A Pair of Requests

Such a joy to be with you. See a lot of new faces today. My name is Ed, one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge.

! It's my greatest pleasure to preach God's word this morning.

Let's open up our Bibles as we continue on in our series in Matthew.

If you don't have a physical copy of a Bible and would like one, feel free to raise your hand and we'd be happy to gift you one.

You could take home and keep for yourself.

Today we are in Matthew chapter 20.

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

Starting verse 17 all the way to the end of chapter 20.

So, Matthew 20, 17 to 34.

Matthew 20, 17 to 34.

Please bow your heads as we come before the Lord in prayer.

Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father.

We are weary, broken, and tired from this week.

We come before the Lord who invited us.

Come.

Find rest for your souls.

We want to hear from you.

We want to sit at your feet this morning.

We want you to address us and to speak to us what we need to hear so that we would be more and more like you.

That we would know your love and that we love others.

Lord, we pray that you would address us so that we would learn how to humbly serve one another just like Christ you served us.

Father, I pray that you would take the five loaves and two fish that I can offer and multiply it to feed the masses this morning.

Your people are hungry.

So, please feed them.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you guys would rise.

If you are able to honor the reading of God's word.

What we're about to hear is really the only perfect part of this sermon.

We're going to hear from God's infallible, inerrant word.

Starting from verse 17.

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside.

And on the way, he said to them,

See, we are going up to Jerusalem.

And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes.

And they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.

And he will be raised on the third day.

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons.

And kneeling before him, she asked him for something.

And he said to her,

What do you want?

She said to him,

Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.

Jesus answered,

You do not know what you are asking.

Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?

They said to him,

We are able.

He said to them,

You will drink my cup,

But to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant,

but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.

And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.

But Jesus called them,

called them to him and said,

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it 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,

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 as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.

And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside.

And when they heard that Jesus was passing by,

they cried out,

Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.

The crowd rebuked them,

telling them to be silent.

But they cried out all the more,

Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.

And stopping,

Jesus called them and said,

What do you want me to do for you?

They said to him,

Lord, let our eyes be opened.

And Jesus, in pity,

touched their eyes,

and immediately they recovered their sight

and followed him.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Please be seated.

In early 2010,

a catastrophic magnitude 7 earthquake

struck the country of Haiti,

leveling the already poorest country

in the Western Hemisphere,

killing more than 200,000 people,

and leaving 1.5 million people homeless.

That summer with my church,

I visited Haiti

and saw the aftermath for myself.

It was unimaginable

the kind of living conditions

people suffered there.

Sprawling tent cities

with thousands and thousands of people

living in an open field

under makeshift tarps

with no jobs,

no safety,

no money,

no privacy,

no running water,

no electricity.

So when the new president of Haiti,

Michel Martelly,

comes into power

the very next year,

you might expect him

to do everything that he can

to serve his people.

But instead,

even while knowing millions

and millions of people

live like this,

he gives himself a budget

of $20,000 a day

to spend overseas,

giving his wife

and each of his family members

$7,500 a day.

He raises $40 million in tax

with $25 million of that

going unaccounted for.

And this kind of corruption

really is not anything new

in the country's history.

Nearly every single president

has been like this.

I remember one conversation

that I had with a local

asking him what he thinks

this country needs

to change for the better.

And his answer was simple.

We need leaders who serve us.

Plainly put,

one bad leader,

just one bad leader,

has a disproportionate power

to inflict great harm.

The Church of Jesus Christ

has not been immune

to bad leadership.

Not all leaders

in the church are bad.

There are faithful pastors

out there.

But in recent years,

the church has suffered

reports of moral failure

by some of its most

prominent leaders.

And it's not just the pastors

who are in the national spotlight.

These reports can come from

big and small churches.

From rich and poor churches.

From denominational,

non-denominational churches.

Some groom others

to commit adultery.

Misappropriate funds.

Plagiarize.

Bully people.

What we need today,

both in and out

of the church,

is not a wholesale change

to remove leadership,

but to transform leadership.

And it's not just the change

needed for all current

and future leaders.

These leaders only represent

the sinful nature

that's in every single one of us.

If we were in their positions

of unchecked power,

how might we be corrupted?

For there is a bent

in every single one of us

to stand above others,

use others,

compete with others,

try to stuff others down.

Even in our lives today,

in our social circles,

we undermine colleagues,

gossip about friends,

keep score with our spouses,

use the silent treatment,

try to keep others down,

and judge others.

