In a self-consumed world filled with self-promotion – and even selfies – is self-abnegation and self-denial even relevant? In this brief message Pastor Clark examines Jesus’ own words about being “lifted up.”

<p>In a self-consumed world filled with self-promotion – and even selfies – is self-abnegation and self-denial even relevant? In this brief message Pastor Clark examines Jesus’ own words about being “lifted up.”</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Dalton SDA Church

Chester Clark

Lifted Up


I don't have to tell you that we live in a world where people are lifting up themselves. They call it narcissism, I believe. Did you know that you're more likely to die from taking a selfie than you are from a shark. Yeah, this year, something like 6 or 8 people have died of shark attacks, and at least 12 people have died from selfies. An American woman fell to her death while taking a selfie with her boyfriend on a cliff in South Africa.

2 Russian men were killed while taking a selfie with a hand grenade. 3 Indian students were killed by an oncoming train while taking selfies on the tracks. A Romanian teenager was electrocuted when she was taking a selfie on top of a train and touched a high voltage wire. A Russian teen was also electrocuted while touching live wires, taking a selfie near railway tracks. A Russian woman shot herself in the head while attempting to take a selfie with a gun.

A woman in Moscow City died falling from a bridge where she was trying to take a selfie. A teenager in Houston, Texas fatally shot himself while taking a selfie with a gun. And a Japanese tourist died falling down the stairs while taking a selfie at the Taj Mahal. Narcissism can be fatal. You know, I was interested, I'm not an interest, I don't have an interest in Greek mythology, but I do have an interest in etymology and the history of words.

And I learned this week where narcissism comes from. Narcissus, in Greek mythology, was a hunter who was known for his beauty. He was the son of a river god and some other nymph, it's not important. He was proud in that he disdained those who loved him, according to Greek mythology. And a nemesis, who was the equalizer, the great equalizer in the Greek mythology, sort of set the record straight, Nemesis noticed this behavior and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it.

This is Greek mythology now, you understand. Unable to leave the reflection of his own beauty, Narcissus drowned in the pool. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, which is a fixation with oneself and with one's physical appearance. You know, the Bible has some things to say about narcissism. In fact, there's a story, if you look back in your Bibles to Ezekiel, Ezekiel chapter 28, and we're going to look at verse 17.

This is a story of the fall of a great prince of God, the fall of Lucifer, in fact, Ezekiel chapter 28, and we find here what caused his fall, Ezekiel chapter 28 and verse 17. This is what the Bible says, your heart was lifted up because of your what? Your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.

I lay you before kings that they might gaze at you." The first narcissistic person, individual creature being was none other than Lucifer himself. Lucifer was, it says here, lifted up. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. In fact, there is a tendency for us as fallen human beings to try to, our hearts to be lifted up too. It's a tendency for us to become proud.

Now not all of us because of our beauty. Some of us have different reasons that we become proud. The human heart is proud. If you want to know that your heart also has some pride in it, if I want to know my heart also has some pride in it, I have to simply look at the 1 principle. I believe it's Proverbs 13, verse 8, and it says, only by pride comes contention.

And if there's ever any disagreement between you and your spouse or you and others, well, there's pride somewhere there, okay? That's just reality. Our hearts have this plague, ever since that first narcissus of Lucifer, our hearts have this plague called pride. We desire to be lifted up like Lucifer was lifted up. We desire to have attention.

We desire to be at the center of attention. We desire to have people recognize our good deeds or at least our gifts and abilities and talents. We have this problem that we struggle with. It's interesting that the Bible here says that Lucifer's heart was lifted up because of his beauty. That lifting up of Lucifer's heart ended in his destruction, or will end in his destruction, ended in his fall, will end his destruction, as all narcissism will.

But there's Another lifting up that the Bible talks about, and that's our Scripture for today. We read it, Ben read it, in John 3, verses 14 and 15. John 3, verses 14 and 15, Jesus talks of Himself being lifted up, But this is a very different manner of being lifted up than Lucifer's heart being lifted up. Lucifer was seeking something for himself. He was seeking self-recognition.

He was wanting to be appreciated for what he really was or the gifts that God had given him. The Bible says, Jesus said in John 3, verses 14 and 15, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Now, Jesus was not here suggesting that he would be lifted up in a way that would draw the adulation and the praise and the worship of everyone to himself, at least not immediately. Jesus was not looking to be crowned the King of Kings and Lord of Lords right there on Calvary's cross. He was looking to be lifted up as a serpent.

That serpent that was raised between heaven and earth was a symbol of sin and Jesus was recognizing, He was here predicting that He would be lifted up, not as a hero, but as a cursed man for you and for me. John 12 and verse 32, Jesus also speaks of this lifting up. John 12 and verse 32, he says the following, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. Not lifted up the way young rock stars are made to think that they are deities. You've seen those young, talented people ruined by being lifted up.

I've seen it, you've seen it. That's not what Jesus is talking about. I, if I be lifted up, will draw all to myself, Not in that egocentric way, but in a selfless way. Oh sure, there was the triumphal entry when coats were strewn across his pathway and palm branches were waved and people were excitedly singing Hosanna to the Son of David. They thought Jesus was coming to sit on David's throne, to rule the Romans, to make Jerusalem the center of the world.

That's the lifting up that the people wanted. But no, God, Jesus was speaking of a different lifting up. He was speaking of a lifting up between heaven and earth, a lifting up of Him as the sin bearer on Calvary's cross so that hated of all men, cursed and spat upon and beaten and bloody, not the epitome of being honored and worshipped, but that lifting up would draw all unto Himself. Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13, it says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.

Paul there is quoting Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 23, and the reality is that the Bible said that anyone who is crucified, hung on a tree between heaven and earth, lifted up is cursed of God. And Jesus became cursed of God because of my sin, because of your sin. Jesus, the Bible says, was lifted up, not because he was guilty, but because I am guilty. Not because of his pride, but because of my pride. Not because of his foolishness and impatience, but because of my foolishness and impatience.

Jesus became cursed and was lifted up for me. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us. You see, the Bible says, Jesus said, "'And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto myself.'" It's not lifting up the way the world lifts up people. No, not at all. It's not lifting up the way we try to lift up ourselves in this narcissistic society.

No, not at all. Jesus was lifted up selflessly of his own choice. He allowed himself to be lifted up like a cursed serpent, a symbol of sin, hanging upon a tree between heaven and earth to be shut out by God that he might die the death that you and I deserve. Oh friends, today as we go through the communion service, we remember that lifting up. We remember that sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

He calls us not to a life of pride, but to a life of humility. He gave us an example of allowing Himself to be lifted up. And you know, still today, even in this narcissistic age, when we follow Him, we will allow ourselves to be lifted up in service for others. The highest position in the church is not the position of a Lord or a ruler, it's the position of a servant. That's the position that Jesus took when He washed His disciples' feet.

Lifted up not in the world sense, but In a spiritual sense, you and I have the opportunity to stoop and bow low at the foot of the cross and there to stand in the highest position any human being can ever be. This media was brought to you by Audioverse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org.

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Lifted Up

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