Acceptance of Demotion and Humiliation

And now we have the privilege of hearing from a long time-serving local altar and pseudo-fisherman, Mr. Greg Thomas.

Thank you, Mr. Patrick. Actually, I'm happy. I've been upgraded to pseudo. That wasn't what they were calling me that day. Well, happy Sabbath, brethren. It's indeed a pleasure to be with you today. And I hope so far that you're having a wonderful Sabbath day.

As Christians, we know, of course, that this human life is a testing and a training ground for greater service in the family of God. That's what this life is all about. And God desires to develop in us qualities of character that will last for an eternity. He wants to use everyone that He calls fully. He wants to use every individual that He calls in a full, complete, and a powerful way within His family someday. But in order to be used fully by the Father, we're going to have to learn to experience and accept a painful Christ-like characteristic. A characteristic that, frankly, many people fail to test. In order for us to be able to be used fully, and remember that Jesus said, I'm not talking about salvation here because salvation is by grace. We're not talking about the issue of salvation. We're talking about how fully God can use us within His family. Remember, He said, in my Father's house are many mansions, meaning many offices, areas of responsibility. Of course, we also know that we will be rewarded according to our work. So I'm not talking about an issue of salvation today. I'm talking about how much we allow God to work in us and mold us and change us so that He can use us fully and completely. And in order to do that, there is a particular painful Christ-like characteristic that we must accept. Only when we demonstrate this characteristic without complaint, or bitterness, or malice, will we be ready to be fully used by God according to His will. And in today's sermon, I would like to discuss a hard saying, because what I'm going to discuss today is 100% against human nature. It is completely contrary to the way that we are wired. It's contrary to the way that we instinctively react to things being human beings. Let's turn to Philippians 2 and see this painful Christ-like characteristic that God desires for us to learn and experience in order for Him to fully use us. Philippians 2, beginning in verse 1.

Paul wrote, But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others. That was a set-up for what he was going to say here, beginning in verse 5. That's a warm-up. And here's what he writes. Let this mind, this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made of himself no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in the appearance of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. Therefore, because he did that, therefore, verse 9, Therefore God has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on the earth, and those under the earth, verse 11.

Now, that's a little cryptic, and I'm going to read those verses in another translation. But basically what Paul is saying is that Jesus willingly accepted demotion. He willingly accepted being humiliated by other people, without complaint, without malice. The characteristic I'm referring to today is the ability to accept humiliation, to accept emotion, without bitterness or hatred.

And that's not easy. Many people just cannot do it. They instinctively need to react. I'm going to read verses 5 through 9 in the New Century version because I think it makes it so much more powerful. The King James just mangles up particularly verses 7 and 8. But let me read this in another version. In your lives you must think an act like Christ Jesus.

Christ himself was like God in everything. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be used for his own benefit. Verse 7. But he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. Read verse 7 again from the New Century version. He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born to be a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death on a cross. Verse 9. So God raised him to the highest place.

God made his name greater than every other name. So God loved us so much. Christ loved us so much, he was willing to experience the degrading humiliation and shame of becoming a human being who would be abused, accused, and eventually rejected by his very own family and friends. Let me put it to you perhaps in a more modern term that you could appreciate. The first man's name was Adam.

He was made from dirt. As a matter of fact, the word Adam means dirt or dust. It also may mean like red earth. It may mean ruddy earth. So what Paul is saying here is that Jesus did not think he was robbed when he went from being part of the Godhead to a dirtbag.

That's what Paul is saying. He didn't think it was robbery. That he was so demoted, so humiliated, that he went from God to a dirtbag. Now, please don't misunderstand. The godly characteristic that I'm going to be discussing today is one that we need to be able to accept, to be fully used by God.

That is, willing to accept humiliation, demotion, and self-sacrifice at the hands of others when we don't deserve it. I am not talking about when we humiliate ourselves. I am not talking about when, due to something that we say or the way that we act, we bring something bad upon ourselves. In that case, we deserve it. What I am talking about is when unfairly and unrighteously we experience demotion or humiliation, and following the example of Christ without malice, without bitterness, we accept it.

But before we spend more time looking at the example of Jesus Christ Himself, I'd like to look at a few other examples in the Scriptures. So, if you'll turn with me to Matthew 3, beginning in verse 1, we'll begin by looking at a contemporary of Jesus. We know Him as John the Baptist.

Matthew 3, beginning in verse 1. In those days, John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is He who was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make His paths straight. And John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locust and wild honey. Let's see who responded to John, beginning in verse 5. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around Judea went out to Him, and were baptized by Him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, So magnetic, such a following, it says that all Judea, all the regions around Jordan went to be baptized by John. Even men who despised Jesus were attracted to His message. The Sadducees and the Pharisees went and said, Will you baptize me? He said, No.

