True Greatness

Q: What does the Bible say about true greatness?

The Bible teaches that true greatness is found in serving others, as exemplified by Christ's own ministry. According to Mark 10:35-45, true greatness in the Kingdom of God contrasts sharply with worldly definitions of greatness. James and John sought places of honor beside Jesus, which reflected their misunderstanding of His mission. Jesus clarified that greatness is not about being served but about serving others. He exemplified this by stating, 'For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many' (Mark 10:45). This serves as a profound reminder that in Christ's Kingdom, being a leader means being a servant.

Q: How do we know servanthood is essential in Christianity?

Servanthood is essential in Christianity because it reflects Christ's own mission and calling for His followers. In the context of Mark 10:35-45, Jesus teaches His disciples that true greatness is found in service, challenging the world's ambition for power and recognition. The disciples were rebuked for their desire for authority and honor, which Jesus clarified was contrary to His Kingdom values. He exemplified servanthood by declaring that He came not to be served but to serve and give His life for many. This principle is central to Christian living, indicating that those who wish to follow Christ must embrace a life of humility and service towards others, living out the command to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Q: Why is humility important for Christians?

Humility is crucial for Christians as it aligns with Christ's teaching and example of service and selflessness. The importance of humility is illustrated in Mark 10:35-45, where Jesus teaches the disciples about true greatness. When James and John expressed their desire for positions of honor, Jesus gently corrected them, highlighting that in His Kingdom, greatness is defined by humility and a willingness to serve others. In Matthew 23:11, Jesus states that the greatest among you shall be your servant. This principle emphasizes that humility allows Christians to reflect the character of Christ, opens the door for blessings, and fosters unity among believers as they serve one another. Humility is not just a humble attitude but is an essential expression of faith and love for others.

Q: What does Matthew 25 teach about serving others?

Matthew 25 teaches that serving others is equivalent to serving Christ Himself. In Matthew 25, Jesus presents the principle that serving the least of His brethren is tantamount to serving Him. This is powerfully articulated by the parable of the sheep and the goats, where He states, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40). This principle reinforces the idea that our acts of kindness and service to others reflect our commitment to Christ. It encourages believers to view every service rendered to others—regardless of how insignificant it may seem—as a direct service to Christ. This theology of servanthood aligns perfectly with the lesson from Mark 10, highlighting the continuity of Christ’s call to humility and service among His followers.

Q: How does pride hinder my walk with God?

Pride hinders your walk with God by creating barriers to humility and service, which are crucial to Christian life. Pride can be a significant hindrance to a believer's spiritual walk. In Mark 10, the ambitions of James and John to seek honor expose the sin of pride within their hearts. Jesus counters this spirit by teaching that true greatness lies in humility and service. Pride creates a desire for recognition and power, which distances us from the humble nature of Christ who demonstrated that true leadership is found in serving others. Furthermore, as articulated in James 4:6, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. When we embrace pride, we inadvertently close ourselves off from God’s grace, making it difficult to embody the loving, selfless spirit that Christ calls us to reflect in our relationships with others.

