Look Out!

Over the years, I've had two secretaries that were pastors' wives.

! One of them loved ministry, and she's all in.

She understood it. She got it. She's great at it.

The other, oh me.

Her husband was a pastor. Her dad had been a pastor.

And those years of ministry had hardened her.

And she told me one day, she said, if you don't watch out for yourself,

no one else is going to watch out for you in the church.

I never forgot that statement.

It told me a lot.

Let's look at Mark 9, verse 30.

Mark 9:30

It says, they went on from there, speaking of Jesus and his apostles.

And they passed through Galilee, and Jesus did not want anyone to know,

for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them,

the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him.

And when he's killed, after three days he'll rise.

But they didn't understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.

And they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house, he asked them,

what were you discussing on the way?

But they kept silent.

For on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

And he sat down and called the twelve, and he said to them,

if anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.

And he took a child and put him in the midst of them.

And taking him in his arms, he said to them,

whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

and whoever receives me receives not me, but him who sent me.

After the Mount of Transfiguration, the ministry of Jesus began changing.

After he had spent much of his ministry in the Galilean region and the surrounding area,

he did go up through the Decapolis, and he did go up north to Tyre and Sidon.

But after that, he now began, in this passage, he begins heading toward Jerusalem.

And he needs time with his disciples.

He needs to prepare them for what's to come

and for what they need to do after he is physically gone from their presence.

And what he tells them in verse 31 is to prepare them

when he says the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men,

and they will kill him.

And when he's killed after three days, he will rise.

Now, he's already told them that before the Transfiguration.

He will tell them that again in a little while.

But he reemphasizes it here.

And notice what it says.

They didn't get it.

Verse 32 says,

We need to learn some things from this passage.

One is, look out for yourself.

My former secretary had it right.

You do need to look out for yourself, whether anyone else is or not.

But she meant it the wrong way.

I think you need to watch out for yourself.

Even more so, you need to watch out for self.

Because that can easily get in the way.

Jesus is telling them for the second time that he's going to surrender their life.

And he's going to surrender his life.

And their conversation, however, is about securing their rightful place.

He's teaching them about how to count the cost of discipleship and faithfulness.

But they're looking to the advantages of following him.

The setting almost has to play into this.

Think about this now.

James, John, and Peter have just come off the Mount of Transfiguration

and have experienced something that is absolutely unimaginable.

While they were doing that, the nine other disciples were in the valley

trying to cast out a demon unsuccessfully.

And that spurred a conversation about which of them would be the greatest.

And so Jesus asked them, what were you discussing on your way?

He didn't really ask that to get information.

God never asks us questions because he does not know the answer.

He asks us questions so that we'll hear the question.

So that we'll answer the question.

I don't know if Christ heard what they were discussing or not,

but I do know that he knew what they were concerned about.

And the reality is they were concerned about the wrong thing.

There are questions that we need to ask ourselves.

For one, what is it that you love to talk about?

What is it that you're most concerned about?

What are you focused in on?

You're not comparing yourself to other people, are you?

You're not asking what's in it for me, are you?

You're not asking what can I get from it, are you?

I mean, any time we sense those questions down deep within,

if it's God, he's not asking us because he wants the answer.

He already knows the answer.

We need to know the answer.

And we need to deal with that.

And Jesus asked the apostles, and they were silent.

They got caught.

They were silent in their shame.

I agree with my former secretary.

We better look out for ourselves,

but I think we need to make sure that we're not thinking first of ourselves.

That we're not ignoring the message of Christ, the gospel.

The fact that he died, rose again, and is coming back, to be honest,

ought to dictate our lives and our conversations.

So let's look out for ourselves.

And one of the best ways to look out for ourselves is first to look back to the cross.

It's what Christ's conversation was about.

It says in verse 31 that he was teaching.

That does not mean that he just brought this up three times,

as Mark specifically tells us.

Teaching there is an imperfect tense,

which means that this was not a one-time deal,

that it was an ongoing deal.

He was consistently sharing with them,

this is what's going to happen.

It was his concentration.

It needs to be our concentration.

It needed to be theirs.

It needs to be ours as well.

And the best way for us to look out

and to get ourselves out of the way

and to look out for ourselves

is to look back to the cross of Christ.

He was pointing them forward to the cross,

but since his death we now look back to the cross.

