From Heaven to Earth - Born to Serve

Introduction: Turn in your Bibles to Mark 10:35-37

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.”

Big Idea: If you want to be like Jesus, start with Christmas.

Mark 10:35–37 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.”

1. The DISCIPLES Failed to follow Jesus’ EXAMPLE…AT FIRST. (35-37)

Explanation: This passage starts with James and John asking Jesus to do something for them. What’s interesting is that they don’t tell Him what. Have you ever had that person who says, I need to tell you something but you have to promise not to say anything. I never make that promise, because either one it’s gossip or 2, I need to call the police.

But in this case, asking Jesus to promise to do something before you think He knows what you’r going to ask is a little presumptuous. But He says, “What do you want?” And I don’t think there was a hint of condescension in His voice. He genuinely loved these guys.

“Grant that we sit on your right hand and your left hand in your glory.”

Wow. That was extremely bold. Essentially elevate us over the other 10. Let us have the most important roles in your kingdom.

Now why would they ask this question. It’s because they failed to understand why Jesus came.

Them like so many other Jewish boys and girls had expected a conquering king. One who would throw off the chains of oppression by the big bad roman empire. They were expecting this to happen soon which meant that they needed to jockey for position now otherwise that Peter guy was going to be a lock.

But that’s not why Jesus came and is not the example He set. Though He was God, He did not think that He had to hold on to that lest it slip away. he didn’t demand that people bend over backwards for Him. Like we talked about last week, He lived a humble life with Humble parents. He even chose the rejects of the world to be His disciples.

His example would have led them to do anything else but what they did. If they were following His example, they’d be fighting for last.

Illustration: I used to be a part of a life group filled with guys who were desperately trying to be like Jesus. One time we went to the beach. We got this big house and we all chipped in. There were 8 beds and 10 of us. Guys were fighting for the floor. Man that bed was comfortable. Just kidding. 10 guys 7 empty beds. The only guy who slept in a bed did so because he had back problems and we made him.

Some might say that’s really dumb. But we had this idea that we wanted to outdo one another in service. I miss those days.

Application: We all want that promotion. We all want to be a starter on the team. When our steak comes out medium when we wanted medium rare, we want the right to yell at the waitress like she cooked it. We all want be important. More than that we want our lives to be significant. But Jesus tells us that the only significance that lasts is the one rooted in Him.

Now I said, “At first...” because they did eventually get it.

1 John 1:4–10 ESV

4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:4–10 ESV

4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

Now the failure to get this can have devastating consequences in your life. In your marriage and in the church. Let’s see what happened next.

Mark 10:38–41 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, 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.

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2. PRIDE leads to damaged RELATIONSHIPS. (38-41)

Explanation: Have you ever heard someone else pull something like this? They go around you to get something they want. Maybe weasel their way into your project at work. My kids do something like this. They ask mommy for a cookie and she says, no so they come ask me.

When you think about what James and John did and you put yourself in the other 10 disciples’ shoes, my guess is you’d be pretty angry. They just asked Jesus to put them over the others.

Pride and selfishness can destroy those relationships.

Now what’s interesting is they didn’t even know what they were asking. To sit on His left and right in His glory was to be crucified right next to Him. Those spots were already reserved for a mocker and a guy who was going to find hope in the midst of absolute hopelessness.

Illustration: Have any of you ever seen the greatest showman? Terrible movie…great soundtrack through. His pride and selfishness and desire to be significant almost cost Him everything. Really everything He is doing is trying to prove that He is worthy of His wife in the eyes of her father. But what bothers me about that movie is that in the end, there was no consequences to His selfishness. They gloss over the damage that He did to give us this beautiful happy ending where there is no remorse or repentance. Don’t write me a long email about why I’m wrong. It’s a sermon illustration.

Application: Don’t allow your pride to destroy everything beautiful in your life. Serve your spouse even when they don’t deserve it. Be happy for someone when they get a promotion even when they weaseled their way into getting it.

Romans 12:10 ESV

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Let that be your goal in life.

Let’s finish this passage.

Mark 10:42–45 ESV

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.”

Mark 10:

3. Jesus’ humble LIFE is a demonstration of a better WAY. (42-45)

Explanation: It’s lesson time. Kids these days don’t know about lesson time. At the end of cartoons when I was a kid, there was a lesson or a moral to follow. Veggie Tales still does this. But every situation is an opportunity to either get mad or learn.

Jesus gathers His disciples around. He tells them that if they want to be like Him, don’t follow the example of the world. The most important person in the kingdom of God is not the ones sitting on the immediate right and left, but the one who is willing to serve.

You want to be great, wash someone’s feet. Go and extra mile.

For the son of Man....

Jesus didn’t come to be served but to serve and that isn’t something that He figured out later in life. It started on Christmas morning on the day he was born.

Born to peasant parents. Outside in a barn/cave/stable. No great reception or feast. Shortly after He was born, they had to flee for their lives and live as refugees in Egypt.

He settled in Nazareth and learned to be a carpenter.

After He began His public ministry, He lived homeless from place to place and proclaimed that Jesus had come.

Application: Some of us need to be reminded of this daily. If we want to be like Jesus, we need to heed his words. We need to serve. We need to put others before ourselves.

Can I be bold for a minute? When is the last time you served someone else? And I don’t mean held the door for someone coming in the store behind them. But anticipated a need in someone’s life and met it before they asked…maybe even anonymously.

If you don’t live a life of service, then you aren’t following Jesus.

And yes, I do believe that so much of this service is supposed to happen in the church.

I know that we are quickly coming up on 2019, and I’m wondering if you might commit to a New Year’s resolution to serve in the church.

You might want to know where. Or say no one’s asked. I’m asking you now, will you find a ministry to serve in this year?

Question: Are you humble enough to serve others?

Especially those of the people of God.

In a few minutes we’re going to take our Lottie Moon Christmas offering:

We take this offering every year, but I wonder, how many of us know who Lottie Moon was.

Born Charlotte Digges Moon, December 12, 1840, in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lottie rebelled against Christianity until she was in college. In December 1858, she dedicated her life to Christ and this changed the course of her life.

At the age of 32, Lottie began her work in China which would last for 39 years until her death. She left the comforts of her wealthy southern upbringing. She turned down a marriage proposal, quit her job and was determined to follow God’s lead. At first people feared and rejected her, but her fresh baked cookies drew people to her house. She determined to dress like them, she learned their language and learn their customs…until it was no longer her and them, but us. She identified with them and through her love and compassion many not only accepted her, but accepted Jesus as well.

She once wrote home to the Foreign Mission Board, “Please say to the [new] missionaries they are coming to a life of hardship, responsibility and constant self-denial.” (sounds a lot life Jesus).

She died at the age of 72 after years of declining health. But her legacy lives on today.

Some may think this a tragic story. One that you wouldn’t want to emulate.

Jim Elliot, another missionary who gave everything to follow Jesus and serve others wrote these words, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Are you humble enough to give it all to follow Jesus wherever He may lead?

Let’s ponder that question as Josh plays.