I.       Intro

A.   Review - Vision 2009

1.     Loving god: We must be in God's Word regularly

a)    senior demon to a junior demon about how to neutralize his Christian subject: "our best work is done by keeping things out [ of their minds]" (CS Lewis, p20, Screwtape letters)

(1)  like the Word of God

b)    The senior demon continues, "Keep them watching their own minds and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills.  When they meant to ask Him (God) for love, let them, instead, start trying to manufacture loving feelings for themselves and not notice that this is what they are doing" (p. 21, ibid)

2.     Loving One Another: We must recognize the spiritual battle and pray for one another

a)    The Christian is like a foot soldier at war with the enemy which is not flesh and blood but spiritual powers in the heavenlies (Ephesians 6)

3.     Loving Our Neighbour: We must share our faith (the gospel)

a)    John 10:10 says that Christ came to give spiritual life because all men by default start out tainted with Adam's passed on sin and are therefore spiritually dead

b)    practical helps are good, but we can't stop there - people need spiritual life.

B.   Today we are looking at idolatry in our Exploring Faith series.  Specifically the idol of power.

II.    We must not seek power as something ultimate

A.   State

1.     Read Luke 22:24-27

2.     Overview of the passage

a)    Background

(1)  context and setting that Luke puts this passage in is the Lord's Supper

(2)  The Lord's Supper is when Jesus washed the disciples feet - the duty of the servant of the home.  Jesus was making a strong object lesson for the disciples about the way they should treat each other - with humility and servanthood.

b)    Who is the "them" referred to in v. 24?

c)     what question did they (disciples) pose to each other?

d)    Who is speaking in v. 25?

e)     what was greatness as defined by Jesus in vv. 26-27?

3.     Greatness!  Power!  Authority!

4.     This Tuesday America inaugurated its 44th president - president Barack Hussein Obama. 

a)    Right after Obama was elected, Newsweek magazine in America led with a story entitled "The Story of Power" which gave highlight to Obama as the #1 most powerful person on a list of the world's most powerful people.

b)    The byline of the title of the article called power "an ancient human impulse".

c)     And Alexander Solzhenitsyn who is most noted for exposing to the world the Russian forced labour camps through his books noted with much feeling how hard it was for him to give up power after being a Red army captain.

5.     The Newsweek article saw power as "command" and "control".

6.     The article defined power: "it is the capacity to make others do as you wish (the command function) or to reorder the environment around you (the control function).

7.     As the disciples began to discuss who is the greatest disciple among them, Jesus breaks into the discussion and defines power in a totally different way.

8.     Greatness or power is not how many people you have under you, but how many people you serve.

a)    Normally in worldly terms if you want to find out how powerful a person is you would say, "How many people are under you?" or "How many people report to you?"

b)    v. 25 Jesus uses the term Benefactors which was an honorary title given to rulers in Rome, Egypt and Syria of that day.

(1)  it was in name only and usually did not represent service given

(a)    Big on title

(b)   Small on doing or serving

(2)  Jesus says to the disciples not to be like that - to render true service to others is what it means to be great

c)      v. 26 Jesus says that the greatest is like the youngest

(1)  in that culture the youngest persons would perform the most menial and lowly tasks

B.   Illustrate

1.     One of the greatest pictures of true power that Jesus gave the disciples was when he washed their feet before this very meal that they were at now.

2.     Foot washing in those days was always done by the household servant in order to wash the dirt off someone's feet when they came into the dwelling.

3.     Jesus took the place of the household servant when he washed the disciples feet.

4.     In John 13:14 after Jesus had washed the disciples feet Jesus said to them: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet."

C.   Apply

1.     Jesus told us to wash one another's feet.  Then he went and died on the cross for you and me - the most powerful act ever performed.  When is the last time you became really powerful and served someone :

a)    a family member, a work colleague (I mean doing something for them that you aren't getting paid for!), a friend, a church member

b)    Families will be better families if they serve one another

c)     companies will be better companies if the workers help one another

d)    Friendships will be stronger friendships when friends serve one another

e)     marriages will be stronger marriages when husband serves wife and wife serves husband

f)      And churches will be stronger churches when the members serve one another

2.     So little servanthood nowadays.  Be ready for questioning onlookers

a)    people have asked me why I have taken on the chairmanship of the residents association esp. those who know:

(1)  it's unpaid

(2)  it's a lot of work

(3)  you get a lot of criticism from people sometimes

b)    Questioning onlookers are good because when they question you, you can tell them from where you motivation comes!  Opens the door for sharing our faith.

c)     Friends have said:

(1)  I don't know why you do it

(2)  in the midst of the hall controversy a few people said "why don't you just let them deal with the councillors"? 

d)    My answer: Jesus came as a servant and our church is trying to serve the community unselfishly.

III.  Conclusion

A.   To idolize power is not Jesus' way.  That is quite clear.

B.   But Jesus, the most powerful man that every lived, is not saying that we shouldn't hold positions of influence.  What he is saying is how we should go about influencing people is not by lording it over them (high on title, low on service) but by serving them.

C.   Paul says it best in Philippians:

1.     Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.