God Requires Honesty and Compassion - Part 7

I mean, you've got to respect me more than these other fellows who just came the other day. I want to ask you whether that is there in the back of your mind, that you feel yourself a senior brother or sister who deserves a little more respect than some of these others. It's these attitudes.

They hinder our walk with God. What does the Lord require of you? Acknowledge your iniquity to God and to man. And have a good attitude towards people, towards all of them.

Bless them. Don't be jealous of anyone. Don't look down on anyone.

Don't think you're senior to anybody. None of us is senior. We're called to be a blessing to others.

We're not called to show off our seniority. You know, we can boast that saying that, oh, we don't have titles like pastor, reverend, father, this, that, and the other. You know, people say when I go to the Roman Catholic Church, can I call that man father, so-and-so? I say, forget it.

I don't mind calling him that. That's his name. That's his name.

But you know the attitude we can have without using these titles? Where when I consider someone as junior to me or inferior to me in the church, what's the difference between that and calling yourself father? You might as well call yourself father, so-and-so. That's the principle behind it. The principle behind it is don't elevate yourself above others.

You are all brothers, Jesus said. And don't consider yourself as a senior brother. Because that's the same as saying I'm a pastor, or I'm a father, or I'm a reverend.

And we can look down on those people who have that idea. Now I'll tell you something. I have seen people who call themselves brother who got a far more snobbish attitude than some people I've met who call themselves pastor and reverend.

It's true. Absolutely true. Humility doesn't come with just calling ourselves brother.

We can go by the letter. Ah, I don't call myself reverend, that fellow. Look at him.

He calls himself reverend and pastor. He may be a humbler man than you. If you look down on someone, if you say you're a senior brother, how can these people be treated equal to me? You've got the same spirit.

Sin is so subtle, and the devil would like you not to know it. He'd say, those fellows, they've got the problem. You don't have the problem.

Of course, you call yourself brother, so-and-so. You don't call yourself pastor, do you? What's the problem? It's that fellow. I wish we could see ourselves.

Oh, Lord, I am the man of unclean lips. That's what happens when we see the Lord. And then we don't look down on anyone.

We don't despise anyone. We seek to be kind and merciful. Think of the story of the woman caught in adultery.

It's the same thing. Jesus was highlighting the fact these fellows are so much against somebody else. And Jesus is against such people.

Think of that man who had a withered hand, and the Pharisees would not want him to be healed. And Jesus was so angry with them. All these stories teach us one thing.

Jesus is angry with those who have a wrong attitude towards others. I never want to have that in my life. I never want to think of myself as a senior brother.

I never want to think of myself as more spiritual or that God has to treat me different from all the other people in the church. No, not at all. So, dear brothers, it's only two things I said today.

You keep them in mind. I believe it will really change your life. Acknowledge your mistakes and sins.

And treat other people exactly like the way you want to be treated yourself. And ask God for the power of his Holy Spirit. Let's pray.

Thank you, Heavenly Father. For your word, the entrance of your word, the unfolding of your word gives light. We want to walk in the light of that all our days.

We want this to be intensely practical. We want to see the things that you hate. We want to hate it ourselves.

Help us, Lord, we pray, to walk in the light. As you are in the light, we know your blood will cleanse us from all sin. And we can be forgiven before you and forgive others.

Acknowledge our mistakes and humble ourselves and ask forgiveness from you and from one another. And walk with you in brokenness. And treat others the way you have treated us with such tremendous mercy.

With such tremendous compassion. You have treated us way beyond what we deserve. Way beyond that, Lord.

Help us to treat others like that. To be large hearted in forgiving and in mercy. We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.