The Twelve Jesus Chose (part 3)

Oh, no, no, no.

Oh, we're gonna try that again.

How are we doing this morning?

Yeah.

Let's see.

Let's try it this way.

Praise the Lord! Yeah, okay.

Just say amen.

Everybody say amen.

You ready?

Praise the Lord! There we go.

You're alive out there.

Okay.

Cause if we're gonna be like that, we're just gonna go get ready for hope and a haircut.

Cause I'm gonna be preaching a lot better than you responding, alright?

I'm just telling you.

Now here we are, guys.

Welcome in today.

Um, hey, if you're a guest with us, welcome home.

Uh, we love that you're here.

Um, make yourself at home.

Uh, we are a small church with a lot of people, and we're watching God do incredible things in our daily lives and walk, and we're all trying to pursue this man named Jesus together.

And your walk looks a little different than my walk, and my walk looks different than yours.

And listen, we're on a path together toward the King of Kings.

And so if you're here this morning, you're thinking, man, I don't have this thing figured out.

I don't even know if I believe.

I want you to know that a lot of churches you go to, you bring your doubts, they'll kick you out.

But I want you to bring your doubts because if you've ever read the Bible and you've not had doubts, you're cherry-picking, okay?

You're cherry-picking.

All right.

So I want you to know, bring the doubts, bring the skepticism, because I believe in a Jesus that can satisfy every one of those.

Amen.

He's that good.

He's that good.

There are a lot of announcements happening, there's a lot of things going on.

Hoping a haircut's gonna be a beautiful night.

We want you there.

Please be a part of it.

Please serve, please do something.

Please get your haircut.

Please, please, please uh make sure our young people in our community feel loved, seen, and known that they're supported.

Um at the end of the service today, I'm gonna take time to pray for all those that are going back to school, our students, our teachers, our administration, all those that are involved.

Um, I want to pray over you today.

And uh, I'm not gonna embarrass you, uh, but I want to pray over you today, and I think that's a really important thing.

Um, man, somebody say Grace Youth.

Grace Youth.

Hey, hey, that's pretty good.

That's better than I thought it was gonna be.

Y'all weren't seat too.

That was impressive.

All right, Grace Youth.

The kickoff is next Sunday night.

We have flyers.

Darla has printed them.

Uh, we need those to go out.

Young people, if you were here, take some, pass it to your friends.

Make sure that young people know that this is the place to be on Sunday nights at 5 p.m.

It's going to be an incredible night.

There's a lot happening.

You'll hear more of that, uh, but it'll be good.

And the last thing I want to say before we get into the sermon is August 30th.

Okay, August 30th, we are doing something called Move the Mission.

It is going to be a campaign day here at Grace Bible Church.

You will see videos from our youth coming out here in this upcoming week and beyond, but we're calling it really Move the Mission, 50 for 50.

We're looking for 50 people who would be willing to give$50 a month.

And maybe you say, you know what, I'd rather just sponsor one kid at$600 a year, or maybe I can give this a month.

We're not really so much focused on the dollar amount as much as we are the heart, right?

And so we want to give young people in our community the best.

And we're gonna be going over those things and giving you an understanding of what that is used for.

Um, is Miss Jessica Prath there?

Are you in the building?

Nope, Jessica's not here.

Um, she is doing a fabulous job uh on our youth board, on our financials, and she's an incredible person.

Um, she's not here today.

Uh, but when she is here, I'll make sure if you guys need to know who she is, introduce you to her, we'll do that.

But there's a lot of things to be excited about, aren't there?

Isn't there?

Look to your neighbor and say it's good to see you here.

Look at your other neighbor you didn't like as much and say it's good to see you too.

Alrighty, so we're in this series called the 12 Jesus Chose.

And the series is one that we're breaking down the disciples because when we hear disciples, and I've said it before, we oftentimes think of, well, there's Peter, and then there's John, and then there's that Simon guy.

Oh, wait, that's Peter too.

We oftentimes have this issue of like, who are the 12 disciples?

Like, you went to Sunday school most of your life, and then you get here and like you get quizzed on the Bible, and you're like, uh I don't know.

