Worship Helps for Pentecost 22
Artwork: Jesus Meeting Mother of James and John
Worship
Theme: “I am the greatest,” shouted Muhammad Ali after one of his more famous
boxing victories. “I am,” he later added, “the greatest heavy weight of all
time.” How would you define greatness? Is it power? Wealth? Fame? In our
readings for this Lord’s Day, the Greatest who ever lived, he who died for us
all and rose again, shows us that true greatness comes through humble service.
Old Testament: 2
Chronicles 26:16-23 But after
Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the
LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar
of incense. 17 Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous
priests of the LORD followed him in. 18 They confronted him and said,
"It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for
the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn
incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be
honored by the LORD God." 19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his
hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in
their presence before the incense altar in the LORD's temple, leprosy broke out
on his forehead. 20 When Azariah the chief priest and all the other
priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they
hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had
afflicted him. 21 King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He
lived in a separate house--leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD.
Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land.
22 The other events of Uzziah's reign, from beginning to end, are
recorded by the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 23 Uzziah rested with
his fathers and was buried near them in a field for burial that belonged to the
kings, for people said, "He had leprosy." And Jotham his son
succeeded him as king.
1. What did King Uzziah do wrong that caused God to afflict him
with leprosy?
2. Therefore, what couldn’t Uzziah do for the rest of his life?
(See 26:21.)
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:7-12, 19-23 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants
a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink
of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view?
Doesn't the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law
of Moses: "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain."
Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for
us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows
and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the
harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much
if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right
of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this
right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel
of Christ. … 19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself
a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I
became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one
under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under
the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having
the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as
to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to
win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means
I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that
I may share in its blessings.
3. Did Paul and Barnabas have a right to be paid for the labors
among the Corinthians?
4. Why didn’t Paul and Barnabas make use of this right? (See
9:12.)
5. Why was Paul so adaptable and flexible in his ministry
methods? What was his goal?
Gospel: Mark
10:35-45 Then James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you
to do for us whatever we ask." 36 "What do you want me to
do for you?" he asked. 37 They replied, "Let one of us sit
at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink
the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will
drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places
belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 41 When the
ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42
Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded
as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to
be first must be slave of all. 45 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."
6. How did the disciples define greatness?
7. According to Jesus, how should we define greatness?
Answers:
1. In his pride, Uzziah went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense
on the golden incense altar inside the holy place. Only priests were allowed there.
2. For the rest of his life, due to his skin disease, Uzziah could not
enter even the outdoor courts of the LORD’S temple where other Jewish people
could go.
3. Yes, Paul and Barnabas had a right to be paid for their gospel work.
Both logic (Paul cites soldiers, vineyard owners and shepherds in 9:7, and
plowmen and threshers in 9:10) and the Old Testament (Paul cites Deuteronomy
25:4 in 9:9) show that Paul and Barnabas had a right to be paid. Pastors and other
hard-working servants of the gospel today have the same right.
4. Paul and Barnabas did not make use of their right, so as not to hinder
the gospel of Christ when they were in Corinth.
5. Paul was so adaptable and flexible in his ministry methods so that all
in all, he might save some people (9:22) and that he might share in the
gospel’s benefits himself (9:23).
6. Jesus’ disciples considered greatness to be a position of honor among
themselves. They considered greatness to be having a seat right next to Jesus
when he came into his glory.
7. Jesus, the Great One, gave us the greatest example of greatness. He
humbly offered his life to pay for the freedom of all mankind from eternal
death. True greatness comes through humble service. May we follow Christ’s
example of humble service, not out of selfish ambition, but out of thanks and
love to him who loved us first.
Putting your faith
into action
How
easily we forget that there is no place in the kingdom for lording it over
those around us! Again and again Jesus
teaches us that we are called to serve, imitating his loving service. May this
portion of God’s Word serve as a reminder for us to humbly acknowledge the
gifts he’s given us and to use them in the service of others.
The
adversaries not only require invocation in worshiping the saints, but also
apply the merits of the saints to others. They make the saints not only intercessors,
but also people who make atonement. This
cannot be tolerated. Here honor that belongs to Christ alone is completely
transferred to the saints. The
adversaries make them mediators and atonement makers. Although they distinguish between mediators of
intercession and mediators of redemption, they plainly make the saints
mediators of redemption. Without the
testimony of Scripture, they declare that the saints are mediators of
intercession. This, be it said ever so
reverently, still clouds over Christ’s office and transfers to the saints the
confidence of mercy belonging to Christ. People imagine that Christ is stricter and the
saints more easily appeased. They trust the saints’ mercy rather than Christ’s
mercy. They flee from Christ and seek
the saints. So they actually make the
saints mediators of redemption.
By
the Word of God we certainly know that God wants to listen to those calling
upon Christ, “Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to
you” (John 16:23). We
also have the command to call upon Christ:
“Come
to Me, all who labor.” (Matthew 11:28) – Apology of the Augsburg Confession,
Article XXI, Saints, paragraphs 14-15, 17-18
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