Servanthood ¡V The Path to Greatness
How to be great in the eyes of God
Matthew 20:20-28
Introduction: John C Miller in his book The Question Behind the Question tells the following story: It was a beautiful day in downtown Minneapolis when John Miller stopped into a Rock Bottom restaurant for a quick lunch. The place was jammed. He didn¡¦t have much time, so he was happy to grab the one stool they had available at the bar. A few minutes after he sat down, a young man carrying a tray full of dirty dishes hurried past on his way to the kitchen. Noticing John out of the corner of his eye, he stopped, came back and said, "Sir, have you been helped?¡¨ "No, I haven’t," John replied, but all I really want is a salad and a couple of rolls." "I can get you that, Sir, what would you like to drink?" "I’ll have a Diet Coke, please." "Oh, I’m sorry, Sir, we sell Pepsi, Would that be all right?" "Ah, no thanks," John said with a smile. "I’ll just have water with lemon, please." "Great, I’ll be back." He disappeared. Moments later he came back with the salad, rolls and water, John thanked him and he was quickly gone again, leaving John to enjoy his meal, a satisfied customer.
Suddenly, there was a blur of activity off to John’s left, "the wind of enthusiasm" stirred behind him, and then over his right shoulder stretched the "long arm of service," delivering a 20 ounce bottle, Frosty on the outside and cold on the inside ¡V you guessed it ¡V it was a Diet Coke! "Wow!" John said, "Thank you!" "You’re welcome," he said with a smile as he hurried off again. John’s first thought was, "Hire this man!" Talk about going the extra mile! He was clearly not your average employee. The more John thought about the extraordinary thing he¡¦d just done, the more he wanted to talk to him. So as soon as he could get his attention, John waved him over. "Excuse me, I thought you didn’t sell Coke," John asked. "That’s right, Sir, we don’t" "Well, where did this come from?" "The grocery store around the corner, Sir." John was taken aback, and asked "Who paid for it?" "I did, Sir, just a dollar." By then John was thinking profound and professional thoughts like, Cool! But what he said was, "Come on, you¡¦ve been awfully busy, How did you have time to go get it?"
Smiling and seeming to grow taller before John¡¦s eyes, he said, "I didn’t, Sir, I sent my manager!" John couldn¡¦t believe it. Was that empowerment or what? I’ll bet we can all think of times we would love to look at our boss and say, "Get me a Diet Coke!" What a great image, but beyond that his actions paint a marvelous picture of personal accountability and The Question Behind the Question ¡V or the QBQ! Look at John¡¦s server’s thinking and the choices he made. It was the lunch rush. He was already busy with plenty to do. But he noticed a customer who, though not in his section, looked as though he needed some attention, so he decided to do what he could to help. I don’t know what was in his mind at that moment, of course, but faced with a similar situation, many people would have had thoughts like these.
„« Why do I have to do everything around here?
„« Who¡¦s supposed to be covering this area, anyway?
„« When is management going to provide us with more products?
„« Why are we always so short staffed?
„« When are the customers going to learn to read the menu?
It’s understandable that someone would feel and think that way especially when frustrated, but the truth is that these are lousy questions. They’re negative and they don¡¦t solve any problems. I call questions like these Incorrect Questions, or IQs, since nothing positive or productive comes from asking them. They’re also the complete opposite of personal accountability because in each one, the implication is that someone or something else is responsible for the problem or situation. Unfortunately, though, they’re often the first thoughts that come to mind. It’s a sad fact that when most of us are faced with a frustration or challenge of some kind, our first reaction tends to be negative and defensive, and the first questions that occur to us are IQs. The good news is this moment of frustration also presents us with a tremendous opportunity to contribute, and the QBQ can help us take advantage of it.
