Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19970126.htm

MATTHEW: JESUS AS ISRAEL'S MESSIAH AND HIS MESSIANIC KINGDOM
Part X. Christ's Messianic Kingdom Postponed
L. Christ's Edification Of The Disciples In View Of His Rejection As King
9. Learning To Adjust Parental Ambitions In View Of God's Plan For Our Children
(Matthew 20:17-28)
  1. Introduction
    1. Any parent desires his child to attain to his fullest potential. That is only natural.
    2. Well, along with this desire to see a child achieve is often a parent's own designs as to what he would want to see the achieve. This is particularly significant when a Christian parent holds personal aspirations for his Christian child as, besides the child and the parent, God has interests in the child's future as well!
    3. Matthew 20:17-28 offers a lesson in a parent's need to adjust to God's plan for his child's development.
  2. Learning To Adjust Parental Ambitions In View Of God's Plan For Our Children, Matt. 20:17-28.
    1. Christ wanted the disciples to follow Him through very difficult events involving His death, Mtt. 20:17-19.
    2. However, the mother of James and John had an entirely different ambition for these two disciples of Christ: she requested of the Lord that these sons sit, one on his right hand and the other on his left hand in His coming Messianic Kingdom, Mtt. 20:20-21.
    3. This mother's request for her sons to sit in honor with Christ in His Kingdom was met by God's instruction on God's view of achievement for these men, Mtt. 20:22-28:
      1. Christ revealed that leadership in His kingdom had to be preceded by suffering, such suffering signified by the figures of drinking of His cup and be ing baptized with His baptism of suffering, Mtt. 20:22-23a. Note how similar is this concept to that taught by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:12a.
      2. Also, leadership positions are never earned, but graciously appointed by the Father, Mtt. 20:23b. One cannot aspire to a certain position in God's work and therefore attain it as such position is a divine app ointment in grace alone.
      3. Success in God's view arrives not by dominating others as James and John's mother thought, but in serving the needs of others, Mtt. 20:24-28. The prime example is Jesus Himself Who came to serve the will of the Father by doing the awf ul task of bearing the world's sins on His body on the cross! (v. 28)
Lesson: (1) Though the world's view of child development holds that our child should attain a life of trouble-free happiness, GOD wants our child to attain greatness through suffering as did His own Son, Mtt. 20:22-23a. (2) Though the world's view of child development holds that our child should achieve in life as a reward for meritorious hard work, God's wants our child see his divine lot in life as a graciously bestowed assignment independent of personal merit, Mtt. 20:23b. (3) Though the world's view of child development holds that our child defeats others in a competetive environment, GOD wants our child to develop in conversely addressing the needs of others around him even to his own personal cost, Mtt. 20:24-28.

Application: (1) On the practical side, we need to teach our children that BECAUSE the world is a competitive, dog-eat-dog environment, in WISDOM he should try hard to succeed and not be left behind in providing for life's needs. ( 2) However, on the spiritual side, we need to adjust to GOD'S view of real greatness and position for the child: God intends that he learn to trust God, and that often through suffering injustices, unfortuante setbacks and putting the interests of o thers ahead of himself to attain real spiritual greatness! We need to let our child know that GOD wants him to learn through suffering, mistreatment, setbacks and accepting undesirable lots in life for the sake of meeting OTHERS' needs. Then he wi ll be a real achiever as was Jesus, and as James and John eventually became!

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