March – 3 – Called to Serve

Sunday School Lesson

March 3

Lesson 1 (KJV)

Called to Serve

 

Devotional Reading: Luke 14:15–24

Background Scripture: Luke 14:7–14

 

Luke 14:7–14

7. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

 

8. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

 

9. And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

 

10. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

 

11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

12. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

 

13. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

 

14. And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

 

Key Verse

Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.—Luke 14:11

 

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

 

1. Describe Jesus’ view of humility.

 

2. Distinguish between behaviors that indicate humility and those that don’t.

 

3. Demonstrate humility in one choice in the week ahead.

HOW TO SAY IT

Abraham	Ay-bruh-ham.
Deuteronomy	Due-ter-ahn-uh-me.
Jerusalem	Juh-roo-suh-lem.
Moses	Mo-zes or Mo-zez.

Introduction

1. God’s Way Up Is Down

Some drivers hate to make turns against heavy traffic. Faced with the need to turn at an intersection across several busy lanes, they will drive out of their way to avoid the turn. In countries where people drive on the right side of the road, they will make three right turns to avoid one left turn. For them, the way left is right, and right, and right again.

Jesus expressed a similar idea throughout His teaching. He taught that under God’s reign, the way up, the way of honor and exaltation, is actually down, in lowly, self-giving service to others. Those who seek prestige, power, wealth, and status will be brought low. But those who lower themselves, who seek nothing for themselves and instead minister to others in humility, God will exalt. Jesus, the divine Lord who gave himself in death for undeserving sinners, taught and demonstrated that humility is the way to exaltation. This is the theme of today’s text.

 

1. Lesson Context

Today’s text is part of the account of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem; the account extends from Luke 9:51 to 19:28. Jesus was approaching Israel’s sacred city, having warned His disciples before the trip began that there He would be handed over to His enemies. They would put Him to death, but He would be raised again to life by God the Father (Luke 9:22). Although Jesus stressed, “Let these sayings sink down into your ears,” it didn’t (9:44).

The immediate backdrop of our lesson is an occasion on which Jesus was invited to a Sabbath day meal at the home of a powerful religious leader. At this grand meal was a man afflicted with dropsy, a malady characterized by painful swelling of the limbs (Luke 14:1, 2). Jesus confronted the other guests about their objections to His healing the afflicted man on the Sabbath. Receiving only silence as a response, Jesus proceeded to heal the man, pointing out their hypocrisy in the process (14:3–6). Our text is divided into two parts: advice given to guests at a banquet and advice given to the host.

 

1. The Humble Guest

(Luke 14:7–11)

1. Unpretentious (vv. 7–9)
2. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

Our text today begins with a teaching of Jesus identified as a parable. The noun being translated occurs 50 times in the New Testament, and 48 of those are in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Speaking in parables is a key characteristic of Jesus’ teaching. Parables range from brief comparisons (“Unto what is the kingdom of God like?… It is like a grain of mustard seed,” Luke 13:18, 19), to elaborate stories (“A certain man had two sons,” 15:11–32). Parables are designed to provoke the listeners’ thought processes and challenge the listeners’ assumptions.

Jesus delivers this parable at a grand meal. Shared meals in Jesus’ culture are occasions for the display of social status. The wealthy could display their abundance on such occasions, and places at the table closest to the host are regarded as carrying the greatest honor. Those not invited to such banquets can observe the proceedings from outside, and the ostentatious display of wealth is often the host’s objective. These factors all play a role in our understanding of Jesus’ teaching in this text, though His focus is on far more than correcting the customs of His day.

Jesus obviously speaks to those present with Him at the meal. But by calling them those which were bidden (invited), the writer Luke emphasizes that Jesus speaks to people who are in a position of privilege. Their important host has invited them as his peers to his sumptuous table. None of them are in positions of weakness like the seriously ill man whom Jesus has just healed.

In response to the invitation, and as people generally do, these seek the most prominent places at the table (the chief rooms). We might think of how people at a crowded event featuring open seating rush to get the best seats with good views.

 

8. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him.

 

Weddings are common occasions for large meals to which many people are invited. Thus they provide a fitting backdrop for Jesus’ example. His counsel is to avoid the typical behavior of assuming the best position (the highest room) that one can get at the table. To do so is to risk embarrassment. Someone worthy of more honor than oneself might also be in attendance, and that person’s presence might result in a socially awkward outcome!

