Live In The Lowest Room

For the introduction, Brother Isaac, wherever you're at, I'd just like to continue in that same vein today as I ponder many of these things and the journey in my own heart and my life. I look back at God's faithfulness and I look at the present and I'm so thankful that God is a God of the past, present, and the future. So I look forward to the future with my Lord Jesus Christ in anticipation that he'll have the right amount of trials to keep me in the right spot.

Looking back, he's been faithful. Looking at today, he's been faithful. I know he'll do the same in the future.

Anyhow, greetings to one and all in Jesus' name. Brother Jerry asked me if I would share today and on the heels of our, I guess what, a few years already, the thing that the Lord's been birthing in our heart, my heart, for to see more of a local congregation in our neighborhood, more of a close proximity there. So I just wanted to, first of all, just bless you, the congregation, for that blessing we received the other evening right here and just the peace that we had in pursuing that.

So God bless you for that. And I trust that this will be just another step of building the kingdom of God and not the kingdom of men. I would pray that anything for man and the agenda of men in your heart and mine would completely come to rest and be done, and it would be in the fear of God.

So why don't we come to the Lord in prayer? Let's ask him to guide our thoughts, our minds. As our father, loving father in heaven, we thank you this morning for your faithfulness in each of our lives. Thank you for the example of your faithfulness in Brother Isaac's life just now, that beautiful word picture we had of the grace of God working in our hearts, and that you're not giving up on us, you're not done with us, and that you want to mold and shape each one of us into your, the image of the dear son, Jesus Christ.

But Lord, you don't force that upon anyone. It's just those that come openly and just honestly, like that woman that came and openly confessed, yes, I touched that hem, that's why I did it. That man that's in front of everyone else stretched forth his withered hand at your command and had healing.

Lord, help none of us to shrink back from that brutal honesty in our lives. Lord, help us to be open and open-minded so the kingdom of God can be built through your power and through the blood of Jesus Christ. I pray you'd guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus today.

Guard my tongue. May the spirit of God be flowing through me, Lord. May Christ have the preeminence.

We desire to bring glory to your name, Father, in Jesus' name, amen. But just in the same vein of thought, what we just were talking about, Brother Jerry shared, if you turn to the chapter of Luke 14, the book of Luke chapter 14, this is what I've been meditating on here the last, I think about this quite often, but especially just the last couple of days here. Luke chapter 14, verse seven, I'm gonna read a portion here, scripture.

I don't know how long I'll go today. It doesn't have to be that long, I don't believe, but I trust that we'll have more times of fellowship like this, building each other up in the most holy faith. And I believe what the Lord is leading us through is just a step in this.

And I'm, like I shared earlier, I'm longing for just a deeper walk with him, a deeper experience to make my own heart what I sense the need of brothers that are not afraid to interrogate me and grill me. Well, how are you doing? And I'm longing for just an increase of that. I trust we all do.

A loving accountability. That's a healthy way to grow. I remember it was probably 20 years ago, more, I'm losing track of time.

Yeah, about 20 years ago, I probably shared this before, I spent a year over here in Bladensburg. We were involved a lot with Mount Zion. The church there was just in the infant stages of their outreach down here, working at Freedom Hills.

And that is where I believe that was a big step also, the Lord allowed in my life to, it is okay to open your heart. It's okay to share your faults. It's okay to be put in the hot seat, so to speak.

That's really where the healing takes place. That's where the grace of God meets us on a deeper level in reality. And that's the seat we all shirk away from.

We do. If we have the grace to just be allowed to take into that seat, there's a lot of good things that happen there. So I like to read chapter 14 here in the book of Luke, starting in verse seven.

Jesus, well, first of all, verse one, he says, he came to pass. As he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees, he read on the Sabbath day that they watched him. But anyhow, he had this discourse with them there to the lawyers and Pharisees.

And then he gave them a story. He gave them this allegory. He says, verse seven, he put forth a parable to those which were bidden.

He was just watching how people were coming to this house, all those that were invited, those that had an invitation. When he marked, he was perceiving, he was just watching how they chose out the chief room, saying unto them that they probably had nice sized houses, some of these Pharisees, I believe they were well-to-do. And various rooms, and certainly some rooms had more preeminence than others did.

And I don't know that they were honest enough to really express that openly, that they want that spot, the highest spot. But it just came out in how they came in and how they looked around and what seats they chose, what's available. Probably in a very nice and genial way, tried to be kind, but looking out for me.

