Harold Bullock: You've heard about things that really have been going on all year. We get together on Sundays. Now we try to worship the Lord and then listen to things from the scriptures. But the ministry really happens through you guys. It's all the stuff that you're doing to touch lives and be of help to people, some of it here in the building, a lot of it beyond the building. It's really happening through you. That's why they're thank you day. This is not just thank you, to the people that you saw on stage. But it's thank you to you for your investment, for the ways that you're touching lives for Christ Jesus.
We're different kind of bunch. Whenever you think about Jesus being on the planet, and then the group of guys he pulled together is called his disciples. You tend to think something along the line of, "Wow, what a bunch of people, exception." Actually, they were a lot like us. And you see it, as you read the New Testament. At one point, that all been having an argument, these 12 guys. Luke talks about this. He says that the arguments has been going on, what has happened is, they were arguing over who is going to be the most important. Who's the most important amongst them, and who's going to be the most important among us.
And to the fellers, are brothers, got their mom to come to Jesus and say, "Would you ask her a request for me?" He very wisely said, "What is it you want?" That's always good question. When people say, "Would you do something for me? It's always good to ask, "What is it you want?" And she said, that I'd like one of my sons to be at your right hand, the most important, and the other one to be at your left and that is the most important.
Well, the other guys got angry. They were really upset with these fellers. I think mainly because never thought of having their moms, come and ask Jesus for that. They've been having a big argument and Jesus says to them, the book of Luke, "The kings of the Gentiles, those are the people of other religions outside the faith, load it over them. And those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors." There people are going to do great, for great things for people. Actually, they're making people do great things for them. But you're not to be like that. Instead among you, the greatest among you should be like the youngest."
This was a society by the way, where age had tremendous respect, and youth had almost none. So, the most respectable among you, should just be like the young guys, and is on, in your own mind. And that greatest among, you should be like the youngest, the one who rules like one who serves. Kings of the earth, don't see themselves, like one of the fellers. But that's how we approach ourselves. Who's greater? The one who's sitting at the table eating, or the waiter who's standing there? The one who is at the table, the sir. Is it that one who's at the table? The guy sitting down, he's got the worry of that, who's the most important? The guy eating. Who's not so important? The guy serving.
Obvious I mean, everybody knows this. But Jesus says, "Who most important, is it [inaudible 00:42:51] of the table, but I am among you, as a table waiter." Literally, that's what the word means. "Sir, I'm a table waiter." Everybody's trying to be so important and yet, the Lord of heaven and earth, sees himself as a table attendant, that's beneath so many. It's different in the kingdom, Jesus whenever you meet him, he changes things. He changes everything, he changes church life. He says, in the Gospel of Mark, "For even the Son of Man, that's his term for himself, they now understand that he is the Messiah, he's the one God has promised. He's the fellow who will be Lord over everything."
He says even the Son of Man, did not come to be served, but to serve. And again, that same word used, to be a table waiter, be an attendant and to give his life as a ransom for many. Wow, if this is the Lord of heaven on earth, and he's going to be a table waiter, what should his followers always be? The disciples had a hard time with us. This just changes church life. It's not to be like the rest of the world, among us. Is to be different, it changes a lot of things actually. There are some broad patterns in mankind, that are just sort of how we are. And it really impacts. One of them is, some of us really like to take it easy.
We love to watch other people do things. We like to take it easy. We like to direct things. We know what would be done. And we're more than willing to tell people to do it. Other of us we just like fun, not so much taking it easy, we just want to have some fun. Others of us we want to be important, we want to be served, important. We want to be treated as if we're important. We like to be stars. But it's different among us in the kingdom. It's different to church. This shifts a lot of things, it shift your motives, like from watching other people do stuff, to actually getting involved in doing stuff now.
It's different among us. From running the show. Byron Charge didn't get done, from running the show to helping. Helping make the show happen. From having fun, to actually being a helper. From getting attention, being a star, to giving honor to others. It just changes things. The disciples were struggling to get hold of this, because they're just like us. They're just people. But people among whom, the King of Heaven had come. People who were learning that the most important thing in the world is not to be important. This be of help, this really changes church life. It changes it from being a kind of chess board, for people to move pieces to get what they want. To being a group of people who first of all bear their own responsibilities. We do help each other, but we all have to carry our responsibilities.
We bear own responsibilities, but a community of people that actually care about each other and then help, we help. When you're leader is the table attendant on a higher position, can you have. So, we're here to help you, you have heard a lot of stories of helping today. The lord Jesus, and what he's done in giving his life for us, and developing a personal relationship with us, brings to us the value system of heaven, not the value system of earth. And the God of heaven is a great God, he deserves to be worshiped. He's the most important person there is.
And yet his heart, when he shows up on the planet is to help. God gives all kinds of different spiritual gifting, there are leadership gifts, there gifts more geared toward organizing, like I was talking about organizing chaos, and taking things apart. They're all kinds of gifts, but the goal is not to be admired for the gift. The real goal is to be a very good table waiter. I've often wondered, "What if when we get to the final banquet in heaven, and we're at the bridegroom, banquet, the wedding banquet of the Lord." People have all kinds of imaginations about that great occasion. And up here is the head table with Jesus, and the apostles. He actually says to him, they're going to get sit at his table.
And we see ourselves somewhere in the crowd. Would it be a surprise to look up and see Jesus carrying the tray to your table? That doesn't fit very well with our worldly imaginations. But it sure fits with a heart of God, that this changes church life and it actually makes it over time enjoyable. Let's thank the Lord for what he's done among us, both the ministries that you have done, and then for his own kindness to us.
"Father, thank you for sending Christ Jesus to die, and rise again, to pay the price for our rebellion, and to be available to enter our hearts, and give a different kind of life when we yield them to you. Thank you also, for taking the confusion out of what importance is. Father, we ask you in Jesus name, change our motives. We are like your disciples, Lord Jesus. We're just people. But we're people who know you. Embed in our hearts the real desire to serve like you. Help us to really be helpers. Thank you for all the good things have happened to the lives of our congregation, and the other churches that you have. And thank you, Lord, for the chance to join you, and what you love so much, serving in Jesus name, Amen.
