The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.
00:00:03 morning church today's scripture reading is taken from Matthew 20: 20 to 28 then the mother of zeb's sons came to Jesus with her sons and kneeling down asked a favor of him what is it that you want he asked she said grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right side and the other at your left side in your kingdom you don't know what you are asking Jesus said to them can you drink the cup I am going to drink we can they answered Jesus said to them you will indeed drink from my cup but to sit at
00:00:48 my right or left is not for me to Grant these places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my father when the 10 heard about this they were indignant with the two brothers Jesus called them together and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles bled 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 the first must be your slave just as a son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to
00:01:28 give his life as a ransom for many this is the word of the Lord when you hear the word servant and you heard it loud then when you hear the word servant what mental image comes to your mind um maybe a maid scrubbing the floors or perhaps a man working out in the hot sun or if he's lucky serving dinner as a butler inside probably when I said the word servant none of you thought of a CEO of a Fortune 500 Club nor an aspiring politician not at all I think when we hear the word servant we tend to think of someone
00:02:26 considered to be lower class someone who not may not be well educated someone considered to be beneath us someone with little money no power becoming a servant is definitely not the career goal most parents would have for their children but Jesus turned the concept of servanthood on its head he said that greatness is measured by service the greatest people will be servants he said whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave slave that's worse than being a
00:03:11 servant I think most people would agree with you on that so to try to understand what Jesus meant let's look more closely at our sermon text The Story begins with a mother and her two sons James and John going to Jesus to make a request of him at first glance the mother appears to be a good mother she loves her sons she wants them to succeed she wants only the best for them those are admirable qualities and another positive thing the mother came with her sons to Jesus agreed good parents do care for their
00:03:51 children and good parents want to spend time with Jesus along with their children but when we look at the request this mother had along with some quotes from The Gospel of Mark we begin to get a better understanding of what might have been going on in Mark chapter 10 James John and their mother their request began this way teacher we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you whoa I think that I would be quite wary of someone that wanted me to say yes before I even heard the request it's like the mother and her t two sons
00:04:33 were trying to manipulate Jesus they wanted him to do whatever they asked but Jesus didn't fall for that instead he just asked what is it that you want and the mother replied say that these two sons of mine are to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom that would mean that her two sons would have the highest two positions of power and influence in the coming Kingdom so Jesus would be king and one son could be prime minister and maybe the other could be the Finance Minister James and John's mother
00:05:14 probably thought her sons deserve the top two positions in the coming Kingdom she was proud of her boys she had great dreams for them but she may have also wanted to be the mother of the two most important men in the Kingdom that would mean she could share in the power The Prestige and the wealth if her sons had the most important positions in the coming Kingdom she would be well provided for in her old age no need to worry about money in retirement when we hear the request that the mother made we can think that there
00:05:54 might have been a little bit more at play than just the loving mother wanting to help her children selfish interests could have played a role the mother's request may have been her own idea she wanted to push her sons to the front so that they all could come out on top maybe she was overbearing and wanted to live out her dreams through her children you know that sort of thing does happen in many families but on the other hand there's the strong possibility that the idea came from James and John to ask their
00:06:29 mother to make the request they were probably ambitious but didn't want to appear that way in public so maybe they thought if we can just get our mother to go a nice respectable older lady maybe she could influence Jesus to appoint us to the highest position our text doesn't mention the names James and John it says the sons of Zebedee but we know from earlier passages that James and John were the sons of Zebedee right but Jesus also called them the sons of thunder I think we can safely say their
00:07:07 father was not known as Mr Thunder probably not James and John were given the name sons of thunder because things could get loud stormy even explosive when they were around it was a depiction of their character their emotions their behavior like the time when a in a Samaritan Village uh Jesus was refused he was not welcomed and James and John asked himl do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them James and John already had a prominent position in the band of disciples they were two of the very
00:07:46 first ones that Jesus called and they were also part of an inner circle of three consisting of those two plus Peter but evidently they wanted even more power and more prominence on a positive note we can see and we can say that James and John did have faith faith in the sense that they believed Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he was going to establish his kingdom they were so convinced of this that they were ready to commit their future to Jesus and you know that's all positive now they wanted to start making
