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  WHO'S IN, AND WHO'S OUT, AND WHO'S ON TOP
  by Anton Bosch
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Summary: This sermon delves into the issues of pride and exclusivity
within the church, using passages from Luke 9:46-56. It highlights the
dangers of seeking importance or exclusivity within the body of Christ,
emphasizing the need to humble ourselves, serve one another, and not
hinder those who are genuinely serving in the name of Jesus, even if
they are not part of our immediate group.

Duration: 50:46 Topics: "Humility", "Unity in Christ"
Scripture References: Luke 9:48, Luke 9:50, Matthew 7:21, 1 Corinthians 12:12, Philippians 2:5

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon delves into the issues of pride and exclusivity within the
church, using passages from Luke 9:46-56. It highlights the dangers of
seeking importance or exclusivity within the body of Christ, emphasizing
the need to humble ourselves, serve one another, and not hinder those
who are genuinely serving in the name of Jesus, even if they are not
part of our immediate group.

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CONTENT
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So we're going to go straight to the word then and we're in Luke chapter
9 Luke chapter 9 and verse 46 so we're going to read 46 through 56 Luke
chapter 9 46 through 56. Then a dispute arose among them as to which of
them would be greatest and Jesus received perceiving the thought of
their heart took a little child and set him by them set him by him and
said to him whoever receives this little child in my name receives me
and whoever receives me receives him who sent me for he who is least
among you all will be great now John answered and said master we saw
someone casting out demons in your name and we forbade him because he
does not follow with us but Jesus said to him do not forbid him for he
who is not against us is on our side now it came to pass when the time
had come for him to be received up that he steadfastly set his face to
go to Jerusalem and sent messengers before his face and as they went
they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for him and they did
not receive him because his face was set for the journey to Jerusalem
and when his disciples James and John saw this they said Lord do you
want us to come on fire to come down from heaven and consume them
consume them just as Elijah did but he returned he turned and rebuked
them and said you do not know what manner of spirit you are of for the
Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them and they
went to another village so that we we have three sections here this
evening so three different messages so you're really getting a bargain
tonight you're getting three for one and obviously it means that we'll
finish around about midnight but that's that's fine the weather the
weather's good so let's begin in verse 46 a dispute arose among them
amongst the disciples as to which of them would be greatest now remember
that he they had just returned from preaching as he had sent them out
and casting out demons and performing great miracles and and maybe that
was part of what led to this debate as to now you know who is who is
greatest among them and the the the the question is is one that comes up
from time to time it's a question that that the disciples raised on a
number of occasions you remember that two of them's mother James and
John their mother came to Jesus and said yeah I want my one son to sit
on the one hand and on the one and the other on the other so this was a
an issue that would come up over and over and over and obviously we've
spoken about this before simply because it is all over the Gospels and
it is all over the Gospels because it is something which is very typical
in human interaction there is no group of people whether they are saved
or unsaved where the question is who is who the great who is greater
doesn't come up people are always looking at one another and
particularly in some kind of organized environment if you're in the
workplace the seniority of different people is established and yet at
the same time everyone is looking at one another trying to see well you
know when you know when will he fall on his face so I can get his job or
when you know when will he will he die even we were constantly looking
to find an opportunity to get one up on the on the next guy and
unfortunately this is true in churches as well we find the same problem
is that is that folk are always looking and saying well you know am I
more important than him do I have more authority than him maybe you know
maybe they're going to ask me to pray maybe they'll ask me to do this or
to do that and the moment someone's asked to do something like that oh
it becomes like a like a scout badge you know I you know I I was asked
to do something you know and and and and immediately there's there's an
element of pride and of course this is a this is a real problem it's a
problem amongst pastors it's a problem in congregations it was a problem
here amongst the disciples I think I've shared with you before that I
don't enjoy going to pastors associations and breakfasts and things
anymore simply because you sit around the table with six or seven or
