If you would now turn to the scriptures, whether your own copy or a copy there in front of you in the pew, and turn to the Gospel of Luke we are in chapter 22 this morning. We are going to begin and where we left off in verse 24 and read down to verse 38 Luke, chapter 2224 to 38 before we read it, let us go to the Lord in prayer. Lord. We, thank you that you speak, that you're not silent. We thank you that you are not in a distant land, but you are present here by your Spirit. And Lord, I pray that you would soften our heart and hearts, that you will open up our blinded eyes, that you will unstop again our deaf ears, and help us to receive your word as food. Help us to feast upon Christ, to behold Him, to love Him, to be thankful for the redemption that we have in Him.
Lord, bless your people. Comfort us. And it's in Jesus's name we pray. Amen people of God hear God's word for you this morning from the Gospel of Luke chapter 22 beginning in verse 24 and a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And He said to them, the king of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves. For who is the Greater One who reclines at table, or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table, but I am among you as the one who serves you, are those who are who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assigned to you as my father, assigned to me a kingdom that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
Peter said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter the cock will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me.
And He said to them, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals. Did you lack anything? And they said nothing. He said to them, but now let the one who has a money bag take it, and likewise a knapsack, and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that the scripture must be fulfilled in me, and he was numbered among the transgressors, for what is written about Me has its fulfillment. And they said, Look, Lord, here are two swords.
And he said to them, it is enough. He who has ears, let him hear the Word of God. Please be seated.
If you have been with us last week, if you were here last week, you would remember how Jesus celebrated the last Passover Feast, but also the first Lord's supper meal with his disciples in the upper room.
If you remember, Jesus would push aside the Passover lamb and put himself on the table. He would say that everything that the Old Testament was pointing to you in that lamb was a picture of me. The I will be the atonement for your sins. It will be my body that will be broken and my blood that will be poured out for you, not the lamb. It was just a picture. It was a it was a type. It was a shadow.
He's going to offer the cup as a reminder that he is going to go to the cross and drink the very dregs of the the cup of God's curse, and then give to you a cup of blessing that you might drink the cup of blessing down to the very dregs and. And Jesus says, Remember, remember. Do this in remembrance of Me. Do not forget. If you forget anything, don't forget this thing, that I am the Savior, that I am the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And by faith, you don't put my blood on your doorposts, but you smear it upon your hearts and you will live. Jesus is pouring himself out in this passage, and he is serving His disciples to the uttermost. And the disciples then look at Jesus, and they look around at one another and they say, I'm the greatest me. If you notice, there is no verse break between Jesus's institution of the Lord's Supper and where we find ourselves in our text today, they are not focused on Jesus.
They aren't focused on one another, even though the the picture of communion is not only communion with Jesus, but one another in the unity that we have. But what are they focused on me? They're focused on themselves. There. Verse 24 a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And so you see how it quickly goes from Lord, is it me? Am I the betrayer? To quickly? Of course, it's not me. You know, I may, as I think about it a little bit more. Of course, it's not about me, because I'm I've been following Christ, probably the most faithful of the rest. I have been the most consistent to Jesus's teaching. And you can just hear the argument go on.
Well, Jesus called me first.
Well, Jesus called me last. And Jesus says, the last shall be first. So that really means that I'm the greatest one, doesn't it? Well, Jesus calls me the beloved disciple. It doesn't call you that. Well, we're the the Sons of Thunder. Well, Jesus took me up on the Mount of Olives, where he was transfigured. He didn't take you. Well, of course, he took you because he can't keep you.
Know, you're always getting in trouble, Peter, and you can't leave you anywhere without making a mess. He's got to take you everywhere. He's got to hold your hand. Can't trust you. I gave up more to follow Jesus.
You know, I was making a lot of money. I was a tax collector.