And I know I'm picking on her a lot,

but I heard the comment over 25 years ago,

and I've never forgot it.

If I don't look out for myself, no one else will.

There's a Greek word for that.

Baloney.

I can look back to the cross

and see one that's looking out for me.

We can look back to the cross

and see one that's looking out for us

because when we have Christ,

we're secure in Christ.

Our identity is found in Christ.

Our worthiness is found in Christ.

Our role of importance is found in Christ.

We do need to look out for number one,

but we need to make sure that he is number one

and he has our backs.

And he has often shown me that

through God's people

without me ever having to look out for myself.

If we keep the cross, the focus,

it'll work out,

but we just got to look back to the cross

and keep looking back to the cross.

However, we also need to look around for others.

Notice what he goes on to say in verse 35.

It says,

And he sat down

and called the twelve

and he said to them,

If anyone would be first,

he must be last of all

and servant of all.

It's only natural for us

to look out for ourselves.

It's only supernatural

for us

to look out for others.

And this was not a passing thought.

It says that he sat down.

That means it was a rabbinical teaching.

That's the way rabbis taught.

They sat him down.

Come here, boys.

Let's sit down a minute

and talk about this.

And what he tells them

is backwards to everything in their culture.

There was always rank.

There was rank at a dining room table.

There was rank in worship.

There was rank in social life.

People knew where they were to sit.

Who was to speak first?

They could walk in a room

and know who was the most honorable.

And Jesus is turning the tables already,

at least on this thought.

I want you to hear a parable that he spoke.

In Luke 14, verse 8-11, it says this.

Luke 14:8–11

When you are invited by someone

to a wedding feast,

do not sit down in the place of honor,

lest someone more distinguished than you

be invited by him.

And he who invited,

go and sit in the lowest place

so that when your host comes,

he may say to you,

friend, move up higher.

Then you will be honored

in the presence of all

who sit at the table with you.

The reality for everyone

who exalts himself will be humbled,

and he who humbles himself

will be exalted.

This is a parable,

but it speaks of much more than a meal.

And I always take this seriously.

There was a time in my life

when I was foolish enough

to be the chairman of a school board.

At the same time,

I was the chaplain for the football team,

and I was the PA announcer

for the football team,

which I normally do here.

And I was invited to the football banquet

to give the invocation

so they could eat the steak.

And when I got there

and was trying to sit down,

somebody told me,

you need to go up there

to the head table and sit down

by the podium.

So I went up there and sat down.

A few minutes later,

another school board member came in,

saw me, walked up beside me,

said, I guess this is where we're sitting.

I didn't say anything.

I don't know if I should have or not.

He just sat down.

Football coaches don't care

if you're on the school board.

They don't know the difference.

They're worried about their opponent

next Friday.

Administration, they're concerned

about the school board.

But football coaches are not.

They're concerned about somebody praying

so they can eat.

That's what they're concerned about.

The rest of everybody else

at the head table

were coaches

and their wives.

So there was a lack of seating now

because they had

not given an extra chair.

And he soon found out

and he

got up

and walked away

and tried to find a seat

in a full room

because

in the time

that he had been there

the room had already filled up.

And I thought of this parable.

Take the seat that's left.

Eat last.

Put others first.

Greatness is not about

having people serve us.

It's about us serving others.

When they went in the upper room

and there was a basin of water

and a towel

that was in the upper room

I bet the disciples

were looking around

going who's going to do that?

And then Jesus

kneeled down in front

of their nasty feet

and washed them.

He was the most important one

in the crowd.

So I ask you

how are you serving others?

A great place to practice

is in the church.

How are you serving in the church?

I feel sure

you've been served today.

You were greeted

when you came in.

If you were not greeted

it's because you avoided them

probably

because they try to greet you.

If you wanted coffee

there was coffee made for you

and that was made before

we got here this morning.

There's homemade treats

over there.

Each week

somebody

fixes

each and every week

so that we can have them.

There are servants

that are running

this screen show.

There are

servants on

the sound board.

There are

servants

perfecting the online worship

for those who can't be

with us in person.

We have security

that is watching

much more

than you think they are

that are unseen.

We have people

who are working

with children.

We have people

who are working

with youth.

We have people

who shuttle you

in the parking lot

if you need to be shuttled.

