SPEAKER_00: It's great to be here.
SPEAKER_00: Um, thank you for having me as well.
SPEAKER_00: Um, starting at verse 30, Mark chapter 9, verse 30.
SPEAKER_00: They went on from there and passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.
SPEAKER_00: And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.
SPEAKER_00: But they did not understand the saying and were afraid to ask him.
SPEAKER_00: And they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them, What were you discussing on the way?
SPEAKER_00: But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
SPEAKER_00: And he sat down and called the twelve, and he said to them, If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.
SPEAKER_00: John said to him, Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus said, Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
SPEAKER_00: For the one who is not against us is for us.
SPEAKER_00: For truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
SPEAKER_00: And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
SPEAKER_00: It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
SPEAKER_00: And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
SPEAKER_00: It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
SPEAKER_00: And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.
SPEAKER_00: It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
SPEAKER_00: For everyone will be salted with fire.
SPEAKER_00: Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?
SPEAKER_00: Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.
SPEAKER_00: This is the word of the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Started off as a great passage, didn't it?
SPEAKER_00: And it ended kind of scary.
SPEAKER_00: It's a little confronting there.
SPEAKER_00: So how about we pray and ask God to help us understand this word?
SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, thank you for this word.
SPEAKER_00: We do believe and trust in the power of your word.
SPEAKER_00: We know that it is life-giving, we know that it is uplifting, we know that it is inspiring, and so we pray, oh God, that indeed your word will be like that for us this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to understand, help us to believe, and help us to respond and act in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, well, again, thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_00: You know, it is always very exciting for me to be here with you guys.
SPEAKER_00: Um, Stanford, by the way, sends their greetings.
SPEAKER_00: They and they're they're always praying for you guys.
SPEAKER_00: It's exciting for me to be here with you guys because it reminds me of our days when we were trying to get started in in Stanford.
SPEAKER_00: It was it was an exciting time, it was a scary time, and it was busy and filled with a lot of anticipation.
SPEAKER_00: There was an energy that we had, and I think I see it in you guys as well.
SPEAKER_00: An energy where it's like you want to build, you want to get involved.
SPEAKER_00: And I want to just point that out for you in different ways through the word and encourage you in that to keep going.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: Because you guys are in a similar place as the disciples were with Jesus, full of anticipation and pride and honor for being with the Lord, following him.
SPEAKER_00: And for the disciples, you know, we started to get into their journey and how they were walking with him.
SPEAKER_00: And I wonder if you could imagine the privilege that they had of being able to walk with the Lord Jesus, right?
SPEAKER_00: I don't want that to be lost on you guys because I want you guys to be able to see what you guys have and what you're doing and be strengthened in that.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples, though, with for all their excitement, um, they needed it to be harnessed and channeled more directly and appropriately.
SPEAKER_00: And that way they'd be better prepared for mission.
SPEAKER_00: What were they going to learn so that all that energy that they had would now become kinetic, you know?
SPEAKER_00: That they would start to put it into practice.
SPEAKER_00: Well, this passage addresses that, and hopefully we'll see it and be inspired by it.
SPEAKER_00: It's like, how will Jesus prepare his disciples for the mission that they are on?
SPEAKER_00: And he's going to give the disciples the first major lesson.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I have three points for us.
SPEAKER_00: Um, valuing service as greatness is the first point of how Jesus is preparing his disciples for the mission.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 30, you know, if you notice that Jesus, he they it goes, they went on from there and passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know, verse 31, for he was teaching his disciples.
SPEAKER_00: Like this is like specific teaching for the disciples.
SPEAKER_00: And what does Jesus teach them?
SPEAKER_00: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, they will kill him, and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.
SPEAKER_00: But they didn't understand what they were, what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Jesus, we're in the central portion of Mark's gospel.
SPEAKER_00: This is the middle but central portion, and this is where Jesus predicts his death.
SPEAKER_00: And he does it three times, and each time he's going to teach the disciples a lesson based on how they react to him dying, the news of him dying.
