Servants Shall Be Rulers Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(A). The Plan (vs 32-34):

(1). The city (vs 33).

(2). The conspirators (vs 33b-44a).

(3). The conclusion (vs 34b).

(B). The Request (vs 35-45).

(1). It tells us something about Mark

(2). It tells us something about the disciples (vs 35-44)

(3). It tells us something about Jesus (vs 45)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• A secretary was leaving the office one Friday evening;

• When she encountered one of the bosses Mr. Jones,

• He was standing in front of a shredder;

• With a piece of paper in his hand.

• "Listen," said Mr. Jones,

• "This is important, and my secretary has already left. Can you make this thing work?"

• "Certainly," said the secretary.

• She turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

• "Excellent, excellent!" said Mr. Jones as his paper disappeared inside the machine.

• "I just need one copy!"

Transition: If you ever get things wrong or misunderstand someone;

• Then you are in good company.

• The disciples managed to do this with Jesus again and again and again!

• A perfect example of that is in our passage this morning.

(A). The Plan (vs 32-34):

• In our passage this morning Jesus announces his death for a third time;

• In the first two announcements (chapter 8 verse 31 & chapter 9 verse 31);

• Jesus had told them WHAT would happen.

• But now he tells them WHERE it will happen (verse 33);

• It will happen in the holy city of Jerusalem.

There are three things to note in this section (verses 32-34).

(1). The city (vs 33).

“We are going up to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles”.

Question: Why Jerusalem? Why not somewhere else?

Answer:

• King David of Israel first established Jerusalem as the capital city 3,000 yrs ago,

• So politically it soon became very important.

• Then David’s son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city;

• This made Jerusalem the centre of Jewish spiritual life.

Ill:

• Ambition usually progresses through the following stages:

• To be like Dad…to be famous…to be a millionaire……

• To make enough to pay the bills; to hang on long enough to draw a pension.

Every Jew had one ambition and that was to visit Jerusalem:

• If possible, to visit Jerusalem at Passover time.

• Even today, when Passover is celebrated by a modern Jew.

• The last official prayer of their ceremony performed in the home,

• Ends with these words; “NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!”

• Jewish people already living in Jerusalem would instead say;

• “NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM REBUILT!”

• At Passover during the time of Christ:

• A constant stream of humanity made its way towards Jerusalem.

• Devout Jews poured in from all corners of the world;

• To worship God “in the mountain of His holiness”.

• Every male Jew who lived within 15 miles of Jerusalem had to attend 3 times a year:

• At Passover, at Pentecost, and at the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

• But for many others who lived very far from Jerusalem,

• The lengthy pilgrimage at Passover was the fulfilment of a once-in-a-lifetime dream.

So Jerusalem was the political & more importantly the spiritual capitol of the Jewish people:

• It was the place that housed the temple;

• Where each day sacrifices were made.

• It was the place where an innocent lamb became the substitute for a guilty human being;

• The innocent lamb was slain that the guilty person may be forgiven.

Ill:

• You may recall the words of John the Baptist;

• In John’s gospel chapter 1 verse 29 when he saw Jesus – he said:

• “Look (stare, behold, gaze), the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Note:

• Every human being was born to live!

• Well every human being except one!

• Jesus Christ was born to die!

• His coming into the world was all part of God’s plan of salvation.

• ill: Baby he was given three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh;

• Gold for a king, incense for a priest.

• But why myrrh (a burial spice)?

• Given to signify here was one born to die!

• He was the perfect innocent lamb of God;

• Who on the cross would become the substitute for a world of guilty human beings;

• His blood was spilled that guilty men & women may be forgiven.

Ill:

In 1927, in West Africa,

• A blood specimen was taken from a native man named Asibi,