{"id":1161,"date":"2019-09-22T14:48:23","date_gmt":"2019-09-22T21:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1161"},"modified":"2019-09-22T14:56:36","modified_gmt":"2019-09-22T21:56:36","slug":"be-thankful-for-your-god-given-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/22\/be-thankful-for-your-god-given-status\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Thankful for Your God-Given Status!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"color:black;font: 10pt arial;\"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:WordDocument>   <w:View>Normal<\/w:View>   <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom>   <w:TrackMoves\/>   <w:TrackFormatting\/>   <w:PunctuationKerning\/>   <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas\/>   <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false<\/w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>   <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false<\/w:IgnoreMixedContent>   <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false<\/w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>   <w:DoNotPromoteQF\/>   <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US<\/w:LidThemeOther>   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\tmso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; \tmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; \tmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; \tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\"; \tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} <\/style>\n\n <![endif]--><\/p>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;color:#212121\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-1161-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Pentecost-15-09-22-19.mp3?_=1\" \/><source type=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/FILELINK?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Pentecost-15-09-22-19.mp3\">http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Pentecost-15-09-22-19.mp3<\/a><\/audio>&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">September 22, 2019<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Luke 14:1, 7-14<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Be Thankful for Your God-given Status!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;tab-stops:13.5pt .5in 2.5in 238.5pt 337.5pt\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt\">One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>\u201c<i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">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.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, \u2018Give this man your seat.\u2019<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, \u2018Friend, move up to a better place.\u2019<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Then Jesus said to his host, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cWhen you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>(NIV1984)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">A house, a vacation home; a car, a truck; the size of one\u2019s annual income, the size of one\u2019s retirement nest-egg, the size of one\u2019s estate; the way a person looks, the looks of the person who is standing by their side; the accomplishments one has achieved in their career, the accomplishments one has achieved vicariously through their children and their grandchildren \u2014 what do all of these things have in common?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>They all fit under the heading of \u201cStatus Symbols,\u201d don\u2019t they?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Our world and our society are fixated on status symbols.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Whether we realize it or not and whether we like it or not a person\u2019s \u201cstatus\u201d in this world is considered to be very important.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Someone with a higher status is considered to be more valuable than someone with a lower status.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That\u2019s the way this world works.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">When\u2019s the last time that you\u2019ve contemplated your own status, my friends?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Was it when you went over to someone\u2019s house and were glad that you didn\u2019t have to live in a house like that?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Was it when you looked at someone\u2019s job and wished you could have a job like that?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is amazing how easily status plays a role in both our lives and in our dealings with the people around us.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Status.<\/span><\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That is the central issue that is being addressed here in our sermon text for today.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>As we study this portion of Scripture let\u2019s note two things.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>First, let\u2019s see how the world deals with the issue of status. <span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp;<\/span>Then, let\u2019s see how our Lord defines the issue of status.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Luke sets the stage for us in the opening verse of our text when he writes, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cOne Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jesus had reached that point in His ministry where people were not only actively opposing Him, but they were consciously looking for ways to discredit Him, to bring down His \u201cstatus\u201d in the eyes of the people.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>That was the purpose behind this particular dinner invitation.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>A <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cprominent\u201d<\/i> Pharisee had invited Jesus over to his house for dinner\u2014 not so that he might have an opportunity to listen and learn from Jesus, but so that there would be an opportunity to <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ccarefully watch\u201d<\/i> Jesus.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Very literally the Greek word which is translated here as <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ccarefully watch\u201d<\/i> can be translated as <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cto lie in wait.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Can you imagine going to dinner at someone\u2019s house knowing that they were <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201clying in wait\u201d<\/i> for you\u2014 knowing that they were just salivating over the possibility that you might do something or say something that they could then use against you?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Personally, I find it rather interesting perhaps even ironic that the One who was being <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ccarefully watched\u201d<\/i> turned out to be the One who <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cnoticed\u201d<\/i> or <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201ckept a close watch\u201d<\/i> on the people as they came into this dinner gathering.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What did Jesus <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cnotice\u201d<\/i>?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look at verse seven.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Luke writes, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cWhen he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable\u2026.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Now remember that these people had been invited to have dinner at the home of a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cprominent\u201d<\/i> or a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cruling\u201d<\/i> Pharisee.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Humanly speaking it is not at all difficult for us to understand why they wanted to sit in a place of <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201chonor.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Think of the prestige, the bragging rights \u2014 the status\u2014 they would gain in the eyes of others if they got to sit in a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cplace of honor\u201d<\/i> when invited to the home of a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cprominent\u201d<\/i> Pharisee!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Why is it relatively easy for us to understand both the actions and the motivations of the people who <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cpicked the places of honor at the table\u201d<\/i>?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Because sometimes, my friends, we are not all that different, are we?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We like to be publicly recognized when we do something \u201cover and above\u201d what may have been expected of us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We like to be patted on the back if we do something for the church or accept a position at church that no one else wants to accept.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Deep down inside we kind of like it when people notice at least some of those things we mentioned at the beginning of this sermon\u2014 our house, our car, our wealth, our friends, our whatever.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Because we all have that old sinful nature which puffs up with pride at the tiniest stroke of recognition we like to have our personal status elevated in the eyes of others.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Unfortunately the status that we oftentimes strive to confer upon ourselves can\u2014 and usually does\u2014 come crashing to the ground like a popped balloon.