00:08:25 definite plans that included their role in the Kingdom at the time that they made their request Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem Palm Sunday was just a few days away in the biblical text there's only seven verses between this incident and the time of Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem as he went into Jerusalem the crowds hailed him as king like the crowds James and John evidently believed that Jesus was the king but like the crowds they evid evidentally had a false understanding of
00:09:02 what that would mean they were looking for a temporal Kingdom they expected Jesus would Reign on the earth with great PP and glory and they wanted their share of the power and Prestige and so we see the two disciples who have some semblance of faith in Jesus but who totally misunderstood what his mission was and they were terribly consumed with themselves and their selfish ambition rather than asking Jesus how they could be of service to him they were preoccupied with what they could gain personally their motives in making a
00:09:41 special request of Jesus were all wrong they were seeking power influence rather than Desiring to find out what Jesus wanted them to do so Jesus answered with an instructive rebuke you do not know what you are asking I bet that caught them by surprise they'd been so confident that they knew what Christ's kingdom was going to be like and they could even Envision their role in it and now they hear Jesus saying that they don't have any idea what they are talking about and Jesus then asked them a question he said
00:10:21 are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink in that question Jesus was using symbolic language he wasn't talking about a literal cup not the cup that he would use a few days later when he instituted the Lord's Supper saying this is the New Covenant in my blood no the expression drink the cup Was An Old Testament symbol often referring to Divine wrath and judgment for example in Isaiah 51 the prophet says oh Jerusalem you have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath it was also a figurative way of
00:11:03 speaking about intense suffering and affliction for example in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed father if it is possible let this cup pass from me and he was referring to his suffering and his death on the cross so without really understanding Jesus question and without giving it much thought James and John answered yes yes we can drink that cup you can drink we are able they said that's one of the most naive statements answers I have ever heard proud brave but ignorant words this really shows they had no idea
00:11:47 what they were asking they had no understanding of what greatness would be like in the coming Kingdom now their thoughts had been of Glamour and Glory power prestige but they had no idea of the hard work and suffering that might be involved in becoming great in the kingdom of God if they had known what the cup would entail they might not have been so eager to say yes we can drink it and Jesus affirmed their answer he said yes you will drink this cup but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not
00:12:25 mine to Grant but it is for those for whom it has been prepared Cared by my father and what Jesus said about James and John did come to pass in the future later they did drink of his cup James was the first of the Apostles to be martyred we see in Acts chapter 12 that Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword now John was not martyred but he did suffer arrest imprisonment beating and Exile I Think Jesus is answer shows us that we are not to be concerned about positions in the kingdom of God we do
00:13:07 not deserve a high rank and we cannot earn a certain status in God's kingdom everything results from the grace of God James and John still had much to learn about what it meant to be great in the Kingdom where Jesus would Reign meanwhile the other disciples had evidently overheard the request of James John and their mother and they were not happy verse 24 says and when the 10 heard it they were indignant at the two brothers I really doubt that the anger of these disciples sprung from having a different attitude towards greatness and
00:13:51 it certainly was not a case that they had deep humility and I doubt they were upset that James and John didn't understand Jesus and his mission no because they too did not understand jesus' Mission they did not understand that as the Messiah he was going to be the suffering servant the 10 were offended at the ambition of the two brothers but probably not because they thought the ambition was inappropriate more than likely they were angry that they had not thought of this first they were probably afraid they
00:14:27 might lose out they were up said that someone else was trying to outmaneuver them to get the top position and they wanted that high rank for themselves yes each one of them probably wanted to be the next prime minister not necessarily wanting to serve as a high official but wanting the power and the fame and material well-being that such a position would bring and when I see the disciples bickering over who would get the highest seat of authority it makes me think they had not been paying attention at all to what Jesus
00:15:04 had been trying to tell them our text today begins in verse 20 but just go back a couple of verses back in verse 18 and 19 Jesus said 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 fled mocked and flogged and crucified and he will be raised on the third day and immediately after that the very next verse says and then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to
00:15:41 Jesus and they made their request there certainly is a big disconnect there immediately after Jesus says he will be mocked fogged and crucified James and John request to have the highest seats of Honor in the coming Kingdom Jesus talks about suffering they request greatness wealth authority Jesus talks about sacrificing his life in order to save others they want a position of comfort and ease where others will serve them it makes me want to ask hello anybody home is anybody listening in Luke's gospel the same
