Straight to the Top - God’s Plan for Success
Notes
Transcript
Intro/Background
I am an avid sports fan, have been since I was a kid, and over the years of watching and consuming all things sports, I’ve noticed that there is a growing theme that’s become a popular point of conversation in that world - who is the GOAT?
In case you have no clue what I just asked, the term GOAT stands for Greatest of All Time
That’s been a term you hear more and more in sports talk - people debating who the GOAT is
Is Patrick Mahomes the GOAT in football now, or is it still Tom Brady?
Has Lebron James done enough to knock Michael Jordan off the pedestal as basketball’s GOAT?
Is Caitlin Clark the GOAT of women’s college basketball (Yes), and can she continue that in the WNBA?
Is there any more dominant GOAT than Mikaela Shiffrin?
For those who like sports, these are fun debates, and many of us have our strong opinions on these questions (NO, Lebron is not the GOAT, MJ is and always will be….)
This conversation has spilled over into the entertainment industry, and into everyday life situations
I think as a society, we like to talk about greatness and success because most of us dream of those things.
American society is very success driven. We are blessed to live in a place where you’re free to work hard and be as successful as you want to be, so naturally that quest or desire for greatness is held by many of us
That conversation about greatness, on who the GOAT is, I think subconsciously reveals our desire for success ourselves
On top of that, living in the place that we live with all of the money around us can make this an even more desirable thing
We see the mega houses, the nice cars, the private jets, the shopping carts at Costco full of steaks and wine, not milk and the same Kirkland shirt all my friends have, and it can subtly make us want that kind of success too
It can be so easy to think that success brings an easier or better life. Greatness leads to some sort of contentment or satisfaction
This struggle isn’t unique to us. The disciples struggled with the exact same thing
We’re going to read of an instance where the disciples argued about greatness, but what I want to focus on this morning is Jesus’ response to that.
We’ll look at what God’s definition of success is for us, see how it’s different than what the world says, and study how the Bible says we are to live successful lives
Verses 20-21
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”
This conversation happens towards the end of Jesus’ ministry, after the disciples had been with Jesus around 3 years or so
Verse 17 of chapter 20 tells us that Jesus takes His disciples on their final journey to Jerusalem
This journey is what will eventually lead to the triumphant entry, and just a few days later, Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion
In the verses we read, we see that Mrs. Zebedee, the mother of James & John - 2 of Jesus’ 12 disciples, comes to Jesus with a special request
She says, “Can my two boys sit on your right hand and left hand in your kingdom?”
She was seeking a place of power and influence, greatness, for her sons
Now on one hand, can you blame her? She’s a mom, she’s always gonna try to make sure her boys are taken care of
But on the other hand, as you dig into this more, especially when you look at Mark’s account of this in Mark 10, it looks like James and John put their mom up to this request
This was more than asking, “Hey Jesus, can you make sure that my boys are taken care of?”, this was a push for a power and authority that none of the other disciples would have.
To sit on a king’s right and left hand basically meant they were asking for the #2 & #3 positions in the whole kingdom - Vice Presidents A & B so to speak
Only the king would be in higher authority than those positions
The one sitting at the king’s right and left hands would share in the king’s power and fame. Their proximity would show a unity of relationship, and a special place of honor
This request does not go over well with the group, let’s look at what happens next
Verses 22-24
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23 So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.
The response from Jesus isn’t, “Sure!”, it’s “You don’t know what you’re really asking Me….”
I feel like I get that response from Him a lot when I pray
“God, can you do this?”
“Dude, you have no clue what you’re really asking for….”
Kind of like those be careful what you pray for moments
You ask God for something, and He goes, “Oh, you want an opportunity to learn more about loving your enemies, here you go!”
Then we’re just left spinning, “God, I didn’t mean really learn that lesson, I meant only the fun easy part of that”
Thankfully, God knows our hearts. He knows what we’re really asking but He also know what we really need. And His desire is for a depth of relationship, a maturity in our faith, and so He’ll take us through those deeper things b/c He knows it’ll bring a closeness to Him
But Jesus tells James & John and their mother, “Can you drink the cup that I’m about to drink? Can you go through the baptism that I’m about to be baptized with?”
Basically, “If you want these places of power, it will require you to share in the steps I’m about to take. Do you think you can really do that?”
