Jump Start # 3197

Matthew 11:29 “Take My  yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.”

Our verse today is often called the Lord’s great invitation. It begins, in the preceding verse, by asking, or inviting ALL who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him. Jesus has something that the weary need. Jesus can provide what the weary are looking for.

We often look at this passage for what we receive from the Lord. We look at it from the upside of following Jesus. But in here, the Lord paints a picture of Himself. He is gentle. He is humble. This is how He describes Himself.

I was dabbing into some old histories the other day and in the late 1800’s a controversy arose when preachers started referring to themselves as Reverends. This became a very touchy point, some in favor of it, and many who were not. And, as the lines of division took place between conservative thinking and progressive thinking, the use of Reverend became common among the progressives. And, one of the arguments used to stop that tide of progressiveness, was our verse today. Our Lord was humble. He claimed it. He showed it. He was an example of it.

Some thoughts for us:

First, human nature wants to be recognized and appreciated. Little kids will show off to get attention. Big kids, us, will brag to get that attention. And, this comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s name dropping. Sometimes it showing off what we have. Sometimes it’s tooting our own horn. All of this comes down to “notice me” and “compliment me.”

This is something that we have to fight against. The corporate world and our culture is all about self. Years ago there was a newsstand magazine called, “Me.” And, that rather tells you where our culture has turned. Being humble is not just something that happens in the church building. It is to be a manner of life for us. The humble heart understands that God knows. He doesn’t have to tell others. He doesn’t have to strive to be the best. He only has to be his best.

We preachers can have ego issues. It can get to us. When a visiting preacher comes, people think he’s the best. That can hurt the feelings of the local preacher. But, when we preachers get to go to other places, we can sure get our egos inflated. The reason why most church buildings have double doors is not for the crowd. It’s to get the preacher’s head through it. After a Sunday sermon, and he hears all the wonderful comments, he begins to believe he can walk on water. Be careful. That head, like an overfilled balloon, will pop if not careful. Just do your job the best you can.

The Corinthians were sure beating up on Paul. They didn’t think much of his appearance, his preaching or much about him. I think if I heard that, I’d go home and put the covers over my head. Not Paul. He kept going doing the best that he could. Paul didn’t need the praise of others to know that he was doing right.

Second, humbleness is a chosen attitude that is based upon confidently knowing that you are walking with the Lord. It doesn’t matter what others think. What matters is what Jesus thinks. The humble person realizes that there are always others that can do things better than he can, but he’ll jump in and do what he can. The humble person understands his limitations. He doesn’t try to be everything. He knows he can’t. He realizes there are things that he simply does not know how to do. He’s not afraid to ask for help. He knows that he needs others.

In my life, I have known several very wealthy and successful businessmen. I’ve known many who had PhDs. Some of them told you about it. Some liked to brag. Others, were so humble you would never know. It took getting to know them to know their story. And, the reason is, most humble people don’t talk about themselves. They’d rather hear your story. They’d rather listen than talk. A person can be successful and humble. A person can have multiple college degrees and be humble. It’s a choice. It’s an attitude.

Third, we learn how to be humble when we look to Jesus. Come learn from Me, is what He invites us to. Jesus was God on earth. Immanuel, God among us, is what He was called. Yet, He didn’t use that position to cater to His needs. He served. He helped. He pointed people to His Father. You don’t find Peter running to get some ice tea for Jesus. But you do read of Jesus feeding the multitudes. You don’t find Jesus telling the disciples to get Him a blanket so He would be comfortable. But you do find Jesus calming the storm and then calming scared hearts of the disciples. When hungry, Jesus didn’t use a miracle to feed Himself. When hurting, He didn’t stop the pain. When bleeding, He didn’t close up the wounds. He didn’t make the nails painless. He didn’t make His death quick. The humble Jesus was about others.

And, when we learn this, we start dropping expressions like, “I don’t feel like…,” or, “I want…”. Those words didn’t come from the lips of humble Jesus. But how often do they fall from our lips? I want a church that offers what I want. I want something for my kids. I want services to last only so long. I want to sing songs that I like. I want. I want. I want. And, much too often, when that person doesn’t get what they want, off they go, looking for another place that will serve them.

