Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / How to be Great Before The Lord | Mark 10:35-45 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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How to be Great Before The Lord | Mark 10:35-45 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Don't you love singing about the blood?
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It reaches to the highest mountains and it flows to the
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lowest valleys. Well, before I ask you to turn
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me to mark chapter 10, where we're going to resume where we
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last left off, I'm going to ask you to turn to Luke Chapter one,
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beginning in verse 15. And really, just verse 15 is
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what I want to bring to our attention here.
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This is spoken of not the Christ, but the forerunner of
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Christ, John the Baptist. And there is a statement made
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here about his destiny, about his calling, about who he is,
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that I think is convicting and encouraging at the same time.
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And Luke 115 we read. For he will be great before the
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Lord, and he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be
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filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
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It's that first part of verse 15 that I want to highlight.
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For he will be great before men, for the world, before Herod,
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before the synagogues in the temple.
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No, he will be great before the Lord.
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Other translations would say he will be great in the sight of
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the Lord. Now there are many people who
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are ambitious in life, many people who are even ambitions
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within, ambitious within Christendom.
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And they want to be great, they want to do great things, they
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want to make great impact. But.
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For what purpose? And what measure are you using
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in terms of the evaluation of the greatness that you're
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seeking after? If we're not careful, we can be
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people who seek after greatness before everyone except for the
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Lord. But that was not true of this
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man of God. He would be great, and though he
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was acknowledged and though he was respected in many ways by
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others, his preoccupation and God's longing was that he would
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be great before the Lord. And the reason why I bring this
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to us is because as we come to our main text in Mark chapter
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10, we're going to see these disciples of Jesus who also
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wanted to pursue greatness, Greatness in Christ's Kingdom.
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But for all the wrong reasons. And their understanding of
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greatness was so warped, so skewed.
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And here, Christ the Great Teacher is going to teach them
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yet again of what true greatness looks like, how the Lord esteems
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greatness. But before we even get to that
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reminder in this text, there's so many other things that we
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have to explore. So turn with me to mark chapter
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10 beginning in verse 35. What has been allotted to us
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this afternoon are 10 verses, and the spiritual banquet that
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has been prepared for us by the Holy Spirit has been provided in
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the format of a dialogue between the Lord Jesus and a family.
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And as you can imagine, in preparing a text where the text
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is primarily a conversation between 2:00 or more parties, it
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can be very challenging to try to dissect and provide these
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truths in sections. But prayfully, there are 4
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headings that I want to present to you that will hopefully help
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gather our gleanings from these verses and categorize them so
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they can be memorable for us. So let's read not all these 10
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verses, but the first few, and then I want to tell you what we
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are going to be exploring under these headings.
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And then we'll ask for the Holy Spirit's help.
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In verse 35 of Mark, Chapter 10, we read, and James and John, the
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sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, Teacher, we
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want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.
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And he said to them, what do you want me to do for you?
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And they said to him, grant us to sit, one at your right hand
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and one at your left in your glory.
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Jesus said to them, you do not know what you are asking.
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Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized
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with a baptism with which I am baptized?
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And they said to him, we are able.
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And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink,
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and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be
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baptized. But to sit on my right hand or
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my left is not mine to grant. But it is for those for whom it
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has been prepared. Lord, we ask for the Spirit of
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wisdom and revelation. May these truths, by the power
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of your Holy Spirit, fortify. Us.
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In our faith, in our consecration to you, and even in
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this text, may you peel away any hindrance, any veil that blinds
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us or blurs the vision of the absolute beauty of the Lord
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Jesus Christ. Help us see the Christ.
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Help us see the Son of God. Help us see the personal Savior.
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Even in these verses we pray in Jesus name.
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Amen. I want to speak to you in this
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text about four things. The first thing is the request.
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The second thing is the rebuke. The third thing is.
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The ruling and the last thing is the reminder, The request, the
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rebuke, the ruling, the reminder.
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In the 1st 2 verses we have the request of two disciples, James
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and John, the sons of Zebury. They came up to the Lord.
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And they asked him. They asked him for a guarantee.
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They asked him for an approval for a particular request that
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they did not make known just yet.
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And if we're not careful, we can pluck this verse or these two
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verses out of its context and use it as a proof text to
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encourage believers to be bold and approaching Christ in
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prayer. And there are many places in the
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Bible where you and I are encouraged to have confidence
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before the throne of grace, but this is not an appropriate
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example for that. This is actually a bad example
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of what prayer is about. Again, you have these two
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disciples who come to Christ and they ask the Lord for a
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guarantee for an approval even before making their request
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known. Did you catch that Lord?
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Would you just say yes to what we're about to ask you?
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And there is no specific desire being made known here, and it's
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an attempted pursuit to have Christ agree and to consent
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regardless of the nature of the request.
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And so instead of this being an example of what prayer should
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look like, this is what we see. This is an.
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Illustration of what many people mistakenly believe prayer is
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about that if I just come to Jesus and package my wishes in
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faith filled prayer. He's going to give me.
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Whatever I ask, and no, that's not how prayer works.
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It doesn't matter if you tag that request within Jesus name.
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It doesn't matter if you pray in the King James.
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It doesn't matter how long you pray.
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The confidence in our prayer is not that Jesus is our genie.
