Faith, Service, and Humility: Following Christ's Example

1) "Inside of this moment, he felt as if nothing would ever be able to. Here was Jesus standing in front of him, and he knew, at least within his mind, that Jesus was that last bit of hope. And just like many of us, the father still had doubts, though, on whether or not Jesus could actually heal his son. You see, we're told in this passage that this young boy had been like this since he was very young. The father explained that since his son was young, he had been like this. And the father had witnessed all types of suffering that the boy had faced throughout his short life. He would be thrown into convulsions, the boy would be thrown into fires and water, and the demon would try everything it could to kill this young boy. You know, I can't even begin to comprehend the pain and the suffering that not only the child would have gone through, but the pain and the suffering." [40:36] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "We have to be willing to seek his face. And when the disciples asked Jesus why they were not able to cast out the demon themselves, Jesus came back to them and said that that kind can. I think it's important for us to understand that when we have, in those moments of doubt, when we have those things that we're facing and we don't see a way over it, we are called to take it to our heavenly Father and present it to him to allow him to rule in our lives, allow him to guide us in the midst of whatever we face, that we don't rely on our own understandings, but that we allow Jesus to reign." [43:03] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "Being a servant isn't something that comes easily, often within the culture we live in, does it? It especially doesn't become easy for those of us who've been trained to take up leadership, to be a leader. It's not something that comes easy for those of us who dream of being served. It's that old mindset of don't you know who I am? It's a mindset that goes all the. Where the serpent came to Eve and tempted her with the fruit, telling her that if she eats of the fruit, her eyes will be opened and she. Where people are hoping to catch their 15 minutes of fame right get that 15 minutes of fame, and they're willing to do about anything to get that validation from the world around them, anything to get people to look up to them, hoping that they can cash in and be admired." [45:28] (70 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "It's not about us. It's about sharing the good news of Jesus and that there's hope for all of us. That it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter where you've been through or the sin in your life, that there's hope that can be found in Christ alone, that it's not just for the older people, it's not just for the younger people. It's not for the rich or for the poor, it's for each and every one of us. When the first church was formed, one of the most amazing things that they couldn't wrap their heads around is all these other religions always had, like, social statuses and everything else going on." [54:17] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "We get into that and we start arguing over, well, I'm a good person. I never did any of that. We may not use those exact words, but we have the same argument that the disciples do, so often forgetting that Jesus said that none of us are righteous, none of us are holy, none of us are good enough on our own. That's why we have Jesus be the suffering servant and go to the cross. That's why we need Christ inside of our lives is because it's through him that we are made righteous. It's through him that we are made holy. It's not on our own works. It's only through Christ. So when Jesus hears what the disciples are arguing over, he gathers the twelve up and calls them over, and he tells what he does in verse 35 is kind of like parents corralling the kids, saying, we're going to have a talk." [57:33] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "You know, it goes back to that old adage, it's not what you know. Right? We've heard that probably many times in our life. But the reality is, unless the person you know is Jesus, none of it matters if you don't know him. You see, Jesus is more about that humble man or woman willing to fall on their knees before God and repent and ask for forgiveness. Jesus is more about that person who is willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That is, the one that will serve him quietly even when others aren't looking. That's what Jesus is concerned on. That's what he is looking at. He's more concerned about that than the outspoken person who is just doing things to make themselves look good. When other people are around. You want to know who you truly are in Christ. Who are you behind closed doors? Who are you when others aren't looking? Are you still the hands and feet of Jesus." [58:48] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "A true servant means having the attitude in your life that freely helps other in need without expecting or demanding anything in return. Let me say that again. A true servant means having the attitude in our life that freely helps others in need without expecting or demanding anything in return. It's not about having honor and attention brought onto us. It's about freely giving to others and helping them wherever their need may be, wherever their struggle may be, just as Christ did for us. And to make the point even clearer, he tells us in verses 36 and 37, he took a child and had him stand among them. And taking him in his arms, he said to them, whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but the one who sent me." [01:01:37] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "We need to remember something very important about being the hands and feet of Jesus. We need to remember that each and every one of us, inside and outside of these walls, are made in the image of God. That in the beginning he formed us, that he knew us before we were in our mother's womb. That Jesus didn't come to die on the cross for just you and I, but for each and every man, woman and child in this entire earth. That's who we came for. For anybody that was willing to call out on the name of Jesus. None of us are greater than anyone else. And we are all people in need of a savior. And for those of us who've come to know Christ as our savior, we are called to be the servants of the most high. We get to partner with Jesus and reach out to the least of these in their communities and serve with a joyful heart, with no expectation. Remembering our reward is not found here on earth, but it is found in heaven that we're not building up a kingdom here." [01:04:32] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)