And the part of the problem is that you see them as historic, and you don't see them as actual people, you know?

Like when someone asks me about Brother Jeff, I can tell them about Brother Jeff.

When someone asks you about me, hopefully you know me, and you can tell someone about me.

You you see them as historical rather than actual people that were normal, like you and I.

Uh, uneducated, ordinary people.

Some of them were educated, one was a doctor.

But Jesus chose these men.

And the funniest thing about who Jesus chose, I think, is that a lot of them were um kind of at it at ends with each other.

For example, we have zealots and we have a tax collector.

I think that's pretty humorous, right?

Um they they were people that didn't agree with each other.

In fact, when we get in the New Testament, uh, there's this encounter that Paul has in correcting Peter.

And Peter could have easily been like, dude, you murder people.

I don't think you're in a place to correct me.

And I want to start with that this morning because I think in the church, I don't know if you notice, it's pretty full in here today.

Um, it's it's been that way.

I think it'll stay that way.

However, we're in a small community.

And one thing that I've learned pastoring in a small community is that everybody knows.

Everybody.

You know what I mean?

The good, the bad, the ugly.

Everybody knows.

And if we're not careful, there's a spirit that can creep into us because God's called us individually.

He's called you, and he has a passion for you, even if you don't realize it yet, even if you don't feel it yet, even if you don't know it yet.

He's called you to be a part of the mission of the kingdom of God.

And sometimes he uses people that is not that are not like you, sometimes he uses people that annoy you.

Isn't that crazy?

Some of you already annoy me, man.

I still love you.

I'm gonna annoy you.

Some of you are gonna be like, man, I like Pastor Tyler, but he's a little annoyed.

And you know what?

That's okay.

You still better love me.

There's gonna be moments in this family when we look at the disciples of Jesus and who he calls that they don't have it all together.

In fact, they've asked really stupid questions.

And some of you are gonna ask me some really stupid questions.

I'm still gonna love you.

Some of you are gonna do some really, really dumb things.

I tell all my youth, listen to me, youth.

I tell them all, if you're at a party at two o'clock in the morning and you need someone to come get you, and you're terrified of mom and dad, call me and I'll do my best to protect you in my car until we get there.

But I'm for you.

And you know, the thing about the kingdom of God is that it's messy and it's bloody and it's nasty because all of us are people that are trying to do the right thing for the kingdom of God, but we do dumb things and we ask dumb things and we get into dumb things, and and like we can, it's so easy for all of us to look at each other and be like, you suck.

Isn't it?

Oh, you don't like the language?

It's okay.

Listen to me.

That's the reality of who we are, because you're human, but God has a purpose in your life, God has a passion in your life, and as much as he has a purpose for your life, he has the purpose for that person sitting next to you and across from you, and across from the church from you, and all the things you know that you're like, that's not fair, that's not right, that's not that.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

But if he's going to do it for you, he has to be able to do it for them too.

And today we're gonna jump in because we're talking about a guy named James.

James, and you know, when we read about James, we understand that he's the son of Zebedee and the older brother of John, and that he was not a quiet disciple.

He wasn't a quiet disciple.

He was ambitious, he was intense, and he was quick to react, and he wanted the best seat in the kingdom.

You know what I mean?

Like the best.

Have you ever met people that just wanted the best?

You know, like they would just crawl over you to get the best seat.

I remember when I was in DC last year, I had one of the higher-ups leading us through things.

And when you're in DC, I don't know if you know this or not, but a lot of people that work for all the senators and congressmen and government officials, they're all like 19 years old, man.

They're all like 20 years old.

They're all like 21, 22.

All right, like they're young.

And they have to stand in these long lines every day for work with their badge and everything in the heat, and they're waiting to go in and they're waiting to do their stuff.

And I remember this high official looked at me and he said, Hey, listen, we don't have to wait in this line, we can go right through.

And I'll never forget the walk of shame that I took by every one of those people looking at me like I'm just the worst of the worst because I'm cutting everybody to go through security to get into the clearance places.

I felt bad.

I felt dirty.