And he watched that. Then he just, in the midst of this, I'm not sure where Jesus was sitting. I would expect they gave him a good seat because of who he was.

I don't know. But he says, verse eight, when thou art bidden to any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. And he that bathed thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place.

And thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. I just like to title this this morning, Life in the Lowest Room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room.

Do it voluntarily. You know what, if we don't do it voluntarily, they will come, that the Lord will do it for us. He'll take us there.

He'll allow situations to arise, circumstances. We all need that experience one way or the other. Verse 10, when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bathed thee cometh, he may say unto thee, friend, that's where the friendship starts, go up higher, then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meet with thee.

If we're struggling with friendships, with relationships, if the friendship is not there, it's probably because we have not spent enough time in that lowest room. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be based and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. And I was just meditating.

I chose this, seeking the Lord, kind of in light of what I've been sharing the last half year or so of the book of Ephesians out of the battle, the battle we're all involved with. And I remember listening to this missionary, he gave the story of when he was growing up in Holland during the World War II, they were in the bunkers, they were in the bomb shelters. And he says, we were the Dutch Reformed Church, we had Catholic neighbors, we had Protestants, we were all together.

But when things got tough, we all started crying out to the Lord. We're not sure none really were saved, we didn't think that anyone really was saved, but they were scared. They had fear.

But where was the bomb shelter? Where do people have bomb shelters, the fallout shelters? You can go into any public building and there's like a tornado schematic of how the room set out. And in case of emergency, where do they always point you? Down. I've never seen one that says go for the highest story and open the window and wave your arm, you know? Or like when there's a, I remember when I worked construction years ago on a commercial job, so occasionally we'd have safety meetings and when there's a thunderstorm, where do you go? Thunderstorm.

Out underneath a tree, hold onto a piece of rebar? No, you go somewhere where it's low, where it's protected. The Lord's room is a safe place to be. I'd just like to encourage that, my heart and yours, all of us together.

If this can be, I don't know what the future has, if I can just use this as a blessing, an encouragement for all of us during this transition time, I would just, an exhortation, life in the lowest room is the safest place to be. That's actually where Jesus dwelt and that's where he got the most done. That's where he helped most people, life in the lowest room.

It's not time wasted in the lowest room. Time is not wasted. Living in the lowest room, for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

Another safety that we receive in the lowest room, amongst others there, is the winds of doctrine that are blowing, they'll catch you in that upper story, especially open the window, they'll take the upper stories. There's a lot of winds of doctrine blowing these days. And there's a lot, there's very, from various angles, and they blow, they blow, they start out very subtle, we get used to the breeze, but those winds of doctrine, you'll be safer in an area, in an attitude, in a heart of humility.

The Lord can give you grace during this time, discern what is right or wrong. In an attitude of humility, amongst other godly brothers, they can help you discern what is right, what is wrong, because it's in those lowest rooms, I believe, where the church of God is at. I also believe that is where Jesus is dwelling.

It says, whosoever exalts himself shall be abased. I think it is in, it's in 1 Peter, it says, 1 Peter 5, it says, likewise ye younger, talking about the age differences, it says, likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Then it says, yea, all of you be subject one to another, for God resists the proud.

Well, he says, he gives us more, I'm missing a verse. No, it says that God resists the proud, but give us grace unto the humble. It says, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

The due time for those that are going to the lower room, the due time will come, it will surely come. That is the hard part for us many times. We think that time is due.

So when something is due, there's an appointed time reach that there needs to be, like for a woman is due, that baby is delivered. We want the bill is due, it needs to be paid, or there's consequences. And we think sometimes my time is due, Lord, it's time to go out.

But just let's stay in the safe place until he leads us up. He won't leave us there, he won't. When he, James, the time is right.

When the time is due, he'll lead us up at his discretion. Also in James, the book of James, very similar. I'll just read a few verses there, chapter four.

It's the same thought. I'm not giving you anything spectacular or new, but it is the word of God, which is always refreshingly new. Just kind of giving you some encouragement today along with myself to whatever we do from here on out, let's stay in the lower room.

Verse four in chapter four. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do you think that the scripture says in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, but he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resists the proud, but he giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, he will flee from you. He has the same thought here. God gives more grace.

And it's in light of this, in the book of Acts, we read this account where Paul called for the elders at Ephesus. I'm talking about the, still about, I'm still somewhat anchored in the book of Ephesians here, but on his farewell journey, his last journey up to Jerusalem, he had a farewell address to them. Then he called for the elders, I believe, but it's good for all of us.

