AMBITION AND BIZARRO KINGDOM VALUES

AMBITION AND BIZARRO KINGDOM VALUES Matthew 20:20-28 November 3, 2006 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, ask a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those who whom they have been prepared by my Father.” When they heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “ You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:20-28 When Cal Thomas, the Christian news analyst first heard himself called a “Christian leader” by a leading Christian magazine, he said he wondered what that meant. More speaking engagements? An appearance on a Christian talk show? “It would certainly give me the right to start putting Scripture references under my signature in books I autograph. I would surely sign more Bibles, which I find a curious practice since I didn’t write that Book.” Thomas wondered if we haven’t reversed things. He reminded himself and his readers that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness, and being a leader meant being a servant. “In a church I once attended, there was a man of tremendous faith. His wife is an alcoholic, His daughter has psychological problems. He was often poor in health. Yet, week after week, he never complained. He always smiled and asked me how I was doing. He faithfully brought to church a young blind man who had no transportation. He always sat with the blind man, helping him sing the hymns by saying the words into his ear. That man was a ‘Christian leader’ if ever there was one.” The Radical redefining of Leadership and Greatness There is so much to be said about this text—on the childish request of James and John with their mother, the fact that such self-serving ambition appears right after Jesus told them all that would happen to him shortly, the offense taken by the other disciples, and the interesting concession and prophecy from Jesus concerning the future sufferings of the disciples. But I want to side-step these issues and come right at the most important topic—that of greatness and servanthood. Here, in one simple, straightforward teaching Jesus turns topsy-turvy two of this world’s most significant operating principles: greatness and leadership. From now on, Jesus says to His followers, true greatness will be defined in terms of the kingdom perspective and those who serve will now be greater than those who are served. From now on leadership is not to be seen as a position of honor but an opportunity to serve others. These are bizarro values as far as the world is concerned. It’s all upside down & inside out as far as natural thinking is concerned. Leaders get served, and those who are not leaders do the serving—that’s the way it is! No wonder Peter in his natural thinking didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet. Come to think of it, there are a lot of things Peter didn’t want Jesus to do—like suffer and die. The direct opposite of kingdom servanthood is the kind of ambition displayed by the Zebedee boys and their mom. The worldly style of leadership is summarized by Jesus in verse 25: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. We are familiar with Jesus’ teaching on servanthood and are perhaps somewhat anesthetized against how shocking it is. But those who listened to Jesus that day knew well the tyrannical rule of the Romans who then dominated Palestine. They knew the religious oversight of the priests and high priest, who served harshly as puppets of Rome, often on disguising themselves as servants of God, and legalistically as protectors of the traditions. They were all too familiar with the politically-scandalized Sanhedrin which served as their municipal court, but were in reality puppets of the local Roman procurator. From the emperor to the rabbi, the leaders they were familiar with had one thing in common—an air of authority backed up by strong-arm tactics and implied threats. None of their leaders were servants. To be a ruler was to exercise unquestioned power over one’s subjects, and the more the power was flaunted the more it was respected and feared. Into this scene comes a renegade rabbi with a quiet charisma, leading a growing mob of insignificants, teaching with a new kind of power that is without prestige or threat. He declares that the rights of leadership in God’s kingdom go to those who serve, not to those who insist on being served. Servants and slaves (DIAKONOS AND DOULOUS) are the new heroes in this kingdom. He even says that the true leader serves everyone under him, even to the point of giving his life. How radical! How subversive! This teaching cut across every notion of leadership in their culture—and ours! Neither the intellectual Greeks nor the legalistic Jews—not even the free-thinking Romans—had ever come up with such an idea. But we it’s true, though. The one who commands our deepest respect and even admiration is not the one who egotistically grabs for the throne and expects to dominate others. Rather it’s the one who selflessly takes the towel and basin and serves us. In our most honest moments, isn’t a Mother Teresa a preferred leader over a Mao Tse Tung? This teaching of