He said, I have this one problem. He said, repentance means that you start changing and going the other way. And when you demonstrate at least a little bit of change in your lives, then maybe I'll baptize you. Until then, No. But this man has incredible following. He was about six months older than Jesus. He's thirty-ish at this time, about thirty years old. And he has a tremendous following. All Judea, all the region, even the ruling classes of the religious leaders come out to see Him and be baptized. Then something happens. Then Jesus shows up. And he baptizes Jesus. And Christ begins His own ministry. Now let's go to John 3 and verse 26. Read the next step of what John the Baptist experiences.

John 3 and verse 26. Then they came to John and said, He was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, saying, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him. John answered, said, A man can receive nothing unless he has been given him from heaven. You yourselves bear witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.

He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears Him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore, this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase. John says, I must decrease. So what's happening here? John, in the prime of his life, has been demoted. At age 30, he's already been eclipsed by the ministry of Jesus. It's humiliating to have the respect and attention and the admiration of an entire region of people suddenly vanish.

They're not coming to you anymore asking you for your wisdom. They're not coming to you anymore asking to be baptized. They're not coming to you anymore giving you wonderful titles and names. They're gone. They've disappeared. Yet notice the attitude that John has about this. Let me ask you a question. Did he personally do something wrong for this to happen?

Well, absolutely not. Yet he's been demoted, and he acknowledges that. He says he must increase. I must decrease. John is humiliated. He is demoted because his following is gone. But he accepts his demotion without complaint and without malice. Why? Because John knew the secret. This physical life is not about titles, prestige, self-importance, being recognized. All physical aspects of this life, everything that we cling to as human beings will burn away.

It's only important to dirtbags. What God is interested in is eternity, character, spiritual growth, not self-importance, wealth, titles, prestige, and all of those things that we cling to as human beings. The physical is simply a training ground for spiritual eternity. John knew this. And not only was he demoted here, the next step of demotion is a prison cell. The next step of demotion is losing his head. How's that? From having a following of all Judea in the region to, in a short period of time, losing your life. For no other reason than some slimy king's oogling some dancing girl and being used and manipulated. A man lost his life.

A godly man. There was good reason that Christ stated in Matthew 11, he said, Assuredly, I say unto you that those born of women, there was not one risen greater than John the Baptist. Now we know why. Because he modeled, he emulated what Jesus Christ himself was willing to do. Another biblical example I would like to give is that of the Apostle Paul. Now, to appreciate him, I have to give some background because I could build a whole sermon around Paul alone. But for the sake of time, we'll just have a little background before we take a look at a couple of scriptures.

First of all, Paul, unlike the other disciples, was born in the city of Tarsus. This was a Gentile city that was highly regarded for education. It had a major university. The culture was Hellenistic. It was Greek. And it was cosmopolitan. It had a blend of many cultures, including Greek and Jewish and Roman. And that's why Paul was more tolerant of other peoples than the other disciples. He grew up as a child in a cosmopolitan city. In all his life, he rubbed elbows with Gentiles and people who spoke different languages. So he didn't have the inborn prejudices that many of the other disciples had.

That's why God could use him for the task that he gave him. It gave him a deeper understanding of various cultures in the Roman Empire. He grew up speaking Latin, Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew, a very educated man. Paul's father was a Roman citizenship, which he purchased. That tells us that his father must have had some money because it cost big bucks to buy a Roman citizenship.

A number of layers of bureaucracy had to be bribed for that to happen. So his father must have had some money. He was able to go and learn at the feet of Gamaliel, somebody I'm sure paid for that. So he came from a family of some means. He had the skill of a tentmaker. It's important for us to realize that because he often had to support himself financially as he traveled and as he preached. He was a Pharisee, a very strict and deeply religious man.

What was significant about that is it was the Pharisees who believed in missionary work around the world, even to the Gentiles. Unfortunately, they believed that a Gentile had to strip away everything about their lives and 100% become like a Jew. But Paul came from a background that emphasized missionary work, which also prepared him to do what God would call him to do. Paul was destined to become a rabbi. He may have actually been a rabbi, we don't know, but he was sent to Jerusalem to become a student of a scholar named Gamaliel.

This obviously indicates that his father had some money. But by the time we are introduced to Saul in the book of Acts, we need to realize that he was on the fast track of success in Jewish society. In Acts 9, we learned that he personally knew the high priest. He personally knew members of the Sanhedrin. He asked them for letters to give him authority to arrest Christians in Damascus and to bring them back for trial. So this was a man who is 30-ish years old with prestige, education, culture, acknowledged as an upcomer.

