FBCWest 412 | How to Really Be Promoted in the Kingdom of God
Recorded On: 08/16/2020
Bulletin
FBCWest
August 16, 2020
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
“Have Faith in God”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – Romans 12:1 & 2
“Let it be Known”
“Your Promises”
“No One Like You”
“One Thing”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Life and Ministry of Jesus The Messiah”
“How to Really Be Promoted in the Kingdom of God”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Only Jesus”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”
Sermon Notes
Matthew 20:17 – 19 Jesus predicts His death and treatment for the third time
Matthew 20:20 & 21 Mother of James and John want preference of power in the kingdom
Matthew 20:22 Jesus’ response and their response to Him
Matthew 20:23 The position requested is already determined
Matthew 20:24 Indignation of the other disciples
Matthew 20:25 – 28 How to get a promotion in the kingdom
Weekly Events
Sundays
8:15 – 8:45 am Prayer Time in Chapel
9:00 – 9:50 am Bible Study
10:00 – 11:15 am Worship Service
Wednesdays
6:30 – 8pm Judo
6:30 – 7:30pm Bible Study and Prayer Meeting
Tuesday & Friday
6:30 – 8:30pm Judo
Saturday
12 – 2pm Judo
This week nursery workers:
Next week nursery workers:
Web address:
fbcwest.net
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
We have been taking a look.
At the earthly life and Ministry of Jesus.
And his life like ours.
Is not made up of a series of events and happenings.
But that each event.
Happening is cumulative.
It tells us more about who he is.
And whose disciples are.
And so this.
Articular passages.
No different.
Well.
Be impacted by what we've seen previously.
And so on. In Matthew Chapter 20, starting with verse 17.
For the third recorded time, Jesus is going to discuss with his disciples.
Is death.
In his resurrection.
Generally speaking, every time he brings it up.
Either the disciples tried to talk him out of it.
Or don't get quite catch the meaning.
And so.
As Jesus.
Had previously
on his way to.
See and who ultimately resurrect Lazarus.
His disciples were concerned of him going because.
Bethany is close.
To Jerusalem and in.
Judea
and they were afraid that they would still try to stone him.
Well, now he's on his way to Jerusalem.
Because.
Passover is close.
Ann as all mails.
Are required to if at all possible, go to jerus.
As Passover, Jesus is doing so.
But he's been taking.
Trip and he is getting close.
To the town.
Of Jericho and will talk about the town.
Careful later.
Another time.
And so Jesus is heading South.
Ford through summit for 17. As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples, decide by themselves on the way. He said to him, behold, we are going up to Jerusalem.
And the son of Man will be delivered to the chief priest and scribes, and they will condemn him to death.
And will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock.
And a scourge and crucify.
And on the third day.
He will be raised up.
Oh Jesus gives him a pretty full description of what's going to happen that he's going to be delivered up, which means somebody is going to see that he falls into the hands.
Of the Pharisees and describe.
The day will contain him to death, but that as everyone knows, they don't have the power to do that, and so they're going to hand him over to the Gentiles to take care of it. And the Gentiles will mock him and scourge him and crucify him, but he's saying.
Don't lose hope.
Goes on the third day I will rise again.
Now you would think.
That since this is now the third time.
He's brought this up.
At least recorded.
You may have discussed it more.
You would think.
The disciples, after having experienced him for that long, saying, well, what is it that you want us?
What is it?
That we can do in this situation.
So they you know they might say well.
I know this is what you're saying is going to happen. Is there something we can do to prevent it or something we can do while it's happening to you to make it better for you?
But there's no word of.
Just.
Tells them.
And so as a result.
What follows up becomes even more star.
And so in verse 20 says, then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her son, bowing down and making a request.
Now.
I guess the one positive that I can say is that at least here there's a certain amount of faith.
Because they're saying, Well, you've told us.
That you're 12 disciples are going to sit on Thrones with you, and you're going, and they're going to judge the 12 tribes. And so apparently there's least this faith that this is going to happen so.
