Understanding True Greatness in God's Kingdom

We've all debated it before, who's the greatest basketball player of all time? Michael Jordan? LeBron? What about the greatest football player or baseball legend? These conversations get heated because we're wired to think about greatness in terms of achievement, status, and recognition.

But here's what's wild: the disciples of Jesus were having the exact same argument. They were walking with the man who walked on water, and they had the audacity to ask Him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

The Question That Reveals Our Thinking

In Matthew 18, when the disciples came to Jesus asking who was the greatest, His response wasn't just an answer, it was a complete reframing of how we think about success and significance. He told them they needed to repent. Not just stop doing something wrong, but change their entire way of thinking.

See, the very fact that they were asking the question showed their thought pattern was off. That's why God says, "My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts." The distance between how God thinks and how we think is as vast as the heavens are high.

Becoming Like Little Children

Jesus didn't just give them a verbal answer. He called a little child over and said, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Now, how can a grown person become a child? Jesus was talking about three critical qualities: trusting, humble, and forgiving.

Think about this, if you've ever thrown your kids in the air, did they ever slam on the brakes? No! They run full speed and jump because they trust completely that mommy and daddy won't drop them. That's the kind of trust God is asking for. Can you trust God the way your baby trusts you?

And here's something about kids: up until about four or five, they believe everything you tell them. Then suddenly, they discover that three-letter word: "Why?" Go over there. Why? Turn the light off. Why? That's when spanking starts, I'm just being real with you.

But there's a season where God says, "Can you trust me with childlike faith and stop overthinking it?" Because when children are young and you say "come," what do they do? They come. But we get grown, and now we ask God why.

The Mother Who Pushed Too Far

The story gets even more interesting in Matthew 20. The mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked Him to promise that her two sons would sit at His right and left hand in His kingdom.

Listen, mamas will do anything for their babies. I know it. That's why thousands of years ago in the Bible, there's a mama pushing her kids forward. Mamas stay up late writing their children's papers, you know I'm telling the truth. When that baby comes to you the night before with "Mama, I need a project done," they don't go to daddy. Daddy says, "Take the L, son. You're going to fail. That's how life is." But mama says, "No, we're going to Walmart, we're getting construction paper, and we're making this thing happen."

But here's what Jesus said to them: "You have no idea what you're asking for." The reality is, all of us will have a cup we don't want to drink. A season in life where you're asking God, "Why do I have to go through this?"

The Cups We Don't Want to Drink

Even Jesus, in the garden of Gethsemane, prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will, but your will." If Christ didn't want to drink that cup, there's a high probability that there'll be some cups in your life you don't want to drink.

When I was diagnosed with cancer years ago and they said I was going through chemo, it's one thing to say you're going through chemo. It's a whole other thing to go through it. I asked God, "Why me?" And God said, "Why not you?"

Who are you that you don't suffer? Who are you that you don't go through anything? If Christ took a cup He didn't want to drink, who are you not to take your cup?

The Thorn You Can't Remove

All of us will also have a thorn we can't get rid of. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul, this righteous, holy man who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, asked God three times to remove his thorn. And God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for in your weakness, my strength is made perfect."

Why would God allow thorns? Because you pray better with a thorn. You worship better with a thorn. When you don't need Him, you find other things to take up your space. But when you're going through sickness, when you've got money trouble, you pray real good. "Father God, right now, Lord, I thank you that you are door opener. Your word says I've never seen the righteous forsaken."

But when your money's good? You don't pray like that.

God has learned that His children act better with a thorn. They pray better with a thorn. They're more faithful with a thorn.

The Ultimate Example of Servant Leadership

But the most powerful lesson came in John 13, right before Jesus was about to leave. He got up from supper, took off His outer robe, and by the way, His robes weren't cheap; they fought over His clothes at the crucifixion, and He tied a servant's towel around His waist.

In those times, there was a specific servant at every house, the lowest servant, whose entire job was to wash feet. Now imagine your Lord and Savior, who you saw walk on water, tell the wind to be still, speak to a fig tree, dropping to one knee and saying, "I'm going to wash your feet."

He had told them in Matthew 18 and Matthew 20 what it meant to be great, but they didn't get it. So now He wasn't going to tell them, He was going to show them so there would be no ambiguity or misunderstanding.

And here's what gets me: some theologians say the first foot He washed was Judas. The person who was going to betray Him. By doing Judas first, He gave him the best water, because you know that water got dirty. But He honored Judas in spite of knowing what Judas was going to do to Him.

That's love right there.

The Pattern for True Greatness

After washing their feet, Jesus put His robe back on and said, "Do you understand what I've done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is who I am. So if I, the Lord and Teacher, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you this as an example, so that you should do in turn as I did."

The lesson is clear: whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first must be your slave. This is what the Son of Man has done, He came to serve, not to be served, and to give away His life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.

Your Temporary Assignment

If our Lord and Savior became a servant to give us an example of what it means to be a believer, all of us should be serving. Because if we say we are disciples of Jesus Christ, who are we to say we can't?

Here's what's amazing: this place called earth is temporary. My wife used to work at a temp agency. They had something called "temp to perm", if you do well on the temporary assignment, you get a permanent position.

I don't think y'all realize that this time we call earth is your temporary job. And how you handle this temporary assignment is what positions you for your eternal place.

The day you were born, you had no control over. The day you die, you have a little control, but still you don't really control it. All you have in the middle is your dash. So what you have to do is make a dent with your dash.

While you have time, serve God. While you have time, praise God. While you have time, worship God. We don't know how much time we have, but with the time I have, I'm going to make sure the world knew about Jesus.

Make a dent. Make a dent with your dash. Tomorrow's not promised. It's only what we do for Christ that will last.

Where Are You Serving?

Jesus said, "No man puts his hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of my kingdom." Putting your hand to the plow means work. Don't start working for Him and then look back like you had something better. This is the best job you'll ever have. Best retirement you'll ever have. Best legacy you'll ever have.

All of us have a space in the kingdom. All of us have roles. Make sure you find a place to serve.

It's amazing to me how people have issues in their life and I tell them, "Start serving." They ask, "Why?" I say, "Because right now, you get in the system. You get in the economy of God. And when you start serving, what happens? What you make important to God, God will make important to you."

But if you're not making what's important to God important to you, why would God make what's important to you important to Him?

Say it again: If I can make what's important to God important to me, God will make what's important to me important to Him.

A lot of the issues you're dealing with, God can take care of like light work. But He's waiting for you to say, "I surrender." Or if you want to keep fighting, He says, "Okay, go ahead. Keep on. Get tired." You're going to get tired. Let life keep whooping you. How long do you want to stay in the ring?

Stay Connected

Submit a prayer request

Join us online

Watch previous sermons