The moment the IQs pop into our heads we have a choice. We can either accept them ¡V ’Yeah, when are we going to get more help around here?" - Or ¡V reject them, choosing instead to ask better, more accountable questions such as, ’What can I do to make a difference?" and How can I support the team - This in a nutshell, is the essence of the QBQ: Making better choices in the moment by asking better questions
That¡¦s exactly what John¡¦s Server did, He didn¡¦t ask IQs and get caught in the downside of the situation. Instead in the moment, he disciplined his thoughts, made better choices and asked better questions. His choices made the difference. Whether he used the words or not, his actions clearly indicated accountable thinking such as "What can I do to help out?" And "How can I provide value to you?" These are QBQs. As John left that day, John gave him ¡K the excellent tip he deserved. And when he returned a couple of months later and asked for his favorite server, Jacob Miller the hostess said, "I¡¦m sorry, Sir, but Jacob is no longer¡K" John¡¦s thoughts flew fast, "NO! You lost my own personal server? You lost a guy who looked at me and thought, "What can I do right now to serve you?" He just couldn¡¦t believe they had let him get away. But he didn¡¦t say any of that to her, he simply interrupted with, ¡§Oh no, you lost him?¡¨ to which she brightly responded. Oh, no Sir, we didn¡¦t lose him, He was promoted to management. What a difference personal accountability can make. Everyone wins! Customers, co-workers, the organization, everyone. And for Jacob, beyond the tips and the promotion, one can¡¦t help but think the greatest win of all is the way he must feel about himself at the end of a day of making better choices asking better questions and practicing personal accountability. God has called each of us to do ¡V and be. Life is so much better when we shed the victim thinking and simply choose the path of personal accountability. (Adapted from John C. Miller, The Question Behind the Question, Denver Press, Denver, Colorado, page 115)
SUMMARIZE THE ACCOUNT OF MATTHEW 20:20-28. What does it take to be great in the eyes of God? Jesus said in verse 28 of our text that to be great is to be a servant. But what kind of servant is great in God¡¦s eyes?
I. To be Great in God¡¦s eyes is to be an Obedient servant
A. Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ¡V Obedience
B. I Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
C. Great Servants serve they don¡¦t sit. They not only do their duty but they motivate others to do their duty also.
D. Great servants do not sit around and grumblingly thinking¡K
„X Why do I have to do everything around here?
„X Isn¡¦t someone else supposed to be doing this, anyway?
„X Why are we always so short of workers?
„X Can¡¦t they see that I am already too busy?
„X Don¡¦t they realize I have a full plate already?
E. Great servants ask like Paul did at his conversion, "Lord what will you have me to do?" They ask, "What can I do to help out?"
F. 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams
G. Only one life ¡V will soon be past. Only what¡¦s done for Christ will last!
H. Great servants not only serve but they motivate others to action.
I. You’ve probably never heard of Enyon Hawkins. Enyon was a Welsh miner, born in 1920 and dying in Wales in 2001. Yet you probably should know about him, for Enyon characterizes much of what an unknown person can do through simple acts of love. During World War Two Enyon was an able seaman aboard the British navy vessel British Dominion. On January 10, 1943, German U-Boats fired three torpedoes into the British Dominion. The ship exploded into flames and was burning furiously. Many of the crew jumped into the sea, the only way they might escape with their lives. However even that was fraught with more than the usual danger, for oil from the ships fuel tanks had spread across the water and threatened to set even the ocean ablaze. Enyon Hawkins was one of those crewmen who jumped into the ocean. He was also a very strong swimmer, and keeping his wits about him, organized most of the sailors into a group and led them away to safety. It was his example and encouragement, especially to the weaker swimmers, that kept them going until the British Navy rescued them. On two occasions Enyon left the group to turn back and save others. This meant swimming into oil covered waters that were ablaze. The risk of being completely enveloped by the flames was very high, and though Enyon escaped it was not before he suffered extensive burning to his face. However it was made worthwhile by the lives of those he saved. - Source: reported in The Times obituary, December 19, 2001.
J. Matthew 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
K. Matthew 25:23 His lord said to him, ’Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
II. To be great in God’s eyes is to a Humble servant
A. Luke 9:46-48 ¡K there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him, And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receives me: and whosoever shall receive me receives him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. ¡V Humility
B. Did you hear about the pastor who was so humble that one Sunday his church presented him with a solid gold lapel pin that said "World’s most humble pastor." The next Sunday he wore it on his suit, so they took it away from him!
