This sermon was preached by Pastor Naftali Ogalo of Grace Baptist Church, Eldorette, Kenya for the Lord's Day, 17th October 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. We welcome you to join with us for worship at Grace Baptist Church, Eldorette. We are located within West Indies estate on Kago Street behind Kogoflat's elderly town. I bring God's word. And by way of introduction, let's think of this together. Leadership. Leadership is an emotive topic in Kenya at every level and every area of life. Whether we are thinking of the family level or church level or political world or workplace or school, literally everywhere, this matter of leadership is emotive. You see, I say that because generally and more than generally, almost always, but really generally, those seeking for leadership so often use unfair method over their opponents. Even in churches, by the way, very sad. And once elected or once they got into position, They seek to oppress their subjects as they entrench their greatness. Those who fail, in other words, those who did not get in to leadership, then on their part, they remain bitter and want to resist and frustrate the efforts or service of their rulers. It then becomes a vicious circle where they long that as soon as whoever is in office can get out, they will want to be there. and themselves also entrench their greatness. And I ask this question, is there any hope? Is there any hope? How long will such happen? Does the Bible give us any understanding, any explanation, any way out? Or must things just continue as they are? Well, yes, the Bible does have hope. And please let us turn now to Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20. And I want us to look at verses 20 to 27. Really, we will read up to verse 28. but we will consider up to verse 27 and verse 28 we will look at, God willing, next Lord's day. And so I want to read Matthew chapter 20 from verse 20. The scripture tells us, Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons and kneeling before him, she asked him for something. And he said to her, what do you want? He said to him, say that these two sons of mine are to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom. Jesus answered, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? And they say to him, we are able. And he said to them, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.' And when the ten heard it, they were indignant, in other words, they were angry at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Him and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Even as the Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Now that's the reading of God's Word. Let us pray. O Lord, our God, we pray that Your Word will grant us hope when we come to understand what true greatness entails. Hear our prayer because there is so much confusion. There is a lot of heat in the whole matter of leadership. And Lord, Your church is not spared because people fight for positions, for leadership, even in your church, and the flock is left unserved. Lord, please hear and give us understanding now. Bless your word for us, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. This passage, Matthew chapter 20, brings before us what I am calling true greatness, is when we suffer in service. True greatness is when we suffer in service. Now that is not the thinking of the world, but the Bible will direct us, or the Lord Jesus will direct us in this passage. Let's remember what our Lord is going through just right at this moment. We saw last week that he is on his way to Jerusalem with rejection, suffering, and death awaiting him. But you see, a situation then arises. And through this situation that has arisen, then the Lord Jesus seeks to correct his disciples' ambitious desire for places of honor. I want us then to look at this passage, and I have two points to bring. And the first point I want us to see is that glory comes after suffering. Glory comes after suffering. And then in the second place, we will see that the path of greatness is through service. The path of greatness is through service. Well, so let's look at this then. Glory comes after suffering. You see, I want us to look at that first point in two ways. One, let's look at the ambitious request of a mother and her two sons. Ambitious request of a mother and her two sons. And we see that in verses 20 to 23. And as we had read it, but we will read it as we go through. But we ask the question, who was this woman? Who was this woman? In fact, in our passage, she is simply called the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And the sons we are talking about here, studying about, are James and John. They were the sons of Zebedee. Now, why is she not just called Zebedee's wife? Because verse 20 tells us, then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons. Why? Why is she not just called Zebedee's wife? Well, in chapter four, In chapter 4 of Matthew, now that's quite a while ago when we read it, but in chapter 4 verse 21, we read about Zebedee, verse 21. And going on, that is in the very early stages of our Savior's ministry, as he was calling his first disciples, verse 21, And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And so obviously, he was alive, he