Jesus strikes a deep chord in us, because we prefer to define greatness in holy servitude than in pushiness, politics and power plays. Now with four simple words, Jesus revolutionizes everything: No so with you! From now on those who SERVE are the leaders, and those who SERVE BEST will be the greatest. So it is no surprise that the words “serve” and “servant” appear in the Bible almost 1,500 times. And the words of scripture teach that we serve both God and man. Our ultimate expression of worship to the Lord is how we serve Him. J.I. Packer wrote: Christian service therefore means, first and foremost, living out a slave relationship to one’s Savior. What work does Christ set his servants to do? The way that they serve him, he tells them, is by becoming the slaves of their fellow-servants and being willing to do literally anything, however costly, irksome, or undignified, in order to help them. This is what love means, as he himself showed at the Last supper when he played the slave’s part and washed the disciples’ feet. It shouldn’t surprise us that serving other people, believers and unbelievers, is actually serving Christ. Jesus said, Whatever you did [do] for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did [do] for me. (Mat. 25:40) We are everywhere exhorted to serve people in the same way that Christ serves us. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13:14-15) Paul’s words at Philippians 2 are huge: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:3-5) Someone asked, “How will I know when I have the attitude of a servant?” A wise one answered, “By the way you react when you’re treated like one.” The greatest among you will be your servant. (Matthew 23:11) To lead is to serve – and to serve is to lead. Some among us want to be great leaders, but we never will, because we are not motivated by the privilege to serve people. Some among us have no aspirations to lead, but just want to be faithful servants. I tell you, you will lead in the Kingdom. A man went to the doctor after weeks of symptoms. The doctor examined him carefully, then called the patient’s wife into his office. “Your husband is suffering from a rare form of anemia. Without treatment, he’ll be dead in a few weeks. The good news is, it can be treated with proper nutrition.” “You will need to get up early every morning and fix your husband a hot breakfast—pancakes, bacon and eggs, the works. He’ll need a home-cooked lunch every day, and then an old-fashioned meat-and-potato dinner every evening. It would be especially helpful if you could bake frequently. Cakes, pies, homemade bread—these are the things that will allow your husband to live. “One more thing. His immune system is weak, so it’s important that your home be kept spotless at all times. Do you have any questions?” The wife had none. “Do you want to break the news, or shall I?” asked the doctor. “I will,” the wife replied. She walked into the exam room. The husband, sensing the seriousness of his illness, asked her, “It’s bad, isn’t it?” She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “What’s going to happen to me?” he asked. “The doctor says you’re gonna die!” Clearly not everyone feels they want to serve the needs of others, but the Word of God teaches us that we are called and equipped for servanthood. We feed into the plan and purposes of God in His prodigal water to extend His love and care to those who are distant from Him, as well as to those who are part of the body of Christ. None of us should feel we are “above” servant ministry, as the Lord Himself is our example. During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, “Sir, I am a corporal!” The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, “Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again.” It was none other than George Washington. What kinds of things lead us to the mistaken notion that we are above servant ministry? Sense of guilt resulting from unconfessed sin Carnal opinion of others: not worthy, appreciative, like me Laziness Self-focus Severalago, Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, put together a comparison list of qualities of service when service is self-focused and Christ-focused. Why not measure your clarity of vision against his conclusions? • Self-focused service is concerned with impressive gains. It enjoys serving when the service is titanic or growing in that direction. Christ-focused service doesn’t distinguish between small and large. It indiscriminately welcomes all opportunities to serve. • Self-focused service requires external reward, appreciation, and applause. Christ-focused service rests content in hiddenness. The divine nod of approval is sufficient. • Self-focused service is highly concerned about results. It becomes disillusioned when results fall below expectations. Christ-focused service is free of the need to calculate results; it delights only in service. • Self-focused service is affected by feelings. Christ-focused service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need. The service disciplines the feelings. • Self-focused service insists on meeting the need; it