INTRODUCTION
• MOVE CLIP COURAGEOUS
• SLIDE #1
• A selfish heart is a heart that only cares about the holy trinity, ME, MYSELF, and I!
• Once this insidious vice grabs ahold of one’s heart, it can drag a person down a dangerous path of destruction.
• When one has a selfish heart, one will do whatever they need to do to get what their heart wants.
• A selfish heart has ruined many marriages, families, and lives.
• Our prison is loaded with folks who did things from a selfish heart that landed them in prison.
• When we are ruled by selfishness, our minds will allow us to justify anything and everything so long as we get what we want, so long as those selfish desires are fulfilled.
• We are fooling ourselves to accept some of the craziest stuff when we are ruled by a selfish heart.
• When one allows a selfish heart to control their life, one of the things that will happen is we will tend to drift from God. If we are not careful, we could drift so far away that we could cause ourselves so serious trouble.
• Today as we conclude our A Drifting Heart Series, we take a look at Jesus closest followers, the Twelve.
• We will be in Mark 9:33-37 today. The situation the text covers will offer us some insights as to what selfishness can do to a person and their relationship with Jesus.
• We will start with verses 33-34
• SLIDE #2
• Mark 9:33–34 (HCSB) — 33 Then they came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Selfishness puts a wall between you and God.
• This event happened after Jesus was transfigured (Mark 9:1-ff) in the presence of Peter, James, and John. I am sure those three told the others what they saw.
• I am also pretty sure the others were somewhat jealous they were not present when that glorious event took place.
• Jesus cracks me up sometimes.
• So, apparently, they had been walking with Jesus at the head of a single file, as was typical for itinerant teachers and disciples. Jesus had not been part of their conversation, although He knew what they had been saying, so Jesus asks them what they were arguing about.
• I think these guys were arguing a little under their breathes because they did not want Jesus to hear what they were arguing about.
• So, Jesus asks them, what are you all arguing about?
• Here’s how the disciples answered, SILENCE!
• Why were these men silent?
• Why didn’t these men who were close to Jesus not give an answer?
• By the way, this was not the only time this discussion took place, it happened a couple of other times.
• When our hearts are focused on our selfish desires, it will put a wall between ourselves and God because deep down, we are embarrassed by our selfishness.
• The Twelve were probably too embarrassed to confess that they had been arguing about their relative positions in Christ’s program and particularly His coming kingdom.
• As I said, perhaps the special privilege given to Peter, James, and John at the Transfiguration had prompted this discussion.
• Their arguing also implies they were placing too much emphasis on the external glories of the kingdom, just as the general populace regularly did. This would have made Christ’s announcement of His death most challenging to understand.
• When we are focused on our own selfish desires, we build walls.
• As a father and husband, if everything in the home is about me and my desires, I do not want to talk about it because I know deep down, I am not right.
• I will argue with you and justify why I am acting and thinking the way I am.
• I want my way no matter what, nothing will get in the way of that.
• I will build a wall between anyone or anything that gets in the way of me fulfilling my selfish desires.
• These guys wanted to be rock stars on the in the kingdom, they wanted the dominant positions in the kingdom.
• When this situation arose on another occasion in Matthew 20:20-ff when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to give them a special place, the other disciples got mad at James and John.
• Why?
• Because they were all selfishly seeking high positions!
• When we are driven by selfishness, we will build a wall between ourselves and Jesus. We do this because we do not want Jesus to see what we are doing.
• It is funny because when these guys were asked by Jesus what they were arguing about, they were silent, and they built a wall because they knew the argument was selfish.
• They were ashamed. The funny thing is that Jesus already KNEW what they were arguing about.
• Jesus is trying to get them to say it out loud.
• Their preoccupation with rank and standing is in character with what we know of Judaism in general. Rabbinic writings frequently comment on the seating order in Paradise, for example, and argue that the just would sit nearer to the throne of God than even the angels.
• Earthly orders of seating at worship and meals, or authority within the community, or dealings with inferiors and superiors were seen as preparation for the eternal order to come.
• When you feel a wall going up, maybe there is some selfishness happening in your life that needs to be removed.
• Let’s look at verse 35.