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The confidence in our prayer is what First John 5 verse 14 says,
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where the Apostle of love spells out the confidence and the
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contingency of our confidence in the place of prayer, he writes
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in first John 514. And this is the confidence that
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we have toward him, that if we ask according anything according
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to his will, he hears us ask, ask anything, ask freely, ask
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with holy courage, ask. And this is something that we
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should be confident about. We can't approach this mighty
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God. We can come with heavy hearts.
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We can come with exciting ideas. We can come before Him and ask
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anything upon this contingency if it's in accordance to His
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will. And so do you want to know how
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you can grow in confidence and. Prayer.
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It's very simple. Grow in your knowledge of the
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will of God. Be familiar with what he
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desires. Be acquainted with what his
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promises are. No down deep inside what it is
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that He is willing to grant. I would even say look at the
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past records of what the Lord was willing to back up with His
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power and His provision. If you want to grow in
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confidence in the place of prayer, you must also feed into
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your understanding of the will of God, the mind of God.
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You know, knowing the Bible feeds many things, and perhaps
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you did not know this, but it also feeds the courage and the
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precision of your intercession, of your supplication.
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Of you coming before him and believing that he will hear you.
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And this is where James and John went wrong.
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They wanted the stamp of approval before they even gave.
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And understood if the request was in alignment with his will.
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And the Lord Lord's response to the request confirms this,
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right? Look here in the the same verse
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we read where they ask in the next verse 36, he said to them.
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What do you want me to do for you?
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He didn't say. Yeah, you got it.
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He didn't say. I'll do as you say.
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No, no, no, no. He's taking this opportunity to
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train his disciples to be specific with our prayers, yes,
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but also to compare their desires and to line it up with
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the mind of God. So let's talk about what you
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want. What do you want me to do for
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you? Say it.
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The Lord knew. The Lord knew what they wanted.
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He's all knowing. But it's for them to confess.
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It's for them to blurt it out. It's for them to bring it to the
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light and to bring it before the presence of Christ, to see if it
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actually holds weight, if it's legitimate, if it's appropriate.
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You see, the Lord in His wisdom and love must if He loves you
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and if He is all wise, then he must consider your motivations
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and mine your goals. And mine He has to, He has to
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screen them. No good parent would give their
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child anything that they ask, and it would be good for us for
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time to time to step back and take the principle of Jesus
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question here and apply it to ourselves.
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What is it that you truly desire of the Lord?
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What do your prayers look like? What do they sound like?
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What's the theme of your request?
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And then take it further and ask why you're asking those things
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again. The Lord knew what they wanted,
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but He wanted them to investigate further.
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He wanted them to seek it and understand it in a deeper way.
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Because what you pray about reveals a lot about.
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You. I don't know if you know that.
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But what you? Pray about reveals much about
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you and he wants them to look at what they're asking for and to
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from there ask why am I asking for this?
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Why am I? Seeking the Lord for this, and
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again, prayer will reveal what you believe about God.
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Some people don't pray. You know what that reveals?
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They don't believe God. They don't want intimacy with
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God. They don't actually trust that
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he can make a way. And some people do pray, but
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again, what they are presenting before the Lord says what they
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believe about God, and even more, what they believe about
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themselves. And the disciples are not
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hesitant to make the request plainly known.
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Look at verse 37 again. And they said to him, grant us
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to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your
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glory. This seems like a random
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invocation, right? It seems like it's coming out of
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nowhere, but it's not random and especially when you compare it
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to the parallel account found in Matthew chapter 20.
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In Matthew 20 you have the same scene spelled out but with
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different details. But before we even visit Matthew
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chapter 20, you have to remember what happened in Matthew 19.
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Jesus promised the disciples that this this group of 12
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something before we come to this moment, and we touched on this a
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few weeks ago, but let's let's visit it again for the sake of
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remembrance. Matthew 19, verse 28.
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Turn your Bibles there and look at this glorious assurance that
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Christ gives to these apostles and training what awaits them in
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the millennial glory. What is to come for their
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service, The reward that is prepared.
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In Matthew 1928, Jesus said to them, truly, I say to you, in
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the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious
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throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 Thrones
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judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Again, you got to fit that
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somewhere in your theology. Is there going to be judgment?
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Is there going to be such administration in the eternal
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realm? No, it doesn't make sense.
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And we know that in this lifetime, in in this world, in
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this age, the disciples are not sitting on 12 Thrones in Israel.
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They will one day when Christ comes back and sets up His
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throne in Jerusalem. And so the disciples hear this.
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They go, no way we got a throne with our name on it.
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Each of us are going to get a throne, and you would think that
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would suffice as such an exaltation to be granted to
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these unworthy fishermen and tax collectors and other blue collar
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folk. But James and John and hearing
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about the nature of the reward, look at each other.
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I think we're better than these other guys.
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What do you think, John? I like the way you're thinking,
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James. I think we are better.
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And so here they are taking in the promise of Christ, and
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they're mixing it with the lust for esteem and fame and
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authority. And that's that's a bad recipe.
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And what's now cooking in their hearts is this audacity to
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approach Christ and to ask him for the highest seats.
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To be the closest to him to be even ruling not just above these
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tribes but above the other apostles, we want to sit at your
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right and at your left. And here's what's so complicated
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about this request, because in a positive way, it reveals their
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faith, is it not? They believe that Jesus Christ
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is the Messiah. The nature of this request shows
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that they actually trust that he will rule and reign, that he is
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the one that they have been waiting for.
