A Renewal of our Servant Devotion

Intro

*Start by telling story of not being served at BP’s*

We expect to be served! That’s the arrangement in restaurants, at least

Jesus speaks clearly about the nature of His kingdom and how the dyanmics of serving and being served play out

It’s not what the disciples anticipated. It’s different than the world, and it all springs from the death of Christ

Read Matthew 20:17-28 and pray.

Jesus Turns Everything Upside-Down

Throughout the Gospel, Jesus teaches about the “upside-down” kingdom of God

The world operates one way, but God does things differently. It defies common sense, and goes above and beyond expectations.

Because of this, much of Christ’s teaching wasn’t fully understood at the time; we have examples of 2 misunderstandings of how Jesus turns everything upside down:

Victory through suffering

The disciples were following Jesus because they believed He was the Messiah, and that would eventually lead to victory for the Jews over the Romans

Political expectations, victory through conventional means, etc.

But Jesus had a greater victory in mind; one that would not be acheived through battle but through suffering and death (upside-down)

He tried explaining this (this is the 3rd time!) to the disciples, but they never fully understood

Cf. Luke 18:34 “But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.”

We see this ignorance in their request for power, and later how they responded after everything came true

Jesus also includes the hope of his reurrection, something else they did not fully comprehend until after the fact

The disciples were looking for what they wanted to see, and they missed it all (spiritual blindness)

Are we at risk of being spiritually blind?

It was hard to accept because it didn’t seem to make sense. How could victory come from suffering and death?

Because Jesus came to “give his life as a ransom for many” (v. 28)

Cf. Isaiah 53:10-12.

The “suffering servant” shows God’s plan through Jesus from thousands years prior

On the cross, Jesus “bore the sin of many,” “was a ransom for many,” including you and me

This is the ultimate victory, and it came through suffering

Greatness through serving

The followers of Jesus further proved their ignorance of the kingdom by asking for greatness, power and authority

James and John even brought their mom!

Remember, Jesus had just promised all the disciples 12 thrones in His kingdom to help judge (Mat. 19:28)

They appear fixated on this prestige, and want the best seats in the house

*Explain the significance of the right and left hand seats*

Jesus calls out their ignorance, “you do not know what you are asking” (v. 22)

To share in His glory is to share in His suffering and death (cup that I drink)

James and John say that they are willing (even in ignorance) and eventually they were

James became the first martyr as Herod executed him (Acts 12:2); John lived the longest but was exiled to Patmos (Rev. 1:9)

Christ explains that the Father has prepared that place for someone, just as he prepares a place for all who love Him.

Wasn’t just James and John; the other disciples were angry only because they didn’t think to ask first!

*Refer to “The Chosen” and how it displays the complex relationships between the disciples*

Jesus calls them altogether, and reminds them of the upside-down kingdom

Re-read verses 25 - 28; greatness comes from serving

Again, the world operates with a different power structure

Jesus isn’t teaching against authority or leadership, but against the abuse of that authority

“lord it over them” = domineering = selfish gain

Great = servant; first = slave (another way of teaching that the first will be last and the last will be first)

The disciples revealed that their hearts were driven by selfish amibition, not selfless love

And we are often no better!

It is only the example of Jesus that can point us in the right direction, and the power of the Spirit to change our hearts

His desire to not be served, but to serve others, was displayed upon the cross as He suffered, died - achieved victory - for us as a ransom for many

As followers of Jesus, we must be known as those who willingly put ourselves to the side and serve others.

A Renewal of our Servant Devotion

Everything flows from our servant devotion to Jesus

He is the One that is the name above all names, that is full of glory, that is worthy of our worship

We serve Jesus in loving response to the love He gives us

All actions of service mean less if they don’t come from an act of devotion to Jesus; this is the start

We serve Jesus when we serve others

This is what the lesson is! This is how we live it out. Jesus gave another great example by washing His disciples’ feet:

Cf. John 13:12-17.

If you love Jesus, you show that by loving others. If you serve Jesus, you show that by serving others.

One of my favourite examples of this servant devotion is Henri Nouwen

*Explain his move from Notre Dame, Harvard and Yale to L’Arche Daybreak community*

What a testimony! What a way to truly live out that the greatest is not found in prestige but in service

“Ministry not only a communal experience, it is also a mutual experience… it is a servant leadership in which the leader is a vulnerable servant who need the people as much as they need him or her” (Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 43-44)

I am not going to teach you more about service; I want to share what you have taught me

Lessons from SBF:

Servant devotion is found in the mundane, every day, behind the scenes tasks

*Talk about Dean’s continued tech service behind the scenes*

Servant devotion seeks to acknowledge others while not needing the same acknowldegement

*Talk about Heather’s idea for thanking health care workers*

Servant devotion puts the needs of others above personal desires

*Talk about Mark and Jamie transitioning out of youth ministry; Earl and Caroline stepping away*

Servant devotion comes with a personal cost

*Talk about the sheer amount of time (and energy) youth leaders give up every week*

Servant devotion knows no bounds

*Talk about Marv and Jocelyn brining their 3 “boys” into their family*

Servant devotion teaches the next generation

*Talk about Karen including the family in hosting and “making deliveries”*

Servant devotion is joyful

*Talk about our experience with SBF helping us move*

Servant devotion protects the unity of the church

*Talk about the pandemic, and the grace we continue to show one another out of service and love*

What lesson will we teach each other next as we live out our devotion to Jesus by serving one another?

Conclusion

Living in the upside-down kingdom of God only works because of what Jesus has done

His victory through suffering enables us to enter into this kingdom

His display of greatness through service gives us a powerful example to follow

You are doing well! Let us continue to serve one another in love, and seek after greatness that brings others with us

Pray