 

What Do You Think? In what ways can your congregation challenge common secular ideas about who deserves honor?   Digging Deeper How does the parable in Matthew 20:1–16 inform your conclusions, if at all?

As Jesus speaks of those more honourable, we hear an echo of His description of himself on other occasions. In the upper room at the last supper, He will admonish His disciples for the argument about who is greatest, noting that He, clearly the greatest of their company, lives among them as one who serves (Luke 22:24–27). Jesus’ own nature as a servant, not their habitual desire for prominence, is what must determine the position that His followers seek.

 

9. And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

 

The end result of seeking the highest, most honored place may well be the opposite: shame. The host of the banquet, the one to whom guests are beholden for the privilege of attending the meal, may tell the honor-seeking guest to give up the place of prominence to allow the more honored person to have the proper seat. But isn’t that just common sense? Don’t those listening to Jesus know this (and perhaps have experienced it) already? Most likely! But there’s a point here that must not be missed: it’s not the guests who determine who takes which seats; that privilege belongs to the host of the banquet.

Just before telling this story, Jesus had honored an uninvited guest, the man with dropsy who humbly sought healing, by acknowledging his suffering and restoring him to wholeness. In doing so, He accepted the scorn of religious leaders who saw His actions as a Sabbath violation. Like the host in His story, Jesus exalted the one who took a low position. Like the wise guest in His story, Jesus willingly takes the lowest place, serving others instead of himself. His permanent move to the seat of highest honor becomes certain (Luke 22:69; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1).

 

What Do You Think? What are some situations in which you should do better at humbling yourself?   Digging Deeper What Scripture passage, other than today’s text, challenges you the most in this regard? Why?

Donut Do That!

It seemed like a good idea at the time: impersonate a police officer to get a discount on donuts. So Charles Barry pulled up to the pickup window of a donut shop, flashed a sheriff’s badge, and asked for the discount for law-enforcement officers.

The plan worked so well that the fake cop returned multiple times! But eventually an employee got suspicious. When he balked during one of Barry’s visits, Barry again displayed his badge and pointed to a holstered firearm. The clerk took down Barry’s license plate number and reported the incident to the police.

Barry was caught and charged with impersonating a law-enforcement officer and improper exhibition of a firearm. The police shield and weapon in Barry’s possession were real, belonging to his father, a retired police officer.

Posturing catches up with the pretender sooner or later. Pretending we are entitled to something ends up fooling only ourselves. The eventual unmasking and humiliation are quite costly! Most of us know this either from observation or personal experience. So, why do we still do it?

—J. E.

 

1. Exalted (vv. 10, 11)
2. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

 

Jesus’ counsel is to do the opposite: to seek the lowest room rather than the highest. Doing so not only avoids the potential shame of being moved to a lower place—indeed, there is no lower place—but also makes possible the honor that the host will exalt the humble guest. Jesus adds to this image by having the host address the humble guest as Friend. At this banquet, the true friend of the host is not the person who seeks status but the one who acts in lowliness.

From this new position the humble guest will receive due recognition from the other guests. (The word translated worship is elsewhere translated “honour” [John 5:41, 44]; thus there is no implication of the kind of worship bestowed only on God.) The host reverses the guests’ situations so that the humble guest receives the honor that the self-seeking guest had sought.

Jesus’ words mirror Proverbs 25:6, 7:

Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen.

The context of Jesus’ teaching shows, however, that He goes beyond that well-known wisdom. The person who seeks status ignores not just the threat of humiliation, but also the revelation of God in Christ. The person who humbly puts others above self follows Christ as Lord and example. The wisdom of the banquet is not simply about how to conduct oneself in public but how to live as God’s humble servant. Like Jesus, such a servant gives up status for the sake of others.

 

11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

Jesus ends the first of the two parables with a summary statement, one that He repeats on other occasions (Matthew 23:12; Luke 18:14; compare James 4:10). God does not grant glory to those who exalt themselves, but to those who humbly take the lowly position, sacrificing themselves for the sake of others as Jesus did.

