw this as a symptom of something much more serious, and used the occasion to teach them a very important truth: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”In other words, “Friends, HAVE A SLICE OF HUMBLE PIE!”

He told them a parable about what could happen at a wedding feast if you walked in and took the best seat.The host might have to inform you that someone more important will actually be sitting there, so now, you have to go and take the seat farthest away, and that could be pretty humiliating in front of all your friends…humble pie!So rather, take the lowest seat.Then who knows, you might be asked to sit farther up, which would be an honour!Now, Jesus was not just correcting bad table manners!Nor was He counseling us to pretend to be humble just so that we might be honoured!Jesus was encouraging honest, actual humility!

That becomes clear with v.11: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”The Pharisees’ habit of claiming places of honour at a feast was only a symptom of a serious spiritual sickness!Jesus is talking about having a right or wrong relationship with God!We need to have a slice of humble pie in our relationship with God!God is the one who does the humbling and exalting!That’s why “everyone who exalts himself” is talking about one who does this exalting of himself before God.

That’s exactly what the Pharisees did.Puffed up with conceit over their imagined holiness, they came before God as presumptuous, proud men.They thought that a just God would have to acknowledge them as his true sons, deserving of entry to heaven.In their pride, they despised someone as lowly as Jesus.In their pride, they hated Him for denying them a standing before God on the record of their own righteousness.Jesus told them this parable to save them from their unholy pride.But Jesus said, “everyone who exalts himself.”Not just the Pharisees.Anyone who refuses to bow before God as a lowly, penitent sinner will be humbled by that same God!Let the millions who follow in the path of the Pharisees take notice!People of the world, please cut out your superior, haughty attitude toward the Gospel, and the free salvation it offers!Repent!If you don’t, you will be humbled by God, tragically, forever.

Friends, you don’t have this problem, do you?You don’t see yourself as someone that God smiles upon because you are so good.You don’t think that God is going to roll out the red carpet for you just because you have lived an upstanding life, been nice to neighbours, given to charities, and brought your kids up well, do you?You don’t look down on other people because you see them as so much worse than you, do you?You do realize, that on your own, you are unworthy to even speak to God or ask Him for a favour, don’t you?You realize that we have not come close to being what He has asked us to be, don’t you?You could help more people than Mother Teresa and tell more people about Jesus than Billy Graham, and you would still not be worthy to approach God!You know that, right?If not, then have a slice of humble pie!

Jesus invites us to true humility in the second half of verse 11:“and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”This humility isn’t just an outward attitude, or pretend act to gain advantage over others.True humility originates deep down in a heart that has been crushed by the knowledge of condemning guilt and has found comfort and peace in God’s forgiveness for us through Christ!So friends, Having a Slice of Humble Pie in our relationship with God means this:realizing that you have failed Him with your life, but trusting only in Jesus and his work of redemption to make you perfect in God’s sight again!That’s humility!That’s what God wants of you and me!And that isn’t just something we do one time.It is a daily occurrence!

A young seminarian was excited about preaching his first sermon in his home church. After three years in seminary, he felt adequately prepared, and when he was introduced to the congregation, he walked boldly to the pulpit, his head high, radiating self-confidence. But he stumbled reading the Scriptures and then lost his train of thought halfway through the message. He began to panic, so he did the safest thing: He quickly ended the message, prayed, and walked dejectedly from the pulpit, head down, his self-assurance gone. Later, one of the godly elders whispered to the embarrassed young man, “If you had gone up to the pulpit the way you came down, you might have come down the way you went up.” The elder was right. God still resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.This humbling of ourselves is not just something that happens once in the life of a Christian.It is a daily occurrence.Daily, we must bow low before God, confess our guilt, and seek God’s forgiveness through Jesus.Pie, anyone?

Everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted!Even here on earth!Maybe not with wealth and fame, but with spiritual blessings.Forgiveness.The assurance of God’s love. Knowing you’re special to God – his own dear child!Knowing that you are so important to Him, you’re worth more than the life of his own Son!That’s pretty exalted, isn’t it? And of course, God saves the best and highest exalting of those who humble themselves until the end!Because then He is going to come and escort us to the highest place of honour with Him forever and ever!Humble pie here is so worth it!

The best way we can show our appreciation for that amazing honour God is going to give us some day is to also have a humble attitude in our relationship with other people.“Humbling ourselves” literally means to “make ourselves low.”Let’s make ourselves lower than others – put their interests before our own!Just like Jesus did for us!But is it always easy?

Some of you might remember the song by Carly Simon, “You’re so vain.”Carly Simon never revealed who she was talking about when she wrote it, but she did date Warren Beatty, who dumped her.And he did call her up after the song and thanked her for writing it about him!The words say: “You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.You’re so vain, I’ll bet you think this song is about you.Don’t you?Don’t you?”Some of YOU are so vain you probably think this sermon is about you, don’t you, don’t you?Well, if you don’t think it’s about you, then it probably IS!You and I are probably filled with more pride than we think!

To help us determine how much pride we are carrying, I am going to give a PQ test.What’s your pride quotient?Silently answer YES or NO to these statements:1. I enjoy being the center of attention. Yes or no? 2. I think I deserve the best. 3. Much of my conversation is filled with “I.” 4. I find it difficult to admit that I’m wrong5. I seldom pass a mirror without looking at myself.6. I’m stubborn–I don’t like to be corrected or change!7. My feelings are easily hurt.8. I am impatient with other people’s mistakes.9. I don’t get enough appreciation for all that I do.10. I’m offended if I render a service and don’t receive a “thank you.” 11. I seldom ask for help, because I can do the job better myself. 12. I feel pretty good that I didn’t check “yes” to every question! If you have one or more “yes” answers, it reveals the presence of pride in your life! If you don’t have any “yes” answers, it simply reveals you are lying to yourself about yourself! Pride is easy to see in others, but hard to see in ourselves!

Jesus swallowed his pride when it came to us.He didn’t consider Himself too important to come serve us in a lowly, humble way, and then even give his life for us!All so that we get to be exalted to the highest place with God!So, what better way could there be to thank God than by eating a humble piece of pie in our relationship with Him, and also humbling ourselves to serve other people!It can pay great dividends in our lives and in the lives of others!

Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady. The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. “It’s perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.” She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.

Or how about the difference that our humility can make in the lives of others?Years ago, Christian professor Stuart Blackie of the University of Edinburgh was listening to his students as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his recitation, he held his book in the wrong hand. The professor thundered, “Take your book in your right hand, and be seated!” At this harsh rebuke, the student held up his right arm. He didn’t have a right hand! The other students shifted uneasily in their chairs. For a moment the professor hesitated. Then he made his way to the student, put his arm around him, and with tears streaming from his eyes, said, “I never knew about it. Please, will you forgive me?” His humble apology made a lasting impact on that young man. This story was told some time later in a large gathering of believers. At the close of the meeting a man came forward, turned to the crowd, and raised his right arm. It ended at the wrist. He said, “I was that student. Professor Blackie led me to Christ. But he never could have done it if he had not made the wrong right.”He could never have done it unless he ate a big slice of humble pie!His humility made a difference in the life of many who were touched by it.Friends, Have a Slice of Humble Pie!Your relationship with God depends on it, and the lives of those around you will be changed by it!And – you can be sure that your time for being exalted by God is coming!Amen.