And let's find out as he tells his story here in Acts 22 and verse 1. Let's see what he says. Acts 22 and verse 1. Later on in his life, he is arrested and he tells a crowd his story. Acts 22 and verse 1. Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now. And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Why? Because the average person spoke Aramaic. Only the highly educated could speak and read Hebrew. So unlike the blue-collar fishermen they were used to hearing from as far as Christian leaders, this man was different, highly educated, and he started speaking Hebrew. That got their attention. Then he said, I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. Verse 5. Also as the high priest bears me witness, meaning the high priest knows me. This was a man of some previous former influence. And all the council of elders, he said, the Sanhedrin knows me, formerly Saul, now known as Paul, from whom I also received letters to the brethren and went to Damascus to bring in chains, even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. Now it happened as I journeyed and I came near Damascus at about noon. Suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? So I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And at this point, Paul is called. Now at first he's shunned by the entire church because they fear him. Maybe he's a traitor. Maybe he's faking his conversion. He just wants to get on the inside to find out who the Christian is. So he can continue his persecution. But how about after that? Was Paul, because of his background, did he sometimes feel the sting of demotion and humiliation? Well, let's see. In 1 Corinthians 9, verse 1. Remember, this was an individual that was on the fast track to success in Jewish society. He had respect, admiration of others, status, comfort.

Now I'm going to read verses 1 through 12 in the new century version because, again, the King James Version mangles terribly what Paul says here. So please bear with me and follow me with the translation that you have. 1 Corinthians 9, verse 1. I know the new King James puts this in the form of a question. This translates, puts what Paul says early on here in the form of a statement. I am a free man. I am an apostle. I have seen Jesus our Lord. You people are all an example of my work in the Lord. Others do not accept me as an apostle, meaning other congregations, and perhaps some even in the Corinthian congregation. Surely you do because you are proof that I am an apostle in the Lord. Let me stop right there for a second. What was Paul always dealing with? Well, you're not a real apostle. You see, a real apostle walked with Jesus for three and a half years. A real apostle is good-looking. A real apostle is a dynamic speaker. A real apostle is charismatic. And then there's you, Paul.

Verse 3. This is the answer that I give to people who want to judge me. Do we not have the right to eat and drink? Do we not have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel as the other apostles and the Lord's brother and Peter? He's saying, if they have the right that their travel expenses for bringing their wife along is covered by the church, why am I treated like I'm an inferior? Why don't I have that right? If they're able to deduct their meals for traveling and serving the church from church expenses, Paul says, why am I not treated with the same level of respect and dignity? Verse 6. Are Barnabas and I the only ones who must work to earn a living? No soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. No one ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes. No person takes care of a flock without drinking some of the milk. Verse 8. I do not say this by human authority. God's law also says the same thing. Verse 9. It is written in the law of Moses. Now, I'm going to stop there and add a sidebar. I'm sorry. I can't help that. Mr. Thomas' sarcasm cannot refrain himself.

Paul refers here to prove a point to the law of Moses. Would someone please tell Paul it's been done away? I hate when he does this. I mean, if he taught that the law of Moses was totally done away and part of the Old Covenant, would he quit using it to prove a point?

I digress.

When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating. When God said this, was he thinking only about oxen? No. He was really talking about us. Yes, the Scripture was written for us. Sidebar again. Would he stop it? Would someone tell him that the entire law of Moses has been done away and quit saying that it's written for the church? That's really embarrassing. It's really hard to maintain the theory that the law has been done away when this guy continues to refer to it to prove his point and then unbelievably says that it's meant for the church today.

I digress.

The one who plows and the one who works in the grain should hope to get some of the grain for their work. Verse 11, since we planted spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we should harvest from you some things for this life? Verse 12, if others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right too, but we do not use it. No, we put up with everything. I love that translation. Paul says, I put up with being treated like a second-class minister. He says, I put up with being treated like I'm an inferior because I didn't walk with Jesus for three and a half years. I put up with being treated like I'm no one's equal. Paul says, no, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not keep anyone from believing the good news of Christ.

There were other scriptures I could turn to that sometimes reflect the sting of demotion that Paul felt. One particular Epistles, he said, he went to the Jerusalem, and he meant those who seemed to be pillars. Right? Remember that phrase? He said, but what they are means nothing to me. He sometimes felt the sting of demotion and humiliation. He went from being on the fast track to success in Jewish society with respect, admiration of others, status and comfort, to walking the dirty roads of the Roman Empire, being physically abused and mocked by nonbelievers and being treated like a second-class citizen even by the Church of God.

But he dealt with it.

He dealt with it. I'd like to look at another example now. Let's go to Hebrews, another individual. Hebrews 11 and 23.

Paul may have been the author of the book of Hebrew, but he's not the author of the book. He's written by Paul. He says, by faith Moses. When he was born, was hidden three months by his parents because they saw he was a beautiful child and they were not afraid of the King's command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, the treasures of Egypt. For he looked to the reward.

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King, for he endured as seeing him who was invisible.

