What is Exalted Among Men
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Most people in the world are not fans of tests. There are some out there who get excited about tests. They’re the same ones who remind the teacher that she forgot to assign homework over the weekend. But most people would rather not take a test. That’s not just true for kids and teenagers; it’s true for adults as well. I have been known to give an occasional quiz in Sunday School. I hear the groans when everyone finds out. If given the option between taking a test and not, almost everyone would vote not to take the test.
But in reality, tests are everywhere. We just don’t usually call them tests. When you go to work, you probably start out in a lower position. Even if you’re in management, you’re probably going to start in an entry-level management position. The more experience you gain, the more you prove your maturity or reliance, the further you move up through the ranks. This is true in all of life, not just what we would consider our worldly lives. This is true in our spiritual lives as well.
In the text we’re reading this morning, Jesus continues teaching on money. But he moves away from just money and moves toward holy living, of which money plays a part. Essentially, Jesus taught there there are three tests that we are given that reveal our progress in holiness and devotion.
The first test that we encounter in this passage is the test of lucre. The second is the test of loftiness. Thirdly, we encounter the test of the Law.
1. The Test of Lucre
2. The Test of Loftiness
3. The Test of Law
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
The Test of Lucre
The Test of Lucre
The first test to show how we are growing in holiness and devotion comes as a test of lucre. If something is lucrative, it makes us money; it makes us wealth. So the test of lucre is the test of money and possessions. This would seem like a good test in which to start since mankind has almost always needed some type of system to buy goods, whether that was beads, furs, coins, or some other object. So it seems right and necessary for God to have instructions and boundaries as to what we are to do with the lucre that we have. In the Old Testament, a person of great wealth may lend a person with little wealth some money. But he was to do it without much interest; if the person was actually poor, he was to lend at no interest at all. One was not to cheat a person out of money by having unjust scales. We are told that we ought not seek to get rich quick because we will quickly lose it. The New Testament says that many people seeking to get rich are plunging themselves into ruin. Why? Because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Pastors are told not to be greedy or to be in the ministry for what Peter called “filthy lucre.”
As we saw last week, God has given us abundantly out of his Grace Account that we may have enough for ourselves and take the leftovers and put them into a grace account for others. And here Jesus says that we can test our growth in holiness and devotion by what we do with our money.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Notice there are three questions that we can ask from verses 10-12 and then one conclusion.
Question number 1:
Are we faithful with the little we’ve been given?
How we handle the lucre that we’ve been given, actually reveals our character. There’s a dichotomy here that Jesus brings up. Remember that Jesus will often make hard, distinctive lines. This or that. Black or white. In this case: faithful or dishonest. In the context of this verse, Jesus is both pointing backward at the parable of the dishonest steward and forward to the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which we’ll get to soon.
Both point to one main point: we as believers ought to be using our wealth to help the less fortunate, or as I said last week, we are to reduce the burden of others. Are we doing that with our money? Are we being faithful and representing God well by giving graciously and generously? Or are we being dishonest with the money and poorly representing our gracious Father? How we spend our money reveals our character.
Question number 2:
If we cannot be trusted in the minors, how can we be trusted in the majors?
Some of you may know the story of Jim Morris. If you’ve seen The Rookie movie with Dennis Quaid playing the part of Morris, you know a Hollywood version of the story. But the part that they actually got right was the part I want to talk about. Morris was a 35 year old high school baseball coach in Big Lake, TX. He used to be a pitcher in the minors, but he blew out his shoulder and had to settle for coaching in a little town. In 1999, Morris promised that if the team went to the championship, he would try out for the pros. They did and he did.
At 35 years of age, he was throwing as fast and even faster than he did when he was in the minors. He was signed within days by the Devil Rays. He went to training camp and started in Double A ball in June. Within a week they saw he was good enough for Triple A, and he moved up. By September, he was playing in the Majors.
