Really good notes from church this morning:
Pastor spoke regarding Luke 22:24-30, where Jesus' disciples were arguing about greatness: 24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Such irony! After having heard the Christ speak so often, they still didn't 'get it.' They still thought that they needed to jockey for position 'in the kingdom,' as we do even now, eh?
But Jesus served people! He served his disciples, even as he served others. He showed us how to 'be first' ~ by 'being last!' Not to expect people to serve us, and not to serve others for notoriety, but simply in order to serve!
We say we are 'of Christ' ~ what are we going to do with that?
In verses 28-30, the disciples have been exposed in their petty thoughts, but still he rejoices over them, and promises them greatness and blessings beyond their wildest dreams! (He knows we're human and faulty, and loves us anyway!)
Don't try to be perfect ~ just be faithful.
Great quote from C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" ~
Wow ... good stuff.
Pastor spoke regarding Luke 22:24-30, where Jesus' disciples were arguing about greatness: 24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Such irony! After having heard the Christ speak so often, they still didn't 'get it.' They still thought that they needed to jockey for position 'in the kingdom,' as we do even now, eh?
But Jesus served people! He served his disciples, even as he served others. He showed us how to 'be first' ~ by 'being last!' Not to expect people to serve us, and not to serve others for notoriety, but simply in order to serve!
We say we are 'of Christ' ~ what are we going to do with that?
Why do we need to compare ourselves with others, or worry about what others think, when the God of the universe is "rejoice[ing] over [us] with singing??" ( Zephaniah 3:17)
In verses 28-30, the disciples have been exposed in their petty thoughts, but still he rejoices over them, and promises them greatness and blessings beyond their wildest dreams! (He knows we're human and faulty, and loves us anyway!)
Don't try to be perfect ~ just be faithful.
Great quote from C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" ~
But there must be a real giving up of the self. You must throw it away ‘blindly’ so to speak. Christ will indeed give you a real personality: but you must not go to Him for the sake of that. As long as your own personality is what you are bothering about you are not going to Him at all. The very first step is to try to forget about the self altogether. Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it.
Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.
Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.
Wow ... good stuff.
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