Sermons
A Lowering Call
A LOWERING CALL
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / November 15, 2015
ThankSinging is next Sunday evening and we hope that lots of you will be in attendance.
Other than our once-a-month L.I.F.E. Groups it will be our last Sunday evening gathering for a while.
We’re starting a bit earlier (six o’clock - - for those with school kids) and will not be l-o-n-g.
Thirty to forty minutes of grateful singing followed by a pie and ice-cream fellowship.
-------------------
As Christians, we are often reminded that we have a “a higher calling” - - an upward call (Philp.3:14).
Last Sunday’s sermon about Franz Stigler & Charlie Brown emphasized this idea.
This morning I want to speak about “a lowering call”.
By this, I mean a call by God to walk HUMBLY in following our Lord Jesus.
If you were to engage in a detailed and scholastic study of the life of Christ, you would likely encounter the phrase, the humiliation of Christ. This concept bookends the earthly life of Jesus and aptly describes both His birth & death.
His birth came by means of peasant girl … born in a manger … because there was no room in the inn.
It was a lowly beginning for the SON OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD.
One cannot contemplate the death of Christ without eyeballing the very epitome of humiliation.
The King of Kings is crucified on a cross as if He were a criminal. The Good Shepherd Jesus lays down His life for us (Jn.10:11).
In so doing He becomes a curse on our behalf bearing our sins in His body of the tree (Gal.3:13 & 1Pet.2:24).
God man Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (1Cor.5:21).
More than being just bookends, this willful humbling on the part of Jesus constitutes THE ESSENCE OF HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
Philp.2:6 reminds us:
although He existed in the form of God, (He) did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or clung to,
but He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found
in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
What we see in the birth and death of Jesus is not the exception, but the rule of His life.
His entire ministry was that of a SUFFERING SERVANT.
He grew up in a backwater, non-descript town called Nazareth - - in a very humble abode.
His roots perplexed the Bible scholars of his day as they asked, can anything good come out of Nazareth? (Jn.1:46).
Our emphasis this morning is not just that Jesus came “to seek and save the lost” (Lk.19:10),
But rather, the manner in which he went about doing so - - “I am among you as one who SERVES” (Lk.22:27).
All of this is not just a brief historical synopsis of the life of Christ that has nothing to do with us.
To make such an observation would be to confess that we are woefully lacking in understanding our own calling.
One might be correct to say that the life of Jesus was a once and for all time happening (Heb.10:14),
But the same cannot be rightly said for THE LIFESTYLE OF JESUS.
“Hapax Legomenon” is a Greek term used to describe a particular word that only occurs once in a manuscript.
The lifestyle of Jesus was never meant to be a “hapax” - - a once and for all time event.
Instead, the lifestyle of Jesus becomes the model, the pattern, the very template for how WE are live.
Any Christian who divorces himself or herself from this lifestyle also severs his or her tie with Christ.
Listen to the words of the apostle Peter (1Pet.2:21):
you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.
The apostle Paul prescribes the same in various places in his epistles, among which are these two citations:
“Be imitators of me; just as I also am of Christ” / 1Cor.11:1
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” / Philp.2:5
Likewise for the apostle John (1Jn.2:6):
The one who says He abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
So here we see in no uncertain terms our calling.
It is a high calling, an upward call, but it is also a “lowering call”, a call to be a servant.
Servant-hood is one of the defining hallmarks of true Christianity.
On the night before He was crucified Jesus washed His disciples feet.
Listen to the application that Jesus makes regarding this “humbling” occurrence.
You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you should also do as I did to you.
Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is the one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them / Jn.13:13-17
Later on in Jn.13:35, Jesus stated:
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
The true mark of a Christian is an abiding love for others than expresses itself in daily humble service.
There is absolutely no room in the church of our Lord for high-mindedness.
One of the pitfalls of preaching is that if you’re not careful you’ll come to think your something special.
In preparation for yesterday’s Fall Field Trip I made lunch reservations for our group of 25.
Mark Lombardi recommended the restaurant, Yours Truly, but the manager was certain that he would not
be able to seat us together and furthermore he could not guarantee we would be served simultaneously.
Some I searched online and found Mama Roberto’s. Although they aren’t open on Saturdays,
they agreed to cater our meal - - letting us order off the menu, with individual tickets and adequate staff.
A day later I began to have misgivings, so I researched some more online and discovered that the
Ambiance of the restaurant was lacking and that several “reviewers” had given a “thumbs down.”
So I made reservations at the Market Street Family Restaurant.
When I called to cancel with Mama Roberto’s they asked, “Why?”
I told them we had chosen another venue that seemed more preferable for our group.
An hour later, the manager called back, asking if they had not been accommodating enough?
I didn’t convey the negatives, I just told him we had chosen another place. He seemed hurt, and I was hurt.
I told this story later to a couple of our ladies and I commented that I’d hate to read my sermon reviews online.
Jeannie then shared a quote with me - - “what other people think of you is none of your business.”
And then she added a second quote, “And you might be surprised to know how seldom they do.”
That might seem harsh coming from a loving wife, but it struck a chord, especially regarding my sermon prep.
In Rom.12:3, Paul writes: For through the grace given to me
I say to every one among you not to think more highly of yourselves than you ought to think
I am convinced that it is this lack of humility among US (preachers, elders, deacons and all of us), that has worked to
quickly turn off and sour many people against the body of Christ. The glory and radiance of the church is sullied and soiled
by the high-mindedness of misguided disciples. Thousands have been distracted away from Christianity because
they often “get a read on us” that convinces them that, “we think we are better than everybody else”.
Let me borrow from the apostle James (Js.3:10) to say to us what he said to our first-century brothers & sisters,
“My brethren, these things ought not to be this way”.
Indeed, we have a lowering calling - - our New Testaments are filled with exhortations to be humble.
Jesus has taught us by His life, but in case we’ve somehow missed the message, let’s rehearse some of His words.
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. / Mt.20:25-28
Jesus overheard his disciples talking one day - - He began to question them, ‘What were you discussing on the way?’.
But they kept silent, for on the way they were discussing with one another which of them was the greatest. And sitting down,
He called the twelve and said to them, ‘if anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all’. / Mk.9:33-35
Philp.2:5f begins with Philp.2:3, let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself
Col.3:12 / As those who have been chosen by God…put on a heart of compassion, kindness & humility…
Js.4:6 / God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
1Pet.3:8 / In summary, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted and humble in spirit
1Pet.5:5 - - written by an elder urges, clothe yourselves with humility
We are blessed with so many in our congregation who are clothed with humility.
They can’t tell you that they are humble (without negating their humility), but I can. Let us watch and learn.
We have many who are more than willing to roll up their sleeves and do some “dirty” work.
In truth, there is no such thing as menial tasks when our work is done humbly and to the glory of Christ.
One final postscript: The thing about humility, however, is that it can’t be faked and still have its full impact.
I’m not saying there will not be occasions when we make ourselves do what we might not prefer doing,
but in willing ourselves to do good, we must put our heart into it or it will be apparent that it just a performance.
Jesus spoke at length about the importance of dying to self. As Christians we cannot be self-absorbed.
Self-esteem is neither anti-Biblical nor anti-Christian.
C.S. Lewis has written: “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
What is often difficult for some to grasp is that, paradoxically, a healthy self-esteem grows from helping others.
Anonymous Prayer
Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative,
and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject at every opportunity.
Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples’ affairs. With my immense treasure of experience & wisdom,
it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.
Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.
Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains - - they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.
I will not ask Thee for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own
memory doesn’t agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong …
Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.