SPEAKER_00: See, the disciples, at right now, they don't understand what's going on, why Jesus is saying that he's going to die and then rise again.
SPEAKER_00: And because they don't understand it, Jesus uses this opportunity as a teaching moment, a ministry training moment, preparing the disciples for what will be primary and necessary for them to learn.
SPEAKER_00: And that is the character of the heart.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples need to have the character of their hearts formed.
SPEAKER_00: Look how Jesus opens the lesson, verse 33.
SPEAKER_00: And they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them, What were you discussing on the way?
SPEAKER_00: But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, Jesus has just said he's going to die.
SPEAKER_00: Three days later, he's going to rise.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to be delivered into the hands of men.
SPEAKER_00: And the disciples, they're behind him and they're arguing with one another about who is the greatest.
SPEAKER_00: I wonder if that seems a little weird for you.
SPEAKER_00: One is talking about willing to sacrifice, he's willing to sacrifice his life for others.
SPEAKER_00: The others are fighting over who is better.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that a little strange?
SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, church, church folks getting excited about going on an overseas missions trip.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say this overseas missions trip is, you know, you're going to go to Thailand and you're going to hit different cities and you're going to work with the church there.
SPEAKER_00: And one person in the mission team, they're all excited about being able to go and work and reach the poor and the needy in the slums of Chiang Mai and Bangkok and all the different cities in Thailand.
SPEAKER_00: Whereas another person on the team is like excited to go to Thailand because they can't wait to go on this foodie tour of eating all different kinds of foods.
SPEAKER_00: It's a strange thing.
SPEAKER_00: Two parties are thinking in two very different ways.
SPEAKER_00: And from that, that sets up the lesson that Jesus has for the disciples.
SPEAKER_00: What's the lesson?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 35.
SPEAKER_00: And he sat down and called the twelve, and he said to them, If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: You like how Jesus makes a point?
SPEAKER_00: Like he really pushes the envelope, doesn't he?
SPEAKER_00: He overstates the point to get our attention that things need to change.
SPEAKER_00: If you want to be first, if you want to be like the greatest, which is simply, I want to be first and before anyone else, even in my own life, I want what I want first.
SPEAKER_00: It's what my heart dreams about, what I desire, what I my my drive is all about, what I'm planning, everything is going to be about me first.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is saying, fight that instinct.
SPEAKER_00: It is such a strong instinct that we will always think of ourselves first, that Jesus has to say, be willing to be last.
SPEAKER_00: Now, when Jesus says, I want you to be last of all and servant of all, he isn't promoting mediocrity.
SPEAKER_00: He isn't saying, you know, don't strive hard.
SPEAKER_00: Be an underachiever.
SPEAKER_00: He's not saying that, right?
SPEAKER_00: Because even underachievers, they're just thinking about themselves first, aren't they?
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go the easy way out.
SPEAKER_00: And underachievers, they just don't have enough reason to think outside of their comfort zone yet, right?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus isn't saying things like that.
SPEAKER_00: He isn't saying you deserve to be last.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, be last of all and servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: See, there's a purpose of thinking of yourself less.
SPEAKER_00: It's to be a servant of others.
SPEAKER_00: These are two very different ways of thinking, aren't they?
SPEAKER_00: You're either the master of yourself, even if you're just master of one, versus thinking of yourself as a servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: See, of all the virtues, the characteristic that Jesus is teaching his disciples about first and foremost is about servanthood.
SPEAKER_00: And that's a result of him saying that he is going to his own death.
SPEAKER_00: He is demonstrating what it means to be servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: Get this this is the greatest thing, according to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He thinks being a servant is the greatest thing.
SPEAKER_00: And that you get that from the of all.
SPEAKER_00: He says, be last of all, be servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: Last of all means you are like the bottom, the last, the ultimate, the whatever it is, out of everybody.
SPEAKER_00: You are the end, the fullest.
SPEAKER_00: Servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: Be the absolutely best, greatest servant.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: He's saying this is the greatness.