Now, we know a few things about Moses because of Scripture and tradition. And again, I want to set this up before we read the Scripture. First of all, he was raised by Pharaoh's daughter, and therefore he was a prince of Egypt. He may have been a lower-level prince. It didn't matter. He maybe wasn't someday going to rule Egypt. But let me tell you, the lifestyles of the rich and famous in Egypt were pretty good. He must have received the best education that was available at that time in the civilized world. As a prince, he must have lived a life of wealth, comfort, and honor in Pharaoh's court and in Egyptian society. He had the best clothes, he had food, he had wealth, he had prestige. And being the prince, he could have had a number of beautiful wives because the Egyptian leaders always had a primary wife, and then they all had a number of secondary wives. So this is the lifestyle that he lived. However, you know what? God can only use Moses fully. He can only use him after he learned to experience and accept demotion and humiliation. So what did God do? Turn with me to Exodus 7, verse 4. What God did is He brought about circumstances that Moses fled Egypt, and for forty years through the prime of his life, He did something different than be a prince of Egypt. Exodus 7, verse 4. God is preparing Moses and his brother to go to Pharaoh, and here's what God tells him. This is important because it reflects the age of Moses and how long he was in the wilderness. But Pharaoh will not heed you, God says, so that I may lay my hand on Egypt and bring my armies and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch my hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them. Then Moses and Aaron did so just as the Lord commanded them, so they did. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. Now, at this time in history, the average life expectancy was thirty to forty years old, and I know that by examining the remains of the workers in Egypt at this time. Remember, there's no antibiotics. Medical care is rather crude. So the average life expectancy for someone who was fortunate enough to live to adulthood was thirty to forty years old. Moses is eighty. He's been in the wilderness for forty years. He spent the prime, productive years of his life herding sheep in the desert of Median for forty years. By the age of eighty, he's well past his physical prime, and God calls him to a special mission. I want you to think about this man, Moses, who went from the palace of Egypt to the trails of sheep poop.

And he did it for forty long years. Do you think that feels like a demotion? Do you think that's humiliating? Oh, and that's not the best part of it. Because God has such a sense of humor, the occupation he chose for Moses was that of being a shepherd. Do you remember Genesis 46.34? It states that shepherds were the most despised by the Egyptians. Joseph told his brothers, when you come here, tell Pharaoh that you kind of take care of animals, and he's going to put you in the land of Goshen because the Egyptians detest shepherds. So not only does God, in his wonderful sense of humor, allow Moses to experience forty years in the wilderness and the prime of his life each day, going by, he's getting older and older and older, from the palace to Sheiptung. God puts him in the profession in which when he was growing up he was taught was the most despicable and despised profession any Egyptian could possibly know of, and that was being a shepherd. So, Moses went on a long, long period of demotion and personal humiliation, didn't he? Well, I'm sure it got better after he brought the people out of Egypt. Well, then he was given the respect and the due that Moses deserved. Exodus 17. Ten chapters back from where we were at. Verse 1. So do you think that the humiliation stopped after forty years after he proved himself and he brought the people through the Red Sea? And all these miracles occurred. Surely now his period of demotion and humiliation is over, isn't it? Then all the children or the congregation of Israel, this is Exodus 17.1, set out in their journey from the wilderness of sin according to the commandment of the Lord in camp to refit him, but there was no water for the people to drink. And therefore the people contended. Notice that word, contended with Moses. No, you can't simply go up and say, excuse me, Mo, we're getting a little thirsty over here. Is there something maybe you could do, talk to the Lord or do something to get us a little water? No, that would have been too easy. They had to argue, they had to contend, they had to get in his face. They had to make sure they humiliated his dignity. After all, he's only God's representative at this point. Who's that? So it says they contended with Moses, said, give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, look, why are you taking this out on me? Like I haven't done enough for you? I haven't done enough to try to help us get to where we are today? Why do you tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, why is it that you have brought us out of Egypt, oh, I know, to kill us and our children here? So you think Moses feels humiliated? You think he feels maybe a little demoted at this point?

To kill us and our children are a livestock with thirst. So Moses cried out to the Lord, what shall I do with his people? They are almost ready to stone me. That's how angry. That's how disrespectful. Now, did Moses deserve this? Of course not. Is Moses receiving respect, dignity, the honors that he should receive? No, he's not. He's being humiliated. He's being continually demoted. Again, he's not respected by the people as he deserved. They contend, they argue, they publicly humiliate him, accusing Moses of wanting to kill them and their families. So this is another example. We looked at the example of Jesus, John the Baptist, Paul, Moses. Is there maybe a little bit of a common thread that these individuals had that made them unique? Is there a reason that they're mentioned in this book and billions of other people who lived and died are not mentioned in this book, perhaps?