Past performance reveals future conduct. This happens not just in Major League Baseball, but in a fast food restaurants. If a person cannot handle bagging food, then he probably isn’t going to be the one cooking it. If she can’t be trusted to clean tables well, then she won’t be trusted to clean the dishes. If a resident doctor can’t cut the mustard then they won’t be placed as one of the chief surgeons of a hospital. If you can’t be trusted in a minor area, how can you be trusted in a greater area?
Question number 3?
If we can’t be trusted with someone else’s stuff, how can we be trusted with our own?
This may seem backwards at first. We may think it should be, if we can’t be trusted with our own, then who will trust us with someone else’s? But Jesus has it right.
People tend to take better care of someone else’s stuff than they do their own. That which they know must be given back tends to be placed under better care than that which does not. I remember having a brand new Dodge Neon back when I turned 16. That car got trashed, literally. It was as if I lived in my car. Fast food wrappers, clothes, baseball equipment, books for school, and who knows what all. But soon after I got it, a semi sideswiped it while I was at work. He came in and let me know and so it was repaired under his insurance. While it was, I got a 1998 Dodge Ram for two or three weeks. Guess what, no wrappers, no clothes, no books or ball equipment was left in that truck. It was about as pristine in my returning it as it was in my receiving it.
Jesus says here if you want to see your growth in holiness and devotion, look at how you’re treating God’s money because it really is God’s money, isn’t it? We’re just taking care of it for him. He’s graciously giving you that money to use, but if we can’t handle it, why should we be allowed our own?
And the conclusion that these three questions help us to come to is whether we are worshipping the lucre or Lord? The gift or the Giver? The money or the Master? We can’t have two loves. God says “I will not share your heart and your devotion with money.” But guess what, money says the same thing about God. We can’t have two loves. We can’t have two masters. So we either trust the God who promises that if we seek his kingdom first all these things he will add to us, or we trust the lucrative job, the lucrative investments, the lucrative opportunities that promise us nothing.
Do you see how lucre can be a test of our holiness and devotion? Taking this conclusion that we cannot serve the Lord and lucre, let me ask one more question. Who calls the shots in your life? God or Money?
Often when we are tempted to buy something, if we are in a logical frame of mind, we probably ask ourselves, can I afford this? Rarely do we ask, would God have me buy this regardless of what I can afford? That same question of affordability is asked many times when we encounter an opportunity to give and the same question of God’s desire is just as often avoided or ignored. If that’s how we make decisions, it very well may be that we’ve discovered our true master.
The Test of Loftiness
The Test of Loftiness
But lucre is not the only test. There is a second test and that is the test of loftiness.
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
In this section there is a subtle shift away from money. We’re still dealing with it, but it isn’t the only thing with which we are dealing. The Pharisees were obviously lovers of money, and as we saw from one former Pharisee by the name of Paul, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and it leads people to ruin and destruction. He knew by personal experience how these men thought and what they were willing to do.
But the problem was that the Pharisees thought that money was their reward for their being so good. Jesus said that they were anything but good. They looked good to others because they justified their actions to anyone who may question them.
Do you think God would give me so much money if I were evil? Do you think God would put me in such a place of authority and power if I were evil? And in fact, if we aren’t careful, we may get our wires crossed and ask, “Isn’t that what Jesus just said?” But in reality, it isn’t what Jesus said. The questions that we looked at were not to be considered in light of how much a person has, but in how faithful a person was with what they’ve been given.
Jesus did not mean that godly people get a whole bunch of money. He said if you want to see your holiness and devotion, look at how you treat money.
Now he’s saying something similar, but not just about lucre but about lofty aspirations. The Pharisees were able to pull the wool over people because people can only see what the Pharisees wanted them to see. But God sees the heart. He sees the lofty aspirations that we exalt in our dreams.
And so we need to ask ourselves to what end do we aspire? What will make us believe we’ve arrived? Is it a certain position in our company? Is it a certain salary? Is it a certain weight? Is it a certain status among moms or dads or pastors or professionals? What is the thing upon which we have set our sights?
