The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 1: Spirit of Power

Episode Date: July 21, 2019

God did not give you His power for you, but that through you the power of God’s love would be displayed in this world. You want to be great? Serve. You want to be first? Go last. You want to be promoted? Humble yourself. Action Step: Find a way to serve someone this week. Find the one thing no one wants to do – then do that.

Amen, amen, amen. How we doing, church? Everybody good? Looking good. If you got your Bibles, I hope you do. We're going to do a three-week series on one verse out of Second Timothy. You don't really need to go there. Where we're really going to spend the majority of our time today is in Matthew chapter 20 and John chapter 13.

So it's a lot of text, so you're going to have to listen way faster than the early service, okay? And so part of the reason we're doing this, we did a series back in January. And the reason that we kicked off this year with this Second Timothy series is because you know back in November, we started this two-year discipleship journey called the One Initiative. And a big part of the One Initiative is that we are wrestling with this idea of the Shma. The Lord Our God, the Lord, the Lord is one, and we should love the Lord of God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And then it goes on to say, and you should teach these things to your children.

And so we believe that we are one church called to reach one more and especially one more generation. And where that came from, several years ago, I was in Israel for the first time. I went to this place called Shechem, and in Shechem, what happened to there, Now it's just this kind of little rubble place, but there is between these two mountains, the mountain of blessing, the mountain of cursing. And this is the place where Joshua, in Joshua chapter 24, he knows it's kind of the end of his reign. And he has brought all of the nation together there, the nation of Israel. And he says, this very famous line, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And everybody there, all the Israelites there are like, yep, us too. that we're in. And the previous seven years of Joshua's leadership have been unbelievable. They cross the Jordan, they take over the promised land, they march around the walls of Jericho, and the walls come tumbling down. And Joshua knows his time is almost up and he's afraid that the people will forget God and what he has done in them through him and to them.

And so again, he says, listen, this is a really big deal. I'm drawing a line in the sand. You can either worship the God of your forefathers, You can worship the idols of this world, or you can worship the one true God. Choose for yourself this day who you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord again, man. They're like, we're with you, Joshua. And so we're there.

We're in that place where they made this covenant. And then I think Bible verses, that's what I do. I mean, it's what I do for a living. What else am I going to think about? And so in my Bible, I'm sitting in that place, and I flip over two pages in my Bible. It's probably one page than yours. But I use the ELP. extra large print version. And so my Bible's like, in the beginning. That's how it goes.

Because I'm still in denial. I haven't got glasses yet. But flip over two pages, the judges chapter two, that's the next book. And it says this. And that generation went to be with their fathers, and another generation arose. And they neither knew the Lord or the works of his mighty hands. And I began to think of the, like God's hand on our church. And how incredible it's been But what a catastrophe it would be if in one general, like if our grandkids, after all that's happened, we just baptized 420 people in the ocean over 1,000 people that have received Christ this year. We're planting campuses. We're going to put one on Mars, man.

They're going everywhere. And what if? What if all that happens in our grandkids don't know the Lord or the works of His Mighty Hand? And so I felt like not on my watch. And so that's a big part of what the one initiative is. So we kicked off this year by studying 2 Timothy because the whole book of 2nd Timothy, because the whole book of 2 Timothy, it's not really a book, it's really a letter. The Apostle Paul writes a letter to his protege, this young man that he has been discipling.

And he's about to turn him loose to be a pastor at the Church of Ephesus. And the church at Ephesus was this booming church, much like the church we were a part of it. So we studied it because the whole book, it's about the Apostle Paul passing on the torch or the baton of leadership and faith to this young man named Timothy. And if you were here at the beginning of the year, we talked about this a lot. There's this key verse, chapter 2, I mean, 2, I mean, 2 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 7. All throughout the first chapter, Paul says, Timothy, I recall our tears together. And we ask the question, what are these grown men crying about? And I think what they're crying about is this verse.

We find out in Acts chapter 17 that Paul gathers together as the earth, the elders of the church of Ephesus. Timothy would have been like the lead elder there as the pastor. And the Bible says he lays his hands on him. the most spiritually authoritative human being on the planet, lays his hands on his spiritual son, Timothy. And I think in chapter 1, verse 7, we get the words that he spoke over him. And he says, Timothy, God did not give you a spirit of fear. You see, because we find out Timothy had a lot to be afraid of.

Circumstantially, he had a lot to be afraid of. He grows up without a dad. His dad is never mentioned by name. Only his ethnicity. and he grew up kind of from two different races. And so particularly in that culture, that would be a tough deal. He's super young. This is why Paul is going to say, let no one look down upon you because of your age,

but set for them an example in life, love, speech, and purity. We know that Timothy gets nervous. He's got a nervous stomach. It could potentially be when he stands up to do what I'm doing to preach. He gets all nervous. This is why Paul will tell him in First Timothy, take a little wine for your stomach. Now I read a Southern Baptist commentary that said it was for external use only. It's not sunscreen.

