Download Post Conference Lesson

Winterfest 2017- Post-Event Lesson – 4
Do You Know Who I Am?
Luke 14:7-11
Activity Options for Opening:
~ Play the crowd breaker game called “Fruit Basket Turnover.”
Form a circle with a number of chairs equal to one less than the number of players. The players sit on
the chairs. One player will be left without a chair, and will stand in the center of the circle. The player
standing in the center will say something like: “If you’ve ever been to Winterfest, fruit basket turnover.”
(Or, “if you’re wearing jeans…” or “if you’ve ever sang along with a Justin Bieber song…”)
All players fitting that description must stand up from their seats and move to another seat in the circle.
The player in the center must attempt to take a seat in one of the free seats while the other players are
moving. A new player will then be left in the center, enabling the game to be repeated. If any player
failed to move even though they should have, they are required to move into the center and the player
previously in the center sits in their seat. The player in the center may simply call "Fruit Basket
Turnover," in which case everybody must move to a different seat. There is often a restriction that the
player must move to a seat not adjacent to their own.
~ Play the game “Musical Chairs.”
Arrange a circle of chairs numbering one less than the number of players participating in the game.
Players line up outside the ring of chairs while one non-player is in charge of playing recorded music.
When the music begins, the players move in a circle around the chairs, but as soon as the music stops,
the players must immediately find a chair. One player will not find a seat and is eliminated, and one
chair is removed from the circle for the next round. The game continues until one player remains.
Transition to the lesson by having students discuss observations from the game(s).Then, have students
share about a time when they had a really good seat at a sporting event or a concert or a parade.
We all want good seats. Like sitting in the front seat of the car. Just call, “Shotgun.”
Check out this video to make sure you're calling "Shotgun!" correctly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHCX3VD5-ak
Wanting the best seat in the house shows up in many places.
Maybe you had the best seat on the bus to or from Winterfest.
Have you ever seen people in the Walmart parking lot? The best parking places are usually the ones
closest to the front door.
I’ve seen people nearly wreck, fighting for that one open spot near the door! How about what this Jeep
driver did…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSY3VuhCDZM
It is human nature to want to sit in the best seat available. At a concert, the best seat in the house is
probably the one closest to the musicians. Maybe it was a seat on the fifty-yard line at a football game
or the seat directly behind home plate at a baseball game. These seats have the best view, the highest
ticket price, the most prestige and the greatest bragging potential.
Once, two of Jesus’ disciples (James and John) got into this "best seat" discussion when Jesus asked
them, "What do you want me to do for you?" And they said to Him, “Let one of us sit at your right and
the other at your left in your glory.” They wanted the best seats in the kingdom - the places of honor
and prestige. It’s a natural, human thing to do. Jesus had some direct and pointed things to say to
James and John about the best seat in the house. Jesus has some direct and pointed things to say about
the best seat in the house to us, as well.
At Winterfest, we learned who we really are. As we begin to understand more deeply who we really
are, such an understanding will inform our behavior. When we realize our true identity, appropriate
attitudes and behavior will follow. Once we know that we are chosen, special, valuable, important
children of God, we become vulnerable to one of Satan’s oldest tricks; that is infecting us with the
wrong kind of pride.
Status-seeking and position-seeking has always been a real temptation for mankind. It was that way in
the Garden of Eden. It was that way in the culture of Jesus’ time and it’s still that way today. On Planet
Earth, status and position brings power, and power often makes us prideful….and selfish.
Jesus' words show how important He believes humility is to discipleship. Jesus-followers will not seek
honor or status. We will not think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Humility is a mark of the
Christ-follower. How we see ourselves and how we treat others is an indication of our heart.
In a story recorded in Luke 14, Jesus rebuked those at the dinner table who sought position and
prestige. As Jesus watched the ugly jostling for position and place amongst His fellow guests, His
response is recorded in Luke 14:7-11. Let’s read it together.
Luke 14:7-11 (NIV)
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:
8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more
distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say
to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you,
‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.
11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be
exalted.”
Note that at a big meal in the time of Jesus, the seats of honor would likely have been those closest to
the host. Couches for a meal were usually set in a U shape, with two, three or four guests reclining on
each couch. The host would sit at the bottom of the U, with the most honored guests on his left and
right. The best seats of power and prestige were those closest to the host.
