Passage: Matthew 20:29-34
Intro: Last week sermon might have been a little overwhelming.
1. whenever we hold up Jesus as the model, we can get a little anxious
2. seems to be an example that we cannot achieve.
3. but this very next little passage gives us some very practical counsel as to what the servant heart looks like.
4. most of us are not going to be called to die for someone else.
5. but selfishness has to die within us each day as we walk with Jesus and toward Jesus.
6. and this short event gives us some real steps we can take to see this attitude begin to take shape in our lives.
I. Eliminate Franticity
1. thought this was a new word, but found it in “The Urban Dictionary”
PP) Franticity picture
3. but Windows underlines it in red.
4. but look at this situation. Walking from Jericho to Jerusalem.
PP Jericho -825 ft, Jerusalem 2625 ft.
5. chugging toward Jerusalem, 15 miles away with 3500 ft. elevation shift,
6. large crowd following Jesus to celebrate Passover.
6. now there were no doubt some Messianic expectations bubbling in the crowd.
7. would there be a showdown with Jewish leaders, Rome?
8. great display of power?
9. so there was great pre-occupation with coming events as the marched steadily toward Jerusalem.
10. and Jesus himself could be forgiven for being completely self-absorbed as He marched to torture and death.
Il) lots of men here this morning, we know the feeling. We get focused on something, nothing else matters.
PP men watching football. Don’t look busy, but we are!!
11. but life can get very full, and we get a little frantic, and when we are really busy with life, the needs of others around us seem trivial
12. and to the crowd with Jesus, the caterwauling of these blind guys was a little over the top.
13. they were outcasts in Israel.
PP Leviticus 21:16-21
14. the crowd could not be bothered with these guys. They had a task to do, and these guys were beyond hope and rejected by God Himself!
15. so as a man they shouted to these guy; “Shut up!!”
16. we are in a hurry, we have an important task, and your needs are insignificant in comparison.
Il) seminary students tested for compassion.
17. when you’ve got a phone in your ear and a client in your office, and your kid is tugging on your pants, guess who gets ignored?
18. busyness can’t always be helped, but we need to watch out for franticity.
19. when we are frantic, we often miss the chance to …
II. Look for God’s Opportunities
1. the blind men shouted louder, and Jesus heard them.
` 2. and then to the dismay and wonder of the crowd, called them over.
3. think about the situation here!
4. Jesus is on his way to die, pressure from the crowd, disciples trying to shield him.
5. and above the crowd noise, the sound of these guys…”Lord, Son of David, have mercy”
Il) frankly, there are some times when someone’s need are just not really convenient. Calls for $
6. the persistence of their faith caught his attention, and he called them over.
7. we would have thought, given His busyness, that he could have just healed them on the fly!
8. but he asks what he can do for them, does not put them on hold.
Il) “your call is very important to us…”
9. to the person with a servant heart, the call is important, the person has real issues.
10. the hardest thing to do here is to change our focus.
11. not an interruption, but our calling!
12. more important we think we are, the less important others will become.
Il) heard that WA Criswell, pastor of First Baptist of Dallas, spent time leading a man to Christ when he was supposed to be in the service preaching! You don’t do that without undergoing a radical priority shift.
12. God sends the opportunities, and we watch for them.
13. we can practice this at home! There are opportunities to serve all around us.
PP hiding in the couch
PP overflowing garbage can
PP uncut grass.
PP sink full of dirty dishes.
14. servant heart looks for ways to serve.
15. it is our task, my friends.
III. Develop Compassion
1. the real challenge of servanthood is to get inside the other person’s situation.
2. and frankly, over time we can develop a hard-shell to protect ourselves from the constant needs of others.
3. when we think of Jesus, we can’t forget that with His power and compassion, He was the goal for a huge crowd of needy people.
4. but somehow in the middle of this constant press of people, He was able to focus on the individual with a heart that really cared.
5. every person has a story, and every person here and out there has a story.
6. there are wounds, there are tough situations, often self-caused.
7. but what Jesus demonstrates here comes not from a desire to be noticed or get a plaque
8. v34 says “he had compassion on them”
9. He saw what no one else saw, the loneliness, the poverty, the hopelessness so deep that they would stand and scream at the top of their lungs for help, and not care if the whole world told them to be quiet.
10. for us, one really good way to develop compassion is to go and see and touch and hear need.
11. the heart of the servant will blossom when need is in front of us.
12. Jesus stopped, called, interacted.
13. he did not just keep walking
14. we need to put a face on suffering, on need, on hopelessness.
15. go on the trip, listen to verses in Awana, Feed the Hungry.
16. tear down the wall that separates you from need.
Conc. Let’s open our hearts so God can make us His servants; to our wives, our children, our neighbors and friends.
1. Slow down!
2. Look around for opportunities that God brings across your path
3. get close enough to need to develop compassion for others.
