Matthew
Kingdom Seating
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. Matthew 20:21,22
We are called to do as Jesus did
Take up the cross of self-sacrifice in order to become a servant of the Kingdom
If in heaven, there are seats on the right and left of Jesus
And seats beyond that, what do they look like?
VIP Seating, General Seating, and Standing Room Only?
Where will your seat be?
Jesus asked the question
"Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
If you are willing to drink from Christ’s cup
What does that cup look like in your life today?
Kingdom Seating
Seating is important.
I like hockey…
But I hate the seats behind the net.
The best seats are center ice
and to get them you pay more.
I like flying to Florida vs driving.
I do not like the seats behind the wing.
If I want a seat with more leg room
in front of the wing, I have to pay more.
If you are a regular attender at church,
you know all seats are not the same.
The seat many not have your name on it
but you know which seat is yours.
At many events there is...
VIP Seating, VIP Seats for Very Important Person.
I hope you have had the privilege to be treated like a VIP.
To sit with a famous person, of honored, at an event.
No doubt about it, all seats are not equal.
We know there are seats in the Kingdom of Heaven.
We read in Luke 22:69 and Colossians 3:1…
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God.
In Revelation 19:4 and 21:5…
Jesus is seated on the throne.
Imagine if you could get on line
and request your seat in Heaven.
There was a mom who made such a request of Jesus.
She requested…
"Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right
and the other at your left in your kingdom."
Matthew 20:21
WOW, what a mom…
She wanted the best for her sons.
Lesson 1
Jesus says…
“You don’t know what you are asking,”
Seats in heaven are not given by request.
Lesson 2
The seats come with a cost.
Jesus said to them…
"Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
This mother just heard Jesus say…
"We are going up to Jerusalem,
and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests
and the teachers of the law.
They will condemn him to death
and will turn him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked and flogged and crucified.
On the third day he will be raised to life!"
It is after Jesus told His disciples
He would suffer…
This mom made her request for her sons.
Seats in the Kingdom of Heaven come with a cost.
Lesson 3
Know the price.
When Jesus asked the two brothers
if they could drink the cup of Christ,
they answered…
"We can"
Jesus affirmed and said…
"You will indeed drink from my cup”
Lesson 4
Seating arrangements are made by Jesus’ Father.
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."
Matthew 20:23
Our Father in Heaven is making seating preparations.
There will be different seats.
We get the idea that these seats are given
according to the suffering for Christ’s sake
and the Kingdom.
Honor will be given to those who have been faithful.
Honor will be given to those who have paid the price.
Lesson 5
Seats in the Kingdom of Heaven are not
like the seats in the kingdoms of this world.
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."
Matthew 20:24-28
You will not be jealous over another person’s seat in Heaven
because you will know the cost they paid for that honor.
The honor does not come by favors and favoritism
as appointed seats of government are in this world.
The seats are not for authority and power.
These seats are for servants and slaves
of the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is good for us to be reminded
of the call Jesus gives…
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Matthew 16:24-28
We are called to do as Jesus did…
Take up the cross of self-sacrifice in order
to become a servant of the Kingdom.
If in heaven, there are seats on the right and left of Jesus
and seats beyond that, what do they look like…
VIP Seating, General Seating, and Standing Room Only?
Where will your seat be?
Jesus asked the question…
"Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
If you are willing to drink from Christ’s cup…
What does that cup look like in your life today?
Scripture Reading
Matthew 20:17-28 NIV
17 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, 18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
20 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.
21 "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."
22 "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.
23 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."
24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 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. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 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."
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