The Son of Man Came to Serve

Well this morning is Palm Sunday and as Good Christians we understand that Palm Sunday is that the

Sunday that Christ made his triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem But this morning

We're going to look at some events that occurred just prior to the triumphal entry

And the reason that we want to look at this particular passage is because it strips away

False expectations That have been attached and were attached and you'll see in our text.

We're attached not just by Innocent bystanders or by bystanders who didn't really have the full picture

By the very disciples that followed Christ the crowds that will line the streets of Jerusalem as Christ makes his entry cry out for a king

But they wanted a king of visible triumph They wanted a king that was going to usher in this freedom from Rome and this freedom from the oppression that they had been under Something tangible that they could see instantly a result that would affect them immediately even the disciples

At this point after walking with Christ for almost three years

Still were missing the point they were thinking in terms of earthly greatness in Terms of rank in terms of prominence

But in the passage before us Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks with unmistakable clarity

Regarding his mission. So as we take a look at these words

You will see why this passage is Fitting for the

Sunday that we typically set aside to Talk about the entry of Christ the king into Jerusalem Because this passage identifies and reminds us of exactly the type of King That Christ is

Mark 10 shows us that he is a king who? serves that he is a king who

Suffers that he is a king who gives his life as a ransom for many and the issue is

If we don't understand this If we don't understand the true purpose of Christ If we don't understand who

Christ truly was as king Then we just like those people that line the roadway of Jerusalem that fateful morning

Will not understand what we are witnessing We will misunderstand

Who we're looking at and make no mistake There are many within the church today who misunderstand

Understand who they're looking at when they look at Christ and so this particular passage

Demonstrates a Truth It actually begins and we'll you'll see this in a few moments

It begins with the truth that Christ was walking ahead of them and that's an important detail because there are many who would

Paint a picture of a Reluctant Lord and a a king who is caught in a chain of events said he cannot control

But the truth of the matter is he is very much in control The truth of the matter is he's he's he's not confused

He's not reluctant He's literally leading the way

Calvin said Commenting on the parallel passage From another gospel that Christ mentioned his death in order to withdraw his disciples from this foolish imagination or imaginary notion of an earthly kingdom

But it's a just an appropriate statement of his power and results when he declares that his life is the price of our redemption

Christ is determined To make it plain to his disciples

Both that his death is necessary and That his death has significant meaning

And so as we study the text this morning you'll see that there are three distinct movements in fact there there really are three distinct texts that we could take separately and and Do entire messages off of each one, but we're gonna pull them together

You see that first they are moving on the road along the road to Jerusalem And there's a deliberate resolve of Christ Then we see that the disciples who should have by this point begin to understand what they were looking at Are still missing the picture and clinging to this

Pride that fills the human heart and finally we will see a very clear statement

Regarding the mission of the Son of Man And so this brings us to our text from Mark's gospel in the 10th chapter we will be reading from the 32nd verse through the 45th and And so as you take your

Bibles and make your way to Mark's gospel I would invite you to stand with me in reverence for the reading of God's holy inerrant infallible

Authoritative sufficient complete and certain word

Beginning in the 32nd verse of Mark chapter 10 and following we read these words and they were on the road going up to Jerusalem and Jesus was walking ahead of them and they were amazed and those who followed were fearful and Again, he took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him

Behold we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes and They will condemn him to death and they will deliver him over to the

Gentiles and they will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him and Three days later

He will rise again then James and John the two sons of Zebedee Came up to Jesus saying to him teacher.

We want you to do for us. Whatever we ask of you And he said to them what what do you want me to do for you and They said to him grant that we may sit one on your right and one on your left in your glory

But Jesus said to them you do know not know what you are asking Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which?

I am baptized and They said to him We are able and Jesus said to them the cup that I drink you shall drink and you shall be baptized with the baptism

Which I with which I am baptized But to sit on my right hand or on my left.

This is not mine to give but it is for those for whom it has been prepared and And hearing this the ten begin to feel indignant with James and John and Calling them to himself

Jesus said to them You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the gent of the

Gentiles Lord it over them and Their great men exercise authority over them

But it is not this way among you but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant and Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all

For even the Son of Man Did not come to be served but to serve and To give his life as a ransom

For many our most gracious heavenly father

We come before you having heard your word and as we come we do so in reverence in humility and with deep gratitude

Lord in your word you have shown us not only what your son endured, but why he came

You you reveal to us the heart of the gospel that that the Son of Man came not to be served

But to serve to give his life as a ransom for many

Lord we confess before you this morning.

