Sermon Brief
Date Written: October 28, 2009
Date Preached: November 1, 2009
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Series: Steppin’ UP to the Next Level
Sermon Title: Steppin’ UP to a new level of Power…
Sermon Text: Matt 20:20-28 [NKJV]
Introduction:
What is POWER? Is POWER an evil thing for humanity? What if one day you were called for an interview and your interview went something like this…
[POWER ILLUSTRATION HERE if you have one]
Bruce was given the power of God for one week, and if you have watched the movie you see that he takes that power and begins to use it for HIS own desires and HIS own advantage!
Power is something that many of us do NOT understand, we see power from only ONE perspective… usually for most of us we see it from the perspective of the powerless who are suffering under the thumb of the powerful…
Our Federal Gov’t is powerful in that it can print money, it can send out armies, and it can do many things… but I want you to know that the individual citizen has great power as well. One revelation of that power lies in our right and privilege to vote! The VOTE places people in power by the will OF the people!
The IRS is powerful and a very scary institution within our Federal Government and it has the power to sanction any citizen for not adhering to the tax laws of the land… but if we look at this from a rational viewpoint… the citizen has power over the IRS in that they can vote to put people in power to change the IRS…OR if they so choose they can radically alter our nation by banding together against and standing up TO the tyranny of the IRS…
Employers are thought to have ultimate power when it comes to your job… You’re working for the man… and the man keeps you down… but just as the employer has power over the employee… the Employee has great power over the employer! If we band together… the employer will have to listen to our demands.
I say all these things to say that our view and perception of power is sometimes skewed by our personal situation OR society’s incorrect view of power! You see power is NOT a one way street…power has 2 sides… it always has 2 sides to it!
Look at Gen 1:27-28 and let’s take a look at what God’s plan was from the beginning as it pertains to humanity. [read verses here]
Genesis 1:27-28 [NKJV]
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
In creation, God’s ultimate creation was that which He created in HIS image and to that creation… HUMANITY… God granted power over the remainder of creation!
V.27 we see God’s creation and how special we are… we are created in His image…
V.28 God commands his creation… HUMANITY… to be fruitful and multiply, FILL the earth and SUBDUE it… to have DOMINION over all of creation!
God gives humanity POWER over the earth. How have we chosen to use that power? Well we have dominion over the earth and we have mastered resources and have developed many great things because of our mastery over the earth… but the Earth has power over us as well…
If you don’t believe that speak to anyone who has ridden out a tornado, or been stuck in a white out blizzard, or has been stranded on a deserted island, or has found themselves at sea in the midst of a storm!
Our society today speaks of Mother Nature and how powerful she is…and God’s creation is very powerful, but God has said that we have DOMINION over it!
Does this mean we can strip mine, ravage rainforests, and drain resources with NO sense of consequence or responsibility? Absolutely not! I once heard a great quote that goes something like this… “With great power comes great responsibility!” and how true that is!
With power and dominion over the earth, we also have great responsibility for caring for our planet and making sure that we do what is good for it, as well as what is good for us!
I am NO environmentalist, I am NO tree-hugger, but I am saying that the power entrusted to humanity by God at creation comes with a great deal of responsibility to care for that creation!
We have seen down throughout history how power has been abused and used to hurt and destroy…rather than to care for and build up! Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, the Great Roman Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler many other people in this world have abused the power placed at their disposal.
We have even seen our own government begin to use this power in a very disturbing way in the taking away of some of our very basic freedoms, like freedom to speak out, freedom to express ourselves! Do you know that our church cannot stand up and declare their support for a candidate in an election… why? Because the powers that be, have deemed it ILLEGAL for churches to do so!
I read this week about a battle going on in Michigan this month over a city government banning the privately funded and maintained Nativity scenes on their cities street corners… the city has deemed that it is a violation of the separation of church and state law… of which there is NO law, but the power of the state can bully around those it desires!
We can no longer speak freely in our country… the power of our government is growing stronger and stronger and if we do not check this growth, soon it will be FAR to great for us to stop and what then?
My point is that power in the wrong hands, or power that is misfocused or misguided is power that leads to destruction! Many here think that I am speaking of those evil politicians (sorry Jim…we know your heart and where you stand and we do NOT think you are evil…) but the problem is that power in the hands of ANYONE can be a very dangerous thing…
Now I want us to understand that this power grab and power problem in our world is not limited to those outside of the church, for if you have attended church for ANY length of time you have seen power grabs and attempted power grabs by pastors, staff ministers, deacons, SS teachers, influential members of the congregation… and it is very said to say that it extends to almost all areas of the fellowship!