was active, at the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus and we get the same truth given to us in a parallel passage or in Mark chapter 1 verse 20. Zebedee was still alive. So it could be that by this time now in chapter 20, maybe he has died. Maybe. But you see, This mother then comes to Jesus with his two sons and they show some respect to Jesus. The passage tells us that she comes kneeling before him and asking something. So he kneels before Jesus and asks a question. In fact, Mark chapter 10, The parallel passage, Mark 10.35, tells us that in their asking the question, they put it this way, and in Mark, it's the two sons who appear to be asking the question, do for us whatever we ask. And there's no contradiction. Even there, they could have come with their mother, yes, but in this passage, the mother takes the initiative. But Jesus questioned to them in verse 21, verse 21, we read this, and he said to them, what do you want? Now that question, what do you want, implies that it will not be a blank check for you to write any amount on, no, first you must Tell me, what is it you want? I must know what you want. Well, so then they blot out what they wanted. And this is what it is. Say that these two, that is through their mother, say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom. In other words, Grant that these two sons of mine are to sit at the places of honor in your glory. Say it, just grant it, declare it, you know, like appoint them. Now, we ask the question, wait a minute, where was the idea from? Where did she and with her sons come up with this idea? And there are a few things that we can bring forward as we try to understand why they are talking the way they are talking or asking this question. A few things. One, let's remember that these two together with Peter and Andrew, they were the earliest disciples of the Lord Jesus. And that, of course, we are told in Mark chapter 1 verse 19 and verse 20. They began with the Lord Jesus very early. But two, they had unique privilege. In fact, they were greatly privileged compared to the other disciples. And we can go back, we saw that actually in Matthew chapter 17, Matthew 17, verse one, where we read this, Matthew 17, one, and after six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light." Now, that was a unique privilege. So unique, the other disciples did not get that opportunity, and when they came from the mountain, they were to keep that privileged experience, exposure, completely secret. Wow, that was a great privilege. But then it doesn't stop there. So there were the first disciples, so the very earliest disciples, they were open to a very unique privilege that others did not have. But actually, these two were cousins of Jesus after the flesh. Now, I don't want to worry you with passages of scripture, but you need to be aware, or at least we can turn to one, Matthew chapter 27, Matthew 27, verse 56, we read this. Well, verse 55 and 56, there were also many women there looking on from a distance who had followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him, among whom, and so they are listed, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And as we read other passages like Mark chapter 15, verse 40, Mark 15, 40, and also John 19, 25, surely we are to draw the conclusion that the mother of John and James and the mother of Jesus were sisters. Okay, and so these brothers, that is John, the James and John, and their mother, were convinced that Jesus was setting up a kingdom. Now, in this, they demonstrate faith. They are convinced Jesus is about to set up a rule, a kingdom. And the point is, they want to be a part of that in a very close way. However, they were ignorant of the way of setting up this messianic kingdom. They were ignorant. You see, they were missing the point that it must be through suffering. So, as we are thinking then of this first point, glory comes after suffering, and I've shown you, A, that ambitious request over mother and her sons. But we move on and we now see the response of Jesus to that ambitious request. The response of Jesus to that request. And that we find in verses 22 and 23, where Jesus addresses them. And he answered, you do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or I am to drink? Okay. So Jesus tells them, you are ignorant. You don't know what you are asking. Are you able? Are you able? And you know, Jesus is telling them, listen, I have a cup to drink. Now drinking a cup in the Bible is a saying, an idiom, is a saying that tells us or explains that one is going to go through an experience set forth by God. An experience set forth by God and one is to go through it. Such an experience may be a pleasant one or a bitter one. And in this specific passage. The experience being referred to as drinking of a cup is a bitter one. In fact, it's a bitter one that later is further explained. If you turn to chapter 26, let's read some two verses there. Chapter 26 of Matthew. Look at verse 39. And this is in reference then to Jesus praying in Gethsemane shortly before he was betrayed and arrested. And Matthew 26, verse 39, we read this, And going a little farther, he, Jesus, fell on his face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." And then roll down to verse 42. Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, my father, If this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done. And so the cup that the Lord Jesus Christ is to drink is a bitter cup. And of course in the parallel passage that is in Mark, it's not only talking of a cup to drink, but also a baptism to be baptized with. And the idea of that baptism is to be overwhelmed with agony, as explained in Luke chapter 12, verse 50. To be under some terrible distress. And so friends, this cup, or baptism also, But this cup was a unique experience for Christ in accomplishing our salvation. It was unique. It could not be drunk by anyone else. And as we have read, Christ says, if it is possible, let it pass. It's heavy. is awesome, is daunting, but then again he prays, if I must drink it, let your will be done. This was a unique cup. Christ drank every last drop of the cup of God's wrath, which was deserved by us. He did it. It is unique. or it was unique for him. But you see, back to our passage, verse 22, second part of it, we are told regarding their claim of ability. In verse 22, when the Lord Jesus asked, are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? They said, we are able, Wow, we are able. Of course, this was out of ignorance. Well, then Jesus assures them of their participation. Now, not in the unique sense as we have seen, but in kind. As his followers, verse 23, he said to them, you will drink my cup. You will drink my cup. Yes, you will go through an experience. You see, for the Lord Jesus, glory was to come after suffering. And this is what the Lord Jesus wants his disciples to capture, to get hold of and not miss. Matthew, no, excuse me, not Matthew, Luke, Luke's gospel, right at the end of Luke, that is chapter 24, Luke chapter 24, verse 25 and 26, we read this. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? Do you see that? That it was necessary that Christ should suffer. So there's suffering first, and then the glory to follow. But now, what happens to Christ? Will and must happen to his followers, indeed. There are various passages that show that believers must go through suffering, through tribulation, before they enter heaven. A number of passages reveal that, but let's just pick one for the sake of time. Romans 8, verse 17. Romans 8, 17. And we read this. Let's pick it from verse 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. And so there is the suffering before glory. If you'd like, please, you can note down Acts chapter 14. Acts chapter 14, verse 22, will also show the same truth. Acts 14, 22, and 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 2, verse 12. Well, did these two brothers experience something of what the Lord Jesus said would happen to them? Yes. If you turn to Acts chapter 12, Acts chapter 12, then we read of what happened to James. They had said, well, yeah, we are able to drink a cup. And then that, of course, as we have seen, is the suffering before glory. Acts 12 verse 2. I pick from verse 1. About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. James suffered martyrdom. We call that martyrdom, to suffer for one's faith, to be murdered, to be put to death, and this must be a violent death. And so James tested a violent death. But what about John? John, we read about him. Now, he didn't face the the death like his brother. However, he was banished. We use that big word. He was put in detention and away from people. Revelation chapter 1 verse 9 tells us this, Revelation chapter 1 verse 9, I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation, that is in the sufferings, and the kingdom, and the patient endurance that are in Christ. I, John, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. John was deported, or John was put in detention, in this island, all alone, with poor condition, or under poor condition. But while there, he was able then to write the book of Revelation. And so these two suffered. As they said, or as the Lord Jesus said, okay, you will have a taste of my cup." But verse 23, we're back to Matthew chapter 20 verse 23, where the Lord Jesus told them, yes, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And really, in a simple way, he's telling them, it is not mine to give places in the way you think or expect. No, it's not at your whim that you be given whatever you want in that sense. No, it is to be based not on bloodline or external privileges, which both of you have, John and James, but it belongs to the sovereign father alone. And that verse tells us, I think very beautifully, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." And there is that sovereign element. The Father prepares it for whom He wishes. And who are we to say, give me this or give me that? Well, let us look at some application there or a few lines of application before we move to the second point. And I want to say this. This passage, from what we have seen so far, we see something of the patience of Christ. He is so patient. We see him here so patient in dealing with his ignorant. But true believers, they are ignorant. though they were true believers. Now, we are so often like these disciples, so often like them. You see, we crave for some ambitious, or in some ambitious way, we crave for possessions, for