Amazed, Afraid, Annoying (Part B)

These men were messed up.

That's the word. But this doesn't stop there because God spoke to me when I was considering this. Think about that next time Satan tells you you're unfit to serve me. You see these men? You see how messed up they are? And yet I love them and I use them. I use them so much you depend on what they say about me. And I do this over and over again. All my servants are messed up.

And I use them and I love them. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. The title of this message is Amazed, Afraid, Annoying. And Pastor Rick will be teaching in Mark chapter 10. He's staring down death. He is going to beat the snot out of death.

He's the only one that can do it. They don't see this. We see it. Betrayed, backstabbed, condemned, judged by evil men. Any of you want to be judged, see me after service. Can you imagine? I'm going to be judged.

I'll be back at five. I mean this is a mean and vicious judgment of people. Criticisms. They're criticizing him according to the law.

They're twisted versions. Delivered to the Gentiles no less. That's what he says to them. Mocked. Publicly laughed at.

Ridicule is a hard thing to endure. Scourged. Physically whipped. Skin peeled from his body. Spat upon. The shame of it.

Not to mention that it's a biohazard. Killed. That's what he gets out of this. From those whom he loved and came to die for, they murdered him. But then he rises as the victor. Each item an individual suffering is marked out.

Which one stands out to you? Have you ever been backstabbed? Have you ever been laughed at publicly? Beaten physically? Spat upon?

He lines them up for them. They still don't get it. As sure as he would suffer, he would rise again. That's what he's saying. Listen, they're going to do these things to me, but I'm getting up. Just as sure as you see them beat me, understand you will see me get up. That's the message they missed.

We're supposed to get. Never again would he go through this for our sins. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 18, for Christ also suffered once for sins.

You cannot make it any more clear than that. How many times has one, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit? Hebrews 9, 28, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. He predicted his suffering. It was voluntary. It was in the place of others, vicarious, and it was, of course, victorious.

Look at the three V's there. Luke adds this, but they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. It is perplexing if you look at it from afar, but maybe if you, again, insert yourself into this number and understand, having seen him do so much, how could you expect little in the face of death? How difficult it can be to get our heads around something that's contrary to what we want to believe, unable to rid their minds. The delusion just continued in their head, and they expected him to march into Jerusalem. They were afraid. They knew hostilities were there, but they still somehow expected him to get on that throne, and that's what's going to come out in the next section. This teaching of perpetual suffering of Christ, the Bible disagrees with it if you come across it.

You come across anyone that is saying somehow he is still suffering for our sins, you can say, well, the Bible certainly disagrees with that based on the verses I just read. Verse 35, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him saying, teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask. This is ridiculous. They're serious. An innocent, ill-timed, selfish request. He's talking about death.

Okay, that's good. Now, can you do whatever I want you to do? You know, why didn't he bust out laughing in their face? Because he's not that kind of guy. Verse 36, and he said to them, he's humoring them, is he not?

What do you want me to do for you? I mean, you know he's not going to do it. He knows he's not going to do it, but he wants to hear them go ahead and continue to shove their feet in their mouths. Verse 37, they said to him, grant us that we may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your glory. Matthew says, in your kingdom. What we don't have here captured for us are the looks on the faces of all those involved.

Maybe we can kind of just think about this a little bit so we do not become annoying, as they were in this section. It is the face of Jesus. It is absent of any sign of disappointment. Since he is so patient with them, we know this to be the case. Since he kind of says, well, what do you want? And he just pulls them aside and he explains things. He's so gentle with them. I have been chasing this all my life in Christ, to be this gentle all the time.

Sometimes I can do it, other times I can't find it. As a pastor, usually I think I can get it. As a father, oh man. Anyway, you didn't come here to hear that. Oh yeah, we did.

Tell us more how messed up you are as a dad. Well, there's the face of Salome. Who is she? She's the mother of James and John. This was her brainstorm. She's the one that came up with this. How do we know that?

Because Matthew, he makes sure we find out that she's behind this request. She's filled with the mother's foolishness. Our little babies, their grown men. I mean, we see this with moms, you know, to a fault. My little baby can never be wrong. The other kid's fault, not mine. And it's crazy. Kids are kids, all of them.

They're going to be wrong many times. Matthew 20, verse 20. Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from him. Yeah, whatever I asked, that's what they were asking. And he said to her, what do you wish to see? He said, grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in your kingdom. Now, here's what Jesus should have just asked. Are you delirious? James and John echo her request. Instead of objecting with that well-known mom, it never comes.

Because they like it. Yeah. We beat Peter to it. We're going to be on the right and left and Peter and Thomas will not. I don't think that they were thinking that far ahead, but it's funny to make fun of them, I think.

I'm enjoying it. Sometimes it's just the parents that make everything difficult, not the child. It's the parents many times.

Sometimes it is the child. But John, in his memories of Jesus, his biography of the Christ, he leaves this out. Well, you know, the other guy's covered it.

I don't need to go there. Yeah. That's funny, but you didn't mind saying Peter got to the tomb after you outran him. Little things like that. I don't know that they are. I think there's some humor in those.