00:16:24 events recorded Jesus on his way to Jerusalem told his disciples that he would be mocked flogged and killed the next verse says but the disciples understood none of these things obviously and Luke continues this saying was hidden from them and they did not grasp what was said I wonder why they did not grasp what Jesus said after all this was the third time Jesus had told his disciples that he would suffer and die what could possibly have hidden from them something that Jesus had clearly stated three separate times well one
00:17:06 thing that could have blinded them to the truth would have been their own preconceived ideas the popular views of the day were that Jesus would be a Victorious King not a suffering servant they had been so influenced by their culture and the values of their society that the truth Jesus was trying to communicate to them was hidden from them yes there is the tendency to just dismiss something that goes against our world view or our existing biases if we have adopted false values that do not come from following Jesus
00:17:48 we're often we often prefer to hold on to those false values just because everybody else around us is cherishing those same values and if we believe something that go goes against the teaching of the Bible we prefer to not understand that truth from scripture we would rather cling to that false belief because it's reinforced by Voices all around us plus it confirms our prejudices yes don't confuse me with the truth I have my mind made up that's obviously the way it was with the disciples but I'm afraid it's also true
00:18:27 for many of us today today we are so influenced by our peers by social media by our own desires that the truth of God is hidden from us we don't understand God's truth because it doesn't fit with the views that we've already adopted and sometimes we don't understand because we do not want to understand we do not want to apply scriptures to our life if it goes against our own goals and our own desires we might hear the truth from God but when it does not fit with our worldview or our existing value
00:19:09 system we reject it I confess and many of us would admit that when we hear God's word we might be stirred or challenged by it but then we don't give much thought or prayer to how we can apply it we don't really consider how might God want to change us we hear the word of God proclaimed but then we become easily distracted our attention immediately goes to something else like what's for lunch what am I going to do this afternoon and we forget what we have just heard or sometimes we hear but only
00:19:51 pay attention to the parts that we like or we might hear what we want to hear and then twist it to make make it say what we want it to say and that's what the disciples did they perked up when they heard the word Kingdom but they totally misinterpreted what Jesus said I think if I had been Jesus I would have been terribly frustrated with the disciples yes you would have been I would have been quite impatient with them um the scripture does not comment on any emotions that Jesus might have felt but
00:20:32 it does say Jesus called them to himself I find that encouraging he called them to himself yeah he didn't call them dimwit or mentally challenged no he called them to himself he called them to come to him to be with him to learn from him to follow him that reminds me of the beginning of Jesus ministry when he first called his disciples in Mark's gospel the very first thing that Jesus appointed his disciples to do was to be with him and that's true for us today the first thing Jesus wants from us is for us to be with
00:21:18 him come to him in faith spend time with him in his word and in prayer worship Him learn from him be with him then go and serve him and others Jesus called the disciples to himself because he wanted to once again explain to them what true greatness is in the kingdom of God I'm glad you said once again Jesus had already discussed this topic on many occasions just two chapters earlier in Matthew 18 the disciples came to Jesus saying who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus called a child and put him
00:22:06 in their midst and he said whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven and shortly before our story took place a Rich Young Ruler had come to Jesus and at the end of that conversation Jesus had explained to his disciples many who are first will be last and the last first and Jesus repeated that at the conclusion conclusion of telling a parable a few days later he again said so the first so the last will be first and the first last well these fellas were really slow weren't they
00:22:47 slow Learners indeed I'm amazed that Jesus didn't just kick them out but I'm glad he didn't because that gives me that gives us encouragement and hope right because sometimes we too are slow Learners we might need to hear the same message over and over again before we really grasp it it can take time to understand the truths of the kingdom of God and it usually takes even longer for us to make Kingdom values our values it's one thing to intellectually grasp the values that scripture teaches but
00:23:29 entirely another thing to internalize them put them into practice on a continuing basis we know what scripture teaches but many around us are living in a different way and when scripture presents values that conflict with our culture we feel pressured to conform to what everyone else is doing rather than live according to God's values putting our Christian beliefs into practice is not automatic no growth is a process we need continuing guidance from scripture we need the encouragement of Christian
00:24:07 friends Direction discernment and strength from the holy spirit is necessary as we abide in Christ and he in us so that we can grow in faith I'm glad Jesus was patient with his disciples he gave him another chance and that means he also understands when we struggle with accepting his values as ours he's patient with us and he continues to remind and encourage us showing us how he wants us to live well after the disciples had wrangled about who would be greatest in the coming Kingdom Jesus told them you
