WHERE SHOULD YOU SIT?

WHERE SHOULD YOU SIT?

Luke 14: 7-11

Intro:

            It is human nature to want the best of everything.  We want the best houses, the best cars, and even the best seat in the house.  Think about it. When someone comes to your house, do you not try to give him or her the best seat?  Even if one of your kids is in it, you want them to have the best. 

For example, if any of you were to come to our house, which of these three chairs would you want?  Would you want the beautiful black and white chair from Rooms To GO?  Would you perhaps choose to take your chances with the “kind of white” chair in the middle? (First that’s not our chair it is my sister-in-laws. Secondly, the seat isn’t attached and I just don’t trust that thing.)  Maybe you would choose to perch upon the purple and pink stool?  The girls use to have a princes piano, and that tiny stool went with the piano. (Note: the stool remains but the piano is no more.)

            I can safely assume that you would want the best seat, and certainly Laney and I would want to make sure that you were comfortable while under our roof, and whatever we had to do to make that happen, we would make sure you had a great seat in our home.  

We even see this same lesson applied in the worship service.  The best seat is apparently the back seat, because they are the seats that fill up first.  Even the apostles struggled with the idea of the best seat in glory. (Mark 10: 36-37)

            In Luke 14: 7-11, Jesus offers a parable which illustrates the idea of the seat which his followers should choose.  I’ll tell you this, for some in this room today; it will come as a surprise which seat we SHOULD take.

In this lesson today, we want to examine the seat that we should assume in the house of the Lord.  The problem is that it goes against almost everything that we as people teach.  I want you to understand that I'm not here today to talk to you about your physical seat in the building.  In truth I no longer mind if folks set in the back pews, because that allows me to set up front and experience the beautiful singing.  No.  I'm here this morning to talk to you about your view of yourself, and where you should fit into God’s plan for your life.  Let’s look at what Jesus has to say on the subject.

I THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE IS THE LAST SEAT.

1. “But when you are invited, go and set down in the lowest place."

A. We need to remember that Christ main concern here is not seating arrangements    at weddings.

B. This is a parable, and the key point is found in verse 11.

2. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

A. This goes against everything that we think.

B. Remember, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

C. This saying simply means that being first and winning are the only important things to some people.

3. Ideas such as this choke on the teachings of Jesus.

A. Mark 9: 35 "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."

B. Both Jesus and coach Lombardy are telling us how to get to the top, but the means by which this is accomplished is like night and day.

C. Christ encourages you to put your neighbor first, while Coach Lombardy teaches self-gratification.

II THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE IS THE LEAST DESIRED SEAT.

1. Again, this goes against everything that mankind teaches.

A. Luke 14: 8 “One more honorable than you.”

B. The problem with this particular seat is that it calls for us to take an honest view of ourselves.

2. Jesus tells us here that we should count ourselves least of all.

A. This seat requires us to acknowledge the notion that the needs, wants, wishes, and desires of others should come ahead of our own.

B. In this seat, we understand that man teaches “survival of the fittest”, while Christ teaches exaltation of the humble.

3. Why do we shy away from humility?

A. We are fearful of humiliation that someone might find out who we really are.

B. Did you know that one of the most commonly shop lifted items is Preparation H?

E. It takes humility and real need to hold that stuff in your hand, walk to the front, and make a purchase.

F. It also takes humility and real need to set in the least desirable seat.

G. Matthew 5: 15 let us take the least desirable seat, and allow others to see the light we are able to shine from that chair.

III THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE IS THE LEARNING SEAT.

1. Most of us are always looking for a shortcut to the top.

A. The problem with that is that we miss out on life’s lessons.

B. We want the graduating tassel without the necessary hassle.

C. We need a new attitude in the church.

D. We need to develop an “MBA”, which stands for “Mop Bucket Attitude.”

2. Remember that the learning seat is not the lazy seat.

A. Jesus is not telling you to not strive to be all you can be.

B. What he is saying is to not promote yourself, rather allow others to promote you.

C. If we want to go to the top, we must first go to the bottom.

D. James 4: 10 "Humble yourself in the site of the Lord, and he will lift you up."