The Way Up Is Down

Prayer

Desire to be great - to be up

Years ago, when he was in elementary school, Conner had a class project - they put together a book filled with each student’s dream of what they were going to be when they grow up, kids all did a drawing of themselves doing exactly that.

Now, this may come as a bit of a shock to you, but there were no drawings of someone wanting to work in housekeeping at a hotel or be a night-time security guard. Not a one.

The majority of them were big dreams - they wanted to be a popstar singer, professional athlete doing their favorite sport, an actor or actress, a doctor.

Just about every single one of them was a big, bold dream, a lot them, larger than life - professions that have fame, glory, attached to them.

All of this comes out of a natural tendency, I think - desire to be recognized, praised for doing something big or bold or achieving something great.

Now, none of them put this, but one of the strangest professions to me today is that of a social media influencer - the idea of wanting to try to amass a large group of followers on Instagram or TikTok and influence them with fashion tips or travel adventures or general wisdom.

As a kid, my dream was to be the middle linebacker for Dallas Cowboys - which, growing up in the 1970’s in Dallas, that was as big as you could get (except maybe to be quarterback, the next Roger Staubach).

But it’s not even in these big things that we see desire to be recognized, to do things that are admirable, praiseworthy - we see it in all sorts of areas of life

There’s a reason teachers use gold stars on papers - it works, kids want the gold star on the top of that assignment.

Doesn’t change as we age - when I gave a message at Shepard Memorial the other Saturday, I was really pleased by how it went. I thought it was good message - and I realized there was a desire spurring in me that I wanted some of the folks there to recognize it. I found myself hoping that I would get a few compliments from the folks there, get that affirmation.

All of which seems to fly in the face of everything we’re been talking about in our series, Humble Pie, and our focus on the need to nurture the virtue of humility in order to know and be like Jesus.

But how does that square with this seemingly universal desire to be praised, recognized, in a sense, to be lifted up?

So here’s the point that I want to make this morning: the Issue isn’t with the desire for greatness, but how we pursue it - and that’s our main point this morning. Humility IS the path to greatness. The path to glory.

Or, as Jesus says, “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” And he tells a parable to show exactly how that plays out.

The Humble Will Be Exalted - Luke 18:9-14

As we look at this parable, it’s important to see why Jesus tells this story

And, thankfully, Luke tells us -” to some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.”

Jesus is addressing those filled with self-righteousness, this confidence of how good a person you are. By the way, this is default position for most of us. General tendency for people is to see themselves as good people - good friends, we’re trustworthy, do right thing, we like to help other people

In fact, according to a review of studies on moral self-perception, “people engage in unethical actions on a daily basis, much more than they often care to admit. At the same time, they strive to maintain a positive self-concept both privately and publicly In fact, people wish to view themselves as moral beings and take steps to maintain this belief when they behave immorally.”

Do you hear what they’re saying?! We act unethically (immorally) a lot more on a daily basis than we ever want to admit. In other words, we see ourselves as better than we really are! And we work to look good both privately and publicly.

Now folks Jesus is addressing in this story, we ought to admit, were good at being good. They were better than others. In the Olympics of righteousness, they were up on the podium.

But being on podium can lead to looking down on everyone else. Seeing yourself as above, better. Which is exactly what these people were doing.

This is problem with self righteousness, it’s rooted in pride. Pride, by its very nature, is competitive, it divides, it’s rooted in comparison of who’s better, above.

Story begins with two men going up to the temple to pray. Who the two men are is hugely important. One’s a Pharisee, sect of Jews who were all about following God’s law, that was their whole identity. Second was a tax collector, a Jew who collected taxes from his fellow Jews on behalf of the Romans - a traitor, a cheat, a scoundrel of the lowest order.

Immediate association in the minds of listeners would have been, oh, a good person and a bad person. Two people on opposite ends of the moral scale.

It would be as if I started telling you a story about a pastor and a drug dealer. Or a hospice nurse and a prostitute, going to the church for a prayer meeting. That’s the set up of Jesus’ story.

The Pharisee separates himself from tax collector - because he’s not going to associate himself with someone like that. Especially not in the temple. And he prays to God…”God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”

You’ve got to understand, to those listening to Jesus’ story, this would not have sounded like he was being boastful. In their minds, he was properly thanking God for his piety.

There was a common Jewish saying…a true Rabbi ought to thank God every day of his life that he was not created a Gentile, a commoner or a woman. If a pious person would thank God for these things, how much more should he thank for not being a thief or an adulterer!

Here’s thing, all this is true. It is a good thing that he doesn’t steal or act unjustly or cheat on his wife. Thank God for those things, sincerely. And it’s not just that he doesn’t do bad things - he does very good things.

Jews were only required to fast one time a year, on Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. He fasts twice a week! I don’t personally know anybody that fasts twice a week as an offering to God. For most of us, fasting is not even on the radar of options for spiritual disciplines!

What about tithing? He gives away 1/10 of everything gets, 10 percent. That’s a lot of giving! How many of us come close to that?

Here’s issue, why this story is so important, why Jesus tells the story and why we need to hear what he’s teaching us

When you’re pretty good at being pretty good, pride is enormously easy to slip into. It’s a constant danger. Because (studies confirm this) we want to be seen as being good people, both in our own minds and to others. And if you manage to be pretty good at it, you can see where pride easily slips in (after all, we’ll be proud about just about anything). It’s a pit this Pharisee has fallen into, big time.

But even now, we might be thinking about this Pharisee (what a self-righteousness jerk, so full of himself!). In other words, I’m glad I’m not like him. Thank you, God, that I’m not like that Pharisee. (see how easy it is to slip into?!)