We've been blessed

by this choir.

We've been blessed

by this orchestra

and I hate

giving lists like this

because I left somebody out

and don't come to me

and tell me I left you out

because it is not

an exhaustive list.

because I want

to be clear

there's a ton

of places

to serve around here

and every one of us

has that responsibility

to do that.

When God

lays upon your life

to be a part

of a church

you need to be

a part of that church.

You don't need

to run alongside

of it.

You don't need

to stay unaffiliated.

I want you

to be clear

of what God

wants you to do

but once God

tells you to do it

do it.

Be a part

of that church

and then

find a way

to serve

in the church.

That kind

of service

to others

is not limited

to the church

though.

We're to serve

all.

So please

don't misunderstand

me.

There's nothing

wrong with

properly minded

ambition.

The problem

is what

are we ambitious

about?

Jesus said

you ought

to be ambitious

about serving

others.

And the word

for serving

there comes

from the word

diakonos

in the Greek.

does that

ring an air

of familiarity

to you at all?

Because that's

where we

transliterate

the word

and make it

deacon.

Our deacons

serve

in a variety

of ways.

Before you

got here

this morning

there were

deacons

preparing

this plant.

all during

the week

in order

for things

to work

correctly

and to

move right

all during

the week

there are

deacons

serving.

After we

leave here

today and

this building

is almost

abandoned

there will

still be

guys working

to make

sure it

gets done.

They have

a lot of

responsibility

responsibility

and

all

major

decisions

of this

church

are

vetted

by the

deacons

before it

ever moves

to the

church.

Just a

side note

that's why

you ought to

agree with it

when it's

presented

because it's

been properly

vetted by

men who's

prayed over

it and

who's

considered

it and

sometimes

hashed it

over many

times.

They take

it seriously.

But

their great

service is

service and

there are

servant

leaders and

we ought to

follow their

lead and

we ought to

thank them

along the

way.

One of the

best ways

to look out

for ourselves

is by

looking around

for others.

But there's

one more

way to do

it.

we also

need to look

forward to

the next

generation.

I want you

to see what

he says in

verse 36

and 37.

It says

and he took

a child

and put him

in the midst

of them and

taking him in

his arms he

said to them

whoever receives

one such child

in my name

receives me

and whoever

receives me

receives not

me but him

who sent

me.

Remember

Jesus is

talking about

the place

of honor

where the

attention should

go and he

picks up a

child.

A child who

has no

social standing

at all in

that environment.

Now I don't

want you to

misunderstand me

their families

dearly love

them but the

world didn't

center around

that child.

It didn't.

Still shouldn't

quite honestly

but it

ought to

center around

Christ and

it ought to

center around

pointing those

children to

Christ not to

participation

trophies and

not to

fulfilling every

want that they

have and not

failing to say

no to them

along the way

but point them

to Christ.

That'll make

some hard

decisions at

times.

Jesus picked

up a

dependent

that could do

nothing to aid

them or benefit

the apostles and

said this is who

you need to

bend over

backwards for.

This is who

you need to

receive.

This is who

you need to

work to

make an

impact to

bring people

to Christ.

This is who

we welcome.

This is who

we value.

This is where

we place our

care.

we learn

their names.

We listen

to them.

We volunteer

to lead

them.

We share

the gospel

with them.

We provide

a safe

godly

enriching

environment

for them.

We take

care of

the vulnerable

and that

does not

only apply

biblically

to children.

James tells

us not to

neglect the

widows and

the orphans.

He also

tells us not

to let the

one with

shabby

clothes sit

in the bad

seats.

But instead

to honor

them.

Jesus said

love your

neighbor as

yourself.

That's not

just the one

that lives

right beside

you.

Sesame Street

taught me who

my neighbor

was.

who are the

people in

your

neighborhood?

In your

neighborhood.

In your

neighborhood.

Who are the

people in your

neighborhood?

They're the

people that you

meet when you're

walking down the

street.

They're the

people that you

meet each

day.

They're the

people that

will serve you

in a little

while when you

leave here.

If you go

eat.

They're the

people that

when you fly

through a gas

station or

dollar general

or grab

something real

cheap that

are standing

there serving

you.

They're the

people that

walk these

streets.

looking for a

place to lay

their heads.

