The Stumbling Block of Status

SPEAKER 02 : 0:00

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, August 13th. Do you find yourself measuring yourself against the accomplishments of others? That attitude is more destructive than you might think. Let’s open the scriptures to find biblical help to get around the stumbling block of status.

SPEAKER 01 : 0:20

Now the word status is not to be found anywhere in the Bible, but the attitude is found all the way through the scriptures. And I believe that status is a major problem in the heart of many people today. And there are many people who are inflicted with it who do not even realize that their problem is statusitis. And that is they have an attitude about themselves that is incorrect, an attitude about themselves that is displeasing to God and harming in their relationship with other people. Now, statusitis isn’t just a matter of person to person. It is a problem in industry today. It is a problem in the church. It is a problem in the home. It is a problem in our nation that many, many people are simply seeking status. They want a superior position, a superior place, a superior salary. They want a place of prominence in the eyes of other people. What I want us to do is to see what our Lord teaches here about this matter of status and for us to examine our hearts to see if we by any chance are plagued with that disease because if we are, it is hindering us personally and every area of our life. So first of all, let’s define status. Status is an attitude of the mind and heart. It is the attitude of superiority. It is the attitude of seeking prominence and recognition. A man doesn’t have to be rich to be a status seeker. He can be the poorest man in the community and have the biggest problem with status. Because you see, status has its root in pride and egotism. Pride and egotism always at the root of status. And you see, status really is an inflated… An inflated viewpoint of oneself that has been blown up by the hot air of Satan himself. If he can get you to get an inflated idea about yourself and your superiority and that you’re better than someone else and that your job is better than someone else’s and there’s some things you wouldn’t condescend to do. And there’s some people you wouldn’t condescend to associate with. And some places you wouldn’t go because those people not your equal. He says you’ve got a status problem and status itis will destroy your effectiveness for God and your relationship to each other. It is a negative attitude. It is a vicious attitude. It is an ego trip. It is selfishness. It is pride. It is a covetous spirit and it breeds all kinds of other attitudes that begin to pick up on the periphery of your life those things that would keep you from being used of God. Statusitis is a real problem. Now we Christians don’t like to admit it, but we get trapped in the same attitude. You go to your business on Monday morning, and a fellow who’s not a Christian, he starts that stuff, and you can’t stand it. So you get in the battle, and before long, what are you doing? Verbally, you’re both seeking status. You’re trying to see who can outdo the other one verbally. And neither one of you are getting anywhere. Now you see, it is a deterrent to our usefulness to God, but also when you think about what happens to you, you degenerate, my friend, when your whole sense of interest begins to turn within you and you seek to be better than, higher than, more than, accumulate more than someone else. Or that if you’re looking down your nose at someone whose responsibility or someone whose occupation is beneath what you think yours is, you are in the process of degenerating because what you’re doing, you’re feeding your old ego. And that’s the one thing the Spirit of God seeks to control and master in our life. And the same thing is true in every facet of life. A man who’s simply seeking status and recognition and prominence in order to be superior than, thought well of, more prominent than, have more than, be a little higher than, that man is in for great disappointment, disillusionment, and discouragement because when he gets to what he thinks is the top, all he’s got is a big bag of hot air. He doesn’t have anything. The only status that’s recognizable is the status that God gives man. And you know what that is? Praise God, I am accepted in Him. Can you tell me anything any higher than that? And you see, every single one of us can walk that same level. The fact that you and I are accepted in Jesus Christ is as high as you can get. So what are you going to do to get any higher than that? People who are status seekers are degenerating on the inside because they are governing all of their abilities and talents and times and energy. Listen, expending their mental energy every waking hour to see how they’re going to outdo someone else. Now look, if you will, in James chapter 2. You see, status seeking is dishonoring to God. It’s so far from what he talked about. In chapter 2, Verse 9 of James. If you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of the law as transgressors. If I look down my nose at any man, he says I’ve sinned against God. Now, you see, we Christians, man, we can build up the greatest case. I mean, we are super when it comes to building up our own little knit case to say, now, I know what the Bible says. Then we commit a disaster at the end of that by saying, but. Because what we’re going to say is, I know what the Bible says, but let me give you my, you know, you’ve got one little thing you want to add to that. And