Well, I'd like now to go back to the ultimate example of Jesus Christ. Do you and I want to fulfill God's will to prepare us fully for the kingdom of God, to be used by God fully for his purpose in the future? Then we're going to have to set aside our self-will, our pride, and be willing to accept humiliation and demotion without malice, rancor, anger, or bitterness. Because that's what it takes to be fully used by God for his will and his purposes. Let's go to Matthew 4, verse 11. With Jesus, it kind of started early. Even before he began his ministry, he meets up with Satan, who attempts to humiliate him and dominate him. And I might add that Satan is in a dominating position. He does control and own all the kingdoms of the world. We're going to see here that miraculous things occur in this exchange. Satan is able to take Jesus and transfer time and space together.

Satan challenges the dignity of Jesus on three levels that are so important to us as human beings. Self-preservation, self-perpetuation, and self-determination. Those are things that we all crave and want as human beings. Instinctively, our minds and our cells cry out for self-preservation, self-perpetuation, and self-determination. Don't tell me what to do. Matthew 4, verse 1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Jesus just quotes back a scripture. What do you mean, if I'm the Son of God? How would you and I have reacted to that? Jesus doesn't even challenge the point. He just quotes quietly, humbly. He quotes the scripture. Verse 5. Then the devil took him to the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple. That's a miracle that Satan's able to perform. And said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down for it as written, you shall give his angels charge over you. And in your hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone. And Jesus says to him, It is written again, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Verse 8. Then again the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, another miracle performed by the God of this world. And says, All these things I'll give you, if you'll just fall down and worship me, then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan, it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. All this occurred after he had fasted forty days and forty nights. Do you think he was a little testy? Do you think Jesus might have been a little cranky? Well, I don't know about Jesus, but I've been here on the day of atonement, and I've met a lot of people who haven't eaten in ten hours who are cranky and testy, let alone forty days and forty nights. So Jesus is at his weakest point, just drained, his energy just drained, numb. And that's when Satan decides to try to dominate him. The key here is to appreciate that Jesus was feeling, demotion, and humiliation from Satan himself. Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world and its glory because he owned it, he controls it, and it's his to give. He says, you don't have to go through crucifixion, you don't have to go through anything more. Just kneel and worship me, and I'll give you all of this right now. It's yours, because it's mine to give. But Jesus responded with humility by quoting Scripture. Let's fast forward. The ministry of Jesus occurs. Matthew chapter 26 verse 59. Jesus is taken to the kangaroo court, where he's going to be condemned. Matthew chapter 26 verse 59. Let's see the example that he sets. Remember, Paul said, let this mind be in you. That was in Christ Jesus. This mind.

Matthew chapter 26 verse 59. Now the chief priest, the elders, and the council sought false testimony against him to put him to death but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none, simply because they contradicted one another. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, this fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God to build it in three days. The high priest arose and said to him, do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you? Verse 63, but Jesus kept silent. It's obvious Jesus was not an American.

Jesus doesn't attempt to make a victim out of himself. You know, in our society, unfortunately, it's degenerated to the point where everybody's a victim.

Everyone thinks they're a victim and a martyr. And Americans have become a whiny people.

But thankfully, Jesus was not an American. And the high priest answered and said to him, I put you under oath by the living God. Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said to him, it is as you said, nonetheless, I say to you, hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. And the high priest tore his robe, saying, he has spoken, bless for me. What further do we have as witnesses need? Do we have as witnesses? Now you heard his blasphemy. What do you think? And they answered and said, he is deserving of death. And here's the one who was demoted from Godhead to the kingdom of the dirtbags. They spat in his face. They beat him. They struck him with the palms of their hands, saying, prophesize to us, big boy, which one of us just struck you in the mouth with our hands? So they mocked him. They chided him. Here we see the living Son of God humiliated, taunted, and physically abused by ignorant mortal men. Yet we see no bitterness, no anger, no malice, no whining displayed by Jesus Christ. Let's go to Matthew 27, verse 1. It says, When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Pick nuts, drop down, not verse 11. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, It is as you say. And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Obviously not a victim. Doesn't have the victimization mentality. He obviously doesn't whine like a martyr. He's not trying to draw attention to himself. It says he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they testify against you? But he answered him not one word so that the governor marveled greatly. This man is unlike any man I've ever had before me, he thinks. Every people that come before me, it's always everyone else's fault. Wham! Wham! Wham! I'm a martyr! Wham! I'm abused! Wham! This is unfair! Wham! But unlike that, it says he answered him not a word. Now we know, of course, that Jesus was arrested unfairly. He was tied in a kangaroo court, and here we see he was sent to the governor. Notice how he responds. And how different is the reaction of Jesus from most other people. Matthew 27, verse 27.