eight other pastors and and they're constantly looking at one another
how big is your church and my answer is my church is very very small and
immediately I sink to the bottom of the of the pile and the conversation
with me stop so how big is your church oh no we have 300 okay you're
more important and and so they'll talk if there's someone there with a
with a church of 500 well then he automatically rises to the top of the
pile and everybody wants to talk to him he becomes the most important
and so it's just become a disheartening thing not because I mind being
at the bottom of the pile but but simply because it just frustrates me
to watch this going on over and over and over you you hardly sit down
they ask you they ask me my name I tell them my name and immediately
they want to know where I come from because they recognize I don't speak
American and and once they establish that the very next question is how
big is your church and that's just the way it is and this is what the
disciples are doing they're looking at one another oh you know I cast
out ten demons no well I cast out eleven demons and and well I only cast
out eight but you know the ones I threw out you know they were they were
really really big demons and they're looking at one another they they're
trying to figure out who does Jesus favor and and remember that Jesus
does have an inner circle and it's not favoritism it's simply because he
he is he is sought amongst them those that have the potential of
leadership and so he has just come down from the mountain and he takes
with him Peter and James and John and that doesn't mean the others were
not important and and you see here's the problem is that the fact that
he selects some for the inner circle does not make them more important
than the others because that's the way the world thinks the world's
thinking is about who is more important the God that God's thinking is
not who is more important we just have different functions we have
different roles we have different parts to play and it does not mean
that one is more important than the other the same problem in marriage
we've spoken about this many times who is more important oh no the
husband is the head of the home no you we have different functions we
have different roles and the fact that one has this role and the one has
that role does not mean that this one is inferior to that one it is just
a different function it's a different job in my in my workshop I have a
lot of tools I have a weakness for tools what is the most important tool
in my workshop well you can have a long debate is the hammer more
important than the screwdriver or the pliers more important than the
hammer sorry ladies I don't speak your language but well if you need to
if you need to screw a screw in drive a screw what good is the hammer
it's no good for putting screws in I guess you couldn't pound them in
but it's not the right way to do it and if you have to drive a nail what
good is the screwdriver and again I guess you can take the thing back to
front and try and get the handle to but it doesn't work you see they're
different they have different functions and and when you need a
screwdriver nothing else works a hammer doesn't work when you need a
screwdriver pliers don't work when you need a screwdriver so what is
more important know them the most important is the one that you need at
that particular time and if God needs somebody to be a screwdriver then
he uses that person who is a screwdriver and if you need somebody who is
a hammer then he will use that it does not mean that one is more
important than the other each one just has a different role and a
different function the problem is that in our carnality we look at it we
say well because I'm not this therefore I am NOT important or because I
am NOT that I'm not going to do my little bit whatever that little bit
may be and and yet all of these things are are necessary in the body of
Christ and Paul deals with this in great detail in 1 Corinthians chapter
12 and chapter 14 and he of course 13 because love is the is the whole
principle on which all of the stuff functions and works and so the hand
cannot say to the eye I have no need of you but the hand needs the eye
the eye needs the hand and and each part of my body has a function and
has a purpose and it's not a matter of who is more important it's a
matter of let's work together in order to achieve the goal in order to
do what needs to be done and of course in the body of Christ we have a
job to do our job is to glorify him our job is to preach the gospel our
job is to teach those who are born again or new new Christians and we do
what we need to do to function and to get those things to get those
things done but we look at it and we say well you know I remember as a
as a as a young pastor the the debates going on as to what is more
important the the the Apostle the prophet the evangelist the pastor or
the teacher and there would be all sorts of debates and all sorts of
arguments and unfortunately denominations tend to favor one ministry
over some some favorite teachers others favor evangelist others favor
pastors and then everybody wants to be a teacher because because that's
the in thing in that group in that denomination or everybody wants to be
whatever it is but we need to be who God has called us to be we can't be