But I want you to know that these power grabs did not begin with the Baptist Church, but things started down this path from the very beginning…let’s read our passage this morning Matt 20:20-28 [NKJV]
Matthew 20:20-21 [NKJV]
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”
v.20-21 is the power grab attempt by James and John. They use their mother to speak with Jesus to gain them favor in the coming kingdom. This reveals their immaturity on the subject and it also reveals where their hearts were at this time!
Here they were, 2 men whom Jesus had favored out of the 12! They were part of an inner circle of three that Jesus had confided in… Peter, James and John, but they eliminated Peter from their plans and went to Jesus to obtain the position and power they DESIRED for themselves!
There are going to be power grabs in the church… it is as inevitable as the sun coming up every morning… as gravity… as death… power grabs by church members happen because although we are saved and supposedly seeking the Will of God… we falter and fail our Savior and we revert to our self-centered and selfish desires from time to time and when we do… we try to accumulate what we want!
This can happen to the best of us… it can happen to ME… it can happen to Steven… it can happen to Michael… it can happen to anyone of you sitting in this room!
When we begin to focus on our desire and allow that desire to overload our sense of God’s will and plan and purpose and direction for our church… we will try to grab the power to make OUR will happen instead of God’s will.
But be careful what you seek… be careful what you ask for… God just may allow it to happen! Look further at verses 22-23…
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
We find that Jesus warns them about what they are asking for… He tells them that they cannot handle what they desire, but they insist… Oh yeah, Jesus! We’re cool, we can handle it… we have got it covered! Just grant it to us and we’ll take it from here…
Jesus almost reluctantly says, “OK, but you must endure what I endure, you must face what I face, you must be ‘baptized’ with the baptism I must bear!
And then Jesus adds the caveat, that only God can grant what they have asked for and that even though they have agreed to drink of the cup Christ was to suffer… that it was still up to God if they rec’d what they had asked for!
You see, we can demand of God all day and He may allow us to move fwd with our plans and desires, but He does not guarantee us success or completion of our desires… but He warns us of the pitfalls and hard road ahead.
In these verses, James and John exercised power over Jesus in that they ‘ambushed’ him through sending their mother to Him to ask this very delicate and tremendous favor! But Jesus exercised His power by ensuring that they would endure what He endured, but that their wish may never come close… because it was God who made that final decision!
So often we desire to use the power we have for our own desires, for our own goals and God allows it to happen… but not to satisfy us to but maybe to teach us a lesson in humility OR maturity!
When we enforce our ‘power’ on others for our own good, we have to deal with the fallout… and that can be a very difficult thing! It can lead to friendship being dissolved, to marriages being broken, to fellowships being scarred…
These men sought their desires… their focus was NOT on what Jesus wanted or what Jesus had already taught them, but only on their dreams and what they believed to be success.
Our focus must be on Christ, because if our focus is on US… if our direction is pointed only toward OUR desires… we are going to hurt others… we are going to suffer the consequences of our actions!
Look with me at v.24 and how it affects the rest of the fellowship when we seek to please what WE desire instead of following the One who has been placed over us… instead of seeking the will of God!
24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.
Seeking our own desire does not bring harmony or unity to the body, but instead it brings about disharmony and disunity! The other disciples saw and heard what was going on and were very upset with these brothers… with their nerve… with their request… with their attitude…
The implication here is that there was now a rift in the ranks… there was now a section of the disciples that did not want to be included with the ‘rest’ of the disciples other than being their superior!
Far TOO often in our fellowships today, we believers have those in our midst that seek to please THEIR desires and they cause great pain and strike down unity in the church!
Christ’s priestly prayer in John 17 called out to God for unity and harmony among His followers… in fact, harmony and love for one another shown through that unity was how the world could tell we were believers… it is how the world can tell we are the followers of Christ!
But far too often that is NOT true in the church, and the vision we give off to the world around us, especially to others within the fellowship is that our desires are more important than the unity and harmony of God’s church! And the sad commentary about this is that the power we use to influence this is seen by the world and it turns the world off to the things of God and the world of Christianity!
Now preacher, you said we needed to step up to a NEW level of power. What do you mean when you say that? Well, when I say step up to a new level of power… I am NOT saying that we have another source to step up to… we have the source!
In Christ we have all the power we will EVER need, but we need to step up to utilizing the power He has granted us… in the way He desires it to be used… to enhance and grow the Kingdom! Not to separate and divide and wall off…the Kingdom to the world around us!
