Problems Among The Followers Of Christ
Matthew 20:20-28
The pastor and music director in Old First Church did not get along at all. And the music leader would get his point across by this song selection after each sermon. One week, the pastor preached on commitment and how we should dedicate ourselves to service. Right after the sermon, the music director led the choir in singing, "I Shall Not Be Moved." The next Sunday, the pastor preached on giving and how we should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The music director then led the song, "Jesus Paid It All." The next Sunday, the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should watch our tongues. The following hymn was "I Love To Tell The Story." The pastor became disgusted over the situation and the next Sunday he told the congregation he was considering resigning. The choir then sang "Oh, Why Not Tonight." When the preacher resigned the next week he told the church that Jesus had led him there, and Jesus was taking him away. The choir then sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."
If you have been in church for any length of time, you know that the church is made up of people with problems. You can go all the way back to the beginning... as long as there have been people, there have been problems. Go to the Old Testament and follow the Children of Israel around for a while... there were problems among God¡¦s people. Read through the Gospels... there were problems among God's people. In several places in the Epistles, Paul addresses problems among God's people... And here in Matthew 20 we find that our Savior had to deal with problems among His most faithful followers.
Yes, Jesus Disciples had problems:
1) Some had problems with "PRIDE"
2) Some had problems with "PEOPLE"
3) And all of them had problems with"PERCEPTION" and "PRIORITIES"
I would like to take some time and look at these issues among the Disciples and preach on "Problems Among Christ's Followers"
In the preceding verses, for the 3rd time Jesus has revealed His impending death. The Lord¡¦s Disciples did not fully comprehend this revelation - Luke 18:34 But they didn't understand any of this. The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about.
After this tragic news, some of Jesus' disciples have a great concern ...ABOUT THEMSELVES! Notice: Among The Followers Of Christ:
I. THERE IS OFTEN A PRIDE PROBLEM - v20 then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Let's consider for a moment those involved in this plea to Jesus... James, John & Salome
a. These two men are part of Jesus' inner circle.
b. They (along with Peter) have experienced things that the others did not get to see. {Transfiguration, healing of Jairus' daughter}
c. Salome was a faithful follower of Christ as well, she was among the first at the tomb on resurrection morning.
They come with what on the surface may seem like an honorable request...to sit on either side of Jesus in His Kingdom" - In the previous chapter Jesus had made a promise to His disciples - Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
It is believed that James and John put their mother up to making this request to Jesus. Regardless, it is clear that they wanted it ¡...and thought that they deserved it! It is very possible that James & John had in mind, the order of the Sanhedrin. The President of the Sanhedrin sat in the midst of two rows of elders. on his right hand sat the "father of the Sanhedrin" ...on his left hand sat the "sage". These men took care of business in the absence of the president. These men possessed great power and authority. Apparently, James & John wanted power and authority! To put it plainly... they had a pride problem!
There are many of Christ's followers today who have the same problem! It is becoming a rare thing to find someone concerned about the glory of God. But there is no shortage of people who want to be in the spotlight.
Many times you will find people in the church:
- Who want to be seen and heard (usually they demand it!)
- They want everyone to know who they are and what they have done.
- They have to be involved in every decision that is made.
- Their specific ministry or pet project has to have the prominence.
Pride says, "Look at me, look at who I am, look at what I'm doing." (and reward me for it) - In Mark 7:20-22 Jesus mentioned ¡§pride¡¨ in the same category as ...blasphemy, adultery, murder and covetousness."
- C.S. Lewis called pride "the great sin", because all other sins can be traced back to it.
Many times things that start out to be a work for God's glory, can quickly turn into something that is bringing glory to self. Pride is easy to see in others but almost impossible to detect in ourselves.
We must constantly ask ourselves this question "Why do I do what I do?"
- Why do I preach?
- Why do I teach?
- Why am I a deacon?
- Why do serve on a committee?
- Why do I sing a special?
- Why am I a part of the choir?
- Why do I want to serve in some capacity?
Do you do what you do for personal glory or to honor the Father? If we would just read the Bible we would find that "pride always leads to defeat"
* Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
* 1 Corinthians 10:12 wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
On the flip side, there are great benefits that come from humility. Notice:
* James 4:6 ...God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
* 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
James and John wanted to be elevated to a position of prominence! There is a constant problem of pride among the followers of Christ and that problem must be addressed! As we move further into the text we will find that: Among The Followers Of Christ:
II. THERE IS OFTEN A PEOPLE PROBLEM - v24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
The other 10 Disciples were listening intently as James, John & Salome make their request. They also listened as Jesus responded to the request. When they heard this they were all "moved with indignation". They were "sore displeased or filled with anger". Once again, this "people problem" has its roots in the "pride problem"
a. Maybe they were angry that they were trying to promote themselves over them.
b. Or maybe they were angry that they beat them to the punch!
Either way, the Disciples of Christ are NOT HAPPY!! Every church today has one major problem in common¡KPEOPLE! The Church is comprised of imperfect people. It has often been said that "if you find the perfect church, don't join it because you would mess it up" When pride creeps up in a church... When problems arise and when they are not dealt with immediately, those problems will intensify (and usually multiply)! One of the biggest issues among people in the church is JEALOUSY!