anything more or anything less than that and if we don't fulfill our
function well then we have failed it's not a matter of getting from you
know a screwdriver never gets promoted to being a hammer and and and and
a hammer never gets to get promoted to being a drill a hammer is a
hammer and will always be a hammer and the the hammers in my shop need
to be satisfied to be hammers and to be used when I need to to use them
and the same in the body of Christ so so here's the dispute who's the
greatest who's more important and you know it's it's it's it's something
which sometimes we even speak out these are things that's that
oftentimes I'm able to actually observe in the congregation I can see
things going on and I see some people's some people are are unhappy
because somehow they are not in the forefront they are not being
promoted they're not being used for some reason or the other how did
Jesus know well it says that Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart
so it seems that there was some discussion amongst them but most of what
was going on was in their hearts he saw what was going on in their
hearts and so this is the this is the thing is that it even in any
church in any body of Christ or group of believers this goes on the most
of the time we don't speak about it very seldom will we come out and say
you know brother I'm you know I'm I'm unhappy because you know because
you you've been asked to pray three times and and they're not asking me
to pray or or whatever it whatever it may be but it goes on in our
hearts in our minds we're adding we're calculating all the time oh the
pastor greeted him he didn't greet me unfortunately I'm not very good at
greeting everyone sometimes oh you know I saw that he spoke to somebody
for ten minutes and he only spoke to me for three minutes this is the
stuff that goes on in our hearts folk and Jesus sees what's going on and
it doesn't matter how he saw obviously he's he is he is God in the flesh
he knows what people are thinking and so he he perceived the thought of
their heart and he doesn't reply to them he doesn't engage them directly
in the sense but he takes a little child and he sits the child next to
him so he takes it and you know it doesn't say how old the child was but
it's a child 5 6 7 8 years old puts a child next to him now in the other
gospels he says other things about the child and I'm not going to get
into that because we're focusing on Luke but he takes the child and then
he says whoever receives this little child in my name receives me and
whoever receives me receives him who sent me for he was least among you
all will be great and I remember that he says in the others that unless
you become like a little child but Luke is recording some a different
aspect not not a different truth but a different aspect of what Jesus
was saying what does this got to do with the question remember the
question is who is more important the question really is one of pride
one of pride and he takes the child and he says whoever receives this
child receives me well here's the thing in those days today maybe less
so but still to some extent children didn't count in fact the rabbis
were very specific that under the age of 12 there was no point in
wasting time on a child because until he was 12 he cannot could not be
taught the Torah the law once he turns 12 and he bar mitzvahs today at
13 I think once he becomes of age he is 12 or 13 today then he can be
taught the law the Torah and now it's worth spending time on him but
until he can be taught the law there's no point in so he doesn't count
just forget about him just ignore the children remember that Jesus was
very good at gathering the children spending time with them blessing the
children so why does he say then that whoever receives this little child
in my name receives me because he's dealing with the issue of pride and
pride dictates that we want to be seen with people who are important
because we judge one another and we judge ourselves by the kinds of
friends that we have now I'm not talking here about evil communications
corrupt good manners I'm not talking about bad associations that pull us
down into the gutter but I'm talking about the issue of pride and and
I'm sure you know people who are what we call name droppers oh when I
when I was over there I was I was I can't even remember some of these
some of the some of the names what's the name of the mayor I forget and
forgotten got city so I was over there and I was speaking to what's his
first name Eric well I've forgotten that one yeah I was over there and I
was I was saying to Eric and I was over there and you know where I was
at a dinner and you know Donald and I were having a little conversation
maybe that doesn't count in some circles but I was at another dinner and
I was talking to Joe you see I think we all know people like that who
will steer the conversation just to tell you that they happen to meet
so-and-so at such-and-such a place that they happen to be at a dinner or
at a whatever function and so-and-so was there and they they shook his
or her hand and in fact I'm sure you've seen places for people who have
photographs in their in their living rooms or in the offices of of them
with Ronald Reagan or with whatever it is well the fact that they paid