Did you know that we are called to be RECONCILERS! We are called to the ministry of reconciliation! We are called to be bridge builders to the outside world! We are NOT called to build up walls of division but bridges of inclusion and invitation to the Gospel of Christ!
Are you a bridge builder OR are you building up walls? We are called to step up to using the power source of the Holy Spirit to GROW the kingdom and to share the Gospel… This means that there are going to be times when we don’t fully understand why things are done a certain way… but we are going to do them anyway…out of our love and obedience to Christ!
But preacher HOW can we do this… How can we step up? How can I, a believer in today’s world, in our church today… how can I step up? Well when we look at this passage one more time we can see that Jesus lays forth a template or blueprint to how believers are called to USE their power for the Kingdom of God!
Let’s read v.25-26:
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
Jesus saw the power play by James and John for what it was… a selfish attempt to gain more power…they were abusing their position and the power they had within the group!
Jesus sees this and uses this moment to teach ALL the disciples about the proper use of the power God grants us as believers.
Jesus 1st relates how the world views and exercises power when He says, “Hey all the rulers and leaders of the world have power and they understand that the power they have gives them an advantage. They understand this and they USE that advantage to their benefit…to satisfy THEIR selfish wants and desires! [like James and John were doing]
But then Jesus says in v.26, “This is not so with you!” In other words, Jesus is saying, “I have taught you better…as My followers you should know better! Jesus goes on to say, IF you want to be great in the kingdom, then you are to become a humble servant!
Now looking at what Jesus was teaching… we can see that it is NOT something our world puts any stock in today! People in our world today would say that for someone to be great you have to be willing blow your own horn… to get your name out there… to be the MOST noticed!
But today you would NEVER EVER hear of someone trying to gain acclaim in the world say to his friends or partners that he was striving to be the LEAST! It simply goes against all of society’s rules and laws…
But that is what Jesus taught here in v.27-28:
27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 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 this passage Jesus clarifies what the purpose of power is…
Jesus says that the true purpose behind any power is to help those who are helpless, to save those considered UN-savable, to feed those who hunger, to clothe those who are naked, to give water to those who are thirsty… The purpose of true power is to SERVE and not to BE SERVED!
Who has seen the movie “Bruce Almighty”? Do you remember the premise of that movie? For those of you who may not have seen it, there was a man in this movie who believed he was always getting the short end of the stick, he prayed and prayed to God, but his prayer was always focused on what HE wanted, not what was best.
Finally God decides to do something radical… he meets this man and gives him the power of God for one week [supposedly God is going to take a week’s vacation] The movie is about how this man begins to use the power of God for his own selfish gain…
The movie shows how this man does many things because he has the power to do them BUT he does not realize or does not care what consequences result from his actions. He uses his power to HIS benefit but it drives the love of his life away and he loses her…
Now I want you to think about that scenario for a minute…what if YOU were given God’s power for a week? What would YOU do with it? Think about it right now, what would the 1st thing you would do?
Would you cure the world’s hunger/food problems? Or would you bank 10 million dollars? Would you deal with the issues of homelessness and children without parents? Or would you make sure you had the finest home one could ever imagine? What would you do?
This is a difficult thing for us to think about because we will NEVER have the power of God in that manner, but I want you to know something very important about today message! You have the power of God in your grasp…the power of God to change a life… the power of God to change someone’s eternal destination!
No you cannot save them, but you can introduce them to the One who can… you have the POWER to live a life that reflects and shines forth the love and mercy of God in such a way that people take notice!
You have been given a special gift! When Christ came to indwell your life, He brought with Him the power of God… Jesus said that we would do things MUCH greater than He did, and I believe that FAR too often we sit and watch the world go by and think, I wish I could do something!
But what we fail to realize is “Greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world!” There is nothing in this world that is greater than what we have within us! We have the power to change this world… if we will but stand up and step up… and begin to share Christ with the world around us!
What about you this morning? How are you using the power of Christ within you? Are you seeking to reveal His power to serve others… or are you using that power to build walls of division and keeping others out and away?
If you are not seeking to serve and be a blessing as Christ has commanded, you are NOT living as Christ has called you to live… I call on you to submit yourself to Christ and allow HIS power to rule and reign in your heart! Come surrender to Him this morning!
For those of you who are trying to live your life and secure your eternity under your own power… Scripture tells us that you are outside of God’s family and that you will fail.
This may sound like harsh news, but in truth it is Good News because God has provided us a way to become part of His family and secure our eternal home with Him… Today you can know that joy! I call on you to come and give your heart to Him…come as we sing our hymn of invitation.