Turn in your Bibles this evening
to the book of Mark. I'm going to be speaking tonight
from Mark chapter 10. Now, the title of this message
is True Greatness. True Greatness. There's so many
good things in these verses that I'm not going to have an
introduction at all. I'm going to plunge immediately
and completely into the lesson. And I urge everyone here to pay particular attention to what
I'm dealing with this evening, true greatness. Verse 35 of Mark 10, And James and John, the sons
of Zebedee, come to him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest
do for us whatsoever we shall desire. Had he not promised that? What things soever ye desire,
when ye pray, believe, and ye shall have Whatever you ask the
Father in my name, he'll give you. Ask, and it shall be given
you. Seek, ye shall find. Knock, and
it shall be opened." But these men had a peculiar
and unusual request and desire, and their mother was in on it
too. If you'll consult the book of Matthew, you'll find in Matthew's
account that the mother actually did the talking. the mother of
James and John. Now verse 36, and he said to
them, the Lord Jesus said to them, well what would you that
I should do for you? Now he knew what they wanted.
Our Lord knew exactly what their request was. He knew their thoughts.
Didn't it say over in John chapter 2 that when they saw the miracles
that many followed him And He did not reveal Himself unto them
because He knew what was in man. He knew what was in these fellows.
He knew what their desire was. He knew what their request was.
But the Lord would have them tell Him openly what this request
was. Our Lord never asked a question
for information. when he asked Cain, where's your
brother? He wasn't asking for information.
He's not asking here for information. He's asked for revelation of
what was in their hearts, openly. Let them say it. Let them express
it. Now, here's something that I
learned here. The Lord could have quietly pulled
these two aside and said, you're thinking in the wrong direction
and rebuke them privately. But sometimes the Lord is pleased
to humble and embarrass his disciples, and us too, in order to teach
the whole congregation. You see what I'm saying? Sometimes
the Lord is pleased to humble me or you or someone and even
embarrass us and maybe humiliate us in order that he might teach
the whole congregation. You and I may come up with an
idea or a proposal that's out of order, totally out of order,
and express it, and we must be put down. But when we're put
down, others learn from this experience. We're not the only
one that learns from our bad experiences. Others learn from
them, too. And the Lord just may bring some
particular trial, my way or your way, that will be very humbling. This is going to embarrass these
fellows when he gets through with them. It's going to embarrass
them. But I bet this settled that issue.
I just imagine it settled that issue. And so through these experiences
and trials and humiliations and whatever, If it serves his purpose,
then so be it. If it's involving me or you or
whomever, if it serves his purpose. All right, he said, now what
is it, verse 36, that you would, that I should do for you? And
they said to him, grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy
right hand and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory. in thy
kingdom." Now what they were expecting, see these fellows
didn't know much at this time about the cross and about the
suffering lamb and about substitution and these things. They'll learn
that later. But like most of the Jews, what they were expecting
was a grand and glorious earthly Jewish kingdom. That's what they
were looking for. And they were expecting the Lord
to set that kingdom up soon. here on this earth. That's what
they were looking for. And they thought that they would
sit the twelve apostles on twelve thrones and judge Israel, occupy
the chief seats, and where they wanted to sit was the chiefest
seats. They wanted one on his right
hand and the other on his left hand when he set up this great
and glorious grand Jewish kingdom here on this earth. But now let's
not be too hard on these men. I was reading an old preacher
by the name of Thomas Bradbury. I've been reading him quite a
bit lately, Pastor Grove Chapel over in England. I preached in that church, that
same church in 1980 where Thomas Bradbury pastored. And he was
talking about Thomas and Peter and some of these other apostles,
and he said, you know, we get pretty hard on those fellows,
but under the same circumstances, there's a good possibility we'd
have done the same thing. So don't be too hard on them.
You're looking from this side. This is a good side to look at
it. You know, not involved. So they said, you granted we
might sit one on the right hand, the other on the left when you
come in your glory, verse 38, but Jesus said to them, You know
not what you ask. You don't know what you're asking.
In other words, our Lord attributed this request to ignorance. Not
so much to maliciousness, but to ignorance. That's what He
said, you don't know what you're asking. Ignorance, lack of knowledge. And I'll tell you this, didn't
Paul say in Romans 8, Even we do not know the things for which
we should pray." Isn't that what he said? Except the Holy Ghost
should teach us and intercede for us. Isn't that true of us?
I'm sure that all of us have asked things in prayer. We've
asked God for things. We've made petitions, requests,
motivated by our own selfishness. motivated by our own fleshly
spirit, led by evil desires and motives not for the glory of
God. We've asked so many things, haven't
you? I have. And I could almost hear
him say, you don't know what you're asking. You don't know
what you're asking. Lord, give me this responsibility,
or that, or let me do this. You don't know what you're asking.
Barnard said one time, don't ask God to use you. He might. He just might, and you don't
know what you're asking. That's what he said to them,
