Luke Week 20 • Luke 22

Show Notes

Sunday, June 20th • Beau Bradberry

"For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves." — Luke 22:27

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Creators and Guests

Host

Beau Bradberry

Senior Pastor

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Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

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We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear

the latest message.

Thanks for listening.

Thank you for somewhat laughing at those with us.

Me and Berger had way too much fun doing that, and then I took all those jokes home to dinner

that night, which was greeted by eye rolls.

So thank you all for being there.

Mike, see, we might need you back in here because I could hear you laughing, so we're excited

about that.

If you've got your Bibles, open them up to Luke chapter 22, so we're going to find ourselves

this morning.

To all the dads out there, happy Father's Day.

You know, I do value what that line said, being a dad is no joke.

And it is a wonderful blessing that God has gifted us and graced us with.

And so today, it's my prayer for you that not only will it be a day where maybe it's your

favorite meal for lunch, but maybe you'll get that gift that you were hoping for, or that

fits that need that you need in your life.

But even more importantly, that for all of us, that today is the day to remind us of our

heavenly Father, who loved us beyond what any earthly father could love us, who's modeled

for us what it truly means to love sacrificially.

And that points us to that.

So as we kind of let that just set on our hearts and on our minds, let's go to him in prayer.

God, we come to you this morning thanking you for who you are.

That on this day that's marked to celebrate fathers, or that our hearts would be at a point

and a position where we look to glorify and honor you with all that we are and all that

we have.

Lord, I thank you for my father.

I thank you for the fathers in my life that you've blessed me with.

But Lord, I am as they are.

We are flawed.

And Lord, you are perfect.

So may you be our standard.

Lord, for those that are in here, Lord, who maybe have lost their father, maybe never knew

their father.

Maybe they have a strained relationship with their father.

May they know, Lord, that their eternal father is with them and deeply loves them in perfection.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, this morning, what I would like for us to do is we're going to kind of jump back and

let last week's message overflow a little bit, run into this week's message.

So let's look at Luke 22, starting in verse 21.

And it says, but behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.

And this is Jesus talking to his disciples after he's implemented the Lord's Supper.

Verse 22, for the son of man goes and has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is

betrayed.

And so Jesus points out, there's one of you in here who's going to betray me.

He's in the inner circle.

He's sitting at the table.

Verse 23, and they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to

do this.

And a dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

I want to pause here just for a moment this morning and kind of talk through the dynamic

of the room of what's happening here.

And I want to be honest with you.

What I'm going to kind of dive into is a little bit of speculation on my end, but understanding

a group of alpha males who were gathered in a room, who were in ministry, I think I understand

a little bit what's happening here in this moment and in this time.

Jesus says, one of you is going to fail.

One of you is going to betray.

One of you is going to lead toward this.

And they began to question one another, is what scripture tells us.

And I think in the interpretation of that, as that plays out is, it'll be you, it'll be

you, it'll be you, it wouldn't be me.

And the finger pointing begins to go around and happen in the room.

Well, it must be you because you did this.

Well, it must be you because you did this.

And then in this moment where they realize, excuse me, I'm sorry, we're not getting in

there with this.

Now a dispute becomes, becomes up about, well, but I'm better than you, but I'm better than

you, but I'm better than you.

And so who is the greatest?

Who is the greatest?

And that, that is the, the setting of what Jesus is going to dive into as he looks at, as

we read verses 25 through 30.

You know, most of the time we just look at verse 24 and a dispute arose, but let's understand

the environment in which the dispute arose is Jesus is like, and one of you is going to

betray me and you're here at the table tonight.

And then it would never be me.

It would never be me because I'm the best, because I'm the greatest.

Who is the greatest?

Jesus.

So look at verse 25.

And he said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise the lordship over them and those in

authority over them are called benefactors, but not so with you.

Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as the one who

serves.

For who is the greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves?

Is it not the one who reclines at the table?

But I am among you as the one who serves.

Let's kind of pause real quick.

Jesus, if you don't recognize that I'm the greatest of all of us who are sitting here and look

at who I am.

I'm the one that serves.

There's 28.

