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October 23, 2016

Humility

Preacher: Rev. Jack Meehan Series: Stewardship 2016: Four Words on Stewardship Category: Biblical Scripture: Luke 18:9–17

The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
Fall Stewardship Series: “Four Words on Stewardship”
October 22-23, 2016
Luke 18:9-17

“Humility”

It is week #3 in our fall stewardship series, entitled “Four Words on Stewardship.” Thus far, we have looked at the first two words in this series: “thanksgiving” and “persistence.” Both of these are important words from Scripture that have much to say to us about being a steward, or manager, of what God has placed into our hands. Today the third word that we will focus on is “humility,” something which we see in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in today’s Gospel lesson. That is the theme for the message today. May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

There is humility and then there is false humility, which is really the sin of pride. We see these contrasted there in the temple as two men come before God, one trusting in himself and the other not. The irony here is that when Jesus first told this parable, people would have expected it be the other way around. They would have expected the tax collector to be the bad guy, and the upstanding Pharisee to be the good guy. But it’s not that way at all. Tax collectors were Hebrew citizens who collaborated with the hated Romans, and so they were pretty much shunned by their fellow Hebrews, branded as traitors who fleeced their fellow countrymen and got rich in the process. It’s precisely because this man knew he was hated and despised, that he didn’t have a leg to stand on, that he wouldn’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He knew he had done wrong and all he would say was, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13). His humility was driven by the harsh reality of his own situation. Sometimes it is that way in life, isn’t it? We have to be humbled; we have to get over ourselves; we have to be driven to our knees. It is only then that we see the poverty and foolishness of our own situation for what it really is. It is precisely then that we are prepared and ready to come before the Lord in true repentance. Over against the tax collector we see the Pharisee. He was a member of that strict and observant party within Judaism which scrupulously kept the Law of Moses in daily life. The Pharisees were looked upon as being the most godly and righteous people around. But there’s not an ounce of humility in this guy! It’s all about him as he stands before God trumpeting his accomplishments: “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12). “Oh, and by the way, God, “I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). Wow – that’s pretty extreme. Did you notice how much “I” language there is in his prayer? It is a curious thing that in the English language only the pronoun “I” is capitalized – not you, or we, or he, or she, or they; just I. Why is that? And what kind of message does this send? If there is to be humility in our lives, before others and certainly before God, we’re going to have to make that capital “I” lower case.

Stewardship of God’s gifts is rooted in the Lord Jesus who “humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Jesus loved us unto death and shed his blood to redeem us from the old life focused on self (life with a capital “I”), calling us to a new life that, like his own, is focused on others. We have been set free from sin and set free for service as we join Jesus on his mission. And so we must ever keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we strive to reflect his grace and goodness in managing what God has placed into our hands. We need Jesus’ help each and every day to root out the sinful pride that continually rears its ugly head in our lives. We need Jesus’ help each step along our journey of faith. We need Jesus’ help with stewarding ourselves, our time, and our possessions. We have to become like little children, Jesus tells us. You see, children can’t do everything on their own; they’re not capable of this. They are dependent on others. Children have to ask for help because they know they need help. And that, Jesus says, is what his followers, his children, must be like: “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it” (Luke 18:17).
Today’s Old Testament lesson (Genesis 4:1-15) records how that first sin of pride and disobedience by Adam and Eve spread from the garden out into the field as Cain killed his brother, Abel. Cain’s response to God’s question has come down to us throughout the generations: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). And the answer is yes – yes, we are! We are not told specifically why God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s, which caused him to become angry and resentful, leading him to kill his brother. What we are told is this: “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions” (Genesis 4:3-4a). Do you see the difference here? It’s not that the fruits of the earth were less important than the livestock. Abel brought a sacrifice of the first, the best. If Cain did the same, that is not recorded in Scripture. So often in life, we are all about comparisons, and I just shared one with you. But each of us has different life circumstances, different callings, different situations that we are dealing with. We really cannot and ought not compare ourselves to others because, like Cain, it will only lead to bad things. But let us follow that example of Abel and bring the first, the best, of what we have to the Lord. This is called “first fruits giving,” and it is as ancient as this text from Genesis. Remembering that all we are and have comes from the Lord, let us return to the Lord a first fruits sacrifice of thanksgiving. This means that our offering doesn’t come from the leftovers of our lives; after we have paid every other bill and obligation we see what we have left over and then make our offering. That is insulting to the Lord who has bestowed every gift and blessing upon us, even the life of his only begotten Son. Let us rather make that first fruits offering with humble joy and thanksgiving, as the psalmist writes: “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you” (Psalm 5:11).

When we gather for worship next weekend on Reformation Sunday, we will bring to the Lord’s altar our commitments for ministry in 2017. The year ahead of 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation as we rejoice in what God accomplished through his servant Martin Luther in 1517, calling the Church back to what is most central to our faith; namely, that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, made known in holy Scripture alone. The last words recorded by Dr. Martin Luther, recorded on a scrap of paper, and found shortly after his death were these words: “We are beggars. This is true!” Before God, the Maker and Owner of heaven and earth, we are – all of us – beggars who have no claim on God and can expect no good except through the merits of Jesus Christ whose “blood cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). It is only through faith in Jesus that we have any hope, and this generates in God’s people a deep sense of humility. Like the tax collector, we can only say: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” So, as we bring our commitments for ministry forward next weekend, we do so with humble hearts, giving thanks to the Lord for his gifts and mercies that are new to us every day.

“Four Words on Stewardship” – thanksgiving, persistence, and humility. Our fourth and final word on stewardship will be shared next weekend as give thanks to God for the Reformation and bring our first fruits offerings to his altar. May the Lord be honored and glorified through our stewardship of his gifts in daily life. Amen.

other sermons in this series