I was watching on TV these firemen that had gone into a very unsafe structure. They were wearing special protective gear. When they came out, they were hosed down to get all the bad stuff off of them. That’s what we must do mentally, spiritually and emotionally. Our culture is demanding. Our culture is stuck on self. So, we must spray ourselves and get all that bad stuff out of us. Unless we do that, it will hurt our marriages and families. It will ruin congregations. And, in the end, we become like the world around us.

This world is not my home…let’s not forget that. The humble Jesus asks, “come, learn from Me.” Oh, there is so much that we can learn from Jesus. He will help you, change you, and open your eyes to a wonderful world of being a humble servant.

Roger

Jump Start # 3196

Matthew 19:5 “and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh”

Our verse today shows Jesus quoting God’s perspective of marriage. This quote comes from Genesis two. Leave and cleave. Stay and stick. Two becoming one. Our culture has sure turned the beauty of marriage inside out. My wife and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week. When looking for a card for her, I saw one from a wife to a wife. To say anything about that is to be destroyed as homophobic, prejudice, narrow and a bigot. Such are the times we live in.

I saw an interesting stat the other day. The typical couple getting married will spend at least 400 hours in planning for the big day. Lots of decisions. Lots of choices. Lots of planning. But, that stat also revealed that the typical couple spends less than eight hours in marriage classes, counseling or advice. A lot of time is put into THE day, but very little into the LIFE that follows. The perfect wedding often does not reflect even a good marriage.

This is something that God’s people ought to realize is important. It’s more than warning about the dangers of divorce, it’s about how to live a life together. Everyone brings a past, a family, opinions and yes, even sins into that relationship. Navigating through all of that, plus getting on the same page about finances, children, holidays, family time, goals can sure be stressful. Communication needs to be open, transparent and strong.

Wedding planning or marriage planning—sure is something to think about. Here are some thoughts:

First, we need to continue to preach, preach and preach about what God says about marriage. Culture has redefined and reshaped what marriage looks like. Our audiences need to understand. They need to hear plain Bible preaching on these things.

Second, when possible, it would be great to offer some classes for your couples in the congregation. That moon-eyed look that they have can quickly turn into a deer in the headlights look as they recognize attitudes, opinions and views that do not line up with the way they thought they should. Having an older married Christian lead those discussions can be helpful and powerful. There are many, many books on the market that deal with communication, conversations, finances and raising a family. The pull of the world can be hard on a young couple. Getting them on the same page spiritually is important.

Third, a young couple ought to seek out some advice from a couple older than them. Get to know them. Recognize how strong they are spiritually. Take them out to lunch and ask questions. Seek godly advice. I’d encourage a young preacher and his wife do this with an older preacher and his wife. There are a lot of pressures and things the young couple have yet to witness that strong, spiritual advice can help them.

Fourth, understand the principle of the triangle. We’ve heard the concept about the triangle often in lessons about marriage. God is at the top and the man and woman are at the base. It takes all three to make a marriage honorable and thrive. Yet, there is another principle of the triangle that is often left out. As each of the sides get closer to the top, the sides get closer to each other. The farther from the top they get, the wider or farther from each other the sides become. So, one of the best things that can pull a couple together is for each to get closer to the Lord. As they grow in faith, they will grow closer and closer to each other.

Some of the best marriage advice will not be about bills, houses and kids, but grace, patience, forgiveness and walking with the Lord. Worshipping together, praying together, growing together spiritually are powerful tools that couples need to utilize today. Learning these principles and learning how to use them effectively in a marriage can be some of the best things that a congregation can teach. Learning to be humble. Learning to be a servant. Those are things that will not only strengthen a marriage, but they will strengthen a congregation.

So, the other evening my wife and I got out our wedding book that was used at our wedding. I was amazed at all the gifts that we received and this many years later, those gifts are no longer around. So many of the people that signed our book are now on the other side. So many, many had passed away. But what lasts, and what  endures are a promise kept, a love that grows and a hope in the Lord that is constant. The best part of looking at that old wedding book was seeing me and her.

Planning for a wedding or planning for a marriage—the two are not necessarily the same. One is over quickly. The other ought to last a lifetime.

Roger