Bible Text: Mark 10:35–45 | Preacher: Pastor Andrew Okai

Sermon prepared by the Holy Spirit and Pastor Andrew T. Okai

Fifth Sunday in Lent

March 18, 2018

 

Sermon text: Mark 10:35–45

Sermon theme: A Call to Servanthood

Introduction

The Lord be with you…

I was led to preach to you a message that I preached three years ago. It began with the story about a rice farmer who saved an entire village from destruction.

From his hilltop farm he felt the earth quake and saw the distant ocean swiftly withdraw from the shoreline. He knew that a tidal wave was coming. In the valley below, he saw his neighbors working in low fields that would soon be flooded. They must run quickly to his hilltop or they would all die. His rice barns were dried as tinder. So with a torch he set fire to his barns, and soon the fire gong started ringing. His neighbors saw the smoke and rushed to help him. Then from their safe perch they saw the tidal wave wash over the fields they had just left.

In a flash they knew not only who had saved them but also what their salvation had cost their benefactor. They later erected a monument to his memory bearing the motto, “He gave us all he had, and gave gladly.” This poor farmer finished first in the eyes of his community, but it cost him everything he had. There are not too many people in our world like that farmer.

Today’s gospel text addresses this issue as Jesus deals with a selfish petition.

As we consider these thoughts, it is my prayer that we come to see how being a servant to others is more of a blessing in the end than being served by others.

The Request

In our reading, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Zebedee and asked for three things: preeminence, proximity, and power. They thought this was the right thing to ask for. These guys could not see the cross; all they saw was the crown.

The problem with the disciples is the same problem with many of us today: Most of us carry no concerns about the cross of Christ; all we want is to be loved by him. The problem is pride. Our schedules get so congested with selfish agendas that we hardly have time to think about God or others.

The Response

Jesus responds to the requests by saying they do not know what they are asking for. When it comes to the kingdom of God, a servant does not have the agenda; he does what his master says.

Question: Are you a servant of God, or a master for God?

The Revelation

Jesus tells them that they will experience his anguish to a degree. He tells them that position in the coming kingdom is given out by the will of God. The same is true in this life; our positions and blessings are all determined by God.

So humble yourselves before the mighty hand of God, and in due time, He will lift you up.