Is this not how we try

to lord it over

and exercise authority

over the people in our lives?

Is it not our most natural,

unlearned instinct

to try to look out

for number one

at the expense

of those around us?

And we know what

that kind of treatment begets.

Only more of the same

right back at us, right?

In an endless cycle

of competition,

envy, bitterness,

and strife,

for all our achievements

in society,

we still haven't found

to break out of this cycle.

Left to ourselves,

we never will.

We need something,

or rather someone,

to break the cycle.

That's exactly who

Jesus Christ is.

Though he be a great king,

Jesus came not to be served,

but to serve,

and to give his life

as a ransom for many.

Then and only then,

when we understand this,

when we have been served

by him,

then we learn how

to serve others.

Begin to see

that cycle broken.

That's the main point

of my sermon today,

is to serve.

Serve because Christ

first served us.

And in turn,

we'll observe

really everything

in this passage,

how Jesus does

everything to serve.

He serves with his words,

he serves with his very life,

and he serves

with his hands.

For the first time

in Matthew,

Jerusalem is not

a distant future,

but it's a near reality.

It's not a place

that he will go to,

or must go to,

but he is going to,

as he goes up

to Jerusalem.

Matthew accurately captures

the vertical movement

necessary when going

to Jerusalem

with that word up,

because it was more than

3,000 feet of elevation

over 17 miles.

And it's these little details

in the text

that suggest to me

that truly the gospel

was indeed written

by a first century Jew

who lived at the time

of Jesus.

And he just knew

these cultural details.

Not by religious zealots

or liars or fakers

who fabricated these texts

centuries later.

No, this was truly written

by Jesus' disciples.

The gospel writers

just knew these details

because they lived it.

Just like how we Bostonians,

we Canterbridgeans,

we just know that

driving through I-93,

the tunnels,

will make you lose your GPS

and probably make you

lose your exit.

Or that the red line's AC

is just down half the time

in the summer.

On the way,

Jesus pulls aside

his 12 disciples,

presumably from the large crowd

that is following him,

and he confides to them

his third and final

passion prediction.

In chapters 16 and 17,

Jesus has already predicted

that he must go to Jerusalem

for his death and resurrection.

But knowing that the time

is soon coming,

unlike before,

he prophesies

with the greatest detail

and specificity yet.

He predicts seven specific things

that will happen to him.

That number one,

he will be delivered over

to the Jewish chief priests

and scribes.

Number two,

be condemned to death.

Number three,

because the Romans

controlled capital punishment,

the Jews will deliver him

over to the Romans.

Four,

to be mocked.

Five,

flogged.

Six,

crucified.

And seven,

most importantly,

he will be raised

on the third day.

Jesus gives the play-by-play.

He knows every detail

down to excruciating details.

He would be hated

by Jew and Gentile alike,

a rare collaboration

from these polar opposite groups.

Like oil and water,

these two groups

have not historically mixed,

but their hatred,

their rejection of Jesus

emulsify them together.

Together,

they would mock the God

who made their mouths,

flog the God

who made their hands,

and kill the God

who gave them life.

Why does Jesus predict this

up to three times

with greater specificity?

Right?

The Bible adamantly refuses

to give any notion

that Jesus' life

was taken against his will.

His death was anything

but a miscalculation

or an accident.

To those on the outside,

it may look like the Jews

and the Romans

had the last say,

but these predictions

really show

the hidden truth

that they were mere pawns

in the master's hand.

Jesus wants to make it clear

that he absolutely

already knew

the unimaginable suffering

that awaited him.

And yet we see him

striving up that hill,

fighting against gravity

with every step,

determined to get to the cup

that he's determined,

already determined,

to drink.

But that's not just

to defend himself.

I think with these

three predictions,

the always serving Jesus

is looking to serve

his disciples

by drilling these words

into their heads,

by the power of repetition.

For repetition

is the hammer

that drives

the nails of truth

deeper

and deeper

and deeper

into our hardened hearts.

And especially

on those days,

those days filled

with grief

and suffering,

the muscle memory

of reciting,

hearing,

memorizing God's word,

it's lodged

into our hearts

by the sheer force

of repetition.

It fills our mouths

with truths

that we need most

when we can't possibly

drum it up ourselves.

And that's exactly

how Jesus intended

to serve his disciples

with this repetition.