I felt like if these people have to stand out here, I should too.

I shouldn't get to cut.

And James had a little bit of this in him.

He had a little bit of ambition and passion, and he wanted to be ahead of everybody else.

He wanted to be important, he wanted to be seen.

He was a lot.

A lot.

You know, he was ready to call down fire on people who rejected Jesus.

I love this so much.

We'll see this in a moment.

But like he was aggressive.

Yet the same man who once chased status and power became the first of the 12 disciples to die for Christ.

It's a beautiful thing.

James shows us what Jesus can do with raw, unrefined passion when it is surrendered to him.

First thing I think we have to notice this morning is that Jesus did not overlook James' personality.

He named it in Mark 3, 17.

Sorry, I wasn't on.

He said, Sons, James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

He called them sons of thunder.

How would you have liked that nickname?

Like Jesus encounters you, God manifested on flesh, and he's like, you know what, boys, I'm gonna call you sons of thunder.

I would have liked that.

I would have liked that.

I think that's that's awesome.

And and he didn't overlook the personality, he named it.

He said, You guys are so radical and and you're crazy and you're strong, we're gonna call you sons of thunder.

That thunder showed up clearly when a Samaritan village refused to welcome Jesus in 954 through 55.

The Bible says that when the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?

Wow.

Like that turned out.

So, like, we got this guy named James and his brother John, and they're literally here in this moment, and they love Jesus so much.

They want to protect the kingdom, they want to be passionate about it.

Nobody messes with Jesus, no one denounces Jesus, no one gets it goes against Jesus.

And when the crowd did, what was their first reaction?

James is like, let's set them on fire.

Isn't that crazy?

You think it's crazy, but when your enemy does something to you, what's the first thought that you have?

Go pray with them?

Probably not.

Guarantee it! You're like God, cast down fire upon their souls, make them restless in their sleep.

Don't allow them to even have a good day this week.

I'm saying it, but you think it.

And this is in this moment where James, where James and his brother are looking at the situation and the circumstance of which they're encountering, and they're saying to Jesus, they're saying to him, Should we call down fire?

Let's do it, God.

Let's do it, Jesus.

But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

I love this so much because we only know what the scriptures say, but I am curious, I am curious how often Jesus had to turn around and be like, shut up, guys.

You want to know why?

Because I know how often he has to tell me to shut up.

You ever think about that?

It's the passion and the ambition that we have of people of we want justice in our hands.

We want, we want the victory in our hand, and when it doesn't go our way and we don't get what we want, we want to just call the fire down.

Get them, Jesus.

You know, sometimes we treat Jesus like one of these pit balls roaming around a story.

Get him, get him, get him, God.

And Jesus is looking back and he's saying, Shut up.

Shut up.

Everything is in my hands, everything is in my control, everything is in my palm.

And by the way, if you're gonna follow me, you're gonna learn that I work and do things a little differently than you do.

Oh man, if we could grasp that this morning.

James was not passive, he felt things deeply and he wanted action.

His instinct was to define, to defend Jesus with force and claim a high place for himself.

And Jesus did not discard his intensity.

The intensity was good.

The intensity was not the problem.

In fact, we need intensity, it's not a bad thing.

He confronted it though and began to reshape it.

In our life, there are moments that we have to be reshaped, and Jesus is not afraid of your personality.

I want you to hear me this morning because so many times as Christians, we can think that we're the problem, that we're too much, or we're not enough, or I'm too quiet, or I'm too shy, or I'm too loud, or I'm too out there.

That's not the problem.

I do not believe for one second that God makes any mistakes.

I do not believe that.

God does not make any mistakes.

God made you exactly how he wanted to make you.

Your humor, your personality, your ideas, and your thoughts were designed so intricately because he loves you and he made you the way he's called you to be.

However, how he's made us also must be shaped into his image.

And I think a lot of times we think that we're not the ideal candidates for what God wants to use, but he wants to redeem you, your personality, your heart, your mind, the way you think for his good and for your good and for his glory.

He doesn't make mistakes.

And don't you allow the enemy to believe that the way that you are and the way that you move and the way that you think and the way that you talk is a mistake.

