Mushrooms or Maple Trees:
Spiritual Growth as God Intended
Sermon #6
Sermon Objective: Jesus’ Church is to be a place where all humankind is received and welcomed with grace.
PRE-SERVICE INTRODUCTION
We are in a sermon series called Mushrooms and Maple Trees. Mushrooms sprout up overnight and then wither away in a matter of days. Maple trees, on the other hand, grow gradually while learning to withstand the forces of nature that threaten their existence. They result in a majestic fruit bearing entity that lasts for generations.
So it is with people who follow Christ. Unfortunately some wither away very rapidly; but others grow deep and strong and produce the fruit of life that God designed for them.
In chapter 8 and 9 of Mark we are discovering elements of a Christ-follower that produce this depth and substance to life.
Just as Jesus was preparing and grooming the first disciples to be Maple Trees so we will discover that as we apply the lessons to our lives we, too, will grow in kind. Maple Tree style followers live lives that please God.
In past weeks we discovered that a life that pleases God is:
1. A life that follows Him Personally (8:27-33)
2. A life that follows Him in Full Surrender (8:34-38)
3. A life that follows Him in Obedience (9:1-8)
4. A life that follows Him in Close Connectedness (9:14-29)
5. A life that follows Him in Humility (9:30-35)
Today we will discover that a life that pleases God is a LIFE THAT FOLLOWS HIM BY WELCOMING OTHERS (9:33-50)
INTRODUCTION
>>Begin by showing the sermon spice video “Me Church”<<
Sometimes we get a bit confused about the church’s purpose. Even the best of us can begin to think with the “marketplace mentality” and before long we’re complaining about “our needs” and “our preferences” rather than seeking God’s preferences and His plans for community.
Even the best of us.
Even the twelve apostles weren’t immune. They traveled with Jesus for three years and watched him receive and bless people from all walks of life and, yet, at a critical juncture they showed how incongruous their preferences were with Jesus’. Even they became disgruntled about the clientele he was associating with.
Seems they had failed to take a good look at themselves lately – they got to thinking they had somehow evolved to a place where they were superior (9:33-35).
The disciples didn’t get along with one another and they didn’t get along with others either. They disclose their feelings of jealousy and rivalry in the stories we read today.
What does Jesus do when the ugly presence of self-addiction shows itself?
• He calls a timeout. He stops the journey to Jerusalem and spends some time teaching the disciples very important lessons about ministry, people, and themselves.
• In His quest to help them become Maple Trees he sees the need to correct their attitudes towards people.
• That’s very wise since EVERYTHING that a Christian does should be people-focused and servant-oriented.
• As we saw last week, once one begins to recover from self-addiction the capacity to look towards others will begin to expand.
Jesus gives the disciples a good indication about what the future church will look like and how it will operate. He does it by challenging their pre-conceived ideas and biases. We would be well advised to listen in.
JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE
DEPENDENT (V. 36, 37 41)
This is a classic “Ours verses theirs” scenario.
The disciples become very proprietary and protective of Jesus. They isolate him and in the process shrewdly reserve him for themselves and those they select to be in his company.
Jesus will have none of it – especially when those that are denied access and kept on the periphery are the dependent ones of society.
The words "child" and "servant" represent one word in Aramaic, we have here a picture parable – almost a double entendre and, in time, the disciples picked up on it.
• Jesus is classifying the youngsters and the servants in the same category – not because they are “lowly” but because they are dependent.
• The “little ones” are the immature, the vulnerable, and the weak – a child meets that criteria but so do many many more
• The truth is, the dependent are highly favored and Jesus seemed to prefer the company of both servants and children more than he did dignitaries.
Have you ever found yourself in the company of a person or a group that you felt totally unqualified or inferior around? I have. Do you remember the anxiety that came with wondering how you would be received? I do. I remember how relieving it was and how relaxing it was when these people welcomed me and treated me as a fellow human being not as a lesser. They proved to be people with large souls and genuine joy. They were capable of sharing that joy and zest for life with others … even me.
True greatness entails receiving and welcoming people—“insignificant” people like children and servants. When one cares about such people one is really "receiving" Jesus and God himself.
Christ-followers will watch their bias against the “dependent ones” be replaced with compassion and service. Their heart will be purified of “superior thinking”. They will see their desire to keep others at arms length be transformed into a spirit of welcome and honor.
After all, is it too radical to assume that no Christian should be naked, hungry or thirsty as long as other Christians have clothes, food and water?