You should have seen the wealth I had. Look how much I gave up for Jesus you got. Most of you guys are just fishermen. You don't really know what it's like to sacrifice like I've sacrificed to follow Jesus. I've done more miracles than you have. I've made more confessions of faith than you have. And you can just see the argument is going on and on in the bickering. And you can just the Beale will fly on the wall there at the argument of the disciples. But unfortunately, this is not a new argument for them. They have done this before all, if you remember, all the way back in Luke chapter nine, they are arguing again about who's going to be great in the kingdom. And then Jesus takes a little child, and he tells them that the greatest person is the one who's the least, like this child. And other times, you know, James and John's mom go to Jesus on their behalf. And and says, Jesus, you know, let them sit on the right and laugh. Make them make my sons the greatest.
And that causes the whole argument again, with the disciples, and they argue on the road. And Jesus like, What are you talking about? It's like, well, let's not tell Jesus what we're talking about, because they're arguing. Again, this is common, and this is common among us too, isn't it? You know, the the blessed tradition of arguments before church as we make our way, isn't isn't that the case? It's like we're getting ready to commune with Christ and the fellowship of the saints. And inevitably, let's argument about this or that. And there are topics, even as we are approaching the holidays, there's going to be topics that, you know, we don't bring up in the family, because if we do, it's going to just dive, sink right down. And you know, you don't bring up how much you've been benching at the gym, because then all of a sudden, the tables are cleared, and the arm wrestles are down, and it's just, it's, you know, the mats are are put on the ground, and people are wrestling to see who is the strongest. And that's kind of what's what's happening here. We too, we can take the Lord's Supper again, demonstrating our unity to Jesus and one another. Here we too. We hope that people will see our greatness. Maybe they will see that, you know, I got, I got the two wafers in the cup, maybe even three, which is an indication I'm the greatest. God loves me more. But we do want people to think that we're great, that we are more deserving. We want people to admire us for our faithfulness in coming to church weekly. We want people to admire our goodness and our biblical knowledge and how much we know to be patted on the back for.
Hey, how'd you get your kids to sit through a service? I don't know. Tell me, how'd you how'd you do that for the volunteer hours that we put in, we will want people to praise us, and we want people to love us and to think that we are great and grand. This is the natural disposition of our hearts. This is the sin of great selfishness, of self righteousness. Is a plague that is upon our hearts.
It's certainly upon our hearts, if it's upon the hearts of the disciples, as it was, also just notice here that again, this is the church. This is the apostles here in our text. This is not the sins are out there somewhere. This is here among us, putting ourselves over one another, not serving, not loving, not caring for one another. We often will make Church and the Lord's Supper about me, rather than focusing on Christ, but even focusing on our neighbor, what does it mean to be great? Well, they're arguing about greatness, and how is that measured? Well, Jesus kind of helps give us some understanding of of what they are thinking. He says the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. That is in the world, and the the Gentiles out there, they're measuring greatness by who has the most power and the most prestige and and guess who's the greatest, then, who has the most power, who has the most prestige, who has the most wealth? Well, it's the king. And that's, that's what the example here is. Well, of course people are going to look at the king is that he's the greatest because he's got the most stuff and he's got the most power, he's got the most people that'll listen to Him and follow Him, and that's the same today. People look at greatness of measured in money and power and influence. The real great people in the world are those professional athletes. Man, how those contracts are insane, the celebrities. Wow. You know that celebrity told me you know who to vote for, or I should listen to this policy, and I should buy their music. I need to do that because they're they're great.
Or of just politicians, and we see in the world, these are measured. Of these are the great people in the world with their talents and gifts and abilities.
If only I could have it. You know, why should I even get an education? Why go to school? Why learn anything at all? Isn't it?
Isn't it so that I can just be wealthy and powerful and notable, make my stamp in the world, to be great? Isn't that, students? Isn't that why you go to school? No, it's not. It shouldn't be.
Because Jesus says, Not so with you. That might be the world's philosophy. That might be what the world is doing. In fact, that is what the world is doing.