These things he expounded on. He said, he told them actually he ended, he ended that discourse, he says, now I commend you to the grace of, to God and to the word of his grace, which is able, which is able to build you up. The building takes place in that lower room, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those that are sanctified.

The sanctification, the setting apart, the cleaning up, that sanctification progress process only works for those that have this humble heart. It only works if we're willing to be in the hot seat. We're willing to be, stay in the lower room.

Make that our life. That is the grace. That is where the grace is poured into our heart and into our life.

It's a mindset. I think it's in Romans 12, it says, mind not high things, but condescend to men of lowest state. That was totally opposite to what Satan, that's the very thing that got him kicked out from a highest seat into the lowest room.

That he wanted to be like the most high. Just do a study sometime on the word high, and the highest, and where God is at with that. How he looked at that.

Satan was cast out according to, Jesus according to the speed of lightning, which is 186,000, what's it, 200 miles per second. That just does not, that attitude will not prevail in the presence of God and his holy angels. The things that are high.

There's another passage there in Luke 16. Jesus told the Pharisees again, he says, whatsoever is highly, highly esteemed among men. Whatsoever is floating around in the upper room, where the people have the, actually there's two different Greek words for the two words here in Luke 14 on the highest room versus the lowest room.

If you look that up in Greek, there's two different Greek words. The lowest room gives a connotation, it's kind of a tight place, it's not very comfortable. Might only be standing room only.

Standing room only for the flesh, but really I think there's a lot of room. Not too many people like to go there. Versus the highest room is a room, according to the Greek, is a room of reclining.

Everyone has a reclining spot around. I think that's how they often slept. They had their meals somewhat reclining on one elbow and eating and relaxed.

That was a position of relaxation and enjoyment and plenty of room for my comfort, my luxury. The highest room has, on the opposite, has a lot of room, but yet it is crowded in a certain sense also. There's a lot of room for self, but it is also crowded because a lot of people want to be there.

They also can't get along. I thought that's very interesting. In the Greek, when Jesus said that, the highest room and lowest room, I believe they connected right away what he's talking about.

So let's not mind high things, but condescend to men of lowest fate. I know I've done this before. I'm just gonna do it again.

In Philippians chapter two, it says that let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. To reinforce our mind, who being in the form of God, he was up here with God, in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Here he had equality with God.

And it was every head, every right, he is God. Thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but what does he say? He made himself of no reputation, took a step down, no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant. There's another step, servanthood.

And was made in the likeness of man, became like a man. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, humility. He chose the lowest realm.

He humbled himself and became obedient unto death. Obedience, words that bring an awful silence in churches today, in hearts today. Being obedient to Christ, made himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant, was made in the likeness of man, and being found in fashion as a man, excuse me, he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Death of cross. So we hear this term, we point sinners to the cross. Look up to the cross.

But really the saving look, I believe the saving look will not happen until we're down. We can't look up until we're down. If we're up here in this without repentance, without that humility, there's no saving look.

Allow this mind, it says, allow this mind to be in you. This is the mind actually, we're just explaining, we're just kind of opening up Christ's mind when it was down on the earth here, living amongst his people. That's the mind, that's the room, that's the room.

The safest place to be when the winds of doctrine blow, when the enemy comes in the cross, I think we're saying part of that. In the cross, be my glory ever. We really don't understand, I believe I am still learning that.

We really won't understand the depth of that until we take, willing to take, lose our reputation, become servants, have the life of a servant. We are men already, but not think of ourselves more highly what to think. Take on the humility and obedience.

Jesus, what did Jesus say? Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. That's life in the lower room. Ephesians, the book of Ephesians, I have been in, it says that we should approach, approach this life that's our calling.

Verse two, chapter four, it says, we should walk worthy of vocation wherewith we're called with all lowliness and meekness. Actually, the lowliness, that word is the same word as humility. With all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.

It's only in that room where that really will happen if every one of us will have that heart where true brotherhood will prosper. But thank God it doesn't stay there. It could just be a heavy, this is, oh wow, we're just dwelling down there.

It is actually a blessed place. The Lord Jesus is there. But he says that he may draw you in due time.

I know he can give some of those times in this life even, blessing you. But the bridegroom is down here while the others are feasting up here somewhere. The bridegroom is down here.

Jesus is here. And the day will come when he will take his bride and that's the exalting in due time. I don't wanna miss that.

I know you don't wanna miss that. Don't be discouraged if the Lord takes you through times of lower room experiences. It's just a part of the journey to be exalted in due time.