SPEAKER_00: This is what greatness is and what he wants, what Jesus wants for his disciples.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I don't know if you've listened to any interviews with like CEOs of companies where they're asked about how they became so successful.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you'll hear CEOs of companies say things like, you know, you have to be humble.
SPEAKER_00: You have to think of like the customers and the people who you're serving.
SPEAKER_00: This is like something that like the previous CEO of Starbucks, what's his name?
SPEAKER_00: Howard Schultz.
SPEAKER_00: That's what he said.
SPEAKER_00: You know, he grew up on food stamps.
SPEAKER_00: He climbed his all, he climbed all the way to the top spot.
SPEAKER_00: And so he's very sensitive to like the frontline workers, and he says we need to listen to the little guys.
SPEAKER_00: You have to have humility to be able to listen to them.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure we've heard interviews like that, right?
SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a story or a management lesson, how you can succeed as a leader by having humility or being service-oriented.
SPEAKER_00: Now, honestly, if you're like me, if you hear these kind of things from like these corporate CEOs, like what drives them to succeed, you have to take things like what they say, like uh be humble and be curious.
SPEAKER_00: You have to take that with a grain of salt, right?
SPEAKER_00: Like, really, is that how you got to where you are at the top spot?
SPEAKER_00: Ah, I don't believe them.
SPEAKER_00: I really don't.
SPEAKER_00: There's got to be other things involved.
SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, you have to be cutthroat, you have to be tenacious, you have to be focused, all those kinds of things.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know about humility, curiosity, being servant-hearted.
SPEAKER_00: But the way that Jesus taught his disciples, you gotta believe him.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta believe what he's saying.
SPEAKER_00: You gotta at least understand it, even if you don't believe it.
SPEAKER_00: He is saying being last of all and servant of all is the greatest way to live.
SPEAKER_00: But I think I need to believe it.
SPEAKER_00: Do you guys when he says this?
SPEAKER_00: You know, the rest of the passage is just driving this point home that Jesus is going to have a supernatural community of disciples.
SPEAKER_00: And the characteristic thing that marks these disciples and this community apart is that they will all have a servant-like attitude, and that is how they're gonna carry out their mission.
SPEAKER_00: How do you how you serve has to do with how you view people?
SPEAKER_00: That's one of the first lessons after Jesus tells us what the principle is.
SPEAKER_00: How you serve has to do with how you view people.
SPEAKER_00: A servant's heart, it doesn't pick and choose based on how useful someone can be to me.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus gives us this visual of the child, and it's to help the disciples to see what he really means about serving and receiving people.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 36.
SPEAKER_00: He took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking his arm, taking him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.
SPEAKER_00: See, the greatest of servants will receive all kinds of people, even those who don't seem like they are worth it.
SPEAKER_00: Like children.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the shock value of what Jesus says might be lost on us because in modern times we view children as princes and princesses, right?
SPEAKER_00: But in the ancient times, children were considered second-class citizens.
SPEAKER_00: They were like property, they were possessions that could easily be discarded.
SPEAKER_00: And so for Jesus to say, receive one of these little children like me, he's asking, are you prepared to care for people?
SPEAKER_00: Serve them.
SPEAKER_00: Even if they are insignificant in the eyes of the world, even if they don't seem to be worth your time.
SPEAKER_00: For us, the shock value would be like me saying, if you see a grubby homeless man that you can smell from 30 feet away, and they come up to you, will you give them a hug?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure if I could do that.
SPEAKER_00: Now, thankfully, Jesus is not saying we have to do that.
SPEAKER_00: Nor is he saying that we have to serve people who are unpleasant.
SPEAKER_00: You might, you might be able to, and that's great, but this is not an across-the-board rule that Jesus is making.
SPEAKER_00: What he is saying is, will we change the way that we view people?
SPEAKER_00: Will we change our thinking and what our hearts are like?
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what really matters more.
SPEAKER_00: Just as a real basic example.
SPEAKER_00: How do you view the janitor at the workplace?
SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe one of you are janitors, so you understand.
