13 November, 2016

Introduction:

How to be great in the kingdom of God

Mark 9:30-37

Friends, many years ago a famous black American boxer stood in front of hundreds of
people & said four famous wordsI am the greatestI am the greatest. Do you know
the boxers name? Well, the boxers name was of course Mohammed Ali, & he was the
greatest boxer of all time. He was the best. He was the world champion many times. And
he was fast; he was strong & he was powerful. He was so good no one could touch him;
& he had moneylots of it. And because he was the greatest, Mohammed Ali had
many people who served him. I mean, there was his driver, his cook, his security
guard, his housekeeper, his business manager, his trainer - even his mum. And all
these people served him because he was great, because you see, in this world,
the last always serves the first, the weak always serve the strong & the one who is least always serves the
greatest. Friends, this is how this our world thinks.
1. In Gods family, the greatest one is the lowest one, the servant. (v33-34)
But friends, Jesus says his followers are to be very different to the people around them even today. You
see, the followers of Jesus are not to be like Mohammed Ali shouting outI am the greatest. No!...the
followers of Jesus they are to be like Jesus himself, whispering I am a servant Look at verse 33-34
After they arrived at Capernaum & settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, What were you arguing
about out on the road? 34 But they didnt answer, because they had been arguing about which one of
them was the greatest.
33

Friends, in Mark chapters 9-10, Jesus begins the long & difficult job of teaching his disciples how to live as
his follower in this world, today. And its proving to be a very difficult job, isn't it? I mean, as Jesus & his
disciples walk home that day, the disciples are not talking about normal things - like the weather, or the
latest sports results or even if Donald Trump will make America great again. Oh no!, these men are
arguing about which one of them is the greatest, which one of them is the most important, which one of
them should be the leader. And you can almost see these 12 grown men arguing with each other, cant
you?. You know, one of the disciples, Andrew, says something like this Guys, I am the most important
disciple of Jesus, because he picked me 1st. Dont you remember. I was there fishing, minding my own
business, when Jesus came along & picked me1st. He picked me before he picked any of you. I am the
greatest! I am the most important. But then 3 of the other disciples, Peter, James & John say. Well, hang
on a minute Andrew. Yes, that is true, Jesus did pick you 1st. But Jesus picked us 3 to go with him up on
the mountain. He left you 9 guys at the bottom, & only us 3 went with him, & Jesus told us a big big
secret; & were not allowed to tell anyone, not even you. Only we know this big secretNa na na na na!
So you see, we are the greatest!!! We are the most important!!!
Friends, the truth is that these men are acting just like little boys, arguing about who has the best toys!!
And really, this is how our world sees greatness. When people think about greatness they thing about
power, status & control. And even the closest followers of Jesus think greatness is about power, & being
first.
And the great teacher, Jesus, knows what they are thinking & he knows he must teach them & train them
to change their thinking so the can begin to see what true greatness is. And so Jesus asks them, what
were you arguing about back there as we walked home together? And the disciples are so
embarrassed & so ashamed that they cannot speak. I mean, its almost like these 12 men are little school
boys, who have just been caught smoking by their teacher. They feel guilty & ashamed & so they keep
quiet.
2.
In Gods family, the greatest one is the lowest one, the servant. (35)
And so Jesus must now give them another important lesson in life what does it mean to be great,
what does it mean to be great & important in the family of God. And friends, the sad truth is that what
Jesus must teach his followers will be almost impossible for them to accept because they live in a world
that loves status & that wants to control & manipulate people so that we get what we want. Look at
what Jesus says in verse 35.
Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, & said, Whoever wants to be first must last of all &
the servant of all.
35

