Jesus came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many

[0:00] Just as we turn back to Mark chapter 10, let's pray for a moment. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the confidence and the peace that we can have when our souls are resting upon you.

[0:20] And we ask, Lord, that as we open your word and as we take some moments to think upon it, that you would enable us to receive the faith that we need to be able to put our weight upon you.

[0:35] We know, Lord, that there is no other place to stand that is firm than on Christ alone. On Christ the slullered rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

[0:47] And help us, we pray, to put our faith in Jesus and enable us, we pray, to see and hear of Jesus and receive the teaching of Christ as we focus on these verses.

[1:00] And what we pray, Lord, for ourselves here, we pray for the children in the Sunday school. We ask, Lord, that you would open their hearts, that you would pour out your spirit upon them. And we pray, Lord, this for the churches around us in this village.

[1:14] We pray for every church across the land and across the world where Christ crucified and risen is preached. Lord, add your blessing, we pray, and build your church for your glory.

[1:27] We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Mark chapter 10 and the verses that we read will take some time to think upon.

[1:37] Well, the question I want to begin with today is, how do you and I respond to the death and the resurrection of Jesus?

[1:53] When God is at work in our lives, he opens our eyes so that we can see the death and resurrection of Jesus. And we can see our need of that death and resurrection in order that we would have the possibility of being saved.

[2:11] But the key question is, how do we respond to this? It's possible to see these things, but have the wrong response. And so I want to think this morning about our response to the good news about Jesus, the good news of his life and his death and his resurrection.

[2:33] Last weekend, that was our focus. For those who are visiting here or for those who are here for the first time and the first time in a while, we gathered around in this place last Sunday and the table before us was a table that had bread and wine on it.

[2:48] We were taken again to the Lord's table and we saw and some of us tasted the bread. That was a sign that points to the broken body of Jesus.

[3:01] We saw and some of us tasted the wine, which speaks about the shed blood of Jesus. We heard the words of Jesus from Scripture as he says, Do this to remember my death and do this only until I come, which is that constant reminder of his resurrection.

[3:23] So last weekend, that was our focus on the death and the resurrection of Jesus. And when we come to this section in Mark's gospel here, we see that this is Jesus' focus as he teaches his disciples who are gathered around him.

[3:42] The first thing, three points this morning. First of all, we have the prediction of Jesus. And the second thing we see is the response of the disciples to this, the pride of the disciples.

[3:56] And the third thing we see briefly is the purpose of Jesus in doing all that he did. So first of all, the prediction of Jesus. He's walking along the road with the disciples and he's teaching them.

[4:10] And he begins to make predictions about what was to come. He's done this twice before and he does this again with his disciples. Look at verse 32.

[4:22] They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way and the disciples were astonished. While those who followed were afraid.

[4:33] Again, he took the twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. We are going to Jerusalem, he said, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.

[4:45] They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him and spit on him. Flog him and kill him.

[4:56] Three days later, he will rise. That's what was going to happen. And the disciples, they didn't know what was going to happen.

[5:10] But Jesus knew from before the beginning of the earth. Jesus knew this is the way it had to be. This is what was going to happen.

[5:21] Yes, he'd been performing miracles. Yes, he'd been preaching and teaching and doing all these works of loving, gracious service. But Jesus knew that the reason he came was to go to a cross.

[5:38] And so Jesus makes that prediction. The prediction of Jesus. And we know that everything that Jesus predicted came to pass.

[5:57] We remember that last weekend. Everything that Jesus predicted, it came to pass. Jesus did go to Jerusalem.

[6:12] And he was betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law by one of his own disciples. And they did condemn him to death.

[6:25] Even though he was innocent. And they did hand him over to the brutal Roman Gentiles. Experts in death.

[6:36] And torture. And they did mock him. And they did spit on him. And they did flog him.

[6:49] Brutally. And they did kill him. And three days later. As Jesus predicted.

[7:01] He did rise. Most of the suffering. That we experience in life.

[7:14] We don't know it's coming. All of us have suffered to varying degrees. But most of the suffering that we have experienced.

[7:25] We didn't know about it. Before it was upon us. But when we know. What's ahead of us. In terms of suffering.

[7:38] Perhaps we know that in three weeks time. We have to go. And we have to get a medical procedure. Or perhaps we've been to the doctor. And the doctor has said. I need to. I need to put you on a course of treatment.

[7:50] And we've been there before. We've had this procedure before. We've gone through this. This kind of treatment before. And when we've had that.

[8:01] And when we've suffered in the past. And we've experienced something of it. And we know what's up ahead of us. That actually intensifies the suffering.

[8:11] Have you ever thought about how awful. It must have been for Jesus.

