What Is Your Ultimate Goal In Life? Shalom Brothers and Sisters, STOP!!! The time has come in your life where you have to stop everything that you are doing and come to the true reality of this world. What does anything in this world have to offer us now and in the future? Well, for now only the sole pleasure of what we have, but in the future it is gone or taken over by something newer and modern!!! But what about your long-term future will anything in this world be of any use to you? Never, because they either breakdown or they are renewed as man is always trying to better each other in everything... For what? Their own Pride and SELF-gain!!! But Im afraid, but must let you know that everything that man produces for us here on earth is for that sole reason only for here on earth!!! They have no goal in life, they will never last for eternity...But, God/Yahweh gives us a goal in life for all eternity that brings us to the message for today, asking: What Is Your Ultimate Goal In Life? The passage from the Word of God/Yahweh for today is from the book of 1 Timothy 6:7-10 that reads; “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.” What is your ambition in life? Most people have some degree of ambition. Some are over-achievers and some are under-achievers, but there is a sense of accomplishment in all of us. Ambition can be either good or bad depending on the nature of your goals. For the Believer, there is really only one goal that matters and that should be doing the Will of God/Yahweh. Im afraid if that is not your ultimate goal in life, and then you have every reason to question your relationship with God/Yahweh. But if doing God/Yahweh’s Will is your ambition in life, you will have no reservations about what it takes to get the job done... Jesus/Yeshua once said to His disciples in John 4:34; ““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”” The Will of God/Yahweh the Father/Abba was enough to motivate God/Yahweh the Son to endure suffering even to the point of giving Himself as a sacrifice for your sin and mine!!! The Father/Abba’s Will was the Son’s ultimate sustenance and satisfaction. Jesus/Yeshua also resisted Satan in the wilderness when He said in Luke 4:4; “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”” He knew that, in order to resist the enemy and achieve God/Yahweh’s Will, He needed only to rely upon and act upon God/Yahweh’s truth. For Christ/Yeshua, there was no personal agenda and no selfish ambition. There was only the Will of the Father/Abba. That was Jesus/Yeshua’s ambition. And the Father/Abba’s Will was and is to accomplish the necessary work of His Kingdom. For that reason, in no uncertain terms, the Lord Jesus/Yeshua declared in John 6:38; “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” And the Father/Abba’s Will required that Jesus/Yeshua deny Himself and do all that was necessary for the Kingdom. This Jesus/Yeshua gladly did because He loved the Father/Abba with all His heart, soul and mind, as we are also told to do in Matthew 22:37; “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”” Jesus/Yeshua asks you and me to deny us, take up our cross and follow Him in that work, (you can read that written in Matthew 8:18-22; 16:24)... We see from what is written here that we cannot give our lives as a sacrifice for our own sins or for the sins of anyone else. That was Christ/Yeshua’s unique mission as the sinless Son of God/Yahweh. But what He requires of us is that we faithfully represent Him whatever the personal cost written in Luke 14:25-35, (please read), for that is Father/Abba’s Will. He has left us here in this world to continue the work of the Kingdom until He comes again, and it is for that work that we must be ambitious. If we truly love God/Yahweh then that will be our ambition, our goal in life!!! As Jesus/Yeshua approached Jerusalem for the purpose of allowing Him to be betrayed, arrested, tortured and crucified, He was no less ambitious about His task than He was three years earlier at the start of His public ministry. He had proclaimed the Kingdom, demonstrated His sovereign power by His miracles and revealed His authority as the King of Heaven while confronting the hypocrisy of Judaism. As His time drew near, He had been preparing His disciples for His inevitable death, resurrection and departure into heaven. His mission would soon be complete, but theirs was just beginning, and He was establishing a precedent for unselfishly doing God/Yahweh’s Will, which they must follow... Even though Jesus/Yeshua had just revealed even more of the details about His impending death and resurrection, (you can read this in Matthew 20:17-19), it seems that the apostles decided to once again push that information to the back of their minds. No doubt, as the multitudes began to stir with excitement about Jesus/Yeshua’s approach to Jerusalem for the Passover (again please read this in John 11:56; and 12:12), the twelve apostles and other disciples were easily caught up in the anticipation that perhaps the Kingdom was about to be established on earth... It was at this point that the events of Matthew 20:20-28 took place; “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, 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 by my Father.” When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” Just prior to His entry into Jerusalem, Jesus/Yeshua must, once again, turn His attention to the misconceptions of the apostles and turn their minds toward the truth. For their ambition was not to seek the Will of God/Yahweh, but the will of man (remember how Jesus/Yeshua responded in Matthew 16:23). In this passage on Matthew 20: It records the apostle’s aspirations in verses 20-22... The Father/Abba’s agenda in verse 23… The apostle’s anger in verse 24... The Lord’s analogy in verses 25-27... And the Lord’s ambition in verse 28!!! So, lets look at: The Apostle’s Aspirations from verses 20-22!!! The Gospels well document that all twelve of the Lord’s apostles had aspirations of being the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven next to Jesus/Yeshua. Mark 9:34 (please read), explains that they had argued