These two disciples didn’t really know what was coming. Well, they knew, but they chose to ignore it
Jesus, just a few verses before told them what was coming next
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”
But they never really understood that. They thought Jesus was going to Jerusalem to declare Himself to be King. That the right and left hand positions would be positions in an earthly kingdom, not a spiritual one
They didn’t realize that to share in the next steps with Jesus meant rejection, persecution, and death
So they respond, “Of course, we totally can!” b/c of their lack of understanding
Jesus, as an aside to this conversation on greatness and success, tells them, “You know what, you actually will drink the same cup - you will go through the same things as me”
Foxe’s Voices of the Martyrs book says that James was the first of the apostles to be killed for their faith
He would be executed via the sword by King Herod in 44 AD
John wouldn’t die as a strict martyr b/c of the Lord’s intervention in his life, but he would live a life of suffering
Foxe’s book says that, “All of the other disciples suffered and died; John suffered and lived.”
He would see friend after friend after friend killed for their faith.
He himself would be put into a pot of boiling oil in an attempt to kill him, but God would miraculously save him
Emperor Domitian would decide to exile him to the island of Patmos instead, a prison camp basically where he was treated cruelly
He would be brought back and kept under house arrest in Ephesus for 2 years, forced to drink poison that God would save him from, and would eventually die
After Jesus prophetically tells James and John what would happen to them, He gets back to the main point of the conversation and says, “to sit at my right or left is not Mine to give, those spots have already been prepared by the Father.”
This isn’t something that Jesus didn’t know, this shows us the incredible submission He had to the Father. Read Philippians 2 for a picture of the humility that Jesus showed as a model or picture for us
The other disciples hear what’s going on up ahead of them between Jesus, James, and John and they are furious
You can just picture the grumbling and complaints that come up:
“How dare James and John ask for that special place!”
“That’s not fair, I should have asked first, it should be me not those sons of thunder, can you believe them, the nerve!”
It shows us that the other disciples wanted the same place of honor, they wanted that same level of success.
Jesus hadn’t granted this request to the Sons of Zebedee, but if He had, there wasn’t a response of joy and excitement for James & John, there was only jealousy and envy
Jesus would use this as an opportunity to teach the disciples about greatness and success
Verses 25-28
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
With the rest of our time this morning, we’re going to answer two big questions
#1 - Where did James & John go wrong in their pursuit of success?
And #2 - what does godly success really look like?
Hopefully these are things that we can take and apply to our own lives in our work, our family life, and in our walks with the Lord
#1 - Where did James & John go wrong in their pursuit of success? I see 3 things
First, they thought their ultimate position was a measure of who they were and how successful they had become
Go to pretty much any business in corporate America and ask them who the most successful or important person is and they will tell you its the boss
The CEO, the man or woman at the top
And while wanting to move up within your company, or wanting to start your own business and be successful isn’t wrong in and of itself, we are called to look at our motives
That’s true in most things in our walks with the Lord - God is constantly calling us to look at our hearts and motives and not just the outward result
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
James & John, their motives weren’t to have this position to be able to serve the Lord in a greater capacity, I think that they were selfishly motivated for this high position as that would prove that they were the greatest or the best of the disciples
I think that’s why the other disciples were so mad at them, it wasn’t a selection of leadership, it was an attempt to define who was the best
You see that come out in Jesus’ response as He talks about desiring greatness - I think that’s what these two disciples wanted, to be the best
Positions, job titles, bank accounts, results, those may be measures of wordly success, but they are not measures of godly success
God has a path and a plan already laid out for you. That plan may or may not include you being the CEO or having all the money or results. But the final position God has laid out is not an indication of who you are as a person
We get this easily confused so many times even in a spiritual realm. We think that success comes to those who deserve it, those who are the greatest among us
But we know that none of us deserve a place of importance
God has chosen the foolish of the world to put to shame the wise 1 Cor 1 tells us
Jeremiah 9 tells us that we shouldn’t boast about our wisdom or our might or our riches, but simply that God understands and knows me
God’s plan, His path for you, is for a greater purpose than just getting to the top, its for His glory
Paul shows us this as he talks about how God has put the church together
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
This is speaking about more than just the corporate structure within a church, I believe this can be applied to the greater community of Christians
God has different roles and positions for us to make the greater body of Christ stronger - not everyone can be the leader or the boss or in the highest position
Within a church, you see this in the roles of those who are called to be a pastor, a youth leader, someone on the worship team, a Sunday School teacher, someone to come and clean the church, or an admin assistant
In the family, we see this in the God-defined roles of husband and wife, and the roles parents and kids play
In the corporate world, we see that in the natural God-given gifts that fuel us in our passions at world. God makes skillful workers - just read the book of Exodus where God commands the people to build a tabernacle - the place of worship.
