The Greatest Is Servant Pt. 2
Principles of the Christian Life • Sermon • Submitted
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35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
36 And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?
37 They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.
38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:
40 But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.
41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be much displeased with James and John.
42 But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
43 But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Introduction
Introduction
Last week, we began looking at this passage thinking about the subject, “The Greatest is Servant.”
We have our view of greatness, which usually has something to do with position and popularity.
This is a worldly view of greatness though, and doesn’t match Jesus’ definition.
To outline our text, and I would urge you to write this in the margin of your Bibles…It’ll help you remember it when you look back on God’s Word...
In verses 35-41, we have “Greatness Desired”
In verses 42-44, we have “Greatness Described”
In verse 45, we have “Greatness Demonstrated”
Jesus tells us exactly what being great is in His eyes, and that is to be a servant...
Let me give you a couple really good verses:
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
You see, to be exalted, first requires being brought low...
and as we’ve seen in verse 45 of our text, Christ set the example for all of us to follow...
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
I told you last week that I wanted to give you four steps to become a servant...
I was only able to make it through the first step last week, and that was “Make An Individual Choice.” - Choice being the keyword...
That comes from verses 43 and 44, where the Bible says, “whosoever will” and “whosoever of you will.”
The use of the word "will” shows us that we need to make a choice.
Let’s move on to step 2...
II-Step Two: Ask God for Inward Change
II-Step Two: Ask God for Inward Change
Change is the keyword in step 2...
Here’s the thing, just because we choose to be a servant, we don’t immediately change from selfish to selfless, and we have no power to bring about this change in our hearts…The Bible tells us that this is something that only God can do!
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
God is more than willing to give us a servant’s heart if we ask Him. In fact, He wants us to share the same mindset of Christ who humbled Himself to be a servant, despite being God.
He gave up His highest position of glory as the Creator God to assume the lowliest position of a servant to His own creation.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
“Let this mind be in you...”
The word “Let” means “to allow”… It indicates that it’s a choice we make to allow something to happen to us.
God desires to form the mind of Christ in us, and we are to allow Him to do His work.
Another example of this is found in Ephesians 5:18
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
We make the choice to allow the Spirit of god to be in control.
When we let the mind of Christ be in us, He causes us to think like He does.
Because our thoughts determine our actions, thinking like Christ will result in acting like He does.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Inward change begins with the mind. When we ask God to change us, He begins with the renewing of our minds. The Holy Spirit changes our way of thinking and conforms it to the mind of Christ. And as He changes our thinking, our behavior also changes to reflect more of Christ and less of ourselves.
III-Step Three: Seek Intentional Connections
III-Step Three: Seek Intentional Connections
Connections being the keyword here...
Sometimes opportunities to serve just land right in our paths, but usually, serving others involves making a conscious effort.
Most of the time, it means getting out of our comfort zones and purposefully meeting the needs of others.
Jesus is our example in this. During His earthly ministry, Christ was always intentional about serving others. He expressed His love in action. He washed the feet of His disciples, fed the multitudes, healed the sick, befriended the outcasts, cast out demons, prayed for His disciples, and even laid down His life to save men.
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
How can you and I serve others?
Service begins by being intentional to notice needs. But then we must follow through to minister to those needs.
As I’ve already mentioned, this usually requires us getting out of our comfort zone…I know it does mine.
This is where I struggle being an introvert. It doesn’t come natural to me to put myself out there, so to speak.
Let me give you some really simples ways to do this:
• When a visitor comes into the church. Introduce yourself, and make them feel welcome.
• Visit or call a widow or a shut-in to encourage them with your fellowship.
• Send a text or make a phone call to let someone know you are praying for them.
• Volunteer to help with the clean up after a church event.
God created the church to be a body of believers who serve one another. For this purpose, He equips believers with spiritual gifts that they can use for the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ.
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
So, here’s the question, are you serving your church family?
Are you actively engaged in building up others through a personal service to the church and for Christ?
IV-Step Four: Embrace the Invaluable Cause
IV-Step Four: Embrace the Invaluable Cause
Cause is the keyword in this step...
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
This verse gives us a personal testimony of the ministry of Jesus.
Jesus could have demanded others serve Him. But when He came to Earth, He chose to be born to a poor family in humble surroundings and then spent His life serving others. Ultimately, He served the entire world as He gave His life “a ransom for many” when He died on the cross for our sins and provided for us the gift of salvation.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
If Christ willingly gave His life to serve us, we can do no less than give our lives to serve Him!
What would stop you from serving a God who has given His all to save you?
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Some give their lives to serving their country.
Others give their lives to finding the cure for a disease.
Yet others give their lives to ending poverty.
People will give their lives to what they value most.
As Christians who have received the invaluable gift of salvation, should we hesitate in giving our lives fully to Christ?
Jesus taught us that the way we give ourselves to Him is by serving others.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you seeking greatness?
Jesus said, “The greatest is the servant of all.”
God’s honor is given to the lowly, not the lofty.
May God help each of us this week to be on the lookout for opportunities to serve and respond as Jesus would....