You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you as my father assigned

to me a kingdom that you may eat and drink in my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones

judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

You and I, within ourselves, we have a battle amongst us.

We have a battle within us that we long to be recognized.

Give me credit for what I've done.

Notice my accomplishments.

Give credit to where credit is due.

Make sure when, who did this?

Well, I did it because the praise comes.

It's like you and I, if we're being honest and sincere with ourselves, there might be those

moments of uncomfortableness when the spotlight, you don't want it to shine on you, so you might

not like the public recognition, but deep down inside, we all are longing for everyone to

know what we've done, what we've accomplished.

We long to be recognized as extraordinary.

No one wants to finish second.

No one wants to come in last or anywhere in between.

And in how we're built and how we're wired and those things that we think that we're good

at, we want to be recognized, and we want to be recognized as extraordinary, and the world

pushes this, and we embrace it.

There's not a culture across the world that doesn't embrace that, and that doesn't understand

the pride that is taken in the coffee mug that I'm about to show you.

In honor of Father's Day, a few years ago, we were off on vacation.

In fact, I think this is the first Father's Day in years that I've been here, because normally

we take this year, this week off.

But my wife and kids and I, we had gone away for the weekend, and we were in Tennessee,

and my kids went shopping to get me something and my wife something, and they came back with

this, best dad ever, right?

It's official, right?

I mean, you may think you are, but I got the mug, you know?

And I thought about this today.

It's better than world's best dad, because that tenure could end, right?

Best dad ever.

It says it all right here, right?

Like, this is it.

You're like, no, no, no, it's me.

No, no, no, I've got the mug, and I've got it here today, so that's there, right?

Like, we get this.

We want, and as silly and as great as this would be for your kids to give it to their dad,

there's a part of us in our sinful nature that wants to be recognized, that wants to be given

this, and as they press into Jesus about this in their life in recognition of the kingdom,

Jesus pumps the brakes on them, and what he pumps the brakes on is this, that in order

in being a follower of Jesus means that you and I, we ought to find places in our life where

our values and our love are in stark contrast to those around us in the world.

As everybody fights for their own recognition, not in the silliness of coffee cups, but in

the pursuit of pride, as we reach out and as we try to gain, Jesus looks at them in verses

26 through, in 27, I want to reread these to you, look at verse 26, but he says, but not

so with you, rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as the

one who serves.

Jesus is going to hit them with some counterculture things for their day.

Like, let's, people say sometimes that we live in a world right now that is counterculture

from Christianity, and let me say this, like the world since the fall has been counterculture

from Christianity.

And in every moment, in every decade, in every season, in every generation, if you align with

the things of the world, you're not going to align with Christ.

And Jesus says that, but not so with you, you're to be different.

Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves.

So two things that Jesus says here, in the world, Jesus says to them, the world says older is better.

So if that's the case, the greatest among you, live your life as the youngest.

Live your life as the one who walks in the room and says, no, no, no, no, it's not about me.

No, no, no, that's not what we're here for.

It's not in this.

And then what Jesus does, which is so counter to everything, and in so much as so many of

us, men and women seek to lead out in culture, seek to lead out in our world, seek to, men,

hear this, lead out in your family.

Jesus defines leadership.

And Jesus says the leader becomes the example of service in servant leadership, right?

And so Jesus, what he does is he doesn't pass on from this, but instead he begins to redefine it.

Jesus redefines as they're going to take this gospel and as Jesus is going to die on the cross

and then ascend into heaven and is leaving the very DNA of Christianity, the very DNA in the

church with these leaders.

He says, let's redefine this for a second.

And I think as every generation is, you and I maybe have to be reminded or told for the very

first time what this leadership looks like.

Look at verse 27.

Jesus asked two questions for who is greater, one who reclines at the table or one who serves?

Second question, is it not the one who reclines at the table?

But I am among you as the one who serves.

Jesus doesn't hide away from this.

Jesus applies this and points to himself.

Who's greater, the one who reclines and everything is brought to, the one who is served or the

one who does the serving?

Jesus says, well, it's evident, right?

In the culture, it's the one who reclines.

But I, but I am among you as the one who serves.

And so Jesus points to this.

