EVERY ONE THAT EXALTETH HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED - EXPLAINED

'I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.' - Luke 18 vs 14

Hello Dearly Beloved in the LORD JESUS. Greetings to you in the Name of the Blessed LORD JESUS CHRIST. AMEN. Sit tight and read through this publication. I Trust GOD that this will Bless you, and minister understanding of the Grace of GOD to you in such a special way. AMEN.

Okay. I'll like to bring to your remembrance as I have always said, that the Parables which JESUS spake to the people were a revelation of the Grace of GOD which HE Himself came to establish in the earth. HE uttered those revelations in a mystery (parables), knowing that the HOLY SPIRIT who HE would send to us will grant us access to know the embedding/meaning/ revelation of the parables thereof. So we are about to see one of those Parables which the LORD spoke unto the people, and that will give us an understanding of the statement "EVERYONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED, AND HE THAT HUMBLETH HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED." Okay let's go;

'And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.' - Luke 18 vs 9 - 14 {KING JAMES VERSION}

Waow...! Now it's very important you take note of this, that the LORD JESUS gave this parable to address a particular matter among men, Which is this as seen in the verse 1;

'And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others...'

You see that? This is the character we even see among many today; men making a ridicule of others because they think they are not up to their standard in good works. See the verse 13;

'The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.'
You see it? The Pharisee made a ridicule of the other man right before GOD because he thought his good works counted before GOD and made him superior over the other man who was termed publican/sinner. - Selah

Now having read through that story, you observed two (2) categories of men. The first category is the self righteous/self confident man, the second category is the guilty man who knows and acknowledges he's a sinner. Uhmmm. The Pharisee boasted in his works of righteousness and thought his self-righteousness was a yardstick to obtaining/receiving favour from GOD, but the other man, the publican couldn't find any good work or qualification in himself to obtain anything from the LORD, HE simply acknowledged before the LORD that he was a sinner. Uhmmm. Now the LORD gives HIS verdict on the matter, and HE says the publican left there justified rather than the Pharisee. This tells us something, this shows us something; this means that the both men came before the LORD to obtain a common thing, which is Justification! One sought it after his own works, but the other sought it by depending on the Mercy and Grace of GOD. - Think about this. Then the LORD said this,

EVERY ONE WHO EXALTS HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED, AND HE THAT HUMBLETH HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED

The one who exalts himself is the one who holds on to his own works of righteousness, he boasts in it and places his confidence upon it. This man is abased in CHRIST JESUS. Why? Because in CHRIST, men are made Righteous freely without their own works, but by their Faith in the finished works of the LORD JESUS CHRIST through HIS death, burial and resurrection. AMEN. - Selah

'Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works...' - Romans 4 vs 6 {KJV}

The self righteous man is disappointed because GOD does not count nor regard his good works for anything, He is made to depend on the Grace of GOD for Salvation like every other man, even the weak man (who is not up to His standard in right living and discipline!) - Selah. He is made to have equal righteousness with the weak man who is not up to his standard in dogma and morals. Ooo He is disappointed indeed and indeed abased. - Selah

Are you getting it beloved? Yea. But you see the weak man, that guilty man who knows and acknowledges He is guilty and is a sinner, He is indeed exalted in CHRIST. Because He didn't deserve to get the Justification of GOD, He didn't deserve to be called a Son of GOD, He didn't deserve to have Eternal Life, He didn't deserve to have Heaven's Citizenship, but HE got it freely! Freely in the LORD JESUS! He got it all! Hallelujah! Indeed this man is exalted. - Selah

So you see, the message the LORD sent out to us in this parable is to let us see, know and understand that GOD'S Justification (which the Pharisee and the publican both sought) is not gotten by self works of righteousness or self qualifications, no! But it's gotten as of the free Gift of GOD;

'For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)' - Romans 5 vs 17 {KJV}

Only Believe in the Name of the SON OF GOD, JESUS! AMEN.

GOD'S Grace be with your Spirit.
- Jenning U. Angel