I don't want to be always down, but that's a positive.
The interesting thing.
Is that the mother?
Of the sons of Zebedee.
Are probably.
Marries
sister
so there if you will have cousins.
Of Jesus.
And so the mother of the sons of Zebedee, the The Sons of Thunder.
Came to Jesus with her sons bowing down and making a request of him, and he said to her what you wish.
She said to him command.
And in your Kingdom these two sons of mine may sit one on your right hand.
And one on your left.
And so again, here's a visa statement of faith saying, OK, my kids are going to judge the 12 tribes, but I want preferment. I want one of them as you're sitting on your throne. Just sit on your right hand and one on your left. I'll let you choose which one she didn't say I want James instead on the right and John to sit on the left or vice versa. She just I want my two boys.
To be in places of authority and close.
Is when somebody is sitting on the right hand and or the left hand of a powerful person they have influence. They themselves have power and people want to be in a position of power. So she makes the request that she not only wants them to judge the 12 tribes, she wants them to be on the right and left. So she wants them to have influence in Jesus, his Kingdom and after all maybe Jesus had granted because.
We're family.
But Jesus answered.
You do not know what you are asked.
Are you able to drink the Cup that I am about to drink?
So Jesus, you really don't understand what it is you're asked.
Because I've told you I'm about to be crucified. I told you I'm about to be mocked. I told you all of these things. Are you going to be able to drink those types of events?
And they.
Most of us who are.
Imaginatively probable.
We are able.
So no longer is mom talking for them there speaking on Villa. Now in the other gospels, the mother is left out.
It's not a matter of OG. One gospel has it wrong or different.
When the person who is.
The one making the statement.
Whether it's in person or.
Buy a.
At.
Embassy embassy airy
is that person?
Who is being spoken so whether the other gospel said, well, this is what took place.
It's kind of, well. Mom asked the boys.
Concur.
Yeah, we want this. We want we want to do this now. What's interesting here?
The Jesus asked him a question, are they able to drink? And they say yes?
They are.
And he said to them, my Cup, you shall die.
Now.
James
will be one of the first. Well, he'll be the first Apostolic Mark.
It will not be long.
On the earth after Jesus is resurrection.
We will be martyred for his family.
John, on the other hand, will live a long life.
But it will not be an easy.
It will be marked. He will be ridiculed. He will even be.
Placed in it.
And so it's not like either one has.
A beautiful life ahead.
Jesus says, Yep, you're right, you're going to drink, but.
You sit on my right and on my left this is not mine to give.
Jesus still acknowledges that he is under authority.
But it is for the.
Those whom it has been prepared by my boss.
God has determined in his ultimate wisdom, who would sit on the right and who will sit on the left.
And is prepared or.
Now.
You know what the reaction of the rest of the group is going to be as you would have the same reaction and hearing this, the 10 became indignant with the two brother.
You went behind our backs and you try to become better than us.
How dare you do that? How dare you wanna have the special performance of being on Jesus or right on his left? So again, it shows a if you will. A bit of the sense that they have faith, because if it's not happening, who cares?
But they're indignant of the hubris that these two boys have.
To ask for this performance.
But Jesus called them to himself and said, so Jesus is very aware that there is.
Antagonism in his group.
2000 years later.
There is.
Still the same old prob.
When churches don't have people.
Or more concerned about the Gospel then their position.
There happens to be antagon.
Well, the pastor didn't recognize me.
Or no one noticed, I was there or no, I didn't get my pen for.
Three weeks of.
Uninterrupted, attended.
It's an pastors are told and said, Well, you gotta recognize people and you gotta ask people you have and it's it's all about recognition.
And the sad thing about Baptist churches?
As we've we've started more new churches.
Because of.
Church split.
An intention.
Well, I can't believe that so and so did such and such, and I'm not going there so that we started neutral.
Wouldn't it be great if we actually started new churches that were trying to advance?
And so Jesus knows.
Of the controversy.
