Humility and Exaltation

The Simple Rule for a Good Preacher

There are three rules to be a good preacher.

1. Always prepare yourself to preach.

2. Don't speak long.

3. Don't speak or don't preach after a good preacher.

I did not succeed with the third one. I think all of you have been well spiritually fed. So all that remains for me is to sum it up and to practically decorate it. And for all of us to have a wonderful prayer so that we can conclude the conference. I will attempt to be practically maximal for you if it's possible. Brothers, could you turn on the slide please? This is something new slides of the conference.

The Laws of Sowing and Reaping

Do you know that there are laws that govern our universe? If you throw an item up, If you went to school and you weren't sick on that day, it falls down. Why does it fall down? Because it likes to be down. There's law of, what is it called? The law of gravity. Of gravity of attraction. So when you sow wheat in your field. There's probably none of you that expect to see pineapples. Why? Because there are laws of sowing and reaping.

In the spiritual world. There's, it's the same rule. There are laws. What happens if you don't believe in the law of gravity? You don't believe that you're going to fall. The physics made it, the physicists made it up. I'm just going to move by grace, not by law. And off the third floor balcony you go down. I think there will be a tragedy, right? If you don't even believe the laws, they still work.

In a spiritual world, it's absolutely the same story. And we have a great advantage that we have the scriptures who present these lost laws beforehand. And I wanna propose one of these lost to you, which is written in the 23rd chapter of Matthew. If you have your Bibles with you, you can open it up. If you don't have it, move over to the Christians who have one.

The Law of Humility

And so this is the law. Matthew 23:11-12

“The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Especially verse 12, that is the foundation of my sermon. And there are two specific qualifications right from the beginning. The law is very simple. It's not written here, will it happen, will not, we'll see how life happens.

The Bible says clearly he shall be humbled or shall be exalted, and this works absolutely like law of gravity. I'm gonna show it to you according to some text. Believe, second quality of this text, the one who does it to himself. The one who exalt himself or the one who humbles himself, that one shall be a very simple law. The path down is the path up, and path is the path down.

It works not just on people. Who works on angels and even on God himself, a very simple law and authority and the power of this law. It works on you if you know it. If you want to be exalted, if you want to be at the top of God's kingdom or of God's ministry, let that one be a servant. Because the law, if you're going on everybody's heads today, if you're breaking this law, if you're trespassing the rules.

If you don't believe you, there are unwritten rules for you. You're the God and you're the king of your home, of your church, and of your surrounding. The Bible warns you, bud. There shall be, we don't know when. We don't know through which situations it will come. But believe me, God watches that his word will be fulfilled. Amen? We can forget our words. But God will never forget to exalt you or to humble you. It's a very important thing. Let us look at the first story. This law works on the angels in the spiritual realm.

There are two very important passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah. I'm not gonna read both of them. I’m going to read one. These two angels, they talk about are very important Cherubim. It’s found in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. Let us read from Isaiah 14 verses 13 and 14.

“You said in your heart,
    ‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’

What are these exalted phrases, right? I will exalt, I will get up, I will sit. I can, can't I not do that?

Ezekiel describes him as the cherubim who is in glory, and some scholars say that he was responsible for the glory of God in heaven, but then there's a period because there are laws that the most high has established how thou are to fall from heaven. Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol. How thou art fallen from heaven, yet thou shall be brought down to Sheol to the uttermost parts of the pit. Each one who exalt himself will be humbled 100%, and whoever humbles himself, whoever is going through the the path of self reputation, self denial, self crucifixion. The Bible guarantees, here will be an exaltation, there will be a lifting up in any country, in any church, in any family, just as the laws of gravity work in any country. The spiritual laws work even more. Satan, that's what's being talked about in the classical understanding of this text. And in his heart there was an idea. You said in your heart. Do you understand that in his heart there were certain Pride every rebellion has at its root pride. Wherever there is pride, there will always be rebellion. And where there is rebellion, there will always be pride.