How often we think just the same way that these disciples thought We seek our own glory.

We seek our own recognition We we seek greatness by the standards not of your word not of you not of your truth

But of this world father we pray that you forgive us of our pride

That you forgive us of our self -seeking hearts

That you forgive us for our failure to understand the nature the truth of Christ's kingdom

Father we ask that you fix our eyes upon the Lord Jesus Christ The spirit opens our hearts to receive this truth

That as your word is preached Christ is exalted

Sinners are drawn and Your people would be conformed more fully to the image of our

Lord and Savior For it is in his name the name of Jesus Christ That we ask all of these things

Amen, you may be seated mark begins or our text this morning begins kind of in the middle of a

Series of events and and he brings us to this point talking about the fact that they are now on the road to Jerusalem now in case you've not kept up with your reading of the

Gospels you will understand the Emperor you may not understand the apprehension and the

Amazement that the disciples feel Knowing that they are going to Jerusalem where What awaits?

Christ is a death sentence Now again at this point the disciples don't fully understand.

They don't fully comprehend what's going on All they know is that at the other end of the line when they reach

Jerusalem There has been a price put on the head of Christ That there is this

Desire to capture and kill him. They don't know what's coming next Because they've not understood

What's approaching? They do however sense this gravity

They do see Christ leading forward not accidentally. He's very

Purposeful about his movement. He's very direct about his movement. He's not made any

A Hesitation or Bones about what he's doing.

He's told them repeatedly that he is headed to Jerusalem intentionally deliberately

Purposefully and so as they move up we see this picture that they were amazed and those who followed were fearful

Now the ones that were fearful were not necessarily the entire crowd But there was a more than just the disciples following and so we see this next picture this next image of Jesus Pulling his twelve aside

The twelve that had walked with him since called the twelve who had been his closest

Companions the twelve who had been at every Teaching And not just had the benefit of the teachings that as he gave the crowd but the benefit of his personal one -on -one teaching of of the discipleship of Him And he tells them very plainly

What's about to happen? In fact, there there are a few places in Scripture that are more plain

Where he speaks Regarding what's coming? Then this particular passage there are other passages that allude to it

There are other times when he speaks where he uses metaphorical type language Here he is very direct very poignant very

Sincere as he says that he is going up the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priest to the scribes

They will condemn him They will mock him. They will spit upon him

They will deliver him to the Gentiles who will do more mocking more spitting flogging and ultimately kill him and Then he says but after three days

The Son of Man will rise He names

Everything that we see unfold and he's very deliberate about it

He's very clear about it, there's no accidental There's nothing that's unforeseen.

Now. I know you you need to think about all of what's happening Christ is deliberately walking

Towards what he knows will happen Now I don't know about you

But I I have an allergy. I am allergic to pain.

I Don't know how many of you are allergic to pain but I prefer not to have pain in Fact I tried to avoid pain

Yet we see our Lord The one who we talked about last week being our penal substitution

Walking Deliberately in that direction

Because that is the plan This matters

This matters greatly as you talk to people

It is easy for people to simply think of the cross as Though it were something that was just done to Jesus.

It's something that was performed

Not necessarily with his Desire or with his

Movement you see We are looking in a lot of cases for someone

To blame and we could find a lot of people to blame in Scripture if only

Judas Hadn't betrayed him If only the chief priest had not held the mock trial

If only they hadn't handed him over to Pontius Pilate if only Pontius Pilate hadn't washed his hands

If only the crowds hadn't cried out crucify him but what we see is that Wicked men did what their sinful hearts desired to do

Judas's heart desired to betray him the chief priest the

Pharisees Desired to put him to death To condemn him

Pilate desired to hand him over the soldiers desired to mock him but above and beyond all of these things sits the settled

Purposeful will of God it is

God's Plan it is his movement.

