Henry Augustus Rowland, professor of physics at Johns Hopkins University, was once called as an expert witness at a trial. During cross-examination a lawyer demanded, “What are your qualifications as an expert witness in this case?”

The professor replied, “I am the greatest living expert on the subject under discussion.” Later a friend well acquainted with Rowland’s disposition expressed surprise at the professor’s uncharacteristic answer. Rowland answered, “Well, what did you expect me to do? I was under oath.”

For most of us, we are not the greatest living expert on any subject. Therefore giving up our own sense of importance can be hard to do.

But if we are Christians, followers of Christ, then give it up we must.

 Status and pride are a lethal combination when it comes to Christ, especially in the Church, whether from a member of the congregation or a bishop.

There is a story of William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. For a while he was an evangelist for a Methodist Church in the l800’s. He worked in a very poor, working class area. One evening, just as a service was about to begin, the doors of the church opened and in walked Booth with 12 people. They were poor – their clothes old and dirty, their faces unwashed. He ushered them into paid, church members pews that happened o be empty and sat beside them. After the service the Minister, who was embarrassed by Booths actions and concerned at what people will say, took him aside and said, “Don’t you EVER do that again. If you are to bring such people to the church they are to come into the side exist, behind the pulpit where there is a screen and they are to sit on benches out of sight of the congregation.” 

To claim God’s approval as a right on the grounds of ones position, status or authority in the church or on ones reputation in the community is a positive disqualification.

The antidote to status and pride is humility. The problem is that too many people think humility is an attitude. It’s not an attitude; it’s a place of understanding and acceptance of who one is. When you know who you are and you are secure in who you are you no longer try and defend your position or try to show how important you are.

 This is why the definition of Humility which I like the best says Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all.

And I would add to that definition – that the freedom is knowing that your worth is in Christ and Christ alone.. For a Christian humility come only when we know who we are, what our purpose is and where we are going in Christ, and are CONTENT and secure with that.

This is what makes John The Baptist so remarkable. John knew exactly who he was, where he was going and he thoroughly, happily and contentedly embraced it. 

Do you know who you are? Do you know who you are in Christ – do you know your purpose & your destiny – your reason for taking up space on this planet? 

Do you know that each day you are doing exactly what God has called you to do and that your success comes from heaven above and is a gift to you? 

Until we know that, until we accept that, we will always be susceptible to thinking that we are more important than we really are. And when we start to think of ourselves as more important than we are we start to get into pride and status.

John the Baptist was one of the most  popular and successful prophets of the scriptures. We are told in Matthew 3:5 Then people from Jerusalem,8 as well as all Judea and all the region around the Jordan, were going out to him,  6 and he was baptizing them9 in the Jordan River as they confessed their sins.  

In today’s world his ministry rocked – it was thriving – it would probably be regarded as a mega-church or mega-ministry. How easy it would be for John to start to think that he was the core of the ministry – that it was all about him – that things could never function unless he was in charge. For most of us, we would have gone down that route. But not John the Baptist. His perspective was right. John was not interested in living up to other’s expectations of him but only of doing what God asked of Him – and no more. John did not shrink back from what God called him to do and at the same time he had no desire to more than he was. He rejoiced in being a messenger of God. He was the friend of the Bridegroom who did not want the limelight but simply to work to make sure all was in place FOR the Bridegroom. 

John knew who he was in the Kingdom of God and he rejoiced in it. Contrast John with some of his disciples. They were angry and jealous that John’s status was diminishing and that people were more concerned about Jesus.  Why? Because if John’s status diminished their status would also diminish. Such was their attitude, they were now arguing with a certain Jew over ceremonial washing. The likelihood is that this dispute is over the ministry and practice of Jesus as opposed to John’s ministry and practice. John’s disciples were defending their guy and his ministry over and against Jesus’ ministry.

The disciples of John are so angry they do not even mention Jesus’ name – they just say to John “the one who was with you’. They see Jesus as a competitor. Also, there is also a veiled rebuke in their words to John – this is the one whom you have endorsed?

John is unperturbed because he knows exactly who he is and what his destiny is – and that begins with acknowledging that NO ONE CAN RECEIVE ANYTHING UNLESS IT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO HIM FROM HEAVEN.

That is John’s foundation. Everything he is – all his success – all his future is from, found in and dependant upon God.

Now, please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christians should have no ambition. Biblical Ambition is a whole other sermon for another time – we should be ambitious – but the question is FOR WHAT should we be ambitious. We should be ambitious to fulfill and to step into the fullness of the role GOD has prepared for us – not ourselves, or our career advisors, or the world. And for some, God has prepared and called them to be presidents of nations and of companies – for others he has called them to be teachers, and construction workers, lawyers, doctors, law enforcement, military. 

Once we do this status and pride go out of the window. It’s not about us – it’s about Him, it’s about His purposes. 

That is why John could say, He must increase and I must decrease. 

What a prayer to pray. Could you and I pray that today? Would we mean it. Would we be prepared for God to begin actually decreasing us and increasing Him! In this prayer you see the very core of John’s heart – the core of his desire.

Only someone who knows who they are can say this. If all we have comeS FROM Christ and all we are is IN Christ then our desire will be FOR Christ to manifest himself in us and through us. But until we reach that place, our own pride and our own ambition AND THE DESIRE TO ELEVATE OUR OWN STATUS can stand in opposition to the work of Christ in us.

For John the Baptist, the continuation of his own incredible ministry is secondary to pointing to Christ. Don’t miss that. His worldly success was secondary to Jesus’ success in his life, because when Jesus increases in John, John’s heavenly reward and status is greater than anything he could imagine, and it is secure in the new heavens and the new earth.

John knew who he was – where he came from, what his purpose was and where he was going – he knew in whom his identity rested.

We, too, must find this place ourselves. We must know who we are in Christ – where we came from in Christ – what our purpose is in Christ and where we are going in Christ. We must know that our identity rests in Christ if we are to minister effectively, freely and without fear.

The result of knowing who we really are in Christ is seen in the epistle reading from 1 Thess 5. We will be able to rejoice. Did you know that joy is compulsory in the Christian life! If we think about how we have been rescued and where we are going how can we not be joyful. And Paul shows us how we can be joyful: by praying our thanks to God. By praying our thanks for our blessings in Jesus. Our blessings in Jesus always infinitely outweigh the pain and troubles of this age. The joyful heart is a grateful heart. The ungrateful Christian will be a joyless Christian. And it is ingratitude that quenches the Spirit. 

We will know the Lord’s peace working in our lives and we will have a peace that our spirit and soul and body will be kept by Christ. Notice how our Past, present and future are all affected – our spiritual new birth in the past, the present on going change in our thinking and our future resurrection. And Paul ends his epistle with the wonderful assurance that faithful Jesus will certainly deliver us all safely and thoroughly sanctified to our eternal home.

And Isaiah gives us a glimpse of our eternal home - the new heavens and the new earth – Isaiah 65. Notice what Isaiah says: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 

Where we are going is so incredible that it eclipses the memory of where we came from. We will not even remember this earth – it will not come to our minds such is the new heavens and the new earth.

Friends, it is by knowing who we are in Christ that enables us to wait actively and fruitfully for His return; then we can be joyful, grateful and content in his blessings, freeing us from the affects of status and pride and of self importance, knowing that Jesus is utterly faithful in accomplishing and completing all he has promised in us and in his people – to bring us to the new heavens and the new earth.