As we're seated, we're already seated technically, legally, I will say that word, with Christ in heavenly places. But why are we facing some of these things we face? Why are we, you know, go on and on? Well, the Lord is still perfecting his bride. We're getting cleaned up for the journey upward.

Remember there in Acts 20, when Paul was sharing with these Ephesians there, he told them, he commits, commands, commits them to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build them up and make all the grace and all the grace can abound to them, be able to build them up. They were given this blessing, but there is a word in there and it's the word if, which or is, is able, gives the connotation, doesn't say it's gonna happen, but is able. That's the same, the choice is still ours.

Are we gonna avail ourselves to the grace of God? Open our heart to that, that it will, it will keep us in this safe place. It will keep us from the winds of doctrine. If you read that passage, it wasn't, this hidden just closes with the word of grace again, like it's, which is sometimes I don't think to understand the depth, the burden he had, but he shared in that passage that as you know, he starts in, you know what manner of man I was with you at all seasons.

When I first came into the city of Ephesus, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with the tears and temptations that befell me by the lying weight of the Jews, he talks about the humility of mind. That's how he came. He came on this level to Ephesus.

And this is kind of what happened. Just watch that life, that interaction with, with you read Ephesians, you read Revelations 2, when Jesus actually talks about the church at Ephesus there. But Paul's interaction was there with them.

He says, I seize not, I didn't stop. I didn't give a moment of knocking off or recess. I seize not to warn everyone day and night with tears.

You see the earnestness, the depth of earnestness, just a longing for people to be able to prosper, for people to prosper, to flourish in this, knowing Christ and becoming more like him. I didn't seize, I didn't stop one moment for three years, three years, warning every man day and night with tears, publicly from pulpit maybe, or from the synagogue, wherever they met, and from house to house, when he was from one family to the next, that's always what you got from Paul. Just that burden, that longing that you are, will grow in Christ, you will prosper.

Why? He says, because I know after I'm gone, grievous wolves are gonna enter in, not sparing the flock. And I just, I just have wondered already, this group of men, I don't know how many there were that sat around him. I just, some just, right up close to him, just drinking in every word, maybe some little bit on the fringes, already an agenda in their own heart.

Something not pure, because it says, even of your own selves will men rise up, teaching perverse things and drawing disciples after them. So it's because of that, I seize not to warn. That's why we need to warn, in our day and age, in our nation, there are winds blowing that would just like to take us down.

The enemy hasn't been always able to, openly with serious persecution, but he'll do it in other ways. I believe with all my heart, what I've seen in other countries and being here, I think we're on a great cloud of deception, materialism. Just a lot of deception, easy believism.

We have, my family, we have some interaction, we have some contact with a personal friend or some. Over the years, had some ongoing interaction. He has, I would say, some German, Russian descent.

His wife also, maybe his wife is more of a Russian descent. And he has done a lot of research with the church in Russia. And I was challenged, I remember some of the things that were shared, that some people challenged with how they are serious about this.

Christians are serious because they had to suffer. Suffering is something that is, the lack of suffering is keeping us, I believe, from really experiencing just this reality of God in our lives. Things that happen, that have happened in various groups, and they're not all the same, there's a lot of different, there's a false movement among them also.

Spirit movements, some are good, and some, I mean, not so good. But one thing that was shared, just for example, during World War II, there was a person that was involved with, from Hitler's, an ex-Nazi. So this is what we would do, coming through Russia.

When Hitler, Adolf Hitler was invading Russia, he said that we would, on the evening times, when it was evening, at their evening meal, we would go to these different homes, the more defenseless ones, have them, allow them to prepare a nice meal, and we'd just shoot all of them, use their bodies as seats, we'd sit on them while we ate the meal. Next thing, we'd go somewhere else. We can't identify with that.

We tend to say back, it's too graphic for our children. Some days, graphic things might happen in America. We don't wanna scare anyone.

But we have to be realistic. The global church is not, we are not normal. I'll just say that.

I thank God for what we have. I thank the Lord so much for our freedom. But do not take it for granted.

It should keep us in the lowest room, in the deepest way, in gratefulness and in humility. But this is one thing he shared that really challenged me. And often, we, people from here, we go that way, and we're just blessed, we're amazed at the strength of the Christian in spite of persecution.

We get you that get the voice of the martyrs, the depth of persecution, and their steadfastness, even welcoming that, acknowledging it. It wouldn't be for that, we would not have the pure church that we do. It purifies us.