You're doing it wrong. So we find out here, the Apostle Paul lays his hands on Timothy and says, God did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control. And that's where we're going to be for the next three weeks. Just that one verse. Now, here's the thing. something very, very important. It just landed on me this week.

I don't know how I've missed this my whole life reading the Bible, but according to this verse, fear is not a feeling. Fear is a spirit. He did not give you a spirit of fear. And this spirit of fear is not from God. And so all next week we're going to talk about how do you uproot this spirit of fear? But in our time here this morning, we're just going to talk about this thing. but he gave us the spirit of power.

I'm going to be honest, man. I love power. I love power. I love when the Bible talks about power. I love Acts 1A, and you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. I love Romans chapter 1, where Paul says,

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God under salvation. I like that. I love when Peter says that his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. I like verses like when, when David walks out and stands in the face of Goliath and says, you come against me with sword and spear and javelin,

and I come against you. In the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have to find, and this day I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. I like power. And I know you do too. Hey, even if you don't know Jesus, you like power, because you're American. Nothing says America like power.

Give me a break, man. I mean, we just celebrated the 4th of July. It's just a demonstration of power, is it not? I mean, just ordinary average citizens like us, what do we do to celebrate? We just blow stuff up. And on my street, man, we drive over to Clay County because you can get some stuff there. You can't get around here.

Go meet Ted, the demolitions expert. It's got three fingers combined on both hands. Can't light a lighter, but he knows what blows up the best. And we, I'm telling you, in my cul-de-sac, we get together, my neighbors and I, and I don't know how many laws we break, but it's for America, by God, you understand? And we try to shake the windows loose in our neighbor's house. And if our neighbor blows up something more than we do, then, you know, we go back to Clay County, get some more stuff.

We love it. We love power. I mean, in our cars and trucks, I got a four-wheel drive truck, the most powerful thing I can get. Cars, if you're going to get a car, you know, if you're into cars, you're going to get the most powerful. Look, even you Prius drivers that, like, plug it in, you try to get one with the most power like that's almost like an adult vehicle. You do, man. You really. If that's what you're into.

When we get a phone, we want the most powerful one, the fastest. When we get a computer, we want the most powerful one. I'm into power, man. The dictionary defines power this way. The capacity to direct or influence behavior of others. It has to do with might. It has to do with strength. And the Bible says, you have been given the spirit of power.

Here's the only problem. Not that we are to be powerless. We are to be powerful, but most of the time when we think about power, we think about how we can use this power for us. And before stranger things ever introduced us to the upside-down world, Jesus brings an upside-down kingdom. And what we're going to see in the scriptures is that he takes, this power and turns it completely upside down.

In Philippians chapter 2, Paul, the same author that wrote 2 Timothy, he's going to say these words. He says, do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit. But in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only at his own interests, but also the interests of others. have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus. The way the NIV translates it, it just helps me understand it a little bit better. He says this, that we as believers, should have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. Who, though he was in the form of God, that's power.

So Jesus wasn't weak. Jesus is powerful. that all things that are created were created by him for him through him and to him that he spoke into existence all things that are that Jesus is co-equal with God the Father and though he's in the form of God he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself let's be honest most of us are full of ourselves

I mean, think about this. Our generation, all of us collectively, the thing we may be known for is this. We invented the selfie. How ridiculous is that? You know what every single one of us found out this week? What we're going to look like when we're Dr. Paul's age. That's what we spent our week doing.

That's it. It's unbelievable how into us we are. And if anybody could have just been into himself, it could have been Jesus. And yet, though he was in the form of, of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant. I want you to underline three words in this text.

Servant, and then being born in likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled himself, underline humbled, by becoming obedient. Underline obedient. This is Philippians chapter 2. To the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the nethered. name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Notice it starts with power, co-equal with God, it ends with power, there is a day where Jesus will return. I mean, you get this, that there will come a day where Jesus will crack the heavens open, a trumpet will blast, he will return by the sword out of his mouth and his eyes are on fire, and he's, listen to this, Baptist, he's got tattoos on his quads. Lord of Lords and King of Kings. I don't think he's writing it with a Sharpie. You understand what I'm saying? And every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.

Like I hear these idiots sometimes be like, when I meet Jesus, I must be like, hom boy, I got a question. No, you ain't. You're going to fall on your face trembling as if you're going to die. Because when he comes back in his glory and it displays his power, you will bow or you will bow. Those will be your options. So it's not about being powerless.