SPEAKER_00: How do you view the lowest, the people that are like lowest on the totem pole?
SPEAKER_00: No time for them, no respect for them.
SPEAKER_00: Do you even notice that?
SPEAKER_00: The right way to see people.
SPEAKER_00: That's what Jesus is getting at here.
SPEAKER_00: What he's trying to teach his disciples.
SPEAKER_00: And the right way to see people is from the biblical perspective, the way that God sees them.
SPEAKER_00: That they are his creatures, they're made in his image, they deserve dignity because they need to be open to hearing the message to be saved.
SPEAKER_00: How does Jesus put it?
SPEAKER_00: Seeing people like just like God, verse 37.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.
SPEAKER_00: When you have a heart like God, then you will receive people according to what God wants.
SPEAKER_00: Can I say, I think that this is one of the most exciting things for you guys who are involved in these early days of the church.
SPEAKER_00: Brandon, Pastor Brandon has um he shared with us the next year's vision plan because I'm part of like the session, the temporary session that looks after him.
SPEAKER_00: You guys are one, a little over a year in.
SPEAKER_00: It's amazing that you guys are here.
SPEAKER_00: And you guys are all on board with the vision, aren't you?
SPEAKER_00: And this vision that is from God, that you guys are going to be involved in his work.
SPEAKER_00: You're playing your part like with servant-like attitudes.
SPEAKER_00: I can tell that you are all open and welcoming.
SPEAKER_00: You're excited to receive people.
SPEAKER_00: Receive people that walk through the doors because you want them to hear about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I hope you guys all feel that and sense that, right?
SPEAKER_00: That not only are we waiting for people, but you what your hearts are like.
SPEAKER_00: Do you notice how you see how you yourselves see others?
SPEAKER_00: How that's being changed as you're part of this church plan.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you can see that, that it's probably being softened, it's probably being pushed and extended, maybe a little uncomfortable, but you're willing to put yourselves out there for others.
SPEAKER_00: It's exciting.
SPEAKER_00: You should notice that and thank God for the way that He's changing your hearts.
SPEAKER_00: That's our first point.
SPEAKER_00: Um, secondly, valuing God's servants.
SPEAKER_00: We want to see service as greatness.
SPEAKER_00: We also want to value God's servants.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is going to give another lesson in reaction to the disciples' attitudes.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 38.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said to him, Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we try to stop him because he was not following us.
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus said, Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
SPEAKER_00: For the one who is not against us is for us.
SPEAKER_00: Now, as we work out this lesson, if we can try to envision the kind of people that is going to make up a supernatural community, that's what we want to keep in mind as we work through this passage, because it's easy to read this passage and draw all kinds of conclusions.
SPEAKER_00: Like we shouldn't be an exclusive church.
SPEAKER_00: We shouldn't be exclusive of one another or other denominations, but we ought to be inclusive.
SPEAKER_00: We might be able to draw some implications like that, but what is Jesus really getting at when he gives this kind of lesson?
SPEAKER_00: It's about what the disciples' hearts are going to be like.
SPEAKER_00: What's the situation?
SPEAKER_00: Someone is casting out demons in Jesus' name, and John, the disciple, he says, Who's this guy?
SPEAKER_00: He's not one of us.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Just consider the moment.
SPEAKER_00: This is a unique point in salvation history where Jesus has come to earth.
SPEAKER_00: He is walking on earth, declaring war on all the evil spiritual forces that are out there.
SPEAKER_00: Only he can take them on, but he actually brings in the disciples to help him.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, the disciples were sent out by Jesus on a mission to go out to by.
SPEAKER_00: Too carry nothing, right?
SPEAKER_00: And they were doing powerful things, but now they see someone else doing what they're doing, and they were like, wait, we don't recognize him.
SPEAKER_00: Young people will know this line, they're not like us, right?
SPEAKER_00: Where is that from?
SPEAKER_00: Uh anyway, I don't know, but it's from a song, right?
SPEAKER_00: I know that much.
SPEAKER_00: But that's the attitude that the disciples had.