The humbling as in relation to someone else. Well pride demands independence. So we need one another for this reason also. We need to humble ourselves in the surrounding of other brothers and sisters. Wise man, Solomon, said the following phrase, “before destruction the heart of man is haughty and before honor goes humility. The same law. If you're going on the path of pride, if your pastor, your mom and dad, they're not the law for you. You are your own God and King. The Bible warns. That's a very dangerous path. The next step can be very painful fall. Before destruction, that's not a simple word. A person is lifting themselves up to heights. Notice God isn't lifting them up there, the person is lifting themselves there. You can't speak to them. They don't listen to anyone.

They, won't repent, so you can't rebuke them, they know everything. That's a dangerous path. But when you see there's a valley, a certain humiliation, if God is allowing this path of humbling or humiliation in your life, often, according to the scriptures, the next step will be glory. I will show you a few passages of the scriptures. The path down is the path up. The path up is the path down, and this law didn't just work on the angels who worked on God himself.

And we're gonna touch in more detail on a theme of our conference, and we're gonna look probably at the most famous text as it references Christ in epistles of Paul. We heard Romans, we heard Galatians, we heard Ephesians. But we will listen to Philippians. Chapter two, it is considered that this passage was sung in the first church as as hymn. The city of Philippi, it was established by the father of Alexander the Great. There were Roman soldiers there that retired. There were these golden domes. There were wealthy people. Can you imagine the generals with the highest status? They are living their days out. They're retired there, they're wealthy people. They were proud that they were Romans. This church financially supported Paul throughout his ministry. It was a wealthy church. And in this epistle, Apostle Paul starts to talk about a citizenship of another kingdom, not the one where we were born. He said, I'll give you an example. What does it mean to be truly great? What does it mean to be truly in glory and in and in honor? What does it mean indeed to be in glory? God see it?

How do people see it? Just to have a Roman passport. Just to have 1 million on your bank account. To have five diplomas from Oxford. And that's the height? In some ways, yes, but there is another height that just doesn't fit into our minds. A height that is paradoxical. It is from the gospels. It is hidden in maximal humiliation. It is the exaltation and humiliation. This formula doesn't work in real life when we look at the numbers. Sometimes God has his own math.

So Apostle Paul, he begins in verse five, have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. For one second, I wanna show you how Christians live among themselves, who truly know Christ. My sermon is about the practical presentation of the crucified life. It is logically fitting after all the topics that you heard. The gospel is not theory, the gospel demands that you live according to the gospel, how to honor Christ, and truly according to the horizontal and the vertical.

First, he's talking about hierarchy and other things, but now he says, I'm gonna give you the most powerful example of how it works. Who existing in the form of God counted, not the being on inequality with God, a thing to be grasped. One of the translations it says he was not holding with the death grip, his equality with the father. He is the image of God. He is the alpha and omega of history. The Bible says he holds everything by the power of his word. Everything is for him through him and by him. He is the logos, he's the word that has always existed with the father. He didn't have to leave that, he had immense glory. It was before him, but the Bible says, having such exaltation, such height, such might, such glory and he wasn't holding on to that so that he would never leave it behind.

The Path Down is the Path Up

But notice the next phrase,

but he emptied himself. Taking the form of a servant count.

How many words demonstrate the path down. He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant. In the Greek, it says he was in the form of God and became in form of a servant. He's talking about you had the image of God and now you became the image of the slave. Being made in the likeness of men, number three, and being found in the fashion as a man. He humbled himself or he was obedient. Becoming obedient even unto death. Yes, even death on a cross, he humbled, he belittled. He took on the form of a servant. There's a period, therefore God. Also highly exalted him. Hallelujah. A question important for you, dear friends. Why did the father exalt the son?