you don't know what you're asking. I'm sure there's much darkness
and ignorance in most of what I pray for, because I don't know
what I'm asking. I know what I want. But I can't be sure that that's
the God's will or what's good for me. I don't know. But here, I'm sure the main thing
that was motivating these men, though, and motivates us too,
it's worldly thinking. It's honor and glory and recognition. This flesh loves to be exalted,
loves to be praised. And these men, this is what's
motivating them. One sitting on his right hand
and one on the left, and that leaves out ten other disciples.
But these men are in the chief seats, positions of honor, renown,
recognition, power, sitting on the Lord's right and left hand.
And really, they were talking about something that could never
exist in Christ's kingdom. This could never exist in Christ's
kingdom, in His glorious future kingdom
or right now. It can't exist. Positions of
honor and profit and power and recognition are non-existent
in the kingdom of our Lord because we are all what? Brethren. Listen
to what He said to them over, turn to Matthew 23. This sort
of thing just doesn't exist in the ultimate kingdom and glory
of our Lord in heaven, there'll be no degrees of glory. There'll
be no degrees of power. There'll be no one sitting on
the right hand and another ten rows down. There'll be no position
or place of personal glory. All believers shall share the
same glory and the same happiness and the same reward. Listen to
what he says in Matthew 23. Matthew 23, verse 6. Our Lord
said, these Jews love the uppermost rooms at the feast. This is what
the disciples were asking. Chief seats in the synagogue. Greetings in the marketplace.
Matthew 23, verse 6. They love to be called rabbi,
rabbi, teacher, teacher. But be not ye called rabbi. This doesn't exist among you,
He said. This doesn't exist in my family,
in my kingdom. Be not ye called rabbi, one is
your rabbi, one is your master, even Christ. And all your brethren,
equal, the same. Call no man your father upon
the earth, one is your father which is in heaven. Neither be
ye called master, one is your master, even Christ. Go to John
17 a moment. Listen to this. You see this,
in the ultimate glory of heaven there will be no degrees of power
and honor and reward and place and glory. All believers will
enjoy the same glory and the same fellowship and the same
happiness. It doesn't matter how long they
were saved or how long they served or in what capacity they served.
It doesn't matter. Listen to what our Lord prayed
in John 17, verse 21, "...that they all may be one, as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee. That they also may be one in
us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, and the
glory which thou hast given me I have given them." Not some
of them, all of them. that they may be one even as
we are I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect
in one, that the world may know that thou hast sent me and love
them, not some of them, all of them, as thou hast loved me. Verse 38, look at it again. Jesus
said to them, you don't know what you ask. You don't know what you asked.
You don't know what you're talking about. This sort of spirit, attitude
does not exist in the Kingdom of our Lord. And then he asks
this question of these two men. Can you drink of the cup that
I drink of? Can you be baptized with the
baptism that I'm baptized with? What's he speaking of? He's talking
about his sorrow and his sufferings in the redemption of his people
which had already begun. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief all of his days. His soul was made a sacrifice
and an offering for sin. It was his cup alone. And he
was not yet baptized with the bloody baptism of Calvary. And
he looks at them and says, Can you, you're talking about
sitting on my right hand and my left hand, can you, can you
drink this cup? Can you drink this cup? Can you
be baptized with this baptism of agony and suffering? Go through
the wine press of God's wrath. That's what he's speaking of
in that awful, Agony. Even the Son of God had to ask
the Father for help. That's what He, in Gethsemane,
He said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. I'll die
right here if I don't get some help. Verse 39. Listen how sad this is. You talk
about the ignorance. And they said, we can. Oh my. I see myself so much in
these fellows. The ignorance. He said, you don't
know what you're asking and now you don't know what you're saying.
Well, they were ignorant of the nature of the Lord's sufferings.
He became sin. He was made sin. He was separated
from the Father. He bore the guilt and transgressions
and iniquities of all the elect, of all generations, of all ages. Separated from God? Can you drink
of this cup and be baptized with this baptism? We can. Well, they
didn't know the nature of it. They were ignorant of the greatness
of it. And they were certainly ignorant
of their own weakness. I tell you, we know not what
we ask, and we know not what we are. We know not what we are. Oh my! Even our Lord prayed for strength
to endure the sorrow and suffering of the cross. And here these
men answered without any thought. We can take it. We can bear it. We can drink of it. We can be
baptized of it. No mention of need or grace or
help or strength. And Jesus said to them, oh, verse
39, you shall. Indeed, drink of the cup that
I drink of. Not to the extent, of course.
You'll drink of it. Not the same suffering, not the
same sorrow, not the same agony, but you'll drink of it. You'll
be tried. You'll be tried. And to some extent, you'll be
baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with all. Shall
you be baptized? You'll be tried if God intends
to use you for His glory and purpose. And you'll suffer. All that would live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. You will. You will. Verse 40. But to sit on my right hand and
on my left hand is not mine to give. In other words, there's no such
places in the kingdom of our Lord in the sense in which these