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is here trying to gently tell the disciples now is not the time to be petty or territorial, because that's not how you're going to form this community of God's people.
SPEAKER_00: If they are not against us, they are for us.
SPEAKER_00: This is a teaching from Jesus: having a heart that recognizes God's servants before judging God's servants.
SPEAKER_00: Recognize God's servants before you judge them.
SPEAKER_00: And it's part of the grander picture of salvation.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be a whole new community of people, and they're going to live by a whole new pattern of relationships.
SPEAKER_00: It's where there's going to be no strife in the community.
SPEAKER_00: Because we're not sizing each other up.
SPEAKER_00: We're not criticizing each other.
SPEAKER_00: We're not pushing people down so we can make ourselves look better.
SPEAKER_00: That's the perspective that we ought to have as we read this verse and what follows, because what follows doesn't seem to connect, but it's all about having this kind of community.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 41, Jesus says, For truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
SPEAKER_00: Read a verse like that, and you're thinking, what does that have to do with being exclusive or being inclusive?
SPEAKER_00: But Jesus is giving us a little taste of that community, that ecosystem that he is building.
SPEAKER_00: For the sake of time, let me just tell you what this verse is not saying and what this verse is saying.
SPEAKER_00: This verse is not saying, let us be open to all and generous and give everyone a cup of water.
SPEAKER_00: It's not about, all right, be inspired to go and provide clean water for different people.
SPEAKER_00: That's not what this verse is saying.
SPEAKER_00: What this verse is saying, let me read it in a way that may help explain it.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever gives you, disciple, a cup of water to drink, because you, disciple, belong to Christ, they will by no means lose their reward.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: The disciple isn't the one giving the water.
SPEAKER_00: It's someone who is being received by the mission that the disciples are on, and they give the disciples water.
SPEAKER_00: They will recognize you, disciple, who are on mission and support you because they are thinking like you.
SPEAKER_00: God's going to have a people who understand the promises and the hopes of the Messiah, that they have a right heart, and they're going to recognize the disciples on mission.
SPEAKER_00: People will receive you, disciples, and serve you with help because they have the right heart disposition.
SPEAKER_00: And so Jesus is making sure, disciples, you have the right heart disposition as well.
SPEAKER_00: How is that going to happen?
SPEAKER_00: When you, disciple, see yourself as a servant first.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine you go on a work trip to the Middle East.
SPEAKER_00: You're there for a month, you're in a Muslim country, and you feel it.
SPEAKER_00: You know where you belong and where you don't belong, and it's kind of uncomfortable, it's kind of scary.
SPEAKER_00: And then at the store, you have an interaction with a gentleman, and as you talk with him, you kind of sense, oh, this guy's alright.
SPEAKER_00: I trust this guy.
SPEAKER_00: And then you find out he's a Christian, and you think, yes, I felt that connection.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: There's a sense of relief of meeting a fellow brother in a world where the spiritual forces are all against you, and it is so welcoming.
SPEAKER_00: You would feel that common faith, but sometimes even with fellow Christians, you're not sure about them.
SPEAKER_00: But when you feel the common faith and you've sensed the servant's heart, that's when you know you are safe and you are welcomed.
SPEAKER_00: It's the heart of faith, a heart of service that gets recognized.
SPEAKER_00: Again, this is something that I think you as a church, being a part of the church plant in these early days, you know, and I hope that you are committed to.
SPEAKER_00: You guys are all on the same page.
SPEAKER_00: You have the heart attitude of, I want to learn what it means to be a church member.
SPEAKER_00: I know I'm here on mission and I'm thankful to do it with others, and I want to serve Jesus together.
SPEAKER_00: You know it's all hands on deck.
SPEAKER_00: And it's with open and generous hearts that you have, that you guys all have, that you are more mindful of others than yourself.
SPEAKER_00: How good is that?
SPEAKER_00: I hope you can be reassured that you guys are all thinking the same thing and working together in unison.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you can recognize that in one another, the servant's heart.