some money to be able to actually be there and have a photo opportunity
that's beside the point but I'm getting sidetracked that the point is
that we want to be seen with people who are influential we want to be
seen to be with people who are important because that makes us important
somehow by by osmosis somehow by transference we become important when
we're with other important people and we're not important when we're
with unimportant people and so people with a problem with pride and
there is not one of us who doesn't have that problem except me of course
I'm just I'm just proud of my of my humility so we we don't want to be
seen with people that don't count because that means we don't count
we're with those kinds of people no we want to be seen with important
people because we move in those kinds of circles and for this is true in
the church also there are some people who who who love just to speak to
the to the pastor when I travel it's always a problem because they're
with a moment I finished preaching that there's there's a bunch of
people who want to talk to me and some of them have real genuine
questions and that's great but I also know that some of them just want
to talk to me to be seen to be talking to the visiting preacher got
nothing to do with seeking truth or anything it's being seen with a
visiting preacher in some churches it's the in thing to take the pastor
to to to lunch it's not because they particularly care about the pastor
but you know so-and-so goes to lunch with a pastor every Sunday the same
people will not take the lowliest member of the congregation to lunch I
don't want to be seen with those people so Jesus says that my humility
and therefore my greatness I'm going to come to that is measured by my
desire to be seen with important people or my willingness to be
associated with unimportant people and so whoever receives welcomes
enters into a relationship if you will remember this word is misused
when we speak about inviting Jesus into your heart because it's based on
John 112 as many as received him the word received simply means that we
accept him we welcome him we are entering into a relationship with him
that's what we mean by receiving and so if you receive a child in
Jesus's name it's a sign of a willingness to be associated with people
of low estate you're not too high and mighty to speak to a child you're
not too high and mighty to speak to somebody who is poor or
disenfranchised and sometimes we're willing to do that here but we don't
want to do that out there because we don't want other people to see us
with those kinds of people this is not a matter of changing our behavior
and saying well you know I need to spend more time on children I need to
spend more time with people who are disadvantaged it's not a matter of
changing behavior this is a problem of the heart and if there's pride
there is just a resistance to being associated with men of low estate
and the desire to be seen with those who matter those who are important
and so the issue that needs to be dealt with really is a matter of pride
that's what the issue of the disciples why did why did they argue about
who was greatest so that they could be more useful to the Lord not had
nothing to do with being useful it had nothing to do with with helping
him or blessing the Lord in in some way or the other it all had to do
with their own pride the Jesus is if you are willing to receive a child
in my name you receive me nothing to do with salvation it doesn't mean
that if you teach in Sunday school and you are welcoming to children
that you get say we understand that I just need you because some people
get these things mixed up he simply making a point remember another
place he says that if you give a cup of water to the least of these to
these children then you've done it to me and so the way that we treat
the least whatever our configuration however we figure out who is least
who is more important who is less important in some circles is based on
the motor car you drive in others it's based on the clothes you wear on
the job that you have or how many you know your education or all sorts
of things coming from South Africa is a wonderful thing because it keeps
you humble when you come from Africa can anything good come out of
Africa that's a good thing it keeps me in my right place but there needs
to be a desire to say Lord it's not being with the important folk it's
being a friend to publicans and sinners you see that was the problem
they had with Jesus Jesus wouldn't hobnob with the Pharisees and the
scribes and and go and visit Herod and go and visit Caiaphas the high
priest no Jesus lived the first two years of his ministry and we're
right in the cusp where he's now moving down towards Jerusalem but he's
up in the hill country and we've spoken about that before these are the
hillbillies these are the uneducated people that's where Jesus
associated fishermen common people not the fancy people in Jerusalem
with all their learning and all of their rules and regulations and all
their fancy clothes living in palaces like Caiaphas the high priest no
Jesus was a friend of publicans and sinners because he had humbled
himself become obedient that God might highly exalt him and give him a
name which is above every name and so if we receive a child in his name