at one point about which of them would have that position. Much to their embarrassment, Jesus/Yeshua confronted them about their disagreement and pointed out that humility characterized the Kingdom rather than self-seeking in Matthew 18:1-5... In fact, all of Matthew 18 is based on the fact that humility is absolutely essential if the Church of God/Yahweh is to be successful... Yet, despite the Lord’s repeated instructions regarding humility, and His repeated teaching about His death, resurrection and the purpose of the Church of God/Yahweh, it is evident that they were not listening, well at least not all of them. For we see what is written in verse 20; “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.” Him here being Jesus/Yeshua!!! Zebedee’s sons were James and his brother John. The Gospels indicate that their mother, whose name was Salome, was actually Jesus/Yeshua’s aunt (please read that in Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; and John 19:25), making James and John, Jesus/Yeshua’s cousins. The general consensus is that the three had discussed this ahead of time. It appears that Salome approached Jesus/Yeshua first as a servant would approach a king by keeling down and asking, to make the request official. Jesus/Yeshua acknowledged her petition to make a request and said to her; “What do you wish” from verse 21? Then James and John followed her, first with a general request to grant them whatever they asked, and then with a repeat of their mother’s more specific request, Mark 10:35 also reads; “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”” They apparently hoped that their family ties and calculated approach might ensure Jesus/Yeshua’s favor. After all, Jesus/Yeshua had promised the apostles that they would rule with Him over the twelve tribes of Israel in the regeneration (from Matthew 19:28). Why should His own relatives, who, with Peter, were part of the inner circle of apostles (Matthew 17:1), and who had followed Him for these past three years, not as written in verse 21 also; “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom”? From the world’s standpoint, that made perfect sense, and their minds were definitely operating from a worldly point of view. But trying to appeal to Jesus/Yeshua’s affections for His mother and His aunt was nothing short of offensive and especially in light of Jesus/Yeshua’s recent reminder that He was going to suffer and die... The request of James and John was a total disregard for their Lord’s impassioned plea that they humbly and unselfishly commit to His cause. It revealed the selfish ambition of both James and John whom Jesus/Yeshua had rightly given the nickname, “the sons of thunder” because of their boldness written in Mark 3:17. Only in this case, their boldness was being used for selfish gain... It was this selfishness, and their ignorance of the truth about the Kingdom, that Jesus/Yeshua addresses in verse 22; ““You don’t know what you are asking,”” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”” In other words to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with. They had absolutely no idea what they were asking, even though they answered, “We can...” They still anticipated that the Kingdom was about to be established, but Jesus/Yeshua reminds them that suffering must first come before the glory of the Kingdom. The “cup” that He was about to “drink” was the Wrath of God/Yahweh experienced on the cross, and the “baptism” was His suffering... In other words it was the Will of God/Yahweh for Him, and He was willing to fulfill it... The question for them was whether or not they were ready and willing to do what would be required of them for the sake of the Kingdom, as it does for us also... It would not be the glory that they desired. Now lets look at: The Father/Abba’s Agenda from verse 23!!! James, John and the other apostles failed to see the Lord’s agenda for His Kingdom. Christ/Yeshua had to suffer and die for sin and rise again or else no one could be in the Kingdom. Likewise, it was God/Yahweh’s Will that the Church of God/Yahweh (us), be established to represent the Kingdom until Christ/Yeshua returns. That would involve persecution of all sorts for God/Yahweh’s people, and the apostles would all suffer greatly for their part in the Church of God/Yahweh. God/Yahweh the Father/Abba had already arranged for these things to take place, because it best fit His purposes. That is why Jesus/Yeshua said in verse 23; “You will indeed drink from my cup, 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 by my Father.” However, Jesus/Yeshua the King was not in a position to grant the request of James and John even if He wanted to. Why? Because it was not His to give... Although He was the King, He was completely committed to the Father/Abba’s Will for the Kingdom. Even though He was Himself the Son of God/Yahweh, as a man, Jesus/Yeshua gladly submitted to the Father/Abba’s purpose and plan while here on earth in the flesh. Whatever the Father/Abba had decided, Jesus/Yeshua would carry out with complete devotion, and He expected His apostles to do the same, as you can read in Philippians 2:5-13. Likewise, He expects all Believers today to submit to the Father/Abba’s agenda. The Father/Abba has prepared a place in the Kingdom for every Believer, and we will simply have to wait for the day when we will experience the Kingdom in its fullness!!! Now: The Apostle’s Anger from verse 24!!! This was an obvious embarrassment for James and John, but it was likely an even bigger disappointment. Beyond that, their selfish ambition had also riled the other ten apostles who were greatly displeased with the two brothers. Their displeasure, however, had nothing to do with the fact that James and John had been so selfish, bold and ignorant. They were not concerned that they had totally missed the point of Jesus/Yeshua’s teachings, or that they had been so unconcerned about Jesus/Yeshua’s impending suffering and death. They were just as guilty as the two brothers regarding these things. For their anger arose out of pure jealousy... If any one of the ten had the opportunity and audacity that