WEBVTT - This file was automatically generated by VIMEO 0 00:00:00.290 --> 00:00:03.410 Well, hey, church family. It is a great day for us to be together. 1 00:00:03.550 --> 00:00:06.330 So wherever you are or whatever your week has been like, 2 00:00:06.390 --> 00:00:08.690 you are right where you need to be. Welcome to Hope. 3 00:00:40.470 --> 00:00:44.050 4 00:00:45.790 --> 00:00:46.623 5 00:00:50.270 --> 00:00:54.850 6 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.410 7 00:01:00.110 --> 00:01:02.450 8 00:01:05.470 --> 00:01:06.303 9 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:19.173 10 00:01:53.430 --> 00:01:54.263 11 00:02:41.320 --> 00:02:42.090 12 00:02:42.090 --> 00:02:43.450 Living like 13 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:45.050 14 00:02:45.420 --> 00:02:45.800 15 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.170 16 00:02:51.750 --> 00:02:53.290 17 00:02:55.320 --> 00:03:00.320 18 00:03:00.820 --> 00:03:03.200 19 00:03:03.790 --> 00:03:04.920 20 00:03:05.250 --> 00:03:06.083 21 00:03:06.590 --> 00:03:10.120 22 00:03:17.430 --> 00:03:21.400 23 00:04:44.340 --> 00:04:46.270 Well, hey, church family. My name is Matt. 24 00:04:46.330 --> 00:04:48.470 I'm one of the pastors here at Hope Community Church, 25 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:51.150 and it is a great day for us to be together. Uh, look, 26 00:04:51.310 --> 00:04:54.430 we are continuing on in our King and a Kingdom series. 27 00:04:54.450 --> 00:04:58.070 And if you remember last weekend, we talked about connecting intentionally. 28 00:04:58.130 --> 00:05:00.150 And I gotta celebrate this with you. Uh, 29 00:05:00.330 --> 00:05:04.070 myself and a bunch of my friends out in Fuquay last weekend had the opportunity 30 00:05:04.450 --> 00:05:05.430 to celebrate together, 31 00:05:05.530 --> 00:05:08.670 to come and worship Sunday morning and connect intentionally. 32 00:05:08.930 --> 00:05:13.510 We worshiped together. Uh, we prayed together. We had communion together. Uh, 33 00:05:13.510 --> 00:05:14.870 and it was just a phenomenal time. 34 00:05:14.870 --> 00:05:17.710 There was a face painter there who was Michelangelo level, 35 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:22.350 quality face painting. If that's competitive, then she's the best. Uh, 36 00:05:22.350 --> 00:05:24.510 but it was just a, a phenomenal time. Uh, 37 00:05:24.510 --> 00:05:27.870 and I just want to say thank you to those of you who have contributed over the 38 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:31.750 course of the last year to the Hope Where You Are Campaign and remind you that 39 00:05:31.750 --> 00:05:34.030 we are in the middle of a hope where you are Campaign, 40 00:05:34.030 --> 00:05:38.790 where we are trying to fund the Fuquay campus through 2024 by 41 00:05:38.790 --> 00:05:42.070 raising a million dollars. So I just wanna put that right back in front of you, 42 00:05:42.070 --> 00:05:45.670 and thank you for the gifts that you have giving and your generosity. Um, 43 00:05:46.050 --> 00:05:47.350 the next thing I want to tell you, 44 00:05:47.350 --> 00:05:51.110 everything we've done in Fuquay has been let's be missional and be a church 45 00:05:51.110 --> 00:05:53.990 without a gathering and without a place, uh, at hope. 46 00:05:54.130 --> 00:05:57.240 We believe that all of us have a place in what missions looks like. 47 00:05:57.700 --> 00:06:01.120 So we've got a story and a video we wanna share with you from our Global Hope 48 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:02.280 team. Check it out. 49 00:06:06.130 --> 00:06:10.590 My name is Josh Pease. I'm the local director of Sunica. 50 00:06:10.770 --> 00:06:14.790 We live in Leon, Nicaragua, along with my family, my wife, Betty. 51 00:06:15.320 --> 00:06:19.790 We've got three kids, uh, Andrea, Paola, and Mathias. 52 00:06:20.810 --> 00:06:25.110 And we have been living and working there for the past, uh, 53 00:06:25.210 --> 00:06:26.870 almost 15 years now. 54 00:06:27.990 --> 00:06:32.230 I ended up in Nicaragua because I was running away from seminary. 55 00:06:34.270 --> 00:06:38.950 I was, or Bible college I should say. Yeah, I was frustrated with, 56 00:06:40.770 --> 00:06:45.350 um, everything around, uh, 57 00:06:45.950 --> 00:06:49.150 learning about and being tested on God and all of these things and everyone 58 00:06:49.150 --> 00:06:53.870 talking about God. But it didn't seem like anyone was doing anything, uh, 59 00:06:54.050 --> 00:06:56.790 or loving anybody. I just wanted to get away. 60 00:06:57.330 --> 00:07:02.030 And a good friend of mine was going to Nicaragua for a fall 61 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:06.630 semester. I decided I was going four days later. 62 00:07:06.750 --> 00:07:09.070 I was in Nicaragua, and that was my first time. 63 00:07:09.690 --> 00:07:13.110 I'd never been really outside of the country. 64 00:07:14.320 --> 00:07:19.110 Definitely never lived in a house with a dirt floor and, uh, 65 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:23.190 had the full rural, uh, central American experience. 66 00:07:23.210 --> 00:07:27.190 And so everything was different, but everything was awesome. You know, 67 00:07:27.230 --> 00:07:28.063 I loved it. 68 00:07:28.210 --> 00:07:32.790 And I think we started Sunica because we wanted to be 69 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:39.190 intimately involved on the ground on a daily basis 70 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:43.750 with people involved in what they were, saw their own needs as, 71 00:07:43.890 --> 00:07:47.630 as opposed to just trying to like step in and out, 72 00:07:47.690 --> 00:07:52.350 in and out and meet needs that we thought we saw. And so for us, 73 00:07:52.380 --> 00:07:56.750 that started with water and discipleship. 74 00:07:56.850 --> 00:07:58.790 And so like, big brother, big sister, 75 00:07:59.020 --> 00:08:03.350 just coming alongside people and discipling them. All we do is ask questions. 76 00:08:03.650 --> 00:08:07.870 We don't, we try not to lead. We try not to, you know, push in any direction. 77 00:08:07.870 --> 00:08:12.350 We just ask lots of questions and that gives us, yeah, 78 00:08:12.350 --> 00:08:16.430 an idea of how the community sees itself and how they would 79 00:08:17.530 --> 00:08:21.230 fix their own issues if they had all the resources at their disposal. 80 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:26.470 Super important for them to understand their own perspective and not 81 00:08:26.700 --> 00:08:30.310 just to have someone come in and fix their problems. Uh, for example, 82 00:08:30.530 --> 00:08:32.990 we come into a community, we know they have a need for water, 83 00:08:33.410 --> 00:08:35.150 but we just fix their water problem. 84 00:08:35.940 --> 00:08:40.070 Then it's now our project and our solution versus 85 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:45.470 their solution that they put their blood, sweat, and tears into, 86 00:08:45.650 --> 00:08:50.270 and they're gonna fight to take care of people think, 87 00:08:50.410 --> 00:08:54.470 oh man, you're making so much sacrifice and you're, you're doing this thing. 88 00:08:54.530 --> 00:08:57.560 And for me, I I wanna say like, oh, I love what I do. 89 00:08:57.900 --> 00:08:59.680 It feels like less of a sacrifice. 90 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:04.240 It feels like more just doing exactly the best I can. 91 00:09:04.270 --> 00:09:08.840 What God's calling me to do, where I'm at and where I'm at became Nicaragua. 92 00:09:09.300 --> 00:09:10.800 But it doesn't need to be that for everyone. 93 00:09:11.660 --> 00:09:16.440 And I think what it comes down to is just being open 94 00:09:16.620 --> 00:09:19.520 and listening to whatever God's putting on your heart to do. 95 00:09:20.260 --> 00:09:23.240 And that can be serving the person next to you. 96 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:24.840 It can be getting to know your neighbor, 97 00:09:25.330 --> 00:09:30.080 going to places and searching out those people who aren't like you and 98 00:09:30.560 --> 00:09:34.240 actually engaging in their lives. 99 00:09:34.750 --> 00:09:39.480 It's just being open and aware of what the spirit is 100 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:41.080 inviting us into. 101 00:10:12.760 --> 00:10:13.593 Come on church. 