History begins with humans who, given an ideal world in which to live, abandon God’s provision for the offer of self-exaltation (Genesis 3:5). In the story that unfolds, God grants His promises and does His work through those in lowly circumstances: Abraham, an elderly, childless man; Moses, a speech-impaired fugitive; David, an immature shepherd boy; even all Israel, a weak nation formed in slavery. Meanwhile, the great nations and people of the world, seeking status and power for themselves, come to nothing at God’s hand.

In Jesus that story comes to its climax. He has status that belongs only to God, but He willingly takes the lowly position, even to the point of death, for the sake of those in need. His actions reveal the nature of God and of true humanity made in God’s image. Jesus’ story of guests at the banquet illustrates this larger biblical story and revelation of God. God always turns upside down our ideas of strength and status.

 

1. The Humble Host

(Luke 14:12–14)

1. Wrong Action (v. 12)
2. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

Jesus’ teaching on humility is for all, host as well as guest. Thus a second story focuses on the host, encouraging similar selfless lowliness in the service of others.

Invitations to meals in Jesus’ time are part of a culture of what might be called “returning the favor,” the idea of recompence. Receiving an invitation, whether to the customary late morning meal (translated dinner) or the second meal in late afternoon (supper), carries the unspoken obligation to offer an invitation in return. The savvy host therefore invites those from whom he can expect a similar invitation. Friends and family are natural to invite as guests and can be counted on to return the favor. Invitations to the rich in one’s community promise even greater return on investment. Jesus’ audience is familiar with the customs of inviting such people to a meal with the expectation of receiving an invitation in return.

Jesus, however, rejects all such expectation. Obviously, He seeks and accepts friendship with all kinds of people. But giving in order to receive is the opposite of Jesus’ teaching of gracious generosity (Luke 6:27–30, 37, 38). For Jesus, such behavior betrays a lack of understanding of and trust in God.

 

What Do You Think? What challenges must you overcome in order to practice hospitality toward those who are not part of your demographic or cultural comfort zone?   Digging Deeper How can your fellow believers assist you in this?

1. Right Action (vv. 13, 14)
2. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

 

In place of friends, relatives, and the rich, Jesus’ recommended guest list features those unable to provide anything in return. Their poverty and disability indicate that they cannot provide adequately for themselves, let alone hosting a meal for others. An invitation to such people would be completely gracious, made with no consideration for returning the favor. It is a gift without strings attached.

The poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind are the same as “the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind” in the story that follows this one (Luke 14:21, same Greek words). There a wealthy man whose dinner invitations are refused instructs his servants to find such people. It is the weak, not the strong, whom the Lord comes to bless (Luke 5:31; etc.). Jesus had announced as much at the beginning of His ministry in Luke’s Gospel, quoting from the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:18). But this is really nothing new: long before Jesus’ day, God had instructed Israel to use its tithes every three years to be generous with those who had no means of paying back (Deuteronomy 14:28, 29).

 

The basis for such generosity is no less than God’s own graciousness (compare Matthew 5:45). Though humans may think of themselves as strong and well supplied, we are all weak, poor, and vulnerable in the eyes of God. Our strength is nothing; our wealth cannot last. Yet God gives freely to us, as He gave freely to Israel enslaved in Egypt. For all weak, poor, helpless, unworthy humans, Christ came to die, providing an incomparable gift that can never be repaid in any part.

Only when we understand that we are weak like those whom Jesus describes can we rightly receive God’s gracious gift. And when we do, then we cannot help but respond with similar generosity. As we do, we will take no thought of our own position or expectation of repayment.

 

The Night Grace Shone

Several years ago, sports celebrity Tim Tebow revealed an idea he had in an interview in Peoplemagazine: his foundation would create “Night to Shine.” This would be a worldwide prom for people with special needs. Tebow said that he wanted to redefine Valentine’s Day by encouraging people to show love to the least among us.

The first Night to Shine in 2015 featured 44 simultaneous prom events with more than 7,000 people with special needs. Attendees walked the red carpet while dressed in formal wear. Special hair, makeup, and shoeshine stations helped them look their best as they headed to the dance floor.

Later, on a talk show while reflecting on the successes of his special-needs proms, Tebow revealed that he had never attended his own prom. The talk-show host then presented Tebow with a corsage, which he in turn presented to a special needs girl in the audience. The band struck up a tune, and the two danced on national television.