Don't ever allow that to be the case.

He made you the way he wanted you to be.

See, one thing that I love is that your intensity is not the problem.

The direction of your intensity is.

Your intensity is not the problem.

See, James is like, I want to call fire down.

Get 'em, God.

Get him.

Get him.

Get him.

It's not the way.

See, the world wants that to be the way.

The world wants pain and suffering, and the world wants its satisfaction, but it will never find it.

Your intensity is not the problem when you're angry.

The direction of your intensity is because you don't realize that you're not fighting against flesh and blood, but you're fighting against principalities and dark kingdoms and everything else.

Here's the reality.

The moment that you begin to judge your neighbor, also expect that same judgment to come up on your life at some point.

I need you to understand this.

The direction of my intensity intensity, we spoke about this in Sunday school with Brother Jeff.

I get into the flesh so bad.

So bad.

You know?

If you still my wife eye, who cares?

You still my wife?

Ho ho ho! Don't try me, man.

Don't try me.

In these moments, I realize that the intensity is not the problem, it's the direction of my intensity.

And when I begin coming out here instead of allowing the intensity to be within to God, that is the moment that I start forgetting what I'm actually called to and who I am.

Because what happens is I allow myself to empower my enemy when my intensity is focused upon them.

But when I begin to focus my intensity upon the word of God, he doesn't work in me.

So when he breaks in, I can break out and he can break through.

And at some point in our lives, we have to understand that who we are is not the problem.

But how we're directing who we are changes everything.

My beef and quarrel is not with you.

My beef and quarrel is my lack of prayer.

My beef and quarrel is not with you.

It's my lack of being quiet with the Lord.

My problems are not you.

My problems is that I've allowed you to trigger something in me.

And in my response, I've given more attention to hell and the power of the kingdom of hell.

And in return, I am empty and I fill a void and I am angry and I am mad and I want wrath upon your life.

But the reality is I have poisoned myself, hoping that you would die first.

You can't live a life that way.

And the intensity of who we are.

Jesus begins to do a work and he changes it.

Up in James' life, he had intensity, and that wasn't the problem, it was the direction of it, and Jesus had to change it.

I want you to think about this.

Some of the most powerful disciples start out as the most difficult ones to deal with.

Is that you?

Because that was me.

Not polished, not together.

You know, I like the guys in the church that I have to pull back and say, hey, hey.

That know that they don't have it all together, but they're trying.

You want to know why?

Because this is how Jesus spent his ministry.

And I want to be like Jesus.

But being like Jesus also has to come to a realization that sometimes I'm difficult and sometimes you're difficult.

And sometimes we don't do things the right way as we ought.

But what we learned throughout James' life is that these were the prime candidates for the gospel.

And we were all different in it.

We're all different in it.

The Bible says that Jesus really began to redirect James's ambition towards servanthood.

You remember when we start, when you get in the church, I remember, I remember how much of an arrogant jerk I was when I started in ministry.

I remember, oh, I could play the drums better than that.

I could preach better than that.

I could do that better than that.

That's how you know you're not ready for ministry.

That's how you know when you're not ready.

When it becomes about you, you, you, you, you, you, you.

Let me tell you something.

This is not about me, me, me, me, me.

This is about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

And the moment that we lose the idea that it's not about Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus is a moment that you're about to become humbled, humbled, humbled, humbled.

Do you understand that?

You gotta understand that.

Some of the most powerful disciples, they started out as the biggest problems.

But God doesn't leave us there, right?

He didn't leave me there on that front roll of that camp meeting when I thought that I should be the one up there preaching.

He took me through some hard seasons.

I thought I wanted the stage, I thought I wanted the platform, he put me in front of it, he did it.

You know what?

It left me empty because I was only there for myself.

Now he did a work through me, but it left me empty.

See, God can use you to bless others and you still miss the whole thing.

Isn't that crazy?

I should have made that a slide today.

My goodness.

God can use you to bless others, and you can still miss the whole thing because you're so focused on being about you that you forget that this is all about him.

At some point, we have to get there.