102 00:10:15.050 --> 00:10:18.410 103 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:24.530 104 00:10:27.160 --> 00:10:31.850 105 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:34.530 106 00:10:41.010 --> 00:10:44.090 107 00:10:48.530 --> 00:10:50.370 108 00:10:54.890 --> 00:10:59.350 109 00:11:05.830 --> 00:11:10.600 110 00:11:12.110 --> 00:11:12.550 111 00:11:12.550 --> 00:11:14.400 112 00:11:21.700 --> 00:11:22.770 113 00:11:32.920 --> 00:11:33.530 114 00:11:33.530 --> 00:11:34.130 115 00:11:34.130 --> 00:11:36.320 116 00:12:01.110 --> 00:12:01.943 117 00:12:22.330 --> 00:12:26.440 118 00:12:37.470 --> 00:12:38.303 119 00:13:19.710 --> 00:13:20.543 120 00:13:29.350 --> 00:13:30.183 121 00:14:37.930 --> 00:14:40.390 122 00:14:43.100 --> 00:14:44.110 123 00:14:52.900 --> 00:14:54.040 124 00:14:55.090 --> 00:14:55.923 125 00:14:56.490 --> 00:14:57.323 126 00:15:08.270 --> 00:15:08.940 Hallelujah. 127 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:10.740 Can we give the Lord some praise in this house today? 128 00:15:17.850 --> 00:15:22.060 Amen And amen. Jesus, your name is power. Your name is healing. 129 00:15:22.130 --> 00:15:27.060 Your name is life, uh, with that church. Will you pray with me? Father, 130 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:31.740 you are our God and we are your people. God, 131 00:15:31.760 --> 00:15:34.060 we trust you for healing. 132 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:38.500 We trust you for reconciliation. We trust you God, 133 00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:43.420 that we would know that we are made by the God of the universe who has a 134 00:15:43.420 --> 00:15:47.420 purpose and a plan for each and every one of us, for our families. 135 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:51.940 So God, I pray over the families that can hear my voice. 136 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:56.460 I pray over the children, I pray over Mom and dad, grandparents. 137 00:15:57.320 --> 00:16:01.340 God, I pray for pregnant mothers, for all of us. Lord, 138 00:16:01.400 --> 00:16:04.060 we pray in the name of Jesus that we would be your people, 139 00:16:04.570 --> 00:16:08.660 that you would be our king God, 140 00:16:08.660 --> 00:16:10.020 and we would love one another. Well, 141 00:16:10.520 --> 00:16:13.500 so that the world would know that we are yours. 142 00:16:13.770 --> 00:16:17.340 Pray all these things in Jesus' name and we say, amen. Thanks, church. 143 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:54.560 How are we doing y'all? Good, good. Hey, 144 00:16:54.560 --> 00:16:55.280 keep that energy, 145 00:16:55.280 --> 00:16:58.360 because I wanna start things off a little bit differently here. Uh, 146 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:01.880 I want to start off by playing a game with y'all. Is that okay? Yeah, that fine. 147 00:17:01.880 --> 00:17:04.240 Okay. A lot more eager than I, than I anticipated. That's great. 148 00:17:04.310 --> 00:17:06.880 Usually people wanna know the rules first. Don't worry. It's simple. 149 00:17:07.340 --> 00:17:08.600 You don't have to leave your seats. 150 00:17:09.060 --> 00:17:11.480 All I need you to do is be loud enough for me, okay? 151 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:13.560 That's the only thing I need. No matter if you're here in the room, 152 00:17:13.560 --> 00:17:15.520 if you're watching at one of our campuses, this is, 153 00:17:15.560 --> 00:17:17.240 I just need you to dial in for a second, okay? 154 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:20.840 The name of the game is Who's the Greatest? All right? 155 00:17:20.840 --> 00:17:24.760 What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna throw a few photos up on the screen, and I just, 156 00:17:24.820 --> 00:17:29.280 all you have to do is yell out the person's name and what they're famous for. 157 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:33.000 Okay? Sound simple enough? Sound simple enough. All right, here we go. 158 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:33.880 Here's the first one right here. 159 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:41.360 Simone Biles. That's right. Why is she famous? Why is she the greatest? 160 00:17:43.010 --> 00:17:46.960 She's a golden, uh, uh, medal winning, uh, Olympic gymnast. All right, 161 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:49.200 there we go. Okay, one for one. Give yourselves a round of applause. 162 00:17:49.450 --> 00:17:51.560 Round of applause. There we go. All right, here we go. Number two. 163 00:17:52.700 --> 00:17:53.533 Boo 164 00:17:55.300 --> 00:17:59.840 Boo is not the correct answer. If you did, boo, 165 00:17:59.870 --> 00:18:02.840 it's probably because this man has broken your heart more times than you can 166 00:18:02.840 --> 00:18:07.520 count. I'm a Falcons fan, trust me, I get it. All right. Uh, this is Tom Brady, 167 00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:11.480 arguably the greatest n f l quarterback of all time. All right, 168 00:18:11.480 --> 00:18:15.040 so you're two for two. That's really good. Uh, here we go. Here's the next one. 169 00:18:17.610 --> 00:18:18.443 Billy Graham. 170 00:18:19.290 --> 00:18:23.800 Billy Graham. Is that what you said? Not Billy Graham. Okay. 171 00:18:23.820 --> 00:18:26.360 Let me help you out. Okay? I'm gonna, I'm gonna give you the name. 172 00:18:26.500 --> 00:18:30.160 You just tell me what he's known for. Okay? This is Philo Farnsworth. 173 00:18:33.990 --> 00:18:35.920 He's the inventor of the television, 174 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:39.480 inventor of the television Philo Farnsworth. Okay? That's all right. 175 00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:41.640 You're still two for three. That's not bad. Let's go onto the next one. 176 00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:48.800 Muhammad Ali, right? Literally called himself the greatest. It's, 177 00:18:48.800 --> 00:18:53.040 it's considered that his wife coined the term goat, right? Greatest of all time. 178 00:18:53.140 --> 00:18:55.560 So there we go. We're back in the game. All right, let's do this next one. 179 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.780 Nobody. Can you have a hint? 180 00:19:03.980 --> 00:19:06.700 I will literally give you his name if you can tell me what he did. Okay. 181 00:19:06.840 --> 00:19:07.673 Willis Carrier 182 00:19:09.120 --> 00:19:09.953 Air Conditioner. 183 00:19:10.120 --> 00:19:13.620 The air conditioner. There you go. There's a few of y'all in here. Now, I just, 184 00:19:13.690 --> 00:19:16.380 just really quick, there's a couple hundred people in this room. 185 00:19:16.890 --> 00:19:20.420 Four of you knew the answer, okay? That's, that's still really impressive. 186 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:22.620 All right, we've got two more for you. Okay. 187 00:19:26.250 --> 00:19:28.740 Michael Keaton. That's right. Listen, 188 00:19:29.120 --> 00:19:33.300 we can debate all day long whether or not Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback 189 00:19:33.300 --> 00:19:37.380 of all time. There is no debate that this man is the greatest Batman ever, okay? 190 00:19:38.120 --> 00:19:41.860 No debate whatsoever. All right, here's the last one. Okay? 191 00:19:46.780 --> 00:19:50.730 Confidence level shot down real quick. Now, look, I understand not getting the, 192 00:19:50.750 --> 00:19:53.210 the past couple, like the black and white ones, because you're like, yeah, 193 00:19:53.210 --> 00:19:55.250 those people lived a really, really long time ago. This is, 194 00:19:55.250 --> 00:19:59.690 this is a fairly recent picture. This woman's name is Susan Alice Bennett. 195 00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:04.570 Anybody know what she's famous for? This is the Voice of Siri. 196 00:20:06.320 --> 00:20:09.610 Yeah, that's right. Half of you told her to shut up twice this week. 197 00:20:09.610 --> 00:20:14.050 You have no idea who she is. Here's what's, 198 00:20:14.050 --> 00:20:15.090 what's interesting about this, 199 00:20:15.090 --> 00:20:17.210 this group of people who we just took some time to, 200 00:20:17.430 --> 00:20:20.850 to think about their accomplishments and what they've done. You know, 201 00:20:20.850 --> 00:20:24.090 it's funny, all the ones that we like know off the top of our head, 202 00:20:24.090 --> 00:20:27.650 the household names, those people have done nothing for us. 203 00:20:28.920 --> 00:20:29.260 Like, 204 00:20:29.260 --> 00:20:32.810 maybe you've won a couple of bucks off of Tom Brady winning a football game, 205 00:20:32.810 --> 00:20:36.090 but other than that, like they've done nothing to deeply impact your life. 206 00:20:36.110 --> 00:20:37.370 But let me ask you a question. 