that’s your interpretation of what God says. He says, when I have respect to persons, if I think I’m better than someone else, that my job is better than somebody else’s job, you say, but you’re a pastor, don’t you think that’s the highest calling? Now listen, the Bible says about a policeman, I mean the guy that drives that car around, catches you when you do 75 miles an hour on expressway, the Bible says that man is a minister of God also. He’s a minister of justice to protect society. The pastor is a minister of the word of God to build up the flock. Whatever your occupation, you are ministering for God in the life of someone else. It makes no difference what your vocation is. All vocations are not the same. And some vocations may require more training or may require more responsibility. They may require. But that doesn’t mean that God says, well, he’s less than he is because he’s doing this and he’s only doing this. You see, he says we are brothers. Now, I know some people have a problem with status. They would choose the church they join by the status. If you choose the church because of status, friend, you’re out of the will of God. If you choose your friends because of status, that if I have this friend or that friend, this will do something for me, that’s not pleasing to God. You see, we Christians, if we’re not careful, we can fall into that trap. He says, I’m not to look at any brother with respect to a person with an inflated ego that my status is going up the scale because of what he is or what he has or where he’s been or where he’s going. We are brothers and we all walk on the same level. Now watch this. You and I have an alternative. Either the stumbling block of status or the stepping stone of something else. Now I want us to see what Jesus said. Back to Matthew chapter 23. In the 11th and 12th verses he says, shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased. And he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Now watch this. The alternative to status-seeking is humility. Now that’s not a pious, I’m no good, I’m not worth anything, you’re a humble servant, God. No, that’s just a hypocritical piousity. That is not humility. Humility is not a low status. Self-image. Humility is a viewpoint of oneself from God’s perspective. And what is that? Saved by the grace of God. Accepted in the beloved by his grace. That plus nothing and no more. That doesn’t mean I’m inferior or superior. Accepted in the beloved by his grace, not my good works. Now listen. I want you to watch something very interesting in the Bible. Turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 18 now and verse 4. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of God. Now, I want you to watch something in every one of these verses. And it’s not the fact that it says humility, although that’s part of it. But now watch this. He says, All right, turn to James chapter 4. It’s amazing how much he had to say about this. James chapter 4 and verse 10. He says, He says, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. You see, status seeker, you know what he’s trying to do? He’s trying to lift himself. God says the alternative attitude is to humble yourself. When you humble yourself, he lifts you up. All right, if you look in 1 Peter, just one book over, chapter 5, verse 6. He says, humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. What did he say just before? He says, humble yourselves and he’ll lift you up. Humble yourselves, he says, and God will exalt you. Then I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 22. And I want to show you a very interesting verse. Now, the people who are having a problem… with status need to get a hold of this verse of scripture because you see the alternative is an attitude and the attitude results in an action now watch this proverbs 22 verse 4 by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life now watch that by humility and the fear of the Lord that is dependence upon him reverence of him By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life. Now, most people I know who are seeking status, man, they want honor, they want riches, and they want a life that’s exciting. You know what he’s saying through all of these? There’s one interesting thing here. And you can go back to all of these verses and you’ll find the same thing evident. Each time… He says that humility is the proper attitude for the believer. That does not mean I’m no good, I’m nothing, never will be your humble servant, all this. That’s not what humility is. Humility is a proper viewpoint, that is God’s viewpoint, and that his salvation of my life was not dependent upon my good works or what I was going to do. He just saved me and accepted me in the beloved in Christ Jesus, and therefore he builds upon that foundation of grace anything and everything that I will allow him to build in his will. Humility is not a sense of low self-esteem. But it is a proper sense of self-esteem. It does not mean you don’t love yourself because Jesus taught us to love ourselves. That does not mean with an inflated ego. But it means I am to love myself as God loves me. How is that? I’m created by Him. So there’s got to be something good here. It doesn’t mean that I’m good, but the creation is good. created by him, saved by him, kept by him, preserved by him, loved by him, listened to by him. You see, therefore, when we see ourselves as God sees us, we see ourselves as the children of God, objects of the love of God, not better than anybody else, not superior, inferior, just equal. All