Greatness Defined Matthew 20:25-28 Mark 9:33-37 Luke 22:24-26 Mark 10:42-45 Luke 14:7-11 Galatians 5:13-14 1 Peter 4:7-10 1 Peter 5:5-7 1 John 2:6 04.22.19

GREATNESS DEFINED

BREAD

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.” Matthew 20:25-28 (NIV)

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” ³⁶ He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”   Mark 9:33-37 (NIV)

²⁴ Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”  Luke 22:24-26 (NIV)

⁴² Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42-45 (NIV)

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Luke 14:7-11 (NIV)

¹³ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. ¹⁴ The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”   Galatians 5:13-14 (NIV)

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.  1 Peter 4:7-10 (NIV)

⁵ Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NIV)

⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.  1 John 2:6 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Gathered at the Passover feast, the disciples were keenly aware that someone needed to wash the others’ feet.  The problem was that the only people who washed feet were the least.  So there they sat, feet cake with dirt.  It was such a sore point that they were not even going to talk about it.  No one wanted to be considered the least.  Then Jesus took a towel and a basin and redefined greatness.  Having lived out servanthood before them, he called them to the way of service.”   Richard J. Foster

“Jesus found His glory in taking the form of a servant.  There is nothing so divine and heavenly as being the servant and helper of all.  Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue…Humility is the only soil in which the graces root; the lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure.  Humility is not so much a grace or virtue along with others; it is the root of all, because it alone takes the right attitude before God and allows Him as God to do all.  Brother, are you clothed with humility?  Ask your daily life.  Ask Jesus.  Ask your friends.  Ask the world.  And begin to praise God that there is opened up to you in Jesus a heavenly humility of which you have hardly known, and through which, a heavenly blessedness you possibly have never yet tasted, can come to you.”   Andrew Murray

“A servant of God has but one Master.”   George Muller

“I have rightfully no other business each day but to do God’s work as a servant, constantly regarding His pleasure.  May I have grace to live above every human motive, simply with God and to God.”   Henry Martyn

“It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which important or unimportant – he is not greater than his master.  If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work’ I can best help others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”   Amy Carmichael

“Our goal should be serving, not ruling. Those most highly esteemed will be those who serve, those who are humble.  There was no greater example of this principle than the Lord Himself. He did not come into the world to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  The Bible Knowledge Commentary

“Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God.  The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.  We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to ‘all these words.’  There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded.  This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children.  The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation.  If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

“Greatness is not made through one trial or one victory.  It is hammered out over and over on the anvil of daily demands.  Most often this work is done alone – in complete obscurity.  But God sees every word, every choice, and every action.  Devoted hearts are never wasted.  He frequently uses the obscure, the broken, or the outcast for some of His greatest work.”  Charles R. Swindoll 

“He who stays not in his littleness loses his greatness.”    Francis de Sales

“The most radical social teaching of Jesus was His total reversal of the contemporary notion of greatness.”   Richard Foster

“All work is sacred work for the child of the King.  There is to be no difference between the secular and the sacred.  The believer brings the glory of God and the sweet aroma of Jesus to every job – every encounter - working wholeheartedly as unto the Lord – not for man - through the achieving power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  All jobs from motherhood to medical to janitorial to legal to businessman to student to server to whatever – makes no difference the “what” rather the motivation behind why we do what we do which is to bring God all glory.  It is His desire for us to work and take care of His world – just as He told Adam before the fall – and bring the Good News to others in our spheres through both our actions and words.  This is for our ultimate good btw, satisfying both heart and soul.  We live our lives for an audience of One and our goal is to hear a ‘well done good and faithful servant.’”  BHY

“Our addiction to success, to grandiosity, to winning has gone unchecked.  We forgot that we were followers of a suffering servant, bearers of the Cross, participants in a cruciform story.”  Chuck DeGroat

HEART SAVOR

• ·         Humility is the mark of true greatness.
• ·         Jesus came to serve not to be served.  His followers are to follow in His way.
• ·         It is God’s to exalt and ours to humble.