Sermon Tone Analysis

(KJV 1900)

33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

36 And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, 37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

He took a little child and had him stand among them.

Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

KEY VERSES: “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all’” ().

INTRODUCTION

“One of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century went about barefoot, wearing the simple clothes of the poor and traveling either on foot or in the cheapest railway class.

He never lived in a palace or mansion, but he chose to live in the slums among the poor people he loved.

His name was Mohandas Karamchand ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi, and he led a nonviolent struggle to shake off British rule and bring self-government to the people of India.

He was a moral and political leader, yet he led with humble servanthood rather than by political power.

Though he was of the Hindu religion, he studied the life of Jesus and patterned his actions after His model of servanthood.

In 1931, Gandhi went to several European nations to visit the leaders of various states.

Wherever he went, he took a goat with him as a symbol of his own lowliness and humility.

When he went to Rome to call on the Italian dictator Mussolini, he arrived as always— dressed in old beggar’s clothes, leading his goat by a rope.

Mussolini’s children cried when they saw the thin, bald, powerless-looking man, but the dictator snapped at them and ordered them silent.

‘That scrawny old man and his scrawny old goat,’ he said, ‘are shaking the British Empire’” (Johnson, Summer 2007, 63).

1.

There is great power in true servitude.

2. Jesus modeled servitude for us.

“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” ().

3. The kingdom of God is not about who is the greatest; it is about achieving God’s will on earth as in Heaven.

4. To seek to accomplish His will on earth, we must be kingdom-minded.

Philippians 2:5 (KJV 1900)

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

I. ESTABLISHING THE KINGDOM

A. God Came to Save

1. Through the Incarnation, God became a servant.

32

(KJV 1900)

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.

“For electricity to be useful, it must pass through an electrical transformer.

The transformer reduces the power to whatever a particular building needs and can accommodate without the power destroying it.

Without this reduction, everything in the house would burn up.

Jesus Christ brought God down to us—into the practical realm of our daily lives.

He did not diminish God or His holiness; He merely revealed Him and brought Him to us in a way we could comprehend” (Johnson, Summer 2006, 65).

“Jesus Christ . . .

tasted fully of the human experience and overcame temptation so that He can empathize with and care for us when we are tempted.

Jesus can mend our broken hearts, help us when we stumble, and comfort us when we have to say goodbye to loved ones.

He can console us when the home crumbles, inspire us when we are depressed, and calm us when anxieties overwhelm our spirits” (Johnson, Summer 2006, 65).

2. We must become like Christ.

(KJV 1900)

B. Jesus Revealed God’s Heart and Mind to Mankind

1. Jesus revealed God’s perspective to the world.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (, KJV).

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

2. Further, He taught us how to deal with our enemies.

(KJV 1900)

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

3.

This doesn’t sound much like a conqueror, but this is Jesus’ method of conquering.

II.

PRINCIPLES OF KINGDOM MINDEDNESS

1.

To be a part of the kingdom of God, we must leave our former lives of sin, follow the Lord with all our hearts, and become soulwinners.

KINGDOM MINDEDNESS

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

33

STARTING POINTS FOR REVIVAL

A. Workers

Jesus found workers working and called them into ministry!

B. Forsaking

Forsaking

1.

To be a part of God’s kingdom will require giving up some things.

34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

2. We must abandon the life that was lived only for ourselves and live to benefit others.

C. Following

1.

Following the Lord requires aligning ourselves with His example.

2.

He set the pattern for our lives in every way.

3.

As followers of Christ, we must study and follow His teachings.

3.

As followers of Christ, we must study and follow His teachings.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” ().

D. Becoming

1. Everything we do must in some way be an outreach to lost souls.

2. To be kingdom-minded is to be soul-minded.

“I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish” ().

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.

I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” ().

“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” ().

III.