This is what we find though with James, and this is how Jesus begins to change him, you know?

This is this is the moment that we see because I told you he was ambitious and and passionate.

The Bible says in Mark chapter 10 that Jin, then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said, Teacher, they said, We want you to do for us whatever we ask.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

Well, don't we all?

Like, can you imagine this conversation?

Hey, listen, God, if you could just give me the winning Powerball ticket numbers.

Like, that's what some of you would pray for.

I guarantee it.

The first thing, you'd be like, anything?

Okay, here we go.

Because we get so earthly minded, don't we?

We get so earthly minded that we forget it's about the kingdom.

And it's in this moment that James and John have the silliest, and maybe, I don't know, man.

You gotta have some type of boldness.

This is why they're called Sons of Thunders, because what they're about to ask is crazy.

I want you to think about everybody that's existed in the world.

I want you to think about this.

I want you to think about this, okay?

Everyone that's existed.

Everyone, okay?

In your head right now, think of it.

All right?

Now let me ask you, how would you feel about asking this next question?

Because this is exactly what they did.

Jesus said, What do you want for me to do for you?

He asked, they replied, let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in glory.

Like, guys, is it not good enough that I called you to be disciples?

Like, that would be like me going to Jesus and being like, Hey, I know Billy.

Graham was really great and all.

But can I sit at your right side?

Like, are you kidding me?

This is the audacity of James and his brothers.

You want to know why?

Because it was coming from a good place.

They love Jesus and they love the kingdom and they were wanting to benefit the kingdom, but they also wanted it to benefit themselves.

Let's be honest about this.

Most things that we decide to do in life are not just to benefit the kingdom, but most times we're thinking about how does this benefit me?

Don't be a liar in the church right now.

When somebody asks you to serve, it usually comes back to, well, it is my Sunday, and I'm really, it's kind of my day, and I really don't want to hang out with my kids today because I get a couple of hours to myself.

Oh, y'all don't like that, do you?

That's truth.

We can talk about all different kinds of things when it comes to serving.

We can talk about, oh no, I'm not really into that.

Oh no, I can't be in that.

Oh, I don't want to go to that.

You want to know why?

It's usually not because it's usually not because you don't want what's best for the kingdom.

It's usually, it's usually because you don't see the benefit in it for yourself.

And this is what's happening with James.

And this is what's happening with this brother John.

Because they want the kingdom to be great, but they also want to be great among the kingdom.

And the thing is, most of us want the kingdom to be great, but we're not willing to suffer, and we're not willing to serve if we don't get to be great in that too.

And that's a really bad philosophy in life.

Because I want to tell you, we're about to learn what happens with that kind of mentality.

Because you don't get to be the greatest in the kingdom unless you become the lowest.

It's the way that it works.

So this is what he asked.

In the next verse, he says, You don't know what you were asking, Jesus said.

Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

And 39, we can.

Okay.

Like, okay.

Like, I wanted to slap these guys right here in this moment.

And I bet Jesus did.

But Jesus looked at them and said, You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptized, with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or my left is not for me to grant.

These places belong to those whom they have been prepared by the Father.

And when the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.

Now we got a quarrel.

Because everybody's mad.

You mean you try to cut me in line to get in front?

You mean you're trying to be the one to sit by Jesus when we've been walking with him too?

Now everybody in the church is upset.

Like I want you to think about it.

You're making it historical and biblical, but it's the everyday church in America, man.

Every day.

Well, I serve two Sundays and they can't even serve one.

Okay, all right.

When the ten heard about this, then can you imagine James and John walking in the room and just looking at everybody?

And everybody just staring at them like, really?

What about us?

You don't care about us?

All right.

42.

Jesus called them together and said, Jesus is now having to bring everybody back in, okay?

Because we got to keep the peace, we got to keep the family.

Everybody's looking at everybody, everybody knows everything about everybody.

And he calls them together and said, You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, okay?

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 first must be slave of all.

How do you like that, John and James?

How do you like that?

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you, you must be your servant.

And whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many, many, many.

This is the this is the testament of what it means to be a great leader in your home and in your life and in your church and in your community.