But he turns to his disciples and says, Not so for you, you are different. That's the worldly way, that's the way of sin, that's the way of deceit.
Those things are passing away along with its desires, but not so with you. And he redefines greatness for them. Maybe not a redefinition, but this is the real definition, and he helps him understand what real greatness is. And the kingdom of God measures greatness by service. He says, Let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves. Now in Jesus, it says that the younger were seen as those who were less with less place. And if you were older in age that you had some gray hairs, that meant you were greater, you had more wisdom.
And he's saying, become as you're become as the younger and the leader, the king, let them serve. He's flip flopping the roles of the world here, the greatest disciple is the one who humbly serves, who is the most cheerful and willing to boot to do the most menial and low task, to serve a. Others. Who's ready to be great? Are you ready to do the lowest of lowest tasks?
Because it serves and helps God's people and gives glory to God? I don't know if I'm ready to be great. If that's how it's we're putting it. As Philippians two says, count others more significant than yourselves, and that's really what Jesus is saying here. You know, the Lord has really blessed us in our church with some great people doing things they just like, folding bulletins, filling communion trays, watching children getting food for fellowship, meals and new members, classes, calling on the sick, following up with the needy, showing hospitality to strangers, sharing the gospel with children, and all of these things are just thankless ways of service. It's great. In the Lord's eyes, the world might laugh at these things. The world might even laugh at that definition of of greatness. But in God's eyes, it pleases Him, it brings glory to Him. And the best example of greatness is not us and our examples, but of Jesus, and he uses himself.
Here, he says, For who is the Greater One who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? Jesus is asking a question, who's greater the one sitting at the table or the one serving the table? And most likely, people will say, clearly, one who is being served is greater than the waiter, right? Because that's why the waiter is serving him, because he's he must be great. And then look what Jesus says. But I am among you as the one who serves.
One thing that I really just love about this text is Jesus is assuming his greatness, and he is, and he uses his himself as the example. I am the greatest.
This is what Jesus is saying, not me, Jesus. Jesus is the greatest. And he is, he is God Himself. He is the God man.
There's no one greater than Jesus in all of anything. In fact, he is so great, we will praise God in Christ and the Spirit forever and ever, and we will never even come close to reaching the glory and honor that he deserves. The disciples should be waiting on Jesus and serving Him, hand and foot, and yet Jesus is saying, I'm serving you. I am the greatest among you. I am the the greatest servant among you. I'm the deacon. He's washing feet, he's preparing the table, he's he's serving with himself and putting himself on the table. And Jesus has been serving them for years, spiritually feeding them, teaching them, healing, training them, correcting, loving them, and very soon he will serve them by taking all of their sins upon himself on the cross. And even as Mark 10 says, For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
And the reason it's not so with you, as he says, is because it's not so with me. If you want to be great, like Jesus is great, this is how we reflect. Jesus is not about making it about me, but even as you just heard he came not to be served, but to serve. If you want to be great, how do you do it? In God's eyes, serve, serve comfort the sorrowful, watch over the widows, care for the orphans, befriend the sinner, share the gospel in all circumstances. Let us not be content here just with having head knowledge and loud professions of faith in our apostles, creed or or a keen sight and a controversy, but let us minister and serve a sin, broken world, and let us love and serve one another, as Christ has served us, and be great in that way, even if others don't see it. Your father, who is in heaven, sees it. He knows your heart. He sees we don't think do things for the faces of man. We do things for the glory of God.
Jesus is great, and the disciples really aren't great.
