TAKING THE LOW
PLACE
Matthew
20:17-28
This is a great time of year for
‘people-watching.’ Making observations
about people and then drawing conclusions from the clues they give you can be
an interesting way to pass the time when you are surrounded by people.
I like to listen
to their accents and see if I can figure out where they are from. Years ago, there were no many options to
choose from—the north or the south! Now
that has become much more refined as careful listeners can pick up clues about which
part of the south, even the state, people are from—whether someone is from the
northeast or the Midwest or the west coast.
On several occasions I have picked up accents and guessed correctly that
the person was from Eastern Europe, even guessing the country once in a
while. Anyway, it is a harmless
past-time and offers some interesting openings to conversation.
People offer all
kinds of evidence to let you know things about them. What kind of clues do you give to those who happen to be observing
your life?
Jesus told His
disciples that people could tell if they were His disciples by the way they
loved each other…a strong point of distinction, wouldn’t you agree? In the passage today, I believe we see
another clear mark of distinction that sets someone apart and offers clues that
would lead us to believe that they were followers of Christ. Do they demonstrate a heart of a
servant? Then there is a starting point
in collecting evidence that may lead to the conclusion that they know Jesus Christ.
THESIS: One of the
most obvious clues that a person has experienced the transforming power of new
life in Christ is the presence and prominence of a servant’s heart.
Likewise, when a
person acts selfishly or demonstrates an egocentric attitude, or reveals a
calculated ambition, we may assume that they lack any supportive evidence which
would indicate that they are sold out to Christ.
I. THE
DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF SELFISH AMBITION
--When egos collide, there is a destructive force involved
which ends up producing ill-effects all around.
--In this account concerning James and John, three
indications of this selfish ambition emerge and threaten the unity of the
fellowship among the disciples.
A. LOVING A
PLACE OF PRIVILEGE
Matt. 20:20-21 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came
to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him. 21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons
of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left.”
--if there were only two disciples, the request could appear
to be innocuous, but in order for Jesus to honor this request, ten others would
have to be passed over—a consideration posing no problem for the one asking
this favor.
--Everyone likes a place of privilege, but loving it so much
that you would walk over others to achieve it is inconsistent with a heart
controlled by a love for Christ.
B. LORDING
IT OVER OTHERS
Matt 20:25
But Jesus called them to Himself, and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their
great men exercise authority over them.
--Jesus pointed out that what was being asked was more in
line with those who have no interest in Him because it shows a desire to take
the place of privilege in order to ‘lord it over” everyone not so blessed.
--In other words, one of the primary reasons to love the
high place is the power and authority and prestige it gives a person OVER other
people—hardly a Christ-like quality!
C. LONGING
TO BECOME GREAT
Matt 20:26 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes
to become great among you shall be your servant,
--The fundamental issue at stake is a longing to become
known as a person of greatness, to be held up in high esteem by others, to be
put upon a pedestal (and rightfully so!) as one worthy of that place.
--No, one could not have overheard the conversation between
Jesus and the mother of the sons of Zebedee and concluded that here were
servant-minded, humble men who just wanted to be like Jesus.
--Selfish
ambition usually indicates that the person controlled by it not only cares
little for the destructive power it has to break down relationships with
others, but also has little concern that such an attitude contradicts the
calling of Christ.
II. THE
DELIBERATE CHOICE OF SELFLESS SERVANTS
--When Jesus answered their mother, He said, “You do not
know what you are asking for!”
--He then spoke of the cup He was about to drink, cup only
acceptable to One who had come into the world to fulfill His calling to be a
Suffering Servant.
--Although the mother answered with confidence that her sons
could indeed drink from the cup, she had no idea what she was talking about…she
had no idea what the cup contained!
--Today, we know…and for those who have decided to follow
Jesus Christ, we choose the cup the Savior drinks!
A. A CUP OF
SACRIFICE
Matt. 20:18-19 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and
the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they
will condemn Him to death, 19and
will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on
the third day He will be raised up.”
--The cup of sacrifice draws from the deep well of
suffering, sorrow and death.
--Jesus understood what was coming and did not shrink back from
that cup, even when praying that if it were possible, He asked that it pass
from Him if possible—nevertheless, not His will, but the will of the Father
would decide what would be done.
--We are to drink from that cup, willing to suffer all
things and count their loss as our gain if we were made more like Jesus as a
result of drinking from the cup of sacrifice.
B. A CUP OF
SUBMISSION
Matt 20:23
He said to them, “My cup you shall
drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it
is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.”
--For those who follow Christ, He says, you shall drink the
cup—but you will not know where that will take you, what place you will have,
what position you will be given.
--In that respect, drinking from the cup deliberately makes
it clear that we drink it with a trusting heart and a submissive spirit willing
to accept whatever has been prepared for us by the Father.
Many who would not follow blindly will follow if
they have guarantees and assurances of what the future holds. Yet the Father does not tell us exactly what
place will be ours except that it will be in His presence forever.
Psalm 84:10 “For a
day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God,
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
C. A CUP OF
SERVICE
Matt 20:28
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a ransom for many.”
--If you follow Jesus Christ, you have no other choice—you
will be a servant because He Himself gladly took drank liberally from a cup of
service.
--He explained this calling in terms that were fresh and
new, of…
·
servants possessing
genuine greatness,
·
slaves holding true
pre-eminence, and the
·
Son of Man rendering
payment to satisfy the debt of a ransom.
1. The
Servant Becomes Great
Matt 20:26 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes
to become great among you shall be your servant,
2. The
Slave Becomes First
Matt 20:27
and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
3. The Son
of Man Became a Ransom
Matt 20:28
just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a ransom for many.”
--In Him we also are called to die in order to fulfill our
calling to drink from a cup of ultimate service.
a. The Ransom—Sin’s Penalty is Paid through
Christ
--The blind and selfish ambition of our sinful hearts held
each of us in captivity until Jesus paid the penalty and became our ransom.
--Through that ransom, we were set free to live as Jesus
lives—and that means we are free from a self-serving existence to take the low
place of a servant…nothing stands in the way any longer.
b. The Crucifixion—Self’s Pride is Put to Death
with Christ
--By faith, we share in the crucifixion whereby we die to
the old self and share in the resurrection to new life through Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
c. The
Transformation—A Servant’s Heart is Prepared (at last!) through Christ
--By the transforming power of that new life in Christ, I
finally am prepared to live as the servant I was created to be.
--Apart from Christ, few things can ever incline my heart to
take the lowly place of a servant—unless on occasion I am motivated by a desire
to serve to be commended and noticed by others.
--That is not always the case but seldom will someone take
the role of servant for purely selfless purposes—which is why when we see a
true servant we think first that they must be a follower of Christ.
The cup Christ calls us to drink
requires that we make a choice. We are
called to follow Christ—and if we choose to forsake everything as He says we
must, we will also choose to take the low place and become a servant…a servant
of Christ, and in His name a servant of others.
That rules out selfish ambition:
·
Loving the place of
privilege falls to a love for the place of service
·
Lording it over
others bows in their presence and looks for ways to serve them instead
·
Longing to become
great in the eyes of others gives way to a longing to make the name of Jesus
greater by serving others in His name
Jesus Christ
took the lowest place…and yet deserves the highest praise! When I live for Him, one of the most obvious
things about me will be the presence and prominence of a servant’s heart. May God give me a deep love for the low
place so that Jesus Christ may have the highest place in my life!
Providence Baptist Church
© David Horner 2003
Sermon outlines are copyrighted in the event of future
publication.
They may be used for preaching and teaching purposes,
but may not be published or sold.