We do this all the time, it’s amazing the things we can feel self-righteous about…fact that I don’t speed in my neighborhood…I don’t cut lines…I wear modest clothing…I wear fashionable clothing…I come to work on time…I don’t take half a dozen smoking breaks…I manage my money properly…I go to church regularly…I know my Bible…the list is virtually endless.

I was reading a story about discord at a large church, in Virginia, I think. You could almost hear the glee in the comments…”I’ve always been suspicious of that pastor and his teaching…that elder board had it coming.” Folks were almost celebrating what was happening, rather than how I hope we would respond, with sorrow.

The desire to be good - to be great, is not wrong. But we will always be lead astray if we think we can (or are) doing it on our own. SELF righteous. Confident in our own goodness. Seeking our own glory.

Why humility is so essential. And why the tax collector - or we could swap it out for the drug dealer or the prostitute or the racist - is the one who is actually closest to God.

This is where Jesus is so brilliant in his story telling, because he flips the narrative. He does this beautiful twist - it’s the despised tax collector, the cheat, the traitor, who goes home justified before God. Not the “good guy” Pharisee.

This man, who won’t even come close - stands at a distance. Won’t even look up. Instead, head down, he beats his breast and prays the simple prayer…God, have mercy on me, a sinner. That’s all he does. And yet Jesus says he is one whom God embraces, who declares…you’re doing it right.

I love imagery in this story…Pharisee is up close - away from tax collector, he’s looking up, praying away. Tax collector, back of the room, head down. Yet it’s the tax collector who’s actually closer to God. He’s the one who actually sees God the clearest

C.S. Lewis has this wonderful quote about progress toward God…”Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken the wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”

Tax collector - even though he’s gone far further down the road of sin with all wrong he’s done is closer to God because he’s turning back. He has the broken spirit, he has the contrite heart…he has the humility to say, God, I’ve messed it all up. All I can do now is rely on you, your mercy, your goodness. Whatever it takes to get closer to you, I’m willing to do.

Even though Pharisee hasn’t gone nearly as far down road, he’s far further away because he sees no need to turn around. He’s quite satisfied with himself. Thinks God should be, too. He’s going to keep heading down that road, further and further from God, more and more caught up in himself. All glory, the greatness that he thinks he has, is no glory at all.

This is why Jesus says at the end, All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

God delights in a humble heart. Because humility opens us up to the things of God and all things he wants to give us. But if we’re too filled up with ourselves, we can’t receive what God has for us.

Andrew Murray sums up it this way…When God can again have His rightful place in us, He will lift us up. Make His glory your main concern in humbling yourself. He will make your glory His concern in perfecting your humility, and breathing into you, as your abiding life, the very Spirit of His Son.

That’s why humility is so necessary. Because it is as we humble ourselves before God and lift him up, that God, in turn, lifts us up, filling us with his life and glory and goodness.

Challenge…Do I trust and believe words of Jesus? Will I put them into action? Specific question is, will I humble myself before God and others because I trust that God will lift me up? That glory that all of us long to experience - instead of seeking it on my own, do I trust that Jesus really is teaching the way to attain it?

If I don’t trust it, I’ll continue to seek my own glory, my own way. I’ll trust in my own righteousness. Maybe not so blatantly as Pharisee, but enough that I will subtly judge others. Shake my head at what they do, how they dress, what they think.

To trust Jesus here is to actively humble myself before Jesus. Let me offer you a few ways to put that into practice this week.

Longstanding tradition to pray what’s known as “the Jesus prayer.” It uses language from parable Jesus teaches.

This week, as you go throughout each day, pray the Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” You might bow your head. You might beat your breast.

Now, there’s no secret formula here, have to pray these words, do these things - what’s important here is posture of your heart. Whatever is helpful for you to move your mind and heart into a posture of humility before Jesus - because you trust that if you do, he will lift you up.

Second practice to engage in humility is to make an intentional effort to praise or compliment someone in your life every day. Look to compliment people you wouldn’t normally think of complimenting.

Again, this is way to humble yourself before others - recognizing them, wanting them to receive glory.

Several months ago, I was trying to be mindful of this, thanking and recognizing people who aren’t normally recognized…the guy cleaning bathrooms at an interstate rest area…people who collect your garbage (kind of jobs they typically only hear from when something goes wrong).

beware that self satisfaction, I did such a good thing…how easily it is to sink into sin of pride!

I want to finish with where we started, pursuing greatness, glory.

Every notice how fans come out of the woodwork when their hometown team wins a championship? All of sudden everybody’s wearing team colors, hats, t-shirts. See opposite, too, when a team has been so bad, the fans go to the game and wear paper bags over their heads. They want to share in the glory of being champions (or avoid the shame), be connected to it.

Speaks again, to this longing we have, this desire for glory, for greatness. At the end of the day, what we’re really longing for is God himself. He is the God of all glory, all power, all wisdom, all majesty and splendor - it all belongs to him.

The most we can do is share in it. Which, amazingly, God wants to do. He longs to fill us with his glory and greatness - with himself. God doesn’t sit in heaven looking down on us.

He sent his son to come be with us, die on our behalf, to be raised to new life - and to raise us up with him. So we can share in his glory, his greatness. God wants to share in it with us.

Andrew Murray says it this way…The exaltation God promises is not, cannot be, any external thing apart from Himself. All that He has to give or can give is only more of Himself, to take more complete possession.

That’s why we pursue humility - to allow God to lift us up to share in God himself, his glory, his life. My hope and prayer is, that desire of your heart is to have as big a slice of humble pie as possible.