men are thinking. And as for the right and the
privilege to sit with Him at all, to sit with Him at all,
that right and that privilege, listen to what He said, that
will be given to them for whom it's prepared, for whom it's
already prepared. To sit with Him at all in His
eternal Kingdom has already been settled. It's already given to
those for whom it's prepared. Let me show you a few verses.
Over here in Matthew 25, listen to this. Our Lord is saying, this is not
some position. that a person earns. There is
no such position in the Kingdom of God as sitting at the right
hand of Christ or the left hand, but all who sit with Him. Oh,
that grace and that glory was prepared for them from the foundation
of the world. He said in Matthew 25, 34, listen,
Then shall the King say to them on His right hand, Come ye blessed
of My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. That's how long this position
in place has been prepared of the Father from the foundation
of the world, in His covenant mercies. What did Brother Allen
read a while ago? He had saved us and called us
with a holy calling, not according to our works or merits, but according
to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ
Jesus before the world began." Our Lord is saying to these disciples
here, that's already been settled. That's already been settled.
To sit on my right hand or my left hand is not mine to give,
but it shall be given what? Not those two positions. Because
no such positions exist. But the right or privilege to
become sons of God, to sit in the wedding feast, to be in the
Bride of Christ, to inherit the Kingdom of God, is given to those
for whom it's prepared of the Father. That's why I came. He came to do the Father's will. To redeem a people the Lord gave
to Him. He said, I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place,
I'll come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am
there you may be also." Now verse 41, as you might expect, the
other disciples were upset. I can understand that fully,
can't you? The other disciples, and when
the ten heard it, They began to be much displeased
with James and John. I don't know why they would be
so displeased with James and John. They had the same thoughts. They really did. They had the
same thoughts. I don't know why we ever get upset with each other
when we fail or fall or make a mistake. We do the same thing.
Isn't that right? These fellows are sitting there
with the same worldly honor and the same glory and the same self-esteem
and recognition in their hearts as these men. They would have
given their right arm to sit on his right hand and be lifted
up and exalted and praised and have all that honor. This flesh
is full of pride. Let's face it. Let's admit it.
Full of vanity. Full of ambition. We love honor. We love fame. We love recognition. We hate to fail. We hate to be
embarrassed. We hate to be humiliated. That's
the reason God has to do it to us because we've got so much
of that other. We want to be on top. We want
to win. We like to see our names in print. I told somebody one time, you
can take a group picture. And nobody's seen it. A group
picture, the whole crowd. And you can say, have you seen
our picture we had made? And the first person you look
for is yourself. I guarantee you, I promise you,
the first person you look for is yourself. I've done this before. And I'll tell you another thing. Do you like our group picture? I thought it was terrible. You
know why they thought it was terrible? It was terrible of
them. They might have been the only one. Blurred. But that makes
it a bad picture. That's just us. And so these
disciples, no need for them to act this way. They were displeased
with James and John. Very displeased. So, verse 42.
So the Lord called them to Himself. Let's just settle down here and
look at something. I love this, right? He called
them. They might have been over there in the corner talking,
you know. James and John are standing here before our Lord
and sitting and He's talking to them. And they're listening
to all this. And they were displeased. And
our Lord could tell they were displeased. And they were running
down. And He said, come on over here.
Every one of you. Every one of you. You know what?
Verse 42, And Jesus called them to Him. Every one of you. Now be still. Sit still. I want
to talk to you now about true greatness. You know that they
which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles, who are the Gentiles?
Heathen, pagan, natural men. They exercise lordship over them
and their great ones exercise authority upon them. Isn't that
the way the pagans act? Now he's saying this to his disciples.
Our Lord called them over there. He is going to reprove them for
their ambition and their desire for superiority and their desire
for preeminence and their desire for recognition and their desire
for worldly honor. He is going to show them how
they ought to feel and how they ought to act and how they ought
to behave as His children. And He says, now this, what James
and John are talking about, is the way the heathens act. This
is heathen philosophy. He says, this is the way of the
heathen who know not God. People reign over them and rule
over them. Men have places and positions
of honor and power and reputation which they get by birth or merit
or money and power. And these men lord it over them
in a authoritative way. That's the
way the heathen act. And you know, the Apostle Paul
used this. Let me show you something on
1 Corinthians 3. Paul used this to rebuke that church down in
Corinth. They were divided. They were
full of division and strife and envy. And he rebuked them. Some of them were saying, well,
I like Paul. Others say, I like Peter. Apollos. Another says, I don't like any
of them, I like Christ. I am of Paul, I am of Peter.
They had divisions among them, and they're following preachers,
and exalting preachers, and lauding preachers. And he said to them