And they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews, my, don't you look regal. Don't you look important with a crown of thorns in your head, and the mock scepter in your hand. And they spat on him, and they took the reed that was in his hand, and they struck him on the top of the head. Great King, King of the Jews. And they took his robe off him, and they put his own clothes on him, and they led him away to be crucified. Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear his cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, place of the skull, they gave him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. And when he had tasted it, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and they divided his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet. They divided my garments among them, and my clothing they cast lots. Sitting down, they kept watch over him, and now the final indignity. Because you know what? He's not just the King of the Jews. He is the Son of God. It says, and they put a sign, picked up over his head, an accusation written. And here he is, broken, body bleeding, face punched to a pulp, laying there defenseless, helpless, pitiful. And they mockingly put a sign up that says, this is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Now, do you call that, considering where he came from, humiliation and demotion? I do, and I hope you do as well.

Do you think that this was the ultimate demotion that could ever be at any time? From being God, to being humiliated and mocked, spat on and crucified by the kingdom of the dirtbags. Yet Jesus accepts it without whining, making himself out to be a martyr, complaining without any bitterness. Malice, accusations, claims that it's unfair, claims that everybody around him in this situation is corrupt. He doesn't do that. How about us? What experiences have you been through, or are you going through, where you have been shamed, humiliated and demoted? Again, I'm not talking about what we've done to ourselves, through something we said or the way we acted. But what others have done to us, unfairly. I'd like to give you some things to think about, because there are a lot of situations in life where God will work with us so he can use us fully if we react the right way and have the right attitude. For example, health. You know, an aging or a chronic condition can feel like a demotion. You can feel humiliated as you can no longer do certain things you once did. We all want to be independent. We all remember what it was like to be a child and to run around with unlimited energy and do cartwheels and do all those things. And as we get older, we get a chronic condition. We have to accept the humiliating fact that we'll never, as a human being, will never be able to do that again. That that ability, that strength, is gone forever. That's a demotion that is very hard to deal with. I know, because there's a phrase we use in our society that we say that individuals are bitter old men. And the root of that is individuals who are bitter over the fact that they've grown old, that they didn't achieve all the things they wanted to achieve, and they resent the fact that they're old and that their prime years have passed them by. Much like Moses may have felt when at the age of 80, God finally called him to a mission. But health is a way that we can oftentimes feel demoted and humiliated. How about a career? You may have had jobs where you were the best qualified person in the company. You were the most talented individual and the next natural successor to that promotion. And maybe you didn't get it. It might have been due to politics. It might have been due to the fact that you didn't go to the Christmas party last year and the boss was ticked. It might be because of a number of things, but you know that you were the most qualified, the most talented, and you should have had that promotion and didn't get it.

That's a demotion. I can give you a sense, certainly, of humiliation. When you see someone who isn't half as qualified as you are, or join the company after you did, or half your age promoted above you. How about job loss? Many people have their identity wrapped up in their jobs, and when they lose their jobs, there's a feeling of loss. There's a feeling of demotion, of humiliation. I don't have a job. I don't have money coming in. And there's a sense of humiliation, of making an income to not making an income. That's a demotion. How do we deal with that? Do we become bitter? Judgment? You know, become judging others? Malice? Angry? Is that how we react to that situation? How about a bad relationship? Sometimes relationships go bad, and sometimes, for example, marriages break up. A relationship turns toxic. That can be humiliating. That can be a demotion of going from two and sharing someone's name and life, to only becoming one again. And feeling the shame of everybody knowing that that relationship turns sour. That can be a demotion. That can be humiliating. How do we handle that? How about marriage? You know, if a woman marries a self-absorbed mate, that they constantly experience a feeling of demotion and humiliation throughout their marriage. If a husband treats a wife like she's some type of handmade, like she's a lower-class human being, then the wife is going to feel demotion and humiliation. How are we doing with that, men? I love these parts of the sermons because you look at the men and they're all sitting there, and they're certainly not talking about me. And their wives are sitting next to them going, and they're all sitting there, and they're all sitting there. How about financial loss? Certainly, if our 401ks become 101ks, or whatever our situation is, we can feel like we're going backwards. You can work a lifetime and work very hard to try to give yourself at least a little sense of financial security and have it wiped away in one bad day or bad week in Wall Street. And a financial loss, you can feel like you've been demoted and sent all the way back to 30 years earlier, when you had very little. You can feel humiliated by debt. A lot of people are very shamed and humiliated by the fact that they're in debt. How about the church? I have known people who have become very bitter because they were not recognized. Sometimes they were not recognized as a deacon and should have been. And I've seen them turn a 180 and their hearts and minds become very bitter and angry at the church because they weren't recognized for their talents. And you know what? They weren't. They should have been recognized for their talents. They didn't do anything wrong that caused that situation. How they reacted to it was wrong. They failed the test. I've known men who, as ministers, wanted to be ministers. I've known ministers who have crazed titles. Just being pastor wasn't good enough. And they got bitter because they weren't promoted to another level. And they became bitter and angry because they weren't recognized. And many of them were certainly talented. They should have had the responsibility. But they dealt with it wrong.