[8:23] In his humanity. Because he was a man. He felt what we feel. He had the wrestles physically.

[8:35] Psychologically that we have. How awful. How awful. How awful. It must have been for Jesus. To know what was ahead of him.

[8:47] And to be able to predict. His sufferings in such detail. And yet not to be able. Or more accurately. Not to be willing. To change his course.

[8:59] To avoid these horrors. How awful. For Jesus. To be able to see. The storm clouds. Of God's wrath.

[9:12] Gathering. As we see the dark clouds. Gathering this morning. And yet to know. That he was set.

[9:23] To sail. Straight into the eye. Of that storm. How awful. For Jesus. To.

[9:34] To read. The words of. Of Isaiah. 52. And 53. In the temple. As a young man. And a slightly older man.

[9:49] And to be able to know. This is about me. This prediction. Of Jesus. Of the sufferings.

[10:02] That were ahead of him. In Jerusalem. Why did he do it? He did it for us.

[10:16] He was condemned. So that we could go free. He suffered. So that we could be forgiven.

[10:31] He died. So that we could live. And here. Jesus shares. Something of that.

[10:42] Ahead of time. With his disciples. And. In Mark's gospel. We. Have the privilege. Of being able to. To listen in.

[10:52] The question. Though. Still remains. How should we respond. To this. If you're still.

[11:03] Listening. If you're still. Engaged. If this is. Still. Gripping you. Then how do you. Respond to this. If God.

[11:15] The Holy Spirit. Is pressing. This. Upon. Our hearts. In such a way. That we're not thinking. About our dinner.

[11:26] We're not thinking. About our job. We're not thinking. About the relationships. We're in. Or want to be in. But we're actually. Focusing on Christ. If God. The Holy Spirit.

[11:37] Is at work. Showing us. These things. Showing us. The predicted. Sufferings. Of Jesus. How do we. Respond to this.

[11:50] Well the disciples. Give us a master class. On how we shouldn't. Respond to this. The pride. Of the disciples. Where do we see.

[12:02] Pride. In the response. Of the disciples. Well we see. Pride. Everywhere. The disciples. In the response. To Jesus. After everything. He's just told them.

[12:12] The horrors. Of what he shares. And yet. The response. Is absolutely.

[12:23] Self. Centered. Self. Saturated. The first thing. We see here. In this. Point. As we. We see the self.

[12:33] Importance. Of the disciples. Verse 35. Then James. And John. The sons. Of Zebedee. Came to. To Jesus. Teacher. They said.

[12:46] And to be honest. That wasn't the best start. Teacher. And yes. Jesus was their teacher. But he was so much more.

[12:57] Than just a teacher. And they had begun. To see this. They've come to realize. That he was more. Than just a teacher. He was more. Than just a miracle man.

[13:08] They had come to see. And Peter. Had professed. That he's the Christ. He's the son of God. And the disciples. They'd heard this. And they'd seen this. But it seems.

[13:23] That in this moment. Their vision of Jesus. Has. Has shrunk. Jesus. Seems to have. Got a bit small. In their vision.

[13:35] And not surprisingly. When. When Jesus. Shrinks. In our mind's eye. Self. Self. Puffs up. And becomes inflated.

[13:49] And so they say to Jesus. Verse 35. We want you. To do for us. Whatever we ask.

[14:02] Teacher. We want you. To do for us. Whatever we ask.

[14:15] I might see teachers. Around. In this room. Just now. And I think. Even if you tried that. In Ceree Scott's school. As a pupil. It wouldn't be. A good conversation. But it's an astonishing.

[14:29] Thing to say. And yet. If you and I. Allow our pride. To puff up. If you and I.

[14:41] Allow. Self. To speak. That's what we hear. When it makes us. Cringe. To hear this.

[14:51] In the disciples. But does this not. Sometimes. Creep into our prayers. The same attitude. Do we not.

[15:02] Sometimes. Thinking. In the way. That we pray. That we can almost. Make demands on Jesus. To do for me. Whatever.

[15:16] I ask. And then. Do we not. Sometimes. Go on. Something of a huff. When Jesus doesn't.

[15:27] Quite see things. Our way. And do things. The way that we. Have prescribed. He must do them. We want.

[15:40] You. Jesus. To do. Whatever. We ask. The. The pride.

[15:51] Of the disciples. The self-importance. That we. Hear. From within them. That's the way. To address. A genie. In a lamp. We want you.

[16:03] To do. Whatever. We ask. That is not. The way. To speak. To the Lord. Of glory. And that's.

[16:14] What we hear. Here. Self-importance. Is the first thing. As we see. The pride. Of the disciples. Self-exaltation. Is the second thing. That emerges.