When I want us to look at this morning as Jesus defines this, this, I mean, can you imagine

like the pride and the arrogance that's in this room?

As Jesus is navigating with this group of individuals, there's some alphas, there's some go-getters,

there's some people who've experienced high levels of success in here.

And Jesus says, if we're going to continue on with this, it's not going to be because you're

gifted in speech.

It's not going to be because you're gifted in business.

It's not going to be because you're successful in all that you do.

If the movement of God is going to continue on, it's because the people of God are going to

embrace humility.

And it's going to go counter to what this world says and what this world establishes.

And Jesus is going to be the standard that we look to.

That's why I love at the very beginning of this, is Luke writes to Theophilus.

And you begin to think of all of the things that Luke could have said.

Luke is one who, thousands of years later, we're reading his very words.

Did not say, I'll write this so that you may see how I live my life.

But I'll write this so that you may know who Jesus is.

And so if you've got your Bibles open, flip over to Philippians chapter 2.

Because this is where we're going to unpack the application of this for us in our life.

And what I want us to look at are marks of humility.

Because leadership, servant leadership, is going to come from humility.

This is what Jesus is going to show us and give us in his life as we've been seeing through

the gospel.

And that's what Paul's going to write.

So we're going to read Philippians chapter 2 starting in verse 1.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in

the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the

same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant

than yourself.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others.

Having 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

himself by taking the form of a servant.

Being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming

obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

And as Paul writes this, what I want us to glean from with keeping Luke 22 in our mind of

Jesus says, if you want to know what it's like, then look at me and who I am, Jesus says.

And then this, and then Paul takes in Philippians chapter 2, and he begins to define this for

us.

He begins to define Jesus as the example of humility.

And so this Father's Day morning, what I want all of us to begin to glean from this scripture

is what does humility look like?

You know, oftentimes we say, be humble, and then we walk away from that, and we don't

really know what that means.

What does be humble mean?

Does it mean that I fix my plate last?

Does it mean that I fix everybody else's plate?

Does it mean that I don't take credit?

Does it mean that I put myself down?

Like, I don't understand.

Man, and what we base our counter definition to humility on is the world's definition, and

I don't want to use the world to define humility in any way, shape, or form, and instead have

us look to scripture to understand what does God say humble is, and he says it's Jesus.

And then Paul defines it for us.

So let's look at some marks of humility.

The first one that I want us to see this morning.

The first mark of humility is salvation, all right?

True humility only comes in response to Christ.

That's it.

That's it.

The world doesn't have humility.

Humility is not separated from salvation.

We cannot look at this and say the world has this definition, and those of this world have

this definition.

Look out, Paul begins the section in verse one.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in

the Spirit, any affection and sympathy.

So what Paul's been leading up to, let me hit you up on just a couple quick snippets of

what chapter one is talked about.

He's used verses so far like, hey, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Like, we've heard that, right?

Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel.

You should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

And so what Paul's saying in verse one is understand this.

If there's any aspect of salvation in your life, then this is your response to this.

This isn't right morality in the world as the world defines it, but it's the life of the

Christian as God transforms us for the gospel.

So if there's any of this in you, if there's any hope of salvation amongst us, then let this

ring true.

True humility is rooted, is based, is birthed, and grows out of a relationship with Christ and

Christ alone.

That's humility, my friends.

That's humility.

The world can try to define it in any way, but the way that we mark is from Christ's example

in our relationship with him.

So it begins in salvation.

So you got to ask yourself this morning, where are you?

To live is Christ.

To die is gain.

Let your life be, live your life in a manner that is worthy of the gospel.

But you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake.

Before we go any farther of acknowledging the response to the gospel, we have to hit the point

of asking the question, have you ever responded to the gospel?

Of the draw of God on your heart to lead you to and to bring you to a point of brokenness

and repentance before him, of desperation before the Lord, of understanding in the first step

that you in and of yourself are unworthy of salvation.

And it's found in Christ and Christ alone.

The understanding that you and I, that we cannot save ourselves, that the rules of religion,

the standards of this world, being a good person is not going to get it, but it is found in

Christ and Christ alone.

