Standing in the Shadows of Greatness
Description of Standing in the Shadows of Motown – Backup Band
We are all standing of the shadows waiting for our moment when the spotlight is taken off of someone else and placed on ourselves. Unfortunately if your ascension is based upon someone else’s decension than you have succumb to the “barrel of crabs mentality which says - for me to get up the ladder, I must pull someone down or keep someone down.
The film depicted these musicians playing some of the most memorable music in this world feeling that they never received there due recognition because of the spotlight was focused on the merry-go-round of stars who where know because they were in the spotlight and they forever stood in the shadows of greatness.
We misunderstand greatness.
The truth of the matter is that we sometime interpret greatness as notoriety.
That’s the tragedy of our political system. Some much money is spent on creating an image. An image is good, but when your deed does not line up with your creed. In other words when what you say is not what you do. A fatal flaw of our political process is that 4we are so in love with our televisions that we have come to believe that when we see someone on television long enough we think we know them. We transfer the love for our television into affection for the people we see on the television. We assign notoriety to a special category. Notoriety equates to stardom. And everybody wants to be a star. Super star who do you think you are.
I place little stock in notoriety because the scripture reveals that when decisions are left up to the people they look upon the outward parts, they are never able to see the inner part. People chose Saul because he was tall and not all. And it wasn’t long before the spirit of God left him and he stood in a position of authority without moral authority.
Sad state our country is in when it has to belittle itself on television screens through out the world showing pictures of a family’s sadness to convince people they are telling the truth.
I place little stock in notoriety because the scripture reveals further that people will even choose a Barabas over Jesus. People would rather choose a person whose record is spotty, who grew up outside of their experience. People always think their grass is greener, their ice is colder, their (let me stop while I’m ahead) but would not elect Mary’s baby, the carpenter’s son, or the one from Nazareth – can anything good come from that place. I don’t hold much stock in notoriety
Paul would write:1 Cor. 13:12 For we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
John the revelator would write: 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
We are standing in the shadows of greatness
Institutions stand in the shadows
Religious denominations stand in the shadows
Individuals stand in the shadows
We never reach our potential because we are covered by some darkness. The root of that darkness is sin. We stand in the shadows of greatness because we are a sinful people. Paul would tell us in Romans, “that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Genesis 12: 2 says, “I will make of thee a great nation, … and make thy name great.”
By any reasonable measure we are not a great nation and the truth of the matter none of us has a great name.
A notable name, a noteworthy name, maybe ever a noble name, but not a great name.
Our nation is not great, nor is our name great, because we stand in the shadows.
The question is – why do we stand in the shadows?
Because you are morally weak.
1. In Chapter 13 when given the choice Lot pitches his tent towards Sodom and later you will find him living in Sodom. Many of us stand in the shadows of greatness because of our lifestyles.
Because you are spiritually weak.
1. In Chapter 3 you find the story of Adam and Eve and the serpent. Many of us stand in the shadows of greatness because we are spiritually weak; we have no HOLY Boldness. When Satan comes around we don’t challenge we succumb to his challenge.
Because you are physically weak.
1. In Chapter 19 you find the story of two angels visiting Lot and the men of Sodom are attracted to them and seek to know them. We live in a time of flesh consciousness.
Jesus challenges us in Matthew 20:20-28 and Luke 22:24-28 to move towards greatness
Mother of James and John comes to Jesus and asks that when you come into your kingdom, may my sons sit on your right hand and your left hand. “But whosoever will be great among you, let him be our minister: and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant…”
Lukian version eliminates the mother and the names of the disciples and suggest that the argument was among all the followers of Jesus. “If you want to be chief - serve.”
Mark 9:33-37 adds a dimension, we need to touch on. For when the argument is among the disciple about who is the greatest. Jesus says, “if any man desires to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And He takes a child and set him in the midst of them; and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whoso ever receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.”
Not only is greatness defined by your service, but also how we treat children.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Theologian, would say, “the test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.”
If how we treat children is a part of the standard for greatness. We are not only in the shadows of greatness, we are in the dark.
Because in America:
A child is reported abused or neglected every 11 seconds.
581,000 children are in our foster care system.
A child is born into poverty every 43 seconds.
A child is born without health insurance every minute.
A child or teen is killed by gunfire every 2 hours and 43 minutes – nine every day.
A majority of fourth graders can’t read or do math at a proficient level.
We stand in the shadows of greatness because we are spiritually weak, morally weak, physically weak and stupid.
If our children don’t succeed, who can we become a great nation or have a great name.
The story doesn’t have to end that we – we can be great, our children can be great.
(Let me close)
I learned something about standing in shadows
I may have told you that when I was young my parents would send me to North Carolina for the summer. I was blessed to have a rural experience. Because I stayed there so long, my aunt and uncle would tell me that I can’t sit around – I’ve have to work. They defined work as going out to the fields to pick beans. You would work all day long, starting at one end of the row of beans and come back down another. I was not a good bean picker. I would work all day long and make no more than $2.00. After a few days of being in the hot sun, I would seek off and find me a shade tree to sit under. The shade tree provided a shadow from the sun. My cousins would stay out in the field and work all day long. They were bean pickers and made a lot of money picking beans. I was not because I wasted my time in the shadows of that shade tree.
Here’s the point: standing in the shadows I got nothing done: no work no pay. But if I had come out of the shadows and stood in the sun.
You missed it.
We stand in the shadows of greatness because are shielded from the Son.
Sin shields us from the Son. Sin blocks our ability to become great.
If you want to be great, change you position to the Son.
When you are in the Son’s light, you will serve right.
If you serve right, you will be great.
For if you are faithful over a few things, Jesus says I will make you ruler over many.
Do you want to be great? Do you want a great church? Do you want a great name?
Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing, know ye that the Lord he is God, it is he that has made us and not we ourselves.
In God’s kingdom, I rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
That why we can be great, we can have great names, we can be great people, we can be a great church if we trust in the Lord.
Will you trust in the Lord? Will you learn not to lean on your own understanding?