He knew that the suffering,

it was coming for him,

but he also knew

that the sadness,

confusion,

the shame

that disciples

would experience

at the death

of their master,

that was coming too

for them.

So he repeats

this prediction

again

and again

and again.

Three times

so that when

the bottom fell out,

they would be anchored

by these very words.

And be reassured

that Jesus

truly was

the Messiah.

Jesus wanted them

to know

that he was

in control

over his suffering.

Not just in control,

but that he would have

ultimate victory

over it.

Raised again

on the third day

in triumphant victory.

Repetition

can have

that kind of power

in our darkest

of days.

As an example,

I think of

Todd Beamer.

On September 11th,

Todd was aboard

Flight 93

on a routine

work flight

when four

Al-Qaeda terrorists

hijacked

the flight.

Their plan

was to crash

the plane

into a building

in Washington,

D.C.

After realizing

that they were

not going to get

out of this alive,

Todd and the

other passengers

courageously

decided to storm

the cockpit

and jump

the hijackers.

But not before

he recited

the Lord's Prayer

in Psalm 23

out loud

with the other

passengers.

Here's Lisa Beamer,

his wife

and the mother

of his two children

that he left

behind,

recounting the story.

Although I'd never

heard of,

I'd never before

heard of Todd

reciting the Lord's Prayer

in pressure situations,

I wasn't surprised

to hear he had

quoted it.

Recently,

our pastor

had taught

a 12-week series

of lessons

on the Lord's Prayer.

Todd had known

the prayer

since childhood,

but each line

of it had become

more and more special

to him as he understood

how fraught

with meaning

it really was.

And she goes on

to say,

interestingly,

Psalm 23

wasn't a mantra

that Todd

recited often,

but it was

resident

in his spirit

because he had

learned it

as a child.

When the crisis

came,

Todd was able

to tap

into a deep

reservoir

of faith

that he had

been storing

up for years.

once he found

courage

in those words,

in God's words,

he took a deep

breath

and said

to his fellow

passengers,

are you ready?

Okay.

Let's roll.

And stormed

the cockpit

with a food trolley

and prevented

the terrorists

from hitting

their intended target.

That's the power

of repetition.

still so far,

it doesn't seem

like it has

its intended

effect on the

disciples.

Right?

The disciples

show again

and again

that they still

don't get

what Jesus

is saying.

After the first

prediction,

Peter makes

a fool

out of himself

telling Jesus

that this would

never happen

to you,

Lord.

After the second

prediction,

the disciples

debate who

will be the

greatest.

we'll see

how this

pattern

continues

then after

this third

prediction.

It starts

with meeting

an unfamiliar

character

with an

unusual

request.

The mother

of the sons

of Zebedee,

James,

who's not

to be confused

with James

the half-brother

of Jesus,

and John

the beloved

apostle who

wrote many

books of the

Bible,

their mother

enters scene

for the first

time.

She bows

her knee

before Jesus.

people back

then didn't

typically kneel

before an

ordinary rabbi

or a teacher.

This was a

posture of

someone standing

before a

king.

In Jesus,

by faith,

she rightly

sees that he

is going to be

the next king

of Israel.

So after being

prompted by

Jesus,

she makes

an extraordinary

bold request.

say that

these two

sons of

mine are

to sit,

one at

your right

hand,

one at

your left,

in your

kingdom.

Before

everyone else,

make my

two sons

the most

honored

persons in

your world

changing,

systems

breaking

kingdom.

It's

interesting to

note that

in Mark's

account,

the mother

is actually

absent,

and the

request comes

directly from

the sons

themselves.

I think

this hints

that while

mom was

the one

to approach

Jesus,

as any

good mama

would do

to vouch

for her

sons,

the sons,

it seems

like,

were the

masterminds.

Jesus

confirms this

by quickly

bypassing

the mother

and directly

addressing

James and

John.

And if you

know anything

about them,

it fits their

profile perfectly.

These are

the same

men who

asked Jesus

if they

should call

down fire

to obliterate

a Samaritan

village that

rejected them,

and whom

Jesus nicknamed

the sons of

thunder for

their boisterous,

blustering

personalities.

This is the

kind of people

that they

are.

Where do

they get

such a

request?

From

last week's

passage,

Jesus'

promise rings

in their

ears.

Truly I

say to

you,

in a new

world,

when the

son of

man will

sit on

his

glorious

throne,

you who

have

followed

me will

also

sit on

twelve

thrones,

judging

the twelve

tribes of

Israel.