Are they? They aren't really serving Jesus or even one another at this time. They will all forsake Jesus very soon, and Jesus even knows this, but look again at how he serves them. And is merciful to them in verse 28 you are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my father assigned to me a kingdom that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel think of all the things Jesus could have said in that moment. They are arguing and bickering at one another. Jesus knows all the their failings. He knows what they are about to do, even that very day and they're all going to run away. And Jesus doesn't spend the time focusing on all of their faults and failures, and there are many, and Jesus could have spent the rest of the day and the next day and the next week and the next year just pointing them all out and their weakness and their failures, but he dwells on the good. Isn't that Merciful of Jesus. If I'm Jesus, I'm like, Hey, quiet down. I'm trying to serve you guys here. But he says, even in all their faults, you followed me, not perfectly, he doesn't even point that out, but you, you've been with me.
You've stayed with me even in my trials. And my father has given me a kingdom. And guess what?
I'm going to give you the kingdom as well. I'm going to give you a seat at my table as well. I'm going to have blessing upon blessing upon blessing for you. You see the mercy of Christ again in this moment. It's, it's, it's so beautiful. And I kind of just, I picture it like, you know, a father who might receive a picture from their their children, you know, they you know, Dad, here's a picture of you, and you get the picture and like, Oh, okay. But you know, it's imperfect in many ways. But because they, you know, they're doing it out of love. They're doing it for you, even though there's so, like, so many feelings when I receive the picture. I don't I don't give that reaction. Say This isn't good. You're no Picasso. Maybe you are. You know, try again and send it back after a few more years of art class and you perfected it. I'll receive it and then I'll enjoy it and put it up on the fridge. Now, when you receive it, even if, in all its imperfections, as a loving father would do you say, I love it. It's going right up here for everyone to see it. And I feel like that's what Jesus is doing here with his disciples. You know that they're so imperfect in many, many ways, and it's so evident to us, even in the text of everything, what's happening.
But he says that you know that they're following him, and even in their trials, they're loving Jesus. Even if their faith is small, their faith is still in Christ. And he receives it, and he loves it, and He blesses them more than they ever deserve. What Jesus gives to them is far outweighs anything that they will ever do or say. That His mercies are more and more and more and they don't deserve it. He has good in store for them, and He promises a kingdom and a place at his table. And then Jesus turns to Peter. And then Jesus knows Peter's weakness, and he says, Simon, Simon. And you might think Peter might be saying, well, hold on, Jesus, I'm not Simon. I'm Peter. Now I'm the solid rock. Remember you told me that you said, no longer Simon, but Peter, why are you calling me Simon? Well, listen, Simon, you're not Peter. On your own strength, you're weak. In fact, you're vulnerable. You can't do anything apart from me. In fact, Satan has demanded to have you Simon, as he has had Judas. And not only you, Peter, but he wants the rest of you. He wants all the all the apostles, all the disciples, the you. There is plural that he might sift you like wheat. He wants to destroy you. He wants to devour you. And this is the nature of Satan. He is never satisfied. He wants more souls and more misery. And that's the nature of any of our sin. Is never satisfied. God never content, always wanting more more lust, more desire, more wealth, more of me. And so is Satan not content. He is like a roaring lion wandering around the Earth, seeking more to devour, more to bring into sin and misery. You know, why did Satan even go to the garden in the first place? All the way back in Genesis chapter three, you know, he was a rebel. He was the first rebel. Why not just be content? You know, rebelling against God. Why go to the garden? Because he's not content. You know, he why go into the church? Why seek to to cause a division and discord and false doctrines? And he wants more, never satisfied, seeking to sift us like wheat. JC riles said, the the world is a snare to believers. The flesh is a burden and a clog. But there's no enemy so dangerous as the restless, invisible, experienced enemy, the devil and Jesus is saying, Peter, wake up. You're in danger. Peter, there's a war happening right now, Peter, and you don't even see it, but the devil himself is crouching behind the door, and the spiritual warfare is real. And it's not only real for Peter, it's real for you, your soul is at stake here. There's a war waging for your soul. Do not be deceived. Be watchful. Be in prayer. And Peter on your own strength, and you and me on our own strength, we will be overcome. We will fail on our own strength will be like Moses, Moses, who took a man's life on our own strength, we're like David committing adultery, and we can see in the course of scriptures, time and time again, man after man in their own Strength, falling, falling. And Simon is an example of this in his own strength. He's Simon.