How much different it is if the guest takes the last seat at the beginning. Then the host will tell that
humble one to move up to a higher seat, honoring him before everyone. Jesus uses the term "glory" to
characterize the honor that results. The big idea is this: For everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Jesus' point is not that we should plot and plan in order to receive greater honor. Instead, he is saying
that honor is not something to go after; it is something that is awarded. Jesus is not against giving honor
to those who deserve it, but it is against His nature to use power and prestige for promotion. Jesus
doesn’t allow for His followers to think they are better than anyone else.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To illustrate the three points in this lesson, place three chairs at the front of the classroom. Make sure
everyone has a good view of the chairs. Prepare a large poster for each of the chairs. Poster 1 should
have the word “LOWEST” printed on it. Poster 2 should have the word “LEAST” printed on it. Poster 3
should have the word “LEARNING” printed on it. Be prepared to reveal each poster as you begin
teaching that portion of the lesson.
You might recognize what Jesus is teaching in Luke 14 as the opposite of nearly everything we hear
today about success and prominence. It is not easy advice easy to take. According to Jesus, however,
“those who humble themselves will be exalted.” The God all of all creation can certainly lift you higher
than you can lift yourself. As chosen, special, valuable, important children of God, He wants you to be in
the best seat in the house.
So, the question is, “What’s the best seat?” There are three Best seats in the House:
1. The Best Seat in the House is the Lowest Seat
Jesus said, "But when you are invited, take the lowest place…” (vs.10) The NASB translates it “go and
recline at the last place.”
Jesus had more in mind here than seating arrangements at dinner parties. The big idea is in verse 11
where Jesus says, "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall
be exalted."
If you want to force yourself into the first seat, you’ll be humbled. If you willingly take the lowest or last
seat, you’ll be exalted.
That goes so strongly against the grain of our culture!
In the thinking of this world, being first is so important that it becomes the only thing people will settle
for. Nothing else is acceptable. Everything else is shameful. Such thinking is opposite of Jesus’ thinking.
On another occasion, recorded in Mark 9:35, "Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said Anyone
who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Doesn’t sound like a recipe for success, does it? You probably wouldn’t find it listed in the "Ten Traits of
Successful People." Our world says, "Go for first!" Our Lord says, "Go for last." Both are telling us how
to get to the top, but there is a huge difference in how to go about getting there.
The story is told of a little boy who wanted a puppy. His dad agreed to give him his
wish, so together they hopped into the car and drove to the nearest pet store to find
the perfect one.
The sign on the door said “Puppies for sale” and so the little boy went inside to look.
The man inside the pet shop showed him five little puppies that were ready now to
leave their mother. They were about the cutest dogs the little boy had ever seen.
“How much are they?” the little boy asked.
The man replied, “Some are fifty dollars, some are more.”
The little boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. After counting it, he
said, “I have a dollar and forty-seven cents.”
“Well, I’m afraid I can’t sell you one of these puppies for a dollar and forty-seven cents,
little boy. You’ll have to save your money and come back next time we have more
puppies for sale.”
About that time, the pet store owner’s wife brought out another puppy that had been
hidden in the back of the store. It was smaller than the other puppies, and had a bad
leg. It couldn’t stand up very well, and when it tried to walk, it limped very badly.
“What’s wrong with that puppy?” asked the little boy. The pet store owner explained
that the veterinarian had examined the puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip
socket. It would always limp and always be lame.
“Oh, I wish I had the money to buy that puppy!” exclaimed the little boy with
excitement. “That’s the puppy I would choose!”
“Well, that puppy is not for sale, son. But if you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.
No charge.”
But the little boy got quite upset at this. He looked straight at the pet store owner and
said, “No, I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much
as the other dogs you have for sale. I’ll give you a dollar and forty-seven cents now, and
I’ll give you fifty cents a month until I have paid for this dog in full.”
The pet store owner was perplexed. “You don’t really want to spend your money on
this little dog, son. He is never going to be able to run and play with you like the other
puppies.”
Then the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted,
crippled left leg, supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the pet store owner
and said, “Mister, I don’t run and play too good myself. I figure this little puppy is going
to need someone like me who understands.” The boy and his dog quickly became the
best of friends.
Jesus spent a great deal of time with the ‘lowest’, the ‘last’ and the ‘least’ in society. He showed great
compassion for people with disabilities, disappointments and diseases.
"Recline at the last place," Jesus said. Then, when you’re asked to move up, it will be an honor.
The best seat in the house, according to Jesus, is the lowest seat, the last seat.
2. The Best Seat in the House is the Least Desired Seat
This teaching really is different than the way we think, isn’t it? It’s a hard teaching from Jesus. Being a
Christ follower means that it’s not always going to be about the biggest, the best, the most or the first.
The story is told of a time during the American Revolution, a prominent officer in civilian clothes rode
past a group of new recruits busy repairing a break in a defensive fortification. The work was really too
heavy for the size of group working on it. Their commander was shouting instructions, but was making
no attempt to help them. Asked why, he replied with great dignity, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger
apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers himself. When the job was
finished, he turned to the corporal and said "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this, and not
enough men to do it, go to your commander in chief, and I will come and help you again." The officer in
plain clothes was no other than General George Washington.