[16:25] From. This. Pride. Within the disciples. Jesus. Is very patient. With them. Verse 36. He says. What do you want me. To do for you? He asked.

[16:37] They replied. Let one of us. Sit. At your right. And the other. At your left. In glory. Now. And this is an episode.

[16:47] That's going from. Bad to worse. It's. It's. Excruciating. To. To sort of. Hear. The disciples. As they. Go through. This conversation. With Jesus.

[16:58] Especially. With a backdrop. Of all that. He's just said. To them. He's just spoken. Of his sufferings. Sufferings.

[17:10] That we can't. Even. Enter into. In our minds. In our imagination. Exaltation. And yet. They're just so. Focused on self. That's what self.

[17:23] Does. By the way. To us. When we allow. Self. And pride. To have the throne. Within our lives. We become. Completely. Insensitive. To the needs. And feelings. Of everybody.

[17:33] Around us. We see that here. Self. Exaltation. We want the top seats. Jesus. In your glory.

[17:47] Now. What was in the minds. Of the disciples here. It's difficult. To know. It's clear. That they weren't. Taking in. What Jesus. Was teaching them. It's the third time. He's spoken. Of his death.

[17:57] And resurrection. And yet. The response. Each time. Seems to. Indicate. That it just goes. Over their heads. They're not. Grasping it. And after Jesus. Rises from the dead.

[18:08] We remember. It's a huge shock. To the disciples. They weren't. Expecting it. So it's quite. Possible. That. That the disciples. Still have. In their minds. That Jesus. Is going to be.

[18:19] Some. This worldly. Messiah. Who will take. Pride of place. In Jerusalem. It may be. That they thought. Once. He arrives. In Jerusalem. He will take. The place.

[18:29] Of kingship. And he will. Go to war. Against the Romans. And he will have. The top place. And if he has. The top place. These two disciples. The sons of thunder.

[18:41] They want. The top jobs. If you're going to. Set up a civil service. Jesus. Give us. The two top positions. Please. If there's going to be.

[18:52] Thrones. Let us have. The top. Thrones. At the. At the front. Beside you. And they might have. Been thinking about. This world.

[19:03] And. Local politics. They might have. Been thinking about. Heaven. But even if they were. Thinking about. Heaven. It seems that.

[19:15] They still want. Their names up. In lights. James. And John. Top. Disciples. Either side of Jesus.

[19:29] They want. Just a little bit. Of Jesus glory. For themselves. And that's a danger. That we always.

[19:40] Have to be alert to. We might have sung. At the beginning. Thine. Be the glory. But self.

[19:51] Always wants to say. Mine. Be the glory. Let me be seen. Let me be lifted up.

[20:07] Jesus said. Remember. In. In John 12. I. When I am lifted up. Will draw. All people. To myself. And he was speaking. About his cross. Primarily. When he's lifted up.

[20:18] To the cross. All people. Could be drawn to him. For salvation. But Jesus was also. Speaking about the life. Of his people. Those who believe in Jesus.

[20:30] Those who are. Christians. Are calling. Is to lift up. Christ. In the way that we live. In the things that we do.

[20:41] In the words that we speak. In the jobs that we do. Are calling. Is to. Is to lift up. Christ. Whether we're a postman.

[20:53] Or a teacher. Or a cook. Or a. Cleaner. Or a whatever. We're to lift up.

[21:03] Christ. In the way. That we live. And in the things. That we do. And when. Jesus. Is lifted up. In our lives. He will even use us.

[21:17] To draw people. To himself. But the thing is. We can't lift up. Jesus. And self.

[21:29] At the same time. When self. Is exalted. Jesus. Will not.

[21:40] Be seen. And the disciples. Back then. And still now. We need to learn. And relearn.

[21:51] And relearn. That. We want. To see. Jesus. In us. It's a message. For every preacher.

[22:02] That stands. In this place. And it's a message. For every Christian. We want. To see. Jesus. In us.

[22:13] And through us. And yet. With the disciples. There is that. Self importance. Where. They. They want. Jesus. To do exactly. What. What they want him to do.

[22:24] There's that. Self exaltation. And saying to Jesus. We want. We want you. To lift us up. To the high place. So everyone. Will see us. And this.

[22:34] Finally. In this point. Self confidence. So they ask this. Totally. Inappropriate. Question. To Jesus. Let one of us. Sit. At your right. And the other. At your left.

[22:45] In your glory. And Jesus. Responds. You don't know. What you're asking. Jesus said. Can you drink. The cup. By drink. Or be baptized.

[22:56] With a baptism. I am baptized. With. We can. They answered. And the reality is.

