August 5, 2007

July 12, 2009

All Pro or Water Boy?

Mark 10:35-45

&n= bsp; “Peter Marshall used to love to tell the story of ‘The Keeper of the Spring’, a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian vill= age along the eastern slopes of the Alps. Th= e old gentleman had been hired many years ago by a young town council to clear aw= ay the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town. With faithful, silent regularity,= he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the si= lt that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water. By and = by, the village became a popular attraction for vacationers. Graceful swans flo= ated along the crystal clear spring, the wheels of various businesses located ne= ar the water turned day and night, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque beyond description.

&n= bsp; Years passed. One evening the town council met for its semi-annual meeting. As th= ey reviewed the budget, one man’s eye caught the salary figure being paid the obscure keeper of the spring. Said the keeper of the purse, “Who = is this old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. = For all we know this strange ranger of the hills is doing us no good. He isn’t necessary any longer!” By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man’s services.

&n= bsp; For several weeks nothing changed. By early autumn the trees began to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone notices a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A couple of days later the water was mu= ch darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered sections of the water alo= ng the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The mill-wheels moved slower, = and finally ground to a halt. Swans left as did the tourists. The clammy finger= s of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.

&n= bsp; Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross err= or in judgment, they hired back the old keeper of the spring…and within a few weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started= to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alp= s once again.

&n= bsp; This story is a beautiful analogy of the importance of Christian servants. What = the keeper of the springs meant to the village, Christian servants mean to our world. But who wants to be a servant. We want to lead the charge over the mountain. We want to be noticed and appreciated. We want to be in control of our lives and our destiny.

&n= bsp; Most of us would agree that the world needs servants. But like Jesus’ disciples we often have some wrong ideas about what being a servant entails. Let’s look at four things that Mark teaches us about being a servant.=

1. A Serv= ants Agenda Is Set By The Master

Mark 10:35 “Then= James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, ‘Teacher they said, ̶= 0;we want you to do whatever we ask.”

&n= bsp; Most of us are just like James and John. We have our own agenda about how and wh= en things need to be done. Our priorities are related to what we need and want. Yet, Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

&n= bsp; John F. Kennedy had the right idea when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” The same thing= can be said for the Kingdom of God.

&n= bsp; One of our problems is that we always look at servanthood from the perspective = of the servant. Biblical servanthood looks at it from the perspective of the Master. Imagine for a moment that you are the Master. What kind of servant would be pleasing to you?

&n= bsp; It would be one who did exactly what you asked; one whose attitude was warm and enthusiastic in response to your every wish; one who always thought of you before he thought of himself.

&n= bsp; Folks, that kind of servant not only pleases his master, he lights up the world ar= ound him. He or she is what Jesus called the salt and light of the earth. In fact Jesus was that kind of servant. This is illustrated beautifully in John 8:2= 8-29 when he confessed, “…I do nothing on My own initiative…= ;I always do the things that are pleasing to Him (Heavenly father)…̶= 1;

2. A Serv= ant Is Not Proud

&n= bsp; Mark 10:36, 37 “What do you want me to do for you? He asked. They replied,= Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”= ;

&n= bsp; James and John had on their minds the idea of Jesus being a conquering Messiah. T= hey wanted to be winners with him. They wanted to sit next to the man. They were going to be something. Their attitude had “pride written all over the= m. It ‘s no wonder that pride has been called one of the seven deadly si= ns. Proverbs 16:18 says “pride goes before destruction.”

&n= bsp; But the really devastating thing is what it does to our ability to unselfishly give. If I were to ask you what fruit of the Spirit every servant should demonstrate, most of you would answer, LOVE. But pride and love are mutually exclusive. You cannot love someone that you look down on. It is humanly impossible.

&n= bsp; Let’s look at pride from its Biblical opposite, humility or selflessness. Do you demonstrate humility? There are a couple of revealing tests of humility in = our lives.

&n= bsp; The first test is whether we are defensive when confronted or held accountable. Genuine humility operates on a rather simple philosophy: Nothing to prove; nothing to lose.

&n= bsp; A second test of our humility is whether there is an authentic desire to help others. Do we have a sensitive, spontaneous awareness of needs? A true serv= ant stays in touch with the struggles others experience. There is a humility of mind that continually looks for ways to serve and to give.

&n= bsp; Serving Dad over the last 8 weeks.

&n= bsp; Genuine humility is rooted in the security of God’s love. That security enabl= es us to trust God. In faith we can give ourselves completely to Him. The frui= t of that faith born out of surrender is the ability to love God and others with abandon.

3. A Serv= ant Is Willing To Walk Where Jesus Walked

&n= bsp; Mark 10:38, 39 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus sai= d. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”

= ; “We can,” they answered.” (Notice the pride)

= ; Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with th= e baptism I am baptized with…”

&n= bsp; In Jesus’ time the cup had become a metaphor for the life and experience that God handed out to men. Jesus was asking them if they could take part in the experiences that would come with following him. The Greek word translat= ed “baptism” here means to dip or to submerge. The thought is the = same as when we say a drunk is submerged in drink or a spendthrift is submerged = in debt or a grief stricken person is submerged in sorrow. He was asking them. “Can you be submerged in hatred, pain, denial of self, or even death.”

&n= bsp; Corrie ten boom in her book The Hiding Place describes her family as one th= at was deeply devoted to God. When Hitler prior to WW II began rounding up the Jews in Holland, Corrie’s family decided that they were to serve God by hiding Jews fr= om the Nazis. That choice led to the loss of their home, the death of Corrie’s father and sister and a horrible experience in a Nazi death camp. Yet Corrie’s obedience in the face of incredible persecution produced a ministry that had blessed millions.

&n= bsp; Thank goodness most of our journeys will be more like the keeper of the spring th= an Corrie Ten Boom. But for all of us the journey of being a servant requires obedience to God’s call. It’s been said that obedience and servanthood go together like Siameze twins.

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4. A Serv= ant Finds His Or Her Greatness In The Lord Jesus

&n= bsp; Mark 10:41-45 “When the ten heard= about this, they became indignant (pride?) with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of= the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to become great among you must= be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even = the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.”

&n= bsp; I don’t know about you, but I want to be great. By that I mean I want t= o be everything I was created to be. I want my life to be significant. I sought it in high school when I = played football. I sought it in the Army when I was ready to give my life for my country. I’ve sought it in my work and in my family. I’ve sough= t in my service to the church for 25 years.

&n= bsp; But then Jesus makes that upside down statement, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”= ; And this is not easy. Oswald Chambers makes the following statement about b= eing servants. “If you are devoted to the cause of humanity, you will soon= be exhausted and have your heart broken by ingratitude, but if the mainspring = of your service is love for Jesus, you can serve men although they treat you a= s a door-mat.”

&n= bsp; If we are to be great, the road to that service goes through Jesus. In John 17= :21 Jesus prays an incredible prayer. New Living Translation, “My prayer for all of them is that the= y will be one, just as you and I are one, Father-that just as you are in me and I = am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are—

&n= bsp; Take heart servants. Jesus has prayed to the Father that we would be one with th= em. The Father will answer this prayer. 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth = to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

&n= bsp; Like the little town in the Alps who needed t= he keeper of the spring, the whole world needs servants.

Fathers and mothers your children need you not your = money.

Husbands and wives your spouses need you.

Society needs servants who will stand in the gap.

Children in the nursery need servants that exude the Spirit of Christ.

Youth need servants that will love them unconditiona= lly.

People in nursing homes need the touch of God throug= h you.

We all need servant prayer warriors.

The whole world needs the servant savior, Jesus.

But the only way many will know Him is through the l= ives of servants like you and me.