I'm going to give you just two personal examples in my life, and it's certainly not my intent to be a martyr. But I want to just reflect to you how we all, every one of us in this room, go through periods of time when we experience humiliation and demotion. I've lost two jobs in my career. It was decided during both of those jobs, while I was at the Feast of Tabernacles, that I would be terminated. Now, being the carnal man that Mr. Thomas is, his first reaction might have been, because it was, Well, thank you, God! I sure appreciate you covering my back while I was keeping your Feast of Tabernacles. Way to go! Really appreciate that one. You see, but that's not the right attitude. The most difficult for me was 18 years ago. I worked for a company, and just before the Feast, there was a management change, and I was promoted to national sales manager. A letter went out to my entire industry, announcing that I was national sales manager. I received phone calls congratulating me for being the new national sales manager, and, as was scheduled, I took my two-week vacation to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. While I was gone, some politicking took on, and a particular individual worked very hard to poison the owner against me, and by the time I came back, I found out I was terminated. So I went from being national sales manager to terminated, and since I just used my vacation time, I got the added benefit of no severance package. Thank you. Did that feel like a demotion? Yeah. Was I humiliated, including in front of all of my peers? You bet. But as Colin Powell says in his 12 Laws of Leadership, get angry and then get over it. Another situation that I was involved in is that about 25 years ago, I and a number of others in a congregation were suspended from our duties as deacons and elders for the grave sin of not attending a church activity. There were four or five of us involved. I don't remember exactly how many. But the way I was treated, and obviously I was not getting along with the pastor because of his personal lifestyle and that of his son, but what really bothered me was when I was told by him that the whole intention of it was to punish me. But that would have been too obvious to everybody, so he decided to punish everyone who did not go to that activity to get back at Greg Thomas. One deacon who I knew and was close to at the time that day was visiting his 80-year-old mother. He became very bitter. I know he was bitter because for a while my wife and I left the area, I took a career move and came back, and years later he was still bitter about that situation. He became very bitter, and when a competing organization arose a few years later, he was one of the first ones to join it. And I'm telling you, he worked tirelessly to get back at the organization that he was angry and bitter with that he felt had mistreated him. And he worked in a voluntary way until he was too old to work anymore. That's what that situation did to him. It was a test. Another deacon I knew at that time, I'm not saying this man didn't already have a lot of problems, but he was working at his own business that day. He owned his own business. And I can only tell you from my knowledge and discussions with him that his faith was completely shattered by that event of what he felt he was mistreated. And he was.

And eventually, he committed some very serious sins. He left the faith, he committed sins like tax evasion and bigamy. Because his faith in the Church was forever shattered because of the treatment he had been demoted and humiliated unfairly. And he just didn't respond to it as well as he could have. The motion and humiliation is hard to accept. And frankly, just some people cannot do it. But I'm asking you, when you are confronted with that situation, to follow the example of Jesus Christ and Paul the Apostle and John the Baptist and Moses and let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Let's go to Colossians chapter 3 and verse 12.

Paul wrote, Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies. That's what Jesus demonstrated even when people spat on him, slapped him in the mouth, mocked him. Have any of us ever experienced something as horrible as that? I doubt it. Yet we get so offended at the little indignities that we're not recognized for something compared to what Christ endured, compared to what he gave up.

I mean, let's face it, in our realistic physical life, our opportunities are being promoted from a low dirtbag to a high dirtbag. Whoopee!

Kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, not a hothead, not emotionally deficient, bearing with one another and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. That is the Sabbath that can heal anything. If you decide you're going to put on love, and I decide I'm going to put on love, and our neighbors all decide they're going to put on love, every problem we have will vanish. It's that powerful, which is the bond. You don't want to know what the glue is, the whole people together. Its love is the glue, the bond of perfection, and the peace of God rule in your hearts. Do we have the peace of God, or are we anxious? Do we have the peace of God, or are we angry? Are we accusatory? Are we skeptical? Are we condemning? Judgmental? And the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let's go to Ephesians 4, verse 29.

Just a couple of more scriptures. Today, Ephesians 4, verse 29.

Paul writes here, Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, and what does word edification mean? It means the build-up. It doesn't mean the tear-down. It doesn't mean the degrade. It doesn't mean the humiliate. Of all people with what we've experienced, having the faith should be the last to try to humiliate others. He says, for necessary edification, that's what should proceed out of our mouth. Edification means to build an edifice of something wonderful and beautiful, not to tear down. That it may impart grace to the hearers. When people hear something we said, when they read something we've written, do they feel a sense of grace, or does it make them anxious? Does it make them angry?

Verse 30, Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. How many times have we talked about malice today? We read earlier the example of Christ during his trial and condemnation. Did you read where a corrupt word came out of his mouth?