I did not come to be served, but I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many.

This is what happens.

And James asked for a seat of honor, but Jesus offered him a life of sacrifice.

And so many of us want the seat of honor.

So many of us want our name plastered.

So many of us want to be in the Argus.

Whatever.

Here's the thing.

Jesus offered him not that.

I cannot give you a seat beside me because that's not mine to do.

But what I can give you is a life of sacrifice.

And I promise you that at the end of it, you will be more fulfilled than you would have ever been with your name plastered anywhere for your own glory.

And at some point, we have to understand that in the kingdom, the way up is down.

The way to greatness is through serving.

It is serving those that we cannot benefit from.

It is blessing those with not expecting return.

It is doing the work of God and knowing that what I prepare here and sow here will be blessed for his kingdom in heaven.

That is the goal of our life.

And that is who we are.

And this is what Jesus is trying to tell James and John and the disciples is you've got this whole thing backwards because I know you love me, and that's good, but you have to be more about those that you serve than yourself.

At some point, we have to have a change.

And here's what he does Jesus will take that same drive, that same drive and ambition that James had.

And he'll use it to carry a cross.

I want you to know that God loves you so much, right where you're at.

I know you've heard this a million times, but I need you to know it.

When you came into the church, maybe you were thinking, this is about me, and you were once chasing a throne, but what you end up with is carrying a cross.

Because he says, if you're going to come to me and you're going to be like me, you have to give up your life and you have to pick up your cross and you have to carry it.

You have to give up the idea of a throne.

You have to give up the idea of attention.

You have to give up the idea of credit.

You have to give up all of that.

This isn't about me.

This is about the kingdom of God.

And in my home, I don't want to be what he's called me to be.

I have to pick up my cross and carry it.

Acts 12, 1 through 2.

I'm hurrying up.

It says about this time, the King Herod.

So this is this is interesting here because we see James in the story and in the book of the Bible, and his ambition is there.

And Jesus rebukes him in certain portions.

And there's this other parts where he asks to be the greatest.

And like it's just their ambition, it's just their design.

It's just how they are.

But that ambition is what funneled and God used because here we see that he was the first to die out of the disciples.

See, here's what I really believe.

You ready for this?

I really believe that James wanted the best for the kingdom of God.

I really believe that his heart was in the right place when he asked to sit by Jesus.

I do.

I believe he loved Jesus so much he always wanted to be close to him.

I believe that.

And I believe that when Jesus corrected him, somebody say correct.

Correct.

That's a word that's important.

Because correction is not condemnation.

And a lot of us mistake correction for condemnation.

When I get corrected, I accept it because I believe who it's from in my godly leadership.

I don't mind that.

I don't take correction from anyone, especially if you ain't walking with the Lord.

Okay?

But when God gives me correction, I accept it.

And I know that it's not condemnation.

I know there's some tough things that you get told sometimes, but you better learn to have a spirit of having people in your life that can correct you, because without correction, you're gonna lead yourself into condemnation from the enemy.

That's what's gonna happen.

And I believe that when Jesus corrected James and John, the Bible says that rebuke them, he was correcting them.

Okay?

I believe when he corrected them, they were obedient to that, because if they weren't obedient to that, his ambition and passion never leads us to this moment.

You want to know why?

You're not going to die for someone that you don't believe in.

You're not going to give your life up for something that you don't understand.

You're not going to sacrifice week in and week out and be a part of the movement that God's doing here if you don't love the kingdom of God.

And it was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belong to the church intending to persecute them.

And he had James, the brother of John, put to death with a sword.

Oh, you're gonna drink from the cup that I drank from.

James.

And you're gonna have the same baptism that I had.

Oh, you're gonna be closer to me than you realize that you are.

The first disciple to die was also the one who asked for the best seat.

I hope that you realize what you're asking in the kingdom of God.

I hope you understand that the best seat when we ask for it is always the one that ends with the death of our own life.

What do you mean by that, Pastor?

Let me tell you.

Because I've already told you.

The one who's willing to give up their life will find it.

That's the best seat.

The one who tries to save their life will lose it.