[23:10] These disciples. These close. To Jesus. Disciples. Disciples. They have no idea. What they're saying.

[23:23] What was Jesus. Talking about. When he's talking about. Cups. And. And baptism. Well. He's speaking about. His sufferings. Everything. That he predicted.

[23:35] He's speaking of. When he. Speaks about. The cup. And the baptism. Singler Ferguson. The commentator. Says. On the cross. Jesus. Would drink. The cup. Of God's wrath.

[23:46] Against sin. We remember that. Last night. Last weekend. On the cross. Jesus. Would drink. The cup. Of God's wrath. Against sin.

[23:56] Every sin. That you and I commit. Is as if it's poured. Into a cup. And in that cup. All our sins. Attract. A punishment. The draft.

[24:11] That is. The wrath. Of God. Every person. That's ever lived. And all the punishment. For sin. Is poured. Into this cup. Every. Right.

[24:21] Suffering. For sin. Is poured. Into this cup. And that was the cup. That Jesus. Could take. On the cross.

[24:32] Says. St. Louis. Ferguson. Jesus. Would drink. The cup. Of God's wrath. Against sin. He would be. Baptized. Or overwhelmed. With the waters. Of God's. Judgment. Now that's a work.

[24:44] Only Christ. Could do. No one else. Could take that cup. And drink it. We sang last.

[24:56] Weekend. There was no. Other good enough. To pay. The price. Of sin. No one. Else. Could drink. The cup. Of God's. Righteous. Anger.

[25:06] Against sin. But Jesus. No one else. Could be. Overwhelmed. By the. The floodwaters. Of God's.

[25:17] Judgment. In order to save us. Except Jesus. And yet. When the disciples. Are challenged.

[25:29] By Jesus. Over what they've. Just said. They. They. Without even. Understanding. Any of these things. They're sure. That they can do. Anything. That Jesus.

[25:42] Can do. Cups. Baptism. Doesn't matter. What it is. Jesus. You're. Asking us to do. We can do it.

[25:52] I can do it. Self. Can do it. We're James and John. Super. Disciples. Self. They're full of.

[26:05] Self-confidence. Sinful. Deluded. Self-confidence. And the reality.

[26:15] Is often. So are we. How do you. And I know. If our. Self-confidence. Is that. A dangerous. Level.

[26:27] You know. Like. When you're. Told to check. Your car. Tires. Right about. This time of year. You're given. These wee things. That you can check. To make sure. Your. Your tires. Are. Are not.

[26:38] At a dangerous. Level. How can we. And what can we. Use to check. That our self-confidence. Is not. At a dangerous. Level. I'll tell you.

[26:49] The tool. That we. We need. And we use. To check. Our self-confidence. It's prayer. Our prayer life. Or our lack of it.

[27:00] Will indicate. Where our. Self-confidence is. Those. Who are full of. Self-confidence. Will rarely pray. And when we do pray.

[27:15] Our prayers. Sound a lot like the disciples. Jesus. This is what I need you to do for me. What we need to realize.

[27:27] With the first disciples. Is that we can do nothing. Without Jesus. And so if we are to be.

[27:38] Effective disciples. Of Christ. We need to come to. To Jesus. Humbly. Repenting. Of every bit of pride.

[27:53] Every rebellion of self. We need to come. Humbly. Seeking. His. Wisdom. Admitting.

[28:05] That we can't see his ways. The higher than our ways. Seeking. Seeking. His strength. Looking to follow.

[28:19] His will. Jesus said to them. Verse 39. You will. Drink the cup. I drink.

[28:31] And be baptized. With the baptism. I am baptized with. But to sit at my right. On my left. Is not for me to grant. God. These places. Are for those.

[28:42] For whom. They have been prepared. What Jesus is. Is saying here. Is in a sense. Although in one sense. A drink in the cup.

[28:54] And being overwhelmed. By the floodwaters. Of baptism. Is something. That only Jesus. Could do. These. Sufferings. To. To save sinners. Is something. Only Christ. Could do.

[29:05] What Jesus is saying. Here is that. In some measure. James and. James and. John. They would. Follow Jesus. And you can. Flick forward.

[29:16] To Acts chapter 12. And you see. That by Acts chapter 12. James is dead. He's been executed. Because of his.

[29:26] Faith in Christ. And we can. Fast forward. To the end. Of the Bible. And we find. The apostle. John. On a prison. Isle. Isolated. In exile. Patmos.

[29:40] Because. Of his faith. In Christ. They did suffer. But Jesus says. Seats in heaven. You're wanting seats in heaven.

