Great Disciples
Disciplines of a Disciple • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Have you ever wanted to be the best at something?
on your team
fastest
strongest
defender
in the classroom
smartest
best work
best behavior
at your workplace
production
sales
innovation or ideas
For most, anything you do, especially with others, there’s something in us that wants to be the best
Let’s take that question a step further…
Have you ever wanted to be considered the Greatest Of All Time of something?
Our culture has a term for this: G.O.A.T.
there’s GOAT debates within every aspect of our culture
Why?
because the GOATs aren’t the best… they are heads above the best
but who really is the GOAT out of all the bests
Debates
Sports
Jordan vs. Lebron
Brady vs. Mahomes
TV + Movies
Marvel vs. DC
The Office vs. Friends
Music
Beatles vs. Michael Jackson
Taylor Swift vs. Everyone
Everyone loves a good debate over who is the GOAT
TENSION
TENSION
But let me ask you a different kind of GOAT question:
What kind of life would you have to live to be considered the GOAT among Jesus’ disciples?
If God Himself were to define greatness, not just in skill or success, but in His kingdom
what would that greatness actually look like?
The good news is: we don’t have to guess
In our passage today, Jesus does exactly that
TRUTH
TRUTH
They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them,…
In these opening verses we get the context for the rest of the conversation we will be going through this morning
Jesus and the disciples had been walking to Capernaum
While on this walk the disciples had been having a GOAT debate
but they weren’t debating which OT prophet was the greatest or whether Moses or Joshua was the GOAT’s of leading Israel
they were having a personal debate
they were arguing over who among themselves was the greatest of the 12
Jesus, of course, overhears this argument but now ask them to see what they would say
the disciples stay quiet, we can assume out of embarrassment of what they were doing
Jesus, then sits them down for a talk
this is significant because in Jesus day when a rabbi or teach sat down to talk it meant they were about to teach something serious or important
which is exactly what Jesus is about to do
He is about to shatter the disciples understanding of greatness
Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.”
In one sentence Jesus unravels all of the disciples understanding and view of greatness
Growing up in and around the Roman Empire their definition of greatness was simple:
The more
power,
status,
and possessions you had the greater you were
But Jesus, as he often does, shows the disciples that God’s kingdom is an upside down kingdom compared to the world’s
Jesus make His point clear, and this is exactly what i want you to see this morning
Bottom line: Great disciples are servants
Greatness in God’s kingdom is not based on whether you have servants but on if you are a servant
this would have been earth shattering for the disciples
just as it is for us
We didn’t grow up under Roman rule but America’s definition of greatest is pretty much the same
The more
power,
status,
and possessions you have the greater you are
So, for the disciples, and for you and me, when we hear Jesus say: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.”
What does that mean?
How do we be last?
How do we become a servant of all?
Well, that is exactly what Jesus is going to explain in the rest of this converation
Jesus is going to give us 3 things that great disciples that are servants do
Great disciples are servants who prioritize others
He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”
Jesus pulls a little child into his arms to illustrate his point
His point: if you want to be great you must welcome children as if you are welcoming me
To us this seem easy and obvious…
of course, Jesus, why wouldn’t I welcome little children… they are precious
But for the disciples it was much different
in their society children were seen as insignificant, lowly, and to be overlooked
this was because the death rate was so high for children that it was the norm to wait until they were around 5 years old to began recognizing them as people since they are not expect to actually survive
Jesus’ point is clear to the disciples
to be considered great you don’t seek status or to only be around those with status
to be considered great you seek out the lowly, outcast, and often overlooked people of society
care for them
meet their needs
receive them as if they were Jesus himself
And I love what happens next…
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”
Jesus is in the middle of explaining his point and it seems like John just raises his hand but doesn’t wait for Jesus to call on him instead just starts talking
“Jesus, we saw this guy casting out demons and he was doing it in your name but he isn’t one of the 12 so we tried to get him to stop”
If you are a parent or have ever done anything with kids/students you know this moment
you are trying to explain something important or serious and then all of the sudden they say the most random and off the wall thing
this seems to be what John does but Jesus, being the great teacher he is, uses it to expand his point
“Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.