They're intentional. Hey, Peter, did you read my gospel? Oh, Peter was dead by that time, but when he gets to heaven, did you read my gospel? No, just the part about you not beating me to the tomb. Peter would have counted. Yeah, but I went in.

Chicken. The faces of James and John, seriously expecting the Lord to say, sure. I mean, you can just see their faces.

There's Solomon. Grant my sons, my beloved boys. Look at how beautiful they are. And then the boys up there nodding. There's the faces of the ten disciples, shocked with indignation.

First, why didn't I get there first? That might have been one of the thoughts. Then there are the faces of all who read this passage of scripture. What do you think when you come across this? You've got to be saying to yourself, this ain't right. He's talking about his death and they're looking for a seat on the throne.

This kind of inappropriate ambition should be called out. If we have any chance of checking wrong behavior, of keeping it somewhat under control, we've got to call these things out, which is one reason why a lot of people don't want to go to a church where the Bible is preached or even read, because it will call us out. So in spite of his repeated mention of the cross, they still expected his kingdom. In spite of the fact that they were afraid to go to Jerusalem, amazed at the whole thing, they still somehow expected to come out on top because he never failed. Verse 38, but Jesus said to them, you do not know what you ask.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And he is gently telling them no. I think it is a part of ministry to not delight in shutting people down when you have to shut them down.

Just no, like, oh man, did you see the look on their face when I stopped that? That would be wrong. Well, it would be bad because then the Lord's going to pull you aside and deal with you. That's the bad part. One reason why I try to obey Christ is fear. I'm afraid he's going to get me. I don't always think that way, but there is something.

No way. Well, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Without the fear of the Lord, what knowledge could you have? He says, are you able to drink the cup that I am able to drink? This is a challenge to James and John and their ambition.

You don't know what you're talking about. He's exposing this. By the time he gets to this cup in Mark 14, we read, and he said, Abba, Father. Now that Abba is put there as an emotional outburst of the Lord. His heart is deep into this.

This is very personal between he and the Father, and yet he shares it. All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me, nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will. Now again, anyone who says there are other ways to heaven outside of Christ, I'll add to that, apart from Christ, is accusing God of being a savage, because you would have to be a savage to send your son to a vicious cross if there was another way to do it. There is no other way, and that's why Jesus says, all things are possible for you, nevertheless, not my will, but your will. Yeah, God could have stopped this whole thing. Christ could have called the legions of angels down.

But it was not possible to save souls any other way. The cup refers to the inward sufferings, and the baptism refers, the baptism that he is talking about, to the outward persecutions. He's going to be immersed in the persecution.

We get one part of it visually on the cross. We do not get the other part of his Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He says, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with. Again, immersed into this depth, deeper and darker than the immersion into the Jordan by John just a few years back. To be baptized with suffering means to be overwhelmed. The immersion, when we baptize someone, we get them all the way under.

They are overwhelmed in the moment. Soaked in the suffering he would be only for us. He gets us in return. We get glory in heaven so much more. Verse 39, they said to him, we are able, so Jesus said to them, you will indeed drink the cup that I drink and be with the baptism I am baptized with.

You will be baptized. This reply of theirs, we are able. It is ignorant, of course. It's well intended. But that's not good enough. It's still wrong. Theirs was the answer of gross ignorance.

Yo, yo, we could do it. Not knowing. Like a child, almost. You know, when a child tells you they could do something that you know it's impossible for them to do, and yet they're insistent and this is not going well.

The child is being bullheaded and they will drink some of this cup, not the dregs. Of course, James will be the first of the twelve to die, which had to be a great wake-up call to the remaining ten, then to be eleven, that if James was expendable, so were they. If God would let James be martyred, then God would let them be martyred.

At least the potential for that now was great. And that would shake up ministry quite a bit. And so Christ is facing death and sorrow and all they can think about is a higher place of honor and he says, guys, you can't handle this. They still don't get it. They don't walk away satisfied.

I don't believe that they do. They hear his answer, but I think they still don't get it. These men, I looked for a word better than the two words that I'm going to use and I can't find one. This is the word. These men were messed up.

That's the word. But this doesn't stop there because God spoke to me when I was considering this. Think about that next time Satan tells you you're unfit to serve me. You see these men? You see how messed up they are? And yet I love them and I use them. I use them so much you depend on what they say about me. And I do this over and over again.

All my servants are messed up and I use them and I love them. John's Gospel chapter 13 at the time now, once he gets to Jerusalem, this is what John is writing about. He writes this.

This is right before the foot washing. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. These messed up characters. These men that were defective.

He not only loved them, he put them to work over and over again and they will make other mistakes and he will still use them. Any of you serving in Christ? The devil loves to come. You can't serve in the church. You're just too messed up. He's lying to you. You are messed up. That part I can testify to. But not to the point where you can't be used.

If you're impenitent, if there's something that's been brought to the surface and it's got to be dealt with, that of course demands attention. But overall, none of us are fit for ministry and yet he has no one else. He is determined not to use the angels to do what we are called to do.

I mean, I wouldn't mind if he had angels as ushers. I mean, you could get, you know, they could do some amazing things. But we don't have that option. We have to depend on each other and that can be amazing. It can be fearful.