[29:54] It's not your concern. He says. What your concern. Should be. Is something. That you have a place to. Derek and I.

[30:08] Were talking about this. Actually. On the way back. To. Stormway. Last. Sunday evening. Just about heaven. Some of the surprises. That.

[30:19] Are likely. To be. In heaven. I think. There will be. Big surprises. In heaven. I think.

[30:30] Some of the. The most. Unseen. People. The people. We haven't. Even noticed. The lowliest. People.

[30:42] In congregations. Will likely. Have the high seats. Ministers. We might. Be doing. The hoovering. Emptying.

[30:53] The bins. But that would be. No drudgery. We're saying. We'd just be delighted. To be there. Serving the Lord.

[31:04] As the psalmist. Says in Psalm 84. I'd rather be. A doorkeeper. In the house. Of the Lord. And dwell. In the tents. Of the wicked. So this is a painful.

[31:17] Teaching lesson. For these. Disciples. James and. John. And when the rest. Of the disciples. Hear. About this.

[31:28] Private study lesson. And when the rest. Of the disciples. Hear. About what James and John. Actually asked. They were wild. Verse 41. When the 10. Heard about this.

[31:39] They became. Indignant. With James and John. Why? It's because they were. Disappointed. With the. The bad attitude. That was within James and John. No. I think the reason. They were. Indignant.

[31:49] Was because. They were annoyed. That they hadn't thought. But at first. They wanted the high seats. How dare James and John. Ask for the high seats.

[32:00] Why can't we have the high seats? And again. The big teaching point. That Jesus has to. Impress upon them. Is the need. To be. Humble.

[32:14] When we. Consider. What Jesus. Predicted. He was about to do. And when we remember. As we did last weekend. What Jesus.

[32:24] Has now done. There is no place. For pride. There is no place. For self importance. There is no place.

[32:36] For self. Exaltation. No place. For a. A proud. Self confidence. The appropriate.

[32:48] Response. Is humility. Forbid it. Lord. We sin. That I should. Boast. Save.

[32:59] In the death. Of Christ. My Lord. And that's a lesson. For every one of us. Who would say.

[33:09] That we are believers. I think. It's actually a lesson. For us as a congregation. Pointedly. At this time. Because it's a thread. That ran through.

[33:19] All the. The communion services. With all the different. Teachers. And it's a thread. That we're. Told to pick back up. Today. As we come to the next.

[33:30] Section. Of Mark's. Gospel. The need for us. To be humble. The prediction of Jesus. The pride. Of the disciples.

[33:40] Finally. Very briefly. The purpose. Of Jesus. Verse 42. Jesus called them together. And said. You know. That those who are regarded.

[33:50] As rulers. So the Gentiles. Lord over them. And their high officials. Exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead. Whoever wants to become.

[34:00] 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.

[34:12] But. To. Serve. And how would he serve. He would give his life.

[34:28] As a ransom. For many. Are you part of the many?

[34:44] In that day. It was common. To see slaves.

[34:59] Imprisoned. The slaves could be freed. For ransom was paid. And that's the image.

[35:10] That Jesus uses. He sees a people. Who are enslaved. To sin. A people.

[35:20] That the devil. Has taken hold of. A people. Who needed to be saved. Who needed to be freed.

[35:34] And he gave. Himself. As a ransom. So that many. Could. Be freed. Are you part of the many?

[35:56] To be part of the many. We must. Not respond. In pride. To all that Christ.

[36:08] Has done. For us. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. Respond in humility. As we see.

[36:19] Our need to be saved. As we see. Our total. Inability. To save ourselves. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must.

[36:30] Respond. In faith. As we come to Jesus. And ask him.

[36:43] To save us. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. We must. Asking that he will take.

[36:56] Self. Off the throne of our hearts. That he will remove. Self. From the center of our lives.

[37:09] And take the throne. Himself. And then we respond in service. And time is gone.

[37:24] And we'll pick this one back up. In the theme of things tonight. Let's pray. Heavenly Father we pray.

[37:38] That you would send. The Holy Spirit. To be at work. In our hearts. Showing us. Our constant need of Jesus. And causing us to come.

[37:51] In humility. In faith. In submission. To Jesus. Seeking the salvation. That he can only. Bring to us.

[38:04] Then enable us. We pray. If we are believers. If we are disciples of Christ. Christ. To be. Not to leave here. Seeking to be served. By. Those around us.

[38:16] Not seeking. To have. Our self. Our ego. Massaged. But enable us. To go from here. In the spirit of Christ.

[38:28] Looking to serve. Others. As he. Served others. And in so doing. Pointing people to. Jesus. In us. We ask this.

[38:38] In Jesus name. Amen.