Although those with celebrity status can host parties for the rich and famous, Tebow took the command and promise of Jesus seriously. Will you?

—J. E.

What Do You Think? What are some ways your church can model gracious humility as a whole?   Digging Deeper How does whole-church humility differ in appearance and action from humility exhibited by individual Christians?

14. And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

 

Like guests who deliberately take the low position, hosts who invite those who cannot recompensethem look to someone of higher standing still. God promises to bless the openhandedly generous, as they follow the pattern of His own generosity. The generous person trusts Him in the act of generosity, knowing that only God can repay or reward when the recipient cannot.

That reward, however, does not take the form of immediate compensation. Rather, Jesus speaks of repayment to occur at the resurrection of the just, when God raises from the dead His faith-filled, generous people. This will vindicate our openhandedness. Our generosity will be rewarded with even greater gifts of His grace (Luke 19:10–19).

The promise of resurrection at the end of this age is the assurance that God will make things right. This assurance also points us again to Jesus’ own generosity and reliance on God. Jesus delivers this teaching while on His way to His crucifixion in Jerusalem, a death about which He knows and has warned His disciples (Luke 9:22).

 

What Do You Think? How can we keep our service motives selfless and pure as we consider the restitution that awaits us at the resurrection?   Digging Deeper Consider the self-contradictory situation of attempting to develop a sense of humility of which one can be proud.

Confident in God’s faithfulness, Jesus has also promised His disciples that God will raise Him from the dead. Jesus’ death will not be a random event beyond His control; rather, it will be an act of lowly, humble, self-giving service on behalf of others. Jesus is about to give His life for those who have no means of repaying Him, trusting that God will restore Him to victorious life in response to His generous self-sacrifice.

As the disciples act generously and humbly with no consideration for status or repayment, they follow in their Lord’s footsteps. By faith they (and we) commit themselves to God’s care. As God the Father will raise Jesus from the dead, so will He do for them (and us).

 

Conclusion

1. What Is Biblical Humility?

The twin teachings of Jesus in this lesson focus on proper behavior at a grand dinner. But we mistake His intent if we think that the two teachings are merely about such behavior. They combine to reveal that a person genuinely knows God only as He is revealed in the cross of Christ. Such knowledge of God leads to a radical reordering of one’s life, from selfish status-seeking to self-sacrificial generosity and service.

The term humility is often attached to the point Jesus makes, and that term too is often misunderstood. It is more than modesty about one’s accomplishments or sensitivity about displaying one’s status. Biblical humility is the lowly spirit that puts others before oneself. As such, it combines Jesus’ counsel in these two teachings: we are to seek the lowly position first and seek always to serve others generously.

As we embrace Jesus’ teaching, we take no thought of what we think we are entitled to receive in return. Biblical humility is not just social reserve. It is following a lowly Master who willingly surrendered His life for the weak and undeserving. It is Christlike love put into action, with no thought of having earned the right to receive anything in return. It faithfully trusts God’s promise of victorious resurrection.

How might Jesus offer these teachings if He were addressing them to our time and place? How might He describe the humble servant-disciple in the workplace, in the neighborhood, in the family, in the school or church? How would those stories challenge our deeply held assumptions and cherished attitudes? How can you live out stories like that in the places where you find yourself? How can you live as one who is called to serve, who understands that God’s way up is down?

 

1. Prayer

Heavenly Father, we are overwhelmed as we contemplate Your Son’s humility. Your gift to us of His life is worth far more than we could ever repay. May we respond not with an attitude of repayment, but as humble servants who take the lowly position. As we give no thought of receiving earthly reward, may we trust Your promise of resurrection. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

1. Thought to Remember

God’s way up is down.

 

 

KID’S CORNER

The Just Will Receive Eternal Rewards

March 3, 2019

Luke 14:7-14

 

Luke 14: 7-14

(Luke 14: 7) And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,

Because God is concerned about our daily lives, Jesus expressed His concern about the ordinary and practical aspects of daily living as well as the deeper and more profound truths about God. Learning how to live faithful to God in our ordinary daily relationships with others in the small things (or what appear to be the small things to us or others) will prepare us to know what to do in more crucial situations and in larger things. If we prove responsible in small matters, God and others can trust us to do what is necessary in larger matters.