00:24:48 know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and their great ones exercise authority over them it shall not be so among you but whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave that is very clear it's easy to understand what Jesus means but it's hard to believe how can that possibly be true it's the total opposite of conventional wisdom contrary to what our culture says almost everyone believes you rise to greatness is Jesus saying you descend to
00:25:35 Greatness good question and on the surface it might appear so and in the eyes of our society I'm sure becoming a servant would be a very steep descent but no I really don't think Jesus is saying you descend to Greatness rather I think he's pointing out God's value system is so different from our world's value system God is not impressed by titles by bank accounts by positions of authority God's view of greatness is vastly different from ours this should not really come as a surprise after all from the very
00:26:15 beginning way back at the Garden of Eden man has been rebelling against God's Authority man has rebelled against what God has said is good and what he says is evil so the inevitable result is that people thinking their values their goals in life end up being different than God's that makes sense after all God said through the prophet Isaiah that his thoughts his ways are not our thoughts and our ways his are much much higher Jesus challenges our value system he teaches us the way we truly rise to
00:26:54 Greatness is by being a servant and it's interesting how Jesus began his teaching with the disciples he starts off with the hated Romans oh how's that I didn't see the Romans mentioned in our text today well Jesus said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them the rulers at that time were Romans and the disciples did not appreciate the way the Romans treated them the Roman leaders had no respect for human life they didn't care if the Common People suffered poverty and hunger were of no
00:27:36 concern to them many people could barely survive because of the harsh taxes that were imposed yet the rulers lived in opulence and Splendor so Jesus is pointing out you don't like that so why do you want to be like that I hadn't really thought of it that way the disciples would not have liked the Romans ordering them around but they wanted themselves to have a position where they could do the same the disciples would have resented the rulers living in luxury but that's how they wanted to live so Jesus is
00:28:17 telling them they are not seeing clearly their value system is upside down so that's why Jesus said it shall not be that way among you that's a very strong Thou shalt not but I like that Jesus doesn't stop there he doesn't just say don't do that he also says you can be great and I'll tell you how become a servant you want to be first here's how become a slave he said whoever would be great among you must be your servant and whoever would be first among you must be your slave since Jesus had talked about
00:29:06 similar Kingdom values with his disciples many times you'd think the disciples would Now understand and maybe they did understand just a little bit better but it will soon be obvious that they had not yet internalized the values that Jesus taught well it's always easier to understand a truth from God's word word than to apply it to one's life something can be easy easy to understand not quite as easy to believe and much more difficult to put into practice I find it very helpful when I not only hear biblical truth explained
00:29:48 but also when I actually see an example of someone living it out agreed and that's exactly what Jesus did he showed through through his example how to be a servant yeah that reminds me of the time when Jesus washed the disciples feet that took place just a few days or weeks after our story the night before Jesus was crucified while celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples Jesus once again demonstrated servanthood it was customary in those days for the lowest slave to wash the feet of those who entered a house
00:30:29 after walking in sandals on Dusty roads one's feet would need to be washed but as Jesus and his disciples sat at the meal no one had taken the role of a servant to wash feet the Basin the water the towel they were all there ready to be used but no one wanted to do this menial task and then Jesus got up took the Basin took the towel and he began to wash his disciples feet that must have surprised them all perhaps they've been thinking that Jesus would appoint one of them to do this lowly job and each was probably thinking I hope he
00:31:12 doesn't ask me to do that but then they saw their Master do the job of a slave after Wasing the disciples feet Jesus said do you understand what I have done he then went on to say if I then your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also ought to wash one another's feet for I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done to you and then he said if you know these things blessed are you if you do them that's important it's good to know truths about God's word but bless in comes from doing
00:32:00 them from living them out and to think Jesus washed Peter's feet knowing that in just a few hours Peter would deny him he even washed judas's feet although he knew Jesus had already agreed to betray him what a powerful picture of being a servant the ultimate example of servanthood was when Jesus fulfilled the prophecies from Isaiah 53 showing that he was indeed the suffering servant God had promised his servant would take our sins unto himself through his suffering so after telling his disciples
00:32:43 that whoever would be first among you would be your slave then Jesus said even as the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many and that ties in with what Jesus had recently told them the son of man will be condemned to death delivered over to be mocked and fogged and crucified and he will be raised on the third day this is the heart of the Gospel message right the good news of the Gospel is Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures he was buried he was raised
