Turtle Top Theology Series

Yes, of course you can! Jesus said so.

You can have value/ importance/ great influence in the Kingdom of Heaven. But you can only have that if you’re willing to do it God’s way. OTHERWISE, you risk becoming a Yertle.

So, my point is this: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be great in the Kingdom of God, but if we’re not careful, we can end up using others for our own ends.

There’s an old saying: “Absolute power corrupts, absolutely”.

It’s considered a true statement… because it happens so often to so many. You give enough power to any turtle, and eventually he becomes a Yertle. A person with unlimited power begins to think they can do whatever they want to do.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

And the way to avoid that trap is to learn the lessons of Yertle the Turtle.

What are those lessons?

1st –Yertle’s biggest problem was that he didn’t think anybody should be higher than he was. He looks up at the moon and he snorts: “Say, what IS that thing that dares to be higher than Yertle the King?"

HE WAS THE KING… and this was HIS kingdom.

Nothing, and no one, else was allowed to impose on his authority and power.

And amongst the disciples, there was a similar problem.

At a different time, James and John asked to sit on Christ’s right and left in His kingdom and the other disciples became angry.

You could just hear them as they complained: “Say… who are James and John that they dare to try to be higher than we are? How dare they usurp OUR power and OUR prestige. This is OUR kingdom they’re messing with."

In fact, when a competitor sets up shop down the road they get upset. In Luke 9:49 John complains "Master, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."

What was John upset about?

“He’s NOT ONE OF US! How dare he infringe on our copy write? It’s our kingdom… not his.”

Really???

Excuse me… whose kingdom is it? (It’s Christ’s kingdom)

It belongs to Jesus, not us.

This is such a significant principle in God’s kingdom that every position and role in the church should be undertaken with this thought in mind.

In I Peter 5, God talks to the Elders (thru Peter) and tells them:

“To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of GOD’S FLOCK that is under your care, serving as overseers— not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but EAGER TO SERVE; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (I Peter 5:1-4)

Their role was that of servant to God’s people, not as rulers and tyrants. It’s God’s flock, not theirs, and God was watching what they were doing in the hopes that when Christ returned He could impart to them a crown of glory.

But the church doesn’t belong to the Elders. It doesn’t belong to the Preacher. It doesn’t belong to a church board, or a group of influential members. The church (Christ’s Kingdom) belongs to Jesus. It’s His not ours.