The Greatest

Q: What does the Bible say about pride?

The Bible teaches that pride is against God and stems from our sinful nature. The Bible clearly identifies pride as an offense against God, rooted in our fallen nature since the Garden of Eden. Adam's desire to be like God reflects our own inclination to elevate ourselves above His authority. Scripture warns that pride leads to disputes and divisions, particularly among believers who should instead be ministering to one another. In Matthew 20:25, Jesus contrasts worldly greatness with the humility expected of His followers, illustrating that greatness in God's kingdom is about servanthood, not authority.

Q: How do we know humility is important for Christians?

Humility is crucial for Christians as it aligns us with God's will and highlights our dependence on Him. Humility before God is foundational for the Christian life. Jesus emphasized this by using the example of a little child to demonstrate the need for dependency and trust in God. In Philippians 2:5-8, we observe how Christ exemplified ultimate humility by taking the form of a servant, even unto death. Our understanding of greatness must be reshaped by His example, where true exaltation comes through humble service rather than seeking authority over others. Acknowledging our weakness and reliance on God's grace fosters a spirit of humility essential for spiritual growth and community harmony.

Q: Why is submitting to God's authority important?

Submitting to God's authority is vital as it aligns our lives with His sovereign will and plan. Submission to God's authority is a reflection of recognizing His sovereignty over all creation. As demonstrated in Romans 13, we are called to submit to governing authorities, which are ultimately established by God. When we rebel against authority, whether in the home or society, we are opposing God's structured order. This act of submission requires humility and acknowledgment that our understanding of right and wrong is flawed compared to God's perfect wisdom. By submitting to His authority, we receive guidance, protection, and peace, fostering a right relationship with both God and others. Submission manifests true trust in His plan and purposes for our lives.

I can mark chapter 18 this time. So on the matter of pride, they argued amongst themselves. The Lord was with them, but apparently He was walking ahead of them. And they disputed among themselves who should be the greatest. And when they came where they were going, the Lord asked them, what is it that you disputed among yourselves, by the way? And they wouldn't answer because they knew that what they were talking about was not Not good.

And this is, of course, each one of us. By our nature, since the Garden of Eden, Adam wanted to be God. And we know that's true of every one of us. God can do what he wants, and we want to do what we want. God decides everything. We want to decide everything. God is himself the essence of the law of good and evil, but we want to decide. We have our ideas about good and evil. And that's all pride.

And they argued among themselves. You know, all arguments really between believers are that way. When you're arguing over the scriptures or whatever. When you're preaching the gospel. Or as a gospel preacher. Or as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, we don't argue. With people who don't know the Lord, we don't debate The scriptures strictly forbid that.

Any kind of a turmoil or a division or anything like that is to be ended, put down, avoided, because all it really is is saying, I know more than you. The gospel is declared, and those who are interested will hear it. Those who believe will hear it. And those who don't, they're going to want to argue about it. And we're not in that business. We don't argue. And here's the thing about it, too.

All pride is against God. If you don't think you're If once we submit to God's authority, then everything else falls into place, notwithstanding our human nature rises up, our evil nature rises up, and we put our pride on display all too often. But as a general understanding and living out of our lives, it starts with God. It starts with submitting to God. And all pride is really against God.

When children rebel against their parents, they're rebelling against God because it's God's authority that children obey their parents in the Lord. That's God's authority. Parents didn't make that up. That came from God. When we're disobedient in a civil manner, some people are always fighting the law, you know, doing something underhanded or or dishonest, constantly in trouble with the law. Well, that's against God. Because God is the one that said, submit to the higher powers, to the authorities that he has established in this world. And so pride is against God. And every one of us is so full of pride. We have to guard against it. We have to recognize it and ask God to put it down.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter 20 The way of the world Is completely the opposite of God's way in his kingdom and his family among his children Matthew 20 25, but Jesus called them unto him and and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you. But whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." You think about how differently the Lord could have acted on this earth.