207 00:20:37.470 --> 00:20:42.320 How many of you spent time in front of a TV this week? Yeah. So, Philo 208 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:46.000 Farnsworth, I butchered his name. That's how little we know him. 209 00:20:47.910 --> 00:20:50.440 He's impacted our lives directly, the air conditioner. 210 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:54.200 How many of y'all have lost AC in your house or in your car this summer, right? 211 00:20:54.390 --> 00:20:56.360 Yeah. Thank God for Willis Carrier. 212 00:20:57.370 --> 00:21:01.120 These are all people who deeply impact our lives. However, we don't like, 213 00:21:01.300 --> 00:21:05.520 I'm willing to bet none of your kids have a, a poster of the Siri woman on her, 214 00:21:05.620 --> 00:21:09.880 on their wall at home, right? Why is that? I think it's because in our culture, 215 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:14.560 we often value what's impressive over what's impactful. 216 00:21:16.310 --> 00:21:19.480 It's very easy for us to admire people for their accomplishments and what 217 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:21.680 they've done and how much screen time they get and all this sort of stuff, 218 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:25.120 right? But, but what about the people who deeply impact our lives? 219 00:21:25.220 --> 00:21:29.320 If we're honest, like, I don't, until I told you what those people did, I, 220 00:21:29.360 --> 00:21:31.560 I don't know if any of us would've been like, oh, yeah, 221 00:21:31.560 --> 00:21:34.960 that's my first idea of greatness. Instead, 222 00:21:35.100 --> 00:21:37.440 we quantify greatness over accomplishments. 223 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.600 Usually whenever we think about someone who is truly great, 224 00:21:39.620 --> 00:21:43.760 we imagine someone who can do something that we can't do, right? Like, 225 00:21:43.800 --> 00:21:45.600 I don't care how hard I try, 226 00:21:45.800 --> 00:21:48.920 I will never be as talented at football as a Tom Brady. 227 00:21:49.360 --> 00:21:52.920 I know for a fact I would break my neck if I tried to do what Simone Biles does, 228 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:55.200 right? It's something about these people that, 229 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.800 that puts them in a category of their own that you can't easily replicate. 230 00:21:58.800 --> 00:22:03.360 And so we say that person is great. And the problem with this is, 231 00:22:03.360 --> 00:22:05.160 is that inside of the world that we live in, 232 00:22:05.850 --> 00:22:09.120 we've believed the lie that unless you do something impressive, 233 00:22:09.300 --> 00:22:10.360 you can't actually be great. 234 00:22:12.100 --> 00:22:17.000 But the beauty of Jesus and the beauty of his kingdom is that 235 00:22:17.000 --> 00:22:21.320 he actually invites all of us into a life of, of being impactful. 236 00:22:22.370 --> 00:22:25.560 Jesus actually teaches that all of us can be great, 237 00:22:25.660 --> 00:22:29.240 but the way he does that is completely counter-cultural to the world that we 238 00:22:29.240 --> 00:22:31.840 live in. And so that's what we're gonna be taking a look at today. 239 00:22:31.840 --> 00:22:34.120 If you have your Bibles, go ahead and turn it over to Matthew chapter 20. 240 00:22:34.370 --> 00:22:36.960 We're gonna start in verse 20. And while you're getting there, 241 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.960 I'll just set this up a little bit for you. Uh, by this point, 242 00:22:40.230 --> 00:22:43.440 Jesus's ministry has taken off. He's going around, 243 00:22:43.790 --> 00:22:46.640 he's talking about the kingdom a lot. 244 00:22:47.590 --> 00:22:52.080 Like it is Jesus's obsession. There are over a hundred different, uh, uh, 245 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:56.200 references by Jesus to the kingdom throughout Matthew, Mark, and Luke, 246 00:22:56.470 --> 00:22:58.360 Luke and John, the four gospels, right? 247 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:00.800 So he talks about the kingdom all the time. 248 00:23:01.100 --> 00:23:03.560 And I just want you to imagine that you're, you're walking around, 249 00:23:03.560 --> 00:23:06.080 you're following Jesus, you're listening to him talk about the kingdom, 250 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:09.240 and you just think, man, it's gonna be great when that thing gets here. 251 00:23:10.420 --> 00:23:13.080 But the message that Jesus was trying to proclaim is like, no, 252 00:23:13.260 --> 00:23:15.520 the kingdom is actually, it's here now, 253 00:23:16.460 --> 00:23:20.320 but there were a lot of people who missed the point you see out of the crowds of 254 00:23:20.320 --> 00:23:23.400 people who had followed Jesus. We pick up in Matthew 20 with a story. 255 00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:28.760 And in that story, we meet three people. It's a family. There's, 256 00:23:28.860 --> 00:23:32.240 uh, James, John, and there's their mother. 257 00:23:34.060 --> 00:23:38.200 And in this a conversation about greatness strikes up. And so, uh, 258 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:41.520 this is where we're gonna pick up. This is verse 20 says, 259 00:23:41.550 --> 00:23:46.480 then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, they came to Jesus, 260 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:48.680 I'm sorry. She came to Jesus with her sons. 261 00:23:49.500 --> 00:23:53.960 She knelt respectfully to ask a favor, what is your request? He asked, 262 00:23:54.980 --> 00:23:56.760 she replied, in your kingdom, 263 00:23:57.460 --> 00:24:00.840 please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, 264 00:24:01.380 --> 00:24:05.280 one on your right and the other on your left. Now, 265 00:24:05.280 --> 00:24:08.560 I wanted to take just a moment here and, uh, and talk about the thing that, 266 00:24:08.560 --> 00:24:11.840 that fascinates me so much in this, it's the language that she uses. 267 00:24:11.840 --> 00:24:14.960 Do you notice that, that, that James and Johns' mom, 268 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:20.520 she talks about Jesus's, uh, kingdom in a future tense. She says, 269 00:24:20.540 --> 00:24:23.640 Hey, Jesus, on the day, when you get to where you're like this kingdom, 270 00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:26.280 you keep talking about the day when that finally shows up, 271 00:24:26.540 --> 00:24:28.760 can my boys have a place of honor next to you? 272 00:24:28.760 --> 00:24:32.120 And it just shows us how much they missed the point. Here's, here's why. 273 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:36.560 This is such a strange request. I mentioned earlier that Jesus had, uh, 274 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:39.680 multitudes of people that would follow him around from place to place. 275 00:24:40.260 --> 00:24:44.520 But out of those couple hundred disciples that followed him, he had his 12, 276 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:48.200 the ones that we talk about all the time. And then even inside of that 12, 277 00:24:48.260 --> 00:24:51.320 he had three that he was really, really close with Peter. 278 00:24:51.860 --> 00:24:54.800 And then guess who the other two were? James and John. 279 00:24:56.690 --> 00:25:01.120 These two guys were already arguably at the left and the right of Jesus, 280 00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:03.920 but in their mind, they thought, well, what we're doing now, 281 00:25:03.950 --> 00:25:06.280 this can't be the kingdom because it's not impressive enough. 282 00:25:07.310 --> 00:25:08.760 Like we're going around and yeah, 283 00:25:08.760 --> 00:25:10.600 we've seen Jesus perform some miracles and stuff, 284 00:25:10.600 --> 00:25:12.880 but he keeps talking about this kingdom. When that thing comes, 285 00:25:13.150 --> 00:25:15.200 it's gotta look like all the other kingdoms that we know. 286 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:17.040 There's gotta be a throne. There's gotta be a castle. 287 00:25:17.040 --> 00:25:20.640 There's gotta be gold as far as the eyes can see, and Jesus wants them to know, 288 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:22.920 man, no, listen, the kingdom is, it's here now, 289 00:25:23.220 --> 00:25:27.920 and you're actually already in the place of honor. But man, woe to you, 290 00:25:27.970 --> 00:25:32.280 James and John, because in your book, this isn't impressive enough for you. 291 00:25:35.260 --> 00:25:39.680 So Jesus, he kind of calls them out a little bit here. He, uh, 292 00:25:39.900 --> 00:25:44.120 he begins to shift their paradigm. We pick up in verse 22, 293 00:25:44.570 --> 00:25:48.080 Jesus says this, he says, you don't know what you're asking. 