It's about being powerful. So what do you do with this power? He, according to Philippians chapter 2, in God's economy, power is about humility, it's about obedience, and it's about serving. That's what it's about. Now, I got a confession. I got a confession. If this is what it means to be powerful, then I got a lot of repenting to do. Straight up, I got a lot of repenting to do.

which makes two weeks in a row, man. Last week, if you were here, I was talking about if God has given you a mantle of leadership at one point, I was talking about fathers and husbands. If you have been given a mantle of leadership, do you leverage that leadership to serve or do you manipulate the circumstances to be served? And as I was saying those words, I was convicted by my own sermon. That's how good it was. And I'm preaching on humility today, so there you go. I got a long way to go. It's straight up. I had to go home. Sit down face to face with all three of the Martins that I live with and just repent and say, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

I need you to forgive me because I consistently manipulate the situation for my own benefit. And then this week, as I look at what God says, what do you do when you have power? I'm just going to tell you, I love it. I love it. I love power. I love to be loved. I love to be served. And you can get used to it real quick.

I mean, like, if you're the boss, people call you, yes, sir. The majority of the rooms I walk in these days, I get paid to be there. I travel all over the place. And, you know, if you travel enough, you know what happens, you get status. I got a million miles with Delta. I'm diamond status, and I love it. If you don't travel a lot, you're going to think I'm a worst person alive when I share this with you. You know why?

Because I am. But I'm just telling you, man, there's special little magical rooms you get to go in. if you got status. Occasionally, I'll fly with an airline that I have no status in, and that's when it reveals how wretched I am. I'm like, what are these lines we're standing in? Why is this taking so long? When did they extend the length of the plane?

How far does this thing, hello? I mean, it is not. Here's where I say that. I love power. I love to be loved, I love to be served, and God wants us to love him and be ready to do. serve. Now here's why I warn us, because I don't think it's just me. And so 1122, I want to give us a warning. Here's some things that are just true about 1122. We are known. I mean, we are in Jacksonville

and around, around the world, especially like in preacher world, man. And we are very successful, and we are very large, and we are full of sinners. And that is a recipe for pride, and pride is a recipe for disaster. May we be a church that because of the grace poured out on us, may we be a church that like Jesus takes all the power, the spirit of power that he has given us, but we are defined by humility, obedience, and serving. Not size and success. Dr. John Piper says this. Humility is the soil in which everything good in the Christian life grows. Humility is the soil. Humility is the soil in which everything good in the Christian life grows. And maybe you've heard us say this before.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's just thinking about yourself less. So if you go over to Matthew chapter 20, Jesus, this is one of the preeminent places in the scripture where he takes this idea of what it means to be powerful and he turns it upside down. In Matthew chapter 20, before I get to the, we're really going to dig into like 20 and following.

But you've got to know a little bit of context of what's happening. If you back up to 19, Jesus bumps into a guy known as the rich young ruler. And this guy, he's full of pride. And so he comes to Jesus, and he's trying to prove himself. And he's like, so what must I do to inherit eternal life? What he's really saying is look at my life because I've got it all together. And Jesus says, obey the commandments. And he's like, crushing it.

No problem. Give me something harder. And essentially what Jesus says to him is this. He's like, well, you see, there's one thing that drives everything in your life. not the one true guy. These possessions that you think you possess, they actually possess you. So get those out of the way. Let God take his rightful place. And then you'll be saved. And the guy's like, I'm not doing that. So he walks away sad. And so then the disciples are like, boss, what's up with that? Because in the first century, they would have thought, well, the rich

people are the one blessed by God and favored by God. So if this man can't be saved, then who's got any hope at all? And Jesus says, it's hard. for rich people to get to heaven. Let me translate that. It's real tough to get to heaven from Jacksonville. Now, I know when we say rich, you think we're talking about other people, you know, those diamond status people with Delta. Okay, no, no, no, no. We're talking about every single one of us that has like a pantry with food in it and an extra set of clothes. That has a car, things like that. And so then Jesus says, you know, it's actually impossible, except that all things are possible with God. And then Jesus says, this is all the end of 19. He says, but blessed is the man or woman that

gives it all up for the glory of God. And Peter's like, ha ha ha, that's us, boss. We have given everything up for you. And then Jesus is like, you're right. You will be blessed in my coming kingdom. And there will be 12 thrones that you will sit on and you will sit as judge over Israel. Then he shares a parable known as the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. And ultimately, The point of the parable is this, is that fair is not a biblical value. That we don't want fair, we want grace. So no matter when you get in the game, you all win the prize. That's the point of the parable.

And then in order for us to understand how this works, in verse 17 of chapter 20, Jesus is going to lay out the gospel. The gospel is his MO. So he says this. And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and again, it's in the context of all these conversations about first and last and who's the boss and who's the least and what's fair and what's not fair. And in that context, he says, and as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the

son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day. This is the gospel, the life, death, and resurrection. So the context is this. All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me. And what I do with that power is I lay down my life for my friends. And I want you to hear that because when you get to verse 20, think about this.

