{"id":3768,"date":"2020-06-17T06:00:13","date_gmt":"2020-06-17T11:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/?p=3768"},"modified":"2020-06-17T08:02:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-17T13:02:17","slug":"word-pictures-of-the-church-greatness-in-the-kingdom-continued-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/word-pictures-of-the-church-greatness-in-the-kingdom-continued-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Word Pictures of the Church – Greatness in the Kingdom (continued)"},"content":{"rendered":"
We are looking at the attitude necessary for ministering in the Kingdom of God.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Yesterday, we saw how James and John went to Jesus to ask Him to let them sit on His left and right when He came into His kingdom. The other ten disciples found out about it and everyone was mad at each other, for all of them had been arguing like children over who was the greatest.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
As we saw, with everyone mad at everyone, this led Jesus to have a straight talk with all of them\u2026<\/span><\/div>\n
Matthew 20:25\u201328 (NIV)<\/span><\/div>\n
25<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Jesus called them together and said, \u201cYou know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.\u00a0<\/span>26<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,\u00a0<\/span>27<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0and whoever wants to be first must be your slave\u2014<\/span>28<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Here, Jesus points out that there are two views of greatness:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1. The world\u2019s view of greatness.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2. The Lord\u2019s view of greatness.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Let\u2019s examine them more thoroughly.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
1. The world\u2019s view of greatness is that greatness is at the “top.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Jesus illustrates this by reminding them of what they had experienced at the hands of the Romans by their \u201crulers\u201d and \u201chigh officials\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
The phrase, “Lord it over” carries the idea of exercising domination.<\/span><\/div>\n
The phrase, \u201cexercise authority\u201d denoted hostility in the way they were treated.<\/span><\/div>\n
Jesus starts out by saying, \u201dyou know”\u00a0 because they knew, by experience, exactly what He was talking about.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
I\u2019ve worked under this type of a boss. Years ago, I was a salesman at Wood Craft Furniture.\u00a0 I will never forget the day the owner said to a group of thirty sales men and women,\u00a0 \u201cThis is not a democracy in here, this is a dictatorship and I\u2019m the dictator and if you don\u2019t like it there\u2019s the *%#@** door.\u201d\u00a0 If he ever complimented you, it was in private. But if he ever corrected you, it was in front of all the other salesmen. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
This \u201clittle man\u201d in stature was only matched by the \u201clittleness\u201d of his actions. His view of greatness was the everyone should serve him. And that\u2019s the world\u2019s view of greatness.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
This greatness demands that everyone serves you.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
2. The Lord’s view of greatness is that greatness is at the \u201cbottom.”<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Jesus says to his followers, \u201dNot so with you.\u201d\u00a0 Jesus was clearly saying that we are never to act in this \u201clord it over\u201d dominating fashion for those in our care. We must forever put aside the desire to want to measure greatness the world’s way.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
To Jesus, there are two legitimate expressions of greatness.\u00a0 To illustrate this, Jesus uses two different Greek words to show two healthy attitudes towards serving.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
First He says, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your SERVANT.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
The word “servant” is the Greek word, diakonos. We get our word \u201cdeacon\u201d and \u201cminister\u201d from this.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Jesus is saying that greatness is ministering to the needs of others rather than to your own needs.<\/span><\/div>\n
Greatness is being totally committed to the welfare of another.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
The second word is translated, \u201cSLAVE.\u201d\u00a0 The Greek word is \u201cdoulos.\u201d\u00a0 It literally means \u201cbond slave.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
I\u2019m certain Jesus had in mind the imagery of the bond-slave spoken of in\u2026\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
Exodus 21:2,5,6<\/span><\/div>\n
2 \u201cIf you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything\u2026\u2026 5 \u201cBut if the servant declares, \u2018I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,\u2019 6 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
A \u201cdoulos\u201d is a slave\/servant who has totally given himself over into a relationship of another.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
It is from this imagery that Paul and other New Testament writers began to refer to themselves as bondservants of Jesus Christ as they introduced themselves in their letters.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Here are few examples:\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus,\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in <\/span><\/div>\n
Christ Jesus who are in <\/span>Philippi\u2026.<\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ,\u2026.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
So, even in the Lord\u2019s view of greatness are two attitudes toward greatness:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 1.\u00a0 Greatness is ministering to the needs of others.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 2.\u00a0 Greatness is selling yourself over into a relationship with others.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
Which one best describes you?<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are looking at the attitude necessary for ministering in the Kingdom of God. \u00a0 Yesterday, we saw how James and John went to Jesus to ask Him to let them sit on His left and right when He came into His kingdom. The other ten disciples found out about it and everyone was mad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[140],"tags":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3768"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3775,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3768\/revisions\/3775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southsidealive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}