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But at the same time, with this declaration of faith, you have
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their hearts that are polluted and muddied by selfish ambition
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and wanting to take advantage of already the fact that they are
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close to Christ, part of that inner circle with Peter, right?
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They're taking advantage of that, and they want greater
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leadership. They want to be served.
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They want shinier crowns, so to speak.
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They want more, and for all the wrong reasons.
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And here's the lesson that we can take from this request, this
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mingling of faith and flesh. You can have faith and still act
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in the flesh. You can't have sincere faith and
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live unrepentantly in the flesh. But let me, my brother, and my
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sister give you a friendly reminder of what the disciples
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of Jesus Christ. I'm not talking about the 12.
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I'm talking about disciples of Christ today are capable of.
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You can have good, solid doctrine.
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You can believe the right things and still say, do and think
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contrary to your convictions. We believe Christ is going to
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rule and reign, but we're puffed with pride.
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Is that possible? Absolutely.
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So don't get surprised when disciples of Jesus disappoint.
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The original guys are disappointing us and and you
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want to throw in the towel because you're disappointed by
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some people in the church, some people who bear the name of
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Christ. I learned here that you can you
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can have faith and still be fleshly to an extent.
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And we look at this and we're ready to look at others and be
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like, OK, that makes sense of why so and so acts that way.
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No, I look at this and I say, Lord Jesus, cleanse me.
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Cleanse my heart from self-interest as I pursue
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spiritual things. Cleanse my heart from selfish
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ambition and pride as I seek to serve you and your people.
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I don't want to just be pure my doctrine.
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I want to be pure in my life. These guys got it all twisted
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and if you think it's bad now, it only gets worse when you
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consider the wider context. James and John are not the only
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ones in on this ploy. I told you where the parallel
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account was, right? Matthew chapter 20 turned there
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and look at another character in this story, Matthew 20, and look
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at verse 20. This is the mirroring account in
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Matthew 20 verse 20. And here's what we read Then the
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mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons and
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kneeling before him, she asked him for something.
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So just isn't James and John here?
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We got mom on the scene. How did this happen?
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According to Matthew, there is another person to consider and
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obviously she agreed to this and she believed that her sons were
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justified in asking for this right?
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And at first, it doesn't seem clear where this idea
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originated. Did it come from the boys, or
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did it come from Mom? I'm under the persuasion that
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when you consider the weight of evidence that it started with
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James and John, you see this cycling of who wants to be the
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greatest in many of their conversations throughout the
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Gospels. And if that is the case, and
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this reveals a couple of things, the first thing that it reveals
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is that one of the ugly manifestations of pride is that
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it finds no problem taking advantage of others.
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Pride takes prisoners. And how sad it is that these
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young men felt it appropriate to recruit their mother on the
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scheme and to tell their mother, Mom, we need you to do something
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for us. You're an elder woman.
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You're obviously respected by virtue of age, and so would you
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go to Jesus? And would you ask him if we can
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sit on the right and left of his throne?
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And here's this poor mother who now comes before the Lord and
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she kneels before him. We read, she even, she even uses
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the mask of worship and reverence and adoration, which
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is a picture of how we can use worship and thinking we can
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manipulate. The will of God.
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You can't manipulate God. And so here's this mother now
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kneeling before him and asking him for the same thing that
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we've just read here in Mark chapter 10.
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Self promotion hurts other people.
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Did you hear me? Self promotion will always hurt
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relationships, not just the mother.
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Look at this lo that they brought her to.
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But what would this do for the other 10 apostles?
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We read later on that they were indignant in verse 41 for the
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wrong reasons. But this had the potential to
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sever relationships. And so we see here that there is
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pride, and pride takes prisoners and it wounds and it bruises
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relationships. That has no problem stepping
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over others, using others, bulldozing over others so that
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you can satisfy that lust. But there's a second.
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Thing to learn here with the presence of this mother.
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She's a disappointing example of a parent, isn't she?
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How did you even agree to this? You're the mother.
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A Middle Eastern mother. How did you agree to this?
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How did you succumb to this scheme?
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How did you give in? And remember, this mother is not
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just a random person. She herself is a follower of
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Jesus Christ. I encourage you to go to the
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last portions of the book of Matthew in your own time and
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read of the woman who are there standing at a distance from the
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cross. And the mother of the sons of
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Zebedee was present. She followed Christ.
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She loved the Lord. She believed the Lord.
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So she had an understanding of the will of God, of the
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character of of God in the person of Jesus Christ.
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She wasn't held hostage. She agreed, obviously, when she
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should have redirected and she should have corrected, and she
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should have trained her boys not to think like this.
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And when I meditate on this, I thought to myself, there are
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cases when the fleshliness of some is the result of the
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failure of parents who did not lovingly and wisely redirect the
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murky mindsets of those who have been entrusted to them to
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disciple your kids. And when you see the way they're
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thinking about God and the way they're thinking about life,
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it's your duty to lovingly, wisely, carefully, yes, to step
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in and say, son, daughter, you're not thinking right here.
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You can't force your kids to do anything.
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You can't be legalistic with your kids.
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You're going to. You're going to turn them off in
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another way. But there is a healthy
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responsibility, an approach that must be made to say you're not
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thinking right here, and it's my duty, given by God to speak into
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your life as long as you live here.
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I have to say this is not right, this is not right.