C. Greatness in the kingdom is not secured by seeking to be greatest.
D. Pride is the greatest obstacle to greatness.
E. James 4:6 (HCSB) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
F. The famous conqueror of the ancient world, Alexander the Great one day came across the philosopher Diogenes. Diogenes was staring attentively at a heap of bones. "What are you looking for?" asks Alexander. "Something that I cannot find" replied Diogenes. "And what might that be?" "The difference between your father’s bones and those of his slaves"
G. James 4:10 (HCSB) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
H. Someone said of a Sunday school worker, "He is impossible to get along with, because he thinks he’s impossible to get along without,"
I. On the other hand, two ladies at Shanghai were talking about the missionary Hudson Taylor and wondering if he was ever tempted to be proud. One of the ladies went and asked Mrs. Taylor. She did not know. But Mrs. Taylor went and asked Mr. Taylor. He was surprised and inquired, ’Proud about what?’ Mrs. Taylor replied, ’Why, about the things you have done.’ Then immediately came this beautiful answer, ’I never knew I had done anything.’ And Mr. Taylor was right; he never had done anything, for it was God who had wrought in and through him. The great servant can clearly distinguished from the mediocre servant by this characteristic. Are you craving recognition? Are you proud of your past, your family connections, your name, your reputation, and your achievements in life?
J. Matthew 18:4 Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
III. To be great in God¡¦s eyes is to be a Selfless Servant
A. Matthew 20:26-28 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister (waiter, server); And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. ¡V Selflessness
B. Every young student knows of Isaac Newton’s famed encounter with a falling apple. Newton discovered and introduced the laws of gravity in the 1600s, which revolutionized astronomical studies. But few know that if it weren’t for Edmund Halley, the world might never have learned from Newton. It was Halley who challenged Newton to think through his original notions. Halley corrected Newton¡¦s mathematical errors and prepared geometrical figures to support his discoveries. Halley coaxed the hesitant Newton to write his great work, Mathematical Principles Of Natural Philosophy. Halley edited and supervised the publication, and actually financed its printing even though Newton was wealthier and easily could have afforded the printing costs. Historians call it one of the most selfless examples in the annals of science. Newton began almost immediately to reap the rewards of prominence; Halley received little credit. He did use the principles to predict the orbit and return of the comet that would later bear his name, but only AFTER his death did he receive any acclaim. And because the comet only returns every seventy-six years, the notice is rather infrequent. Halley remained a devoted scientist who didn¡¦t care who received the credit as long as the cause was being advanced. Others have played Halley’s role. John the Baptist said of Jesus, "He must increase; I must decrease." Barnabus was content to introduce others to greatness. Many pray to uphold the work of one Christian leader. Such selflessness advances the kingdom. C. S. Kirkendall, Jr.
C. Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If you wilt be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
D. A nurse escorted a tired, anxious young man to the bedside of an elderly man. "Your son is here," she whispered to the patient. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened. He was heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack and he dimly saw the young man standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand and the young man tightly wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing a message of encouragement. The nurse brought a chair next to the bedside. All through the night the young man sat holding the old mans hand, and offering gentle words of hope. The dying man said nothing as he held tightly to his son. As dawn approached, the patient died. The young man placed on the bed the lifeless hand he had been holding, and then he went to notify the nurse. While the nurse did what was necessary, the young man waited. When she had finished her task, the nurse began to say words of sympathy to the young man. But he interrupted her. "Who was that man?" He asked. The startled nurse replied, "I thought he was your father." "No, he was not my father," he answered. "I never saw him before in my life." "Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?" asked the nurse. He replied, "I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. When I realized he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, I knew how much he needed me..." - Source unknown. Found at Afterhours Inspirational Stories
E. Matthew 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant (one who gives himself up to another’s will, a slave)
F. Greatness is not measured by how many servants you have but by how many people you serve.
G. Matthew 16:24-26 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