The word, therefore, with any translation of the Bible is the reason why something is taken. Therefore, the father exalted him. And why did give He give him this name above every name? Because there's a law. The law in the church, I'm sorry, everyone who humbles himself will be exalted and everyone who exalts himself will be humbled. Even Christ demonstrates this who goes through immense belittlement. His incarnation was a humiliation. In his book about the the history of the church, he writes that Christianity is the only world religion where the central event is the humiliation or belittlement of God.

The gods demanded that people would raise themselves up to them. But the only world religion where God condescends to us is Christianity. The gospel is the path from high to low. He being God. The Bible says instead of the joy that was before him, he suffered the cross. He didn't have to leave this joy. No one was kicking him out of heaven. The Bible says he himself humbled himself and it gives us an immense example. This is where the height is. The level of your height is determined by the level of your belittlement.

The lower you are willing to go for your neighbor, the higher you'll be in their eyes and the higher you are in your own eyes. The Bible says those who are elevated in eyes of that is very low in the eyes of God. God has it all flipped backwards. The Bible's full paradoxes. And the humiliation and the shame of it becomes a throne. Glory to Christ. It's a humiliating, very shameful death. Death that is a curse for those who hang on a tree, as the law says. He suffered shame. Maximal humiliation. Body was stripped naked. He was beaten, he was spat on. And people wrote, this is the king of the Jews. Rome is laughing in his face. You are not the king, we are the kings. We can crucify you, but you can't crucify us. Get off the cross. If you're the great guy, demonstrate your glory, your authority. But in that moment, they don't understand the true heights. It is hidden in immense humiliation.

There's an interesting theological moment. I believe that Jesus is God. I believe that Jesus has all the glory and all the majesty, but there's an interesting detail in this text. Where after death and resurrection Did the father more highly exalt the son? And what understanding should we receive this? What is the glory that the son didn't have or that he was exalted into that the father exalted. Some people think that this is the human Christ in terms of his flesh, and it was in the eyes of the people and the human incarnation, but even the God man, Jesus Christ. His height from the throne goes down to the very, very lowest. His height from the throne of heaven, he goes to the lowest parts of the earth. Similar to the story of Joseph from a beloved son of his father into prison, into the dungeon, into places we don't understand. He put him and then he becomes the second person in Egypt with a new name. Without the name, also the, the honor of the father. Everyone who humbles himself, the Bible guarantees will be, will be elevated if, and everyone who exalt himself he will be humbled.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Friends, this law works not just on the angels, not just on Christ, but also on us. Look at this picture.

The Pope washes and kisses the feet of 12 prisoners in Argentina, and many people look at this with great disdain. This is so uncomfortable. This is so not right. According to the fact this man washes the feet of the people. But our God, absolutely. He's a completely different reality and he humbles himself to us and he washes our feet. He goes through the valley of humbling, of humiliation and gives us this image as a leader. And he says, I'm giving you an example. Your height. It is hidden in your readiness to wash the feet. Your height. It is hidden in your readiness. To be a slave without a name in the world is the opposite. The servants are the ones who wash the feet, but I become the slave for you. I am the image of God. I created the planets. I was always in the will of the father. All the glory and honor of the universe belongs to me. But I am washing your feet because, and this is the height in this. There's exaltation in this. There's immense glory, and with this, you will defeat the world. Glory to Christ.

So dear friend says, where the Lord puts you on the lowest part of your path where he knocks the ground out from, from below your feet, do not rush to be opposed to God's hand. It sometimes this is the path to glory. The Bible is full of paradoxes.

This law works on God's children, on God's people. Sometimes the Bible is illogical in the eyes of the world.

We have to correct it a little bit because that's not how it works in real life, but look at James. But let the brother of low degree glory in his, what? The brother who is of low degree, the brother who is humbled, who is low, who is in the state of slaves. Let him glory in his height in his high state. And later he says, and the rich one in his hu humiliation or humbling the Bible. To the, to the, the Bible says, you must be poor.