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And if they're old enough, you step away and let them make
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their own choice. But you do what you need to do
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to speak truth to them. It's not the youth pastor
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pastor's job to raise your children.
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Parents, if you expect your children to get truth one hour
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or two out of a week, it's not going to cut it with the
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avalanche of filth that they are fighting off every single day.
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And so we see these two come up to their mother and somehow she
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gives in and it reminds me of David.
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We've been studying about David's life and now we're in
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Solomon's life. And this verse always rings in
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the back of my mind whenever I consider Biblical parenthood.
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In First Kings chapter one, verse 6, when we speak about
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Adonijah who tried to just do what James and John are doing in
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his own world, trying to seize the throne from Solomon thinking
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that he deserves it, even this is crazy.
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He even knew that it was the Lord's will for Solomon to be
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the king and he still wanted it. And then the Holy Spirit writes
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this down in the beginning of this book to instruct US1.
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Of the failures that led to this man to believe this about
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himself. First Kings 1/6.
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His father had never at any time displeased him by asking why
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have you done thus and so. David was a great king.
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He was a bad dad. David was a worship leader, but
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he couldn't lead most of his children to worship the true
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God. He never displeased them.
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He never wanted to step on their toes.
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He never wanted to ruin their plans.
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Whatever was in David's mind, the Holy Spirit tells us that
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there was a contribution of his negligence that led to the
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monster that Azanijah was. I know what some of you might be
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thinking. Where are your kids for you to
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be preaching to us, preacher? I understand, but I don't preach
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from experience. I preach from the Bible.
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And if you think this is all disappointing, it actually gets
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worse. I'm sorry, this actually gets
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worse. And when you consider the wider
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context again, you can disconnect 35 to 37 from Mark
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chapter 10. And you can still make a case
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for the shortcoming of these disciples.
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But consider where it has been placed.
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And when you consider where it has been placed, then you will
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understand the insensitivity and the impudence, the lack of
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respect of these two. Did we forget what happened
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right before James and John approached Christ to ask for
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this? Let me remind you of Mark
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chapter 10 again in verse 34. Jesus telling them what's about
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to happen in a few days in Jerusalem, he says and they will
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mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him, and after
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three days he will rise. He told them of his death, his
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suffering, his resurrection. And this is the response of
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James and John. Instead of being moved by the
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humility of Jesus Christ, instead of being humbled by how
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their mindset and their belief system of the Messiah was not
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complete. And to ask further questions
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about what this means, they're so preoccupied with themselves.
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They're so caught up about how they can secure their own future
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and how they can be promoted using the name of Jesus.
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This is so heartbreaking. And again, I don't bring this to
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our attention so that we can find more reasons to belittle
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the disciples. I bring this to our attention so
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that with this mounting, devastating, heartbreaking
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attitude of these men, you see this ray of light of the
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absolute patience of the Lord Jesus Christ, how long-suffering
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He is to deal with these kind of disciples again.
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You read it. You read this first.
27:03
What do you want me to do for you?
27:07
You can see that as the Lord trying to have them cough up
27:09
what they're saying. We can also see this the Lord
27:12
willing to engage in conversation as a teaching tool.
27:15
Willing to still manage the immaturity of these 12.
27:21
Willing to still patiently work with them, willing to still walk
27:26
with them and love them and train them and rewire them.
27:30
Willing. And if you're hearing this
27:33
message today, no matter where you're at in life, and you are
27:37
discouraged because you are a person who knows what is true,
27:40
like these disciples did, but still find yourself in some
27:43
areas struggling in the flesh, Do not let your discouragement
27:47
cause you to be distant from the refiner.
27:52
Don't let your flesh and the struggle against the flesh pull
27:56
you away from the master. I see a patient Christ here.
28:01
I see a Christ here reminds me of the word of the Lord in
28:04
Malachi chapter 3 verse 3, where we're told in there very
28:08
specifically that the Lord who is ready to purify a remnant
28:13
among Israel. Says there that he will sit to
28:18
refine them. Doesn't it say that he will sit
28:22
Notice? It doesn't say he will stand.
28:25
He will sit Implying what? Patience.
28:30
A willingness to remain and stay there.
28:34
In what process? In the process of purifying you
28:37
and me. Is much more patient than you
28:41
can imagine. I find with genuine,
28:44
wholehearted believers that they are less patient than Christ is
28:47
with their growth and their sanctification.
28:50
But here's the Lord, Here's what we hear.
28:52
He will sit and he will refine. He's slow to get up.
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He's slow to give up. And this is the Lord for the
29:04
rest of this chapter. Who's willing to engage with
29:06
these stubborn slow to believe, slow to get it again and again?
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What I found in my study of the Gospels is a shepherd who loves
29:17
his sheep, All these sheep that wander away, the sheep that
29:23
takes so much time and attention from someone.
29:26
That's Christ. No wonder he uses that language.
29:29
So this is all under the request.
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But now we come to the rebuke. A loving leader will rebuke.
29:35
A loving shepherd will at times wound his sheep so that they can
29:41
learn. And Jesus said to them in verse
29:42
38, you don't know what you're asking.
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Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with
29:50
the baptism with which I am baptized?
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I love the first part of verse 38.
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You do not know what you are asking.
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It was true the disciples, and it's true for many disciples
30:00
today. You don't really know the extent
30:06
of your request, do you, James and John, They didn't.