He goes, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles, Lorded over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.
He's saying wait a minute guys.
This is the way the world works.
The way the World Works is you want power.
You want to be able to tell people what to do.
And you're never satisfied with a little power. You always want more and more.
And people love to tell people what to do.
All you gotta do is.
Or the grocery store?
They got little things on the milestone which way to go?
But there's nobody in this.
The store almost said something.
But there still they love to tell you how to do things.
Every once in awhile.
My rebellious side gets out and I'm going. Why do I wanna go that way to go around and go this way and what I want is like 5 feet from this thing so I just go get it.
Horse, and nobody's told me all you're going the wrong way but we love to tell people what to do even our quote unquote public servants.
Like the Lord it over everyone.
My wife.
Was very involved in.
PTA throughout our children.
Schooling.
Anne, at their elementary school and I'm.
Try to be the. The names will.
Be a name to protect the guilty.
Uh.
So she was at doing PTA things and invited the parents to do the Peach eating and I don't know whether it was to invite more people, but they had punch and cookies and finger food and all these things.
And they had invited not only the parents, but the school board people.
In this one particular school board person.
No one had said Well, you go first.
Because your school board 1st.
The I actually believe that what we talked about is public.
Sir.
But she didn't look at it that way, and she was in sense that she wasn't invited to go first.
Because after all, she was a school board 1st.
But that's the way the world works. I have this position. Therefore you should honor me. I have this position. I can tell you what to do and if I don't like you, I'll spend more money on a different school than your school so.
Be in line.
Jesus says that is not the way that my Kingdom is going to work.
It's always going to give them some advice.
And giving them advice is giving us advice.
And that's the title of my sermon, and so I'll look at it and make sure I get it right.
How to really be promoted in the Kingdom of God?
Nella space it we all want promotions. We all want to be in positions of authority and recognition.
When you go to work.
And you start in the mailroom.
Assuming you started in the Mail room, you're not satisfied. Ending up in the Mail room, you can't wait to get a promotion that you do your job so well, then no, but everybody gets the right Mail in the right spot at the right time and they go hey this for. So let's give them a promotion and so they make you whatever is next. And then whatever is next.
And you even here in some instances that that person becomes.
President of the company think that work with UPS or something. They started out as a driver. Do not run the whole show, but that's how it works. We looked to be promoted in the way you look at being promoted as you work hard, you stay out of trouble and you do whatever and you try to be notice. In reality as we will see, it is not necessarily what you know but who you know.
And there have been a lot of people who've gotten promotions. You look and say.
They haven't been here that long. They're not that impressive, but they know so.
Or they went to the right school.
With the right people at the right.
But Jesus says that's now how it's going to work. So let me give you.
A recommendation how to get promoted in the Kingdom of God and it's going to take you aback because it's not the way the world works.
Is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you?
Yeah, you wanna be great you wanna be awesome you you ultimately want to send out my right hand on my left time. You want to be significant in the Kingdom of God? Here's how you do it.
You shall be.
Whoever wants to be great among you shall be your.
He says.
Not who you know, now what you know now, how hard you work. It's not how effective you are.
But that you, Sir.
Only give you kind of an example.
I am not very good with construction.
Well reasons I'm a lawyer.
I always assumed that when you build things, it had to be kind of exact.
Until I started doing things around here and discovered while the the code says it's supposed to be every 16 inches at A.
Fences are supposed to be exact and they ain't.
I yeah we we. Many decades ago we bought a house.
And it was a brand new house in the sense of no one else that ever lived there before. Is brand new and so we wanted a patio.
We were one of the last people to put a patio on and my stepfather in law happened to be working in.
The map.
He drove a truck.
So he was nice enough to do that.
Ann as the submit truck came and we lived in Riverside where it was hot like today an it poured the cement.
An we related and he did it and we put salt stuff in so we wouldn't slip.
It was such a good job that that the neighbors started coming in looking.
As we were actually doing it right.