(Luke 14:8) “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,

Jesus taught that someday in the future He would host the marriage supper of the Lamb. It would never be proper for anyone to push or rush ahead of others to seek the best seats above others in the Kingdom of God or at the marriage supper of the Lamb. If we follow the Golden Rule, we might try to help others without concern for ourselves and without hoping Jesus will give us better seats as a reward for our service. The best place and time to begin practicing living this way is here and now.

(Luke 14:9) and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.

Jesus warned against our developing an arrogance or pride that makes us think that we are better than others and deserve better than others. If we seek out the place of honor and take that place in order to be admired by others, we risk the host coming to us and telling us to move to a lower place. This is good practical advice. If we grasp after the highest place, our grasping may reveal something about our spiritual condition. Remember, Jesus came to serve and not to be served; this can become our attitude too. In Matthew 20:27-28, Jesus declared, “Whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Even though we are children of God and Jesus is our big brother, we need to adopt Jesus’ attitude: in Philippians 2:5-6, Paul wrote: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.”

(Luke 14:10) “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

Many events and dinners have head tables, and the most honored guests have places reserved for them at these head tables. Today, most people would not knowingly sit at a head table without being invited. It is better for a believer in Jesus Christ to serve Christ and others without thought of reward, but always humbly taking the lower place of service above self. Perhaps Christ will reward you before others, perhaps not, but if you are serving others because you love Jesus Christ and your neighbor as yourself, then the honor of serving Jesus is the greatest reward in and of itself.

(Luke 14:11) “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus summarized the main point of His parable. His followers must not exalt themselves before God and others. They were not to seek a place at His left or right hand; places reserved for others. Humble hearts and humble service of others should be the spiritual goal of all Jesus’ followers. Jesus provided an example of this selfless service and His Father exalted Him to His right hand.

(Luke 14:12) And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.

Jesus’ principle in this verse relates to those who only do good in order to derive some selfish personal benefit or reward from those who have the resources to do something good for them in return someday. Jesus does not mean that we should only invite poor people to our dinner parties. Rather, our goal should not always focus on “What’s in it for me, now or in the future?”

(Luke 14:13) “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

A true follower of Jesus Christ will do good things for others whether or not others can do good things for them in return. The economically deprived and the mentally and physically challenged need many things for their real needs to be met, and Jesus’ disciples need open hearts and hands to help others without thought of getting anything in return (other than the true joy that comes from giving).

(Luke 14:14) and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Jesus did reassure His followers that they would be rewarded: God would repay them after God raised them from the dead. Believers who give can rest happy and satisfied that God notices and God does keep a record of the good things they do for others, but believers do not usually do good in order to receive heavenly rewards. Believers usually have higher objectives than selfish personal gain when they do good things for others.

 

 

The Just Will Receive Eternal Rewards

March 3, 2019

Luke 14:7-14

 

“And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:14).

 

When Jesus taught about humility and giving, he indicated that some give to receive praise and exalt themselves in the eyes of others. In Matthew 6:2, Jesus preached, “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” They sought praise; they received praise; they received their reward; that is the end of the matter. Some give great amounts to help the greatest number of people; they use their wealth with compassion to benefit others. We cannot see into anyone’s heart and know their motivation, but God does know our motivations and reasons for giving. Some give to bless others; such as, “the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” Jesus said that the needy cannot repay us financially or grant us greater status in the world; however, givers do receive God’s blessing and the joy of giving. Jesus also promised that givers would be repaid at “the resurrection of the just.” The “just” live in a right relationship with Jesus, and when Jesus raises them from the dead, Jesus will repay them in ways beyond our understanding. However, the “just” do not give because they want rewards in heaven; they give because they love God and their neighbors, and they want to help the needy. Still, Jesus has promised them that they will be repaid at the resurrection of the just, when they will rule and reign with Christ, and use His wealth with compassion and wisdom.

 

 

Thinking Further

The Just Will Receive Eternal Rewards

March 3, 2019

Luke 14:7-14

Name _______________________

 

1. Why does Jesus say you should take the lowest seat at a feast?

 

 

 

2. What kind of person does Jesus say will be humbled?

 

 

 

3. How happy do you think a person is who only does things for those who will repay or reward him? How happy do you think a person is who only serves God because he wants God to reward him?

