The Path to Greatness

Call to Worship

To all who are weary and in need of rest

To all who are mourning and longing for comfort

To all who fail and desire strength

To all who sin and need a Savior

We, Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, open wide our arms

With a welcome from Jesus Christ.

He is the ally to the guilty and failing

He is the comfort to those who are mourning

He is the joy of our hearts

And He is the friend of sinners

So Come, worship Him with us.

Scripture Reading & Reader

Scripture Reader, Jooyeon Kim (Korean Reading)

Mark 9:30–41 NIV

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Post-Scripture Prayer

Pray.

Baptism Liturgy

For Child Baptism Candidates:

In baptism God promises by grace alone: to forgive our sins; to adopt us into the Body of Christ, the Church; to send the Holy Spirit daily to renew and cleanse us; and to resurrect us to eternal life. This promise is made visible in the water of baptism. Water cleanses; purifies; refreshes; sustains: Jesus Christ is living water. Through baptism Christ calls us to new obedience: to love and trust God completely; to forsake the evil of the world; and to live a new and holy life. Yet, when we fall into sin, we must not despair of God’s mercy, nor continue in sin, for baptism is the sign and seal of God’s eternal covenant of grace with us. We present those before you for the sacrament of Baptism. To the baptism candidate or parent: Who is your Lord and Savior? If Jesus, say "Jesus." To parents presenting children for baptism: Do you promise to instruct this child/these children in the truth of God’s word, in the way of salvation through Jesus Christ; to pray for them, to teach them to pray; and to train them in Christ’s way by your example, through worship, and in the nurture of the church? If so, say "I do, and I ask God to help me." To the congregation: Do you promise to love, encourage, and support these brothers and sisters by teaching the gospel of God’s love, by being an example of Christian faith and character, and by giving the strong support of God’s family in fellowship, prayer, and service? If so, say "We do."

For Gabe:

Trusting in the grace and mercy offered to you in Jesus, do you commit to turning from the ways of sin and evil in this world? I do.

Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and trust Him as Lord of your life? I do.

Do you commit to live in faith and obedience to God; letting the Holy Spirit guide, help and strengthen you as you follow Jesus in loving and serving others?  I do.

Introduction to Sermon

Good morning, my name is Brandon Morrow and I serve as one of the Pastors here at Moraga Valley! So glad that you’re here with us, — if you haven’t already, please go ahead and open your Bible to the Book of Mark and this week we’re continuing in a series that we’ve called, “The Suffering Servant.” This series is about the courage and sacrifice required to be disciples of Jesus, and today we look further at what Jesus requires of those who follow Him, and in Mark 9:30-41, Jesus says there are two qualities that will require a significant amount of courage and sacrifice: and it’s service and honor.

We must be servants of all, and we must honor others.

This whole notion of the kind of discipleship that Jesus wants to see of His followers is set against the backdrop of His final time passing through Galilee, where verse 30 says, “Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because He was teaching His disciples...”

Here’s what we know up to this point: The public ministry of Jesus is coming to an end. The brazen nature of His speech is beginning to grow. And Jesus knows that the continued success of the Kingdom is in the hands of training these few disciples who are going to take the gospel to the world…

In verse 31, Jesus gives us his second of three, what we’ve already called, Passion Predictions, where He talks about His impending death and resurrection… The details of the Passion Predictions in Mark 9 continue to grow. Not only will Jesus die, but He will be “delivered into the hands of men,” I also like how another translation says this, that Jesus will be “betrayed in the hands of men.”

While the explanation of that is important, let me take you to their response in verse 32. Mark 9:32

Mark 9:32 NIV

But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

The disciples fear and confusion is a denial of the fact that Jesus must suffer and die — and in doing so, they deny, and keep denying, what is required of following Jesus.

There’s no framework for Jesus’ death and resurrection, there’s no framework for His betrayal, in their minds. If Jesus is who Jesus says He is, then they’ve got their own description for who they think that is.

And who they expect Jesus to be a military and political leader who will take back the world by force.

At this point in history, the world still lives in the shadow of the aftermath of the Maccabean revolt. I’m sure some of you know this story, but it helps frame up the kind of picture they want to paint around Jesus.

There was a religious military revolt led by a man named Judas Maccabeus, which means, Judas the Hammer, that started when Antiochus IV, declared his reign as Antiochus Epiphanes, when he outlawed Jewish religious practices and declared that all people would bow and worship the God of Zeus. This started a war about religious freedom — no one was going to make the Jewish people bow to anyone

Every where the Hammer fell victory was found. Strike after strike the Maccabean family were taking back land and religious sites for God and Country.

And in the mind of the disciples, great figures in history like The Hammer, don’t suffer… they come reigning with law and order. Not only that, but they’re pictures of greatness that everyone should aspire towards.

The disciples have manufactured a version of Jesus that doesn’t exist. They have negated His death and suffering, they disobey His repeated call to deny themselves and carry their cross, and the next thing they do is compete for status next to Jesus.

Look with me at verses 33-34, Mark 9:33-34

Mark 9:33–34 NIV

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Mark 9 has been, for the majority of the chapter, a continuation on an idea from Chapter 8, where Jesus has given His disciples the very clear instructions of: if they want to follow Him, they must deny themselves and carry their cross.