I don't think the words are all the way out of his mouth. And then it says, then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons. And kneeling before him, she asked him for something. And he said to her, what you want? Because she's like, okay, enough about you. let's get back to me. I heard mention of 12 thrones. That's what she's thinking about. And so here's what she says. Jesus says, what do you want? She said to him, say to these two sons of mine that they are to sit, one at your right, and one at your left, in your kingdom. You see, this whole helicopter parent thing has been going on for a long time. I mean, what a bunch of punks that they would send their mom to go talk to Jesus? No, mom, seriously. Go see if we can be like senior VP of Jesus in Jesus, because what most people in the first century and honestly a lot of people in Jerusalem today think is that the Messiah is coming for an earthly kingdom and they thought when the Messiah,

who they believe Jesus to be, when he really flexes, he's going to kick Rome out, he's going to make Israel a superpower again and they'll have a cabinet position. They're making this power play. Now let's be honest, that's how most of us think. You know what it's called? The American Way. I know there's no America yet, but this. This is what we think.

We think more. We think title. We think climb the ladder. It's not altogether bad unless it's all about you. There's a significant difference between selfish ambition and vain conceit and trying to live up to the fullest potential of who God has created you for his glory. I'm not saying back down. I'm saying just aim it right. Aim it at the glory of God.

And so that's what these two are asking for. through their mom. And Jesus answered him, you don't know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They have no idea what he's talking about. What he's talking about? He's talking about enduring the full wrath of God on the cross. That's what he's talking about.

The reason we know what he's talking about is this, is that in the Garden of Gassimini, in case you knew the Bible study, the Garden of Gassimini is the place that Jesus goes to pray the night he is betrayed and arrested and when the crucifixion begins, when that whole process begins. And so he takes this to decide,

to this place called the Garden of Gassimony. It's at the bottom of the Mount of Olives. It literally means the place of crushing. This is where olive presses were, and they would press out an olive to the core broke, and the olive oil spilled out. And he goes there, and he's praying, and he's feeling the weight of being the savior of the world. He's sweating drops of blood, and he asked this question, Father, if there be any other way. Here's what he's asking. If you've ever had a little bit of issue with like, so Jesus is the only way? I mean, like the only way. Seems pretty narrow, doesn't it?

I'll be honest, it's embarrassingly narrow, isn't it? In our pluralistic world, have people all the time be like, all right, man, I know you're like a gospel preacher. You mean to tell me, you think you're one, you're Jesus. That's it. All the people all over the world believe all kind of different stuff. And that's it. Jesus is the only way. And I'm like, look, dude, I'm just the mailman.

I don't write it. deliver it. He said, I am the way of the truth in the life. No one comes with the Father except through me. And I can give you about 100 other scriptures where he says it. And in the Garden of Gassimini, this is what he's double-checking. Father, if there be any other way for human beings to be reconciled with their maker God, for sin to be paid for and forgiveness to be given, Father, if there be any other way, if people could just be good enough, if you could obey the law, if you could align your chakra, if you could go to Mecca, if you could meditate long enough that you make it to Nirvana. If that stuff works, in other words, if Oprah's right and all roads lead to

heaven, well, let's go with the Oprah plan. Seems like an awful waste of my blood at Mount Calvary. If it's not a have to, Father, if there be any other way, let this cup pass from me. The cup, the cup is the righteous wrath of God against sin. That's what it is. because on the cross Jesus was not simply going to endure the punishment for our sin, that God made Him who was without sin to be sin so that we could be made the righteousness of God. Now here's the thing about punishment and sin. You see, when we're figuring out punishments for sin, everybody knows this to be treated. It's not just what you do, but it's who you do it against that determines the punishment.

Like if you go home today and you get mad and you kick the wall, that's done. You shouldn't do that, right? If you kick your wife, you're going to jail. You kick the dog, that's not good. You kick a cat. It's not even a sin. So that's just true. It might not be true, but you know what I'm saying.

Right, you kick the Pope. You go to some kind of Catholic jail forever. I mean, it's like, listen, so you sin against the almighty everlasting king. it requires an almighty everlasting punishment. Jesus endures this on the cross. This is what the cup is. And so he says, you don't even know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?

Now here's what's crazy. Power in God's economy comes through suffering. We use the majority of our power to avoid suffering and pursue comfort. In the book of Romans, Paul will say this, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Aba Father. We love that verse.

We sing songs about it. I'm no longer a slave of fear, but I'm a child of God. We love that. In fact, my kids, when they were little and they were afraid of the dark, you know what the cure was? Me. If they were afraid, they were, come on, Daddy, come with me. Why?

Because when their father was with them, there's nothing to be afraid. of because the boogeyman may show himself, but they know they're dedicating with the boogeyman. This is what it's saying. We have this spirit that cries out, Abba, Father, and the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. I love that. If you're a believer, you should love that, too.

We are co-ares with Christ. Everything that he has will one day be ours. That's what this means. If you're a believer in Jesus, every believer in Jesus will hear these words. done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master. That's what it means to be an heir. And man, don't you just want to edit the Bible sometimes?