And they often look this way and wonder, how can we maintain Christianity here with all, with the posh surroundings, the luxury? He just raised a question. I'm not saying this is a true question, but just ponder it a bit. He said, from their view, if we think like the world, if we eat like the world, if we drive like the world, if we are just of the world, would it be unfair of Christ to let us spend eternity with the world? That really hit me, just almost like really, it gripped me.

Reality. I'm thankful God is the judge, he'll be a just judge, but to sometimes think young people grew up, they think this is normal, this is not normal. But a lot of us have experienced this long period of peace, relatively peace, but in the midst of it, the devil has not been silent, not been quiet.

And that was, I believe, the heart of Paul, warning them with tears. Three years he was amongst them with tears. And even there, he was just, the last time, be careful.

There's gonna be people rising up that want to draw people after them. If it's not pointing to Christ, it is a wrong wind of doctrine. Always it needs to be Christ, pointing to Christ.

And in that passage, he says, he kept, and I pray for the jury, if this pulpit here from here on, always there'll be truth. Continue that, settle for nothing less. Anyone that comes here and shares, comes here and takes in.

It says, Paul said, you know how I kept back nothing. I kept back nothing that was profitable for you. And I've shunned, I didn't shun to declare, declare Mr. Oberle, publicly declare the whole council of God.

If there's ever a day and age, we need the whole council and we need nothing kept back as it is now. People that are afraid, like I shared last time, a false prophet, there out of Jude, false prophecy, a false prophet, it says mockers. If you look up the word mockers in the original Greek, it just says a false prophet.

It's not, like it's shared earlier, it's not the people out there on the streets that are protesting, heading for Washington DC. Maybe I can include them, or those that are just openly mocking the word of God when you go out to preach. Includes them, but it's more those that are in buildings like this, on mornings like this, sharing across the pulpit like this can be mockers also.

That was Paul's burden. And a mocker is not just someone comes up here and just maybe mocks. I believe Paul's teaching is not just something that maybe that's twisted, could be, can be, might be a big thing, but it's not, I believe it's not sharing everything.

It's not sharing the whole council. I believe that is mocking. It's just a partial truth.

That's where heresies start. A partial truth taken to extreme becomes heresy. So that's just some exfiltration of my own heart, but I'm just being very honest here.

Make that a deep, deep conviction in your heart. We want the whole council. We want to declare all the truth.

Now I believe they took some of that to heart. You read in the book of Revelation chapter two, Jesus was walking along the church at the first plain dress with this church. And he says, every church Jesus commended, first of all, the things that they had.

He says, the things that you did, you've labored, you have patience. And he said that you could not bear those which are evil. And you found you've tried them, which say they're apostles and are not.

So I think they took that warning to heart. And they, I don't know how they did it, but they asked some questions. They did some trials.

They're probably putting on some kind of a trial, put them in the hot seat. And it says, he commended them. You found them liars, which say they are not.

Not everyone that comes into our midst at times might be an apostle. We have to be honest. It doesn't sound very nice, but it's the reality.

He says, be careful. And also I think there's two times, two other churches. This is the church at Philadelphia.

Might be also be the church at Ephesus. He says, I should just turn there, make sure. Jesus says that, you know, the next church is Smyrna.

Says, I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews. A lot of lip service, a lot of people saying. He's talking, I believe he's talking about those that say they're sincere, we're Christians, because they are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

He says, don't fear them, the devil will cast some of you into prison. He says, the thought is again, they are aware that not everyone that names the name of Christ. And he commended them for taking their stand.

And also I think of the church of Philadelphia. Verse nine, he says, behold, I will make them in the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, nor not, but they lie. Behold, I will make them to come, worship before thy feet.

So they have the same issue there. Excuse me. Just back to the thought, the safest place for us all to be, to be kept from winds of doctrine, from false teaching, from false prophecy, stay in the lower room, have an open heart of humility, that you won't be blown around when the tornado comes.

When the winds of doctrine blow, I believe there'll only increase, they'll only increase from here on going. Another thing that Paul shared there in his farewell, he says that basically he knew nothing else. This is what he preached, repentance towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

He didn't just embark on one, this is just all about repentance, just repentance, repentance, just negative, negative. It's not just faith, faith alone either. They too walk together.

That seemed to be the burden, that was a burden of his. When you walk from house to house in humility, when you walk in publicly, repentance toward God, that open, that, I'll just say that Isaac heart that we saw this morning, just an openness, that is what repentance is. Just agree, finally agree with God.

God, you're right. So as soon as we come away from that, it's pretty easy to start just talking about faith alone. It's all what Jesus has done and there's no responsibility of repentance anymore.