Considering

what we

read in

our passage

today,

I think

we catch

x-ray

vision into

the son's

hearts when

they hear

this promise.

James and

John are

no-name

Galilean

fishermen,

who are

sons of

a no-name

Galilean

fisherman.

These men

are the

obscure of

the obscure.

If Jesus

hadn't chosen

them as

disciples,

their legacy,

their memory

would have

quickly been

erased off

the face

of the

earth.

But instead

of being

floored that

even they,

even they

get to sit

on thrones

in the new

creation,

we see that

in the heart

of hearts.

In their

heart of

hearts,

it was not

enough.

Jesus'

grand promise

doesn't satisfy

their insatiable,

greedy appetites.

consider,

too,

that if

they sit

at the

right and

left hand

of Jesus,

then where

will Peter

sit?

Maybe that's

just their

point.

Perhaps

they saw

Peter as

vulnerable,

the chosen

leader,

his head

will fall.

After all,

he did just

get rebuked

and called

Satan four

chapters ago.

maybe they

think it's

their time

to take

the top

spot.

To all

this,

Jesus has

one simple

response to

this political

power play.

You don't

know what

you are

asking for.

Jesus knows

that these

slow disciples

still think

and hope

that Jesus

is going

into Jerusalem

guns blazing

to inaugurate

the era

of military

and political

peace for

the nation

of Israel.

But really,

there's more

to their

misunderstanding.

In Jesus'

mind,

they completely

misunderstand

the nature

of leadership.

For to

Jesus,

leadership

is not

to be

first in

line to

be glorified,

but it's

first in

line to

suffer.

If you

wish to

be seated

in the

heavenly

places,

in the

highest

places,

be ready

to suffer.

God,

he asks,

do you

know what

you're

asking for?

Do you

know that

positions of

power and

authority come

with all the

burden of

power and

authority?

Do you

know that

to be at

the center

of attention

means that

you are at

the center

of attention

and with

all the

scrutiny

that entails?

Do you

know that

in earthly

kingdoms,

importance is

defined by

how many

people serve

you,

but in

my kingdom

importance is

defined by

how many

people you

serve?

Do you

know that

glory only

comes after

great suffering?

Are you

able to

drink the

cup that

I am to

drink?

Here,

Jesus so

clearly ties

the ascension

of glory to

the drinking

of a cup.

And what

cup is

this?

We all

know it's

the cup that

Jesus refers

to in the

garden,

the garden

of Gethsemane.

He knows

that his

one mission

is to

drink down

to the

dregs the

undiluted

cup of

wrath on

behalf of

God's

people.

And it's

this cup

that would

cause Jesus

incredible

suffering.

A cup that

he asked to

be removed

from him,

not once,

but twice.

A cup that

even the

thought of

causes Jesus

to sweat

great drops

of blood.

Notably,

the only

other time

this exact

phrase,

one on

the right

and one

on the

left,

is used

in Matthew

is when

Jesus is

hanging on

the cross.

When Jesus

is enthroned

as king

on the cross,

when his title,

King of the

Jews,

is plastered in

multiple languages

so that all

can see.

When people

cry out,

Hail,

King of the

Jews!

Matthew 27,

38 says,

then two

were crucified

with him,

one on the

right and

one on the

left.

But these

are not

James and

John,

or Peter

or Andrew,

or any of

the disciples

as a matter

of fact.

They confidently

say,

we can drink

this cup.

But when push

comes to shove,

and the cup

gets passed

to them,

when the

prospect of

death stares

them right

in the face,

not one

of them

stands next

to Jesus.

They all

run off,

scatter off

in the middle

of the night

to abandon

their Lord,

to leave

robbers and

criminals the

honor of

dying next

to Jesus,

one on the

right,

one on the

left.

But just

like Peter

has his

redemption

story,

these other

two will,

and it's

remarkable that

we think

that a

redemption

story is

to die.

Jesus knows

that they

will eventually

partake of

this cup,

not to

drink down

to the

dregs the

wrath of

God on

behalf of

other sinners,

but truly

the cup

of suffering.

For James

will be

executed in

Acts 12

at the

hand of

Herod,

and John

will be

cast out

on the

island of

Patmos

in exile.

But even

then,

it is not

Jesus'

place to

grant them

to sit

at the

left,

to sit

at the

right,

but it's

only the

fathers.