Many of us think like that Corporal. We don’t want to humble ourselves. Like the guests at the wedding
feast Jesus described, we want to emphasize our rank over others and be noticed for it. We want to
push ourselves as high as we can, even if it means stepping on others to do it. It’s the law of the jungle.
It’s survival of the fittest. It’s eat or be eaten. But it’s not what Jesus is teaching.
One of the reasons we shy away from humility and don’t want to take the last seat might be that we
fear being humiliated. We want to project an image that makes us look our best. We’re afraid others
might find out what we are really like and think less of us. Social media, anyone?
Many years ago, the most frequently shoplifted item in America's drugstores was Preparation H (It’s a
product to help soothe the effects of hemorrhoids). Why?
It was (at least partly) because people didn’t want to admit they had such a problem. Others might
think less of them if they knew they had that condition! Apparently many would rather risk getting
caught shoplifting than be humiliated by going through the checkout lane with a treatment for
hemorrhoids.
Ask this question: Humility and Humiliation—are they the same thing? Explain your answer.
Someone said it this way, “Humility is a way of behaving that shows that you do not think that you are
better or more important than other people.”Humiliation is the unhappy and ashamed feeling that you
get when something embarrassing happens."
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” - C.S. Lewis
“Humility is born of the spirit. Humiliation of the ego.” - Alan Cohen
“Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.” Proverbs 29:23
Jesus wants us to be the kind of people who don’t worry about how something might look or what
someone might say. He sets a standard for us to be the kind of people who humbly select the spirit of
humility.
3. The Best Seat in the House is the Learning Seat
Most of us would rather take a shortcut to the top. The trouble is that, if we do, we avoid all of life’s
lessons along the way. We want the graduates tassel without the accompanying hassle. The trip from
the bottom, through all the pain and heartache, isn’t our first choice, but it’s on that journey where we
learn the hard and valuable lessons. It’s in the fire where the gold is forged. It’s in the process of life
where we learn.
Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s Restaurants, illustrates the learning value of humility in his book
Well Done: The Common Guy’s Guide to Everyday Success. He writes, "I got my MBA long before my
G.E.D." (Dave never graduated from formal high school.) He continues, "I even have a photograph of me
in my MBA graduation outfit -- a snazzy knee-length work apron. I guarantee you that I'm the only
founder among America's big companies whose picture in the corporate annual report shows him
wielding a mop and a plastic bucket. That wasn't a gag" he continues. "It was a case of leading by
example. At Wendy's, MBA does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket
Attitude. It's how we define satisfying the customer through cleanliness, quality food, friendly service,
and atmosphere."
How awesome would it be for the kingdom of God if more Christians had that MBA attitude? You don’t
necessarily have to wield a physical mop to show you have it. There are plenty of other things that will
get you your MBA.
There’s a widow or divorced mom over there with four little kids. She’s going crazy trying to be both
mom and dad. Want to get your spiritual MBA? Go over there and help her with one or two of the kids.
Go spend your Saturdays with one of those kids for the next three years. Be a mentor to him/her.
There’s an elderly person who cannot get around anymore. He’s lonely and distraught. Want to get your
MBA? Go over and spend an hour with him. Let him talk. Listen to him. Talk to him. Do it once a month.
That makes a huge difference!
There’s a lonely and hurting kid in your class that eats by himself/herself at lunch. Befriend them. Listen
to them. Show them you care. You’ll be just like Jesus in that moment.
Humble yourself and be exalted. Exalt yourself and be humbled.
A young 24-year-old college graduate walked up to the pulpit, very self-confident and smug. He was
immaculately dressed. He knew he had what it took. He began to deliver his first sermon to his first
church but when he started to speak, the words simply wouldn’t come out. Humiliated, he burst into
tears and ended up leaving the stage, humiliated. There were two old ladies sitting in the front row and
one said to the other, "If he'd come in like he went out, he would have gone out like he came in."
Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
In getting recognition, let others do the bragging. When you are good you don’t have to tell anybody.
They’ll already know. “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your
own lips.” Proverbs 27:2 (NIV)
Start humbly. God will move you up. Start arrogantly. God will move you down. The best seat in the
house is the learning seat.
Don’t be that person who fights for the first seat. Head for the best seat in the house. Let God move you
up! THESE are the best seats in the house!
Peyton Manning is one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history. He is also regarded as one of the game’s
most humble players. Manning’s philanthropic efforts are both well noted and under-covered. He’s
made multi-million dollar donations, paid for college students’ tuition, helped save abused children,
handed out hundreds of Thanksgiving meals to families and given such generous-yet-undisclosed gifts to
a children’s hospital that it was renamed after him.
