Two Dinner Lessons

Dennis McCallum
Luke 14:7-24

Jesus teaches and extolls humility, or servanthood, as a very different way of life than pride. Different forms of postmodern pride are explored and contrasted with the Biblical view of humility. Opportunities to learn humility are also discussed. Includes references to Aristotle, Stanton, Andrew Murray, and C.S. Lewis.\r\n

Dinner With the Pharisees

Scott Risley
Luke 14:1-35

Jesus uses a banquet with some Pharisees to illustrate the Pharisees' pride compared to Biblical humility. Prideful people exalt themselves, are competitive, don't have time for God, invest in others for selfish reasons, and ultimately reject God and His leadership in their lives. People with true humility can admit when they are wrong, try to raise others up, turn to God, and count the cost of discipleship. Christ is the ultimate example of humility. God is preparing a banquet in heaven and His invitation extends to all people.

Do You See Anything?

Gary DeLashmutt
Mark 8:29-35

By restoring sight to a blind man Jesus teaches his disciples about spiritual blindness. The cause of spiritual blindness is a hardened heart that can only be cured by Jesus. Jesus instructs his followers how to cooperate in curing their hardened hearts by denying self, taking up their cross and following Jesus.

Ministry Motives and Methods (Part 1)

Conrad Hilario
Luke 9:37-56

Jesus confronts His disciples' values with five principles about serving Him: 1) requires faith; 2) requires humility; 3) excludes a competitive spirit; 4) should be characterized by love; and 5) starts by aligning yourself with Him.

The War Within

Ryan Lowery
Romans 7:14-25

Oftentimes we find ourselves trapped in a pattern of sin that we can't seem to break free from. It can be easy to resort to quitting or faking it. Instead, we need to return to God empty-handed. Freedom from the power of sin can only come from a continual choice to surrender to God in humility.

Jesus Reaches Rejects

Conrad Hilario
Luke 5:12-32

Jesus shows mercy and love to the rejects of society including the leper, the paralyzed man, and the tax collector. The Pharisees, by contrast, tried to protect themselves from evil. Jesus was able to transform the rejects of society because they were humble rather than self-righteous and recognized their need for forgiveness. If we want to be Christ-like, we need to be prepared to go beyond what is comfortable in order to share our faith and love all people as Jesus did.

Two Strange Parables of Faith

Jim Leffel
Hebrews 11:6

The apostles' request for increased faith leads Jesus to address faith and explain that it is not the strength of your belief, but where you place your trust. Jesus also teaches our attitude of faith needs to be one of humility; a child with a father, or a bond-servant with a master.

Jesus' Genealogy

Conrad Hilario
Matthew 1:7-12

Jesus' genealogy reveals God's ability to carry out His plan exactly as He said He would through prophecy, e.g., the Davidic Covenant. The accounts in Luke and Matthew both explicitly link Jesus the Messiah with the line of King David. Jesus' genealogy includes unseemly characters, revealing God's desire to use common, sinful people in His plan to rescue humanity.

Jesus' Early Life

Conrad Hilario
Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus, the Messiah, finally appears in history. He's born into very humble conditions, revealing to us his true nature. He came as a human to break us free from the chains of the law, to identify with humans (enabling him to be their perfect substitute), and to die on the cross. There were many reactions to Jesus' arrival: people at the inn ignored him, Herod was a pseudo-seeker, Simeon and Anna were genuine seekers, and the shepherds/wise men were ready to trust Christ.