But what is our hope? What was Moses's hope? What's David's hope? What's Peter's hope?
What's our hope? What's my hope?
I'm weak. I know I can't defeat the devil. What's the secret then, to our perseverance or our preservation? How do I how do I go on? How do I not be devoured?
Well, it's there in verse 32 Jesus says, But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. What's the secret to us preserving to the end? Well, guess what? It's not you, it's not me, it's Christ. It's Christ's intercession for us.
You know, we have enemies that are so great and we are so small. The world is full of snares. Our hearts are so feeble and Prone to wander, Lord. We feel it as we sang even, and it seems so impossible that our little boat will reach the shores of heaven, but this passage explains it to us that our hope is not in ourselves, but it's in Christ, as Hebrews seven, says that he is always making intercession for us, that we have an advocate, and even as we Come to the table, and even as Christ has instituted the Lord's supper with His disciples, it's a reminder that he's the Passover lamb. Remember going back to the Passover?
Remember the angel of death was going to come. The Angel of Death was going to take lives and bring sin and misery, not only then, but for eternity, to drag them down to Hell with Satan, where he will devour you for all of eternity. But Jesus is the Passover Lamb who gives his body and blood, who serves to the uttermost by the giving of his life. And that we receive that by faith. We receive the blood of the Lamb, and we rub it on our hearts by faith that we would not die but have eternal life. Jesus is not only the one who died for us. He lives for us then and now that he's doing for our souls. What he did for Peter now is making intercession. He is a living that. Uh, to pray and intercede for us. Now he is our our Great High Priest. And in Christ, the truth of Romans eight comes true that there is nothing that is nothing, that is nothing, and all of creation is able to separate you from the love of Christ. And he says, Peter, you're going to fall. I know it. He can only turn back if he's turned away, as Jesus says, Turn back again. Well, Jesus knows he's he's going to turn away. And this acts repentance is, is turning, turning from sin and turning to Christ, and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
He can use this fall, and he will use this fall he's planning to use Peter's fall to strengthen his brothers and also to strengthen you. And maybe you've been, maybe where Peter has before, where you have fallen into sin, and maybe even sin for a time, but in Christ, you've been restored, and you've been brought back, and you've repented, and you know then the great mercy of God that is found in Christ. You you better understand the gospel. You're more compassionate and and kind to others in their sin, because you know that you're not any better. And Peter's going to use all of that. And Peter is this brash Bull of a man, but God humbles him. Chosen Peter, you are not strong. You are weak.
But in Christ, you are strong.
You know that that let us boast in our weaknesses all the more that the power of Christ might be made known. And Peter responds, Lord, I'm ready to go with you both the prison and the death. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny me three times and until you deny three times that you know me. So Peter says, Jesus, you're wrong. I'm going to show you how great I am. I'm going to go all the way to death with you. And that prophecy that happens that very day, Peter denies Jesus three times. Not only does he deny Jesus three times, he does it very emphatically. He curses at those who would accuse him of knowing Jesus. He will say he doesn't even know the man. And it all comes true.
And just like Peter, there are things in our lives that we think that we will never commit no on. They would never do that.
But this is a reminder we aren't beyond the reach of any particular sin. If you see in the news, ever someone falling into sin or doing this or that, how could they do that? Oh, you know what that is, self righteousness. You know what that is pride. You know what that is thinking that you are greater than they are, and you are not. We are just like Peter.
And it is often in the areas where we think that we are the most strong, that we are in the most danger. And Peter does fall into great, serious sin, but that's all of us in various ways, in different times, all of all sins deserve God's wrath.
