We Are Saved To Serve Series

A request was made by the mother, for her sons James and John to sit with Jesus in His Kingdom.

Jesus was born for a purpose – to serve a need; to serve God’s purpose

· He was born a SERVANT! From the day He was born until the day He died, He was serving SOMEONE

· He was tasked by Someone to complete a mission – “to give up His life as a ransom”

· We often see Him as a miracle-worker, the Saviour of the world – He is also a SERVANT through and through. He breathes ‘servanthood’! Being a servant of God defines His entire life.

During the last supper when He washed His disciples’ feet, He said, “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” (John 13:16)

· He was the ‘sent one’. He was the ‘messenger’.

· Therefore – He cannot be greater than the One who sent Him. All His life He was living in submission to His Master, God.

Are we greater than Jesus today? Do we find it so hard to be a servant?

· If we feel pitiful for being a servant – THINK AGAIN.

· We are called to be one! Rick Warren says we are SHAPED to be one – shaped to serve.

· That’s the greatest privilege and blessing we have. Even angels delight in serving God.

· The saddest thing that can happen to us is to have God says, “You’re not fit to serve Me!”

This mission was everything for Jesus – it guides everything He does while He was on earth.

· His entire life was in service for God – including His death!

· He came for that purpose; He died for that purpose.

No wonder He has to correct their wrong thinking here. When the mom asked Jesus to do something for her sons.

This mindset is wrong. We have to (1) CHOOSE SERVICE OVER SELF-INTEREST

· Jesus: "You don’t know what you’re asking." (v.22).

· It is not about glory. It is not about authority or power! It’s about doing God’s will.

· And it involves sacrifice, pain, suffering... "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" (v.23)

Matt 20:25 - "…the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.”

· Their mindset is “What can my subjects do for me.” That’s the Gentile or pagan’s way.

· The mom thinks that way – “What can Jesus do for my sons?” This is where we come from, usually. What can God do for me? What can the church do for me?

· He says (v.26), "Not so with you..." Our mindset is “What can I do for them.”

So bros/sis, the right question to ask is, “What can I do for God?” …for His church; for others.

Jesus has never, at any point, become self-serving. SELF has never become an obstacle in this mission.

· John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me.”

· John 7:16 “Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me.”

· John 12:49 “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.”

· John 14:10 “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”

· John 14:24 “These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

Christians today do not usually ask, ‘what does God wants me to do?’

· They’ll probably look for simple tasks, easy jobs… What’s in it for me? What can I gain from this?

· We choose the church we like, we choose the music we enjoy, we look for good preachers.

· We pick and choose.

But I don’t see this in the Scriptures. I don’t see that in Jesus’ life.

· Eph 5:25 “…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Have we come to the point of shedding blood for the church? Nowadays, when the challenges are great or the battle intense, we just move away and find a more comfortable place ‘Hang in there’ attitude is no longer there.

· Look at Jesus – He came for our benefit, to save us – yet many do not like him, appreciate, or listen to him; people who are eager to see him dead on the cross. Yet He hangs in there and finishes the job!

· Isaiah says to God, “Here am I, send me!” It’s all about God and His mission.