In order to be strong, you must be weak because only when I'm weak, I am strong. To be wise, you have to be foolish for the sake of Christ to live, you must die, or else you will not live. To be exalted, you must become a slave. To be first, you must be last. The world says something completely different. You want to have something, achieve something, show that you mean something. Jesus, you can descend, call down a legion of angels. Why do you need a legion, but at least one? They could just grind this Roman Empire to powder. Why are you allowing people to spit in your face? Why are you quiet? Jesus, don't you hear what they're saying? Write a five page post on Facebook, how wrong they are. Write about how just you are, how good you are, and how wrong they are. Lord, don't you hear? You're being accused. Jesus. There's death that has threatened you. You are king. That's not the kind of Messiah we were waiting for. When will you overcome Rome? Is the emperor the son of God or are you the son of God? These questions, they always trouble the first apostles and the first Christians. But at the end, the gospel of Mark, it ends in a very interesting way. When the Roman centurion standing before the cross, he's representing all of the Roman system. He declares that you are the son of God. Not the emperor who calls himself the son of God. And your kingdom and your authority comes through the cross. Friends, you cannot have glory without crucifixion. We are walking on the steps of Christ. The Bible says, ask Christ are those who are of Christ.

Conclusion

If you want heights. If you want to be on the Thrones, you should not be calling down legions of angels. You should be, you should be crucifying yourself. In maximal humbling there's victory. The, power of love defeats this Roman machine. Ancient historians say that Christianity destroyed the power of the Roman Empire with soft strength. With soft strength of love. When the slave and the master, they become Christians together and they're taking communion together at church, they can no longer have the same relationship of slave and master, because they're both in a body of Christ, they're brothers in Christ, and the important aristocrats of the Roman Empire began to repent. The whole system, economic, political, everything began to crumble. Why? Because there's an idea, refute yourself. Refute yourself. Refute yourself. Refute yourself. Your life no longer belongs to you. You're bought. You are crucified. We no longer live for ourselves. We're not, we're not dying for ourselves.

The Bible says, whether alive or dead, we're always Christs. Glory to Christ. And the same path is followed by the people of God. Look at some of the stories. Look at the stories of the Old Testament. God chooses some people for ministry.

Sometime there's the oil, there's an anointing for example, in the story of David or Joseph, a powerful son who was born by the favorite wife of the father. He is in his home in the beginning or even Saul, a wonderful career as a Pharisee, but there's a great valley of humbling, of belittlement for many, many years or later after decades, there was immense glory. And sometimes this humiliation or this humbling is much more important to God than my beginning of my glory and ministry. Moses spends 40 years of his life in the desert. Lord, you, you wasted the best years of your life in the desert. And when he's 80. Lord says, Moses, it is time to step into your car. It is time to get into your ministry. Go to Egypt, Lord, why not? When I was 40, when I was ready to slaughter Egyptian by Egyptian and to, I was so zealous, I wanted to serve you. Moses, then you were big. I was small. And now everything's backwards. You became the most meek man on earth. And I became great in your life. And now you're ready, so go.

Friends, sometimes God is not using us because we didn't finish the path of the valley. Allow me to tell you something simple and something important. If you have gifts and an anointing from God, And even certain success in something. This is the evidence that God chose you for something, but only a broken spirit is the readiness to step into this calling again. If you have gifts, if you have a calling, and if you have a beginner success, God is certainly preparing you for something. Only your inner brokenness and your inner humility is the beginning of being ready to do it.

The glory of Sinai is impossible without the humiliation of the desert. The height of Moses through history is impossible without the many. Difficult, dreadful years in the desert. Because the scripture says, But to this man I will look. This is who people look at. Look at this wonderful brother of David. He's, he's tall. He does fitness. He's going to be an awesome king. Wonderful. He wonderfully understands all the technology in the church. He's going to be a cool singer, cool technician, but you can't put you guys somewhere else. Wait a minute. Hold on. There's another one who has forgotten about when a prophet came to visit. You're looking, not like I'm looking. You're already looking at the heights, but I'm looking at the lowest to deliver to the exaltation, and this is the man to who I look even in this auditorium.