When people rebelled against him, In the Garden of Eden, we got a little glimpse of it, didn't we? In the Garden of Gethsemane, we got a glimpse of it. When they asked about the Lord looking to betray him, looking to arrest him, and looking to kill him, and he said, I am, those soldiers all fell over backwards, helpless before him. Think about if he would have been like that the whole time he was down here, exercising his authority in silencing his enemies. It wasn't that way. He used the evil of men to accomplish his purpose, and he came to minister. And we're to learn from him in this. The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Here's a question. Great according to who? Greatness apparently according to these disciples, as they argued among themselves, was having authority over the rest of them. What would they have been, and we don't want to speculate, but what would they have been talking about? What argument could they have made for one another over greatness? In other words, they're arguing about who's going to be the greatest. What evidence would they submit as to their greatness?

Well, the Lord used me to do this. I did that. I cast out demons. I did this. And they were probably giving examples of some of the things that they did, but they did it by the Lord's power. They did all of it by the Lord's power. Was our Lord great when he walked this earth? Was he great? But who thought so? Who considered him great?

Turn with me to Philippians chapter two. Verse 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." He made himself of no reputation. He saw to it. He caused the situation where nobody thought anything good about him. No reputation. Why did everybody hate him? Because he's God. Because he's God. And the instance in which he revealed himself to be God, in his words and in his actions, it just made his enemies that much madder.

But you remember what he said when they took up stones to stone him? For which of these good works do you stone me? Everything he did was kind and generous and it was a ministering unto the people. He didn't display His wrath as God down here. How many people would He have caused to just turn to salt like He did Lot's wife, or just cease to exist, or destroy them with fire from heaven? All things that He's done before. But when He came down here in the form of a servant, in the person of His Son, all He did was good, minister, help.

If anybody ought to make themselves of no reputation, it's you and me. Because we don't have any reputation to make anything else up, but nothing. And yet he humbled himself and became obedient. and made himself of no reputation. And we make ourselves of reputation.

Here's these disciples saying, who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom? And they'd been talking, they'd been disputing among themselves. They weren't just discussing it. Notice that word dispute. They had a problem with each other over it. It wasn't just saying, I wonder, I wonder who's going to be the greatest, you know, let's talk this up. No, no. They were disputing with one another about it.

And he who made himself of no reputation is standing there, the Son of Almighty God, who was the name above every name, the greatest, the highest, the most powerful and wise and had all authority in heaven and earth. but became an humble servant of the Lord. And here they are talking about what big shots they are.

And he was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. It's humility enough for God to even take the form of a human. and be subject unto the limitations of humanity on this earth, hunger and thirst. But even as a man, even further beyond that, he became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, given him a name, which is above every name, Now God knows how to bring down proud sinners, those that defy God in their hearts, and those who imagine themselves to be somebody you think of the ones over the years.

Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.37 said, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, And this is the one that had walked around his kingdom and said, look what a great kingdom I built. Look what I've done. But in verse 37 of Daniel 4, he said, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, all whose works are truth and his ways judgment. And those that walk in pride, he is able to abase. Has he shown himself able to bring us down? Bring you down, me down? I don't reckon if he's ever, if he's never brought us down, I don't reckon he's ever saved us because you're gonna have to fall. You have to come down, come down.

Turn to Isaiah 2, chapter 10, I mean 2, verse 10. enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon everyone that is lifted up and he shall be brought low. That's every unbeliever now. And he's done that for us now. Every knee's gonna bow. And here's the thing about that, now's a good time. Now's a good time. Because it's gonna be too late one of these days.

And upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan, Verse 14, and upon all the high mountains and upon all the hills that are lifted up and upon every high tower and upon every fenced wall and upon all the ships of Tarshish and upon all pleasant pictures and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted.

