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• Examples include:
+ Using natural intellectual abilities for personal gain and pride
+ Becoming focused on career advancement and status over serving others
+ Wanting children's successes to reflect positively on oneself
+ As a pastor or leader, wanting church growth to increase one's own reputation and influence
• The work of self-examination is necessary to identify how this temptation affects us personally
• Jesus teaches that the way up is down, and the path to greatness is through servanthood and humility
• The importance of humility in leadership and serving others, inspired by Jesus washing his disciples' feet
• Using one's position and authority to serve others, rather than simply wielding power or influence
• Examples of members of the church serving their neighbors and community through various initiatives
• The value of "emptying oneself" and being a servant in areas where one may have significant influence
• Inviting listeners to consider how they can occupy their spaces as servants, using their positions for good.
• Sid shared a humorous story about being mistaken for the janitor instead of one of the pastors
• The speaker relates this anecdote to John 13, emphasizing the importance of serving others in any capacity
• The church's ministry fair is mentioned as an opportunity for members to serve and utilize their gifts
• The speaker criticizes the use of the word "volunteer" and suggests that serving is a responsibility, not an optional activity
• Jesus' statement about serving others is highlighted as a key aspect of Christian living
• A prayer is offered to ask God to enable church members to be servants and resist selfish desires.
• The congregation is asked to let go of an unhealthy sense of greatness over others and instead become servants
• They are given a vision for serving the Lord in their everyday lives
• The power to make Jesus known through service is requested
• A song, "Heal Our Land", is sung as a response
• The speaker mentions a future episode featuring a woman named "thành" and her place in nine months.
[0.00 --> 17.70] Well, it's a new ministry season, and we're starting a new sermon series.
[18.18 --> 21.30] And the name of this series is called Contrast Community.
[22.08 --> 26.24] For the next number of weeks, we're going to be looking at the way in which we are called
[26.24 --> 30.68] to live distinctively as the body of Christ in the midst of our city.
[31.04 --> 34.22] We're going to open up some of the ways that are normal for people to live in our city
[34.22 --> 38.86] and just the unique ways that Christ calls us to bear witness to Him and live a unique
[38.86 --> 41.94] kind of discipleship lifestyle in the midst of our world.
[43.02 --> 47.14] A quote that is sort of percolating in my mind for this series actually comes from Leslie
[47.14 --> 49.52] Newbigin, but he says, as a missionary, he says,
[49.52 --> 55.30] The church is called to love this city so deeply that it stands against the idols.
[56.24 --> 59.58] And so in this series, we're going to look at what it means for us to be a community
[59.58 --> 66.26] of rest in a world of hurry and anxiousness, what it means to be a community of generosity
[66.26 --> 71.18] in a world of greed, what it means to be a community of upright speech in a world of cheap
[71.18 --> 74.16] talk and gossip, and many more things like this.
[74.98 --> 78.92] This morning, we're going to look at what it means to be a community of sacrificial service
[78.92 --> 80.96] in a world of self-elevation.
[81.60 --> 85.88] And if you have your Bible, I do invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 20, where
[85.88 --> 90.00] we're going to read a story of an ambitious mother who makes a very interesting request
[90.00 --> 90.62] of Jesus.
[92.04 --> 94.44] This is Matthew 20, starting in verse 20.
[96.94 --> 103.36] Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and kneeling down, asked
[103.36 --> 104.24] a favor of him.
[105.00 --> 106.20] What is it you want?
[106.38 --> 106.94] He asked.
[107.74 --> 112.90] She said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other
[112.90 --> 114.60] at your left in your kingdom.
[115.70 --> 118.52] You do not know what you're asking, Jesus said to them.
[119.08 --> 121.84] Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?
[122.66 --> 124.18] We can, they answered.
[125.22 --> 129.80] Jesus said to them, you will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right and left
[129.80 --> 131.18] is not for me to grant.
[131.64 --> 135.60] These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my father.
[136.54 --> 140.02] When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.
[140.02 --> 145.80] Jesus called them together and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over
[145.80 --> 149.24] them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
[149.84 --> 151.80] Not so with you.
[152.48 --> 157.08] Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and those who want
[157.08 --> 159.40] to be first must be your slave.
[159.68 --> 165.60] Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom
[165.60 --> 166.68] for many.
[166.68 --> 168.34] This is God's word.
[168.34 --> 172.34] God's word.
[172.34 --> 176.68] Well, one of the things that you discover when you become a parent is that there grows
[176.68 --> 179.16] in you this ache for your kids.
[180.02 --> 184.50] An ache to see these kids make it and succeed in the world.
[185.08 --> 188.60] And maybe some of you, as your kids have gone back to school and experienced all the challenges
[188.60 --> 190.08] there, and you feel that ache.
[190.16 --> 191.96] You want your kids to do well in the world.
[191.96 --> 197.52] And that ache for your kids drives a lot of parents to do some pretty crazy stuff so that
[197.52 --> 200.14] their kids have a competitive advantage in the big wide world.
[200.24 --> 205.90] Things like, you might remember this in the news, Hollywood stars bribing the way of their
[205.90 --> 208.06] children into Ivy League schools.
[208.80 --> 211.74] Children who would never on their own make the admission standards.
[211.74 --> 212.74] parents.
[212.74 --> 218.88] Or, in other cases, parents pretending to be their children in a job interview on the phone
[218.88 --> 220.82] in order for the kid to get the job.
[221.32 --> 225.24] And I always think that one would so backfire once the child gets the job, but different
[225.24 --> 225.60] story.
[226.94 --> 228.34] And there's many more like this.
[228.46 --> 232.48] And there's also ordinary ways that most of us will try to help our kids, right?
[232.48 --> 239.42] One of them is leveraging our network of relationships to help them find a place, find a job, with
[239.42 --> 240.00] an opportunity.
[240.50 --> 243.24] We sort of reach out to those we know for the sake of our kids.
[243.70 --> 247.00] And that's kind of what's happening in our passage.
[248.10 --> 254.00] There's an ambitious mother who comes to Jesus with a request that's for the sake of her kids.
[254.68 --> 259.38] And we're going to learn that the request she has is that her kids experience greatness
[259.38 --> 265.28] and prestige, and Jesus looks at her and says, I want to introduce you to the upside-down kingdom
[265.28 --> 267.68] where the way up is through service.
[268.30 --> 270.02] So let's take a look at this story together.
[271.28 --> 274.40] One of the main characters is not named directly.
[274.56 --> 275.52] I'm intrigued by this.
[275.62 --> 277.50] It's called the mother of Zebedee's sons.
[278.06 --> 282.06] That's like calling Brittany the mother of David's sons.
[282.54 --> 285.60] But the name of the woman making this request is Salome.
[286.06 --> 288.28] And she's referenced elsewhere in the Gospels.
[288.28 --> 294.18] And interestingly, the two sons that she's making this request for are James and John.
[294.62 --> 298.56] And if you know the disciples, they're actually on the inner circle of Jesus' disciples.