294 00:25:50.020 --> 00:25:53.520 Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering that I'm about to drink? 295 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:56.280 And it seems like a weird answer. Uh, 296 00:25:56.280 --> 00:25:58.440 in order to really understand what Jesus is talking about here, 297 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:02.280 we have to have a, a proper reading of, of Matthew chapter 20, okay? 298 00:26:02.530 --> 00:26:04.040 Right before this story, 299 00:26:04.650 --> 00:26:08.040 right before the part where Jesus is talking to James and John and their mother, 300 00:26:08.340 --> 00:26:11.040 uh, look at what he says in verses 18 and 19. Okay? 301 00:26:11.340 --> 00:26:14.080 So remember earlier we read verse 20. This is 18 and 19. 302 00:26:14.080 --> 00:26:16.440 This is right before it. Jesus said, listen, 303 00:26:17.610 --> 00:26:21.440 we're going up to Jerusalem where the son of man will be betrayed to the leading 304 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:24.480 priest and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 305 00:26:24.550 --> 00:26:26.680 They will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, 306 00:26:26.680 --> 00:26:31.560 flogged with a whip and crucified like Jesus lays out plainly for them what lies 307 00:26:31.570 --> 00:26:34.720 ahead. And when Jesus says, 308 00:26:35.100 --> 00:26:38.160 are you willing to drink from the bitter cup that I'm about to drink from Jesus 309 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:41.320 is basically asking them, are you willing to partake in that with me? 310 00:26:43.100 --> 00:26:46.360 The suffering that I'm about to endure for the sake of all of mankind? 311 00:26:46.540 --> 00:26:49.760 Are you willing to endure that with me? Here's the truth, okay? 312 00:26:49.950 --> 00:26:54.560 Jesus's invitation to follow him is an invitation to join him 313 00:26:55.060 --> 00:26:56.960 in his suffering for the sake of other people. 314 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:00.300 Stitch that on a pillow. 315 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:05.300 Try to invite people to be a part of the kingdom with that, 316 00:27:05.490 --> 00:27:10.340 with that sales pitch, right? That's not at all what it is. 317 00:27:10.340 --> 00:27:14.340 Jesus isn't trying to sell us anything, but what he is trying to show us is yes, 318 00:27:14.340 --> 00:27:17.820 even though this will be hard, it's still the best life that you can live. 319 00:27:17.910 --> 00:27:22.020 Jesus calls us all to pour out our lives for the sake of others, 320 00:27:22.250 --> 00:27:25.860 even if it comes at our own suffering and our own inconvenience. 321 00:27:26.840 --> 00:27:30.380 We think about this all the time, and and we probably even pray for this thing, 322 00:27:30.380 --> 00:27:33.940 right? We always pray, Lord, I I wanna be the hands and feet of Jesus. 323 00:27:34.050 --> 00:27:37.460 Like I think if I were to ask anyone sitting at any of our campuses or anyone 324 00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:40.060 watching at home, is that what you want for your life? 325 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:41.500 A lot of us would probably say yes, 326 00:27:41.520 --> 00:27:45.220 but do you remember what happened to the hands and feet of Jesus? 327 00:27:47.170 --> 00:27:51.420 They got nailed to a cross so that others might live. 328 00:27:52.770 --> 00:27:55.340 This is the type of life that he invites us into to borrow, uh, 329 00:27:55.340 --> 00:27:58.980 some of Jason's language from week one. If we're gonna be kingdom people, 330 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:00.980 we have to recognize that we're in a fight, 331 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:06.220 and we have to recognize that being kingdom people means that it's going to cost 332 00:28:06.320 --> 00:28:09.780 us something, whether that's our convenience, whether that's our time, 333 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:13.380 our resources, our energy, whatever it is, it's going to cost us something. 334 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:16.900 And Jesus is very clear about this upfront. He says, 335 00:28:18.080 --> 00:28:21.660 if you want to be great, here's what you have to do. Now, 336 00:28:22.360 --> 00:28:26.460 the rest of the disciples, they overhear this conversation between James, John, 337 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:29.820 and Jesus, right? And so, uh, the Bible tells us that, that, uh, when, 338 00:28:29.820 --> 00:28:31.460 when the other disciples heard this, 339 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:34.500 when the other disciples heard what James and John had asked, 340 00:28:34.650 --> 00:28:38.700 they were indignant. That word indignant is grease Greek, 341 00:28:38.760 --> 00:28:42.380 for they threw a hissy fit. All right? They're throwing temper tantrums. 342 00:28:42.380 --> 00:28:44.500 They're getting mad at each other. Like, no, I'm the greatest. No, 343 00:28:44.500 --> 00:28:46.740 I'm the greatest, all that. And so, Jesus, I love this. 344 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:49.860 He pulls them apart from the crowd, uh, in Matthew 20:25, 345 00:28:50.040 --> 00:28:52.740 and look at what he tells 'em. He tells 'em this. He says, you know, 346 00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:55.940 the rulers in this world, they lowered that over their people. 347 00:28:57.350 --> 00:29:00.960 Like they brag about how good they are. They brag about how great they are. 348 00:29:01.060 --> 00:29:03.000 That's what everyone else does. He says, the officials, 349 00:29:03.270 --> 00:29:07.400 they flaunt their authority over those under them. And, and, 350 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:09.120 and Jesus is pointing out to them, listen, 351 00:29:09.120 --> 00:29:11.360 this is the way that this works everywhere else. 352 00:29:12.570 --> 00:29:17.560 There is no earthly dynamic where this isn't the reality where people in 353 00:29:17.560 --> 00:29:22.160 power try to, uh, uh, uh, oppress their power on those who are underneath them. 354 00:29:24.340 --> 00:29:28.800 But look at how he paints a picture of the kingdom to them. Matthew 20:26, 355 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:32.200 he says, but among you, it will be different. 356 00:29:34.530 --> 00:29:36.640 Y'all. That could have been the name of this series. 357 00:29:38.020 --> 00:29:39.640 If we're going to be kingdom people, 358 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:44.040 we have to recognize that the way we operate is different from the way that the 359 00:29:44.040 --> 00:29:46.920 rest of the world operates. There's a paradigm shift here. 360 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:51.820 So when Jesus talks about being the greatest, 361 00:29:52.350 --> 00:29:56.220 let's look at how he paints that picture. Matthew 20:26-27, 362 00:29:56.890 --> 00:30:01.020 whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your 363 00:30:01.490 --> 00:30:02.323 servant. 364 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:08.420 And whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 365 00:30:10.250 --> 00:30:15.080 Imagine hearing this for the very first time. Some of you are, 366 00:30:16.390 --> 00:30:18.680 some of you have heard this before, but, but now you're, 367 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:21.840 you're actually thinking about it and internalizing it for the first time, 368 00:30:22.300 --> 00:30:27.080 and realizing just how much Jesus turns the view of greatness upside down. 369 00:30:28.930 --> 00:30:32.440 Jesus is inviting us to kingdom standards, 370 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:36.000 and they're so unlike anything else that we know in our own world. It's okay, 371 00:30:36.000 --> 00:30:40.400 how many people do our supervisor, how much, uh, how much money do I make? Or, 372 00:30:40.540 --> 00:30:44.320 um, how many accolades and degrees and, and diplomas do I have? 373 00:30:44.580 --> 00:30:49.320 How clean is my house? Right? Let's get all the way down to the small level. 374 00:30:49.320 --> 00:30:51.960 Like the thing that defines me, and if I have it all together, 375 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:54.040 if I'm good or not, if I'm great or not, 376 00:30:54.040 --> 00:30:57.040 is how well on paper my life is put together. 