we receive him and whoever receives me receives him who sent me receives
the Father for he who is least among you will be great Jesus says the
same thing in different ways at different times the way to greatness is
down the way to the top is on our knees we cannot promote ourselves but
the world is sick and the church is sick of men who have promoted
themselves and the biggest churches today generally tend to be churches
where pastors are good self promoters experts at marketing themselves
selling themselves God help us if you want to be something you better be
nothing and he's giving us his example as he died on the cross of
Calvary and you remember and and I must remind you of this of the story
because it is so important in understanding this whole process but as
they come into the upper room in the the night before Jesus is crucified
they need to wash feet we know that whole thing and they're looking at
one another now that's a year almost almost a year after this event the
penny hadn't dropped because nobody's going to wash feet because what
does that say says I am the least I'm not gonna wash your feet because
I'm more important than you are and everyone had his reasons why he was
greater than the next one and in the end they sat at the table with
dirty feet and then you know what happened Jesus gets up and he sets
aside his his coat and he wraps a towel around him symbolically setting
aside his position as the teacher and taking upon himself the form of a
servant and he kneels before each one of his disciples including Peter
who would deny him that night including Judas who had already received
the money to betray him but he washes each one of those twelve disciples
feet that's true greatness that's true greatness and then Jesus says
what I have done you need to do to one another you need to do to one
another but there needs to be a desire to be like Jesus and one of the
areas you see and here's the thing we want to be like Jesus in his glory
want to be like Jesus in his power and in his majesty and in his ability
to preach and to perform miracles and to heal the sick and cast out
demons we want to be like Jesus in that way but we first need to learn
to be like Jesus in serving one another in washing one another's feet
what does it mean to wash one another's feet I don't believe in literal
foot washing anymore I don't believe it applies to our society our
culture but it simply means to do the things that other people look down
on and say that's not that's not my work that's not my job I don't clean
toilets I don't pack away chairs I don't wipe chairs I don't do those
kinds of things because it's beneath me those things are washing feet
anything that you look at and you say no that is demeaning to do that is
washing the disciples feet obviously in the context that we're doing it
for the body of the body of Christ he who is least among you will be
great you see our our position is not determined here our position is
determined there in heaven it's only then that we will see who the
really great ones are we look at the great preachers and we say that
great preacher he's got to be great because he has such a big church and
and he has so much influence and he does this and he does that he's
going to be great but there are many of those great preachers who will
be who will be nothing because what they did was out of pride and for
the wrong reasons and the wrong motives I'm not saying all of them but
definitely some and yet there will be faithful servants who serve the
church in small ways praying I remember visiting a church in on the
north coast of South Africa many years ago and I went to the chapel a
little earlier and there was this old couple now I've lost my sense of
what is old maybe I'm old but but they were really old they were both
hunched over they were really weak but there they were straightening out
the chairs dusting cleaning setting everything right and I asked the
pastor I said who are these people he said they the deacons and the
story is that many years before that God had called them to this work
and they sold the house that they had and they bought the house next
door to the church with an express purpose of being able to be there to
be able to help the body of Christ by looking after things and there
they were 80 90 years old I don't know how old but probably in that in
that range and they were still sitting out the chairs they were still
making sure there was water for the preacher they were still opening the
doors and putting out the books and setting the table for the Lord's
Supper this is something that I will never forget those two old people
are truly great in the kingdom of God they are far greater than many of
the pastors that pass through that church they are greater than many of
the elders who may have been in that church and was slothful in doing
their job see only heaven will declare who is great and who is not we
cannot figure it out here by looking at external stuff now I'm not going
to get to the third message tonight but we'll get to the second here's a
second event and these three are all interconnected and I'll try and
bring the connection maybe later certainly next week Lord willing so
Luke 949 now John answered and said master we saw someone casting out