Friends, Jesus is saying if that anyone wants to follow him then he must think & act like a servant, always.
A Christian must understand that a follower of Jesus servesalways. You see, A Christians life is about
serving people; serving everyone - not just serving people who have more power & more money than
you do & who look more important than youNo! A Christian serves everyone. Weak, strong, rich, or
poor. A follower of Jesus serves everyone, even the ones who cant serve you - especially the ones who
cant serve you back. Jesus says his followers make themselves the lowest. And in the eyes of the eternal
God - that is great!!! Friends, if Jesus was here at church this morning, what do you think he would be
doing?teaching us? Absolutely! And Jesus would be a great teacher, the greatest. But, if Jesus was
here early before church started this morning, what do you think he would have done? What would
Jesus, who is Gods son, who is the king of the whole universe, what would he have done before our
church meeting started? You know what I think? I think Jesus would have cleaned the toilets! Jesus, the
only Son of God would have made sure the toilets were clean for you & for me. Jesus would have served
us like that & he would have served us in a million different ways - big & small, because that is what
great people do! Great people who live in the kingdom of God - serve. And Jesus says his followers are
to be exactly like him - servants of everyone.
Now friends, I need to ask you a question. Do you think it was hard for Jesus to serve us? Do you think it
was hard for Jesus to leave the beauty & safety of heaven & to be humbled during his life here on earth
& then to sacrifice his own life for us by dying on the cross? Do you think Jesus would have struggled to
serve us like this? Well, I think the answer is no, not at all. Actually, I think serving people brought Jesus
great joy & happiness & it still brings great joy & happiness to him. You see, some people wrongly think it
was a real struggle for Jesus to serve us. You know, some people think that be serving us, Jesus was doing
something that was unusual for him. They think that by serving us Jesus was doing something that was
different to what he has always been doing since before the beginning of all time. But friends, that just
isnt true. And it isnt true because greatness shows itself in service, true greatness reveals itself in
humility & service of others. And God has always been great so he has always served. Friends, the truth
is that serving is not hard in itself, because Jesus shows us that serving brings you joy & happiness &
peace & fulfilment. So why do we humans find serving so difficult? Well, we humans find serving each
other difficult because deep in our hearts we are sinful, we want others to serve us, & we are not like God
- who gladly serves because he is great.
Friends, who do you think are the great people here in our church? Is it the one who stands out the front
speaking each week? No, not at all! The great people are the ones who clean the toilets for you & for
me, its the one who serves you & me. Now you probably dont know who cleans the toilets here at
churchbut Jesus does. Jesus knows that person very well indeed, & when Jesus sees that person,
serving others by cleaning the toilets, Jesus is filled with happiness because Jesus can see that this person
is just like him! This person loves to serve - just like he loves to serve. And that is why a servant is great in
the eyes of God, because a servant is just like God.
3.The disciples must lower themselves, even below children, if they want to be able to follow Jesus. (v36)
But friends, how will Jesus be able to show his followers how to be a great servant? Well, Jesus chooses a
little child & brings the child into their group, Jesus welcomes the child & then says this:
Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 Anyone who
welcomes a little child like this welcomes me, & anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not only me, but also
welcomes my Father - who sent me.
36

Friends, the truth is that in our society today we spoil children. I mean, many people give their children
what they want - when they want it. Really, many parents treat their children like kings, & most parents
serve their children in a million different ways, each day. But 2000 years ago, in Jewish society - a child
was nothing. A child was weak, they had no rights & they had no power. Really, back then, children
were the lowest people in society they had no status & no one served them. But incredibly, Jesus takes
one of these little ones, Jesus welcomes & accepts the child into their fellowship, & then Jesus tells his
disciples that they too must accept this little one - just as he has. Friends, here in Mark 9, Jesus gives his
followers a picture of true greatness that they must never forget. And true greatness accepts &
welcomes & serves the weak, the lowly, the unloved, & the vulnerable. And this is true greatness
because God is great & he loves to welcome & serve - the weak, the lowly, the unloved, & the
vulnerable.

Conclusion:
Friends, do you want to learn how to follow Jesus? Then Jesus says practise being a servant of all. Humble
yourself & happily serve the people around you. Happily serve them with the talents & the strength that
God has given to you. And friends, as you serve others like this, you will experience what God is like because he loves to serve all. Friends, lets finish with these words from Jesus. This is from Mark 10:45
Because even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others, & to give his life as a ransom for
many.
45

Lets pray