377 00:30:57.060 --> 00:30:58.760 But the kingdom ask a different question. 378 00:30:58.760 --> 00:31:02.640 And it's one I wanna challenge you to ask yourself right now. It's very simple. 379 00:31:04.380 --> 00:31:05.600 Am I a servant? 380 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:11.400 Am I a servant? 381 00:31:11.490 --> 00:31:15.840 Isn't it crazy just how different that question sounds when you think about it? 382 00:31:16.950 --> 00:31:20.760 Because I think our hearts would often scream and often ask, am I great? 383 00:31:22.260 --> 00:31:24.880 But if we're gonna be great by kingdom standards, we have to change that. 384 00:31:25.180 --> 00:31:29.560 Am I a servant? Now, as we learned in, 385 00:31:29.560 --> 00:31:32.920 in that opening exercise, we did the little game that we played, uh, 386 00:31:32.940 --> 00:31:36.600 we all have a broken scale of greatness, okay? That's not a slight on you. 387 00:31:36.630 --> 00:31:40.600 It's a slight on us. We've, we've seen the way that our ideas of greatness, uh, 388 00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:41.600 can break us down. 389 00:31:41.620 --> 00:31:45.240 And so if Jesus is the one who tells us that being a servant is what it means to 390 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:49.000 be great, how about we let Jesus himself define servanthood? 391 00:31:50.140 --> 00:31:53.400 So that's what we're gonna do. If you flip one over to Matthew chapter six, 392 00:31:53.420 --> 00:31:57.000 verses one through four, Jesus teaches us, uh, not only to serve, 393 00:31:57.060 --> 00:31:59.800 but how to serve. He says this. He says, watch out. 394 00:32:01.370 --> 00:32:04.800 Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, 395 00:32:05.700 --> 00:32:08.320 for you'll lose the reward from your father in heaven. Uh, 396 00:32:08.320 --> 00:32:11.600 when you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do. 397 00:32:12.150 --> 00:32:14.920 This is another moment where he's painting a picture of how the kingdom of the 398 00:32:14.920 --> 00:32:18.400 world operates and how his kingdom is different. He says, 399 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:19.520 don't do like the hypocrites do, 400 00:32:19.520 --> 00:32:22.920 blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts 401 00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:25.200 of charity. I tell you the truth. 402 00:32:25.710 --> 00:32:28.320 They have received all the reward they will ever get. 403 00:32:29.340 --> 00:32:31.440 But when you give to someone in need, 404 00:32:31.850 --> 00:32:34.440 don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 405 00:32:35.630 --> 00:32:36.960 Give your gifts in private, 406 00:32:37.140 --> 00:32:40.680 and your father who sees everything will reward you. 407 00:32:41.380 --> 00:32:44.120 So how do we serve? Well, according to Matthew six, one through four, 408 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:47.240 Jesus puts it this way. He says, we serve selflessly, 409 00:32:48.490 --> 00:32:51.040 selflessly. We don't, we don't think about ourselves. 410 00:32:51.140 --> 00:32:55.160 We don't put ourselves first when it comes to serving other people. 411 00:32:55.180 --> 00:32:56.640 Here's the thing that's interesting about this. 412 00:32:56.690 --> 00:33:01.200 Jesus automatically has this expectation that people are gonna do good deeds. 413 00:33:02.430 --> 00:33:04.360 Like I think Jesus even recognizes, 414 00:33:04.360 --> 00:33:06.760 like whether you're a part of his kingdom or not. 415 00:33:06.910 --> 00:33:09.640 Like most people when put in certain situations, 416 00:33:09.820 --> 00:33:14.720 are willing to serve what separates Jesus's call a service from 417 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:17.240 the, from, from the way the world views It is this, 418 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:19.800 is that Jesus tells us how to do it. 419 00:33:19.820 --> 00:33:24.000 And it's by not trying to seek fame or notoriety or greatness for yourself, 420 00:33:24.900 --> 00:33:26.840 but instead putting other people first. 421 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:31.920 He has this expectation of service, but, 422 00:33:32.500 --> 00:33:34.440 but he's trying to get to something a little bit deeper. 423 00:33:35.830 --> 00:33:36.960 He's trying to get to the heart. 424 00:33:39.680 --> 00:33:43.240 I wanna share something with y'all that's gonna make us uncomfortably close. 425 00:33:45.510 --> 00:33:48.160 This is personal. We're getting into medical stuff here, okay? 426 00:33:48.160 --> 00:33:50.640 I'm gonna talk about some of my medical, his recent medical history, but, 427 00:33:50.780 --> 00:33:55.120 but I just need you to ride with me for a second. All right? A few weeks ago, 428 00:33:55.420 --> 00:33:56.440 uh, I went to the dentist 429 00:33:57.940 --> 00:34:01.040 and I go in there and they're doing all this stuff. First of all, 430 00:34:01.040 --> 00:34:03.400 lemme preface this, I haven't been to the dentist in a really long time. 431 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:07.080 I hate it. Every bit of my being. I hate it. Okay? 432 00:34:07.270 --> 00:34:11.000 Last time I went was around 10 years ago when I had a toothache the last time I 433 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:12.560 went to the dentist. Uh, 434 00:34:12.580 --> 00:34:15.480 so I go in and they're doing x-rays and all this sort of stuff, and 435 00:34:17.580 --> 00:34:21.080 you ever go to like the dentist or the doctor or like to get an oil change, 436 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:24.920 and the person doing the service just sounds like the most judgmental person 437 00:34:24.920 --> 00:34:27.360 you've ever met. It's like, dude, just change my oil. Okay? 438 00:34:27.560 --> 00:34:30.080 I know I only have three tires. I don't wanna get into it all right? 439 00:34:30.350 --> 00:34:34.280 Just do what I came here for so I could hear that tone in the dentist's voice. 440 00:34:34.370 --> 00:34:38.880 She's like, Hey, um, have you gotten your mouth checked out in a while? 441 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:42.040 And I cut her off because listen, I'm like, listen, I, 442 00:34:42.160 --> 00:34:45.240 I already know what you're gonna say. Um, about 10 years ago, I had a toothache. 443 00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:49.200 I went in, they did x-rays and that, that dentist was judgmental too. 444 00:34:49.200 --> 00:34:51.160 They literally asked me, they go, Hey, uh, 445 00:34:51.300 --> 00:34:55.320 do you ever take like a metal pick and just stab your gums with it? I'm like, 446 00:34:55.460 --> 00:34:59.920 no. Who in their right mind would ever do that? And and they go, well, 447 00:34:59.920 --> 00:35:02.720 the reason why is because there's a spot in your gum where you, 448 00:35:02.860 --> 00:35:04.040 you don't have any bone. 449 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:08.760 Like there's tooth is supposed to be like inside of the bone. 450 00:35:08.860 --> 00:35:11.720 You don't have that. And I'm like, oh, that's weird. Uh, 451 00:35:11.740 --> 00:35:14.440 can you make it stop hurting? That's all I care about. 452 00:35:14.620 --> 00:35:18.200 And so that's what they did. They gave me, uh, painkillers, they gave me, uh, 453 00:35:18.230 --> 00:35:20.520 antibiotics. And after like two weeks, the pain went away. 454 00:35:20.520 --> 00:35:23.440 And so I just never dealt with it again. They even told me, they're like, Hey, 455 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:26.480 you might wanna go to a periodontist and get this checked out, because if not, 456 00:35:26.480 --> 00:35:28.920 it could cause problems over time. Well, when the pain stopped, 457 00:35:29.200 --> 00:35:30.600 I stopped caring about the tooth. 458 00:35:31.340 --> 00:35:34.680 So when I go to this second dentist a few weeks ago, she says, Hey, listen, 459 00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:39.040 I don't care if the pain stopped. Do you realize what could happen? She's like, 460 00:35:39.040 --> 00:35:41.320 since there's no bone there, one, the tooth can die, 461 00:35:42.110 --> 00:35:46.200 infection can get down in there, food can get down in there. She's like, 462 00:35:46.200 --> 00:35:49.120 you need to go and get this taken care of. I know it's gonna be expensive, 463 00:35:49.120 --> 00:35:50.440 but I don't, I don't really care about that. 464 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:55.400 You've gotta go get this checked out. I had a follow-up visit a few weeks later, 465 00:35:55.580 --> 00:35:57.480 and, uh, they had some feelings that they were doing, 466 00:35:57.500 --> 00:36:01.440 and she started the cleaning process. And so, I'm numb. I can't feel anything. 