Do What You Do

by anyjazz65 @ Flickr

Do What You Do

There was a family with three kids. Their mother asked them to clean their rooms, because they were having company tomorrow. The first kid said ‘OK’ and went and cleaned her room. The second kid said ‘That’s not fair!’ and stormed off. But when he cooled down, he cleaned his room. The third kid said ‘no problem, mom,’ and went back to her room and listened to mp3s.

1) Who did what the mother wanted?


2) What does this story have to do with church?

Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus’ Authority Challenged (See also Mark 11:27–33; Luke 20:1–8)

Then Jesus went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?” Jesus answered them, “I, too, have a question for you. If you answer it for me, I’ll tell you why I have the right to do these things. Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans?” They discussed this among themselves. They said, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you why I have the right to do these things.

A Story About Two Sons
“What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go to work in the vineyard today.’ His son replied, ‘I don’t want to!’ But later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the other son and told him the same thing. He replied, ‘I will, sir,’ but he didn’t go. “Which of the two sons did what the father wanted?” “The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: Tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to you and showed you the way that God wants you to live, but you didn’t believe him. The tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. But even after you had seen that, you didn’t change your minds and believe him. 

3) What does the two sons story have to do with the leaders’ question: “what gives you the right to do this stuff?”


4) Do you have authority to act?


Philippians 2:6-13 Have the Same Attitude as Christ

Although he was in the form of God and equal with God,
he did not take advantage of this equality. 

Instead, he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant,
by becoming like other humans, by having a human appearance. 

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
death on a cross. 

This is why God has given him an exceptional honor
– the name honored above all other names –
so that at the name of Jesus everyone in heaven, on earth, and in the world below
will kneel and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 

My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him. 

5) How does this connect to the gospel for today?

(The last Sunday of the month we leave more time for fellowship and games, so this is meant to be pretty quick.)