Sunday Message- the verses you don't see

This is a story that fits between two thoughts, and two ways of thinking.  The two thoughts are Biblical; the two ways of thinking are not.  They draw the contrast between pride and humility, and ask us where we are supposed to be.  And before we start, let me say, I am NOT yet there, and don't pretend to be.

The first thought came from Alistair Beg, and out of three programs I try to listen to through the static of work and poor reception in the morning, it is the one thought I captured in a very bad day, attitude-wise, for me.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, KNEW who His betrayer was.  He KNEW.  And what did He do about it? HE WASHED HIS FEET.

That is some powerful humility, and an example few of us try to match.  And I don't think we ever really capture the depths of it.  Judas Iscariot was a very blessed man.  He was CHOSEN by the Christ of God to be an Apostle- one of the 12 greatest men the world would ever see.  He spent three years listening to the heart of the greatest teachings the world would ever hear.  He was trusted with the purse, their very sustenance and source of all they could give in the physical realm.  And he sold Jesus out for not only a price, but a joke of a bribe.

And Jesus humbled Himself, even to this.

A few days back, I mentioned that I had tried out MeWe, an experiment I kinda think is going nowhere.  One person I came across fancied himself an internet preacher.  Most of his teaching was good and Biblical, though he was hung up on a couple of what we call "non-salvational" issues I disagreed with.  One day, he posted a fiery diatribe against people (I don't know who they might have been) who didn't like his style of preaching.  When you choose the fire-and-brimstone path, you SHOULD come to expect that.  He then went on to outline his doctrine- again, nothing really wrong with it- but then closed with, "If you don't like the way I preach, you can go somewhere else..."

I commented that that wasn't a very effective way to plant seeds, and was pretty prideful.  He replied in a way that showed he thought I questioned his doctrine, and asked where pride was in his doctrine.  I explained to him it wasn't his doctrine, it was his approach.  I mentioned Matthew 11:29 (where Jesus says He is meek and lowly of heart) and Luke 9:55 (where John and James wanted to blast a town that rejected Jesus with fire from on high, and Jesus told them, "You  don't know of what kind of spirit you are").

Hours later, he DELETED HIS ENTIRE ACCOUNT.  He has not been back.

Now I don't know whether he was so conscientious, that he saw my point and removed everything to self-reflect and change his approach, or if perhaps he was a typical internet bully, who fled when being challenged.  I am hoping and praying the former.  Because it is no sin to examine yourself and find yourself wanting.Outside of Jesus, name one Biblical figure who DIDN'T screw up multiple times, confess their sins and come back stronger.  Well, at least the multiple screw-up part, some never got the second half right.  For example, Judas.

Point being, I believe that every sin we have can be boiled down to pride of some form.  His was a little more blatant; mine is a little more self-pitying.  In fact, on that very bad day at work I was telling you about at the beginning, I was cycling through that same old battle- whine about it, tell yourself you're sick of whining about it, ask God to remove your whining spirit, and then wonder what good it does you not to whine and start the whole thing over again.  (If you ever thought it would be neat to look inside MY mind, that should dissuade you.)  For a moment in that stupid battle, I said to myself, what good does it do to go from a life of work on earth to an eternity of service in heaven- to look at what one might have had on earth had we kept Eden, and not even get to just kick back and enjoy it in heaven.


Now, OBVIOUSLY that was a flawed perspective of heaven.  I knew it as I thought it- whining, remember?- but I didn't realize HOW flawed until, in reading my Bible that night, I came across the perfect counterpiece to Alistair Beg's concept above:

Luke 12:35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”


Wow.  The Master will SERVE the servants He finds watching.  Not only is this a lesson in WHY we should be humble before God and men, but it brings up one more point.


Now, I am not a novice Bible reader, but that verse had never struck me before.  A few weeks ago, David Jeremiah brought up the part in Job where Job had daily sacrificed for his children, "in case they had committed some sin without realizing."  For Pastor Jeremiah, it was an "I never saw that before in 40 years of preaching" moment; for me it was an, "if it were a rock, you'd have tripped on it" moment.  This is why the Bible is a LIVING book: God often hides something from you, often for a long time, and lets you see it when you NEED to see it.  I tried to explain this on a Catholic site last week, and was called an idolater whose idol was the Bible- they would rather accept the traditions of men.  I told them, "Either the Bible is the Inspired Word Of God- which Peter and Paul and Jesus ALL tell you- or it's an automotive owner's manual, that you throw in the glove box and only consult in case of emergencies."  From their responses, I guess they took the latter.

That is why I do what I do on Sundays and Wednesdays here. To show that the Bible is a LIVING book.  And, as you see this week, it is VERY good at showing you the hidden levels of pride in your life- and very good at giving you inspiration to confess them and change your ways.  Pray for me that it changes mine.