experiences, but out of ignorance, out of ignorance. You see, Christians need to grow in knowledge. But where there is no knowledge, then people suffer. and Christians, that is, suffer. And the point I am making at this point is Christ is always gracious. Christ has not dealt with us according to our ambitious ignorance. And praise be to God, if he saw and reacted and treated us as we deserve, who among us would survive? Who among us? No, thanks be to God, Christ is patient with us. But let's move on. It's not only Christ's patience we see in his dealing with his disciples, but he's also dealing with us. When we should know better, we are still languishing behind. We also see something. We see set forth here the way to share future glory. The way to share future glory. earned glory for all his people. He struggled, he suffered, and he earned it. And it is his will to be with them in glory. Indeed, that is his expressed will, that he would be with his people in glory. When we look at Matthew, I'm quite used to Matthew, but when we look at John, John chapter 17, verse 24, this is what we read, John 17, 24. This is the great prayer of the Lord Jesus. Verse 24, Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me may be with me where I am to see my glory. that you, my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. He desires that his own will be with him in glory. But, but they reach that glory through the path of suffering, through the path of humility and pain. Dear Christian, let us not fear these words. Suffering, humility, pain, patience. These are things that people are running away from. And even so-called Christians, they just think suffering is of the devil. They think suffering means lack of faith, that pain is something that is only associated with Satan? Oh no. Those who'd enter glory are those who first must taste or walk that path of suffering, of humility, of pain. and in whatever sense that comes up. They're not evil words. They're words that have appeared again and again in the lips of our Savior and in his life experience. So, friends, let me say something. Let me say something to you who are not believers. You know you are not saved. Please listen to this. Christ has drunk the last bitter drop of God's wrath for sinners. He's drunk it. That was a unique experience that you should have drunk it, you should have gone through it, but no, Christ did it. all is paid, and now God is satisfied. Listen now. He calls you to a full redemption, finished redemption. He calls you. So I ask you, will you not come? Will you not come to this finished, completed, Redemption? Ah, surely. Come, come. But I say something of encouragement to believers. Encouragement to believers. Christ has suffered uniquely. Christ has suffered uniquely. Now He calls His children to follow Him, to suffer with Him, to stand firm for Him. Then we will reign with Him. You see, friends, suffering prepares us for great glory. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17. Suffering prepares us for that huge glory that awaits us. So that's what we have seen, therefore, in the first place. Remember, the first place we are seeing glory comes after suffering. And we have learned that because of the ambitious request of a mother and her two sons, and then the response that the Lord Jesus Christ has given. Now in the second place, which is the final point, is this, the path of greatness is through service. The road of greatness, the way of greatness is through service. And back to Matthew chapter 20, when we look at verse 24, Matthew 20, 24, this is what we read, and when the 10 heard it, They were indignant at the two brothers. Now, verse 24 tells us the reaction of the 10 other disciples. Remember, we have seen James and John led to Jesus by their own mother. But the 10 got the wind, got to hear of what the two have done. They became angry with the two. Because, listen, because they too were ambitious. But the two stole the show. The two ran faster as it were than them. They lost out. So they were bitter. They were angry. It's not because the two did something wrong. Of course, the two did something wrong, yes, but these ten are saying, come on, we should have been the ones to do it. Well, that's very sad, but it happened, it is here recorded in the life of the apostles. Well, then the Lord Jesus makes a response. If you look at verse 25 to verse 27, we see a number of things there. The response of our Lord Jesus. In the first place, the Lord Jesus in making response to these angry ten, and definitely the others also now are together with them, they are all of them. What we are seeing here, a few things. One, the Lord Jesus makes a statement of a common fact. He states a common fact. Verse 25, verse 25. But Jesus called them to himself and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and their great ones exercised authority over them. In other words, The Gentile rulers oppress their subjects. That is a common fact. But then, the next thing that the Lord Jesus does is to bring out a statement of negation. Basically to say, listen, that's what they do, but you must not do like that. Verse 26, the first part of verse 26, It shall not be so among you. You must not behave like them. Those in my kingdom must