SPEAKER_00: Because what you're experiencing is the power of the gospel to deal with sin, evil, all the kind of brokenness.
SPEAKER_00: And it's starting in you, in each one of you.
SPEAKER_00: And it's the story that you all share, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00: And you just want others to hear about the goodness of the work that God has done in you, that He can do in others as well.
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that what you guys want as a church, as a church plant?
SPEAKER_00: Know that this is the focus and the direction that your hearts are unified in this way, and keep going forward, keep pressing forward.
SPEAKER_00: Brings us to our final point.
SPEAKER_00: Not only do we want to have hearts of service, value God's servants, we want to value this community.
SPEAKER_00: Value God's community.
SPEAKER_00: Now we come to this last section, which is a shocker to hear.
SPEAKER_00: It's confronting and it can intimidate people, but it's not what this, what it seems like on the surface.
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to be willing to hear this, my explanation, if you would.
SPEAKER_00: And because if you do, you might actually welcome what Jesus has to say here.
SPEAKER_00: Let's see again if we can envision what Jesus is concerned about.
SPEAKER_00: It's the kind of community that he is going to form.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 42.
SPEAKER_00: Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is now giving a warning, a warning, a stern warning.
SPEAKER_00: And it's against the person who causes a servant-hearted disciple to stumble, to harm them, to cause them to sin.
SPEAKER_00: See, Jesus is really going to have a kingdom where his people they will all coexist in fellowship because everyone wants to be servant-hearted.
SPEAKER_00: The concern here is that when we are all trying to be servant-hearted and someone else comes in, the people who are servant-hearted, they're making themselves vulnerable to others, aren't they?
SPEAKER_00: And that could be a risky thing.
SPEAKER_00: It could risk opening one up to other people's mistreatment.
SPEAKER_00: And because of that, Jesus has this searing word of warning.
SPEAKER_00: You mess with any of my children, these little ones, it'd be better if you got whacked by the mob, rolled up in a body bag, and dumped out at sea.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's the kind of protection that Jesus is trying to establish for this community.
SPEAKER_00: All sin is serious, but the sin that Jesus is talking about is when you take advantage of another disciple who is trying to seek and serve you.
SPEAKER_00: And if you're thinking about church sex scandals, you know, cover-ups of pedophilia, if you're thinking about harsh, abusive leaders, those are the kinds of sins that Jesus is warning against.
SPEAKER_00: Perpetrators might think they're going to get away with it.
SPEAKER_00: Some might think that they've dodged a bullet on earth, but they are not safe from the Lord in heaven because he will have a final accounting.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is trying to protect his people.
SPEAKER_00: That's why he has to give this word.
SPEAKER_00: And it's with that perspective, maybe we could try to understand this next section, which is a little more gruesome and serious.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 43.
SPEAKER_00: And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
SPEAKER_00: It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
SPEAKER_00: Because servants' hearts, we're going to truly care for one another, and it can open us up and expose us.
SPEAKER_00: We want the best for others.
SPEAKER_00: We're trying to be careful for others, but others may not be careful with us.
SPEAKER_00: And that can be very discouraging.
SPEAKER_00: That can be debilitating, in fact, if you get mistreated by someone in church.
SPEAKER_00: And so he's saying, be very careful, be very sensitive for others, and even be willing to sacrifice.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it'll be just as handy to clarify what Jesus is not saying from this passage with this warning.
SPEAKER_00: Because I know passages like this can feel oppressive sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: And again, all sin is serious, but Jesus is not talking about if you commit any kind of sin, then just cut off your hand, cut off your lips.
SPEAKER_00: He's not promoting self-mutilation.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: Heaven is not going to be filled with amputees and people that are neuter.
SPEAKER_00: That is not the vision we ought to have.
SPEAKER_00: We're talking about specific sins that are harmful to others that deserve greater punishment.
SPEAKER_00: Other good news for you, maybe?
SPEAKER_00: Let's say you do commit one sin against another.
SPEAKER_00: Is that it?
SPEAKER_00: Is this like there's only a one-strike policy?