Jesus correct John
Don’t stop him
If they are not against us then they are for us
See, John was caught up in some tribalistic or clique thinking
Unless someone is a part of my group then even if they are doing good things in Jesus name it’s still bad
Jesus correct John’s ignorance
Here Jesus uses John’s interruption to expand “others” from those in society to also those within the faith
Remember our point:
Great disciples are servants who prioritize others
Prioritize
The outcast, lowly, and overlooked of society
intern or janitor at your work
the coworker who always sits alone in the break room
the drug addict on the street corner
the less fortunate family on your kids team
Those doing gospel work but aren’t apart of your group
those who sing worship songs you wouldn’t sing
those who don’t preach in the style you think is correct
those who wear clothes you don’t think they should wear
those who partner with people in culture you don’t think they should partner with
What would it look like for you to prioritize and serve those people?
Maybe it’s dying to the awkwardness and talking to the alone coworker
Maybe it’s staying a minute late to help the janitor clean up a mess
Maybe it’s simply coming to the conclusion that God can use people to do good gospel work who don’t fall within your camp of theological thinking
What must change for you to be a servant who prioritizes other, specifically the outcast, lowly, and overlooked of society plus those doing gospel work but aren’t apart of your group?
2. Great disciples are servants who purge sin
“And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Here, Jesus begins to use some extreme language to show the seriousness of sin
Let me be clear…
Jesus is not telling us to literally cut off body parts.
His disciples, and us, understand that He’s using hyperbole to make a point:
Sin is deadly serious
And it needs to be dealt with radically; not managed, but mortified.
Jesus is using the hand, foot, and eye as symbols of different areas where sin shows up
Body Parts:
Hand = Sinful things we do
Physically acting out in anger
Stealing — even small items
Addictive behaviors (e.g. substance abuse, self-harm, clicking what you shouldn’t)
Foot = Sinful places we go
Going places that stir temptation (bars, parties, environments you’ve struggled in)
Constantly heading into conversations that fuel bitterness or division
Attending events, groups, or websites that cause spiritual compromise
Eye = Sinful desires or thoughts we entertain
Lust (pornography, fantasy, objectifying others)
Envy (wanting someone else’s spouse, success, appearance)
Pride (thinking too highly of yourself or resenting others’ success)
Bitterness (replaying wrongs over and over in your mind)
Coveting (never content, always comparing)
See we often treat these areas of sin in our lives casually, like a pet we can tame
But Jesus says sin is a predator, not a pet
because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
There is a popular saying that sin always overpromises, always under-delivers, and always destroys
That is why Jesus is taking sin so serious in this conversation and using extreme language to express this
Every time I read this passage i am reminded of the documentary 127 Hours
It’s about a man named Aron Ralston was hiking alone through a remote Utah canyon in 2003 when a boulder shifted and trapped his right arm against the canyon wall
He had no cell service, no one knew where he was, and his arm was completely stuck
For five days, he rationed his food and water and tried every possible way to free himself but nothing worked
Eventually, facing death, Aron made a horrifying decision:
with nothing but a dull Swiss Army knife, he cut off his own arm to survive
The scene is intense, but it captures the reality of his choice:
Lose a part of yourself or lose your life
That’s what Jesus is saying in this passage: Sin is that serious
If there’s something in your life, a habit, a desire, a path, that is dragging you away from God and leading you toward destruction, then cut it out before it kills you
But here’s the deeper reason this matters and why Jesus includes it in a lesson on true greatness:
Sin doesn’t just harm you; it harms the people you’re called to serve
If you want to lead others toward Christ, you can’t lead them while dragging secret chains behind you
Great disciples are great servants…
And great servants take their personal holiness seriously, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of those they serve
So, what’s the “hand,” “foot,” or “eye” in your life?
What sin are you tolerating instead of terminating?
Is it an app… a relationship… a secret habit?