There. There are more sins that are are more serious than others, and these are great sins. But Peter doesn't fall away. It was God's plan for Peter to see the limits of his own strength and experiences bitter taste of sin to to better understand the grace and mercy of God in Christ, Jesus, and that he can encourage others even with their own struggle and sin. If you notice, Jesus doesn't pray for comfort. He doesn't pray for an easy life for Peter. He prays that his faith will not fail, and that's the most important thing for us to have faith. If you look at in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 11, you will see a bunch of failure, people who failed in many ways, in various ways, who aren't great. But you know, Hebrews chapter 11 is often called the chapter of those of great faith, and it's not them.
It's the object of their faith that is Christ, not as the same with us. We aren't great. We fail and fall in various and numerous ways. But our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ and the rooster crowing to Peter then, and I heard someone say this, you know, why? Why a rooster crowing? You know, there's a lot of other animals. Why did he use a rooster with Peter. Well, it was a it would be a daily reminder when Peter wakes up of God's mercy. Every single morning Peter wakes up, he'll wake up thinking, I've rejected Christ. I've denied him. I was cursing at that guy. I said, I don't even know the man. I.
Rooster crow, and it'll be a reminder that Christ has died for all of his sins again, not in part, but the whole, that all of his sins are nailed to the cross, and he doesn't bear it anymore, and he rises in a new morning that His mercies are new to me again and again this morning. And I live my life in that resting in Christ, and in Christ alone, verse 37 he'll be numbered with the transgressors, and this is Peter's hope. You know, Peter is a transgressor.
He ought to be numbered among the transgressors, but in Christ, you actually are numbered among the righteous.
You and I are a denier, just like Peter, but Jesus goes to the cross, taking our sins, and He dies as a denier. We, you and I are an idolater, but Jesus takes our idolatry upon the cross, and He dies as an idolatry. You and I are an adulterer at heart, and Jesus takes adultery, and he becomes the adulterer and the thief and the liar as Second Corinthians 521 says he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And Jesus here is quoting the fulfillment of Isaiah. 53 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed all we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. And that's our hope. That's really the summary of this sermon. Is that there in Isaiah, 53 not me, but Christ. And so we see the the guilt, we see the grace that is in Christ. And now we see the gratitude. And what does he call them now to do in verse 35 to 38 he's calling them out to go into the world. And we could spend more time here on verse 35 and 30 and I'm not going to, but let me just summarize it is that it's going to be different. You know, when you're hungry now, you can't just rely on Jesus to start just breaking bread and passing it out before you didn't. You were told not to bring a knapsack. Bring your knapsack. Prepare for hard times. Prepare for difficult times. And there's challenging things in here, and I confess I don't quite understand, I wrestle with this word, the sword here. Is it a figurative sword, or is it a literal sword?
You know, Jesus Peter will cut someone's ear off here shortly, and Jesus will say, hey, put that sword away. But why would the sword be figurative if the knapsack and the other things are more literal, what I'm saying is there's challenging things, but to summarize, Jesus is sending them out. Now, ministry is going to be hard. In fact, you're going to be doing lowly and menial things, things that you don't want to do, doing ministry. You're not going to be put up on a pedestal, and people that aren't going to like you, they're going to persecute you, and they're going to, in fact, try to put you to death. So be prepared and be great by going out, giving your life and living it for the Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's the call to see our sin, to rest in Christ and to go out into the world sharing that mercy and grace with others.
Let's pray, Father, we thank You for Your mercy and grace to us, and I pray that you would show us our sin all the more show us our weakness that let lest we be prideful, lest we think that we are great and we are not, help us to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to rest upon him, as you told Peter, let us turn again, even in our sin, in our repentance, that we will encourage one another to warn one another about the bitter taste of sin, how the wages of sin brings death all around us and eternal life. But let us point one another to the Lord Jesus Christ, and help us Lord to go out ready to serve and to do lowly things for Christ's sake and for the church. Lord, be merciful in Jesus' name. We pray Amen. Amen.