Who's greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

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When does a joke become a “dad” joke?

When the punchline is apparent.

I spent a lot of time, money, and effort childproofing my house… but the kids still get in.

My wife said I was immature. So I told her to get out of my fort.

When I was a kid, my mother told me I could be anyone I wanted to be. Turns out, identity theft is a crime.

How many apples grow on a tree? All of them!

Why did the invisible man turn down the job offer? He couldn't see himself doing it!

Do you know the last thing my grandfather said to me before he kicked the bucket? "Grandson, watch how far I can kick this bucket."

What is the tallest building in the world? The library—it's got the most stories.

What's brown and sticky? A stick!

My dog used to chase people on a scooter a lot. It got so bad we had to take his scooter away.

Back to the basics.....God’s great reset

Who's greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

I have always been curious who our culture raises onto a pedestal.

Actors & Actress. People who are really good at pretending their something their not.

Musicians and singers. Amazing giftedness, but do you really want to take life advice from them?

Athletes, hard working skilled people, but can they relate to you?

One good thing about Covid, since it started our culture has learned what it can live without and what it really needs.

let’s see how long this lasts

the truck driver, the sale clerk, the delivery man.

We know the world is a crazy place but what about the church is it any better?

Who do we raise up in the church?

someone who sells a millions books

Someone who Pastors a Church of 10,000 people

Someone who God’s heals through or prophesies too

Someone whos song is downloaded 1 million times.

There is a natural inclination to raise people up onto a pedestal.

The problem with this is it can lead us to disqualify ourselves from what God is calling us to do.

Instead I thought should be, if God uses them, it should encourage us that God wants to use us in that capacity as well.

So who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

In Matthew 18 we have the disciples asking this question to Jesus

Matthew 18:1–5 NASB95

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;

Humility

You heard about the guy who received the award for being the most humble person in the world.

They took the trophy away after he accepted it!

the world defines it as

def. a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

I choose to define it as simply thinking of yourself less, and spending more time thinking about others!

We’re all in this together.... not really we may be all in the same storm, but we’re all in different boats

The greatest example of Humility

Jesus

Philippians 2:7 NASB95

but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Self belittlement

The one thing to consider. Jesus never put himself down. Instead He set aside what was rightfully His on order to lift us up!

God never has to tear one person down to build another up.

that’s mans way

There is a heresy going around the church.

its based on John the baptist statement found in John 3:30.

John 3:30 NASB95

“He must increase, but I must decrease.

I have heard from so many people. More God less me!

What we are forgetting God does not want to erase us, instead He desires to transform us.

2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB95

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

God wants to make us into His image, but that does not mean He want to erase who we are.

Psalm 139:13–14 NASB95

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Remember He created us each unique and for a purpose.

You are to created to do things I could never do,

But God made your for that purpose.

You may be thinking.....Shawn I thought you we preaching on humility, why you trying to build us up?

That’s exactly my point. Humility is based on a comparison with who God is.

It doesn’t matter How great you are, its still nothing compared to God Himself!

that’s the point. True humility allows you to recognize how great God is!

Humility is not thinking less of yourself…rather thinking of yourself less.

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So how do we exude humility if its not by putting ourselves down?

John 13:1–17 NASB95

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Servanthood

The primary result of humility is service

To be great in the Kingdom of Heaven you must first be a servant of God and others

Jesus and so many other writers of the Bible talked so much about this

the scripture are full of Jesus telling us of our need to serve one another;

Galatians 5:13–15 NASB95

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Mark 10:42–45 NASB95

Calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. “But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

One of the biggest results of the Covid shutdowns is the transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the wealthy.

According to a Forbes article. The World’s Billionaires Have Gotten $1.9 Trillion Richer In 2020

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2020/12/16/the-worlds-billionaires-have-gotten-19-trillion-richer-in-2020/?sh=1dc663237386

meanwhile, many small business entrepreneurs and employees find themselves without a job.

Class disparagy has increase like never before,

The church has to rise up and meet this need.

I see God empowering dreams to His people, that he wants to make a reality

God going to bless His people so they can be a blessing to others

Its not for the Love of Money, but a desire to serve their fellow man!

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Ephesians 5:21 NASB95

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Luke 14:8–12 NASB95

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.

Matthew 20:26 NASB95

“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

1 Peter 4:10 NASB95

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Mark 9:35 NASB95

Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Philippians 2:1–18 NASB95

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.