* Proverbs 14:30 jealousy is like cancer in the bones
Every year around this time (nominating committee time) I hear from other pastors about people who are upset in their churches because of being passed over for a certain position. The committee makes their recommendations and you hear comments like:
- I can't believe they didn't ask me to serve anywhere!
- Would you believe that they asked her to teach that class instead of me?
- They removed me from my position on the ______ committee.
- I have been doing that job for 30 years and now they want him to do it!
And that jealousy eats away at that person like a cancer. And then that cancer spreads through the church! Many times when a church member is scorned it can cause massive problems for everyone involved.
Remember the story of Diotrephes? - 3 John:19 "Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us.10 When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church.11 Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.
There is always somebody who wants to run things and have all the authority. And once again it can be traced back to pride! This was a problem for the Disciples and Jesus stepped in to handle it. We will see how in just a moment.
There was a Pride Problem and there was a People Problem but we also find that: Among The Followers Of Christ:
III. THERE IS OFTEN A PERCEPTION PROBLEM - v22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Let's look for a moment at Jesus' response to the request of James & John. He says "you don't even know what you are asking for" - He then asks "can you drink of the cup that I shall drink of?"
This was a figurative term that referenced calamities, judgment and desolation. Jesus is saying, " I am going to experience sufferings that you cannot imagine. Are you able to go through it too?" - They quickly proclaim "we are able" . But they have no clue what awaits their Master.
Jesus was headed to Calvary, Jesus would then take on the sins of the world. He will face His Father's undiluted wrath against those sins. Jesus will die as a result of that wrath! But James and John say "LORD WE ARE READY TO DRINK THAT CUP"!! We will find that even Jesus desired that "the cup pass from Him"
Jesus says that His disciples will experience His anguish to a degree.- v23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of 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 shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
They would suffer and eventually die for their faith in Christ. They would walk the road that Jesus walked, but they could never endure what He was about to suffer.The lesson for His disciples was this. Positions in the kingdom are not awarded based on selfish ambition but according to the will of God. James, John and the rest of the Disciples had a "Perception Problem", instead of looking to Jesus, they were looking at themselves.
They completely ignored what Jesus had said in - v17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, 19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
They were so focused on themselves that they lost sight of the mission at hand. Many times the problems among God's people come when we: lose sight of the mission, take our eyes off of the Savior and focus on ourselves.
Many times we forget about Jesus and are consumed with:
- Our Position
- Our Power
- Our Possessions
- Our Prosperity
- Our Prominence
When have the wrong PERSPECTIVE then we become filled with PRIDE, then we have PROBLEMS with PEOPLE and this contributes to another problem: Notice that: Among The Followers Of Christ:
IV. THERE IS OFTNE A PRIORITY PROBLEM - v 26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus says if you want to be a leader you must be a servant, If you want to be first, you must be willing to be a slave! Do you want to be successful; you must start at the bottom. Do you want to be a leader; you must first learn how to serve. The context of the words that Jesus uses are very important in these verses:
A. In verse 26 Jesus used the word "MINISTER" - This is the word that gives us the word "deacon" It is literally defined as ¡§one who serves others".
B. In verse 27, Jesus uses the word "SERVANT" - This word literally means "slave". If you want to be recognized and respected, then give up all ambition and selfishness. Oh but wait... if you do that, then you won't desire to be recognized in the first place! The Christian life is a life of service! We are all slaves of Jesus Christ! - It is not our Kingdome it is HIS KINGDOM!
We must be willing to give our all without desiring the glory. We must be willing to do what no one wants to do but what Christ commands us to do! We must be willing to surrender, submit, serve and sacrifice in order to accomplish the Father's will.
It means to put others first... It requires us to be last. Are you willing to do that today?
Dr. Alan Carr tells story of a rice farmer who saved an entire village from destruction. From his hilltop farm he felt the earth quake and saw the distant ocean swiftly withdraw from the shore line. He knew that a tidal wave was coming. In the valley below, he saw his neighbors working low fields that would soon be flooded. They must run quickly to his hilltop or they would all die. His rice barns were dry as tinder. So with a torch he set fire to his barns and soon the fire gong started ringing. His neighbors saw the smoke and rushed to help him. Then from their safe perch they saw the tidal wave wash over the fields they had just left. In a flash they knew not only who had saved them but what their salvation had cost their benefactor. They later erected a monument to his memory bearing the motto, "He gave us all he had, and gave gladly."¨ This poor farmer finished first in the eyes of his community, but it cost him everything he had. There are not many people in our world like that farmer. He willingly sacrificed himself that others might succeed.
Most people do everything they can to better themselves, and think nothing of the people they step on behind as they climb to the top of the heap. Jesus is our example; He gave it all for you and for me. May we get to the place where we forsake pride and selfish ambition... Let us stop looking at ourselves and gain the proper perspective. When we do we will have the proper priorities and there will no longer be any people problems!
Yes, there are "Some Problems Among The Followers Of Christ" but praise God Jesus has the answer! In fact, He is the answer!