That's the worst scene.

And at some point in your life, in my life, I have to say God.

Whatever you call me to, and whatever you send me through.

Let it be the one that ends with the best seat.

Let it be the one that ends with the best seat.

I'm ending.

So it's interesting to me because this is a whole family dynamic.

The mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus, and her sons are kneeling down asked a favor.

So we remember that the brothers came and asked of a favor.

Now, the mom comes.

What is it you want?

He asked.

She said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in the kingdom.

They are all just really bold in this family.

They're just really bold.

They're just really bold.

Mama's coming in.

Mama's trying to make sure that the life insurance policy is secured.

You know what I mean?

The investment is good.

Mama's trying to do what she can.

It says it like this.

He said, You don't know what you're asking.

Jesus said to them, Can you drink the cup I'm going to drink?

Once again, we can, we answered.

We see another account of this story.

With mom and time.

And Jesus said to them, You want D drink from the cup, but to sit at my right or my left is not me to grant.

These places belong to those whom I've been prepared by the Father.

Why did I show you the other recording of this?

Why did I let you know?

I think it's important.

Because what we find in John 25 through 27 is a story of another mother.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clobus, and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother there, the disciples whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, Woman, here is your son.

And to the disciple, here is your mother.

From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Now this is really important.

Because I think a lot of times we can just go through this passage and we can glance over it and we can just skip it and not understand the significance of it.

Do you know what it's like to be a mom?

Some of you mothers in here, I think about my wife and how much she plays with our little boys and my daughter.

I think about how she spends time with other moms who play with their kids.

Do you not know in this moment how tough this is for Mary?

You know, we got one mom that's over here, sons of, you know, John and James, and she's like, gee, can Jesus, can can they be with you?

Can they be with you?

And they're all about their family and they're all about themselves.

They love the kingdom, but they're thinking about themselves.

And on the other hand, we've got a woman who, from the very time she found out about Jesus, knew that she was going to raise him and one day have to give him up.

She lived with this.

Can you imagine Mary giving Jesus baths?

He couldn't even talk yet.

She's loving him in her arms, drying him off.

Can you imagine when Jesus would run through the little passageway through their home?

Could you imagine when she would have to tell Jesus, hey, Jesus, stop doing that?

Can you imagine when Jesus was growing up and he was working in carpentry and and he would make something for mom and they would laugh together and hug together?

Can you imagine it?

Can you imagine it?

The bond between a son and a mom.

Can you imagine it?

Can you imagine all the laughs they had together and Jesus being completely sinless and the conversations and when she would cry, he would hold her.

And when they'd have conversations, we we don't even hear about Joseph as he gets older.

Joseph dies young.

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine in this moment?

I don't know about you, but there's something big happening in this moment.

And at this moment, and when we see this, we know that Jesus is there.

And all Jesus is thinking about is his mom in this moment and trying to prepare a place for her after he dies.

That's how much he cares.

That's how much he cares in this one moment, in this one situation, with everything that's happening.

Jesus is on the cross.

And all those memories are flashing back through her head.

I guarantee it.

And Jesus knows.

So he tells her, hey, this is now your son.

I'm going.

You've known this from the very beginning.

You've known it from the very beginning.

You've known it from the very beginning.

Worship team if you'll come.

So we see this a mom's love for her son.

But then we go back to Genesis.

We go back to Genesis in the very beginning.

You remember a guy named Abraham.

He was called to the kingdom of God.

He was called to the kingdom of God.

He left everything behind.

And the Lord told him, He said, Abraham, if you want to follow me, Isaac, Isaac was the promise.

They had been wanting a son and they were old and they had nothing.

And God said, I'm going to give you a son.

And so God gives him a son.

He gives him a son.

And can you imagine all the fun times that he had with his son Isaac?

You know, Isaac was older, he was a teenager, closer to 20, when this began to happen.

Can you imagine the promise, the prayers him and his wife had been praying for all the years?

God give us a son.

God give us a son.

God, please give us a son.

All these moments.

And God says, Isaac, if you love me, give up your son.

Give up your son.