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Jesus pictures this truth for us in the parable that is recorded here in our text.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Glance through verses 8-11 of our text where Jesus talks about people who are attending a wedding feast.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is a rather presumptuous person who automatically assumes that they deserve to be given a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cplace of honor\u201d<\/i> \u2014 whether it is at a public gather such as a wedding banquet or simply in the eyes of the people around them.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Eventually this type of person ends up being <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201chumiliated\u201d<\/i> when someone who has a higher status puts them in their place.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It is far better to have a humble heart\u2014 a heart that enables you to willingly and cheerfully take the <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201clowest place.\u201d<\/i><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>If someone does elevate you to a <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cbetter place\u201d<\/i>\u2014 fantastic!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>If not, that\u2019s fine too!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Best of all, however, is to have a heart that is filled with so much humility that your life is spent concentrating on what you can do for others and not what others can do for you.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look at the closing verses of our text.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Here Jesus warns us against doing something for someone else only when there is the hope of getting something in return.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>On the other hand, when we are willing to do something for someone who can not <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cpay us back,\u201d<\/i> then we will be <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cblessed\u201d<\/i> Jesus says here in our text.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>While we may never be publicly <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cblessed\u201d<\/i> here in this life we will most certainly be <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cblessed\u201d<\/i> <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cat the resurrection of the righteous\u201d<\/i> when Jesus will say to those on His right, <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cI tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me\u201d<\/i> (Matthew 25:40).<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">\u201cWhen you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>How might we put these words into practice in our own personal lives?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>How could we do something for someone without expecting that they might pay us back?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Think about it.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Perhaps we could make a donation to a local food bank or maybe even volunteer to help at the food bank.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Perhaps we could talk to a local school and see if there is a way to anonymously donate school supplies.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>With the number of natural disasters that seem to be taking place on a regular basis perhaps we could make a donation to Synod\u2019s relief committee.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Remember, my friends, that it doesn\u2019t have to be something \u201cbig.\u201d<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Jesus assures us that <i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">\u201cwhatever\u201d<\/i> we as Christians do for someone else we do for Him!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">How does all of this tie in with our status?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Whether we admit it or not we are all concerned about our status.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We care about how other people view us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We care about what other people think of us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>We care about what other people say concerning us.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Just think back over the past week of your life, my friends.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Did you do something or not do something; did you say something or not say something simply because of how it made you \u201clook\u201d in the eyes of others?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>If so, you were concerned about your status, weren\u2019t you?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">While the world and even our own sinful nature determines our status based upon things such as money, looks and IQ, the good Lord has a very different definition when it comes to our status, doesn\u2019t He.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What makes you \u201cvaluable\u201d to God?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What determines how much you are \u201cworth\u201d in the eyes of the Lord?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What determines your personal \u201cplace of honor\u201d at the heavenly Father\u2019s table?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It\u2019s not your money.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It\u2019s not your house.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It\u2019s not your looks.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>It\u2019s not your brains.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>What determines your \u201cworth,\u201d what grants you \u201chonor,\u201d what gives you \u201cstatus\u201d is your personal relationship with the Lord, the one and only true God!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>There on the cross (Pointing to the cross) Jesus Himself secured your status as a saved, forgiven and redeemed child of the heavenly Father.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>There at the baptismal font you were given the honor of being adopted by the living God Himself.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Here at His altar the Lord Jesus Christ gives you His true body and blood to assure you of how precious you are to Him, how much you are \u201cworth\u201d in His eyes.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Could there possibly be anything in this world that even begins to compare to who you <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">are<\/i><\/b> in the eyes of the Lord?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Could there possibly be anything in this world that even begins to compare to your God-given status?<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">That God-given status, my friends, is what now fills our heart with true humility.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Look into the mirror of God\u2019s holy Law.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Pick any one of the Ten Commandments and shine it into your own heart and into your own life.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Now do the same with the other nine.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Do you <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\">deserve<\/b> the status that the good Lord has so graciously and so freely conferred upon you?<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>I certainly don\u2019t!<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Humbled by what God was willing to do (pointing to the cross) to give us the status of being His dearly beloved child we can skip being concerned about all those things that the world uses to determine a person\u2019s status and we can concentrate on living our life in a way that says \u201cThank-you!\u201d to our Savior God for the status that He has given to us.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Status.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Whenever someone\u2019s status is determined by the house they live in, by the possessions they have accumulated, by what they do for a living or by how they look their status will be extremely short-lived\u2014 especially when viewed from the perspective of eternity.<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Status.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Thank God, my friends, that your status is not determined by any of the things that are so important to this world.<span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span>Thank God\u2014 in your heart and with your life\u2014 thank God that your status is determined by who you <b style=\"mso-bidi-font-weight:normal\"><i style=\"mso-bidi-font-style:normal\">are<\/i><\/b> in His eyes! (Pointing to the cross)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">To God be the glory!<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">Amen<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\"><span style=\"mso-spacerun:yes\">&nbsp; <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"mso-pagination:none\"><span style=\"font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;layout-grid-mode:line\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"postie-attachments\">Download sermon audio ::  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Pentecost-15-09-22-19.mp3\">Pentecost-15-09-22-19.MP3<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 22, 2019 Luke 14:1, 7-14 Be Thankful for Your God-given Status! &nbsp; One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched.&nbsp; When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable:&nbsp; \u201cWhen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}