Come to be Served Part 1

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Call To Worship

Say: Let us now begin to worship the Father the Son, the Holy Spirit, Our Call to worship Comes to us from

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Introduction Leadership

Serving others is costly.

This week I was speaking to a pastor from North Carolina and as when pastors do we got into ministry stuff. This time we crossed into the weird supernatural. He told me that Asheville NC is the heart of witchcraft in the South. I had never heard of this before. Being from the Northeast we have places like that, Salem Mass. the most famous, Nyack and Woodstock NY, and in Milford PA we had two witches covens, as a result of a church split! They sportted the clean up of the road I would drive to go home on.

He was telling me that in his church he had a deptuy in the local sheriffs department who was just on a drug raid of a local warlocks den. Now there is a tie between hard drugs and Witchcraft, but I’ll save that for a Sunday evening sometime. (Explain Pharmicia in brief). The deputy while in the house cleaning up the paraphinlia with the team said that in their den in which they did their spells they had a picture of every pastor in the city and his picture was hung there!

This makes my skin crawl just repeating it! Today we are going to look at leadership, the cost and the how to. We live in a world that despises great leaders, men who are willing to put their lives on the line and so if you listen carefully to Jesus today we will learn about leadership.

Also keep me and any pastor you know in your prayers. Somebody maybe trying to cast a spell on us at anytime!

Text

Mark 10:35–45 ESV

35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36 And he said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?” 37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, 40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. 42 And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Observations and Background

This is the second time that Mark has recorded this. Just like in Mark 9:32-37 following his revealing of his crucifixion yet to come. They again ask who can be the greatest and again Jesus answers them. It’s like they didn’t get it!

The Big Idea here is this: Christian leader are built on Christ

True Leadership is built on true confidence

Southern General and Christian man Stonewall Jackson, who was not really liked as a military teacher, but loved as a general by his men would often lead from the front. Why because he is quoted saying

“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me, that they way all men should live , and then all would be equally Brave.”

Leadership for the christian is different it starts from the front. It is brave and it knows that when you walk following King Jesus you have nothing to fear.

Look at verse Mark 10:37

Mark 10:37 ESV

37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

The Son’s of Zebedee know that the kingdom will be established. It’s not an issue of may, but when. This week I was reading something written by one of my favorite pod-casters and it was something like this

You (a nerd) “you believe that the world is billions of years old all happened by cosmic accident.” Me a gentleman “Believing the world was made in 6 litteral days.” We’re not the same.

We need to have the confidence in what we believe like James and John. No those are false religions, no men can’t be women. Letting the world define the terms on how we are to believe will keep putting us the the back foot. You must believe what you believe with boldness.

Titus 2:14 ESV

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

We are called to be a people who a zealous for good. The things of Christ are good.

Application:

You are called to be zealous the reality is that you’re going to be zealous about something. You’re going to be zealous over the things you really love, this can fall into sin and I’ll let the Holy Spirit point that out in you, but let me call you back to your first love, which is the faith you’ve been born to Remember the words of Christ.

Revelation 3:15–16 ESV

15 “ ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Don’t get spit out by Jesus.

What good is salt that has lost it’s saltiness?

You must recapture your first love and that is built on the truths of scripture. How you do this is follow Jesus’ call

Revelation 3:19–20 ESV

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Be reproved by his word, build your confidence on it, if you’ve been shaken repent and hold to it more fervently. Listen, study, follow, Jesus and importantly practice.

I read a book about Emperor Constantine the first Roman Emperor to legalize Christianity in the the Roman Empire, and he saw himself as a 13th apostle, he knew the gospel, believe it to be true and set up his rule to improve the life of Christians and all citizens in his land. He didn’t care that his faith was only 10% he did it anyway. His confidence lead to the empire becoming overwhelmingly Christian at the end of the 300s.