 

 

 

4. Who does Jesus say you should invite to your feast? Why do you think He said this?

 

 

 

5. When do those who follow Jesus receive their rewards for serving those who cannot repay them?

 

 

Questions for Discussion and Thinking Further

 

1. Why does Jesus say you should take the lowest seat at a feast?

You should take the lowest seat instead of one of the highest seats so you will not risk the embarrassment of the host coming to you and telling you to take a lower seat because the seat you have taken is reserved for someone more important than you. It is better to take the lowest seat, because the host may come to you and honor you by inviting you to take a higher seat reserved for you. Jesus is

giving practical advice with spiritual implications.

 

2. What kind of person does Jesus say will be humbled?

The person who exalts himself will be humbled (See Luke 14:11).

 

3. How happy do you think a person is who only does things for those who will repay or reward him? How happy do you think a person is who only serves God because he wants God to reward him?

Not as happy as they could be, because they focus primarily upon themselves and may never be satisfied with the return they receive or the rewards they get for what they have done. The happiest people truly give without thought of a return or a reward, and they find their happiness in the giving of themselves and what they have to give. They are not disappointed if they receive nothing in return or no reward for what they have done. For them, giving and having something to give or share with others is a reward in and of itself. The happiness they can bring to others gives them great happiness without the need for any other return or reward.

 

4. Who does Jesus say you should invite to your feast? Why do you think He said this?

The poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind (those who cannot repay you). These are the most needy in most places, and those who follow Jesus must think about how to help the needy when they have the means and make the opportunity, rather than just use their means and make the opportunity to help only those who have the means to help them in return.

 

5. When do those who follow Jesus receive their rewards for serving those who cannot repay them?

They will be repaid at the resurrection of the just (See Luke 14:14).

 

 

Word Search

The Just Will Receive Eternal Rewards

March 3, 2019

Luke 14:7-14

Name _______________________

 

F Q F N B L K O B L I N D K W

R X Z E J D Q H F Y T J E L D

H B O C B F E B M A Q I F U N

O J U S T L H L G B Z H E R E

W D C P W D O A P A V D A E I

H A H L H Z W M J P S Z S H R

P Z I C A V S K R L I V T G F

K R S H I E W I Y C W R Y I C

W C J U L J L A M E J E C H V

L I T B D E E E P A R A B L E

F D M H J S X M U R I F Y H Q

E U C W O U A A Q H O B V S J

H P Y P Q S L H U T W O J B Y

S B E U A D T S Y E X G P I J

W V L O W E S T V H O N O R A

 

Parable

Honor

Feast

Shame

Lowest

Host

Friend

Higher

Exalts

Humbles

Poor

Crippled

Lame

Blind

Just

 

True and False Test

The Just Will Receive Eternal Rewards

March 3, 2019

Luke 14:7-14

Name ________________________

 

Circle the true or false answers. Correct the false statements by restating them.

 

1. Jesus told parables simply to entertain and draw a crowd. True or False

 

2. Parables can illustrate moral and spiritual truths. True or False

 

3. Parables can show us the right way to live and warn us about the wrong way of living and its consequences. True or False

 

4. Wherever we go we should always seek to sit in the best places to receive the highest honors and to be admired by all those below us. True or False

 

5. If we make every effort to exalt ourselves, people will take notice and praise us before God and others. True or False

 

6. We should only invite our rich friends to our dinners so we will always have someone we can go to when we need special favors. True or False

 

7. All who follow Jesus should be willing and look for the opportunity to help the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. True or False

 

8. All true believers in God are wealthy. True or False

 

9. At the resurrection of the just, God will bless all those who believe Jesus’ teachings and follow Him. True or False

 

10. Jesus healed and helped the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. True or False

 

 

True and False Test Answers

1. False
2. True
3. True
4. False

5. False
6. False
7. True

      8.False

9. True

      10.True

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we are overwhelmed as we contemplate Your Son’s humility. Your gift to us of His life is worth far more than we could ever repay. May we respond not with an attitude of repayment, but as humble servants who take the lowly position. As we give no thought of receiving earthly reward, may we trust Your promise of resurrection. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.