To one who is poor and contrary in spirit, and the one who trembles before my word. Glory to Jesus. This is who I need. The Lord says, I want a person who humbled himself so that I can lift them up. You might. I miss you. I have a mission for them. I have a calling for them. But I'm waiting for the broken spirit. I'm waiting for this contrite spirit. And sometimes I will allow situations outside of life that will break a proud heart. That will break for their own good, their own egoistical, Characters, because I cannot give grace to someone who's already high in their own eyes.

I need a, a broken brother, broken sister in order to give them a mission, to give them a grace, to lift them up to such a height that everyone will talk about and to give them a name. Maybe they had a good name before this.

The Example of Mary

Very good example, and we're going to go to the finish. Recently we were celebrating Christmas. I love the story of Mary. I was thinking, Lord, why did you choose this woman? Who is Mary? Did Herod not have daughters who were more beautiful, more mighty, better. Lord, the daughter of the high priest, the daughter of Pilate. Why does God choose this woman from a poor family, her husband, also a poor man breakfast, maybe after breakfast, she's there washing the dishes. Gabriel appears in the house and says, Mary, you have received grace from God. From now on, the nations will call you Blessed. Sister, do you believe in this story?

You have received grace from God. Have you thought of this story? You have received grace from God. Mary, this great height, it waits for you in your life. You can't imagine what will happen next. The generations will consider you to be blessed me from Nazareth, this poor village on the. edge of the world. Lord, did you see me? Did you see the checks of my husband? We're not from that family. That, that's not where great people are born. Lord, we don't have great education. I'm from a simple family. My parents work at the factory. I earn very little money. I don't have great opportunities. Mary, you received grace. When the angel left, poor Mary probably wiping down the plate, she begins to be filled with the Spirit of God. She begins to sing. She calls herself very interestingly in this story, she says, I am the slave of God, a very important word. In this great prophetic song, she uses a very interesting phrase.

A phrase that is an answer to this question. Mary, why will high exaltation come into your life? She said, my spirit is rejoicing in God, my Savior. For he looked upon the lowest state of his handmaidens. In a Russian. It says, you looked at the rejection of your handmaiden. Why did God choose Mary? She wasn't very good, very cool, very She didn't have a cool figure. Not a famous family. I will look upon the one who has a broken and contract spirit in order to lift them up, in order to give them glory, to give them a future, to give them a name. But I'm seeking these people today in this auditorium. I'm looking for, those people are people who will look at my son, who was at such a heights, and he's so powerfully humbled himself.

He lowered himself. He washed the feet of each one of us, and he wasn't ashamed. The Bible says instead of the glory and the joy that was before him. He suffered the cross and now he says it is your turn. You have to have the same thoughts as he. You shouldn't be looking for the first place, but the higher you were, the lower you must be to humble yourself because God gives grace to such people.

The last text in Peter. This chapter with the fifth chapter that I'm going to leave with all of you advice before the prayer. Likewise, you younger ones. Be subject to the elders, yet all of you gird yourselves up with humility.

It is not a very, very close translation. It says, clothe yourself with humility. So put on humility in relation to one another. So put on humility in relation to one another. Why? Why would you do that? Because God resists the proud. The one who lifts himself up, he will be humble. But to the humble, God gives grace.

Mary, you received grace. You looked at the lowest state of your handmaiden, of your servant. She doesn't call herself by name, she doesn't say, Lord, you saw Mary. I am your slave. Let it be according to your words. Can we say today, Lord, I am your servant. I'm the slave Lord. Give me this heart of Mary. Teach me to be like Mary, so that into my life, this grace can come.

Finishing with these wonderful words, so humble yourself. Therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that's the way down right. Why that he may exalt you in due time. Glory to Christ, your friends. Amen.