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And I would say that some of our supplications that we make
30:14
suffer from severe ignorance, ignorance of the wider
30:18
implications of being granted such a thing.
30:20
Ignorance. Of how what we think to be a
30:22
positive provision, whatever kind of provision, maybe, can
30:26
actually bring more harm and hindrance than help and
30:29
happiness. And you and I should rejoice.
30:34
I want to tell you that you and I should rejoice in many things.
30:36
And here's another category where you can praise God when he
30:39
says no. And when he, what you feel like
30:45
is him ignoring your request. This is him actually not
30:47
supplying your request. You can rejoice.
30:50
I know it doesn't feel good in the moment, but you, you, I'm
30:53
sure, can look back in your life and think to yourself if you
30:55
think carefully. I'm glad God didn't answer that
30:57
prayer. I didn't know what I was asking
31:01
for. And earlier, you heard how you
31:06
and I must pray according to the will of God if we're to have
31:09
confidence performed. But there's another layer to the
31:11
will of God, not just the revealed will in the Word, but
31:14
His personalized will for your life.
31:17
That also should be taken into consideration when we understand
31:20
how prayer works. God has His.
31:23
Objective will, His clear will for all believers.
31:25
And he has a tailor made will for you.
31:29
And that's what we're often concerned by.
31:31
Lord, what do you want me to? Where do you want me to go?
31:32
Who do you want me to be All these different things.
31:34
And consider this that you and I, as we ask sometimes don't
31:39
know what we're asking for. And what you think will glorify
31:43
God in the season is actually not going to glorify God at that
31:47
time. It will.
31:48
Maybe at another time. What you think will bless you
31:51
because you see a blessing somebody else?
31:53
Oh, surely then it will bring the same kind of joy in my life.
31:55
Not necessarily so. The confidence that you and I
31:59
have in praying according to the will of God is that you're
32:01
praying to a God who knows what he has for you, and if it fits
32:05
that he will grant it and he will honor your faith.
32:08
And if it does it, then trust that he has your best in mind,
32:12
best for his glory, best for your good.
32:15
Ask again. Ask freely, ask confidently,
32:18
Don't be limited, don't be shy, but be at rest to know that even
32:25
sometimes your emotions, your flesh, can create a fog to your
32:31
faith. And when you're asking, you
32:33
think that this is the best option when the fact God knows
32:36
it's not, you do not know what you're asking.
32:38
And in the case of the ignorance of the disciples, He explains
32:41
their ignorance. He says, are you able to drink
32:43
the cup that I drink or be baptized with a baptism with
32:46
which I'm to be baptized? This seems cryptic.
32:49
This seems ambiguous. It's not because the symbol of a
32:52
cup is familiar in the Hebrew. Scriptures and In many places
32:56
when a cup is defined, especially in relation to God
33:00
and man, it speaks of God appointing something to someone.
33:06
And the substance of that cup can be joy and it can be
33:09
provision and it can be prosperity, right?
33:12
So we think of that famous Psalm and Psalm 23 verse five.
33:15
My cup overflows, but in most cases the symbol and the idiom
33:22
of a cup is actually a reference to the judgment of God and the
33:27
wrath of God. You see that in Isaiah 51, verse
33:30
17, the cup of His wrath you read even in the psalms of the
33:35
wicked, drinking from the cup of His anger or His judgment, we
33:40
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, who in that garden
33:43
interceding and praying, asking the Father if it was possible
33:46
for this cup to be passed from Him.
33:50
Not my will, but your will be done.
33:53
So this symbol of a cup, when Jesus says here you don't know
33:56
what you're asking, are you able to drink the cup that I drink?
33:58
This is a cup of suffering. This is a cup that is poured out
34:03
by God's righteous indignation in the case of Christ.
34:07
But the theme is suffering, and that's only double down here,
34:11
and it's solidified by this next metaphor or this picture.
34:15
Or be baptized with a baptism with which I'm baptized.
34:20
Again, we have this Christian narrow application of the word
34:23
baptism, but in the original it's a very simple term.
34:27
It's a broad term. It simply means immersion.
34:30
And some believe that even the word baptism as a translation
34:33
does a disservice to how we view baptism.
34:35
It speaks of being submerged in something that clarifies a lot,
34:39
doesn't it? I know that sounds
34:41
controversial. Submerged, submerged and even in
34:46
the Hebrew scriptures you see this picture in the theme of
34:51
suffering, of being overcome or submerged in waters.
34:57
Elifast tells his friend Job in Job 2211 that the flood of
35:03
waters are over you and describing his plight.
35:07
So what's Jesus collectively saying here?
35:09
He's saying, are you willing to suffer?
35:13
You want exaltation, and in the economy of God, the pathway to
35:17
exaltation is suffering. You want to be promoted in the
35:22
next life. And in great part, the degree of
35:24
your exaltation is determined by what you're willing to endure
35:28
here on. Earth.
35:30
And Jesus looks at these men and he says, I'm about to drink and
35:34
be immersed in suffering, internal internal suffering,
35:38
external suffering before I know my exaltation.
35:43
Are you willing to take the similar path to your promotion
35:46
that you so badly want? Look what they said in verse 39.
35:53
We are able. Do you really know what you're
35:58
asking for, you disciples? We are able, and Jesus took him
36:03
at their word. We are able.