It is the father's Work and it is the son

Who is willingly? Obedient Jesus goes

Knowingly yet he goes willingly obediently

A .W. Pink wrote Christ came here not to be ministered unto as the

Lord of all But to give his life the word give is

Important the word give emphasizes the fact that he acted voluntarily without any compulsion

Christ is not being swept along by some outside force He's moving intentionally

Obediently Spurgeon speaking on Matthew chapter 20 verse 28 made this statement the death of Christ was perfectly voluntary as He was free to come or not.

So he was not under any constraint to give his life, but he did so and because God has true free will and Christ is

God. He did so of his true own free will

Went to the cross This is what we see on this road to Jerusalem Christ walking ahead

Because he knows that he has come for this very hour We talked about the fullness of time

We love that terminology, especially at Christmastime, right? in the fullness of time

But as Christ walks to the cross, it's just as much in the fullness of time as His birth the time has come the appointed moment is here and Jesus again refers to himself in that term that he most often uses the

Son of Man a title that carries not just the humiliation of being a

Person a human But also the truth of glory that that title reaches all the way back to Daniel chapter 7

When we see the Son of Man coming in glory Now that's a different topic a different sermon for a different day

But it's a it's a a call back to help these people Understand exactly who he is because ultimately the

Son of Man identified in Daniel 7 Receives dominion and glory and a kingdom.

He is the very one who has everlasting Dominion the one who is condemned by earthly rulers is the one before whom all rulers in truth all of everyone all creatures all created things will bow the glorious Son of Man must go the way of suffering before he enters the fullness of his exaltation, but there is also a a pastoral comfort hearing a shepherding comfort here because it reminds us that our salvation

Does not rest on this Human guesswork or this idea of religious optimism

It rests on a deliberate accomplishment

It rests on the truth that Christ knew the cost and he went anyway.

He went Willingly he knew the shame that he would have to undergo

He knew the wrath that he would bear far greater than any of us could ever have imagined

Far greater than the physical torment that he would feel on the cross because he would literally be under the

Eternal wrath of an eternally Holy God, and I don't like to get stuck by a needle

That's a 32nd Period of pain and what

Christ is facing is unimaginable MacArthur said in his sermon on this particular passage

That Christ gave his life as the price paid for the release of a slave that his death was a vicarious

Substitutionary death on behalf of sinners That's where the road is leading

You understand it's not just about the physical road that leads to Jerusalem This is the road that leads ultimately to the cross

There's a song some of you may be familiar with called via de la Rosa It talks about the the the path through Jerusalem up to the hill to give

Golgotha But before he ever walked into Jerusalem, he was already on that path

Every road he ever walked on was the road to the cross As he walks down this road.

He does so with his eyes open. He knows what's happening He's not going to die just as an example of courage

He's going to die as we talked about last week as a substitute for his people

So before we ever get to 45 where he talks about coming to be the ransom for many already

The truth of the cross overshadows the passage This road is the road to Ransom it's the road to redemption.

It's the road by which life will come to many after Christ makes this startling statement comes an almost unbelievable passage and before we scoff at the sons of Zebedee may we take a moment to inventory ourselves and Recognize that the way in which they respond is not often different from the way in which we respond

Jesus is talking about being delivered into the hands of the chief priest being mocked being beaten being spit upon being done all these things to being scourged and then being put to death and their first statement is

We want you to do whatever we ask of you Isn't that an amazing statement?

Think about look at look at verse 35 for a minute, right? Then the two sons of Zebedee By the way, if you don't remember who the two sons of Zebedee were they are

James and John They came up to Jesus now Before we go any further.

I want you to remember That Christ had the multitude of disciples little d

Then he had the disciples capital D the 12, but then even within those disciples

He had that small group, right? And one of those small group is referred to as the disciple whom

Jesus loved y 'all remember this guy, right? He wrote a whole gospel. His name was John these two men walk up to Jesus and In the mindset of a human filled with prideful desire

They request that he do whatever they ask of him now

Again before we get too ready to condemn James and John I Wonder I Wonder how many times maybe we've had that same approach

No, we may not have worded it the same way, right? We didn't we didn't necessarily

You know get down on our hands and knees and bow our heads and go Lord Just give me whatever

I ask you But yet we bring all of our petitions in Such a way as it's not really about praying and communicating with the father, but rather a list of demands

Right We've been there. We've done that we can we're in church. We can admit that to each other

Because this is a fellowship. This is a family. This is the place where we sharpen each other

But you only sharpen when you're honest. And so we see that this is the truth of people