not be like the Gentile rulers." And then the third thing he says, he explains the path of true greatness. He explains the path of true greatness. That is in verse 26b to the end. So he says, verse 26b, But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave. Would you be great? Well then, you must be a servant. You must, in fact, The word would mean you must be a deacon. You must be one who is ready to serve. And then finally, he sets before his disciples and therefore before us that he, Christ, is our number one example, supreme example. Verse 28, which God willing, we will look at next week, because there we see the second person in the Godhead, God the Son. He humbled himself. He became what we call incarnate. He was born a man. And not born to be served, no, but he was born, he became a man to serve, to serve. Friends, that is what we see in these two passages. And so, as we come to a close, there are these thoughts, these areas or these lessons that we learn from the path of greatness is through suffering. There are a few things that we should carry home with us. One, motivation. Motivation. to be motivated. You see, whatever position God gives us, the way of true greatness is that of self-giving, self-serving to others. In other words, we are to be motivated by and patterned after the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be aware of this passage. We are not going to develop it, but I want us to be aware of it. In the book of Philippians chapter 2, Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 onwards, this should give us our motivation. Paul writes to the Philippians and he tells them, have this mind among yourselves, which is you as in Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, no, but emptied 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. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name." And so it goes on. Be motivated and pattern your service. after Christ. And so that is motivation. But let me also say something by way of warning. Warning. Here, the Lord warns us. He warns us against chasing after positions of authority just to oppress others. Be warned! Don't you crave Don't you long for a position of authority over others only to oppress them? That is against the Lord's will. And friends, whether we are thinking of husbands to their wives, whether we are thinking of parents towards their children, and listen to this, whether we are thinking of pastors to their flock. We have to be different from the world. Different from the world. But as I began in my introduction to this sermon, there are churches where People campaign for leadership in the church in very sinful ways, using sinful, selfish methods to get into position of leadership. That is not like Christ. And be warned, Christ will not be pleased with you. Let me also give a word of encouragement. A word of encouragement, and it is this. Any, any position of service that God has given you, I want you to be encouraged. Take that position of service God has given you, take it joyfully. Be encouraged in it. So what am I talking about? Well, whether you are a mother, give yourself to the care and well-being of your children. Do that. Carry out that task. Ask from the Lord and ask to the Lord. Say no to the intimidation of the world. Stand firm, resist. Those who'd tell you, ah, how can you be detained in your house taking care of children? You should exert your authority. You should seek equality with men. No, please, no. If you're a mother, the Lord has given you a glorious, it's a God-given task to bring up your children in the ways of the Lord. Do so. And do not give in to the world and its intimidation. When we are thinking of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, If we are thinking of any positions of leadership, let's talk of the deacons. The deacons should be those chosen men full of the Holy Spirit for service, to serve others, be willing to be servants of others. And for that matter, even if it's the the elders, the pastors, the undershepherds, they are to serve as Christ himself. Well, finally, I say this again to you who are not saved, you need to be saved first. If you would have a heart of salvation, you need to be saved first. You see, the natural heart of sin will want just to oppress others, to domineer others. It is only when your heart is changed can you serve God's way. See what Christ has done. He has given His life for sinners. Would you not see your own sinfulness and come and believe in Him and so be saved? Would you not? Why not now? Why not now? As you have heard God's Word, turn to Him in prayer and ask Him to save you. Amen. Let us pray. Lord God, thank you for your word. Thank you for showing us. The Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to the whole problem of leadership. He is our great leader. Indeed, he's our great leader because He came and served us by dying for us. In his death, he experienced that unique task, took upon himself our punishment. He served us in that unique way. And now, ours is to run to Him, believe in Him, trust Him, and we will be made new people. And then we will be able to serve your people as we should. Oh Lord, bless these words for our souls. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.