in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 3, you're carnal. That's fleshly. For whereas there's among you
envy, strife, and division, are you not carnal? Are you not fleshly? And you're walking as men. What
do you mean as men? As natural men. Not as regenerated
men. Not as spiritual sons of God. You're behaving like the heathen.
Now back to the text. This is what our Lord is saying
to the apostles. When these men wanted seats of
power and position and reputation and recognition, He says, that's
the way the heathens act. That's paganism. Verse 43, But so shall it not
be among you, but whosoever will be great among
you shall be your minister. There is true greatness. And whosoever you be the cheapest,
be the servant. This is the very reverse of what
James and John thought. This is the very opposite of
what the world thinks. In other words, these disciples
came to our Lord and they wanted some priority, position. Their idea of greatness was to
sit. They said, granted we may sit,
one on thy right hand, one on thy left. True greatness doesn't
sit, it serves. They wanted to be served. They
wanted to see it. And he said that's not true greatness.
True greatness is to serve. Their idea of greatness was to
have servants waiting on them. True greatness is to be a servant
waiting on others. That's greatness. Their idea of true greatness
was to be ministered unto. And he said true greatness is
to minister to others. Look at verse 45. For even the
Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to
give His life a ransom for many. Their idea of greatness was to
be on the right hand or the left hand of Christ, sort of like
honor guards. I could just see what they had
in mind here. I don't know what they had in mind really, but
they had some kind of throne or kingdom The Lord was sitting
on the throne, and James was over here, and John was over
here, and they were sort of honor guards, you know. If the Lord
said, get me this, they'd see that somebody got it, you know,
and so forth. But you know what He said? True greatness is not
serving Christ. True greatness is serving His
people. And when you serve His people,
you're serving Him. He said, I came not to be ministered
unto, What can I do for Christ? Now you tell me something. Just
tell me something I can do for Jesus Christ. Nothing. I'll tell you how I can serve
Him. Serve you. I'll show you that. Turn to Matthew
25 again. Let me pick up where I left off
a while ago. Matthew 25. Let's look at this. Matthew 25. And I'll move along. Listen to verse 34. Now, I read
this to you a moment ago. Now, you follow what I'm saying.
Their idea of true greatness was to serve. He said true greatness
is to serve. Let Him be your servant. If He
wants to be great, chief, let Him be your servant. Serve whom? Serve Christ. How? By serving
others. Listen. Verse 34, Then shall
the king say unto them on his right hand, Come ye, blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me meat. I was thirsty
and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took
me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you bested
me. I was in prison and you came
to me." And then shall the righteous answer him and say, Lord, when
saw we thee of hunger and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee
drink? When did we see you a stranger and took you in or naked and
clothed you? When did we ever see you sick
or in prison and came to you? And the Lord, the King shall
answer and say to them, Barely, I say unto you, inasmuch as you've
done it unto one of the least of my brethren, you've done it
to me. There is true greatness. You
know what he's saying? I suppose about twenty, In 1954, I was 28, I was about
28, and I was down at a college, a preacher's college, speaking
at a Bible conference. And there was some young men
there talking to the president of the college and the pastor
of that huge church. And one of them was wondering
about a paper. He wanted to start a paper. He
was going to print a paper, eight or sixteen page paper from his
church and from his ministry. And this illustrious old gentleman
said to him, tell you the secret of succeeding in this thing,
keep your name before the public. He said, in that paper, get your
name on every page. So that any time they turn to
a page, they'll see your name and be reminded of your ministry
and send you a little help. But keep your name before the
public. That's not the way. That's not
the way. This is what our Lord is saying.
That's not the way. The way to serve Christ is to
serve others. Wait on others. Lift up others. I had an illustration of that.
That's what our Lord said, inasmuch as you've done it unto one of
the least of these, you've done it to me. The phone rang today
and Doris answered the phone. It
was Becky. And she said, Mother, would you
do me a favor? What does Becky want her mother
to do for her? She said, I'm busy this afternoon,
would you pick up Carey? She wasn't doing anything for
Becky. She was picking up Carey. But in picking up Carey, she
did something for Becky. You understand that little illustration?
That's just a plain old simple, would you do something for me? And that's our Lord. You want
to do something for our Lord, you do something for His people. Serve our Lord, serve His people.
That's what He's saying. That's true greatness. That's
true greatness. All right. Mike, come lead us
in a closing hymn.

True Greatness

What does the Bible say about true greatness?

How do we know servanthood is essential in Christianity?

Why is humility important for Christians?

What does Matthew 25 teach about serving others?

How does pride hinder my walk with God?

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True Greatness

What does the Bible say about true greatness?

How do we know servanthood is essential in Christianity?

Why is humility important for Christians?

What does Matthew 25 teach about serving others?

How does pride hinder my walk with God?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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