From Selfish to Selfless
Sermon Audio
Sermon Notes
Intro:
Let’s give God praise for the work He’s doing in the Escuderos...It’s been a joy getting to know the Escuderos, and one of the things I love about their story is that it didn’t start with me, it didn’t start with the pastor talking Jesus with them. It started with Kimberly, with somebody in our church, with somebody just like you. As a pastor my reach only goes so far, but imagine the gospel impact it’d have on our city if more of us did what Kimberly did. It took 1 person, talking Jesus with another person, that eventually led to 4 people now growing in a relationship with Jesus. Imagine the impact it’d have on our city if more of us did the same...Imagine the impact it’d have on our city if more of us did the same, if you did the same...City Awakening let’s not imagine it, let’s live it. Let’s live it by using the invite cards on your seats to invite at least 1 friend to church next week. Maybe they come, maybe they don’t, either way those invitations, can open the door to conversations, that could lead to real life transformations like the Escuderos.
Look this is our 2020 vision, we want to see lives being transformed by Jesus in 2020. We’re calling 2020 A Year of Transformation, and to help you capture that vision we’re doing a 3 wk teaching series called A Work In Progress. You, me, we’re all a work in progress, and we believe Jesus has the power to help us make that progress. We believe Jesus has the power to transform our lives, marriages, families, friends, the very people living in our city. But we don’t want to just say we believe this, we want to show you why we believe it. We want to show you why we believe it using real life examples, and so we’re studying the transformation of 3 lives in the bible. But we’re also playing videos of lives that’re being transformed by Jesus in this very church like the Escuderos. They’re not perfect, but they are progressing, they’re a work in progress, and Jesus is helping them make that progress. They’re walking evidence that Jesus can transform lives not just in the past, but also in the present, and we’re using real life examples to prove it. So let’s turn to Mark 10:35-45 and get into it. If you open your bible to the middle, turn a few books to the right, you’ll find Mark. We’ll start in Mark 10:35-45. The title of today’s message is From Selfish to Selfless, and here’s the big idea. We want to transform from being selfish, to being selfless...We want to transform from being selfish, to being more selfless like Jesus.
Context:
Here’s your context. The events leading up to Mark 10 entail Jesus prepping his disciples, prepping his inner circle for his future death on the cross. He preps them 3 separate times in ch’s 8, 9, and 10, but they’re not getting it. In ch 8 Jesus predicts his death and Peter rebukes him for it. He’s like “Jesus don’t say that! Don’t be bringing that bad juju up in here”...Then in ch 9 Jesus predicts his death for a 2nd time, and once again they’re not getting it. Jesus tells them he’s gonna die, and they start arguing over which one of them is the greatest. It’s your typical alpha male argument. They’re like “I bet I’m faster than you.” Well I bet I’m stronger than you. “Okay let’s just settle this thing playing football after church!”...Jesus says he’s gonna die, and they’re having an alpha male moment over who’s the greatest. They’re just not getting it, and this brings us to ch 10 where Jesus predicts his death a 3rd time in vs. 32-34. Let’s check out their response.
The Word:
Mark 10:35-45 states, “And James and John, the sons of Zebedee...” Okay now this isn’t James the little brother of Jesus, it’s James and John the sons of Zebedee. They were also known by the nickname Sons of Thunder which I love. I mean if I were given a nickname for the history books, I’d be okay with Sons of Thunder. They’re like the bible’s version of Thor...except they don’t have any super powers. But they’re 2 brothers, and for the sake of time our focus will be primarily on John. We’ll look at 2 moments in John’s life, it’s selfish John and selfless John... We’ll look at selfish John and selfless John, right now we’re looking at selfish John.
Again vs. 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.’” Some scholars believe they’re being sneaky here. They say James and John know their request is selfish, so they ask Jesus to agree without giving him the details. It’s like a child saying “Hey mom, hey dad. I’m gonna tell you something. But you gotta promise you won’t get mad.” Everybody knows you don’t agree to that! Its because you know there’s more to the story, just like Jesus knows there’s more to their story.
Vs. 36, “And he said to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’” Jesus knows there’s more to their story, he knows there’s something specific they’re wanting, so he asks them what do you want me to do for you? It’s a great question, and not just for James and John, but also for us. I mean if Jesus asked you what do you want me to do for you, what would your answer be? Not your churchy answer, your true answer?...If Jesus could do one thing, if he could answer one request for you, what would it be?...That one thing, reveals a lot about your heart...Whatever that one thing is, reveals a lot about your heart, about the true motives in your heart...Are your motives good, or are they selfish like James and John? The answer we give to Jesus’ question reveals a lot about our hearts, just like it reveals the selfish motives in James and John’s hearts.