467 00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:04.440 You know how Dennis always try to start a conversation with you while you're 468 00:36:04.440 --> 00:36:08.560 like, how? Oh, and how do they know what you're saying? 469 00:36:08.560 --> 00:36:12.680 That's the most mind blowing part to me. Um, but, but so she's, 470 00:36:12.690 --> 00:36:15.440 she's going in there and she takes that little metal pick of death, 471 00:36:15.500 --> 00:36:18.120 and she digs down and she pulls out this yellow stuff, and she's like, 472 00:36:18.120 --> 00:36:20.760 you see that? That's infection. Then she reaches in there again, 473 00:36:20.760 --> 00:36:22.160 and she pulls out something black. She's like, 474 00:36:22.160 --> 00:36:24.320 you see that that was probably food at one point, 475 00:36:24.580 --> 00:36:27.040 and it's all just in there and it's lodged itself. 476 00:36:27.040 --> 00:36:30.280 And what she told me changed the way I looked at it, she said, 477 00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:33.360 just because the tooth is functional doesn't mean it's healthy. 478 00:36:35.980 --> 00:36:37.880 And this is what Jesus is getting at. He says, listen, 479 00:36:37.980 --> 00:36:42.160 you can be a functional servant. You can just do the things, 480 00:36:43.100 --> 00:36:45.000 but it doesn't mean that your heart is healthy. 481 00:36:46.110 --> 00:36:48.640 Just because you're serving it doesn't mean you're a servant. 482 00:36:50.230 --> 00:36:53.520 Just because you're scratching things off a list or checking a box doesn't mean 483 00:36:53.520 --> 00:36:55.600 that the condition of your heart is well. And so he says, 484 00:36:55.600 --> 00:36:57.760 this is how you know the condition of your heart and whether or not it's good 485 00:36:57.830 --> 00:37:01.160 when you serve other people. Are you just looking for praise for yourself? 486 00:37:03.180 --> 00:37:03.620 Are you, 487 00:37:03.620 --> 00:37:06.960 are you waiting to hear the trumpets go off and tell you how great of a job you 488 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:10.840 did and, and pat you on the back? And, 489 00:37:10.860 --> 00:37:14.720 and maybe it's not external trumpets. Maybe there are some internal trumpets. 490 00:37:14.720 --> 00:37:17.360 The part of you that just wants to make yourself feel good and better about 491 00:37:17.560 --> 00:37:21.400 yourself. If I do these things, then, then maybe I'll be a good person. 492 00:37:22.890 --> 00:37:25.360 Jesus warns about that pride. 493 00:37:27.260 --> 00:37:29.240 And what he wants us to understand is, is listen. 494 00:37:29.300 --> 00:37:34.120 If your acts of service are more concerned about you being viewed as 495 00:37:34.240 --> 00:37:38.320 a good person, well then you put a cap on how much you're able to serve God, 496 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:41.960 because eventually you'll reach an opportunity that's too good for you. 497 00:37:43.740 --> 00:37:46.960 And so you, you're like, oh, I'm sorry, God, I won't tread into that, 498 00:37:47.030 --> 00:37:50.520 that territory because that's not, well, listen, when it's not about you, 499 00:37:50.540 --> 00:37:54.000 you don't think about yourself. You think about others. 500 00:37:56.290 --> 00:37:57.120 Jesus tells us, 501 00:37:57.120 --> 00:37:59.560 don't even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. He's like, 502 00:37:59.610 --> 00:38:02.960 don't even, don't even serve just to impress the person in the mirror. 503 00:38:04.350 --> 00:38:09.160 There's one person in your audience, and that's your father who sees everything. 504 00:38:09.300 --> 00:38:11.840 Here's what blows my mind about this warning that Jesus gives. 505 00:38:12.220 --> 00:38:14.760 He talks about prideful and selfish people in this, 506 00:38:14.780 --> 00:38:17.080 the people who are looking for those trumpets to go off, 507 00:38:17.300 --> 00:38:21.680 and he actually gives good news to prideful people. He says, 508 00:38:21.860 --> 00:38:26.680 if that's the reward you want, you're gonna get it. Oh, 509 00:38:26.700 --> 00:38:30.400 but here's the bad news, the praise that you should be seeking the most, 510 00:38:31.540 --> 00:38:34.960 the acknowledgement from your father in heaven, you won't receive that. 511 00:38:36.610 --> 00:38:38.270 So that comes a point where we have to ask ourselves, 512 00:38:38.290 --> 00:38:41.790 what's more important is the praise of self or the praise from our Father. 513 00:38:44.770 --> 00:38:47.790 If we bounce around in Matthew a little bit more, we get to Matthew chapter 25. 514 00:38:47.810 --> 00:38:51.430 And, and Jesus is, is, is talking about kingdom people. 515 00:38:52.490 --> 00:38:56.350 He talks about those who will be a part of his kingdom and those who won't be. 516 00:38:56.770 --> 00:38:58.910 And, and he does this in a really interesting way. He, 517 00:38:58.930 --> 00:39:03.110 he paints a picture of the day when he judges all of the nations. 518 00:39:03.110 --> 00:39:06.470 All of the people of the world will be in front of him. And, and, and he's, 519 00:39:06.500 --> 00:39:10.230 he's going to separate them. He puts the righteous to his right. And he puts, 520 00:39:10.550 --> 00:39:13.110 I almost said, I don't even know how I would've said that. 521 00:39:13.350 --> 00:39:16.950 I thought like righteous and leftist. I don't know how that would've gone, 522 00:39:16.950 --> 00:39:21.030 but he puts the righteous to his right and he puts the unrighteous to his left. 523 00:39:21.030 --> 00:39:25.670 That's a word. And uh, look at how he, how he defines the two. 524 00:39:25.670 --> 00:39:29.750 It says that the king will say to those on his right, come, 525 00:39:30.290 --> 00:39:32.190 you who are blessed by my father, 526 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:35.710 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 527 00:39:35.730 --> 00:39:39.870 For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. 528 00:39:40.030 --> 00:39:42.390 I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 529 00:39:42.550 --> 00:39:47.430 I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. 530 00:39:47.590 --> 00:39:52.510 I was in prison, and you visited me. Then the righteous ones will reply, Lord, 531 00:39:52.740 --> 00:39:57.070 when did we ever see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something 532 00:39:57.090 --> 00:40:01.350 to drink or a stranger and show you hospitality or naked and give you clothing? 533 00:40:01.740 --> 00:40:02.990 When did you, oh, I'm sorry. 534 00:40:02.990 --> 00:40:06.870 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will say, 535 00:40:06.950 --> 00:40:10.630 I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, 536 00:40:10.850 --> 00:40:13.070 my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me. 537 00:40:14.440 --> 00:40:17.630 Jesus teaches that when you serve his people, 538 00:40:17.900 --> 00:40:20.750 it's direct act of service to him. So, uh, 539 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:23.430 if the first thing that he teaches us is how to serve, to serve selflessly, 540 00:40:23.650 --> 00:40:24.990 he then gets at our motivation. 541 00:40:25.250 --> 00:40:30.190 And he teaches us that service to others is an act of worship to God. 542 00:40:32.970 --> 00:40:37.030 We can sit in this room and we can sing songs all day long and, and we can, uh, 543 00:40:37.050 --> 00:40:40.030 uh, uh, get together in our small groups, in our homes and have really, 544 00:40:40.030 --> 00:40:43.990 really good conversations. But if you truly want to worship God, 545 00:40:44.250 --> 00:40:45.710 you care for the orphans and the widows. 546 00:40:47.050 --> 00:40:50.950 You get out of your comfort zone to serve people. And Jesus actually says, 547 00:40:50.950 --> 00:40:54.670 those are the people who will inherit the kingdom. As he keeps going on, 548 00:40:55.290 --> 00:40:59.910 he talks to those who don't serve. And when they ask the same questions, Hey, 549 00:40:59.910 --> 00:41:01.750 when did we see you hungry? When did we see you starving? 