of us are equal in the eyes of God. Doesn’t mean we have equal responsibility, equal capability, equal gift, equal talent. Doesn’t mean any of that. We’re just equal in the eyes of God. And that is that with the creations of God, saved by His grace, all of us were born alike. All of us are the same Christ. We’re all one in Him. Now listen. The attitude, the proper attitude is of humility. I’m not better than anybody. Nobody’s better than I am. Now listen. The proper attitude is humility. The proper action is service. Now let me show you how these two go together. Do you notice what he said in every one of those verses? He did not say, pray to be humbled. He did not say, pray to be humbled. Nor did he even say, God will humble you and therefore exalt you. What did he say? He said, humble yourselves. How do you humble yourselves? Here’s how you humble yourself. You humble yourself by submitting yourself to your brother to serve him. And let me ask you something. Who are you serving? You see… The action that follows the attitude of humility is service because the way I’m going to work at humbling myself is being willing to serve somebody else. Now watch this. That doesn’t mean I’m going to serve in order to get lifted because that’s my status seeking. I’m willing to humble myself. I’m willing to serve someone else, reach out lovingly to help someone else who needs me. Whether it is to help someone physically or financially or materially, someone spiritually, it makes no difference why. But I’m willing to help someone else privately, personally, quietly, without recognition, without promise, without being thanked. It’s just a matter of being willing to serve. Now listen, the alternative to status-seeking, and here’s what our alternative is, it’s either the stumbling block of status-seeking are the stepping stone of serving god that’s our alternatives you see the status seeker is working at getting himself up there the man with the spirit of humility is working at serving his brother and leaving his reputation to god would you say that that’s a pretty good hand to leave it in don’t you think you could trust your reputation and your prominence in the hand of god He says, you work at humbling yourself. God says, I’ll take care of lifting you and exalting you. Let me ask you something. How many of you really have the feeling of being a servant? How many of you dads really see yourselves as serving your wife and your children? And I wonder how many of you employers, you’ve got 3, 5, 10, 15, 25 people working with you, 50 people working, maybe several hundred. And I wonder how often you’ve seen yourself as a servant. You see, it’s easy to walk in and say, man, you’re the boss. Everybody does what you say do. You decide how much salary they make, how much vacation they take. You see yourself as the boss. But you know what God’s attitude about that is. Your position may be employer and boss, but your spirit must still be servant. You know why? Because it doesn’t make any difference if you’re in industry or you’re in the church. You’re still a part of the body of Christ. And because we’re a part of the body of Christ, our spirit is to be one of humility. That is honoring one another. Our spirit is to be one of service, reaching out to help meet the needs of one another. And therefore there is no superior and inferior. There is a sense of oneness. He says we are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ our Lord. It is amazing what keeps people out of the service of God. What keeps people out of the will of God. There’s some people that God calls and their attitude is such as a businessman said on one occasion to this lovely young lady. Who was called to missions and he said my my my what a waste. Which was his attitude about serving God. That anybody who would serve God had reached down to a very very low level. If you are doing what God wants you to do. And you are where God wants you to be. Friends you are already at the top. You know where the top is for status seekers? You know where the top is? The top for status seekers is some ethereal, non-visible, imaginable something somewhere that they hope to reach somehow, someday. You know what the top is for a child of God? The top is being in the will of God, obeying God. And friend, when you get there, you know that you’re there. Doesn’t mean that you have arrived. But you see that it means the believer can live on top every day. You can be on top in your vocation, in your home. You can be on top every day. But you see, before that can happen, you’ve got to deal with this thing. Are you willing to be humble in the eyes of God? That is, are you willing… Now watch this, because this will trip you up. Now watch this. Are you willing to serve somebody that can’t do you one bit of good in return? Are you willing to serve someone? Are you willing to reach out and love someone and serve someone and offer your time, your ability, your resources? Are you willing to give yourself away to somebody who’s in need with no thought of anything in return? You’re not going to tell anybody. You’re not going to parade it. You see, this was their problem. He said they paraded everything they did. The spirit of humility is that we quietly serve one another without hope or desire of recognition. That is humbling yourself under the mighty hand of God. There’s no place for status in the life of a Christian. Only humility and service.

SPEAKER 02 : 19:36

Thank you for listening to The Stumbling Block of Status. If you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.