• SLIDE #4
• Mark 9:35 (HCSB) Sitting down, He called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
• SLIDE #5
II. Selfishness is not a path to glory.
• The ambitions of the Twelve imperil their fellowship and following of Jesus. In an unusual expression, Mark says that Jesus sat down and called the Twelve to himself.
• Now it is embarrassment time for the guys.
• Since the guys would not fess up, Jesus will share some helpful insights with them.
• “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
• These guys were full of selfish ambition.
• These guys were seeking glory the wrong way.
• They wanted to be; first, they wanted to be recognized.
• Jesus said that is not the way to gain glory. The way Jess explains it to them and later will show them by washing their feet is counter-intuitive to what people would think.
• SLIDE #6
• Philippians 2:3–4 (HCSB) — 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.
• Jesus spoke on this subject often because he knew selfish ambition was a problem for people.
• What was made it even more difficult for the disciples to grasp this teaching was the fact that in the Greek world of the time, service was generally considered demeaning and undignified.
• Plato said “HOW CAN A MAN BE HAPPY WHEN HE HAS TO SERVE SOMEONE. (Plato, Gorgias 491e).
• PLATO was expressing the sentiment of the day.
• As to self-centered ambition and vanity, “Before downfall goes pride; and before stumbling, a haughty spirit” (Prov. 16:18).
• Was not this the experience of Old Testament pagan leaders such as Sennacherib (2 Chron. 32:14, 21), of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:30–33), and of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:21–23)?
• On the other hand, note what is said about the commended centurion (Matt. 8:8, 10, 13), the humble Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:29; cf. Matt. 15:27, 28), and the penitent tax-collector (Luke 18:13, 14). (Baker NT Commentary).
• The world tells you it is all about you, make yourself happy, pave your own way, but Jesus says the way to glory is through service and serving.
• Selfishness will not lead to pleasing God, and ultimately it will not bring you joy or blessings.
• SLIDE #7
• Mark 9:36–37 (HCSB) — 36 Then He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me, but Him who sent Me.”
• SLIDE #8
III. Selfishness overlooks God.
• When our hearts are governed by selfishness, we will overlook God. What is important to God is not essential to us. His passion is not our passion.
• What is important to us when we are driven by selfishness is what we want, when we want it and how we want it.
• I find it interesting that in the midst of this conversation Jesus took a child into His arms.
• Why did He do that?
• During that time period generally, children were looked at differently than they are today.
• Today families will treat children like they rule the home, in that day children were looked upon as more of a necessity than a joy.
• Children were seen and not heard, they were not the center of the universe.
• So, Jesus takes one of these children of whom were seen as insignificant in those days and said, 37 “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in My name welcomes Me. And whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me, but Him who sent Me.”
• Jesus is saying that we are to welcome those who we do not see as significant and when we do, we are embracing Jesus.
• Put a better way.
• When we are selfish, our world is turned upside down. We value things and use people. We gravitate toward people who will help us to get what we want, and we will ignore folks who do not help us to fulfill our desires.
• I see this in broken relationships all the time.
• When we are propelled by selfishness, we will overlook God because God does not fit our agenda.
• One of the things that are of utmost importance to God is how we see and treat other people.
• When we focus on self, we forget that God has called us to love others, it is one the greatest Commandments!
• Jesus wants to make sure that His disciples understood that those society deemed unimportant are essential to God.
• When we are selfish, we will overlook what is important to God.
• Jesus took a child in His arms and said that humbly accommodating oneself to the needs of a child, rather than striving to get ahead of other adults, displays the attitude Christ wants and is a way of receiving Christ Himself and His message. Even more, such action is pleasing to God, for it is He who has sent Christ.
CONCLUSION
• I said this throughout the series when our heart drifts from God, it is a slow drift.
• Usually, one’s heart does not drift away in one day, it is a process that takes time.
• We have to be cognizant of the fact that our heart can drift and take steps to make sure we stayed anchored to Jesus.
• Make sure as you look inside of yourself that life is not just about you and what you want, make sure your life is about what God wants, and by doing so, you will be blessed beyond belief!
• Eleven of the twelve got it together in the end, if you are drifting, you can stop it, focus on Jesus and row yourself back to Him!