Beloved, God has called us to aspire to godliness—holiness and devotion. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be a good mom or dad. It doesn’t mean we have to forego the promotion. But it does mean that our number one goal is godliness. And so, the test that we are given now is to look deep in ourselves and ask, “what do I exalt in my mind and heart? What are my lofty dreams that mean the world to me, that I would do anything to attain, that I need to feel whole?” And if it is anything other than godliness—holiness and devotion, then Jesus says that it is an abomination. Why? It’s plain and simple: it is your idol.
Jesus stated that the Law and and Prophets were set in place until John the Baptist. Now there was the gospel of the Kingdom and people are forcing their way into it. In other words, people are clamoring to get in. The Law and the Prophets, in other words the Old Testament, spoke of the coming kingdom. It promised the kingdom would come one day. And now the good news that the kingdom had arrived was spreading and people were clamoring. But not the Pharisees. That’s the point. They sought what was exalted by men and ignored the kingdom, proving that one cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve God and money. We cannot serve God and lofty dreams of grandeur.
Do you remember what Jesus asked,
For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
The Test of the Law
The Test of the Law
But there is not just the tests of lucre and loftiness. There is still the test of the Law.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
The gospel is the gospel of grace. The kingdom of God is based on the fact that God is gracious and kind and loving. It is open to all who would receive it. The Pharisees would not. They were all about what was exalted among men, and to this Jesus said test your desires against the Law. Jesus was not anti-law. He was pro-law. But he was pro-law so long as the law was used and understood correctly. This is why he says that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than it is for one dot of the law to become void, literally one horn of the law. You may have heard the words jot and tittle before. Those are minor strokes of Hebrew letters, but often times can make huge differences. Think about the little stroke that is in a capital G. Take away that stroke and you’re left with a C. Take away the top part of an f, the little curve (or horn) and you’re left with a t. Jesus said that not one minor stroke, not one hook of the law will be made void.
It is the law by which we are tested. It is the law by which we are judged. And that is how we ought to use it ourselves!
Beloved, the law is a mirror that shows us who we are. It mirrors for us our imperfections, our wrinkles, our blemishes, our spots. That’s the purpose of the law. It’s what we are tested by. It has no ability and therefore it can never function as a cleanser or beautifier or a purifier or a perfecter. In fact, if you try and clean yourself with a mirror, you’re liable to cut yourself and maybe scar yourself for life. That’s not what the law does! It doesn’t cleanse or purify. That’s what grace does. That’s what the gospel of Jesus Christ does.
Ephesians 5:25–27 (ESV)
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
So we use the Law as a test to see in what areas of our lives we have neglected to live in grace. And then we plead for Christ to cleanse by the washing of water with the word so that that area will be one of splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
See the test of the Law helps us to see where we are in our holiness and devotion, not so that we fall into self-loathing or even self-exaltation, but so that we run to Jesus all the more or we say with Paul:
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, Jesus died on our behalf and rose again on our behalf so that he could make us holy and devoted to our Triune God. And while there are tests that help us to see where we are on the road to holiness and devotion, it is Christ and his Spirit who work deep within us to make us that way. We may think that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks or that you’re stuck where you are and you’ll never get any better, but beloved hear these words.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We all know those air-dancers at car dealerships that flop around. Without the fan and the wind blowing through them they just lie on the ground never doing what they are capable of doing; they are empty and flat and motionless. But put turn on the fan and fill them with air and they do exactly what is expected of them. So it is with us. Christ lives in us by his Holy Spirit. We are called not to grieve the Spirit. We are told not to quench the Spirit. We are warned of outraging or insulting the Spirit. In essence, we are told that we are not to turn off the fan and remove the wind. If we do, we cannot be whom God has made us to be.
Lucre, Loftiness, and the Law can all help us examine where we are in our holiness. But none of them will ever make us holy. Only Christ can do that. It is in Christ alone that we are washed and made spotless.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Help us to utilize these tests correctly. Help us to see the flaws, the pockets of sin—greed which is idolatry. Give us the insight to see the law as a mirror but then fall upon the gospel of grace to wash us clean.
Thank you for Jesus, who came so that we may be purified, and found spotless and without wrinkle.
I pray this in Jesus’s name. Amen.