Vs. 37, “And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’” There’s their motive. Their answer to Jesus’ question reveals a selfish motive in their hearts. They want to sit on the right and left side of Jesus when he eventually sits on his throne in glory. Now this is a much bigger deal than what some of us might deal with on Thanksgiving. Some of us might have kids saying “Why do I have to sit at the little kids table? I hate the little kids table. I’m an adult so I should get to sit at the adult table.” No, you’re not an adult, because you’re still flicking boogers at people. So you’re sitting at the booger flicking table. What James and John are asking is a much bigger deal than that, because in the Jewish culture to sit on the right and left side of the host, meant you had the highest positions of honor and power. So their request isn’t really about a seating arrangement, it’s about them wanting to have the highest positions of honor and power in Jesus’ kingdom. It’s a very selfish request on their part, especially considering what Jesus just told them. He just told them he’s gonna die in vs. 32-34, and all they care about is themselves. All they care about is having VIP seats in Jesus’ kingdom. He keeps telling them he’s marching to a cross, but all they care about is him marching to a throne. His motives are about selfless sacrifice, but they’re motives are about selfish gain.
Again vs. 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.’” When Jesus talks about the “cup” and “baptism,” he’s once again talking about his own suffering and death. But he’s also prepping them for their future suffering too, and talk about a letdown. I mean they go to Jesus hoping he’ll answer their request, but instead he denies their request and predicts their suffering. In fact some of you walked in here today hoping Jesus will answer your requests, but what if he doesn’t?...What if he denies your requests like James and John?...Will you still love Jesus?...Will you still trust Jesus?...Will you still show up to worship Jesus next week, if he denies your request this week?...Motives...Once again this is about our motives...Our motives are exposed not just by our requests, but also by how we respond to our denied requests. We need to trust Jesus just as much in the No, as we do in the Yes. Jesus denied their request.
Vs. 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.’” Jesus is teaching them and the other disciples that the world operates with a top down leadership mentality where the higher up you are, the greater you are. It’s based on positional power, authority, and dominance. But Jesus is teaching them a different kind of leadership, it’s a servant leadership where you don’t abuse your positional power and authority for selfish gain, you use it to glorify God and to help others. Jesus isn’t against being ambitious or climbing the corporate ladder, he’s against us being selfish and unwilling to climb down the corporate ladder to help others. But many of you know what it’s like to work for a top down leader, and you’d much rather work for a servant leader like Jesus. Yet even though that’s what we’d want, it’s not how we tend to live. It’s not how we tend to treat our marriages, our families, our work and church family. We want to work for servant leaders, but we want to live as if we’re the Lord of leaders. We aren’t as quick to serve others as we should be, or we’ll serve with bitterness if we’re not getting the recognition, the place of honor we think we deserve like James and John. Jesus says not so with you. You’re to be different than the top down leadership in our world. You’re to be a servant leader like Jesus, in all areas of your life.
Vs. 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.’” Jesus is our greatest example of a servant leader. He had the power and authority to be a selfish domineering leader, but instead he was a selfless servant leader, even to the point of death on a cross. He came to give his life as a ransom for many for the forgiveness of our sins. He came not to be served, but to serve. He’s the perfect example of a servant leader, and his motives were selfless. Jesus’ motives were selfless, but John’s motives were selfish, and that’s John before Jesus died on the cross. So let’s take a look at John’s life after Jesus died on the cross, let’s turn to 1st John 1:1-4 located toward the end of the bible. It’s 1st John 1:1-4, and at this point it’s been over 50 yrs since Jesus’ death and resurrection. So John’s a much older man now, and I want you to notice the change in his tone, the change in his motives since Mark 10.
1 John 1:1-4 states, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life; 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us, 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” John’s saying him and the other disciples have heard, seen, and touched Jesus with their own eyes. They’ve seen him live, die, and rise again proving he really can forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life, eternal fellowship with God and each other. Sin separates us from God just like it separates us from each other. But Jesus died for our sins to remove the separation sin has caused, and to fill us with his love so we can have eternal life, eternal fellowship with God and each other.
Vs. 4, “And we are writing these things so that...” Here comes the motive. “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” Notice he doesn’t say “my joy,” he says “our joy.” The old John would’ve said “my joy,” but this is a new John whose life is being transformed by Jesus. He says our joy, some translations say your joy, but the point is John’s grown over the years from focusing on his own joy, to focusing on how he can help bring others joy too. In fact he uses plural references in these 4 verses at least 16 times. At least 16 times he says we, you, us, and our. So clearly his heart’s changed, he’s grown from being selfish, to being more selfless like Jesus. He wants nothing more than for others to know the joy he knows, which is the joy of having eternal fellowship with God, and with each other, through faith in Jesus.