Here here here is Christ talking about the cross and And it goes further to show you that they're not just thinking about anything they're thinking about something very specific

They want to be number one and number two on the list Now we don't necessarily get the right hand left hand reference but in in that culture in that in that system whenever you had and in a

Monarchal system when you have a king and a ruler those who sit at his right and his left or are

Typically the most trusted advisors the second and third in command if you will

This is what they asked for Christ is talking about his death about being mocked and about being killed and and they're wanting to know

Well, what position will I be? I'm gonna be chief one or chief two, you know, it's funny

They're they're arranging seating positions Because they're imagining a kingdom

That is measured by the standard of the world some of you will remember a

Good while back. We did some work in the Paul's letters to the church at Corinth one of the things that we talked about in Paul dealing with the church at Corinth was that there was a meritocracy going on And meritocracy is a system of rulership by which the more you contribute the higher your prestige

And if you're still unsure think about our world today, right? The more you can contribute the more important you are the less you the less people think you contribute to society the less important you are

That's just true. This is what's in the minds of James and John They want to be at this place they they they want to be in this level

But you know we still think that way we have people

Who who want Christ but not the cross we have people who want glory

But they certainly don't want humility We have people who

Won't honor They want the benefit But they don't want to serve they don't want to take on the shape of the actual kingdom

They want to be the able to say that they are a Christian, and they are a good Christian yet They don't want to be obedient To the

Word of God Sin doesn't just show itself in open rebellion sin shows itself in Self -seeking religion you see we can very quickly sink into a place where Churches about us the

Bible's about us and And we come here to make ourselves better we come

To serve the one who came to serve We come to worship the one who came to serve and so Jesus responds to James and John with a question he tells them to begin with first of all you don't know what you're asking

Now I like that statement because that's the kind of Statement I would make to someone like you don't know what you're talking about Should really have no idea do you

I Would probably word it a lot more humanistic like you're clueless, or you know you just fell off to turnip truck yesterday

It's something along those lines nice sarcastic remark Jesus simply looked at James and John and he says you really don't know what you're asking do you think

Do you think That you're able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which

I am Baptized and they're like absolutely we can drink from a cup and be baptized not a problem It's a lot like church membership to some people

Can I sign a card? Absolutely, I can sign a card. Don't ask me to do anything. Don't ask me to have any responsibilities

Don't ask me to be obedient to the Word of God But I can put my name on a list so that I can say that I'm a member of XYZ and feel good about myself

And so Jesus asks this question Before we look at their answer

Any in any depth we need to make sure that we understand the question

Because you see this cup isn't a cup of wine or grape juice

This isn't a cup that was passed around at the Passover. This isn't the cup of the Lord's Supper This is the cup of the wrath of Almighty God.

That's the cup that's at stake here And so the question is is do you think you can drink that cup?

And so the other part of the question is the baptism

This is not a good old -fashioned river

Baptism pool of water baptism, you know now we've got nice clean filtered things that we get dunked in It's not that this is the baptism of the physical pain

And torment that Christ is getting prepared to go through this is the baptism by blood that he will move through This is the

Roman scourging You see Roman scourging in case you've never really been through this particular explanation

Roman scourging was done with a piece of equipment called a cat of nine tails and it was a nice whip that was bound at one end just big enough for a handle with Anywhere from 9 to 15 lashes on it and Tied along that those lashes were chips of bone

The chips were razor -sharp. They were designed not to slice but to grab and rip

And so as you were hit with this it literally would dig into your flesh and tear it away

That's what he means when he says scourging up here earlier He knows that's what's coming the agony that he would feel on the cross itself.

This is the baptism this is the agony that he will feel as He prays at Gethsemane.

They don't understand They say they're able They say they have capability

But they don't understand that is the substitutionary sacrifice the very

Marrow as Spurgeon observed the very marrow the very sum the very substance of the mission of Jesus Christ is

Coming to give his life that he might stand in the place of those for whom he died the cup of Christ This cup this cup that he drinks is unique.

There is no one who will truly drink it So what does he mean when he says that they will?

He's talking about the truth that they will experience Persecution and they do if you've never done it just take a little while and examine the

The end of the life of the twelve disciples and the ways in which they met their death.