36:07
You're going to drink and you will be baptized with this
36:10
baptism. The first martyr who was an
36:15
apostle was James, Acts chapter 12, verse two, who was the last
36:19
martyr among the apostles? His brother John, who suffered
36:23
lifelong persecution and was eventually abandoned on the
36:26
island called Patmos. According to Revelation chapter
36:29
one, verse 9, the first martyr among the apostles was James.
36:32
The last one was John. He took them at their word.
36:35
You want to drink it? Drink.
36:36
You want to be baptized? Here's your baptism.
36:44
Now we come to the ruling. We looked at the request, we
36:47
looked at the rebuke, and then verse 39 and 40 we look at the
36:50
ruling and they said them we are able.
36:52
And Jesus said to them the cup that I drink, you will drink,
36:55
and in verse 40 says, But to sit on my right hand or at my left
36:59
is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been
37:03
prepared. So Jesus prophesied their
37:07
destinies on earth. And then he explains that the
37:11
exact at the same time outcome of the reward is not readily
37:16
available and knowable. Yes, you will suffer, but to
37:22
give you what you're asking is not for me to grant.
37:25
It's been prepared by the Father.
37:27
According to Matthew, it's already been determined by his
37:31
foreknowledge and. So in my role here within the
37:38
Godhead, that's not my responsibility.
37:40
That doesn't make him any less God.
37:44
And I believe even in this, where we see Jesus clearly
37:46
define their destiny on earth, and it reminds them and explains
37:51
to them that what's to come is not to be known at this point.
37:55
You see a valuable lesson, right?
37:57
You're still going to suffer even though you don't know the
38:00
reward that's going to be provided for your suffering.
38:03
And that tells me something about what Christ expects of us
38:06
and what Christ is worthy of. Christ is worthy of your
38:08
sacrifice, and even if that sacrifice demands suffering,
38:13
he's worthy of it whether you know the reward for it or not,
38:17
because he's the reward. He's the goal, not positions and
38:24
not authority and not jewels and not treasures.
38:30
Again, we read about these crowns.
38:32
There are five different crowns that are mentioned in the New
38:34
Testament, and I only see one purpose for crowns in the New
38:38
Testament. It's found in Revelation where
38:40
those crowns were cast at the feet of the Lamb.
38:45
So if I'm going to work for a crown, it's so that I can bring
38:47
something of worth to the feet of Christ.
38:49
As one preacher said, I don't want to bring Jesus a paper
38:51
mache crown, but who's the reward here?
38:58
I can't determine whether or not you're going to be able to sit
39:01
in those two seats, but you're going to suffer.
39:07
And James and John should have smiled anyway, because Christ is
39:11
the object of our goal. I will suffer come what may,
39:15
because I'm doing it for him. I'm doing it for the smile of my
39:19
master. So the ruling has been set.
39:23
But now we come to the reminder, and the reason why I named that
39:27
heading the reminders. Because we've seen these truths
39:29
before. Look at verse 41.
39:32
And when the 10 heard it, they began to be indignant at James
39:35
and John. They weren't offended because of
39:37
their sinfulness. They were offended because they
39:39
got a head start. James and John asked Jesus for
39:43
those privileged places and here are the 10 who hear about and
39:45
they go they beat us to it. This isn't a righteous thing in
39:50
nation. This is this is just as carnal
39:52
as the two other ones. Pride does not bring unity.
39:58
It it always brings a vision and all you need is one person
40:01
puffed up with unrepented, unrestrained self promotion.
40:05
And it can bring ruin even to apostles.
40:10
And when the 10 heard it, they began to be a dignant at James
40:13
and John. Now look at this verse 42.
40:15
And Jesus called them to him. Oh, isn't that a beautiful
40:20
picture? I can't even read past that
40:23
Jesus. So here's this teacher.
40:26
Wise, all knowing, Pure in love, perfect in power.
40:31
And he's seeing James and John here, and they're doing their
40:33
thing. And then he looks over to the
40:35
tent and they hear about it. And now he can sense something
40:37
is brewing. And Jesus says, OK, time out,
40:41
whistle. Come, come, let me reel you in
40:45
here. You know what I see from that?
40:46
Jesus is the peacemaker. Only Jesus can heal pride.
40:52
Only Jesus can take what is prone to division and mend it
40:56
together and keep it. He is the bond of love that
40:58
unites our hearts. So if you want peace in your
41:03
church, if you want peace in your marriage, if you want peace
41:06
in your friendships, let Christ rule in that place.
41:11
Let Christ reign in that place. You know, in our desire to see
41:15
more members here at NBC. And we're so blessed by all the
41:19
members and the future members we praise God for.
41:21
But we'll make the membership here joyful experiences.
41:24
Every person has Christ ruling on the throne of their hearts.
41:29
That's how we will avoid potential disaster in our midst.
41:32
That's true for your spouse. That's true for your future
41:34
spouse. Here's Christ, who is able to
41:37
bring in these men who are at odds with one another.
41:44
And he says, you know that those who are considered rulers of the
41:47
Gentiles lorded over them, and they're great ones.
41:51
Exercise authority over them. Pause.
41:56
You know, he's reminding them, you know, what it's like to be
42:00
ruled over others. I mean, they were under Roman
42:03
oppression, you know? And then he distinguishes this
42:08
kind of understanding of greatness and leadership, and he
42:13
says, this is of the world. The way you're thinking is
42:16
worldly. You know that rulers of
42:19
Gentiles, they Lord over them. They, they proclaim their
42:24
greatness by how many people serve them and are under him.