I know you don't feel like you can say that because it sounds like heresy, which it is, but you know you want to because it would be great if there was just a period here and let's move on to a story. But there's a comma and it says provided. I'm like, uh-oh. Provided we suffer with him in order that we may be also glorified in him. for I consider that the suffering of this present time it's not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

James, the brother of Jesus, says this, consider it pure joy when you face suffering and trials in this world, because it produces something in you. This is what Jesus is saying. There is no refinement without fire. How many of us, when we face it, face pain when we face suffering, instead of asking God to take us out of it immediately, how many of us say, thank you, God, that you would love me enough, that you would discipline

me as your own son, that you would take the hammer and chisel of this world, and you would chisel away everything in me that doesn't look like Jesus. How many of you would believe Jesus when he says, in this world you will face troubles of many kind, but take heart? I've overcome the world. This is a part of what Jesus is saying, to the mom and to these two. boys. Alan Redpath said this a long time ago. When God wants to do an impossible task, he takes an impossible man and he crushes him. And then Chuck Swindall added leave room for the crushing. You see, in God's economy, in God's economy, power comes through suffering. And he says, are you able to drink the cup? And they say, we are able. They have no idea what they're talking about.

We are able. And he said to them, you will drink my cup. You see, they are followers of Jesus. And even if you just leave this in just plain English, if you are a follower, that means you go where the leader goes. The leader went to the cross. We have this false gospel being taught all over the world, really, that says that you should follow Jesus, because if you do, he'll make your life better. The problem with that, the heresy in that is that you are preeminent. I go first, and Jesus is a means to my end. Ultimately, listen, man, if what you want is Cadillacs and Cotton Candy and you think Jesus can help you get there, then he's just an idol to worship your true God, which is stuff. And that's not how it works.

All of the disciples were martyred because they were Jesus followers and they followed him to the cross and they followed him because not they just had faith to believe, but they followed him because they saw him crucified and they saw him resurrected and they would not recant. And they say, we are able. And he says, you will drink my cup, but check. this out, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my father. Biblical power in God's economy always submits to authority. It never subverts it. I mean, think about this, Jesus, who is before all things, all things are made for him, through him, by him, and to him, when it comes to this, he goes, that's above my

pay grade. I willingly submit to the father on this one. Do you ever notice how people with the least amount of authority, always try to grab on to the most amount of authority? You know? I've never seen like an FBI cop yelling at people, and yet the mall cop is like, as if he is protecting national secrets in front of TCBY on a segue. Calm down, bro, okay? And Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, and he's saying, I submit to my father's authority. And then he says this, and then when the ten heard it, these are the other disciples.

when they heard that these two guys sent their mom to try to be like, you know, first and second place, they were indignant at the two brothers. You know why? Because they thought, ah, why do we think about that? And Jesus called them to him and said, pay attention to this. You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lowered it over them. When he uses Gentile here, he doesn't just mean non-Jewish people. He means people that are not in covenant with God. You know that the rulers of the Gentiles, people that don't even believe in God. They lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. Not you ought not do this, not you should not do this.

It shall not be so among you. So let me ask you, is it so among you? Like if you're the dad and you walk in the house, does peace walk in with you? When you're the boss and you walk into the boardroom or walk into your team, meeting and again you're the boss does everybody think oh here comes the best servant on our team did you know in fact in our culture particularly our christian christian culture we don't like we don't like servant at all we have made servant an adjective to the kind of leader that we want to be see everybody's okay with being a servant until you're treated like one we're like no no no i'm not a

servant i'm a servant leader jesus never called us to be leader he called us to be servant So let me ask you, is that how you run things? When you walk in the room, does peace, does the gospel walk in with you? Maybe you have the highest seat of authority in our country, which is president of the HOA. You can't even drive in your neighborhood and enjoy it because you're just checking out of everybody's hedges. I'm going to send a strongly worded memo. Yeah, man, see, this is the world we live in. And the reason that he says, it shall not be so among you, because we're going to send a strongly worded memo.

what Jesus is saying among you, if you're a Jesus follower, if you have come to the place where you have admitted it, I get it. I'm not just a mistakeer that needs a life coach, a bad person that needs to try harder. I am a sinner in need of a Savior, and I believe that when Jesus died on the cross, that counted for me. And I have confessed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Who in the world am I, who've done nothing to deserve my salvation, done nothing to deserve every bloodbought grace gift God has given me? I've done nothing. I've done nothing to deserve every bloodbalk grace gift God has given me. I've done nothing to deserve, even the breath I have in my lungs right now. Who in the world am I to take my eyes off the cross and look down my nose at somebody else as if they

should serve me? It shall not be so among Jesus people. Problem is, I think it is. Right? I think it is. husbands do you serve because listen even when I serve I'm the worst man I'm so the worst if you need your pastor to have it all together you just probably should just watch YouTube videos or somebody else or something okay because I'm the worst even when I do serve like when I clean out the dishwasher which I've done several times in the 20 years of been married

I'm so loud every plate I'm like And if nobody's in there, well, wait a minute until one fork at a time, right? I made the bed on Friday. And I just, Gretchen was at the gym, I waited in the bedroom until she got home, just sitting on it waiting. She said, look at you doing a little sermon. That's what she said. I felt good about it. You understand?

