The Pathway to Greatness
Notes
Transcript
Then they began to question among themselves which of them was going to do this.
A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them would be considered the greatest.
So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors.
But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.
For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.
There was an uninvited guest at the meal, In fact, this guest is never invited (but often present.
No one wants him around.
Yet, he is so subtle, often no one knows he is present until he had done his damage.
He is good at stirring up trouble.
He has a knack for starting arguments.
Sometimes the arguments lead to fights and the fights to war.
Needless to say, when he enters a room, people will get hurt.
Of all places for him to be present, there he was in the upper room with Jesus and the disciples.
You would think that he couldn’t even enter the room.
But he did and he did what he does best.
He took the words of Jesus and used them to get the disciples to begin to focus on themselves.
Who is the uninvited guest who crashed Jesus’s dinner party?
Who is this uninvited guest who appeared at the church in Corinth?
Who is this uninvited guest who has intruded into the life of countless congregations…
The uninvited guest is named Division, a servant of Satan.”
Some time Thursday morning or afternoon Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare for the Passover meal (22:8).
Many believe that Jesus did not specify the location of the meal ahead of time so that Judas could not inform the enemies of the Lord where he and the disciples would be.
Jesus wanted this last meal to be uninterrupted.
Jesus has just predicted his betrayal and has identified the perpetrator as one of the twelve.
In verse twenty-three we read, Luke 22:23-24
Then they began to question among themselves which of them was going to do this.
A dispute (philoneikia - loving strife) also arose among the disciples as to which of them would be considered the greatest.
Perhaps the argument grew out of their speculations over who would be the one to betray Him or there may have been jealousy over the way they had been seated at the table.
They indeed may have argued over which of them was capable of betraying the Lord.
Deep down, they knew that each one of them was capable of such a betrayal.
But when you are unhappy it doesn’t take much to get an argument started.
The argument spread from who was the worst among them to who was the best among them.
Here we are at the scene of Jesus has revealed that he was facing death and even during the emotional Last Supper the disciples argued on who was the greatest.
It would seem that the disciples are more interested in their own greatness than they are to identify who the traitor among them is.
Instead of assuring Jesus of their loyalty and their deep concern for the suffering that lay ahead of him, the disciples began to argue.
Their argument broke the unity that Jesus spoke of only minutes before when he instituted the Lord’s supper.
The strange thing is that there is more argument and division over inconsequential matters, and more concern about recognition in the church than anywhere else.
No congregation is immune.
Division over the style of worship, division over the songs that are sung, division over who has the authority, division over what translation of the Bible you read, division over how the money is spent.
The truth is that we will argue over almost anything in the church; from the color of the carpet to where to hang the clock.
But the biggest and ugliest struggles are still over power and authority.
So what do we do about division among us?
Let’s turn to the scripture to see what Jesus did and said.
Jesus now shares with us three principles for achieving Greatness.
Achieving true greatness must be based on understanding the real Standard of greatness.
Note with me two crucial differences in the determining Greatness.
First, He says that greatness is different than how the unbelieving world behaves.
Jesus began by contrasting Christian greatness with the world’s concept of greatness in verses twenty-five, Luke 22:25
So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors.
Jesus said that in the world greatness is determined by how many people you exercise control over.
Those who are leaders like to exercise power over people while at the same time boasting that they are caring for the interest of the ordinary citizen.
Jesus does not argue that some people achieve a higher degree of greatness or recognition that others.
Everyone is not equal when it comes to talents and abilities or opportunities.
The issue here is not whether some believers are greater than others, but how that believer uses that greatness.
Jesus says that you must make a choice. Will you accept the world’s method of honoring greatness? Or will you follow the Lord’s example of being a servant?
In verse twenty-six Jesus points out, Luke 22:26
But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.
Rather firmly Jesus commands “But you are not to act as they do.”
Several years ago, Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, put together a brief comparison of the characteristics of service that is focused more upon self and service that is focused upon Christ.
In paraphrased form, it becomes a self-help test worth taking.
Why not measure your clarity of vision against his conclusions?
Self-focused service is concerned with impressive gains.
It enjoys serving when the service is titanic or growing in that direction.
Christ-focused service doesn’t distinguish between small and large.
It indiscriminately welcomes all opportunities to serve.
Self-focused service requires external reward, appreciation, and applause.
Christ-focused service rests content in hiddenness.
The divine nod of approval is sufficient.