He appointed craftsmen to make all of the items, people He filled with wisdom, understanding, and skills in their trades
God has created people with the knowledge and skills to be teachers, nurses, accountants, engineers, equipment operators, warehouse managers, farmers, ranchers, and yes, even ski instructors
Think if we had a society of just CEOs, that’s a society that wouldn’t function
What’s most important is to make sure our motives are right, that we’re seeking the Lord for the calling He has for us, what position within the body/the community of Christ we’re supposed to have.
That we’re looking for success in our faithfulness to God’s calling, not how high up the ladder we can get
Second, James & John didn’t understand God’s ultimate plan
As I mentioned before, pretty much all of the disciples had a false idea on what Jesus’ kingdom was about.
They thought it was going to be an earthly kingdom, not a spiritual one.
So when Jesus promised them the chapter before the honor to rule with Him, they saw it as an immediate thing, and earthly reward
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
They had been promised a place of honor, a place of greatness so to speak
They just thought it was going to be on earth in a physical kingdom, not one day in heaven
It can be easy for us to fall into the same trap, thinking that God’s ultimate plan and ultimate work is here on earth
But we see so many times through scripture God tells us that we’re just sojourners, that we don’t belong to this world, that our citizenship is in heaven.
Jesus tells us in Matt 6.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
His ultimate plan is eternity, not earthy success
Third, they had a me first attitude
James & John couldn’t care less about the other disciples, they wanted to be at the top!
It can be an easy trap to fall into to be fearful of the success of others.
Think about at work, we can think that if people who work with or for us succeed, that they’ll outshine us, and that somehow that will show we’re not as successful as them
We shouldn’t be afraid of the success of others, but we should want to invest and disciple others as their success, their strength will make the church stronger
Maybe you’re calling is to be a leader and be successful, but maybe God’s calling for you is to invest in others and disciple multiple leaders that will make a bigger impact than one person ever could
We’ve seen the pitfalls we need to avoid, tying our identity to our position, not understanding God’s ultimate plan, and having a me first attitude.
Now let’s look at our second big question - What does godly success really look like?
We can look at 5 different characteristics that define godly success
Perspective
Service
Faithfulness
Generosity
Perseverance
First, greatness is a good thing to strive for - as long as we do it God’s way (perspective)
In verses 25 & 26, Jesus doesn’t tell them that its a sin to desire to be successful, He just wants to instruct us on the right way to do it
God doesn’t tell them that they have to be stuck in some dead end job that they hate for the next 30 years, it’s okay to desire success, to have hopes and dreams and goals for yourself
We just have to have the right perspective on those
I wrestle with this one personally - those goals/hopes/dreams that God has given me, are they just my flesh and my pride, or are they from the Lord?
I have learned that I just have to constantly take those to the Lord in prayer and have a humble heart to go, “not my will God, but yours be done”
Second, success = service (service)
Notice what Jesus says again in verses 25-27
25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—
This commandment is pretty clear, success is defined not in how many people you can leapfrog on your way to the top, success is defined in how you prioritize and serve others
This thinking does not line up with what the world tells us!
But God’s ways aren’t the same as the ways of the world
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God has a different way to live than the world tells us, a way that is higher/loftier/grander than the ways of the world, a way of service
Jesus modeled this way for us - He tells us there in verse 28
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus did not come into this world to live in a palace or to have servants attend His every need. He came to serve others and to give His life away to save us
This required humility - intentionally choosing to prioritize others and to put to death the desires of the flesh
What’s interesting is that you see that in the language that Jesus uses
The Greek word for slave in verse 27 is the word doulos which means bondservant or slave by choice
Its not service by compulsion (I have to), its service by choice
Jesus chose to come and serve us, to die for us. He didn’t have to
He didn’t have to step off of His throne in eternity and put on flesh and become a human. He didn’t have to endure the humility of being a helpless baby, born to one of His creation
He didn’t have to experience all the things we experience like pain, anguish, betrayal, or loneliness
He didn’t have to serve people - for those of you in any sort of service industry you know how hard that can be!