They will experience some of the suffering But they cannot withstand the true suffering

They will experience some of the pain, but they cannot experience the true pain no one can join

Christ in the work of Propitiation no one can assist Christ in the purchase of redemption not you not

I not anyone It's his work his work alone Jesus says yeah you you will share in the suffering

But the places of honor that belongs to my father for him to a point now

He doesn't specifically say the father, but he does say that it is not mine to give What's interesting here is at Jesus reply to?

James and John We see that the other disciples become indignant

They're upset Why? It's not because they're standing back and looking at James and God John going you idiots

I Knew the answer to that question you should have known the answer to that question You know that we can't serve in the place of Christ You know we can't do the work that Christ came to do that's not what there

This is not we're more religious and have a better Comprehension of what's going on than you they're mad because they asked the question first They're bad

Because they are the ones who spoke first because the same Pride that was in James and John is also in the rest of the disciples and guess what brothers and sisters this in you and I It's very easy for us to ask very similar questions very difficult

Not to and as much as we try we we have flesh, right?

The reality is that still exists and so notice

Jesus's Way of dealing with this he heard it so the other ten began to feel indignant and Jesus called them to himself

So he brings the twelve together and in a single group he addresses

This situation And what he says to them almost sounds odd It almost sounds like he's not really dealing with the situation like maybe he's switched gears, but He's still on topic

He's still on point And we any he responds to them and tells all twelve

You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them and their great men exercise authority over them

He says this is the model of the world's Greatness that model is

Dominion That model is Rulership that model is I'm bigger than you.

I'm better than you. I am in charge of you Why because I beat you or I have the entitled right to be better than you

I'm sure any of us who are in this room today who have experienced leadership from any level be it a boss or be it a teacher or be it a some other type

Have experienced leadership that is like this I'm in charge

My way or the highway That's the world's type of Leadership, that's the world's way of dealing with this.

That's the way that the world models greatness that that's the way the world Celebrates people they celebrate the man who climbs over all the other men to get to his position

They elevate the one who gathers titles who accumulates power who makes himself important in the eyes of men

You remember the passage we read from Isaiah last week where it talked about?

the the visage of Christ the way he he he there was nothing about him that that Sparked people to want to follow as far as the way he looked it wasn't like he walked around with this this you know perfect Symmetrical feature with exact Magical ratio lines and all this great stuff to to where this was the man that everyone wanted to follow

It talked about him being marred and that he was not Attractive and so he draws this very specific distinction

He says you know that that's the world's way, but then in verse 43

He begins with one of the best words in all of Scripture, but but but it's not this way among You just have modeled this to you.

I Haven't shown this to you. This is not the way in which we live there is a sharp

Distinction between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God Greatness in Christ's kingdom is not measured by how many people respond to you or beneath you

Who answer to you? It's measured by this

Whoever wishes to become great among you Shall be your servant now

We hear it, but our flesh rails against it we hear it

But we despise it Because we want this greatness to feel impressive we want to Sound grand.

This is why we seek for platforms. This is why we seek for notoriety This is why we seek for fame and fortune

This is why things like social media take off because it gives us recognition. We can get instant feedback

I Can post something and and people go to click and like and I feel good about it, and I'm receiving instant recognition instant gratification instant greatness

But MacArthur said regarding the same context Be a waiter Be a waiter

Give your life giving people what they need spend your life giving people what they

Need this gets to the point servanthood is not sentimental language

Servanthood is practiced Intentional self -denial

Servanthood means that the Christian must reject the world's obsession with prominence

You don't have to be prominent Does that mean that there are

Christians who will not end up in places of prominence? Absolutely, they were or some who will end up in places of prominence the difference is they are not seeking after it

That's not their end goal. That's not their demand it may occur But it's not what drives them.

It's not what they focus on. It's not what they want This was a much -needed word for the church

Right now because I can promise you

That within 30 miles of this church There are a large number of churches

Who are mimicking worldly models of leadership who have pastors?

who are set up as monarchs who have elders that are cultivating personal kingdoms deacons that are not called to serve

But they are serving for recognition That's the whole reason they're there so that I can be recognized now.

We're really good We describe it and disguise it in really churchly language. I Served God today by doing

X Y Z. I Brought glory to the kingdom today by doing

X Y Z Look at all of the things that I have done for the church

Look at all of the things that I have done for Christ I'm just gonna say

I don't care how big your list is it pales in comparison to what Christ has done for his people

Service in the kingdom is not opposed to authority. It defines the right use of authority.