550 00:41:01.860 --> 00:41:05.590 When did we see you in prison? Uh, all these sort of things. Jesus says, listen, 551 00:41:06.030 --> 00:41:09.630 whenever you didn't serve those people, it's as if you weren't serving me. 552 00:41:12.010 --> 00:41:16.430 So there's a direct correlation between the way we serve others and the way that 553 00:41:16.430 --> 00:41:17.350 we serve God. 554 00:41:19.450 --> 00:41:23.790 And so this brings us to our final thing here. If you, if you're a note taker, 555 00:41:23.830 --> 00:41:26.670 I want you to write this down because maybe something's going through your head, 556 00:41:26.670 --> 00:41:29.190 maybe the Holy Spirit's tapping on your heart and saying, okay, well, yeah, 557 00:41:29.310 --> 00:41:33.320 I know I need to serve. But where it's simple, 558 00:41:34.290 --> 00:41:38.480 serve everyone, everywhere, really, 559 00:41:38.480 --> 00:41:42.720 everybody and everywhere. Yeah. Because again, 560 00:41:42.950 --> 00:41:46.320 this isn't about just serving, it's about becoming servants. 561 00:41:46.340 --> 00:41:50.040 Here's the difference. When you are concerned about serving, 562 00:41:50.870 --> 00:41:54.360 it's a job you check in and out of it's a shirt, you put on a shirt, 563 00:41:54.360 --> 00:41:57.880 you take off. It's a name badge you wear, and the name badge comes off. 564 00:41:59.300 --> 00:42:00.640 But when you become a servant, 565 00:42:00.770 --> 00:42:04.240 there is a fundamental transformation that happens in your heart 566 00:42:05.450 --> 00:42:09.920 where man, you walk in the rooms different. You show up, and, 567 00:42:10.020 --> 00:42:13.360 and you don't think, man, what can I get from this space? Instead, 568 00:42:13.540 --> 00:42:16.720 you're no longer a consumer. You're a contributor, and you say, God, 569 00:42:17.100 --> 00:42:19.840 how would you have me serve with what you've placed in front of me? 570 00:42:21.860 --> 00:42:25.920 And this isn't something that we just do in and of our own strengths. You see, 571 00:42:26.010 --> 00:42:28.440 Jesus himself was the ultimate servant. 572 00:42:31.500 --> 00:42:35.800 He didn't just come to serve. He became a servant. Philippians two, 573 00:42:35.990 --> 00:42:39.080 five through eight puts it this way, when Paul is talking to us, he says, 574 00:42:39.100 --> 00:42:42.720 you have, you must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had, 575 00:42:42.940 --> 00:42:44.000 though he was God, 576 00:42:44.000 --> 00:42:47.920 he did not think of equality with God as something to clinging to. 577 00:42:48.870 --> 00:42:52.160 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. 578 00:42:53.340 --> 00:42:56.920 He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. 579 00:42:56.930 --> 00:42:59.920 Jesus literally transformed into a servant. 580 00:43:01.950 --> 00:43:03.800 When he appeared in human form. 581 00:43:04.060 --> 00:43:08.640 He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death 582 00:43:08.940 --> 00:43:09.773 on a cross. 583 00:43:11.990 --> 00:43:16.320 Paul lays out to us here how Jesus models servanthood. It's three-step process. 584 00:43:16.540 --> 00:43:21.040 He gave up his privileges, he humbled himself, and he became a servant. 585 00:43:23.300 --> 00:43:27.640 And I just want you to use this passage from Philippians two as your framework 586 00:43:27.700 --> 00:43:30.120 for life. Like I, I, I genuinely want you to do this, okay? 587 00:43:30.380 --> 00:43:34.360 We don't pass out homework here often, but I'm gonna do it right now. 588 00:43:35.880 --> 00:43:39.640 I want you to think about your week, pull out your calendar. 589 00:43:39.870 --> 00:43:41.280 Just think about the things that are going on. 590 00:43:41.280 --> 00:43:42.320 I want you to think about your week, 591 00:43:42.320 --> 00:43:44.680 and I want you to think about all the places where you're gonna be. 592 00:43:46.300 --> 00:43:50.920 And just ask yourself, what would it look like to be great in that space? 593 00:43:53.070 --> 00:43:57.960 What would it look like to be great here at Hope? What would it look like to, 594 00:43:58.100 --> 00:44:02.360 to give up some of my privileges for the sake of our community? 595 00:44:03.370 --> 00:44:07.160 Maybe that means you sign up to be a roadie and believe you're gonna wake up on 596 00:44:07.160 --> 00:44:07.993 time in faith. 597 00:44:09.890 --> 00:44:13.520 Maybe that means that when you show up at the Raleigh or the Apex campus and you 598 00:44:13.520 --> 00:44:14.300 have the decision of, 599 00:44:14.300 --> 00:44:16.400 am I gonna park at the building or am I gonna take the shuttle? 600 00:44:17.910 --> 00:44:20.520 It's a privilege that you put to the side just to think, man, 601 00:44:20.520 --> 00:44:24.640 this is an opportunity for me to make room for others who are going to be here. 602 00:44:24.930 --> 00:44:26.440 Maybe it means, uh, uh, 603 00:44:26.440 --> 00:44:31.400 that you consider giving to Hope Where You Are and what God 604 00:44:31.400 --> 00:44:32.400 is doing in Fuquay. 605 00:44:34.720 --> 00:44:38.720 I want you to think about what greatness might look like when you're at work to 606 00:44:38.720 --> 00:44:41.320 show up in a way that's humble. Instead of thinking, man, 607 00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:44.160 what can I get outta this place? Or I'm just here for a paycheck. 608 00:44:44.160 --> 00:44:47.440 Look around at the people around you and say, how can I serve? Like, yeah, 609 00:44:47.480 --> 00:44:50.760 I have a job description, but how can I go above and beyond that? 610 00:44:50.820 --> 00:44:53.680 How can I humble myself to do something that no one asked me to do, 611 00:44:54.220 --> 00:44:56.040 but it's just an act of obedience to my king? 612 00:44:58.670 --> 00:45:00.640 What would it look like to become a servant at home? 613 00:45:02.350 --> 00:45:05.920 What does greatness look like there? Can I be honest? 614 00:45:06.630 --> 00:45:11.560 Some of us just need to serve our spouses better. Parents or, 615 00:45:11.940 --> 00:45:12.773 or students. 616 00:45:13.190 --> 00:45:17.000 Some of you just need to obey your parents better as an act of service. 617 00:45:19.570 --> 00:45:22.640 Maybe you're in here and you're a college student and you have a roommate. 618 00:45:22.640 --> 00:45:23.310 Think about that. 619 00:45:23.310 --> 00:45:27.120 What if they weren't just that awkward roommate who sits in the other side of 620 00:45:27.120 --> 00:45:30.120 the room and we don't talk? What if I served them? What would that look like? 621 00:45:31.470 --> 00:45:35.360 That would change our barometer for greatness to take on the way the kingdom 622 00:45:35.690 --> 00:45:39.920 views it? You know, one of my biggest fears is that, um, 623 00:45:40.660 --> 00:45:45.400 as a church, not just hope, but like the Big C Church, all of us, 624 00:45:45.560 --> 00:45:50.440 I, I think that in some ways we have allowed our hearts to be more, uh, 625 00:45:50.540 --> 00:45:51.280 um, 626 00:45:51.280 --> 00:45:55.960 I think we define greatness by the impressive and not the the impactful. 627 00:45:56.720 --> 00:45:59.800 I think it happens sometimes, right? We're drawn to personality types, 628 00:45:59.800 --> 00:46:03.520 we're drawn to big fancy buildings and all this sort of thing. But lemme get, 629 00:46:03.520 --> 00:46:06.160 lemme just tell you a story really quick. Uh, over, over the summer, 630 00:46:06.180 --> 00:46:07.400 we were doing summer series live, 631 00:46:07.400 --> 00:46:11.960 and I went over to the Garner campus and I go there, you know, and I, 632 00:46:12.000 --> 00:46:16.640 I give the message and, and, And when I leave, I'm like, you know what? 633 00:46:16.640 --> 00:46:17.420 They're a mobile campus. 634 00:46:17.420 --> 00:46:20.440 I'm gonna head over into our student ministry space and I'm gonna help the 635 00:46:20.440 --> 00:46:23.880 student ministry space, uh, get torn down because those are my people, man, I, 636 00:46:23.880 --> 00:46:26.480 I, I can't stay away. So I'm on my way there, 637 00:46:26.480 --> 00:46:30.520 and it takes me like seven minutes to get there because people keep stopping me 638 00:46:30.520 --> 00:46:32.760 in the lobby and like, Hey, man, that message is really great. 639 00:46:32.760 --> 00:46:35.360 Thank you for that. That was really good. All this sort of stuff, right? It was, 640 00:46:35.380 --> 00:46:39.640 it was fine. I I, I appreciate that feedback, but in my mind, I'm like, oh, no, 641 00:46:39.640 --> 00:46:41.200 I have to go over to the room. Well, 642 00:46:41.440 --> 00:46:44.520 I get into the room and there's a guy in there named Michael, 643 00:46:45.660 --> 00:46:49.360 and Michael's in there by himself. Everyone else has left. 644 00:46:50.540 --> 00:46:53.200 And I go over and I'm like, Hey, man, can I help you tear down the room? 645 00:46:53.200 --> 00:46:55.800 And he goes, uh, yeah, sure. I I would love some help. 646 00:46:56.020 --> 00:46:59.240 And quickly realized I was of no use to him in that room. 647 00:46:59.780 --> 00:47:02.320 If you've never done the mobile campus thing before, let me tell you, 648 00:47:02.340 --> 00:47:04.280 if you put one thing in the wrong spot, 649 00:47:04.340 --> 00:47:06.880 you messed up like five trailers worth of equipment. 