Theme: Spiritually Ambitious
Text: Mark 10:35-42
Introduction
A. In every funeral service, lengthy eulogies would not be missed to hear. But, what is its purpose?
B. Newspapers give space for obituaries. What are they for? It is man’s last attempt to impress the world that he does matter; that he’s important; that his death is a great loss to the world. But it’s not important what others would see or say about you. What ultimately does matter will be what God says.
C. Given a single life that soon will pass, what do you plan to do with it? How do you want to spend it? What ambition you want to achieve that somehow makes your existence something remarkable?
D. Talking about ambition?
> The world is full of ambitious people!
> There are those who aspire for popularity;
> Some aspire to remain young. They spent much on health supplements and cosmetics.
> Some aspire for higher education, greater position, and bigger possession.
> Things that are passing.
> Well it’s not wrong to look for these things.
> But the question is: Do we aspire for spiritual things? Are you spiritually ambitious?
E. In the passage we read, two of the 12 disciples, came to Jesus and asked one thing, which I think, very uncommon. “Grant that we sit with you in your glory…” was the request of James and John.
F. Most commentaries tell us that these two disciples wanted prominence among the group. But the fact that Christ did not rebuke them will give us the clue that what they asked was not offending to Jesus. So it was not a request for prominence, or for self-aggrandizement. In contrast, I see them very different from other disciples. Their outlook, their ambition was very rare –they were spiritually ambitious people. They aspired for spiritual things.
T.S. Let us study the story closer.
1. THE REQUEST OF JAMES AND JOHN.
Ø What is the intention behind this request of James and John? What did they desire and aspire revealed in their request?
1) They aspired for an intimate relational position in Christ.
a) They wanted to be at the side of Jesus. They were not satisfied with just a relationship; they aspired for intimacy! 3 years with Jesus was not enough to them, they longed for eternal intimacy with Him. They were already close to Jesus, but they wanted more, they wanted to position and place themselves closer to Him. This is the blazing desire of the song “All I want is more of You”.
b) I don’t know if this were the ambition of many of us. This is the most unpopular ambition, as far as my observation is concerned, because many people are contented to live in their shallow Christian life.
c) James and John were not satisfied just to know and see the Presence of Jesus; they wanted to feel it. They wanted to sit beside Him so that they would feel the warm touch of His Presence. “Oh that we experience more of Jesus!”
d) Yes, we’re not looking for mere experience, but there’s something wrong with our Christianity at its heart when we don’t feel the warmth and the life-giving touch of God’s Presence. The absence of feeling is a sign of distance. Without the emotion, everything will become mechanical, lifeless, and dull.
e) This is the reason God commanded us to “Love the Lord with all your heart…” as He has infinitely loved us. Blackaby said: “To love God and be loved by Him is the highest position and the highest achievement in life.”
f) We don’t just be satisfied that we’re part of the family of God, we have to enjoy our relationship with Him. Enjoy His Fatherhood! Aspire intimacy with Him, for He is your loving Father!
g) I’m with my children since their birth. Everyday I’m with them –eat with them, and often play with them. But look, they want to sit on my lap and sleep beside me. They want, not just to see and know I’m there, but want to feel my presence. Likewise, let’s not just be contented to know that God is always there for us –guiding, protecting, and providing, but feel the realness of His presence.
2) They aspired for greater kingdom responsibilities.
a) It’s hard to look for people who are ready and willing to give more than what they give or would have given.
b) James and John, although were very happy of their present status and ministry with Jesus, wanted to give more of their lives for the work of the Lord. They wanted to give more than what they have given. Look, they still were willing to be on the list of those who work in the kingdom of God, even in the afterlife!
c) Their kind is really very rare. What we have today is a Christianity of people with idle hands. People who are contented to give less; who extend just a little part of their life to the work of God. Tozer said: “We must have better Christians!”
d) God put us here on earth to accomplish His purposes, but we don’t have that ambition! God promised us eternal rewards. But I don’t know what will be the reward of idle Christianity.
e) Oh that we may not appear before Christ in eternity with our hands done nothing, or done but less as expected. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were commanded that “No one should appear before God empty-handed.’ May God find our hands aggressively doing His work; may our hands find works to do in His kingdom, if possible, greater than what we have now.
3) They aspired to see the establishment of Christ’s glorious kingdom.
a) First, they wanted to see that the whole world be under the ruler-ship of Jesus; that Christ’s kingdom will extend throughout the whole world and righteousness will reign. I don’t know what approach they had in mind to conquer the whole world for Christ. But today we understand that it is through the proclamation of the Gospel of Salvation.
b) I am glad to know that our founder, A.B. Simpson, had a heart that aspired to reach all “the regions beyond!” He was found kneeling in agonizing prayer while embracing the globe. He cried to the Lord to give him the opportunity to bring the Gospel to all nations. And now we should not lose the spirit of Simpson; we should not lose the passion of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We should continue to aspire to win the whole world for Christ.
c) Second, they wanted to be with Jesus in His glory forever. Is this your ambition too? There are many people who really do not believe that heaven is real. This is evident in the way they live! They give more attention to material things, to what is now and here. I’m not talking about unbelievers here. I’m talking of believers in Jesus whose preoccupation is this life; Christians who were so attached to the world!
d) Paul said: “Fix your eyes on things above!” The writer of Hebrews also said: “Fix your eyes on Jesus!” For the apostles, it is not enough to just know that there is heaven or profess belief in the afterlife, one must have his mind and heart focused on it.
e) Now, about Christ’s glory? It is incomprehensible! No word is enough to give us its fullest description. It is joy beyond description!
2. THE RESPONSE OF JESUS.
Ø “Can you drink the cup I drink…?” The cup refers to the sufferings of Jesus. So, He asked James and John if they were willing to suffer because of Him.
Ø Our Lord just want to emphasize that following Him is not easy. “Discipleship is costly”, Henry Blackaby said. There must be a “cross” before a “crown”.
Ø At the upper room, the disciples expressed their undying commitment to Jesus. They were willing to die with Him. But they failed at Gethsemane. When the temple guards came to arrest Jesus, they all fled. You know why? They were not ready. At Gethsemane, they were sleeping at the most crucial hour of Jesus. They did not share in the agony of prayer with Jesus!
Ø This is giving us a very solemn lesson and warning. No one can ever expect to experience the manifestations of God’s power in his life if he is shallow in his Christian walk. One can never expect to experience the Power of Pentecost if he is bypassing the discomfort of Gethsemane and the bleeding of Calvary.
Ø Intimate experience of God’s Presence, the Outpouring of His Spirit, Effectiveness in His Kingdom, Great and Powerful Moving of God in our lives, in our churches, and in the world, are fruits of our being with Christ in His agony at Gethsemane and in His suffering at Calvary. There is no glory without pain.
3. THE REACTION OF OTHER DISCIPLES.
Ø They misunderstood James and john. Well, it is normal that many people will misunderstand you when you’re spiritually ambitious like James and John. They would call you impractical and label you “too spiritual” and even keep some distance from you. Some of them would probably your co-christian.
Ø Don’t worry God knows your conviction. People may misunderstand you but God will reward you. For me, it’s safer to be so conservative than be almost liberal.
Ø Anyways, the opinion of other people is not very important in relation to your eternity; it is what God says about you.
ARE YOU SPIRITUALLY AMBITIOUS? I don’t know, but you know!