He didn’t have to endure the beatings, the scourging, or the punishment of the cross
He’s God! He is in charge, He is sovereign so He could do whatever He wants!
And yet He chose to come and serve us, to set an example of what our lives should be like
Success and greatness in God’s eyes requires humility and service towards others
Third, we need to follow the Lord’s plan, no matter where that takes you (faithfulness)
Jesus would tell James & John that the places of authority on His right and left hands, are places that will be granted to someone, but those have already been prepared by the Father - God has predetermined who will be there
Do you know that God has already laid out your path and plan for you?
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
I mentioned this a bit earlier, but our job is not to tell God to get in line with our hopes or dreams, but diligently seek the Lord on what He’s calling us to do and get in line with His will
There’s an interesting account in the book of Acts where God does this with a man named Philip
In Acts chapter 6, Philip was select as one of the men chosen to serve the church family in a practical way along with Stephen
God would use Philip, but then a wave of persecution would push him to leave Jerusalem and go to Samaria
Philip would have a thriving ministry in Samaria, people were getting saved, God used him to do miraculous signs even and heal people. Acts 8:8 tells us there was great joy in the city because of the ministry Philip had
In the midst of all this success, God moves Philip in a different direction
26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert.
God tells Philip to leave this thriving, successful ministry which he was leading, and to go to the desert
This direction would go against pretty much every piece of advice or council that Philip would receive today
But it was God’s plan
Philip would meet an Ethiopian official who worked for the queen down there and have an opportunity to share his faith with him
Again, counter to our thinking of leaving a thriving ministry affecting a lot of people to instead focus on just one person
But this Ethiopian official would get saved, and then take his faith to his people.
Church tradition says that this would be the start of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which exists still today with 36-50 million members in Africa.
Philip models for us this heart, a heart of, “whatever you call God, I will be faithful to do it”
Fourth, if God grants you earthly success, use it for His glory (generosity)
Jesus points to the rulers of the Gentiles as an example to stay away from
They use their position and power and wealth and lord it over the people
I feel like its an attitude we definitely see in this valley, the super wealthy that look down on you because their purse costs more than your entire closet full of clothes
There’s nothing new under the sun, this attitude was also prevalent during the time of Jesus
We see very clearly in scripture that money or earthly riches aren’t bad in and of themselves
Abraham, Job, and Solomon were all very wealthy people
Paul would tell Timothy in 1st Timothy 6 that it is the love of money that is a root of evil, and warns him that those who desire to get rich have a strong temptation that pulls many into destruction
The money isn’t the problem, but its our attitudes about money and how we use it that matters
God does bless some with earthly success. If He does, your job is to use it for His glory
Here are two ways you can do that
#1 - if God has blessed you with material possessions, you can be generous for the kingdom of heaven
Zacchaeus, who had gained his wealth dishonestly before he got saved, would commit to giving half of his wealth to the poor
Lydia, a successful business owner in Philippi, would open up her home for the local church to meet in
Many wealthy Christians today are those who start charities, keep their local churches financially stable, and support missionary work overseas
#2 - if God has blessed you with a position of power/influence over others, you can use that to be a light and servant to them
Maybe God hasn’t put $1M into your bank account, but maybe He has made you successful at work and put you in a position over others
Use the position to be a light, to care for your employees or those under your charge.
To care for their souls by praying for them, taking care of your employees so that they can be set up for success, to make sure they feel supported and invested in and cared for
And if they aren’t saved, what an incredible witness this will be to them!
Fifth and finally, keep your eyes on the prize (perseverance)
Paul, at the end of his life, would write to his young protege Timothy and show that his focus had been on the end game, the prize, the heavenly reward which God had for him
Paul wasn’t a man of wealth or position or power. He lived his last days in jail for his faith, with nothing to his name. He would eventually be beheaded by the Romans
In 2nd Timothy, Paul would write
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
Paul knew that his dedication to keep his eyes on the heavenly prize was the measure of true success in his life
It wasn’t how little money he had to give (nothing), it wasn’t the great companies or institutions he started (none), it was the people he invested in, the lives that he served, it was about his faithfulness to preach the gospel to the world
He knew that God would reward him for that
Is there any more worthy of a goal for us to live for?
I’ll close on a piece of a poem by the British missionary C.T. Studd who served the Lord in China, India, and Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.