demons in your name and we forbade him because he does not follow with
us this is a strange story we don't know who this man was we don't know
anything about his background but there he is and he's casting out
demons in the name of Jesus he is apparently successful I mean
successful in the sense that he's actually able to cast out demons
because John doesn't say well my Lord is this guy and he's trying to
cast out demons but you know he's not it's not working remember Luke
who's writing this account also wrote about seven sons in the book of
Acts who tried to cast out demons and then in the name of Jesus that
Paul preaches and it didn't go too well for them the demon turned on
them and tore them apart so clearly this man is actually casting out
demons and it's in the name of Jesus and of course John is upset and not
only John but the rest of them are upset for the same reason that we
have just spent the last half an hour on pride he's not one of us he's
not from Sun Valley Community Church so how can he be doing these things
for clearly as little as we understand from this guy clearly by Jesus
not rebuking him he is legitimate if he was not legitimate if he was not
a real follower of Jesus if he did not have the right to use the name of
Jesus Jesus would have turned against him would have rebuked him would
have told John go and call fire down on him or whatever but the fact
that Jesus approves of him means that he is legitimate and folks here is
here is the the lesson that man did not move in the right circles can
you see the connection with the previous section he wasn't one of the
twelve never mind one of the three he may have been one of the seventy
and we'll get to the seventy in chapter 10 in a couple of weeks time he
may have been part of the seventy but certainly as far as John is
concerned we don't know who he is now Jesus' response is do not forbid
him for he who is not against us is on our side or for us I think the
King James says now folks let me just get this clear before I before I
finish off on this not everyone who preaches in the name of Jesus or
cast out demons in the name of Jesus or heals in the name of Jesus is
legitimate we know that clearly from Matthew chapter 7 because they will
say Lord Lord in your name we cast out demons we heal the sick and we
preached in your name and you'll say depart from me you workers of
iniquity I never knew you so the fact that someone cast out demons
performs miracles preaches heals the sick does not mean that they are
belong to Jesus so we understand that but the point is that there are
other followers of Jesus who are not part of Sun Valley Community Church
just make it very plain or if you're watching online that is not part of
your particular church or your denomination this is the issue that Paul
deals with in Corinthians in great detail and we call it sectarianism if
you're not of our sect if you're not part of our group if you're not
part of our denomination if you're not part of our fellowship then you
are not legitimate Jesus is no those who are not against us are on our
side now I've given you the warning the caveat it doesn't mean that
everybody who's preaching is on our side because many are preaching a
different gospel and when you listen carefully to what they are
preaching they are against us they are against us they're against the
message that we preach and it's the message of the cross I've written an
article which will publish this coming week on the cross that's the only
message we have to preach but even if we're preaching a different kind
of cross and I'm not going to steal my own Sunday by telling you what
kind of cross I deal with in this article but there are many different
kinds of crosses today that are not the cross of Jesus they are against
us they're against the gospel of the death burial resurrection of Jesus
Christ but those who are preaching the same gospel those who uphold the
same Word of God and believe in the inerrancy and the sufficiency of
Scripture those who remain within the bounds of the Word of God are not
against us even though they are not of us even though they are not part
of this church or in our or in association with us but we need to be
incredibly careful there is a pride that is entered into the so-called
remnant churches and I do believe that there is such a thing as a
remnant it's a principle that runs right through the Old Testament I
believe it is still true today because Jesus speaks about a narrow way
and a broad way and so on I'm not going to get into that in detail
because I'm not I'm going to run over twelve o'clock then but there are
Christians who see themselves as the chosen frozen the select few the
remnant and for those who may be watching online I know you've heard me
on this in on this issue in the church here but if you call yourself a
part of the remnant then you are not part of the remnant by definition
because pride is entered into your heart and you say we are the select
few we are the chosen ones that are left behind I'm not meaning left
behind in the rapture when everyone else is apostatized everyone else
has fallen away we are remaining true your pride witnesses against you
your pride witnesses against you because if you were part of the remnant
you would follow in the footsteps of the master and you would wash one