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DEPENDENT (V. 36, 37 41)
JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DIFFERENT (V. 38)
This is the classic “We verses them” scenario.
It reminds me of a poem:
He drew a circle and shut me out,
Rebel, heretic, thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win,
We drew a circle and took him in.
The Apostle John’s use of "we" shows that he is speaking for all the disciples. John still wants to draw lines – to see who is in and who is out – who deserves to serve in Jesus’ name and who doesn’t. John is still being proprietary and feeling he has “rights” to Jesus that others do not.
Jesus, on the other hand, is concerned with identity – “in my name.”
The exorcist had been driving out demons in Jesus’ name (with his authority). What irked the disciples was that, though he was not one of them, he was being successful at it! What made things even worse was that they doubtless remembered their own failure to exorcise the demon from the epileptic (cf. 9:14-18).
The fellow in question must have been a believer. However, he was not one of the privileged company of the Twelve, and this apparently was the sore point so far as they were concerned. So they took it on themselves to stop him.
The apostles expected to receive an “Atta boy!” from Jesus. They anticipated kudos for “keeping the line of ministry pure.” What they heard was remarkably different.
Jesus’ reply shows that he did not have as restrictive a view of who could legitimately participate in his mission as his disciples did. The casting out of demons was done by God’s power, and his power was not limited to the Twelve. So Jesus tells his disciples not to stop the “outsider” because he is not likely to speak badly of Jesus if he does a miracle in his name. In other words … this one who is “different” is also to be welcomed and received.
When people do things “different” I tend to get uncomfortable; maybe even suspicious. It has taken years to come to the place where I can celebrate the “entrepreneurial saint.” I have discovered is that receiving and celebrating with those who serve “in Jesus’ name” is met with the approval and applause of God.
Serving in Jesus’ name comes to motive and doing it as unto the Lord. We do not have the market cornered on this and we are better people when we learn to celebrate the vastness of God’s Kingdom.
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DEPENDENT (V. 36, 37 41)
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DIFFERENT (V. 38)
JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE
DEFENSELESS (V. 42-48)
This is the classic “Me verses you” scenario.
This story is also about the disciples’ sense of privilege and liberty. It is certainly about having a disregard for those who are ill-equipped spiritually.
You can sense the rage begin to swell within Jesus as he thinks about one stumbling because of the actions another saint. Jesus says that offending one who is spiritually defenseless qualifies one for damnation.
Hindering growth in an egregious and serious offense. Whether one is exploiting the spiritually weak or just being inconsiderate of their status makes no difference. The Christ-follower who is pleasing to God is sensitive to those with genuine weakness and equips their faith rather than eroding it.
This, again, goes back to proprietary concepts. They thought they owned Jesus. They thought they had special status. They fail to understand that being called a “Christian” means they are the ones who are “owned” and they are to be in a wholesome and empowering relationship with their spiritual siblings.
We are pleasing in God’s eyes when we are doing His will in His name for His people!
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DEPENDENT (V. 36, 37 41)
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DIFFERENT (V. 38)
• JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DEFENSELESS (V. 42-48)
JESUS SHOWS US HOW TO RELATE TO DISCIPLES WHO ARE DIFFICULT (V. 49-50)
We will talk about this more in the weeks to come but let me give you an overview today.
This is the classic “I verses myself” scenario.
Some people are contentious. What the disciples did not recognize was that – THEYWERE THE CONTENTIOUS ONES!!!! It is akin to Walt Kelly’s “We have met the enemy and he is us” conundrum.
These final words by Jesus take us full circle to where this “timeout” began. We are back to the debacle and debate over who was the greatest and all the splinter faults that flowed from that superiority mindset.
You see, all the problems that the twelve had relating to others who were dependent, different, and defenseless were rooted in their own “Difficult” spirit.
• God’s peace was not reigning in their hearts. There was o way God’s peace could be shared with others.
• They were at war within and it showed itself in all the interpersonal relationships.
• They were always blaming others for the war never recognizing where it was originating from. Within themselves!
• Hurting people hurt people.
And now Jesus gives the solution … they needed purged and purified! They needed to be freed from their addiction to self.
The salt and the fire would purify them and preserve them. It would go far in preparing them for service and life as a Christian … it would make Maple Trees out of them.
It brings us full circle too. Because the question begs to be asked:
• Have you experienced the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit?
• Have you experienced the peace within that only comes when the Spirit has done a deep cleansing work?
• Have you recognized your bias and addiction to self and asked for a cleansing … an eradication?
There is no time like the present.
Let’s pray.