In verse 34, what we find is embarrassment of the disciples because they’ve not been found denying themselves, they’ve been found elevating themselves. Jesus had already asked them in Mark 8:37 “Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

On the last day, Jesus won’t measure greatness the same way they’ve been measuring greatness.

I think that’s a word for the church today...

Jesus isn’t keeping track of how we elevate ourselves.

Power, authority, status, influence, how much money you make, what activities you or your children did. There is no record of your clothing, your portfolio, the car you drive, or the value of your home that the Kingdom is keeping.

The antidote to the elevation of self is the denial of self, and in verse 35, Jesus sits down to instruct His disciples how they do it.

Mark 9:35 NIV

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

One way in which greatness will be measured, is by “taking the last place and being a servant of all.”

This is why I’ve been saying this series is about Courage and Sacrifice, because the last place, and not being served, violates me to my core. What does Will Ferrell’s character, Ricky Bobby, say in Talladega Knights? “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Another one of his lines in the movie is, “I’m a big, hairy, American winning machine!”

We didn’t just memorize those lines because they’re funny, we knew them by heart because we want them to be true.

My children have already heard that second place is first place loser.

I am coaching a third grade soccer game, and we’re 0-4 — which is not a reflection of my character or the character of these kids running around and kicking each other in the shins… but they’re acutely aware that they haven’t won a game so far.

If you live in Lamorinda, this is hardwired into you… you won’t pass up on that promotion, you won’t let your kid be a “run of the mill” water polo player.

We can’t bring ourselves to admit that we don’t want to be last place, let alone what it means to be a servant to all.

Jesus illustrates what He means by being a servant to all in verses 36-37, Mark 9:36-37

Mark 9:36–37 NIV

He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Children in the first century didn’t hold the same weight in society that they do today. They were considered lowly, not held in a place of honor… but with Jesus, those who hold the least or the lowest in a place of honor will be elevated. I love how David Garland puts this, “Mark pictures a community where no one is to be treated either as a kingpin or as a nonentity.”

When you welcome the last and the least in my name, Jesus says, you welcome me — and whoever welcomes me, welcomes God the Father.

It is a sobering reality to find out that power, influence, and position get you nowhere in the Kingdom of God — but serving those who hold no power, no influence, and no position will.

We need more than ever the mission partners we have as a church… and it’s not that we build homes in Mexico, serve under-served kids in Oakland, help manage homelessness in Richmond, or the other things our church supports — because it makes us feel good, or because we have a position of privilege to do, but because when we do so in Jesus’ name it’s as if we are doing for Him, which is doing it for our Father.

We become servants of those who hold no power, no influence, and no position because our Father delights in it…

Later the scriptures tell us that we are to have the “same mindset as Christ Jesus” — this is what Paul says in Philippians 2, and explains what that means in verses 6-11. Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 (NIV)

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

It’s interesting to note in Philippians 2, that Jesus takes on the very nature of a servant, and it’s God the Father who exalts Him to the highest place.

We have a word for this, and Philippians 2 has a word for this: it’s the word humility.

Humility is taking the lowest place.

Let us be humble that we may not need to be humbled, but may be exalted by the grace of God.

Charles Spurgeon

Look with me in verses 38-41, the disciples have been given the opportunity to be humble, to take the lowest place, to let God focus on the glory, but now they have to be humbled by Jesus. Mark 9:38-41

Mark 9:38–41 NIV

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

There are always barriers to service, some kind of excuse, some reason why we can’t be the last and servant of all. But their excuses reveal a critical spirit...

First, let me use a quote to illustrate the silliness of this situation, it’s from scholar David Garland:

Mark Interpretive Insights

“A church filled with prima donnas who want to control everything rarely ministers effectively to those inside or outside the fellowship.”

Service doesn’t happen because we “turn preferences into principles, and traditions into traditionalism,” (Sydserff) and we don’t focus on what needs to be done, but rather how it’s done.

The disciples, instead of obedience, look down on a group of people who are doing the work that Jesus has asked them to do. The disciples are still trapped in their net of “status” — they’re not one of us, but they’re casting out demons in Jesus, which is something that they had previously failed to do.

Look at verse 41 again with me and we’ll wrap this whole thing together.

Mark 9:41 NIV

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

The disciples have exposed their critical spirit, they have looked down upon even the most humble acts of serving Jesus — and what Jesus is telling them, is that even the smallest acts of service and sacrifice are going to be rewarded in the Kingdom.

It would a terrible thing to some how end up behaving like the disciples after reading Mark 9.... That somehow we’ve made humbling acts of service below us, and we look down on those who are faithfully serving Jesus.

These show up in phrases like… “That’s below my pay grade,” or, “that’s now how I would do it,” and at the end, we’ve missed out on bringing glory to our Father.

The only way to leave verses 30-41 is to take a step back and re-evaluate ourselves:

Where have I taken greater stock in elevating myself than in honoring and serving others, and in doing so, serving and bringing glory to Jesus?

Benediction

Pre-Baptism

Luke 15:7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who REPENTS than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no REPENTANCE. Luke 15:10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who REPENTS.”

VIDEO

Gloria Patri

Glory be to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit

As it was in the beginning, is not now, but once again shall be.