In that day, the idols he shall utterly Abolish. All the haughty men, sinners, who, as we talked about a while ago, are just steeped from the beginning in pride. Our chief depravity, the thing from which all of our other lusts and loves, according to the flesh, come from. And not only that, but the idols that they exalt, he's going to wipe them out. He's going to wipe them out. Everything that presumes to be a rival to our God is going to be wiped out.

But notice with his children. Look how he dealt with Pharaoh. Look how he dealt with Nebuchadnezzar. He dealt with mercy on Nebuchadnezzar, I believe, because he taught him, didn't he? Pharaoh, he I expected not. But listen to how gentle he teaches his children. They're just as lifted up in their hearts as Nebuchadnezzar was. They're sitting there arguing about who's going to be top of the heap in heaven.

But our Lord called a little child unto him. and set him in the midst of them and said unto them, except ye be converted. That word means turned. You're going the wrong way. You're headed the wrong way. And unless you turn around, become as this little child, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.

You know, that meant something to them. Many might have just turned away and walked no more with him, but not them. To whom should they go? He had the words of eternal life. When he talking about not entering the kingdom with him, that got their attention. Does that get our attention?

We're gonna have to turn from that. Accept ye be converted and become as little children. Not children, little children. Children can be the most obstinate, prideful, rebellious little creatures in the world, but not little children, not little ones. They were worried about who was going to be the greatest. And as our Lord reveals here, what they should have been worried about is whether they were going to enter at all or not. You're not even going to be in the running. The thief on the cross just said, Lord, remember me. Is that good enough for you? Lord, remember me. Remember me.

As little children, little children are dependent. They're not independent. They're completely dependent. They have no way to support themselves. They have no way to provide for themselves. Even if they were physically capable, they don't have the mentality to do it.

And they just know that. They don't have to intellectually know that. They just know that. They never even presume to have to take care of themselves. They look to their father and their mother. Just simple. They know that their father's not going to withhold anything good for them. Because of our depraved nature, you know, sometimes when dad and mom withhold something we really want, you know, we may say, I hate you. But they're utterly dependent. Little children don't boast about what they know. Not little ones.

You know what they do? They ask. They're inquisitive. They're curious. Lord, what about this? What about that? You know, the disciples were like that. This was pride that rose up in them. This is their evil nature, exposing itself as it so often does in us. But at other times, you know what they did? They said, Lord, teach us what you meant by that. That parable you told, what did you mean by that?

That's a child. You know, there are people who are always wanting to, even when they ask a question, you know by their question, they're wanting to tell you something and not find something out, don't they? That's us by nature. That's not little children. If you're little children, you probably notice this too.

If a little child ever comes and says to you something that he knows, this, this, and this, he tells you, you know what he says? My daddy told me that. My daddy told me that. My mama told me that. A little child is thrilled with whatever mom And I'd provide for the most part, again, when they get a little older now, they want stuff. Sin nature begins to show itself. It's there from the start. And sin did my mother conceive me, David said. We're born depraved. But the effects of the poison begin to manifest themselves more and more.

That's why it says little children. When our children get a little bit bigger, now they begin to start being dissatisfied with things, but... Not early, not little. You know, and little children don't think about their own personal greatness. You know who's great to them? Their daddy and their mommy. Oh, that we could just brag on our Savior and shut up about ourselves. And they want to please their mom and dad, don't they? They want to please them when they're little.

You know, that sticks around for a good while. Sometimes, you know, you see a young man, you know, 10 or 12 years old mowing the grass, you know, and, you know, that might be a little bit young, but, you know, let them do it while they want to. Because it ain't going to be long, and they're not going to want to do that. They want to, please, and that never completely goes away. Not completely.

They want to please their mom and dad. Little children really aren't worried about a whole lot at all. You know it. When I was a child, I never worried about whether I was going to start, I was going to starve to death, you know. When you get older and you have responsibilities, you think, oh, I'm not going to be able to take care of my responsibilities. If I lose my job, this is going to happen or that's going to happen. As a little child, we don't think like that. I didn't worry about having a place to live. My mom and dad had always provided those things, and I never questioned that they always would.