It can be annoying. It can be glorious. In the end, only thing that's going to be left is what's for Christ and it will be amazing. Verse 40, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared. Okay, so God the Father decides the privilege and honor of this thing. He's so gentle with them. Again, he does not say to them, that is a stupid question. It is a fool. You know, he doesn't do anything like that. He just, he could have said, you're promoting yourselves and it's shameful because I've dealt with this earlier. And now we're back to this. He doesn't do any of that.

Doesn't bring it up. Matthew 23, Jesus had warned. They love the best places at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues. Jesus was telling his apostles, pastors are not supposed to be celebrities. They're not supposed to be, you know, a sighting of the pastor who gets his autograph. You're one of the sheep that he has entrusted you with. It's even, he goes into detail in what we call Luke 14. In verse 8, when you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him. And he who invited you and him, come and say to you, give place to this man. Then you begin with shame to take the lower place.

He continues to develop it. He says, so humble yourself. And here they're complete opposite.

They're looking for the best seat. Verse 41, and when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. Now they're annoyed, aren't they?

They're so, I can't believe it. That's Thomas. The trio, Solomon, James, and John, of course, they made a blunder. But this wasn't all who they were. They weren't despicable people for this. There's more to them, and Christ centered on that. Yeah, I see. They goofed. This was, you know, bad on multiple levels, but there's more to them.

There's more. I can use these people. And again, I get very encouraged by that.

What it does mean is that they did miss important points that Jesus taught. Well, that's never happened to us, so we have a hard time being patient with that. How much?

How much? How much, you know, time spent recording what we learn because we know it's going to evaporate in time. It's just a struggle, but it's worth it. Verse 42, Jesus called them to himself and said to them, you know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles, lorded over them, and their great ones, exercise authority over them. Again, this tender patience, repeating the lesson. Proverbs 17, 14, the beginning of strife is like releasing water, therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. So the other disciples have become indignant at their request. Christ diffuses this. Guys, let me teach you something about this whole thing. See, the beginning of strife is like a dam about to burst. First the water starts coming out a little bit, but it's going to start picking up speed if it's not dealt with. Therefore, stop contention before the quarrel starts.

As we speak, there's a little boy dressed in blue with his thumb in the hole on the dam. I guess artwork's not something you're familiar with at all, but let's come back to reality here. Verse 43, yet it shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. This is a commandment. It shall not be so among you. That's a commandment.

I don't have to follow this because I'm special, but you all do. I don't like some of the commandments of Christ. My spirit loves them all because it knows it's right, but my flesh protests too much, like all the time. My flesh disagrees with everything Christ says, and when it disagrees, it only agrees to the degree that it can have satisfaction. Verse 44, and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. So are we afraid of that word slave?

It shows up in the epistles often, but it's sort of toned down a little bit. Servant, but it is slave. In the New Testament, we are slaves of Christ, willful slaves. We're not enslaved against our will. That makes us bondservants.

A big difference. Paul uses that interpretive word to describe the servant of Christ. This, verse 44, and whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. He's against striving in the flesh. It's a variation of verse 31 in Mark 10, where we ended last week, but many who are first will be last and the last first.

Well, this is a variation of it, and he is warning them about this self-promotion. Keeping your eyes on Jesus helps keep this in check. It doesn't stop it, but it does help, and that's what largely the Christian life becomes. A life arresting evil, not stopping it entirely, but keeping it in check, keeping it from getting out of control.

Much of that takes place, and we're glad for it, because if it weren't there, then we would, as the saying goes, hell would break loose. Verse 45, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. This is the kingpin verse of Mark's gospel. It is the gospel, condensed into one verse.

You know, I know people that have this as their either login name or probably password, Mark 1025, you know, and so I go in and I find all this stuff. It divides the gospel of Mark into two sections. In the first 10 chapters of Mark, largely Jesus is giving himself in service, but now when we get to chapter 11, he's going to give himself in sacrifice. It's all about the cross now. He's heading towards Jerusalem.

He did not come to be served. What could we serve him with? What could we give to Christ? It's like a two-year-old getting a father's, you know, a birthday present. What does a two-year-old have to give? Well, love.

That's what the child has to give, but he really doesn't have a credit card or a checking account. He doesn't have anything to bother with. It's just love. We have nothing. What's in it for Christ? Love. God is love. He does not need us, but he sure wants us, and which has got to be heartbreaking to find so many sinners that could care less about him. Hebrews 7 26, speaking of Christ, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens. That can be said about nobody else in the Bible but Jesus Christ. No human being, no one created can have that said about them.

Not with a straight face. He is God the servant of God the Father who serves man. We're supposed to do the same thing, but man gets in the way, and we've got to battle that, and we depend on the Lord to do it. I want to close with this verse from John's Gospel again where he washed the disciples' feet, because as he's been serving men with his life and his miracles and his teachings, his example, now you're going to use his blood. John 13, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Pursuing the standards of Christ is worth it. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in the book of Mark. Cross Reference Radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. To learn more information about this ministry, visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. Once you're there, you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio. You can search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time as Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark, right here on Cross Reference Radio.