Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
July 08, 2001 p.m.
The Road To Kingdom Greatness
Reading - Matthew 20.20-28
Our lesson this morning was about walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
Tonight we want to continue this thought... As we examine another footprint of Jesus... That of humility and servanthood.
Perhaps nowhere is this attribute of the Master any more evident than in Paul’s statement in Philippians chapter two... Where he says...
Our attitude...
Our thinking...
Our disposition should be like that of Jesus... Who knowing GREATNESS... Who was equal with God... did not consider that GREATNESS something to be held on to... but made Himself nothing... taking on the very nature of a SERVANT.
In our reading tonight... Jesus is at the end of His three and a half year ministry.
He has resolutely set His face toward Jerusalem.
Jesus know His purpose for coming... In a few days... He will face His most difficult task.
-He will be betrayed... and denied by His friends.
-He will be unjustly condemned by His fellow countryman in a Jewish court.
-He will die the slow painful death of crucifixion on a cross before those who love Him most.
The KINGDOM OF GOD was not a new concept... For hundreds of years... Israel had waited... anticipating the coming of MESSIAH... and His setting up a Kingdom as prophesied by Isaiah... Daniel and others. More recently in Palestine... Both John the Baptist and Jesus have been telling their disciples that the Kingdom was coming.
Matthew 16.21 reads... From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Listen to Matthew 19.28-29... I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Then here in the twentieth chapter beginning with verse 17, Matthew says... Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!
Jesus’ disciples may not have understood all the circumstances about the coming Kingdom... But they understood three things...
One... That He was going to set up a Kingdom.
Two... They understood that they would have a place of authority in this Kingdom.
And three... Now that He is saying He is going to Jerusalem to die... They must have
concluded that the time is near.
So it was in this context that Solame... The mother of James and John... Takes advantage of the moment and asked for a special place of honor and greatness within the Kingdom for her sons.
When we read Mark’s record of this same incident, we find that James and John were also there... Asking... Requesting this same place of greatness and honor in the new Kingdom
Now... With these thoughts in mind... Let’s see what we can learn about the road to greatness in the Kingdom of God.
First... We are awestruck with the inappropriateness of their request.
Why is it that we are so interested in power and authority?
This mother and her sons... James and John... were more interested in power and authority...than in Jesus and His Kingdom. They were asking for the two highest positions in the coming regime. They wanted the number two and number three positions... Sitting on Jesus’ right and left. They wanted to outrank the other Apostles.
Do you suppose any of us are like them?
I guess I hate politics anywhere... I know I hate politics in the church. Folk... the church of Jesus Christ is no place for us to be trying to grab power. The church is no place for power plays.
Like James... John... and their mother... Some of us need to learn this lesson.
The church... this church... is no place for us to be reasoning... thinking thoughts like:
I want to exercise my authority.
I want to be the decision maker.
I want to be able to tell others what to do... And not be told what to do.
I want recognition.
I want to be able to force my opinion... my ideas... on this church family.
Here... Jesus is trying to tell them about the greatest event in human history... His death on the cross for the sins of the world... And... They are scrambling for thrones... Can you believe it??
There is never a time or place for this kind of thinking and behavior in the Kingdom of God... The church of Christ.
Salome and her sons were wrong... Dead wrong!! They were completely out of line with Kingdom thinking...
And you and your preacher are out of line when we think and behave in a similar manner.
Secondly... We note that such desires and requests are made in ignorance.
Jesus said... You don’t know what you are asking.
This mother and her sons had no idea what it would mean for Jesus to answer their prayer request. They would have to drink HIS cup... Be baptized with HIS baptism... of suffering.
Do you think we ever do this... Pray for something without ever counting the cost?
So often we ask for things in our prayers that we don’t know what we’re asking. We ask for humility... Do we understand that we’re asking for God to humiliate us. Are we ready and willing for God to answer this prayer at our cost?
We ask for God to use us.... Do we understand what changes may occur in our lives if He does? Are we ready for these changes... Or will we be found resisting them?
We pray... Make us more evangelistic... We do this knowing what this might require of us? What changes would have to be made in our lives for us to become more evangelistic?
-Are we willing to set aside our pride and speak up for Christ?
-Are we willing to overcome our fears... Board a plane and go wherever He calls?
-Are we willing to leave the comfort of Bella Vista for the riggers of the mission field?
We ask God to use us or make us great in the Kingdom.... But are we ready and willing to pay the price of such use and greatness?
O... Yes... Don’t get me wrong... We ought to be praying these prayers... But church... Not without...
A clear understanding...
And a flexible willingness...
To live the adventure... When God answers such prayers.
Thirdly... We note that this request was made without a godly purpose.
-Salome??... Why do you want your boys to have these two positions?
-James and John??... What are you going to do with this new-found power and authority?
I don’t think they had thought about that much... Do you?
The fact is I don’t think they had a godly purpose in mind at all.
Why do we pray some of the prayers we pray?... What is the real motive behind them?
Some of us are just like the Prodigal Son... Our prayer requests are GIMMIE prayers... Give me this... Give me that... Give me what is rightfully mine.
James... The brother of Jesus said... There are three reasons our prayers are not answered...