Jesus turns everything upside down, and he says, But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your doulas, your servant, your slave. And even as the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. Long time ago, I was at this conference, and Andy Stanley, who's a pastor in Atlanta, he said that every time I think about serving, I can't get this phrase out of my mind. And it rhymes. Everything he says rhymes. He's like the mother goose of good preaching, okay? Don't tell him I said that, but it kind of is. Here's what he says. he says, what do you do when it dawns on you that you're the most powerful person in the room?

Now, when I say that, some of you know you are because you're the boss. You're the CEO. You're the president. You're the coach. Whatever it is. You're the teacher. You're the principal. But every single one of us, no matter what our role is, at some point, every week, we find ourselves in a position of power.

And again, it might be the president or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or it might be you look around the swagger wagon in carpools. line and you're in charge. You're in charge of the temperature and the radio and where you go and when you go. And when you're in that moment, what do you do when it dawns on you that you're the most powerful person in the room? I'm telling you, in my flesh, I want to flex, I want to make sure everybody knows. If I'm well respected, then I respond humbly. But if not, I want to be like, you know who you're talking, look at their assistant to the general manager. That's what it says right there. I have earned that puppy. What do you do? You see, because Jesus lives this out, ultimately to the cross. He says, I didn't come to be served. If anybody deserves to be served, it's the son of God. He says,

I didn't come to be served, but to serve me to give my life a ransom for many. But he also, in his day-to-day life, he lives it out. So flip over to John chapter 13, this is one of the greatest examples of him living this thing out. And you've got to listen a lot faster than the nine o'clock service did. So here we go. It says this, John chapter 13, now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The NIV says he showed them the full extent of his love. And you know what he does? I know all you Bible people know.

Doesn't preach a sermon, doesn't do a miracle. Here's how he demonstrates his love to the end. during supper when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Ascariat Simon's son to betray him. So think about who he's eating with. Here's who his dinner crowd is. He's got his, the guy that's going to betray him, he's got a coward, Peter, just going to lie to his face. No matter what, I would follow you to my death. Jesus knows he's going to die him three times that night.

And all the other ten disciples, as soon as it gets hot in the kitchen, they're out of there. They're going to run and abandon him. First three, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things. into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God. I know Jesus already knows this, but I think John puts this in here, so we would know that Jesus knows that he's the most powerful person in the room. And so what does he do? Verse four, he rose from supper.

He laid aside his outer garment, taking a towel. He tied it around his waist, and he poured water into a basin, and he began to wash to the disciples' feet and to wipe them with a towel that was wrapped around him. He washed the disciples sleep. If you've been a Christian for a minute, how many of you have, at all of our locations, how many of you have ever been in a foot washing ceremony? You ever been a part of one of those things? Raise them high.

I mean, hold it up, man. Okay, isn't it terrible? I hate it. I hate it, all right? I get it because it's all symbolic and I hate it. We do it for our deacon commissioning. I think it was my idea. It's so dumb.

I hate it, man. You know, because it's gross. I don't want to, if I had never touch a grown man's feet for the rest of my life, I'd be totally okay with that. I don't want to touch some random lady that I know who's a deacon who God has fearfully wonderfully made her. I just don't want to touch her feet. So if you never do that again, I'd be fine with that.

But it was not a symbolic thing here. It's like a legit thing. Very needed. I don't know if you watch the Jesus movies. They're just rocking their, you know, Jesus sandals. Just walking around the dirt roads of Jerusalem, not a lot of paved roads. And everything that was like in the animal ends up on the road and they walk in it, then they go to eat. And so when people would show up.

in the first century for a dinner. There's a few things that would happen. The hosts would greet them with a kiss. I'm glad we don't do that anymore either. You know what I mean? That's weird. Anoint their head with oil. It literally is because they stunk.

And it was just so they went and stink so bad and ruined dinner. And then there was a servant of the service, the lowest of the low, and they were the foot washers. So at our deacon commissioning, like when I'd wash the feet, they're already clean. People shower before they come to church. And words out now, so they wear sandals so they don't have like, you know, new balance, stank foot. And so I just kind of take the thing, and I'm like, God bless you, servant. I just sort of gently wet wipe almost one of them. Got it.

Appreciate you. This is like a scrub, man. You've got to get some. And here's why. Da Vinci didn't have it right at all. They didn't eat. I don't know where that painting came from. It's not like Da Vinci popped into the last supper like, all right, everybody on one side of the table so I can get a photo.

It's going to be a really big deal. No, the tables in the first century. Jerusalem, they're like this tall and everybody just kind of laid on pillows. And it's not like the game's coming on SportsCenter in a minute. So the table would last a long time. And they literally would like lounge around the table. Like they would lay down. Everybody's laying around the table.