It does not abolish leadership Christ redeems leadership And this brings us to verse 45 for even the

Son of Man did not come To be served but to serve to give his life as a ransom

Jesus gives his disciples first and foremost himself as a pattern

Himself as the Example, why should the disciples embrace the life that he called them to in 43 and 44 because Christ himself

The Lord of all the King of Kings the creator of the universe

Has done it if anyone ever

Had a right to be demanded or to a right to demand

Service Would it not be the creator of all if? Anyone was entitled to immediate

Homage anyone was entitled to people immediately bowing at his feet.

Would it not be? Creator would it not be?

Christ our Lord it was after all by his

Hand that all things were created not one thing was created that was not created through him

Would he not be the first? Spurgeon said he comes then not to be served but to serve he does not come to get your service

He came to give you his services not that you might first do him honor

But that he might show you Mercy how glorious How wonderful how amazing

That Christ Came not looking for men who could enrich him

He came looking for guilty needy sinners he came looking for people who had nothing to offer but guilt and Helplessness because you see that's the only thing we bring to the equation, right?

That's it Your talent got nothing to do with it your ability nothing to do with it your prestige

Nothing to do with it your bank account zip to do with it. It is because you and I just like all others in truth

When we really understand who we are We see that we are people who have nothing but guilt

And Helplessness and his service the way in which he came to serve

Let's look at the passage again for even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

How is he going to serve? How did he come to serve? See, here's the here's the point right?

So here's the thing that we need to understand. We love to read Rightfully so the

Word of God we love the truth of the Word of God We love to know that Christ came and he taught and he did all these things, but we need to understand that his primary purpose

Was not just to teach people but was to serve to give his life as a ransom for many

Pink wrote Christ ransom was paid to satisfy God's justice a life for a life the ransom being a penal infliction

Penal a punishment a penalty

That was due much as we talked about last week It's not his death was not merely an example of love

It certainly was that example, but that's not just what it was It was not just to display more

Moral courage and fortitude. It was that as well, but it was this penal substitutionary justice satisfying death

Calvin said when he when he declares that his life is the price of our redemption

We obtain an undeserved reconciliation with God the price of which is to be found nowhere else than in the death of Christ Jesus, why is that important?

It is important because we need to understand the difference between ransom and Redemption The Greek term

Behind the word ransom means the price that is paid for the release of a slave

So when we draw out this distinction We need to understand that the ransom is the price that is paid to secure the redemption

The two separate things both very important Christ death is the ransom price the price that was paid to secure the freedom

Which is the redemption? What are we released from what are we redeemed from?

Sin guilt Condemnation bondage the curse of the law the wrath of Almighty God One of my favorite quotes from R.

C. Sproul and I'll bungle it it's not exact. He loved people to ask him

About being saved and he'd say well What do you need to be saved from? And the answer that he would give after they tried and couldn't give the answer is you you need to be saved from God You need to be saved from God The beauty is is that God himself does that saving he paid the price?

He was the ransom MacArthur says

Christ came to whom was the ransom paid and it was paid to God.

God is the judge who had to be satisfied Jesus dies the vicarious substitutionary death on our behalf.

The ransom is not paid to Satan Listen the only right that Satan has the only thing that he has is a is a claim over right

For us because of the penalty of the sin in our lives. That's it and at the end of the day

He has no true power or authority except for what is given to him and because of the defeat because of the death of Christ because of this substitutionary work

This perpetuary sacrifice this price is paid to God to ransom us

But then there's this other this this idea of serving

Again he he immediately explains this service in the terms of giving his life

Is his deepest service was not the washing of the disciples feet?

Listen we churches have adopted this practice as a as a

Demonstration of Humility, but can I just say when you demonstrate humility?

It's not really when you when you intentionally demonstrate humility It's not really you intentionally demonstrating humility.

Does that make sense? When you have to go through the action so that it looks like you're being humble.