another's feet folk I think we get the picture from these two examples
and we'll deal with a third one next week Lord willing but can you see
the same spirit I'm here you're here but we're here they're over there
it's not our job yes we need to be careful who we associate with we need
to be careful who we listen to we watch on television we've spoken about
those things in great detail but this us and them mentality that is that
has come into churches and particularly into small churches like ours
where we believe that we're the only ones who write no God has reserved
for him 7,000 who have not bowed the knee before Baal and folk we live
in desperate times and and I understand and I and my and and and those
that I associate with pastors in in other places often bemoan the fact
that there is there seems to be no one else everyone else is going down
the other way it's just us left and and and what about you know are we
going to remain faithful and we have to be reminded of the Prophet who
said Lord just just just take me I've had enough is that there's just no
one left it's just me and the Lord says to him I have 7,000 who have not
bowed the knee before Baal in the same way as we don't know who is
greatest and who is less important we will only know it on that day in
the same way we do not know who is faithful out there only God knows we
can look at the externals and we must judge we must look at at what is
being taught we must look at the behavior at the end of the day God
knows things that we don't know but above all let's not be so narrow
minded believing that whoever is here this evening that this is all
there is in Sun Valley no there are many there are 7,000 I don't know
what number there are many other true born-again believers in Sun Valley
who love the Lord Jesus who are truly born-again who desire to see his
will done on earth as it is in heaven he who is not against us is on our
side notice that Jesus doesn't say to him to John well go and tell him
he better fall in line with us he better be here with us 12 and I'll
kick Judas out because he's going to fail anyway and I'll put him in no
Jesus lets him be Jesus is in a sense but by Jesus' silence he's saying
let him get on with it and folks if others are preaching the true gospel
let them get on with it let's not hinder them let's not try and stop
them because that's what John was trying to do and folks there is a
there is a and and this is my last point there is a there is a spirit
that is crept into the remnant churches and into discernment type
ministries and discernment type churches that believe that it is their
job to to break everything and everyone else down that there is no one
right except me and they really believe that Jesus says let them alone
if they are not against us they are on our side father we thank you for
your word Lord we thank you that Jesus was able to cut deep into the
hearts of the disciples and deal with the issue of pride and Lord the
issue of pride as we've seen this evening is manifest in our trying to
figure out where we fit in the pecking order Lord even if we just ask
that question it's an evidence of pride but Lord we see also that it is
evidenced in this exclusivity sectarianism we're the only ones that are
right we're the only ones who are faithful Lord we pray that you would
help us to have the mind of Jesus and Lord this is this is difficult
because yes there are many Lord that we understand who are false
prophets false teachers false pastors but Lord you also have those that
are yours and that have not bowed the knee before Baal help us Lord to
not condemn that which you do not condemn help us Lord to receive that
which you receive as much as you receive this little child help us Lord
to receive those that we see to be that we think are inferior and Lord
help us to receive those that are outside of our little group that are
true men and women of God and so Lord I pray that you'd help us Lord
these are these are difficult things to preach about Lord and they're
even more difficult to put into practice and I pray Lord that you'd help
us to understand to check our hearts and Lord whenever pride rises
within us whenever we want to compare ourselves by ourselves whenever we
compare ourselves by those around us help us Lord just to understand
that we have no reason for pride at all Lord that we may be those who
are willing to wash the feet of the disciples not just those who are
present here but those that we come across in our daily living we pray
that you'd help us Lord pray that you'd go with us now keep us and
protect us and bless us we pray for Cynthia Lord we rejoice in the birth
of the twins Lord and that they are healthy and that she's healthy and
that everything has gone well we give you glory and honor for that and
Lord we pray that you'd be with her there in the hospital and with Tacho
and the rest of the family Lord and when they as they come out hopefully
tomorrow we pray that it would be a blessed time for them as they as she
comes home so Lord we commit them to you as we commit ourselves to you
now in Jesus' name amen

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/JhKz-qDb_f8.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/anton-bosch/whos-in-and-whos-out-and-whos-on-top/
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