Spit upon, slapped, hit on the top of the head with a mock scepter, nailed to a cross, humiliated, chided. Did you read where a single corrupt word came out of his mouth or out of his pen or out of his keyboard?

These qualities that are mentioned in verse 31 are the works of the flesh. Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. He said, Let it be put away from you with all malice. So these qualities mentioned in verse 31 are the works of the flesh. They are beneath the dignity of a follower of the Prince of Peace. These qualities are beneath the dignity of a follower of a Prince of Peace. So what is coming out of our mouths, out of our pens, out of our keyboards?

And a little word of wisdom for our young people. Your parents have worked very hard to develop the integrity of your family name.

Please, don't write anything stupid on the internet that will shame your parents or shame your family. Don't write anything that reflects bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, or evil speaking because it shames your parents and breaks one of the Ten Commandments. It dishonors your parents, and it's unacceptable.

Don't shame your family name in that way. Have some dignity and respect who your parents are. Let's now go to verse 32.

How can we imitate Jesus Christ? He was God. Well, we can accept emotion and humiliation without bitterness, rancor, accusation, resentment. That's how we can do it.

Verse 2, When Christ also has loved us and given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. When God pulls into his nostrils and gets a whiff of what our life is about, what is he smelling? Is he smelling bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking? Or is he smelling kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiving one another, being an imitator of his son? What kind of aroma is God sniffing when our prayers go up to him? What is he sensing and feeling? Paul reminds us to be imitators of God. What examples did Jesus show us about dealing with demotion and humiliation? He accepted it. He dealt with it.

As Colin Paul says, get mad and then get over it.

What I have been discussing today is very hard.

I personally think it's probably the hardest thing any human being can do. I don't care what anyone says. I would welcome your challenges after all. No, Mr. Thomas, I think that... and you might be right. Maybe there is something harder. I think this is the hardest for a human being to do because it is 180 degrees from the way we are wired from being human itself. And that is hard.

But many people I've known in my life have failed to test by allowing themselves to become bitter with God or bitter with organizations or even bitter with friends because they didn't deal with demotion or humiliation correctly. Because it was unfair. Or it shouldn't have happened. Or they weren't recognized. Or there was corruption involved. And you know, every one of those things may very well be true. But they still dealt with it. Not the way that Jesus Christ dealt with it. The one who suffered the greatest humiliation and emotion of all. So why do we accept demotion and humiliation without complaint? Without malice? Why should we accept it without bitterness? Romans 8, 28. Let's turn there for our final scripture. Romans 8, 28. Because, as I've said in other sermons before, everything that happens to us is for a purpose. It is true that what doesn't kill you will make you stronger. That's a true axiom. And the ultimate personal sacrifice. You know, we talk about servant leadership. We talk about personal sacrifices. We talk about living sacrifices. We talk about all these things. And the ultimate way that you show that is when you are accused of something unfalsily demoted, humiliated, and you don't strike back. You don't lash back. You don't try to get vengeance. You don't try to destroy another human being over it. That's the pinnacle of what the life of Jesus Christ was all about. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. And there will be times in every one of our lives when we will be faced with the test of humiliation, of being demoted. Verse 29, for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. Do we want to be like the image of his Son? What did he do? What example did he set for you and I? We read about it today, didn't we? Conformed to the image of his Son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these also he called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. That's the reward for dealing with it, for putting up with it, for reflecting the example of Jesus Christ in our lives. The reward is justification, perfection, glory, for all eternity. Verse 31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? In this physical life, if we are demoted because of someone or the kingdom of the dirtbags, what will that really mean a thousand years from now? Nothing! Nothing! Who will care? You didn't get that promotion. You didn't get that title you think you deserve. Who cares? My famous quote from Coach Sam Ritigliano after the Browns lost a big game once. I've said this a number of times. Coach Sam, what do you think about the big loss of the Browns tonight? It was heartbreaking. Coach Sam says there are a billion Chinese who couldn't care less.

And we get, because of our ego and pride, so wrapped up in this unfair... ...I shouldn't be treated! A thousand years from now nobody will care. There's a good chance that a day from now, there's a good chance that except for you, no one else cares.

But we allow our egos to be bruised. I don't have to put up with this. I'm an American. I have my rights. I'm a constant victim. I'm entitled. Everybody owns me. And those attitudes are incompatible with Christianity. I'm sorry. They just are.

So, brethren, when the temporary fades and the facade of titles and monetary wealth and celebrity and control and whining end, it's all about the spiritual world. It's all about the spiritual things and what we developed through the tests and trials of this lifetime. In other words, it's about eternity. I encourage you to be willing to follow the examples of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Moses, and Paul. And let's put our focus and energies on the right things. Not in how I feel, but on the right things. Things that are intended to last forever. Have a wonderful Sabbath.