August 1, 2004
Morning Worship
Text: Matthew 20:20-28
Subject: Greatness
Title: If We are the Body
When you leave this life and are firmly planted in the ground with a tombstone over you, what will be your legacy? What will be written on your tombstone? Will your epitaph be one about your earthly accomplishments, or one of treasures stored up in heaven? I have to laugh when I think about some of the epitaphs that I have heard about. Dr. James Dobson says of his mother, that she wanted this written on her tombstone, “I told you I was sick.” Did you ever stop to think what you might want written on yours? I thought about, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Many will list their accomplishments on their tombstones as though those accomplishments make a difference any longer. Here are some epitaphs taken off old tombstones around the world.
In the Boot Hill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona...
Here lies Lester Moore
Four slugs from a forty-four
No Les No More.
On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in East Dalhousie Cemetery, Nova Scotia…
Here lies Ezekial Aikle, Age 102.
The Good Die Young.
In a Ruidoso, New Mexico, cemetery…
Here lies Johnny Yeast.
Pardon me
For not rising.
On a teacher’s tombstone, Elkhart, Indiana...
School is out
Teacher has gone home.
In a Uniontown, Pennsylvania, cemetery…
Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake.
Stepped on the gas
Instead of the brake.
Whether we like it or not each of us will leave behind some sort of epitaph. And we all will endeavor to be remembered for something great. Dr. Dobson’s father has on his stone, “He Prayed”. Others will reflect accomplishments done while on this earth. But I think that the greatest remembrance of a Christian would be, “He Served.”
A.T. Pierson wrote,
Whatever is done for God, without respect of its comparative character as related to other acts, is service, and only that is service. Service is, comprehensively speaking, doing the will of God. He is the object. All is for Him, for His sake, as unto the Lord, not as unto man. Hence, even the humblest act of humblest disciple acquires a certain divine quality by its being done with reference to Him.
The supreme test of service is this: ’For whom am I doing this?’ Much that we call service to Christ is not such at all....If we are doing this for Christ, we shall not care for human reward or even recognition. Our work must again be tested by three propositions: Is it work from God, as given us to do from Him; for God, as finding in Him its secret of power; and with God, as only a part of His work in which we engage as co-workers with Him."
Today as we look at the question of greatness, let us do so in an attempt to understand exactly how Jesus would have us pursue greatness.
I. LOOKING FOR GREATNESS IN THE WORLD.
A. The World’s Definition of Greatness. Verse 20 begins with the mother of John and James coming to Jesus with her sons asking for something. Mom wants something great for her two boys. What we see is an incomplete understanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God. John and James, and the rest of Israel, are expecting a political kingdom. They want to be a part of it. Isn’t it interesting that often people attain to greatness, but are not willing to achieve it themselves? These two “Sons of Thunder” want to be great in the new kingdom, but they send their mom to ask for them. The world views greatness according to accomplishments. Your worth is directly proportionate to what you can do. Therefore, those who are of lowly estate are not valuable. Those who are physically handicapped are not valuable. Those who are mentally challenged have no value. But the one who can govern, make money, entertain, or lead, they are of great value to society.
B. The World’s Attitude Concerning Greatness. Do you believe that Jesus was a great man? Almost all in the world believe that. Even those who were with Him marveled at 1) the authority with which He spoke, and, 2) the miraculous signs and wonders He performed. There is no denying that even in worldly terms Jesus was great. But look at what Jesus said about the world’s attitude toward greatness. Turn over to Matthew 12. In verse 38 the scribes and Pharisees ask to see a sign. But in verse 39, But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign…” You see, a sign for the Pharisees was not just a miracle, but proof of Jesus’ worth. Jesus to them seemed to be just another itinerant preacher wandering from Jerusalem to Galilee and back. He had no money, he had no influence in government, He had no backing of any kind – they needed to know that there was something substantial about His claims. Jesus went on to mention in verse 42 about Solomon’s greatness. Yet that He indeed is greater than Solomon. Even though it would appear that Jesus was just another “Holy” man, His greatness exceeded even the greatest of the kings. The very idea of James and John being given positions of authority riled the dander of the rest of the disciples. You see the desire for worldly greatness brings out pride and greed in the best of men. Even though Jesus tried to tell them that what they were asking required more than they thought, none of them understood. “Do you think that you can go through what I am about to go through”? Their answer? “No problem!” It just so happens that James would be the first of the apostles martyred while John lived out his natural life watching others be put to death for their faith. By the time of his death, John had lived out true greatness.