Self-focused service is highly concerned about results.
It becomes disillusioned when results fall below expectations.
Christ-focused service is free of the need to calculate results; it delights only in service.
Self-focused service is affected by feelings.
Christ-focused service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need.
The service disciplines the feelings.
Self-focused service insists on meeting the need; it demands the opportunity to help.
Christ-focused service listens with tenderness and patience. It can serve by waiting in silence.
This list offers a way to begin refocusing our blurred image of Christ in the midst of ministry.
Secondly, he says true greatness is demonstrated in the way Jesus lived His life.
Jesus now tells us in verse twenty-seven, Luke 22:27
For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.
Christ has set the example, as he himself displayed when he played the slave’s part and washed the disciples’ feet.
Achieving True Greatness Must Be Based On Understanding the Real Standard of Greatness And ….
Achieving true greatness begins with a servant’s heart.
(John 13:12-17)
It is at this point in my sanctified imagination that I see Jesus washing the disciple’s feet as an example.
Would you turn with me to John 13:12-17,
When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His outer garments, He reclined with them again and asked, “Do you know what I have done for you?
You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am.
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.
I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you.
Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
A businessman once asked his Bible study group, “How can you tell if you have a servant attitude?”
“By the way you react when you are treated like one,” was the reply.
Servant don’t get mad or try to find excuses when they are asked to serve.
It’s in their nature to serve.
It’s not easy to find an attitude like that.
But for a disciple, servant-hood is one of the keys to growing in Christlikeness.
Describing His own ministry, Jesus said in Mark 10:45
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.”
When we give Jesus Christ His rightful place as Lord of our lives, His Lordship will be expressed in the way we serve others.
Therefore, one of the best ways we can demonstrate our love for God is by showing love for our fellow man.
We demonstrate love for others by helping them, by sharing their problems, and by doing what we can for them.
In 2 Corinthians 4:5 Paul says,
For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
Another way of displaying servanthood is in evangelism.
In I Corinthians 9:19, Paul says,
Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
Paul knew that he would win more friends by being a servant.
Although he was free from all men, he voluntarily decided to serve those he wanted to influence for Jesus Christ.
If you were to take a look at Acts 27:14-28:10 you would see Paul under arrest, traveling under Roman guard.
The passage describes the day when the veteran missionary was shipwrecked on the island of Malta—a very cold day.
There in Acts 28:3, the Holy Spirit takes care to say that
Paul gathered a bundle of sticks . . .
The Apostle Paul went out and gathered firewood. He did his part. He wasn’t going to wait for the others to do it.
Servanthood then, is an attitude. It is also the mark of a leader.
Think of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:6-7
Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Why should we serve?
For Jesus’ sake.
Pick up a bundle of sticks...for Jesus’ sake.
Look for ways to help others...for Jesus’ sake.
Be liberal with your time and ideas...for Jesus’ sake.
Serve one another...for Jesus’ sake.”
This begs the question, what are you doing for Jesus’ sake?
Achieving True Greatness Begins with a Servant’s Heart And …
Achieving true greatness is found in a life of service.
I read of a wonderful example from the life of the great evangelist D.L. Moody.
It seems that a “ large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s.
Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight.
But of course this was America and there were no hall servants.
Walking the dormitory halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and determined not to embarrass his brothers.
He mentioned the need to some ministerial students who were there, but was met with only silence or pious excuses.
Moody returned to the dorm, gathered up the shoes, and, alone in his room, one the world’s most famous evangelist began to clean and polish the shoes.
Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.
When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were shined.
They never know by whom.
Moody told no one, but his friend told a few people, and during the rest of the conference, different men volunteered to shine the shoes in secret.
Perhaps the episode is a vital insight into why God used D. L. Moody as He did.
He was a man with a servant’s heart and that was the basis of his true greatness.
We are called to serve – so in closing let me advise you that -
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. - Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. - Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.- Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. - Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.- Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds.- Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. - Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.- Build anyway.
People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.- Help them anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.- Give the world the best you have anyway.
This world needs more servants than leaders.
How is God calling you to serve?
Age is no factor when it comes to serving the Lord.
Whether you are young or old, the Master is looking for those with a servants heart.
I’m not going to close with a corporate prayer today.
I’m going to close by asking when is the last time you really, earnestly prayed: God how can I be of service to you?
Won’t you spend a few moments in prayer and simply ask God that simple, yet profound question?
You may be dismissed after you pray.