Jesus models

this self-effacing

humility.

It's confirmed

by these

famous verses

in Philippians

2.

do nothing

from selfish

ambition or

conceit,

but in

humility

count others

more significant

than yourselves.

Let each

of you look

not only to

his own

interests,

but also to

the interests

of others.

Have this

mind among

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.

The sons

of thunder

grasped at

something that

wasn't theirs.

Jesus refused

to grasp at

something that

was rightfully

his.

As the

incarnate

son humbles

himself in

total submission

to the father,

though they are

equal,

fully equal in

intrinsic power

and essence

and authority,

he humbles

himself.

And because

of that

submission,

Jesus says,

that's why he

says,

to sit at

my right and

left is not

mine to

grant,

but it is

for those

to whom it

has been

prepared by

my father.

At its

very core,

what these

brothers get

wrong is

summed up by

theologian

Francis Schaeffer.

Christ says,

we are to

take the

lowest spot,

but we like

to take the

higher.

But this

is not

the Lord's

way.

Leadership

is not

to be

sought.

Leadership

is to

be waited

for.

To the

extent we

want power

among men,

to that

extent we

are in the

flesh and

not the

Holy Spirit.

The extent

to which I

demand

leadership,

I am not

ready to be

a leader.

leader.

It is a

noble aspiration

to pursue

leadership for

the sake of

serving others,

as the

Apostle Paul

affirms in

1 Timothy 3

regarding

eldership in

the church.

But the

manner by

which you

do so is

of utmost

importance.

Are you

seeking the

power and

the prestige

of leadership,

leadership,

or are you

seeking the

cup of

suffering that

leadership entails?

This

fundamental

mistake isn't

exclusive to

James and

John.

When the

ten hear

this, they

are fuming

mad.

They're indignant

at the

brothers.

They're probably

bickering with

one another.

Probably they're

already scheming

on how to get

back at the

brothers.

So the

ever-patient

Jesus, their

teacher, he

calls them to

him and says

these words,

you know that

the rulers of

the Gentiles

lorded over

them and

their great

ones exercised

authority over

them.

The Jews know

precisely what

Jesus is talking

about.

Under the

boot of Roman

rule and

oppression, the

Jews suffered

greatly.

In the

original Greek

lorded over

and exercised

authority over,

both are words

that start with

the prefix

Kata, which

means down.

The picture is

clear.

Their leaders

stuff others

down, keep

others down,

so that they

can prop

themselves up.

They treat

their people like

mere stepping

stones.

But Jesus

says clearly,

it shall not

be so among

you.

Instead, if we

want to be

great, we

ought to be

one another's

servant.

Not just a

servant, but a

slave.

And what do

servants do?

What do

slaves do?

They assume

the lowliest

of positions,

willing to do

the lowliest

of tasks, and

they serve.

If we want to

be great in

the kingdom

of God, there

needs to be an

eagerness, a

hunger, a

yearning to

serve in any

which way that

we can.

At home, at

church, at

work, wherever

we go, we

ought to have a

maximalist view

of how much we

can get to

serve.

Not a

minimalist

view, just

trying to squeak

by with the

bare minimum.

At every

opportunity to

serve one

another, the

question shouldn't

be, why should

I serve, but

why shouldn't

I?

But some

object, oh,

but I don't

have that gift.

I can't serve

in that way.

Or others

object, but

other people

don't serve as

much as me.

Others still,

when I serve,

it's never

appreciated.

this is not

the acceptable

language of a

servant slave.

Luke 17

shows us what

the acceptable

pattern of

speech of a

slave is.

Jesus says,

will any one

of you who

has a servant

plowing or

keeping sheep

say to him

when he has

come in from

the field,

come at once

and recline

at table.

Will he not

rather say to

him, prepare

supper for me,

dress properly,

serve me when

I eat and

drink, and

afterward will

eat and

drink.

Does he

thank the

servant because

he did what

was commanded?

So you also,

when you have

done all that

you were

commanded, say,

we are

unworthy

servants.

We have only

done what was

our duty.

Last week,

Sean introduced

Jim Elliott,

a martyred

!

a martyred

missionary to

a tribe in

Ecuador.

I quote him

again this week

saying missionaries

and really

all Christians

are very human

folk, just

doing what

they were

asked.

Simply a

bunch of

nobodies

trying to

exalt

somebody.