00:33:24 on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and he appeared to many witnesses that's the heart of the gospel and without this Central message other teaching is just a nice moral lesson or perhaps an ethical self-help guide Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom that's such a beautiful picture yes in the original language the word for ransom meant the price of release and it was often used to refer to the price paid to free a slave try to imagine what it would be like if you were a slave back
00:34:07 then backbreaking labor terrible working conditions no hope of freedom and then one day you're taken off to the slave auction to be sold and when you're put on The Auction Block to your surprise somebody bids an extremely high price for you you much more than any slave is worth then the one who paid that exorbitant price comes and says you're free you're no longer a slave you've been ransomed and that's exactly what Jesus did for us he paid the ultimate price his life so that we could be set free
00:34:54 from slavery to Sin from being slaves to the values system of a fallen world who lives apart from God Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many the emphasis is that his one sacrifice is good for all people who repent and believe the Book of Hebrews describes Jesus sacrifice as being once for all a one-time sacrifice that's good for all times one sacrifice but good for all people who believe I'm reminded of the passage in Philippians 2 about Jesus becoming a servant to die for our sin have this mind among
00:35:40 yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross that is the epitome of servanthood the Son of God leaving the glory of Heaven coming to Earth to become a servant who paid the penalty for our sin and agonizing humiliating
00:36:29 death but the passage continues therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so at the name of Jesus every knee should bow every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father and we see Jesus Is Right greatness comes from being a servant the scripture I just read says we Believers are to have this same mind the same mind and attitude toward service that Jesus had that means we will need a total change of our thinking we need to
00:37:13 allow God to transform our mind our thoughts are often what's in this for me instead let's think how can I help someone else instead of frequently asking what can I get let's look for opportunities to give we need to have the mind of Christ in US pursuing servanthood not greatness the scripture says we have this mind I just read that mind is yours that mind is ours in Christ Jesus so let it be preeminent let it be in control we see the mind of Christ in what he told his disciples the son of Man Came not to be served but to
00:38:02 serve a life of service to God and to others will make a positive impact for the kingdom of God earlier this past week I had a conversation with a man from India he's just temporarily here in the country he's a Muslim but during our conversation he mention Mother Teresa in glowing terms and I thought man this is great here's a a man from another religion a non-Christian and he has been positively influenced by a Christian because of her life of service as she ministered to the poorest of the poor in
00:38:41 his country Al schweiter was another person who led a life of service it even led to Greatness he was a scholar a renowned Theologian a concert musician and a medical doctor taking the words of Christ seriously he left a comfortable life in Europe to serve as a medical missionary in A Primitive part of Africa Schweitzer said the purpose of human life is to serve and to show compassion and the will to help others his life of service was recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but while Mother Teresa and Albert's are
00:39:28 became known throughout the world because of their selfless service most people who serve most people who really have a servant's heart will never be famous yet in God's eyes they are truly great I remember a maid we met in India when we were leading a seminar there this maid was from a very low cast and she had been a maid basically all of her life the family she worked for came from a very high cast in India and they were not Christians when she went to work for them and they did not treat her well but
00:40:07 she wanted to do the best everything you do do for the glory of God so she worked hard and she prayed for that family and after a few years the entire family came to Faith In Jesus and at that seminar Not only was the maid present but the couple that were were her employers and their daughter who was in her 20s were also there and all four of these people were now active in evangelism and church planting now that maid will never be well known as a matter of fact I don't even remember her name but God knows who she is that's an
00:40:49 example of one who was last that's going to be first because she is great in the kingdom of God is encouraging we can serve God whether we are a highly educated professional or a maid or somewhere in between if we live a life of service most of us won't get famous we won't get rich but we can make a positive impact on the people around us those who live lives of service are great in the kingdom of God and serving others makes us more like Jesus Jus you know Jesus had every right to expect other people to serve him but no
00:41:36 instead he served others in the Book of Romans we read that we Christians are to be conformed to the image of Christ serve serving God and serving others makes us more like him you might be asking okay how can I be a servant what can I do well one place you might start is in your own family if you're married you could ask yourself how how can I best serve my husband or how can I serve my wife we can serve by giving of our time our resources to someone who needs help or encouragement for example preparing a