Apply that to your homes, work, our country. Yes our faith wins, yes the gospel actually converts souls in the past and today, yes God’s promises are relevant, yes your family life will be better with the third cord who is Christ putting you together, yes America can only function with protestant Christianity as it’s foundation.

Be zealous about this. Don’t take half measures, actually run the ball into the end zone.

Worship not Warfare Holy Ambition

Mark 10:37 ESV

37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”

Ambition is a great emotional and intellectual tool that God has given us. These men have ambition, but they miss the way the kingdom is built is not by the sword, but by the salvation of souls.

God is building his kingdom, but it is not the same way that nations are built today

Our faith is built on Worship not warfare. Worship is the fuel of the christian leader, the Christian man and women.

If you try to run a gas car with disael your not going to have a car. If you’r a Christian and your running any part of your life on anything other then Jesus it’s not going to work very long.

Real quick - What I’m not saying

I’m not saying you should role over every time some challenge comes up. I’m saying let your actions be driven by worship. Remember Jesus tells his disciples to buy a sword to protect themselves. You need to enforce right and wrong, you need to pursue growth, not sit back, we are to sow and reap, we are to teach, we are to be like our father Adam who was to live out the planting and building up of the garden.

This all must be driven by worship!

The pitfalls

there are 2 pitfalls. you become to spiritual or you become to material.

The spiritual person has so much wrapped up in something like the end times that they don’t accomplish anything with their life. The rapture is happening why should I have kids or start a business or try to make sure America runs better. You’ve let your ambition by blotted out by what you think is spiritual and have ignored God’s commands

The material person wants to storm the fortresses on his own power. This person will burn out so quickly and be no good for sometime.

Application

We see in the text after this that the disciples would get the ambition correct. Their worship would lead to their martyrdom. (v39)

You’re actions must be fuelled by correct worship. Let’s go to Genesis real quick

Genesis 2:7–15 ESV

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

You see that before the fall of mankind into sin that man was to work and protect the garden.

You can see that God made man to tend the beautiful trees and the food trees Gen. 2:9

Genesis 2:9 ESV

9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam was the priest in that garden, the man who would work before God. He work in this garden was worship. Your work must be seen the same way as worship. Some of us literally are making food, most of us in modern America are working on beautiful trees.

So when you lead you must do so from worship. Man’s chief end is to glorify God.

All your actions are worship, they’re for a perfect and good and Holy God, so your actions to the best of your abilities must look the same.

My worship here is equipping the saints so they can spread the gospel in our area. My worship here is building with you a church that will be celebrating after I’m dead it’s 200 year anniversary. I was speaking to a person who was having to ligate a divorce (Explain). When you’re working, leading are you seeking to magnify Christ. They will ask “Why is his work better?” Jesus! When you look at the world “Why does everyone want to move to Christian nations?” Jesus.

This starts small, but the faith always does. you need to have a beginning to have a middle and an end. Worship leads to victory. We win when we worship, we win when we apply that worship. Worship is that important to Holy Ambition.

Servant Leadership - Defined

In the Civil War, on both sides of the conflict, the casualty rate for officers was 15% higher then that for enlisted men. This is saying something as the Civil war had the most missed shots by an American solider out of every conflict our country has ever been in, due to the fact that brother was literally fighting brother and many didn’t want to see their kin killed at their own hand. It must be said that in the Civil War I don’t believe anyone won, because when brother feels like he has nothing left but to kill his brother you’ve already lost.

Leadership is costly just as you see these men lead from the front Jesus says

Mark 10:38–39 ESV

38 Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,

To serve is to be costly. This is something that all who have taken on any project, been married, worked hard. You know that being a Christian is costly. This is not a fake hardship but a true one.

Leadership takes from you.

Your faith whe nacted out will cost you. You have to forgoe something for the greater

You see that is what Jesus had done, he had given himself on our behalf

(give the gospel)

Benediction

Say: As we close our service of worship dear brother and sister please stand for our benediction and receive by faith this blessing from God

2 Peter 1:2 ESV

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.