demands the opportunity to help. Christ-focused service listens with tenderness and patience. It can serve by waiting in silence. Getting the Big Picture I want to close with another perspective—the big picture, if you will. Servanthood isn’t just a whimsical idea on the part of God. As we alluded to earlier, He has a plan and a purpose for releasing an army of loving servants in the earth who will take care of one another and serve the needs of others who need a taste of God’s love. In the process, DISCIPLESHIP takes place. People are influenced by the good works of the servant believers around them. As Matthew 5 says, others see their good works and praise the Father in heaven. They are also influenced toward a relationship with Christ themselves. Philippians 2:15 says that we servant believers shine like stars in the crooked and depraved universe around us. Here’s where the leadership Jesus spoke of comes into play. When you serve, you lead. You are not only a servant believer, you are a servant leader. Don’t tell me you’re not gifted as a leader—this is a different. No matter where you are on the continuum of your growth in Christ, you’re farther along than someone. And you are called to serve and influence that one to greater intimacy and service for Christ. Servant leadership! Let me share a working definition of kingdom servant leadership: ONE DISCIPLE FOLLOWING CHRIST IN SUCH A WAY THAT OTHERS, BECAUSE OF HIS SERVICE, TEACHING AND MODEL, ARE INFLUENCED TO FOLLOW CHRIST MORE PERFECTLY. We’re all kingdom servant-leaders, just like Jesus said of His first disciples. Consider some implication of that widespread leadership. 1. It is spiritual leadership – What we do in the name of Christ, whether caring for an elderly person, painting a house, discipling a seeker or teach the Bible, the effectiveness of our service will be in direct proportion to our relationship with Christ. Our intimacy with the Lord is what protects us from serving for the wrong reasons. If you are sincerely living for Jesus, walking in His Spirit, genuinely bent on pleasing Him, you will never fall into the trap of mistreating people because you feel superior to them. Intimacy with Jesus keeps us reminded of the truth that all that we have and all that we are is by His grace and favor. Make sure you are locked into that critical relationship before you attempt any kind of service, especially leadership. 2. It is functional leadership – We in the church often fall into worldly thinking when it comes to leadership. Titles become important, jockeying for position, schmoozing, politicking and ambition become central instead of pure servanthood. People become secondary to agendas. This must never be. One is not a leader in the kingdom because he was conferred a title either by himself or others, including ordination. The kingdom leader is the one who is doing the stuff of the kingdom, and doing it for the Lord, not himself or to please others. Kingdom leadership is all about doing what the King wants with a pure heart. A person may be ordained, a church member for decades, possessor of degrees and honors, but if he is not in spiritual intimacy with the Lord and faithfully serving, teaching and modeling the faith, he is not a leader. There are tens of thousands of kingdom leaders with no degrees or diplomas who are tirelessly serving Jesus without regard to ever getting noticed or congratulated. That is kingdom leadership. 3. It is influential leadership – The one who is engaged with Christ and obediently following Him will impact others for Him. And it is not a matter of intending to influence others or having goals; it’s all about dutifully serving the Lord of your life. The kingdom servant-leader influence others by virtue of his lifestyle. His servant work ministers to others and others are influenced by his example. Don’t worry about becoming a discipler so much—BE a disciple and He will see to it that you are MAKING disciples. The kingdom of God on earth is being led and growing by the service of kingdom leaders at all levels. There is nothing even remotely as important as your being in ongoing, intimate fellowship with Jesus. We’ve seen the dismal fallout of even a short disconnect between Christ and a kingdom leader in the recent debacle with Ted Haggard in Colorado. Kingdom leaders cannot afford to try to run on human resources. 4. It is incidental leadership – Your primary purpose in life is not to be a leader. Your primary purpose in life is to pursue Jesus and obedience to your kingdom calling. But while you serve the Lord, and serve others in His name, you will be leading others to do the same through that quiet, natural kingdom influence Jesus said you would have in the world. In this kind of system, you see, there is no room for, nor any need for, pride or ambition. Pride and ambition nullify the effect of your servant ministry. The only ambition of a true disciple of Christ is to be more like His Lord and serve like his Lord. As you do that you incidentally (accidentally?) influence others for Him. Have this mind in you which is also in Christ Jesus . . .   [Back to Top]