They're the

people God

placed in

front of us

to serve.

When I was a

kid I heard

a phrase that's

always stuck out

to me.

It was the

title of an

autobiography of

Gail Sayers.

Gail Sayers was

the Kansas

Comet.

He was a

fast,

elusive running

back that

played at the

University of

Kansas,

set records,

went on to be

in the College

Football Hall

of Fame,

was drafted

in 1965 by

the Chicago

Bears and

only played

for the

Chicago Bears

and is in

the Pro

Football Hall

of Fame.

At the time

he was the

youngest to

be inducted

in the

Pro Football

Hall of Fame.

He writes

about a

devastating knee

injury that he

experienced and

his recovery from

that knee

injury and how

he, an

African-American,

had a white

roommate named

Brian Piccolo

who helped him

with his recovery

from his knee

injury.

injury.

Then the

tables turned

and Brian was

diagnosed with

cancer, a

very invasive

metastasized

cancer that

took his life

at the age of

26 years old.

and Sayers was

by his side

teaching us

valuable lessons

about relations

during tense

days and how

to support a

friend through a

life battle.

And the title of

that book is

I Am Third.

That saying

came from Sayers

College track

coach that

said,

the Lord is

first,

my friends are

second,

and I am

third.

Gail Sayers is

one of the

greatest football

players to ever

play, but today

he's as known for

that book and

that motto and

that attitude as

he was his game.

I know that it

always stuck out

to me and I

don't think I've

ever seen Gail Sayers

play, except

maybe on film.

Gail, nor his

coach, came up

with that.

Jesus did.

With a child in

his arms.

Look out,

folks.

Mainly, let's

watch out for

ourselves.

Because we may,

in fact, be the

greatest hindrance

that we have from

being everything that

God wants us to

be.

With every head

bowed and every

eye closed, I

want to ask you

this morning, what

is it that you

need to give over

to God that

stands as a

hindrance in your

life?

It could be that

you're here this

morning and you've

never had a

relationship with

Christ.

There's a

relationship with

the church,

there's an

attendance at the

church, but there's

never been a time in

your life when you've

surrendered your life

to follow Christ.

To say, Lord, I

know I'm a sinner and

I know I've done

wrong and I want to

be right with you and

so I ask you to come

into my life and to

forgive me and to

change me from this

day forward.

And from this day

forward, I commit my

life to follow you.

If that's never

happened to you, I

want you to know

today's the day to

give him your all.

God's grace to

God.

Or maybe you're here

and you've done that

privately in your own

heart, but you've never

acknowledged that

publicly.

And Jesus, by his

commission and by his

example, show us that

we're to follow that

with baptism.

Or maybe God's

drawing in, and we're

not baptizing this

morning, but we will

be soon, and so if

God's leading you to do

that, we will arrange

that.

You just come and say,

Pastor, I've never

been baptized as a

believer, and I need to

be baptized.

Or maybe you're here

this morning and God

is leading you to

Pickens First Baptist

Church.

I don't think that's a

rough decision by any

means, and I never, I'm

not a high-pressure guy,

I don't believe in that

kind of stuff.

But I will say that if

God's leading you and

you get clarity in that,

that it's disobedient not

to follow him in that.

So I encourage you to

follow the Lord's will as

he leads, whatever he'd

have you to do.

Or maybe you're here

this morning and you

realize from this passage

of Scripture, you just

think too much of

yourself.

You need to lay some

things aside.

You need to put some

people forward.

You need to serve.

And I will tell you,

when we walk out these

doors in a few minutes,

moments, and the volume

of the world hits us,

we'll forget a lot of

things that we've been

concerned about in this

hour.

So the reason why I

drill down at the end of

our hour together is for

us to do commitment

business with God before

we ever leave this room.

Whether that be in your

own heart where you stand,

or whether it be at an

altar praying, or whether

the pastor praying with

you, however that is,

let's just make sure that

we do what God's told us

to do.

That's the full circle of

worship.

That's what it's all

about.

Heavenly Father, I love

you, and I thank you for

the example that Christ has

set for us.

Help us to live by it.

Lord, that begins by coming

into a relationship with you

and then living wholeheartedly

for you.

So God, help us to lay the

matters down before us that we

prioritize too much and put you

in proper place.

in Jesus' precious name.

Amen.

Stand and