You're not really being humble Because you're saying hey, look how humble I am which is not humble at all

Christ's true service was not washing the disciples feet. It was an important Lesson it was it's an important truth

It contains all kind of things that we should study and should understand and should know but at the end of the day we should Also understand that his ultimate service was by giving his life

The sovereign son of the Living God took the place of the serpent of the servants

He is the righteous one Then we have this final two words

And I'm just going to tell you these two words pain many many people because these two words

Really do away With a a lot of questions that people should have or should do away with a lot of questions people have

For whom did Christ die you notice he didn't say

I came to give my life as a ransom for everyone or all

But many and in no world does many equal all in no language does many equal all pink notes that the

Preposition here again is substitutionary. He did it for like we talked about last week

Not vague benevolence substitution Christ said

I came to give my life as a ransom for on behalf of Many Christ dies for many in the place of many to secure the release of the many

Who are these many? These are the ones given to the Son by the Father These are the sheep the elect understand that this many doesn't weaken

Christ This is one of the biggest problems that people have when we begin this conversation like well

Well, that just says that Christ isn't strong enough. No Christ is absolutely strong enough one obedient Savior Secures a multitude that we cannot number we don't understand the fullness of this term many

We don't understand exactly how many it is.

We don't understand as Spurgeon said when you know when I can identify the elect by Yellow stripes up the back.

I'll run around pulling up people's shirts until then I'll preach the whosoever gospel Because I don't know you don't know who they are

Christ knows the Father knows That should be good enough for any of us to proclaim the truth

But it also shows us That Christ came willingly humbly

Sacrificially Substitutionally and effectually That last one that's an important one effectually

That means that the effect will take place it will occur it not might not should not possibly it will

It's certain It's guaranteed that he actually will secure the redemption of his people and This should affect the way that we think about the entry of Christ on Palm Sunday Yes, if you if you keep reading you'll go through the example in in Jericho of Bartimaeus But then you run into the triumphal entry and you begin to think about the type of King he enters as a king

He is absolutely worthy of all of the praise that he receives This is why when he he gets to the end of the line and and the the the leaders say hey

You need to tell these people to knock it off And he says listen if they are quiet the rocks will cry out, of course,

I'm paraphrasing He deserves the praise that he receives

But that's not the purpose.

The purpose is the climax of the mission comes five days later on Calvary's cross

So often on Palm Sunday, we talk about the crowds the palm branches the hosannas the excitement

But Christ is walking Very differently than what the crowds are portraying

Then what even the disciples are seeing He is demonstrating and showing that he himself is the servant

King the one who would overthrow sin and death and hell not by Sacrificing all of them but by sacrificing himself

So what do we do with this text? First and foremost we behold the sovereign resolve of Almighty God God the

Father in his eternal plan of redemption God the Son in his unwavering move and resolve to the cross

Going knowingly going willingly and willingly being the substitute for his people secondly

We should all repent of our ideas of worldly greatness

The disciple wanted the highest seats

Jesus points him to the lowest place He said you want the highest seat then you need to be willing to pay the price

That I've got to pay To drink the cup that I've got a drink to be baptized in the baptism with which

I am baptized third and above all by faith in Christ finished work alone

We rest our souls. I don't know about y 'all

But at the end of some weeks man, all I want is some rest I'm tired There's been a lot of things

I just want to be able to pause but that's earthly rest

We're talking about eternal rest Rest we receive when we flee to Christ when we have faith in Christ when we cast ourselves upon Christ and if you're sitting here

And you're a believer and Christ has ransomed you you no longer belong to yourself you have been bought with a price

You serve because he served you stoop because he stooped you live for others

Because he gave his life For you. So yes on Palm Sunday.

We remembered that the king came But we also remember that the king comes not to take from sinners but to give himself for sinners

He didn't come first for a throne. He came for a cross to give his life as a ransom for many

Let's pray our most gracious and sovereign

Lord Father we thank you for the truth of your word

We thank you for the clarity with which you reveal to us the mission of Christ We thank you that he did not come to serve to be served but to Serve to give his life

When we know that we could never accomplish What he has fully and perfectly accomplished

What we confess that Even though we believe even though we have faith even though we rest in the finished work of Christ we still are prone to drift back into the thinking of the world to Seek comfort to seek recognition ease

We pray that you give us the strength To live in light of the ransom that has been paid

Father as we prepare to leave this place in a few moments We ask that you fix our hearts on the

King who entered Jerusalem to die that we might live Father we ask all of this in the blessed name of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Our substitute and our