Not because I knew what I was doing. He knew what he was doing.
And our neighbors had done such a lousy job. That one of them, while they were trying to scrape the cement so that it would be even, it Harden, is all they had, was scrapes. It wasn't even even.
And they're looking, oh, that's how you do.
And I'm going, yeah, that's how that's how you do it.
And then we.
Put the lattice work up.
Now you see.
I thought a hammer was a hammer.
Ha ha.
I had this hammer and I'm up there and we're putting the last word and I'm banging and banging and banging. Now look over at him.
He takes this hammer goes bam, bam.
Bam, bam.
I'm going.
What kind of hammer you got? Yours looks like a 16 ounce whatever it was that I'm going.
Now what this is the one I bought a hammer.
Because.
I didn't know the difference.
So what I'm saying is.
When you become a servant, you don't necessarily need to know anything.
Somebody is building a house. You don't have to know that how to build a house, you say?
Here's abort you nail it. 'cause I don't know what I'm doing, but you don't have to keep coming up and down the ladder because I'll serve you.
You need some water. I'll give you some water. I will serve you even though I don't know how to build a house.
But all too often and church people as well, I don't know how to do X, and so I'll still sit in the Pew.
No serve somebody handed some water hand 'em in this example of bored. Do something that makes their job easier and you serve him even by not knowing anything by becoming a servant. Guess what? In Jesus his Kingdom you just got promoted.
Now.
I know.
Y'all say Oh just great enough to be in.
I'm just going to be satisfied with that.
Be you can finish the rest.
You're not satisfied with what's on Earth. You always want bigger better Raider.
More money, more time, more whatever.
Which won't last forever.
And now you're going to be satisfied with just, well, whatever happens, happen.
No, you need to be understanding that you should work to get a promotion in the Kingdom of God.
So you shall be servant an whoever wishes to be first among you.
You wanna sit in my right hand you want us know whether you wanna have some significance in the game you wanna be first?
Shall be your slave.
Not even just a servant. You see, the servant goes. You know I'm done.
The heat of the day I gave you a bunch of boards and some water I'm out.
Asleep doesn't get to do that.
A slave is permanently bonded to the master.
And whatever the master says, that's what you do.
Whether it's a good idea or not.
He's saying you only want to get promoted.
And become a slave.
And then he's going to give an example.
Just as the son of man.
Did not come to be served, but to serve.
Jesus.
Favorite expression of himself? Is it called himself the son of man?
Now there will be some people said, well, that's because he's trying to tell everybody he's also human as well as.
God.
No, he's telling everybody he's got.
Isn't Daniel. It talks about the son of man.
And that person.
Receive honor and glory.
Throne of God.
We goes.
If I.
The son of Man I, the son of the living God, did not come here for you all to wait on me.
Did not come here for you to serve me before me to serve you.
But not only that, he did not come.
To be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
He gave his life in exchange.
Or the indebtedness that we have that we might be free.
You want to be promoted in the Kingdom of God.
Sir.
Yes way.
Give your life.
For his Kingdom.
Not about.
Everybody technology aren't you wonderful?
Old pastor tell us what to do. You have such authority.
He here.
To be a servant.
Of every.
To be a slave of everyone.
And to say.
At the end of my life.
And the end of your life.
It's not what you gain.
For what you pay.
That you gave your life.
Not as it ransom, because Jesus already did that.
Gave your life.
That Jesus might be honored and glorified.
That people might understand that you are his disciple and that you take his teaching seriously.
And that you want to address in the Kingdom.
Not as the world.
Jesus.
Thought.
And Jesus.
Not only pod.
My work.
He showed us by his action.
The thing that we Christian sometimes.
So mind blowing that we think about it.
Is that the God?
Of the universe, the God who said let there be light.
The God who makes everything in his powerful.
And is entitled to honor and Glory and power and Dominion that God.
Sent his son.
Because he loves you and me.
To serve you.
To die.
If God.
And do that.
Who are we?
To do any less.
And all God's people said.