But what changed John’s heart?...What changed John’s heart from being selfish, to being selfless?...It was the love of Jesus...It was the love that Jesus displayed on the cross. John says this in 1 John 3:16, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” John’s saying if you want to know what love is, then look at Jesus. Look at what he did for us on the cross. It’s the love Jesus displayed on the cross that changed John’s heart, and becomes the motivation of John’s heart. It becomes his motivation for wanting to be a servant leader like Jesus. He says Jesus laid down his life for us, and that should be the motivation for us to lay down our lives for others. Jesus is the cause of his transformation, and the motivation for his selfless living, even while he faced suffering like Jesus predicted. See historians tell us John suffered tremendous pain to get the message of Jesus into our hands. He was boiled alive and thrown in exile by the Romans, to get the message of Jesus into our hands, so our joy could be made complete. John wouldn’t have risked his life like that, unless Jesus had truly changed his heart, and the motivations of his heart. But John risked his life because Jesus had changed his life. He risked his life so his joys in Jesus, could become our joys too...So here’s what this means for us, for our 2020 Year of Transformation. Last week we gave you a Work In Progress packet that looks like this, and if you didn’t get one you can pick it up at our next steps table after the service. It’ll give you some details on our 2020 Year of Transformation. But last week was about us investing in you, and this week is about you investing in others. So I want to give you 2 things to focus on in 2020, it’s 2 things you can even start putting into practice now.
#1 Be A Servant Leader = Be a servant leader like Jesus said. We want to enter 2020 with the mindset of being servant leaders in every area of our lives. No matter what your positional status is in life, you’re never too good for picking up the broom or the mop bucket. Jesus was far greater than you, yet he was still humble enough to wash his disciple’s feet, and we need to be willing to do the same. This past week we had a couple in our church get married on the beach, it was David and Tiara, and they washed each other’s feet. It was one of the most humbling things I’ve ever seen at a wedding. They’re starting their marriage off right, they’re starting it off with a servant leader mentality. We want you to think of ways you can be servant leaders in the various areas of your life. Maybe even take some time this week to jot down a few ways you can serve in your marriage, family, work, school, and neighborhood. I know a guy who does this weekly. He’ll sit down each week asking “How can I serve the people Jesus wants me to pour into? How can I surprise them this week?” then he’ll go serve them that week. Imagine the impact it’d have on our relationships and city, if we did the same in 2020. If we were servant leaders like Jesus.
#2 Serve our fellowship = We want to enter 2020 with the mindset of being servant leaders, but we also want to be willing to serve the needs of our fellowship, meaning the church. One of the things John said in his older age was that Jesus allows us to have fellowship with each other, and the Greek word fellowship means to have a deep relationship with someone. It means to actively participate in someone’s life, meaning you can’t be a passive Christian. You can be a work in progress, you can be progressing as a Christian, but you can’t be passive as a Christian. Eventually a Christian needs to mature in their faith to where they stop treating the church like an all inclusive vacation where everybody serves them, to treating it like a family where they help to serve others. Eventually they’re language needs to shift like John’s from the singular me, to the plural we. This is the mindset we want you to have in 2020. Instead of thinking singular me, we want you to think plural we. We want you to ask not what can the church do for me, but what can you do for the church, what can we do for the church? One of our goals for 2020 is to equip you to serve, release you to serve, create ministry teams that’ll have the freedom to dream and implement their dreams asking, how can we help guest services thrive? How can we help our children and student ministries thrive? How can we help local and global missions thrive? How can we help our worship team and small groups thrive? How can we, help our church and the people in our church to thrive, in life giving relationships with Jesus, so that together our joy will be made complete like John said? You’re welcome to vacation here as long as like, you might need to rest from a heavy season of life. But if you consider City Awakening your church family, then invest in your family...Invest in your family by being servant leaders in 2020, and by joining a ministry team in our church. Our Executive Pastor Zack will share more info about our small groups and ministry teams in just a bit, but here’s my point in all this, here’s the big idea.
The Big Idea:
We want to transform from being selfish, to being more selfless like Jesus...You’re a work in progress, but Jesus is the one who can help you make that progress. He changed the life of John, he changed the life of the Escuderos, and he can change the life of anyone who believes he’s their God who came to live, die, and rise again for their sins. So if you want to be a selfish leader, then change nothing. But if you want to be a servant leader, then let the love that Jesus displayed on the cross change your heart, and be the motivation of your heart...
Look all of us should want this for our lives...All of us, including non-Christians should want this for our lives, and here’s why...It’s because selfishness is one of the root causes of your problems. It’s one of the root causes of your marital, family, work, and city problems. I’ve been a pastor for over 12 yrs now, and I’ve never once had to break up a fight between two selfless people. I’ve never once had to say to a married couple “Would you just stop being so selfless!”... But I’ve broken up numerous fights, I’ve had numerous counseling sessions with selfish leaders. Jesus says not so with you...You’re called to be different, you’re called to be a servant leader like Jesus. If we actually do this in 2020, it’ll be the best thing that’s ever happened to our relationships, our church, and our city. It’ll be A Year Of Transformation...Let’s Pray...
1st John 3:16, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
#1 Be A Servant Leader
#2 Serve our fellowship