Repentance towards God, towards God and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the father and then faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ towards Jesus' solution right there. Right here we have the solution.

Jesus was presented, we prayed together. I believe there's cleansing, there's healing. He says that there will, there's certainly, there's gonna wolves are gonna be coming and wolves are coming in all around us in our nation.

And I'm glad we don't have to have a television but you don't even have to have that. There's so many books out about the prosperity gospel. Do this, put in a little seed of faith somewhere with certain amount of money, a big amount should come in.

Just name it and claim it. Those are things totally opposite that Jesus taught. And I, I would say there's many things such like that are leading away from the simplicity of Christ, from the simplicity that is in Christ.

And more and more the message across our nation to tickle the ears of those listeners, I would say wolves, diet is being changed so it makes them feel good. And I say the sheep are becoming hungry. Sheep are starving while the wolves are having a good time.

May it never be such amongst us here. I trust it's not, that we're gonna press ahead, preach a pure gospel, keep back nothing, declare the whole council. And then in the truest sense, the grace that is able to sanctify us or how does it say, I think it says, commend you to God and to the word of grace which is able to give you an inheritance among those which are sanctified.

The truest inheritance will be amongst the sanctified. We know we have to, Ephesians the first chapter talks about inheritance, the inheritance we have with Christ but it is in a sanctified element. It is with the sanctified.

I'm not gonna go longer than this. I have purpose not to go very long. I just want to encourage all of us, all of us, all of us, starting right here to whenever you see me, ask me, where am I at on this step? I invite you to do that, have that heart.

It is here that we can grow. It's here that we're prepared to be exalted in due time. It will happen, it will happen.

Let's not shrink back from this experience here and this time in the lowest room. It's not a reclining room. According to the Greek there, it's not a place of reclining but it is a place of growing, it's a place of rubbing shoulders with others.

It's a place where Jesus meets his people. Anyhow, that's what I have. Whenever we interact, I trust there will be ongoing interaction, I know there will.

Let's have this heart of encouraging, exalting one another towards the most holy faith and not be ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which is still almost 2020, able to save sinners. Like Paul said, of whom I am chief. And just talking about Paul's experience and I think it's almost chronological in order to some different books how he's written.

I didn't even look them up but I think one is in Ephesians, maybe other than Corinthians, maybe another one Timothy. First he says that to me who am, he was referring to himself about the apostleship. I'm the least of the apostles.

I think that's in 1 Corinthians 15 and they're talking about the resurrection, how the different apostles saw the Lord Jesus and says to me who I am the least of the apostles. Sounds pretty humble. I believe he was an element of humility but still he was an apostle.

He was part of the apostles. Later on he shares that, I think it's Ephesians. I'm the least of all saints.

Not the apostles anymore, if they're in his mind or your mind there's a hierarchy, it isn't. But there may be a sense of importance. He just says that I'm the least of the saints.

Almost like he came down a notch. And later on I think it's in Timothy, he says that I'm the chief of sinners. Same way with Matthew.

Here I'm going again, but Matthew, I think when Matthew met Jesus, he enjoyed life down here. It just made sense to him. All the other gospels, when they give, it might only be, I mean Mark does some and Luke does an extensive list of apostles.

Goes through the list, just manages Matthew. But Matthew himself, he says, when he gets close to the list, he says Matthew's the publican. The derogatory term he applied to himself.

The others didn't, but he did that to himself. Can I, do I have that humility? Do I have that mind of Christ that nothing that I have done? However I see myself, a publican. Luke 18, the publican and that other man went up to the temple to pray.

One a publican and another sinner. And we know this story well. The publican stood and prayed, that's with himself.

He was, I don't know, up here somewhere. Prayed with himself. God, I thank Thee that I'm not as other men are.

Especially not in that room down there. There's a reason they're down there. The other, that other one just, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

Matthew, the publican. Elson, the, I'm sure y'all got a name. You can shout it out, but I know Elson, the sinner.

Elson, the, you know, the wishy-washy one. Elson, the strong, how do you say? There's some feeling, I'll just be honest. There's one, Elson, the one that always has this thing about holiness somehow.

Maybe in the wrong approach. I just want to acknowledge that. I want to be honest before you.

We determined to go through this with honesty and openness. I just want to open my heart. If I've come across like that, I confess that as wrong, and I'm sorry.

I want Christ to have the preeminence of my heart. I want to learn in that room there. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, I thank you for the example of Jesus Christ, how he went down those steps.