-First... He said... You receive not because you ask not.
-Second... You receive not because you don’t ask in faith.
-Number three... You receive not because you don’t ask without a godly purpose... Because
you ask so that you might consume it on your own lust, your own evil desires.
Do you think this was the case with Salome, James and John?... I fear so... I fear so!
Church... Our challenge is not to pray gimmie prayers... But make me prayers...
Make me a better spouse... and parent.
Make me a better servant in your kingdom.
Give me more understanding... patience... and wisdom with people.
Make me more responsive to your will.
Make me a better preacher... Elder... Deacon... Bible teacher.
God loves to answer prayers with such godly purpose.
Number four tonight... Jesus said... This is not mine to bestow. Jesus says... I can’t give you a position in the Kingdom... This is something reserved for the Father.
Church... Jesus never attempted to usurp authority over the Father. Jesus always had a heart of submission... not My will... but Thine be done.
This should be our heart and disposition also... RIGHT?
It was this heart of submission that Paul commands us to have in Philippians chapter 2... Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Let this mind... the heart... this attitude... this disposition... of Christ be in you... Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name... For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. So, do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.
You see folk... Salome and her sons prayers were outside the will of God. And the Bible teaches us that prayers outside His will... will not be answered.
Number five... Positions in the Kingdom of God can’t be legislated.
Jesus lets us know here that positions in the Kingdom are not indiscriminately handed out. Jesus says... Such positions are... prepared for those who have prepared themselves by serving... by serving.
Look at the end of verse 23... These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by My father... Now tie this to verses 26 & 27... Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.
We readily see that positions of authority in the kingdom are reserved for those who have prepared themselves through service to others.
Remember Jesus’ story in Matthew 25.34-35... Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
What are we seeing here? Positions of greatness in the Kingdom of God have been prepared for... and are given to those who serve the Jesus in others.
Number six... Their request was divisive.
When the other ten disciples heard it, they were moved with indignation... They were mad... and rightly so... and rightly so.
Church... Listen to this... Our scrambling for thrones in the Kingdom always brings about division and a spirit of divisiveness.... Always. This narrative we are studying tonight took place immediately before the UPPERROOM incident... Where the disciples refused to wash one another’s feet. Why do you suppose this was?... Because of the behavior of this mother and her sons. These twelve were already having to deal with this kind of thinking... And when Salome and her sons came asking Jesus... It just made matters worse... much worse.
Folk... We need to think about what we are doing to the family of God, before we start scrambling for positions of power and authority in His church... Before we begin to have our own way in the body of Christ. We have seen churches divided right here in our area... Because men and women refused to consider what they might do to the church, if they demanded a place of preeminence and power.
Then finally... The road to greatness in God’s Kingdom is through serving.
The road to greatness in the church is down hill.
You see... From the world’s standpoint... We live in an upside-down Kingdom.
The road to greatness in the world is up....
Jesus said... The road to greatness in the Gentile world is by rulers... lording it over others... Lording it over their fellow man.
But true greatness in the Kingdom is through serving others... serving others.
Whoever wills to be great among you... Let him be your servant.
Note something here,
Jesus didn’t say... It was wrong to want to be great.
He didn’t say... Just put it out of you mind.
But instead He tells us how... By serving... By serving.
OK... Application time...
Elders... Want to be great in the Kingdom?... You do it by serving the sheep... Shepherding... Providing for... Caring for... Feeding... Disciplining... Guiding them.... This is true KINGDOM greatness.
Deacons... Want to be great in the Kingdom?... Live up to your title... The word deacon means servant... minister... ministering. If we are serving as a Deacon for any other reason, we are serving out of the wrong motive.
Preachers... Teachers.... Do you want to become great in the Kingdom... Serve the people.
What is the position of a preacher in the Kingdom of God?... In the true church of Christ?... On his knees with a towel... serving others... washing feet.
Folk... Preachers are not PASTORS... They are ministers... servants.
They have not power or authority--outside of teaching the Word.
A preacher who will not serve the church had no right to stand before them in a teaching role.
Jesus was a great preacher.... First and foremost because He served the people.
Christian brother and sister... Do you want to be great in the church of our Lord.... And I hope you do.... But know this... You must serve one another... Bear you one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ.
We are commanded to... Do good to all men... Especially those of the household of faith.
Paul encourages us to become living sacrifices. Listen to these verses from Romans chapter 12 which speak of using the gifts God has given us in the Kingdom... Note how many of these gifts have to do with authority and power and how many of them have to do with serving:
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Let me close by asking you this question... What was it that attracted and continues to attract people to Jesus?...
It was His serving others
It was His unselfishly coming to this earth to serve and save us.
Let me ask you tonight... Would you like to be great in the Kingdom of God?... WOULD YOU?
Then we must learn to serve.
Some tonight need to serve Jesus... By submitting to His commands to become a child of God...
By faith... Repentance... and New Testament baptism... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Others of us need to stop searching for greatness by scrambling for...
Thrones...
Power...
Authority...
And understand that the road to Kingdom greatness is through serving others.
However this lesson has spoken to you... To the extent that it is from the Word of God... Will you respond to it... As we stand and sing this invitation song together.