C. The World’s Rejection of Greatness. In 1878, when William Booth’s Salvation Army was beginning to make its mark, men and women from all over the world began to enlist. One man, who had once dreamed of becoming a bishop, crossed the Atlantic from America to England to enlist. Samuel Brengle left a fine pastorate to join Booth’s Army. But at first General Booth accepted his services reluctantly and grudgingly. Booth said to Brengle, "You’ve been your own boss too long." And in order to instill humility in Brengle, he set him to work cleaning the boots of other trainees. Discouraged, Brengle said to himself, "Have I followed my own fancy across the Atlantic in order to black boots?" And then, as in a vision, he saw Jesus bending over the feet of rough, unlettered fishermen. "Lord," he whispered, "you washed their feet; I will black their shoes." K Hughes, Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, Tyndale, 1988, p. 45.Verse 25 tells us why the world rejects true greatness. “You know the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.” For the world, what good is it to be great if you can’t be recognized for it. Matthew 6:2, “Therefore when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward.” If greatness is not really defined the way the world defines it, what is it?
II. LOOKING FOR GREATNESS IN THE KINGDOM. (26-28)
A. AN Inverted View. Verse 26, “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant.” The word translated “servant” is the Greek word “diakonos” Which is often translated as deacon or minister. It literally means “a helper”. In other words, if you want to be great, move to the bottom, not the top. Jesus said in Luke 14:8-11, “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited o and him come and say to you, ‘ Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher. ‘ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Our understanding of greatness begins with humility – totally inverted from the worldview.
B. An Inverted Life. Verse 27, “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.” Your human nature would tell you that nobody wants to be a slave. Your history books tell you how appalling slavery was and is. Slavery is wrong. The bible has never tried to justify it. But the apostle Paul said this about slavery, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness.” (Romans 6:16) You are a slave. The question is, “Are you a slave to the world or to the Lord?” Look through Paul’s letters to the churches. How did he begin? “Paul, a (slave, servant, bond-servant) of Christ… Paul knew he was a slave, but his slavery was that of a bondservant who has chosen to live a life of servant-hood for the cause of Christ. For the Christian greatness is moving to the position of servant in order to attain treasures in heaven. I told you that the word translated servant in verse 26 means “Minister”. In verse 27 Matthew uses a stronger word “doulos” which means slave. In the pagan world, humility was not considered a virtue. It was a vice. Could a slave be given the role as a leader? What Jesus was teaching was revolutionary.
C. An Inverted Ministry. Verse 28, Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus ministry seemed to be backwards. The King gave up all he treasured to live among the creatures He created. The Master of all washed the feet of fishermen. The Lord of life gave His life so others could have life and have it more abundantly. Many look at the office as pastor as an office of authority. And it is true there is biblical authority to be exerted through the office. But in reality a real pastor must have a servant’s heart. Not to exercise authority but to be the servant to the flock, being there when there is a need. Whew! I’m glad this only pertains to the pastor and not the rest of the church! Jesus spoke these words to all who wished to follow Him. They are not just for a chosen few. Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” When you can take your place of leadership as a servant, watch what will happen. You will begin to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit, depending not on self, but on the power of God to guide, strengthen, and enable you to carry out the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Luke 22:24-30 Jesus spoke to His disciples about servant-hood. As He talked about being a servant He finished up by telling them about the kingdom to come. “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Jesus has promised us positions of authority in the kingdom. Paul asked the question, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” We have all authority on earth and in heaven. Jesus has given it to us. Whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. But we are to humbly take our authority and use it as servants of the Living God. Not for personal glory, but for the glory of God. If we serve for any other reason, it really isn’t service. If we are not serving those around us who are in need, we are missing the opportunity for God to be known in a lost and dying world.
Are we serving? Again the words of a song that I love,
If we are the body why aren’t His arms reaching, why aren’t His hands healing, why aren’t His words teaching?
If we are the body, why aren’t His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
Is everyone being served?