And Abraham's like, God, I don't understand, but I love you and I love the kingdom and you've you've provided all these years.

So I'll trust you.

I'll trust you.

So he takes Isaac and he puts him on the altar.

And right when he's about to sacrifice him, the Bible says, Abraham looked up, and in the thickets he saw a ram caught in his horns.

And he went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

In the very moment, in the very moment that he saw a thicket and a ram caught in it, was the very moment that God knew and made the decision before the face of the earth that one day he would be looking at his mother and understood that Mary had to give up her son so Abraham could keep his.

But you know what?

You know what?

It is your responsibility and it's my responsibility.

I don't have to give up my son, but I still have to give up my life.

Not on a cross like I deserve, not with thorns and stripes on my back.

I don't have to carry a Roman cross.

I don't have to do any of those things.

You want to know why?

Because Mary gave up her son from the beginning.

She agreed to it, the whole thing, and she counted it as honor and glory.

And all I can hear is people in our community and all over.

Why do I have to give up this?

Why do I have to wake up so early on Sundays?

Why do I have to serve?

Why do I have to go?

You don't have to! You don't want to love the kingdom! Go elsewhere! But you're gonna hate your life and the life you're trying to save, you're never gonna find it.

But if you want to love the kingdom of God, be ready to surrender everything you have, and know that when you lose it all, you're gonna find it.

You're gonna find it, you're gonna find it, you're gonna find it, you're gonna find it.

Jesus said, Mary, this is your son, this is your mother.

I told you I would always be with you.

I told you I would never leave or forsake you.

I told you, but to be in the greatest in the kingdom, you have to become the least, and to become the least, it means taking your life and everything and putting it on a cross.

Oh man.

Help me, God.

Help me, God.

Help me, God.

Because there's days I don't want to, there's days I don't, there's days I don't get it right.

Help me, God.

Give me the courage to sacrifice and to serve.

Even when I don't feel like it.

James is our example of understanding that ambition and intensity is not that.

The direction of it is everything.

And when you want the best seat in the kingdom, you better be prepared to pay the heaviest price.

But the way up is down.

And for me to have his kingdom on what he's called me to, I must decrease so that he can increase.

Welcome to the kingdom of God, ladies and gentlemen.

It's backwards compared to the American dream and how the world preaches.

If you want to live a fulfilled life, you better be willing to give up everything that you got.

Would you stand with me?

I'm gonna pray for you.

They're gonna sing, dear Father, we love you.

We love you.

I say it every week.

We love you.

We do, God.

God, forgive me of my selfish prayers.

Forgive me of my selfishness, God.

Remove anything in me that is not of you.

God, forgive me for my hate toward my enemies.

God, remove that.

God, forgive me.

If there's anything in me that is not of you, God, remove it.

God, the thoughts that I have, the premeditated thoughts that I have.

Oftentimes when I get angry, God forgive me of that.

God forgive me of that.

Let me pray for my enemies.

Let me treat them like I treat my family.

Let there be a place at the table for your people.

For God, so loved the world, you gave your one and only Son.

Oh my goodness.

You really love my enemy, don't you?

Yeah, you do.

God, let me love them too.

Help me, Father.

Give me strength when I don't have strength.

Give me courage when I don't have courage.

God, help us to be the father and mothers you called us to be.

God, let us know that we're not in a perfect community here, but you are a perfect God.

God, help me to surrender.

Help me to surrender.

Help us to surrender.

Help us to surrender.

God, we have too many kids in that basement right now for us not to be surrendering.

Well, we got too many children walking these streets for us not to be surrendering.

We got too many kids on ball clubs for us as adults not to be surrendering.

We got too much on the line to not be surrendering.

God, give us the courage to surrender.

Let us surrender our addictions to you, God.

Let us surrender our bad habits to you, God.

Let us surrender, God.

Let us not be ashamed.

But let us find peace and rest and comfort and growth in your arms.

Lord, let us be the least of these, Lord.

Let us decrease so you can increase.

God, let us decrease so you can increase.

Help me, God.

Help me, God.

Help us, God.

Lord, we love you and we praise you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.