SPEAKER_00: Now we can lop off your hand, one and done?
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: It's not one sin and then you get your arm hacked off.
SPEAKER_00: No.
SPEAKER_00: There is always hope for restoration when one makes confession with repentance.
SPEAKER_00: And it's because true repentance will not persist in sinning against others.
SPEAKER_00: It's where you recognize you've done wrong and you want to change.
SPEAKER_00: And so there's hope for true pardon so that you can lead to true transformation.
SPEAKER_00: But the warning has to be stated: go to great lengths to not sin against one another.
SPEAKER_00: This is what Jesus is really getting at.
SPEAKER_00: And I want us to see the high concern and the high honor for others that this is the kind of community that Jesus will have.
SPEAKER_00: Because look at how he ends his teaching.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 49.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone will be salted with fire.
SPEAKER_00: Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again?
SPEAKER_00: Have salt in yourselves.
SPEAKER_00: And what does he say?
SPEAKER_00: And be at peace with one another.
SPEAKER_00: Peace with one another.
SPEAKER_00: This is the community.
SPEAKER_00: These are the conditions that Jesus is establishing so that people can live out this supernatural community with one another.
SPEAKER_00: It will be delicate, this community.
SPEAKER_00: And it's going to involve servants' hearts.
SPEAKER_00: And servants' hearts that recognize that we're caring for one another, but also we're careful with one another.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you can envision that kind of community.
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what this whole passage is about, as Jesus is preparing his disciples for mission.
SPEAKER_00: This is what, this is the work that you guys are going to be involved in.
SPEAKER_00: This is the kind of community that you're going to be establishing, the church.
SPEAKER_00: Do you want to be part of a community like this?
SPEAKER_00: You might even have trouble wanting this kind of community.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're still turned off by this word.
SPEAKER_00: It just seems a little too harsh.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe from the get-go, you've just been a little uncomfortable with the way that all this is sounding.
SPEAKER_00: It's not sounding appealing.
SPEAKER_00: Be last of all, servant of all, right?
SPEAKER_00: Why do we have to think that way when I'm sure all of us we think that we're decent, good people, we're respectful of others, we're just all trying to figure out life, but now we're told to be servant-hearted.
SPEAKER_00: It almost sounds like we have to like diminish ourselves, weaken ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Like we're opening ourselves up for disrespect when all our lives we've been learning how to protect ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've heard this, it sounds like you've heard us or God saying, Jesus saying, be slaves of all.
SPEAKER_00: And you're like, no way, I'm not gonna be a slave of anybody.
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jesus is saying, he's not saying be a slave.
SPEAKER_00: What he is saying is he's gonna have people who are characteristically different.
SPEAKER_00: Characteristically different.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not about starting with action, it's about starting with the heart.
SPEAKER_00: And that's what the salt is about in this final passage.
SPEAKER_00: Salt, Jesus talks about salt, salt brings out distinctness and flavor, right?
SPEAKER_00: We'll all go through fiery tests of relational tensions and challenges, but will we have that distinct salt flavoring?
SPEAKER_00: Will we remain servant-hearted even when we're struggling with one another and it's hard?
SPEAKER_00: Will we strive for peace in the community, being careful of our own sin?
SPEAKER_00: It also so happens that salt was used to convey the uniqueness of the covenant that God had with his people.
SPEAKER_00: And we know that Jesus would be the fulfiller of that covenant in a way that no other God or no other religion could ever imagine.
SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is being servant-hearted is not easy, nor is it desirable.
SPEAKER_00: No other God, no other deity would ever try to teach to live this kind of life.
SPEAKER_00: The only way that one would ever dare to consider taking serious Jesus' words of being last of all and servant of all, is when we would see for ourselves Jesus' heart of service for us.
SPEAKER_00: You know, he would take care of our sin so much that he would take the punishment that we deserved for it.
SPEAKER_00: He would get brutalized, he would get mutilated, he would have the millstone hung around his neck, he would be thrown into the sea of judgment.