But if we

are serving

that much,

shouldn't we

be concerned

with burnout,

burning out?

Yes,

absolutely.

We shouldn't

burn ourselves

out.

We absolutely

need sleep.

We need

Sabbath rest.

But we

don't

primarily

guard

ourselves

against

burnout

by first

guarding

our

calendars.

We guard

against

burnout

by guarding

our

hearts.

We don't

burn out

primarily

because we

mismanage

our calendars

and we

don't take

enough

Sabbaths.

We burn

out

primarily

because we

mismanage

our hearts.

And now

a mismanaged

heart often

results in

a mismanaged

calendar,

but the

source of

the error

is not

in the

planning,

but it's

in the

heart,

in your

loves.

For we

serve really

out of so

many wrong

reasons.

We serve

Jesus to

be good

enough for

him,

to get

something for

him,

to pay

him back,

or because

we think

he needs

us.

We serve

others to

impress

them or

to feel

like we

belong.

And if

you're feeling

burnt out

this morning,

and I mean

more than

just feeling

physically

tired,

but emotionally,

mentally,

spiritually tapped

out,

you might

struggle with

one or a few

of these wrong

motivations to

serve.

So then,

how do we

serve

sacrificially

without feeling

weary,

discouraged,

or bitter?

The key is in

this critical

verse,

verse 28,

that the

son of man,

this son of man

came not to be

served,

but to serve,

and to give

his life as a

ransom for

many.

Serving is

the very

DNA of

Jesus'

purpose and

ministry.

We see it

throughout the

passage today,

we see it so

beautifully displayed

in John 13

when he

washes the

feet of his

disciples.

Can you

imagine this?

The God

who laid

the foundations

of the world,

who tells

each lightning

bolt where

it should

go,

who keeps

the Leviathan

on a

leash,

this same

God has

a towel

around his

waist.

This man

about whom

John the

Baptist rightly

declared,

I am not

worthy to

untie even

the strap

of his

sandal,

he kneels

and washes

my feet.

Surely that's

as far as

the Christ

would go to

serve me,

right?

someone who

is as

proud,

self-serving,

rebellious as

me,

surely a

king like

Jesus would

do no more

than to

kneel and

wash my

feet.

Surely there

must be a

limit.

But there's

no limit

to how far

Jesus would

go to

abase

himself for

the many

he would

ransom.

For he

showed the

greatest

display of

love that

we know

by trekking

up that

hill,

being

locked,

flogged,

crucified.

This God

endured

treatment that

we would

find inexcusable

for our

very own

pet dogs.

But he

subjected

himself because

he knew

that his

blood was

the only

way for

sinners like

you and me

to be

ransomed,

to be

redeemed from

our bondage

to sin and

death.

Nothing but

the blood

of Jesus.

Some in

church history

have posited

that money

could ransom

a man.

Johann

Tetzel,

the early

16th century

Dominican

friar,

peddled

indulgences

that if one

gives money

to the church,

he can free

a soul

from purgatory,

which doesn't

even exist.

But the

famous rhyme,

as soon as

the coin

hits the

coffer,

or as soon

as the coin

in the

coffer

rings,

the soul

from purgatory

springs.

Reformer

Martin Luther

was absolutely

right to

denounce this

as a greedy,

manipulative,

false teaching.

Even if you

were to amass

all the wealth

of the world,

could you not

even pay back

for one sin?

And as we

read from our

assurance of

pardon,

it was not

with perishable

things,

such as silver

or gold,

you were redeemed,

but with the

precious blood

of Christ,

the lamb

without blemish

or object,

nothing but

the blood

of Jesus.

Others in

church history

have posited

that good

works,

that human

effort could

functionally

ransom a

man.

Pelagius in

the fourth

century argued

that even

without God's

transforming grace,

human beings

innately have

the ability

to do good.

We innately

have the ability

to earn our

standing before

God.

Augustine was

absolutely right

to denounce

this as a

presumptuous,

man-centered,

graceless,

false teaching.

You cannot

obey God

without the

grace of

God,

and even if

you were able

to spend

every single

minute of the

rest of your

life doing

good deeds

perfectly,

could you not

pay back

for one sin?

Nothing but

the blood of

Jesus.

So knowing

that this was

the only way

to free us

from our

miserable

bondage,

even knowing

that we had

nothing to

offer him,

Jesus came.

He came not

to be served

but to serve.

Do you see

that you will