Even then, people who really know of what Peyton does for communities near and dear to him say that
isn’t half the story. One Indianapolis newspaper writer said: “Whatever you read about, he does 10, 20,
30 times more things that you never read about. I can’t tell you the number of e-mails I’ve gotten from
people who said that Peyton did this, that or the other thing for a child or for a sick person that never
made the newspaper, that wasn’t part of the PeyBack Foundation, that was just a random act of
kindness.” Even his opponents on the football field acknowledge the humility and class of Peyton on
and off the field.
Paul said in Romans 12:3, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of
yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."
There is nothing wrong with working hard to move up. Just let others do the promoting. Don’t do it
yourself. Let your works speak well of you, not your mouth. The idea is that the host of the party sees
your hard and humble work, comes to you, and says, what Jesus said in verse 10: "Friend, move up
higher."
Want to go to the top? Head for the bottom! Starting at the bottom allows us to progress naturally, at
the speed of our true abilities. Starting at the top puts us into a position where we will always have to
try to be something we aren’t by lying and deceit and misrepresentation and the humiliation of others.
We fight for our seat rather than waiting to be seated by the host.
Philippians 2:3-8 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature
God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made
himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
This ultimate example of humility is one that we must aspire to in our own lives. It’s not unique or
special to look out for yourself. We take the humble seat as the best seat in the house because it’s the
seat Jesus chose! He showed us the way by willingly heading to the bottom of society’s ladder, to the
place of a criminal, to death on a cross, hanging naked and falsely accused before all who watched,
though he did nothing wrong. And He did it on our behalf. Because He humbled Himself, God has now
exalted Him.
The story is told of a young man who on a frigid winter afternoon saw an older lady whose car was
pulled over on the side of the highway. She appeared distressed and so he stopped to help her. He
said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my
name is Bryan.” The elderly woman breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way she could have changed
her own tire. Bryan had the spare tire on and the jack down in less than ten minutes. As he was
tightening the lug nuts, the woman rolled down her window and began to talk to him. She told him that
she was from out of town and was just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to
her aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. She asked him how much she owed him. Any price
would have been all right with her. She’d already imagined some of the awful things that might have
happened if Bryan hadn’t stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about asking for money, even though he could have used some financial
help. Changing a tire was not a job to him; it was a matter of helping someone in need.
He told the woman that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who
needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed. “And when you do,” he added,
“think of me.” Bryan waited until the woman started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and
depressing day, but he felt good as he headed home. A few miles down the road the woman saw a small
diner. Though the place didn’t look like much, she went in to grab a bite to eat and take the chill off
before she made the last leg of her trip home. Her waitress brought a clean towel for the woman to dry
her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet all day couldn’t erase. The woman
noticed that the waitress was pregnant. She wondered how someone who seemingly had so little could
be so generous and kind to a stranger. Then the woman remembered Bryan. After she finished her meal,
she gave the waitress a $100 bill. While the waitress went to get change, the woman slipped quietly out
the door. When the waitress came back to the table, she noticed something written on a napkin. When
she picked it up to read it, she noticed four $100 bills that had been left underneath it. There were tears
in the waitress’s eyes when she read what the woman had written: “You don’t owe me anything. I’ve
been there, too. Somebody nice helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me
back, here is what you do: don’t let this chain of love end with you.” That night when the waitress got
home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the woman had
written. How could the woman have known how much she and her husband needed that money? With
the baby due in a month, she knew how worried her husband was. As he lay sleeping next to her, she
gave him a soft kiss and whispered softly, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan.”
Jesus is the ultimate example of what it means to be a humble servant. “Your attitude should be the
same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant...He humbled
himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Charles Spurgeon once said, “There are three effects of nearness to Jesus: humility, happiness,
holiness.” May God bless us with that humility, happiness and holiness. May each of us have the desire
and commitment to be near Jesus and to be like Jesus.
In conclusion, have each student write a personal prayer to God (Provide an index card and pen for each
student). In this prayer, I want you to consider writing/saying what might possibly be one of the scariest
and most important prayers you’ll ever pray.” Lord, at all costs, make me humble and make me holy.”
Close in a group prayer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wouldn’t it be interesting to play a game of “Humble Musical Chairs after the lesson?” It would
hopefully be different!
Below are a couple of youtube links to material that will enrich your thinking on the topic.
The Derwin Gray Sermon Jam Romans 8:15 We’ve Been Adopted “What Are You Afraid Of?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejto7en2mKU
Matt Chandler - Jesus Wants the Rose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLgIecL1IdY