42:27
And here's what we take from this.
42:28
Even people who follow Christ, if you're not careful, pay
42:31
attention to this. If you're not young people, hey,
42:34
check this out. You can be taking your cues from
42:37
the world. You can be developing an
42:43
understanding of what success and identity and purpose looks
42:47
like from the unbelieving. That's what these disciples are
42:51
doing. They have translated what
42:53
success looks like among the Gentiles, and they have brought
42:56
it into success in the Kingdom of God and Jesus.
42:59
That's not of my Kingdom. Notice what he says in verse 43.
43:03
But it shall not be so among you.
43:06
You're different. My Kingdom operates differently.
43:10
This attitude and this under that's not of my Kingdom.
43:14
And so you and I have to be on guard.
43:15
As one preacher said it this way, you and I do not naturally
43:20
drift into holiness. Leave yourself be and don't
43:26
exercise these principles and these spiritual disciplines.
43:30
You're not going to naturally drift into godliness.
43:33
You drift the opposite direction.
43:37
And Christ comes with His word, his piercing word, And he says,
43:40
that's not a view, that's not what it should be like for you.
43:45
And he says in the next part, But whoever would be great among
43:48
you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you
43:52
must be slave. Of all.
43:54
Have we not seen this before? We have seen this before.
43:56
Mark nine. We read this in the previous
43:59
chapter. We studied about greatness in
44:01
the Kingdom of God. And here we are again.
44:02
The Holy Spirit found it necessary to record this
44:05
conversation and place it in the very next chapter, after we had
44:09
a whole Sunday dedicated to it. Why?
44:10
Because we forget. That's why.
44:16
A lot of us suffer from spiritual amnesia.
44:18
We forget. We need to be reminded.
44:20
It needs to be compacted again, over and over, before it begins
44:24
to materialize in real life. And Jesus had no problem
44:29
teaching the same thing again, he says.
44:32
If you want to be great, you have to be a servant.
44:35
If you want to be greatest, be a slave.
44:38
A servant is one thing. To be a slave means that you're
44:41
owned. You're owned by somebody else.
44:45
You want to be the greatest? Consider everybody more
44:51
significant than yourself. Consider everybody as those who
44:57
are over you. Oh, this is real, is it not?
45:02
Must be slave of all. And he doesn't just teach it now
45:05
he shows by way of example 4 verse 45.
45:09
For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and
45:14
to give his life as a ransom for many.
45:17
I'm not just telling you to do this, I'm showing you how to do
45:21
it. That's a true teacher.
45:25
Side note, excellent verse to use against the enemies of the
45:31
gospel who try to claim that Jesus never taught that his
45:35
mission on earth was to die for the sins of man.
45:38
There's some people out there who say that this is Paul's idea
45:41
and our Christian theology comes from the Apostle Paul and not
45:44
from Christ. Well, here's one verse among
45:46
many that shows that Jesus did believe that when he came on the
45:48
earth is that he would come as a substitute for the sins of man.
45:53
But that's not the primary purpose for his statement.
45:55
Here I show you I've exemplified I'm ready to show the greatest
46:01
act of servanthood as I'm ready to die and serve.
46:06
Yes, my father, but even the world through my blood being
46:09
shed. Can I say something?
46:13
You and I are closer to being like Jesus when we serve.
46:18
When we serve. I hope that's a cry of your
46:20
heart. Lord, I want to be like you in
46:23
this world. That's a wonderful cry.
46:25
That's a Holy Spirit cry. But you know how it's realized?
46:29
You know how you inch yourself closer to that?
46:32
It's not by holding a microphone and preaching.
46:34
It's not by having a grand ministry where people are
46:37
listening and hearing and contributing.
46:39
Jesus, Jesus qualifies it. Serve others.
46:46
Put their needs above yours and not just when the opportunity
46:49
arise. Intentionally serve others, not
46:52
when your course or force. No, be eager to serve others.
46:57
That's where greatness is known in my Kingdom and we run in the
47:01
opposite direction of the way of the King and the law of his
47:07
Kingdom. When we are captivated and we
47:10
justify self promotion and self exaltation, that's not Christ.
47:20
And so the request is clear. It was off and that's why I
47:26
deserved loving rebuke. Jesus gave a ruling, A ruling
47:30
for them, but a principle in that ruling for us.
47:32
He's worthy to be served regardless of the reward being
47:35
known or not. And the reminder, A reminder for
47:39
these 12 and a reminder for you and I.
47:42
If we want to be closest to Jesus, and being like Jesus, we
47:45
will follow in the steps of servanthood, looking at others
47:48
and saying constantly, How can I serve them?
47:52
How can I serve them? What a way to end this time
47:57
before we break bread. Verse 45.
48:00
For even the Son of man came not to be served, but the servant to
48:03
give his life as a ransom for many.
48:05
I want to read to you Psalm 49 verse 7 as we close the psalmist
48:14
says in Psalm 49 verse seven, truly no man can ransom another
48:21
or gift to God the price of his life.
48:24
For the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice
48:28
that he should live on forever and never see the pit.
48:33
Here is the Psalmist describing the weakness of wealth.
48:38
As much as it can get you in this life, it can never.
48:40
No matter how great the price is, no matter the mountains of
48:42
gold that you possess, it can never purchase everlasting life.
