We kicked off a brand new series last Sunday we call I WANT TO BE GREAT. In the heart of every person there is desire to be great. As a matter of fact we imitate people in order to be great.
When I was elementary and Highschool, I just want to be great at everything I see people are great of doing. When track and field became popular in the middle school, I also want to be the fastest runner. When basket ball became a phenomenon, I want to be MVP. Every end of the school year and graduation time, something in me rose up wanting the medal and promising to be a better student the next school year.
The TENSION: Being Great at SOMETHING doesn't necessarily make a person GREAT. Being great at fill in the blank _________ doesnt guarantee a person great.
So what really characterizes a great person?
Jesus answered that question more than 2000 years ago. As a matter of fact it was His disciples' question.
Mark 9: 33-35
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
There was a tension among the disciples who's the greatest among them. They were arguing, fighting and edging each other on the quest for greatness.
34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Jesus confronted them, but they were hesitant to surface the question because its kinda self serving. But Jesus dint rebuke them for their desire to be great. But Jesus just want to define them what really is greatness. If you are asking how to be great Jesus drops the bomb in the next verse.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,
This is one of the disciple's all time, ultimate question. Imagine the conversation around the group as Jesus answers the all time question every person must be asking. I presume they were so quiet and everyone's waiting for their name to be called.Jesus said, listen closely gang. (my emphasis)
“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
The answer is so counter culture, I presume the disciples weren't excited about what they heard. As a matter of fact it was like a downer for them.This is not something all of them must be excited of doing of the next day.
But Jesus said, if you want to be great. Use whatever you have, your strengths, abilitites, skills,talent for the benefit of the other people in your circle, in your world. Jesus said, If you do that, YOU ARE GREAT!
take it from the expert. if there is one person whom we hail to be so great, that is Jesus! And Jesus says, take the cues from me. What makes Jesus great was when he leverage what He has for the benefit of all of us. He take everything He has, died on the cross, paid our sins, stripped of His being divine for our benefit.
God says, If you do that, You are great. When you leverage whatever you have for the benefit of other people you are great. You may not be great at SOMETHING. But you can still be great if we became the servant of all.
When we leverage what we have for the sake of the other people in our world. That's how Jesus defined greatness. That is A NEW VIEW about greatness in our self-oriented, self-centered world. Mark 10: 45 in all our conscious thought of all the things Jesus did this one made Him the greatest.
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.”
You can be great!
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