SPEAKER_00: He would be the one who would bear it for us.
SPEAKER_00: All the warnings that he gives, he would bear that for us, his people.
SPEAKER_00: I know if you were turned off by the harsh warnings, how how brutal it sounded.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: Know that that is what Jesus did for you.
SPEAKER_00: In your place.
SPEAKER_00: And if Jesus' death on the cross that brings salvation for you means anything, then you know that it started with a heart of service for you.
SPEAKER_00: That's the salt of the new covenant, our gospel good news that brought us peace so that we could now be at peace with one another.
SPEAKER_00: And only when we believe that gospel will our hearts want to even consider taking this word serious and changing it.
SPEAKER_00: Let me end our time with brief, very brief application.
SPEAKER_00: What does it mean to be servant-hearted then, as a result of all this?
SPEAKER_00: It means looking to Jesus to serve you with the gospel first and foremost, right?
SPEAKER_00: Have you let Jesus serve you?
SPEAKER_00: Where you have come to believe and appropriate his saving work on the cross to give you a new heart that is forgiven, that is restored, and filled with hope.
SPEAKER_00: Have you let Jesus serve you?
SPEAKER_00: Would you let him serve you?
SPEAKER_00: And serve you not in the way that you want, but in the greatest way possible.
SPEAKER_00: Giving you a heart like his.
SPEAKER_00: Let Jesus serve you.
SPEAKER_00: Be encouraged, Grace Presbyterian Norwalk.
SPEAKER_00: Secondly, being servant-hearted means being joyfully open to serving others.
SPEAKER_00: Do you see your heart changing?
SPEAKER_00: Growing in ways that you wouldn't have considered before.
SPEAKER_00: Extending yourself for the sake of others, even being willing to be inconvenienced and sacrificing for others.
SPEAKER_00: And you may not realize it, but God is developing your own hearts to start to not just serve, but to enjoy serving.
SPEAKER_00: And not just to enjoy serving, but to even love serving.
SPEAKER_00: Because that's what a servant heart means.
SPEAKER_00: That your heart loves.
SPEAKER_00: And there's great joy in that.
SPEAKER_00: And then just lastly, being servant-hearted means being able to recover to serve others when it's hard.
SPEAKER_00: It's easy to consume, it's courageous to serve.
SPEAKER_00: It's the hard that every Christian must face.
SPEAKER_00: And in your case, being a ch being part of this church plan, this is a big step that you have all taken.
SPEAKER_00: You could be in a much bigger church that offers all the kind of programs and makes it easy for you, but no, you want to be at the on the ground with God's people, doing the work.
SPEAKER_00: You've taken that hard step forward when many others have stepped back.
SPEAKER_00: So continue on, Grace Presbyterian Norwalk.
SPEAKER_00: Be encouraged that God is working on your hearts, expanding it evermore.
SPEAKER_00: That's how you're going to continue to be able to keep taking steps.
SPEAKER_00: Some will be big, most will be small, but they will not go unnoticed.
SPEAKER_00: So, yes, Grace Presbyterian Norwalk, it's always good to be with you.
SPEAKER_00: And I hope that this word can be powerfully confronting, but also powerfully transforming and encouraging.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Jesus, that you would serve us.
SPEAKER_00: That you did not come to be served, but you came to serve and give your life as a ransom for us here.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the way that you have changed our lives, you have changed our hearts, for the big ways, even the little ways, that we're starting to see the fruit of your work, your sovereign grace in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: We pray, O God, that you would continue to transform us by growing our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to believe this word that to be the greatest is to be last of all and servant of all.
SPEAKER_00: And may we be guided by faith with grace and encouragement to keep taking these kinds of steps.
SPEAKER_00: Help us when it's hard.
SPEAKER_00: Help us to see what you went through, Jesus, and give us the power to keep believing and pressing on.
SPEAKER_00: And we do ask, oh God, that you would be so kind and merciful to Grace Presbyterian Norwalk that as the people continue to gather, that you would draw more to yourself.
SPEAKER_00: All this we pray in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.