00:42:18 meal for someone who's sick yeah I remember when you had months of chemotherapy and were feeling terrible a lady from our church brought a meal every week for months every Tuesday night she brought the meal and that meant so much to us you could spend time with someone who's easily overlooked by others offering kindness and respect goes a long way or just offer words of encouragement to build somebody up be an emotional support for someone who's had a major loss in their life you might be able to help with some financial needs
00:42:59 you could walk alongside a new Christian or someone who is struggling in their faith you could share your faith in the gospel message with non-believers and there are always opportunities to serve here at this church such as investing in the lives of children by helping in Sunday school or boy Brigade or just read the newsletter or in a few minutes listen to the announcements and you'll hear some more opportunities for ways that you can serve some might think of service as a drudgery and it can take time and effort
00:43:33 but serving God and others brings real Joy yeah just a few days ago I was talking to somebody in this church and I was encouraged by what they said this person told me I really enjoy serving in church even when serving is difficult and costly it brings Joy if we if we remember who we are serving and why we are serving as Jesus was giving his life as a ransom for many it was extremely painful but it also brought Joy Hebrews 122 says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him no
00:44:22 the suffering was not pleasant but joy came from looking at the result his suffering service would bring reconciliation of selfish sinful people to a holy God now let's reflect back over the characters in our conversation this morning and see if we might have something in common with some of them some of us might possibly be like the mother wanting to live out our dreams through our children or we might be trying to manipulate Jesus to get him to do whatever it is that we want him to do you know it's important for us as
00:45:10 parents to encourage our children to do their best but I wonder do we have as much concern for our children's spiritual well-being as we do for their success in school are we helping them to know and to do God's will some of us might be like James and John we have selfish motives when we come to Jesus or we want to be important so we can Lord it over others or we desire honor and power and wealth that desire then being greater than our desire to be a servant in God's kingdom some of us might be like the
00:45:52 other disciples disgruntled if we don't get what we want jealous of others who might have more prominence than we or like the other disciples we might be somewhat slow to understand the truths of God maybe just because we pay attention only to what we want to hear we might well understand what the Bible teaches but we have not yet internalized it and do not live by it yes we've talked a lot about servant Hood this morning but I wonder how many people really actually apply any of this to their lives I wonder how much I'm going to
00:46:38 apply to my life wouldn't it be wonderful when we stand before the Lord on Judgment Day to hear these words well done thou good and faithful servant let's PR pray together almighty God as we have heard this message from scripture we want to give you thanks for the cross thank you that Jesus did give his life as a ransom for us paying the price to free Us From Slavery to sin thank you that all who receive him in faith confessing their sin asking your forgiveness and asking you to take control are received by you
00:47:27 and father as we have come to you and you have freed Us From Slavery to sin I pray that that will become a bigger and bigger reality in our life as you free us from things of the world to be willing to serve you so I pray for those who have not yet come to faith in you that if there's someone here this morning who has never responded in Repentance and Faith to you that they would do so today I pray that you would speak to their heart draw them to you and your great love and for the many who are followers of Jesus help us
00:48:01 to truly follow him in Paths of service show us where our attitudes our preconceived ideas our prejudices might hinder us from understanding and then doing your will father I pray that you would give us a servant's heart show us how and where we can be of service to you and help us to become more like Jesus as we serve you and others father we pray take my life Let It Be consecrated to you take all of me use me in your service amen thank you brother David and Suzanne for the wonderful message uh Church why
00:48:48 don't we raise and sing a response song uh before I start I know that there are some new faces around the service that starts implementing the cermony already by serving but and in this moment I would like to acknowledge our basis today uh John this is his first time joining us so we're looking forward to see more and more people joining uh for his [Music] service take my life and let it be consecrated door to the take my moments and my days let them flow in sees praise take my hands and let them
00:49:42 move at the impulse of thy love take my feet and let them be Swift and beautiful for thee take my voice and let me sing only my king take my lips and let them be filled with messes from me take my silver and my gold not a might word I will take my intellect and use every Power as you choose here am I all of me take my life it's all for the [Music] take my will and make it thine it shall be no longer mine take my heart it is thy it shall be thy Royal Throne take my love my Lord I pour at your feet it's treasure
00:51:29 store take myself and I will be ever only [Music] for take myself and I will be ever only for [Music] things here am I all of me take my life it's all for thee here am I all of me take my life it's all for the take my will and make it it shall be no longer mine take my heart it is th know it shall be th roone [Music]
