#301 Mrs. Z’s Request

#301 Mrs. Z’s Request
By: Pastor Karl Thomas

Romans 16:13 “Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.”    

A first grade teacher asked her students, “What do you do to help at home?”
One little girl said, “I dry the dishes.”
One of the boys said, “I sweep the floor.”
Another one said, “I feed and water the dog.”
Every student in the class had something to contribute except for one boy sitting in the back. The teacher looked at him and asked, “What do you do to help out at home?”
He said, “I stay out of the way.” 

Matthew 20:17-28
17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 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.”
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 

Some believe Solome was one of Mary’s sisters or in law … Auntie Z … She was a devoted follower of Jesus … There at Cross and at resurrection … Travelled with the group … possibly financially supported.

Great Mom — Wanted Her Children with Jesus … To be Involved … To play key roles … GOOD!

 do you remember someone who when you think of them … The mother immediate enters your thoughts as well … Mrs. Z hubby said take care of the boys … funded the trip. 

She was a helicopter mom … pretty great though … always made us stuff … new what we liked and didn’t like as well … great person to have a round … walking pharmacy

 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.”
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?”[d]
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;

What cup? What baptism? Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”  … Martyred … James first … John Last … Surrendered to a life of following Jesus (While totally being you!) it’s  HUMILITY Not being selfish and demanding your own rights!  Not a term that gains you brownie points with God … More and More grace to the humble.

 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. (They weren’t mad at Mom … ticked with the boys … put her up to it) 

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, (He turned this into a teaching moment) “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.”

I paid extra on my flight with Spirit so that I could jump the line at airport security 

Nicole paid extra so the could jump the line at Universal studios. 

I would pay for a fast line at Tim Hortons! 

Express lanes “HOV” High Occupancy Vehicle 2+ … Now QEW “HOT” for $60 Month 

Patients in the US can have their doctor’s cell phone number and same day appointments for annual fees ranging up to as high as $25,000 annually. 

We have been trained to constantly seek privilege. 

The Affluenza Defense — Patrik Jonsson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 18, 2013)

 Service requires Action!!!   What do you do when you find someone stuck in a pit?

Jesus Spent a lot of time trying to make it clear that His kingdom was a place where selfishness would not be accepted. First place in the Kingdom is Slave!
Servant:— (Diakonos) Attendant, one who executes the commands of another.
Slave:— (duolos) Bondman, devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. 

Greatness measured  in terms of service, not status.
God designed you for service, not for self-centeredness. 

Dr. Sandy F. Ray “Jesus was not merely washing the dust from the Judaic deserts from their feet; he was washing shackling fetters of tradition from their minds. He was washing the ancient cobwebs of customs and crippling concepts from their souls. Their feet were not as dusty as their hearts and attitudes. Their hearts and minds were dusty with selfish ambition … When Jesus returns, he will not be seeking titles; he will be checking towels.”

Dr. Karl Menninger, famous psychiatrist questioned after giving a lecture on mental health, “What would you advise someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.” 

Galatians 6:7-8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
If you keep on giving in to the negative you’ll wreck your life.Operate out of the Spirit and your life will be extraordinary.   Good Advice and Good News

Galatians 6:18 “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
May His power motivate you.  Not performance or a program.  It’s personal.
You have it right when you’ve  moved from got to, to get to. 

AFFLUENZA DEFFENSE
A person of privilege can use his or her privilege or abuse that privilege. A classic example of abuse came about a year ago, on June 15 of last year, 16-year-old Tim Keller stole beer from Wal-Mart, became intoxicated and with two of his friends in the back of his pickup, plowed into a group of people while doing 70 miles per hour and then fled the scene. Four people died and nine people were injured including one of the riders in the back of his pickup who remains paralyzed. (His blood alcohol was three times the legal limit.)
His defense claimed he suffered from “affluenza” which is a non-medical term for people whose wealth insulates them from consequences of having driven drunk and killed four people.

“A defense psychologist testified that Ethan’s parents had never set any boundaries for him. He had freedoms no young man would be able to handle. They gave him whatever he wanted including his own party pad… leaving him to essentially raise himself. Therefore he could not understand the relationship between action and consequence.” Patrik Jonsson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 18, 2013)
He received ten years of probation and zero time. 

SERVICE REQUIRES ACTION
A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out.
A subjective person came along and said, “I feel for you down there.”
An objective person walked by and said, “It’s logical that someone would fall down there.”
A Religious Person said, “Only bad people fall into pits.”
A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
An Canadian Revenue agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, “You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit.”
A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, “You deserve your pit.”
A Christian Scientist observed, “The pit is just in your mind.”
A psychologist noted, “Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit.”
A self-esteem Life Coach said, “Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit.”
An optimist said, “Things could be worse.”
A pessimist claimed, “Things will get worse.”
“A follower of Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.”

301 Mrs. Z’s Request, PowerPoint Slides

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