James and John had, they would have jumped at the chance to make the same request. And because the brothers beat them to the punch, they were quick to complain. They no doubt feigned a righteous anger before the Lord, but He knew their motive and quickly set out to correct them. Let us look at: The Lord’s Analogy from verse 25-27!!! The Lord seized the opportunity and called all twelve apostles to Him. As they listened, He gave an analogy between the worldly attitude they were all displaying and the proper attitude that His followers should have about their place in the Kingdom... He said in verse 25; “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” The word translated Gentiles, in general refers to the nations of the world. Specifically, it describes all nations besides Israel. Jesus/Yeshua is emphasizing the way that things operate in the world as opposed to the Kingdom of heaven, which the nation of Israel was supposed to represent!!! We all know, as the apostles did, that the world has had its share of rulers who lord their power over the people to control them. This term describes oppressive rule such as that of dictators and tyrants. The other extreme are those who are great in that they have power over people as they exercise authority over them through their charismatic abilities... Jesus/Yeshua’s point is that most of the world’s leaders have, at least to some degree, sought their authority, and have possibly abused it, for their own selfish interests. Even the best of the world’s leaders are great only from a worldly perspective. Their authority is limited in both its extent and its duration. That is not to say that human authority is evil... On the contrary, God/Yahweh has established human authority for the purpose of keeping evil in check, and we are to submit to those governing authorities for that reason, as read in Romans 13:1-7, even though that authority is often abused. These are facts of life in a fallen world. Jesus/Yeshua is simply highlighting this truth... What the apostles had obviously not yet taken to heart was the fact that God/Yahweh’s Kingdom did not operate on a purely human level and this was a truth that Jesus/Yeshau had emphasized again and again. Our ambition in the Kingdom of heaven cannot take the form of man’s sinful ambition for worldly things... They are in no way compatible!!! On the one hand, human ambition apart from God/Yahweh is inherently flawed and will always be somewhat selfishly motivated at best... On the other hand, the Believer’s ambition is ultimately to do the Will of God/Yahweh even at the expense of our own personal desires!!! Therefore, Jesus/Yeshua says in verse 26-27; “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” In other words, Believers receive their place in the Kingdom, not because they sought it, but because they sought to do the Will of God/Yahweh above everything else. They were content to follow Him as humble servants... Rather than seek greatness, they have sought to serve... Rather than seeking first place, they have been content to be last if necessary... They have placed God/Yahweh’s Will above their own, and He has rewarded them as He sees fit... It is ultimately a matter of attitude and perspective. As Jesus/Yeshua taught in the Parable of the Laborers in Matthew 20:1-16, God/Yahweh the Father/Abba is more than fair with His reward, since none of us deserve anything in the first place!!! God/Yahweh has been gracious to even let us enter the Kingdom, much less inherit its fullness and reign next to Him. So there is no reason to compete for any place in the Kingdom. God/Yahweh has already prepared our place for us as read in verse 23. Our ambition or goal should be to do God/Yahweh’s Will... We should therefore be motivated to give our all, to work at what He puts before whatever and us that may involve!!! Finally: The Lord’s Ambition from verse 28!!! Jesus/Yeshua’s clear ambition was to do the Father/Abba’s Will and that motivated Him to face the cross with confidence. What He had to endure was repulsive to Him because He, the sinful Son of God/Yahweh, was about to bear our sin and the Wrath of God/Yahweh. He was about to die for our selfishness, our pride and all our transgressions. Yet, because He loved the Father/Abba and us, He was faithful to the end!!! Jesus/Yeshua knew that the Father/Abba would give Him His throne, and He looked forward to that. But that was not what motivated Him. He desired God/Yahweh’s Will even if that meant that He the Son of Man must serve rather than being served. At the end of His earthly life, Jesus Christ/Yeshua, gave His life a ransom for many. That is, He paid the penalty for our sins in full by exchanging His life for ours. He did everything for us, and we did nothing for Him in return... It was a complete reversal of what the world would consider appropriate. It was not the standard expectation of a world leader, but it was absolutely necessary to achieve God/Yahweh’s desired end... Jesus/Yeshua’s ambition is our example!!! We must be totally committed to God/Yahweh’s Will and completely willing to part with our own. That is not to say that you should not set personal goals and seek to achieve them, but every goal must be set within God/Yahweh’s Will for your life. And His Will is that we be faithful to His Word!!! What is your ambition in life? It must not be selfish... Rather, it must be to do the Will of God/Yahweh whatever the personal cost... Your mission is to serve God/Yahweh in His Kingdom... Your focus must be that of following Jesus Christ/Yeshua in His sufferings, while you do the Will of the Father/Abba. Leave the matter of your reward up to Him... What Is Your Ultimate Goal In Life? I think, hope and pray that after reading this example from Jesus/Yeshua we already know now... So live your life doing only God/Yahwehs Will and not yours, mans or the worlds!!! Be Blessed in the name and the shed blood of Jesus/Yeshua and live your life serving the ultimate goal in your life...Hallelujah, Amen!!! PastorJeff Walker
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 13:57:15 +0000
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