What You Want?
Mark 10: 35 – 45
Job 38: 1 – 7, 34 – 41
Intro: “He who dies with the most toys, is still dead!” I believe the basic problem today is this: people wish to do as little as possible and to get as much as possible. / Start at the top and work their way down
I. James and John – ambitious – wrong – failed to understand.
A. Verses 35 – 38 “You don’t know what you’re asking”
B. Do what I want! --- fit into my plans --- religion on my terms, not God’s. I want to be a consumer of religion and not a server.
C. Prayer is always unacceptable to God when is says to God “You do whatever I want.” --- God is not our servant.
II. Verses 38b-39 --- Confidence of James and John -- have no idea what Jesus is talking about.
A. We are also confused about the words of Jesus.
B. Cup = communion / cup = metaphor for life and experience that God hands out to men. – Can deal with the obstacles placed in your way.
C. Baptism = sacrament / being submerged in any experience putting self in conflict with evil and dangerous powers
III. Verses 42 – 45 The heart of the passage – the standard of greatness in the Kingdom of God is SERVICE.
A. Are you willing to pay the price – martyrdom? Self-denial—denying the human demand for honor, power and status.
B. Costs – escape from the prison of self, childlike trust in God, losing of self to a greater cause – life doesn’t spin around you. You are not the center of the universe.
C. Job’s greatness in comparison to God’s greatness.
Conclusion – Each of us has an inner desire to go beyond success to significance. We want our lives to mean something and make a difference. If that is your desire, you must become a candle. A candle sheds light for others and in the process consumes itself. When our lives become candles, we leave a legacy. What does your candle look like? How much light, if any does it shine?