So your feet and somebody's face and the food are all in proximity right there. So this is a necessity. So they're in between the toes and getting, you know, they're in there, man. Jesus looks around the table. He sees these proud hearts and dirt. 30 feet. And he says, I got this. And he dresses himself as a servant. And you know what he doesn't do? He doesn't selfie it. And he's like, hashtag saving the world, one foot at a time. He just does it. And he came to Simon Peter, and what do you think Simon's going to do? That's what he does.

Came to Simon Peter. Who said to him, Lord, do you watch my feet? And Jesus answered him. Jesus is totally giving him an opportunity to just shut up. He says, what I am doing, you do not understand. now, but afterwards you will understand. And Peter thinks, I should say more words. So he does. Peter said to him, you shall never wash my feet. And Jesus answered him, it's wash your feet or go to hell. That's basically what he says. Lose translation. But he says, if I do not wash you, you have no share with me. Now he ain't talking about feet. He's talking about salvation. You think you can clean you up. You've completely missed the gospel. You have to be a recipient of what I have done on your behalf.

And Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet on. Then he gets weird. He always gets weird. I've told you this before, man. When you say something dumb, just stop there. It's never going to get better. Peter's like, I know more words.

And so Simon Peter said, he makes this super awkward. Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. And Jesus is like, oh, just stop. Dude, this is, I'm about to shift from the Passover. to the fulfillment of the promise of God in the person of me. This is kind of a big deal. This is the institution of the Lord's supper, Peter.

Would you just stop? And so Jesus says, the one who has bathed does not need to wash except for his feet, but it's completely clean, and you are clean, but not every one of you. For he knew who was to betray him. That's why he said, not all of you were clean. Hey, what do you do when you're at work? And there's that guy that betrayed you. and there's that girl that gossiped about you.

What do you do like at school when you know there's that group of people that ostracized you? Jesus just served them. He just served them. And when he'd wash their feet, he put on his outer garment and he resumed his place and he said to them, do you understand what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. Here's the thing. Jesus had no problem walking in the authority that God had had an unlawful.

going to them with. So if you're the boss, be the boss. If you're the principal, be the principal. If you're the mom, you're the mom. You're in charge. One time I was at this little group of pastors I got invited into, and there were these older, super successful pastors, and they were pouring into those of us that were just getting started.

And I'm sitting with this man named Pastor Wayne Cordero. He's written a bunch of books. Got a church in Hawaii, of all places, just suffering for Jesus there. God bless his ministry. And he's asking me about 1122, and I'm just telling you, it's the thing. In our world, it's a thing. People hear about it because of yaw. It's so big and grew so fast.

And he goes, so tell me a little bit about you about 1122. And I'm just sort of, I'm trying to act like I'm humble, but it's really a false humility. You know, I'm like, oh, I was just a bunch of rednecks at Walmart. And I'm a nobody from Dylan. And he puts his hand on my shoulder, quote some random verse from Second Chronicles about David being King of Israel, and then looks at me and says, never apologize for the anointing. Just walk in it. I was like, thanks Elijah, holy moly.

So this doesn't mean don't be the boss, don't be the president, don't be the dad, don't be, no, no, no, no. We had this mantle of anointing and appointing. We just do it differently in Jesus's kingdom. He goes, you call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. for have given you an example that you also should do, just as I have done for you, not feel. Listen, right now, everybody feels like they want to do something. It's pretty irrelevant.

You have to do it. And some of us are wired to be better servants than others, but we don't get a pass. You understand? The best servant in our church that I know, he's going to hate me for saying this, but I don't care. It's elder Chuck Gersbett. He's everywhere he goes, he serves. Never one time he's like, I'm an elder, I don't do that. I don't know how he makes it to work.

without stopping 23 times on the way to help everybody on the way. He's just got this servant heart. It's what he does. And I'm telling you, I just have to do. Because I don't feel it. I don't see it. I see something that needs to be done. And I think, I don't have the spiritual gift of helps.

I have leadership and preaching, so I'm happy to tell you that I should lead you to clean this up. All right? So it's, but Jesus just says, do it. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not. greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him if you know these things. Blessed are you if you do them. You want to be blessed? Serve. Serve. Why? Because God didn't give you a spirit of fear. But he gave us a spirit of power. And God did not give you his power for you, but through you the power of God's love would be displayed for this whole world.

That's why. So grab out your notes. Okay, get them. Some of you have already been taking notes. Thank you. the rest of you repent and then get them. I took some too. There's a blank page here. Open it up. Let's get very, very practical. Find a way to serve someone this week. That one thing that no one wants to do, that would have been the equivalent of foot washing. And do that thing. You want to be great, then serve. This means this.