650 00:47:08.060 --> 00:47:11.640 So much so that eventually Michael goes, Hey, can you just let me get that? 651 00:47:11.640 --> 00:47:14.920 Is that all right? Is that all right? And it's just funny, man, 652 00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:19.000 because I had stood on a stage and done something that in a lot of people's mind 653 00:47:19.060 --> 00:47:22.080 was impressive. But without Michael, 654 00:47:22.180 --> 00:47:26.560 the Garner campus wouldn't be able to exist. He was making a great impact, 655 00:47:26.560 --> 00:47:29.920 and there were no trumpets around to tell him how good of a job he was doing. 656 00:47:29.940 --> 00:47:33.040 He was a perfect model of serving selflessly. 657 00:47:35.540 --> 00:47:37.000 And man, if we're, if we're not careful, 658 00:47:37.620 --> 00:47:42.520 church will become a place where we show up to watch like 10 to 20 people do 659 00:47:42.520 --> 00:47:45.200 their jobs really well. Meanwhile, 660 00:47:45.200 --> 00:47:47.760 there are gifts deteriorating in the seats. 661 00:47:50.380 --> 00:47:52.560 The church was never designed to be a place to watch, 662 00:47:52.900 --> 00:47:56.800 merely watch other people use their gifts as a place where we all contribute our 663 00:47:56.800 --> 00:47:57.000 gifts. 664 00:47:57.000 --> 00:48:00.440 And I just wanted to highlight a couple of examples of people who do this really 665 00:48:00.440 --> 00:48:00.900 well. 666 00:48:00.900 --> 00:48:03.760 And I know they're gonna hate me for putting their pictures up here because they 667 00:48:03.760 --> 00:48:07.120 are selfless people. But, but there's just a few. The, the first, uh, 668 00:48:07.120 --> 00:48:09.360 it's two ladies. Their names are Debbie and Val. 669 00:48:12.070 --> 00:48:14.880 Some of you know them, but, but I'm willing to bet across our campuses, 670 00:48:14.880 --> 00:48:16.920 not a ton of you do. Lemme tell you what these two ladies do. 671 00:48:16.950 --> 00:48:21.920 They show up to our campuses early and they place their hand on every 672 00:48:21.950 --> 00:48:24.480 seat, every wall in this building, 673 00:48:25.020 --> 00:48:27.400 and they pray for whoever's gonna show up in the building that day. 674 00:48:29.540 --> 00:48:33.000 You may never get to see them or thank them, but let me tell you something, 675 00:48:33.110 --> 00:48:34.960 some of the stuff that's happened in your heart, 676 00:48:34.980 --> 00:48:36.320 the transformation that God does, 677 00:48:36.470 --> 00:48:38.200 it's because of the faithfulness of these two ladies. 678 00:48:39.060 --> 00:48:41.560 And they're not looking for trumpets. They're not looking for applause. There's, 679 00:48:41.560 --> 00:48:43.040 there's guys like Mike Miller, 680 00:48:44.410 --> 00:48:46.560 who's a volunteer with our special needs ministry. 681 00:48:47.390 --> 00:48:49.000 He's there with a young man named Cezanne, 682 00:48:49.020 --> 00:48:52.800 who he has walked for five years alongside. 683 00:48:54.300 --> 00:48:58.760 He shows up every weekend to make sure that he's welcomed into every space that 684 00:48:58.760 --> 00:49:03.280 he goes into to make sure that he gets the attention that he needs here. 685 00:49:03.300 --> 00:49:05.080 You see them at a hockey game together. 686 00:49:07.030 --> 00:49:08.600 They hang out together all the time. 687 00:49:08.870 --> 00:49:12.560 Mike has even contributed to the family whenever they go through some hard 688 00:49:12.560 --> 00:49:14.600 financial times. And guess what? You would never know it. 689 00:49:15.830 --> 00:49:19.920 It's just prolonged faithfulness over time. There's people like Hope, Georgie, 690 00:49:21.830 --> 00:49:23.760 hope I, I wish I could. 691 00:49:24.220 --> 00:49:29.040 So I had staff send me examples of people who serve selflessly. 692 00:49:29.420 --> 00:49:32.600 And if I read the emails that came in about this young lady, 693 00:49:32.760 --> 00:49:33.920 I would be up here for another 10 minutes. 694 00:49:37.150 --> 00:49:39.400 This is what serving selflessly looks like. Look, 695 00:49:39.400 --> 00:49:40.960 we don't have time to share all these stories, but, 696 00:49:40.980 --> 00:49:43.080 but I just wanna drop a few names for you. Uh, 697 00:49:43.080 --> 00:49:46.520 there's people like Tom and Cindy Mitchell, Brian Regling, Jen Rust, 698 00:49:46.620 --> 00:49:50.000 the Maddox family, Ron, Rob, Dana and Carrington. There's, uh, uh, 699 00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.200 Rachel French, Brady Sullivan, uh, the Ray Family. 700 00:49:54.380 --> 00:49:58.520 Dan Ray is behind that dark glass window right now. You can't see him. 701 00:49:58.520 --> 00:50:00.680 Guess what? He's been the one throwing the pictures up the whole time. 702 00:50:02.560 --> 00:50:06.440 Probably never even thought about 'em before. But man, 703 00:50:06.670 --> 00:50:10.720 this place is better because of people who pour themselves out in that way. 704 00:50:12.230 --> 00:50:16.320 What if all of us contributed our gifts in that way 705 00:50:17.380 --> 00:50:19.360 and recognize that as true greatness? 706 00:50:19.390 --> 00:50:22.240 What if the next time you came into one of our campuses with, with your kids, 707 00:50:22.620 --> 00:50:24.920 you stopped at the person who's greeting at the door and instead of just saying, 708 00:50:24.920 --> 00:50:28.160 Hey, bye, hi. What if you stopped and said, Hey, 709 00:50:28.160 --> 00:50:30.960 you see that that lady right there who's been here faithfully every weekend, 710 00:50:32.010 --> 00:50:35.280 she's great. That's what great people do. 711 00:50:36.550 --> 00:50:40.600 They show up and they serve. Lemme pray for us. Father, 712 00:50:40.600 --> 00:50:43.000 thank you so much for your goodness. Thank you for your grace, 713 00:50:43.000 --> 00:50:46.720 and thank you for the way that you invite us to partner with your spirit. 714 00:50:48.860 --> 00:50:49.280 Father, 715 00:50:49.280 --> 00:50:52.800 thank you for the gifts and the talent and the ability that you've given to each 716 00:50:52.800 --> 00:50:56.120 and every person listening to this at every campus that we have. Father, 717 00:50:56.360 --> 00:51:01.120 I pray that we would get off of the sidelines and that we would use those gifts, 718 00:51:01.420 --> 00:51:03.680 not so that we receive praise, but God, 719 00:51:03.680 --> 00:51:07.720 that we can continue to expand your kingdom so that you can receive the glory 720 00:51:07.720 --> 00:51:11.440 that you deserve. Father Lord, 721 00:51:11.880 --> 00:51:14.240 identify those things to us. Identify the needs. 722 00:51:14.430 --> 00:51:18.880 Show us the places we need to step into and show us how we can humble ourselves 723 00:51:18.940 --> 00:51:23.920 the same way that Jesus did to pour our lives out for the 724 00:51:23.920 --> 00:51:27.320 sake of others. Father, we love you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 725 00:51:31.710 --> 00:51:34.400 Well, what a great message from my friend Ayren. And look, 726 00:51:34.400 --> 00:51:37.600 if you remember back to what Josh talked about in the video about his 727 00:51:37.600 --> 00:51:41.120 organization, Sunica, uh, about serving right where you are, 728 00:51:41.300 --> 00:51:43.760 and you've probably heard this language here around Hope, 729 00:51:43.760 --> 00:51:46.880 where we talk about meeting the needs of our community before they come to us. 730 00:51:47.340 --> 00:51:49.680 Um, if you are willing to take that step, 731 00:51:50.030 --> 00:51:53.720 that step of servanthood of others in an intentional way, you can text the, 732 00:51:53.820 --> 00:51:57.200 the word serve to the number right there on the screen and somebody will follow 733 00:51:57.220 --> 00:52:02.040 up with you. Uh, look right here in this community, this gethope.tv. community. 734 00:52:02.040 --> 00:52:05.800 We have some phenomenal folks who serve on a weekend and week out basis who are 735 00:52:05.800 --> 00:52:09.280 there to pray for individuals and be supportive and make sure this thing works. 736 00:52:09.380 --> 00:52:10.100 So, uh, 737 00:52:10.100 --> 00:52:13.120 if you want to take a step and be supportive of one of these ministries that's 738 00:52:13.120 --> 00:52:14.360 going on in and around our church, 739 00:52:14.430 --> 00:52:17.360 text the word serve to the number on the screen. Other than that, 740 00:52:17.360 --> 00:52:20.880 we're gonna continue on in our series, King and a Kingdom next weekend. 741 00:52:21.060 --> 00:52:22.440 We love you guys. We'll see you then.