OPPORTUNITIES FOR GREATNESS ARE EVERYWHERE

Elevated positions are earned, not by might, but by suffering and serving. (Matthew 20v17-28)

1. Jesus’s arrest, death, burial, and resurrection sets the stage for greatness. (20v17-19)

Matthew 20:17–19 KJV 1900

And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

When we think of greatness we think of great feats...

A game winning shot...

The constructing of immaculate buildings.

Fortune 500 companies.

Today we are going to look at greatness from another angle. Jesus’s angle.

Biblical greatness starts here. It starts at the cross of Jesus. You’ll see why soon.

Transition: The moment Jesus finishes explaining what they are headed towards, he is approached by two disciples. While Jesus told them that he was going to be elevated to suffer, they came to Jesus desiring to be elevated to prestige and comfort.

2. While Jesus was elevated to suffer, we want to be elevated to a life of comfort. (20v20-21)

Matthew 20:20–21 KJV 1900

Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

Though her approach was commendable, they were still missing the point.

Transition: If we want to be elevated with Christ, our elevation must be like his.

3. If we want to be elevated with Christ, our elevation must be like his. (20v22-23)

Matthew 20:22–23 KJV 1900

But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

(Just this morning in my personal Bible reading I read in Matthew 10:24-25 “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” Paul also said that we are suffer with Christ… Phil 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

4. The Father chooses who will have elevated positions in the kingdom. (20v23)

Matthew 20:23 KJV 1900

And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

5. This desire for elevation doesn’t represent the minority, but the majority. (20v24)

Matthew 20:24 KJV 1900

And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

They were mad at these two brothers, not because they were out of line for asking this, but because they themselves wanted in on these two blessings that the two asked for.

6. Jesus flipped the way the world sees greatness on it’s head for his disciples. (20v25-26)

Matthew 20:25–26 KJV 1900

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

How do we equate greatness? Dominance, right? Power. Someone who is in charge.

The Last Dance - Michael Jordan treated his teammates like absolute garbage. People equate this with greatness. Jesus says that this isn’t greatness.

Transition: What is greatness then? How is it earned?

7. Elevated positions are earned, not by might, but by suffering and serving. (Matthew 20v26-28)

Matthew 20:26–28 KJV 1900

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

We notice three things here.

If you want to be great, serve.

The word minister here simply means to:

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. διάκονος

one who gets someth. done, at the behest of a superior, assistant to someone

Greatness comes not in doing for yourself. At is the hustle mentality of the day. I am gonna work hard and go and get my shine on. I am going to look out for me, and me only. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That mentality is the polar opposite of what Jesus teaches. Jesus teaches that if you want to be great, do things on the behalf of others. He didn’t stop there. The word means to get things done on behalf of our superiors. Who are our superiors?

Paul says it this way in Philippians 2:3

Philippians 2:3 KJV 1900

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Who are your superiors? Everyone. Treat everyone like superiors.

Transition: The next thing that Jesus says is even more shocking.

Matthew 20:27 “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:”

If you want to be the greatest of the great, be a slave to all.

What is He saying here? He is saying that if you want to be the greatest of the great, be a slave to all. If you truly have this desire to be the greatest of the great, the first in line, the chief of all leaders, you must boil yourself down to the lowly place of a slave.

No one, you would think, in their right mind would ever put themselves into the place or mindset of a slave. Slaves aren’t shot callers. Slaves aren’t free to do whatever they want. Slaves are bound to people who own them.

Jesus is who we pattern our quest for greatness after.

Jesus set the tone for greatness. He became a ransom for many. He laid down his life for many.

How do we become great? We lay down our life for many.

Application:

How can we emulate Jesus?

First, change your mindset that you don’t exist to be served. You exist to serve. Empty yourself of any thought of your own personal greatness.

How can we do what he did?

By looking for opportunities to put other people first.

Get creative. Look for opportunities to serve other people.

Opportunities for greatness are EVERYWHERE!

They are in the sink - dishes.

They are in the trash container.

They are in the hallway.

They are in the classroom.

They are in your siblings chores.

Opportunities for greatness are everywhere!

Closing