If without salvation, we just decide that we're going to pursue humility, then we're chasing

another idol.

But when it's found in Christ, then we're simply just chasing after him.

And so is it found in your salvation in Christ and Christ alone?

The second aspect that we're going to see, looking at verse 2, is mutual love.

Verse 2, Paul says, again, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love,

being in full accord, and of one mind.

Now, point number 2 and point number 3 are both going to come out of this verse, verse number 2.

So we'll look at this verse for a couple of different things.

But the first one is this mutual love.

It says, be of the same mindset.

Mindset.

The love that is the Holy Spirit, this is what makes it mutual, so that we understand that

what we bring into this as we become, as we are children of God, is a mutual love for one

another, but also the love for him.

That is the grounds, and that is the standing that we find ourselves from.

So within here, it's not a mutual of anything else, but what we are looking toward, what we are fighting

for, what humility should bring us to, is this sense of mutual love between us, and that love

comes from the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone.

But then the third one is in this and built into it, and that is one of unity.

A commentator that I read this week defined unity as this, the oneness of soul.

That you and I are so in love and being transformed by the work of the gospel, but that there is

a oneness of soul that is existing between the body and the bride of Christ and the unity

of what we are working toward and what we are pushing for.

That the people of God working in one direction for the gospel.

And what I love about this is this, what God gives us and grants us is uniqueness within the individual

that is working toward the harmony of the body.

If you really think about this, oneness of soul and unity should be impossible.

We've got different backgrounds, we've got different gifts, we've got different passions,

we've got different things that stir up our hearts and stir up our soul, and the Bible

doesn't say that those are wrong because those are gifted to us and given to us by God, but

what the Bible says is that when there's oneness of soul, what they do is they come in together

and they work together and they move together.

Let's understand this, like, I'm glad that my heart and my lungs do different things.

But I need them to work in unity if the body is going to function.

And so when we think of unity, that's the picture that we have.

It's not that we're all identical, because we're not.

It's not that we're all the same, because that's not the way that God created us.

But that there's a unity in the body of oneness, of understanding what we are working toward,

and that's the gospel.

And so when we step outside of that is where there begins to be disunity in the church and

disunity in the body.

And so Paul says it's unity.

Now, the next one I want us to look at, oh, let me pause there.

Let me pause there.

This is why, with this unity, I'm believing in this season of prayer and what God's going

to do, because what we're going to see over those five weeks, and if you're not sure what I'm

talking about, just hang around after we get done with the worship set at the end, because

I'm going to come back on stage and talk about it a little bit more.

But what we're going to see is when the body of Christ comes and maybe prays differently

and maybe does things differently in what that looks like, but in unity of praying for God

to be at work and it moving amongst this place, so that the heart and the lungs and the fingers

and the feet and the eyes and the ears of the body of Christ are pushing toward the same

thing in the unity.

The fourth one I want us to see here out of this passage, maybe the hardest one for all

of us, submission, submission.

Verse three, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

Now, that's pretty straightforward, right?

Not do some things.

It's okay on one or two, but do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count

others more significant than yourself.

I wrote in my notes, and I'll need to repent of this, avoid selfish ambition, but I need to

eliminate a void in what God says, just don't do it, right?

The sin of selfish ambition, the sin of elevating yourself, the sin of thinking of our

self first, the sin of thinking, this is me, the sin of saying, nah, I'm better than you.

Hey, Jesus, ain't I better than them?

No, it doesn't say avoid it.

It says don't do it.

And so you and I, we have to look at in our life, how do we oppress our agenda, our standard,

what we want to accomplish over others in a way that doesn't seek God's best for their

life.

Now, we're going to talk about this in just a moment.

I'm not talking about you and I constantly beating ourselves up and putting each other

down, but as we press forward into this world, as we work toward harmony, how do I make sure

that what God is calling me to does not reside in how I step on you in the process?

That I consider others, that I count others more significant than myself.

And what this creates, what this allows is working toward harmony.

And so that consideration of others is an equal point of emphasis in my life, of what I'm seeking

for and what I'm living.

And then it leads into the fifth one, marks of humility, considering others.

Verse four, let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also the interest of others.

