Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
November 18, 2001 PM
The Road To Kingdom Greatness
Reading - Matthew 20.20-28
We have spent the day talking about SERVANTHOOD... Our Eldership promised us SERVANT LEADERSHIP. In the lesson we talked about the fact that Jesus came as a servant... and that our challenge is to become more... and more... and more like Him... In our serving others.
There is no doubt that Jesus' disciples did not understand this concept of Kingdom Greatness Through Serving Others. So... In our reading tonight Solame... The mother of James and John... Comes asking for a special place of greatness within the Kingdom for her two sons.
Let's examine this narrative a little closer... To see what we can learn about... The road to greatness in the Kingdom of God.
First... Let's notice the inappropriateness of the request. This mother and her sons... James and John... Were more interested in power and authority than in Jesus and His Kingdom. They wanted the number two and number three positions in the Kingdom. They wanted to outrank the other Apostles. Do you suppose any of us are like them? Why is it that we are so interested in power and authority?
I hate politics in the church. Folk... The church of Jesus Christ is no place for POLITICS and power plays. It is no place for us to be reasoning...
- I want to be in control.
- I want to be noticed here.
- 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 when to do it.
- I want recognition... And preeminence.
- I want to force my beliefs... My opinion... My way... My interpretation on the church.
We have all seen churches split... right here in our own area over just such attitudes. These attitudes were wrong here in our text... and they are wrong today.
You see... Here is Jesus, trying to tell them about the greatest event in human history... His death on the cross for the sins of the world... But, what are they interested in? What do they want to talk about? What they are focused upon, IS their scrambling for thrones.
Church... I am not sure there is ever a place for this kind of attitude... This kind of thinking.
But I know this... There is never a time... or place for it in the Kingdom of God... in the church of Christ.
Salome and her sons were wrong. They were out on a limb here. They were completely out of line. They were wrong in their desire for power and authority in the Kingdom. And you and your preacher are out of line when we behave in a similar manner.
Listen again to Peter from the scripture one of our Elders read this morning from First Peter five... Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another... because... God opposes the proud... But gives grace to the humble... Therefore... Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand... That He may lift you up in due time... This is God's road to greatness... Be humble, and God will lift you up... make you great in the Kingdom.
Secondly... Such desires and requests are made in ignorance.
Jesus said... You don't know what you're asking. This mother and her sons had no idea what it would mean for Jesus to answer their request.
- They would have to drink the cup...
- They would have to be baptized with the baptism...of suffering that He was about to suffer that makes this position possible.
Do you think we ever do this... Pray for something without ever counting the cost? So often... We ask for things that we may not know what we're asking.
-When we ask for humility... Do we understand that we're giving God permission to humiliate us if necessary?
-When 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?
- When we pray... God make us more evangelistic... We do this without the slightest thought of what this might require of us. Just what life changes would have to be made for us to become more evangelistic? And are we willing to make these changes?
- We ask God to open doors of opportunity... Without the slightest thought of what God might need to do for such to happen... And how what He does might affect us.
- We ask God to make us great in the Kingdom.... But are we ready and willing to pay the price of such greatness?
O yes,. I believe we ought to pray these prayers. But church, not without a clear understanding... and a flexible willingness to let God bring them about.
Thirdly... We note that this request was made without a godly purpose.
- Solame... 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 any godly purpose in mind. And the truth is... Some of our requests may not have a godly purpose either. We don't have the foggiest what we would do with it... If God granted our prayers.
James... the brother of Jesus said... There are three reasons your 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 ask without a godly purpose in mind.
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?... Did they want these positions so they could satisfy their own lust?... Evil desires?... Their own egos?... I fear so... I fear so!
Church... It may be time for us to stop and consider...
- Why am I asking for this....
- And what GODLY PURPOSE will it serve if God answers my prayer.
I believe some of our prayers are not answered because we do not have a GODLY PURPOSE in mind when we pray. You see... The promise is... God will answer all our prayers that are within HIS WILL... Prayers that have a GODLY PURPOSE... RIGHT??
Number four tonight... Jesus said... This is not mine to bestow. I can't give you a position in the Kingdom.... This is something that is reserved for the Father. The point is this... Kingdom Greatness always has its beginning in submission... Not in preeminence.
You see... Jesus never attempted to usurp authority over the Father. Jesus always had a heart of a servant... A heart of submission. Jesus never sought after preeminence and greatness... Even equality with God was not a position that Jesus wanted to hold on to.
It was this heart of submission that Paul commands us to have in Philippians chapter 2. We read it this morning... Let's read it again:
Your attitude... Your heart... Your disposition be the same as that of Christ Jesus... Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be held on to... But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.... 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.
I believe that 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. Church... Jesus lets us know here that positions in the Kingdom are not indiscriminately handed out. 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.
When we tie verse 23 with 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 can see that positions of GREATNESS in the kingdom are reserved for those who serve others.
Remember 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.
Number six... We learn that their request was divisive. When the other ten heard it... Scripture says... They were moved with indignation. They were mad... and rightly so... and rightly so. You see... Our scrambling for thrones in the Kingdom... Our trying to make a name for ourselves... Our desire for preeminence always brings division... And a spirit of divisiveness.... Always.
Truth is... We need to think about what we are doing to the family of God, before we start seeking positions of power and authority in His church.
Number seven... The road to greatness in God's Kingdom is through serving. The road to greatness in the church is down hill. The Kingdom of God is an upside-down Kingdom.
The road to greatness in the world is up.... Climbing the ladder!! Jesus said... The road to greatness in the Gentile World is on the backs of others... Lording it over others... Lording it over your fellow man. The road to greatness in the Western World is moving toward the top of the pyramid.
But greatness in the Kingdom of God... True greatness 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 desire greatness in the Kingdom of God. He didn't say... You must put such thoughts out of your mind... and ask God for forgiveness. But instead He tells us how to have greatness... 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.... That's true greatness.
*Deacons... Want to be great in the Kingdom?... Live up to your title. The word deacon means servant... Minister... Ministering. And is frequently translated such in Scripture.
*Preachers & Teachers... Want to become great in the Kingdom... Serve the people. A preacher who will not serve the church had no right to stand before them in a teaching role. Jesus was a great teacher.... but... 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:
Listen to Paul as He speaks to us about Kingdom greatness from Romans chapter 12... 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.... (This is that humility that Peter was saying that we are to cloth ourselves with earlier in our lesson)... 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.
You see... Kingdom greatness is our using our God-given talents in SERVICE TO OTHERS.
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 of us need to serve Jesus by submitting to His commands:
-Unless you believe I am He... You will die in your sins.
-I tell you no... Unless you repent... You too will perish.
-If you will confess Me before others... I will confess you before My Father in heaven.
-He that believes and is baptized will be saved...
If you're not a child of God... Come serve Him tonight by becoming a disciple of Jesus.
Some of us need to stop searching for greatness by scrambling for...
Thrones...
Power...
Authority.
And understand that the road to 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 as we stand and sing this invitation song together.
Will you come!!