48:48
And this language of ransom is so clear, Jesus utilizes it
48:52
concerning himself. And he says I've come that I
48:55
might be a ransom for many. Well, hold on.
48:59
We learn here that. No man can ransom another Yes,
49:02
but we're talking about the God man, and he's not.
49:05
Coming with silver or gold, as Peter says, but with the
49:08
preciousness of his own blood, Only the blood of Jesus Christ
49:13
can ransom the soul of another. And you and I today are about to
49:17
be reminded that we've been ransomed by the blood of Jesus
49:21
Christ. That was the sole thing that
49:23
would satisfy the justice and the demand of God, and the price
49:28
has been paid. But my question to you today is,
49:31
has it been applied to your account?
49:35
Are you still in debt? The only way that your debt of
49:40
sin can be taken care of? The only transaction that is
49:44
possible and satisfactory is if it has been signed with the
49:48
blood of the Lamb of God and if you've accepted it freely to
49:51
say, there is no other payment I can make, There is no other
49:55
payment somebody else can make for me.
49:57
The only way I have a guarantee into the presence of God is
50:01
through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
50:04
So if you have not made that decision to make Jesus Christ as
50:07
Lord, you know you're a Sinner. The world knows that we have a
50:13
sin problem where they're all confused and bumping heads as
50:17
how do we solve it? And here's how we solve it.
50:21
The Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth has declared that in
50:25
His name and no other name under having given among men by which
50:28
we must be saved. Are you saved?
50:33
I'm a good boy. Good boy.
50:34
Ain't going to cut it. I pay my taxes.
50:38
Wonderful. I didn't commit murder.
50:40
Have you hated your brother in your heart?
50:42
According to this Kingdom, that's murder.
50:46
Well, I've been faithful to my wife.
50:48
Have you ever even thought for a moment of another woman who's
50:51
not your wife? You're an adulteress.
50:54
You're an adulterer. There is no way to escape
50:58
concerning the standard of holiness.
51:01
Every single one of us have fallen short of the glory of
51:04
God. Think with me now of a chasm.
51:07
Here's this chasm, Here's you and I with the rest of the
51:09
world, and here's God's holiness and His presence, and here's
51:12
this big gap in between, and here's how we justify our
51:15
holiness. Here's one person who runs, and
51:17
he makes a leap, and he comes very close to the edge of God's
51:22
presence. And then you have others here
51:24
who fall in the midway point or fall right away.
51:27
No matter where you are on the spectrum of your morality, the
51:31
Bible declares we have all fallen short of the glory of
51:35
God. So don't compare yourself to the
51:41
next person, because as close as you think you are to your
51:44
neighbor in comparison to your neighbor, to your wife, or to
51:47
your children or to your boss, we all fall.
51:50
And Christ comes and he builds a bridge through the cross, where
51:56
if you realize that you, with your silly little moral legs,
51:59
can't plunge yourself further enough to reach him and to
52:02
simply take the path that he's called you to take in Christ,
52:05
that's how you're saved. That's how you know forgiveness
52:09
of sin. And so if you're not a believer
52:14
in this place, I encourage you from the bottom of my heart.
52:17
This is not reserved for you. This is reserved for those who
52:20
have walked on that path and have crossed the way of
52:23
justification by faith. And so we ask that you just
52:27
observe You're free to remain. Please don't take this the wrong
52:30
way, but this is something that Christ instituted for His
52:33
church. Those who have been purchased by
52:34
His blood, believer in this place, rejoice.
52:38
And knowing that your performance is not what gets you
52:40
God's favor. It's what the Son of God has
52:43
done. And as we come here, we remember
52:45
His body and His blood. He is the ransom.
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You are forgiven forever, You know recently.
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Can I just be transparent? I don't know if this will
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encourage you, Encourages me more and more.
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I get excited about the Lord's table.
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I found myself excited about the first Sunday of this month
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because I just want to come and rehearse his forgiveness again.
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I need it. You need it.
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I'm forgiven. I'm forgiven.
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I'm saved. I'm redeemed.
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It's done. I've been perfected for all
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time, though I am still being sanctified.
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Hebrews 1014. And so we're going to sing a
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song in a moment. If the praise team can come at
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this time, we're going to sing a song as they did sang a hymn at
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the Last Supper before the betrayal of the Son of God.
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And then we will partake after Pastor Benna shares a few words.
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But as they Let me pray and then you guys can come.
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Lord, we do thank you for this word.
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A reminder, yes, but a reminder that we always need.
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You were the perfect servant, and you've reminded us again
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what greatness looks like in your eyes.
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We want to be great before the Lord or forgive us of our
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ambition. And our motives was to be great
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before our elders, to be great before Christians, to be great
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on the charts for Christian radio, whatever it may be.
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Lord, we ask that you would cleanse us from all false
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ambition and bring us to the simplicity of our devotion to
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you to be great before Christ and now Lord.
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We put that aside, and we remember that we've been saved
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by Your blood. As we sing these truths, may we
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remember in a holy way of who we were and how you've redeemed us.
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Who we could have. Been If you didn't redeem us so
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that we can offer you the proper due for your great sacrifice in
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Jesus name. Amen.
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Praise theme please. You can stand with us, please.
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As we worship the Lord. I'll just meditate on His love,
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meditate on His sacrifice, and we will eat together soon.