You and I are programmed by culture and by our own sinful nature to only think of our plans,

our interests, our rights.

But the humility in the gospel calls for something different.

So my plans need to consider others.

My interest should always consider others.

My rights should always consider others.

Because humility in the gospel calls for that.

Now there's an interesting, as we see within here, of the but that is built into these two verses.

This doesn't mean that you and I, that we're not of value.

Like you and I, and embracing humility, doesn't mean that we mark and brand and head toward a path of martyrdom

that we choose for ourself.

But in this, we submit.

In this, I'm not number one.

In this, it's that I consider and bring into others within this.

Let each of you not look to his own interest.

But also to the interest of others, right?

And we begin to see this picture that plays out of what Paul is pointing us to

and looking at the life of Christ.

Because lastly, what we see here is Christ is the example.

It's where we began and it's where we're going to end.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Think this way.

Let this be who you are.

And then Paul defines what Jesus did.

Jesus fully God came here and said,

I'm not setting aside my divinity, but instead in my full reception of my divinity of who I am

as the son of God, still do not consider myself of equality with God as a thing to be grasped.

And then here's, Jesus says, here's how this is evident.

Verse 7.

But emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.

So the divinity of God and the humanity of man collided.

And what we see is fully God and fully man in the person, in the Savior, in Lord Jesus Christ.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death.

Even death on a cross.

And so what we see of the marks of humility that Paul calls us to, it begins in salvation.

All of this working toward what Jesus did on the cross.

For all who are found in him might be saved.

And from that, the mutual love that points out.

Remember, Jesus asked, hey, what is the greatest commandment?

Love God and love others.

The love that is shown to us from God that we respond in our love to him.

And then the love from him that then comes to us, goes out into our love for others.

That what we see within here is the unity of what begins to exist and take place.

As we see the unity of the trinity of God working out throughout scripture.

God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit.

Three in one.

As this is working toward in the unity of the divine nature of who God is.

Of what is seen in our life.

Working toward that in the church has the opportunity to reflect that.

That what we see in Christ is submission.

If this cup could pass from me, but not my will, but your will be done.

And so God the Son says, I submit my will to God the Father.

And this is where it brings me.

And why does his obedience leads him on the journey to the cross.

So that in considering others, so that through the spilled blood, through the sacrifice body of Christ.

In the considering you, in the considering of me.

We may have eternal life.

And that is humility.

And that's what God calls us to.

And that's the pursuit.

So in the world that says, fight to be best.

May the church just say, I want to be like the best.

Because I want to be like Christ.

Would you pray with me?

Lord, as we come to you this morning.

Lord, we thank you.

For the beauty of what you've given us.

The beauty of what you've modeled for us.

The beauty of what you've shown us.

Lord, Philippians chapter 2 is not a steps of moral adjustment that we make in our lives.

But it's pointing us to Christ.

And Lord, I pray for all of us, Lord, who know you and are found in you, Lord.

In the working and the moving of the spirit in our lives.

Will be transformed to be more like you.

For your name.

And for your glory.

And for your renown.

And so, Lord, I pray for all of us who are in here.

Lord, I pray that their salvation would be found not in and of themselves.

But would be found in Christ.

And in Christ alone.

Because by your name and your name alone.

Are we saved.

Lord, man, in amongst the body.

Not just the local body of this church.

But in the body of Christ.

May we seek to love one another.

Lord, your word tells us.

That the lost world will know that we're of yours.

By the way that we love one another.

And so, Lord, may we love each other well as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lord, may we be unified.

Lord, that doesn't mean that we're not different.

But may we work in unity of the gospel.

May we work in the moving toward leaving our own agendas.

And working toward and seeing the name of Jesus to be shared and to be spread.

Lord, may we submit.

Lord, may we submit to you.

Seeking your will and your way for our life.

Lord, may we submit to one another.

Counting others more significant than ourselves.

Seeking to glorify you.

Lord, may we consider who we are.

And what we've been called to be.

And what we've been called to do.

And understand that as we live in who you've made us to be.

Lord, that we build up and we strengthen the body.

In Jesus' name we pray.

In Jesus' name we pray for us.

Thanks again for listening to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

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