Confess it. Cut it out. Take action.
Don’t wait for sin to take more than you’re willing to give
3. Great disciples are servants who promote peace
Jesus just spoke about radical purity, and now He turns to community purity
how we relate to each other
For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
The image of “salt” suggests that:
Disciples are meant to be different
Salt is distinct, purifying, preservion
The “fire” of self-denial and sacrifice refines true disciples, making them useful for God’s kingdom
But if we lose our saltiness (our distinctiveness and holiness), we become ineffective not just personally, but relationally.
So Jesus ends the entire section by saying:
“Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another.”
He’s saying:
Let the purifying work of discipleship lead you into humble, peaceful relationships with your fellow believers
That’s true servant leadership
Because when disciples embrace the fire of refining obedience (cutting off sin, dying to pride), the result is peace
Because peace isn’t just about avoiding arguments
It’s the byproduct of humility, self-sacrifice, and the gospel at work
Great disciples pursue peace even when it costs them
They choose restoration over resentment
They lay down preferences for unity
They lead by humbling themselves first
We all know the difference between people who are peacemakers and a pot-stirrers:
The peacemaker shows up to calm things down.
Where as the pot-stirrers always adds just enough heat to boil over
Jesus isn’t looking for disciples who stir things up
He’s looking for those refined by fire so they can calm conflict, heal division, and preserve peace
A pot-stirrer seeks to win
A peacemaker seeks to serve
So my question for you is:
Are you known as a peacemaker or a peace-disturber
Do people breathe easier when you walk in or brace for tension?
Where do you need to humble yourself and choose peace?
Is there someone you need to forgive, confess to, or reach out to?
When you take a step back and look at everything Jesus just taught
that servant leaders prioritize others, purge sin, and promote peace
it’s clear that this is a high calling.
And if we’re honest, most of us are not naturally wired to live this way
We want to be served, not to serve
We want to hold onto sin, not cut it out
We want to win arguments, not die to ourselves for peace
But here’s the good news…
Jesus didn’t just teach us how to live
He lived it
Jesus Promoted Peace
Jesus was salted with fire through His suffering, not to preserve His own comfort, but to purchase peace between God and sinners.
But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Even while being mocked, abandoned, and crucified, Jesus chose peace over vengeance
He didn’t demand His rights, He gave up His life.
He is our peace
And because of Him, we can live at peace with God and one another
Jesus Purged Sin
Jesus had no sin to cut off but He was cut off for our sin
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
He was taken away because of oppression and judgment, and who considered his fate? For he was cut off from the land of the living; he was struck because of my people’s rebellion.
He bore the fire of judgment so we could walk in freedom
At the cross, Jesus didn’t just remove sin’s penalty
He broke sin’s power.
He is our righteousness
And because of Him, we can walk in holiness
Jesus Prioritized Others
Jesus redefined greatness not by position but by proximity to the lowly
who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
He stopped for children, touched lepers, welcomed sinners, and restored the outcast
And when we had nothing to offer Him…
He still chose us.
He prioritized us
And because of Him, we can prioritize others
Jesus Practiced Humility
While the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, Jesus already knew where He was going: the cross
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
He humbled Himself all the way to death even death on a cross.
He is our Servant-King
And because of Him, we can lay down our lives in love
We need to understand that the Cross isn’t just where Jesus taught discipleship…
It’s Where He Accomplished Salvation
He doesn’t just call us to try harder
He gives us a new heart and a new Spirit to follow Him
he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
So now, by His grace, we don’t just admire Him
We follow Him
Conclusion
Conclusion
I want to end with this question:
Do you want to be great?
Then become a servant
That’s the way of the kingdom
That’s the way of the cross
That’s the way of Jesus
So what’s your next step?
Prioritize someone else this week especially someone overlooked.
Purge the sin that’s pulling you away from Christ.
Promote peace where there’s conflict or tension.
But most of all follow the One who served you first
His name is Jesus
He’s not just a great teacher; He is a faithful Savior