When you see a need, meet it. If it needs to be done, just do it. You want to be first, go last. that just means lower yourself to lift others up instead of climbing over everybody else to try to get to the top. Do you want to be promoted, you want to be exalted, then humble yourself. Give God all the credit for everything you have because you will be humbled. Either you will humble yourself and God may exalt you or when he is exalted, you will be humbled. And so at work, at work this week, at work, how can you serve? and I don't mean kiss up to the boss

that's not serving it's just the means to serve yourself that's not what I'm talking about I'm talking about that job that nobody wants to do or that person honestly that nobody likes serve at home what is the thing that nobody wants to do

do that thing and husbands not to manipulate the situation for what you want you know exactly what I'm talking about that is not serving that is selfish and in your church, serve. Serve.

First of all, thank you to all the serve staff. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the people that make this thing run every weekend and throughout the week. We couldn't do it without you. See, the problem is going to a big church, and all over campuses are big church in and of themselves, and the whole thing is, like, it's enormous. The problem is you go to a big church and you look around and you're like, everything's so slick. They got it all together. They don't need me.

The staff is laughing so hard right now. They're like, it is not very, it's like a duck. On top of the water, everything looks so smooth. Underneath, we paddling like crazy. We don't know what we're doing. And so, I need you to serve. We're launching Fleming Island next month. Amen?

Fleming Island campus goes live August 11th. Praise God. We need a bunch of people to serve there. And every time we launch a new campus, we have all of those new opportunities for serve staff, reach and all the things that it takes. And listen, it's not like we pray about it and all of a sudden these people just bubble up out of nowhere. No, it's the folks in the church that say, hey, I'll serve. There's a need. I'll meet it. Another way that you can serve very practically is this,

is that particularly like, honestly, at almost all of our locations, if you go to the 1122 service, look around, I mean in San Pablo right now, look around. It's July. People ain't supposed to be at church in July. You crazy people come all the time and bring people. When school starts back, we can't fit. I don't know if you notice this, but this is a new wall. It moved over. Good job, Brad. You didn't even know.

He builds our old churches right here on the front row. We lost about 200 seats because the Hobby Lobby build out is happening. We're crowded right now. Some of you families aren't even sitting together, right? Like these people usually sit with these people, but you can't get together, right? I know you. So I need you to go to another service. 130, 522 or 722.

And I know what you're going to go. Yeah, but it's not convenient for me. All right, stop, rewind the tape, go back to the beginning, start over, you selfish Gentile. You understand. It's part of what we need you to do. Also, we need to make sure if you're driving by one of our other campuses to get to a different campus, reconsider what campus you're going to. I know some of you can be like, I'll pray about it.

I prayed about it. God told me to tell you, you need to go. If we want to start playing duck, duck goose to figure it out later, we can do that. But I need hundreds of us by the time school starts up to have a non-Sunday morning service so that I'm just telling you, I'm telling you, what we cannot have happen is the week school goes back. Here's what happens. School starts, mommas and deadies go, Jesus, we need help. And they come back to church.

They've been out for a minute, you know. We cannot have people show up in any of our locations. and here there is no room in the end. That's cool for a Christmas pageant. It ain't cool for people that God is drawing unto himself through his bride. So go to one of the fringe services, go to a campus that maybe have a little space in it, maybe go serve at Fleming Island for a year. All you got to do, there's a serve card, there's a respond card in your seat back in front of you.

It's always there and just pull the thing out. put your information on it and serve because a bunch of our serve staff from here will go to Fleming Island for a year and they'll serve and so you'll need to fill their spots and so at home this week at home how can you serve at work when you walk into work tomorrow or walk into school tomorrow how can you serve and here in your church how can you serve and the reason that we serve is because of Jesus because Jesus says I have set for you an example you will be blessed. Not if you pray about it. You'll be blessed if you do it. Would you please stand and let me pray for you. Our good and grace is heavenly Father God. We love you more than anything because you love us first.

Jesus, thank you that you served us by doing what we could not do for ourselves. The ultimate act of service is that you gave your life as a ransom for many. You saw something that needed to be done. The forgiveness of sin and the adoption of us as orphans in this world. And you did for us what we could not do for ourselves. And God, I pray blessing on this church, not that you would sprinkle blessing dust over us, but as we do what you told us to do at home, at work, at school, and our neighborhoods, as we go out and do what you said to do to serve one another, that we would receive your blessing and do it. We pray it in Jesus' name. Amen. Church, we respond. It's what we do. We'll join our voices.

together as one body, as one church. And I don't know if you know this, at all of our location, all of our campuses, we all sing the same song so that our one church, the church of 1122, all over the city and Baker and everywhere, that we join our voice in unison to say, Jesus, you are worth it. You are worthy to be praised. And we respond by bringing our tithes and our offerings. Financially, we want to say what the rich young ruler didn't say, God, you were the one thing that drives everything.

and then we pray, we pray. And so maybe you're in the boat I'm in. Maybe you need to repent like I do. Change direction, change the way you think about power. I invite you, come here. Come down to the altar, kneel down, and say, God, I need your help. Or maybe you need to pray about where you are going to serve beginning this week,

at home, at work, and here in the church. So let us pray, let us sing, let us bring, let us respond.