May God convert us. Turn us. Turn us. Lamentations 521. This is how that happens. You got to be converted. How's that going to happen? Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned. How does God do that? How does He turn us to Himself? By the Gospel, by teaching, by His Holy Spirit, taking the things of Christ and revealing them to us. You know, the more we see Him, the more we love Him. The more we learn of Him, the more we trust Him. The more we get to know the Savior, the more we depend on Him. Teaching doctrine, the truth, the gospel, the Lord said, take my yoke upon you and learn of me.

And what will happen? You'll find rest under your souls like a little child. You'll just, you won't be concerned about things because you'll know that your heavenly father knows everything you need. and provides everything you need. He knows you have needed these things, and what did He say? Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and I'll just give them to you. You honor Him, you worship Him, you look to Him, you depend on Him, you serve Him. He said, I'll give them to you. I'll give them to you.

Our Lord said in John 6.45, it's written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. And every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of me, of the Father, cometh unto me.

You know, the Lord asked the disciples who they said he was, and Simon said, you're the Christ, you're the son of the living God. And the Lord said, my father taught you that. He had learned to the father. Simon had learned from the father. And he said, you're God's son.

A new heart, he gives a new heart. That's how he turns us. Teaching won't do any good without the heart that receives it. And the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. God gives a willing heart, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.

Psalm 110.3.

God said in Ezekiel 26.36, a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you.

Paul said in Philippians 2.13, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. He works in here.

If that makes me a puppet, I'm a happy puppet. If God leaves us to our so-called free will, we're goners. And we're still a puppet. We just have somebody else pulling our strings, which God's pulling his strings and ours all the time. When God gives a new heart, a new mind, a new will, we're going to love him and we're going to trust him.

We're not going to have confidence in the flesh. It's the spirit that quickeneth the flesh, profiteth nothing. When you hear of Christ crucified in his gospel with those new ears and that new heart, You'll say with John in 1 John 1 7, the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanseth me from all sin. Of course it does. It's the blood of God. If he shed it to cleanse my sin, then my sins are gone.

When we see Christ with that new with new sight and with a new heart in his gospel. We see him as our perfect, righteous representative. We see that what the law could not do because of the weakness of our flesh, God sent his son to do it in our place as our Adam, our representative. And we'll say with Paul, to our victorious Redeemer, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he is a He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that. Why did you commit it unto Him, Paul?

Because I'm not able. I'm not able. I'm not able to please God. I'm not able to worship. I'm not able to do anything. I've committed it unto Him, Lord, creating me a right spirit. Give me a new heart. And by your grace, Lord, let me serve you and worship you.

For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. If you ever do anything good, It's going to be good only as it's considered in Christ, and God had to exert his power of creation to make that happen. We're created under good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in.

Paul declares that gospel in Romans 3, 24 or 27, and then he asks a question. Where is any boasting in that? Where is any boasting? It's excluded. It can't be, it can't happen. If that gospel in Romans 3, 24 through 27 is true, and it is, and there's no boasting in the sinner, we're shut up to him. Boasting before men is excluded. All boasting is excluded.

Paul asks these three heart-searching questions in 1 Corinthians 4, 7. And may we ask ourselves these things. a lot. Who maketh thee to differ from another? What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Then why do you glory? Why do you glory as if it wasn't a gift? May God bring us down, and every thought of ours that has anything to do with greatness, may it be of him alone, Our great Savior. Let's pray.

The Greatest

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about pride?

How do we know humility is important for Christians?

Why is submitting to God's authority important?

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About Chris Cunningham

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The Greatest

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about pride?

How do we know humility is important for Christians?

Why is submitting to God's authority important?

Sermon Transcript

About Chris Cunningham

Comments

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