Called to Greatness
Mark 9:30-37
June 12, 2005
Morning Service
Introduction
A few weeks ago I was watching ESPN early one morning and I was listening to one commentator talk about one of the NBA teams that had made it to the Finals. I am not too into basketball so I am not sure which team they were talking about but I believe it was the Miami Heat. The commentator kept using the word great to describe the team. This team had a great defense. They had great rebounding. They had great three point shooters. They had a great inside game. The commentator really was overkill with the word great about the team.
What does it mean to be great?
The world around us uses the word great to describe many different things but what do we use to measure greatness?
World
• Power: A person’s greatness is measured by the things that they have the ability to control
• Prestige: A person’s greatness is measured by the accolades that they receive
• Position: A person’s greatness is measured by where they are in life
• Possessions: A person’s greatness is measured by the things that they own
This might surprise you but Jesus has a totally different view of greatness. Greatness is not measured by what you have or what you can do. It is not measured by who you are or by where you are in life. Greatness for the Christian is more about why you do what you do and who you do it for. Greatness flows out of giving not getting.
In the eyes of Jesus, greatness flows from three things
1.) Sacrifice: We are called to give up who we are right now so we can become who God wants us to be
2.) Service: We are called to give ourselves to others and invest our lives in those around us
3.) Selflessness: We are called to give ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom
30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. 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."
I. Greatness flows out of sacrifice
The hope and peace that we have as Christians flows out of the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. Our peace comes from the fact that Jesus traded the glory of heaven for the grime of earth. Jesus gave up the praise of the angels to hear the insults of sinful men. Jesus gave up the position in heaven to take up a position on the cross.
"The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
Jesus felt the sting of betrayal. Jesus was betrayed by one of those who had followed Him from the beginning of His ministry. Judas betrayed Jesus to the corrupt religious leadership and they would kill Him. I think we need to remember that Jesus was also betrayed by Peter when he denied Jesus three different times. Jesus was betrayed by the rest of the disciples because they turned and ran in His darkest hour.
Jesus was crucified. Jesus died the most miserable and horrid death known to humanity at the time of His life. Why would He do such a thing?
1. Jesus was willing to die (John 10:11)
Jesus was not forced to go to the cross but rather made the choice to go to the cross because He loved us that much. Jesus had the desire to sacrifice because He loved us more than life itself.
2. Jesus died for redemption (Ephesians 1:7)
Jesus understood the magnitude of our personal need and He died to pay the price for our sins, our failures and our poor choices. Jesus died to pay a debt that he did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay.
3. Jesus was revealing God’s plan (Acts 2:23)
Jesus was revealing the master plan of the Father to the disciples and they just could not understand. Jesus was showing them and us that He did not die because a handful of sinful men wanted to kill Him. Jesus died because it was part of God’s master plan to restore a right relationship with humanity.
4. Jesus was revealing great hope (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Jesus gave the disciples a wonderful hope that they would later see as transforming point of their lives. Jesus did die but He was raised from the dead to live forever and reveal the life that only God can give to each and every person.
We have been called to sacrifice
We have been blessed in our nation that we do not face the persecution that much of the church around the world is now facing. God may not call us to give our lives but instead He asks for something much harder - He wants us to give up our will. You will never be able to give your life for Christ unless you surrender the entirety of your will to Him first.
Our calling is to first die to ourselves on a daily basis so that we can live for Christ. Are the things that you are living for worth dying for? If not you’re not really living. It is only when we sacrifice our selfishness that we will truly find the depth of Christ within us.
II. Greatness flows out of Service (33-35)
Our idea of greatness coming from things like position, prestige, power and the like flow out of selfish desire. The simple reality of this is that our selfish desire has no place in our life with Christ.
• We want to have our own way with things
• We want what is best for us
• We want our personal rights
• We want the rewards of life
There is nothing wrong with getting recognition. There is nothing wrong with having position. There is nothing wrong with getting rewarded. As long as, the motivation is for the right reasons. Jesus makes it a habit of lifting up those who serve Him, so that he can be glorified.
A few weeks ago I was in the elementary teaching second grade and things were going well, the children were well behaved and doing their work. We started having problems when it was time to line up for lunch because their was a fight over who got to be at the front of the line.
As the disciples were traveling to Capernaum they were arguing over who was the greatest. They were doing nothing more than fighting over who was the top dog. They were fussing and fighting over who would get to be first. They were acting like those second graders.
We often criticize the disciples in situations like this but if we’re really honest, we aren’t much different from them. There have been times when we have wanted our way. There have been times when we all have fought to move up. There have been times when we have made a fuss over insignificant things. How do we get over this?
1. Remember that we are here to serve Jesus
2. Remember that by serving Jesus we have to serve others
3. Remember that we are not the most important person in the room
III. Greatness flows out of selflessness (36-37)
"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."
What is Jesus doing here? Why did He bring this child in while He was talking with the disciples?
The Aramaic word that the Jews used for Child was the exact same word that they used for servant. So Jesus is expanding what he had just said about being a servant. Children were viewed very differently in the first century than they are today. Children had absolutely no rights, no position, no power. They were for lack of a better way to say it, the last in society.
Is Jesus meaning just accepting a child or does he mean something different?
When Jesus uses the word welcome here it would seem that He mean to welcome the nature of a child. This would clearly go hand in hand with His teaching on greatness. To achieve greatness in the eyes of Christ you have to give up to go up.
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3-4
Children were seen not as full persons and given the stature of property. Many rabbis even classified children with the deaf, the dumb, the weak minded and slaves.
Let me say this, children are vitally important to our society and they are vital to the life of the church.
Jesus was gently trying to remind the disciples and us three important things about true greatness
1. We belong to God the Father - We are His and our lives should always be in His hands
2. We rely on God the Father - We cannot make it through life by doing things our way and in our own strength.
3. We are under God’s authority - We live in His favor and His grace
Conclusion
What does it mean to be great?
1.) Sacrifice: We are called to give up who we are right now so we can become who God wants us to be
2.) Service: We are called to give ourselves to others and invest our lives in those around us
3.) Selflessness: We are called to give ourselves to Christ and His Kingdom
This morning if God is speaking to you, why not come to the altar and take some time to pray.
