Who Is the Greatest - Part 1

Going tonight Christian viewpoint brought by award-winning skill is an excellent athlete of Jesus is a very different differs the burgesses room was used by 30 point the kind of brightness defined and demonstrated by Jesus is in short supply in today's world, but with his help you can from in search of the Savior's diving is his message.

Who is greatest when you know if you asked the question today and the environment of our business culture, you would find someone describing greatness is moving to the top taking control amassing fortunes accomplishing great things. But Jesus had a different perspective. Jesus actually one time said this, he said that the way up as the way down if you want to be great in my eyes. You have to be a servant.

Servant leadership actually is is rooted in Scripture it's become sort of a popular discussion these days because in the business world and the popular motivational world. Servant leadership comes up hardly ever gets attributed to Jesus.

But that's what started Jesus is the one who said that if you if you want to be first you get every last little about that as we talk about who's the greatest today on Turning Point. Now let's get started with part one who is the greatest. I have a story to tell you today will talk about the power of service and I thought I would just begin with the story woman took her husband to the doctor's office after his checkup. The doctor said your husband is suffering from a very serious infection. While the husband was hard of hearing and he said what did he say his wife said, he says your sick and the doctor went on, but there's some hope.

And he said ma'am. I just need to help you understand what you can do for your husband. You need to reduce his stress each morning. Give him a healthy breakfast be pleasant and nice and kind for lunch and dinner make him his favorite meal and don't discuss your problems with them will only make the stress worse. Don't yell at him.

Don't argue with them, and most importantly, just cater to your husband's every whim and if you do that your husband for the next six months to a year. If you do that during that period of time. I think your husband has an opportunity for complete recovery and the husband said what did he say and she said he said you're going to die. Some people will do anything to avoid serving as we study the book of Mark, we have learned together that one of the hardest things for any of us to face our shortcomings or flaws in our lives. Maybe it's been a shock to all of us and even to me somewhat study this many times before that the disciples were far from perfect people. Often times we think all he's a disciple.

He must have it all together and we even think about that today was the disciple which means he's closer to God. He's got it together. If you discovered with us so far. The disciples don't have it all together there facing one flaw after another in one place.

It's the lack of prayer. Remember they could cast out a demon and we can figure it out.

Jesus said well you can figure it out because this kind of demon only comes out through prayer. We couldn't figure out what to do with their fear and they just seem to be so dull of hearing when it came to the things Jesus was trying to communicate to them and this particular story that is in the progress of his journey to the cross is told not only by Mark, but it's also the book of Matthew and in the book of Luke as Mark tells the story he shows us how Jesus was trying to teach his disciples, and I like to tell the story, sort of in the same vein, in which I see the Lord Jesus walking through this with his men.

Therefore characteristics of this first there some information that there's an interrogation and vendor some instruction in Jesus finishes with an illustration.

So with our Bibles open to Mark in the ninth chapter, we began our reading today at the 30th verse with some information. The Bible says they departed from there and pass through Galilee.

And he did not want anyone to know it. Jesus and his disciples have gone now from the northern part of Israel and their going through Galilee and Jesus is determined that he's going to reach his destination, which is Jerusalem and ultimately his destination, which is the cross Bible says that he didn't want anybody to know where he was going and we don't know why he doesn't want anybody to know until we read the next verse, verse 31 says for he taught his disciples and said to them, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men and they will kill him, and after he was killed he will rise.

The third day Jesus didn't want to be interrupted in his opportunity to mentor his disciples and tell them what was going to happen in a few days because he is going to the cross.

He's going to be buried and resurrected, and the disciples if they don't get this information to be caught off guard. So Jesus didn't want anybody to know what he was going because you want uninterrupted time to teach his disciples not Mark often portrays Jesus as a teacher you see this throughout the entire gospel. Most often he doesn't tell us what Jesus is teaching in this text he tells us what the subject was of their discussion as they moved along the way. That day Jesus is teaching about his death, burial and resurrection that the subject matter he's trying to explain to his disciples that though they wanted a king with a crown.

They got a king with the cross and their king was headed toward the cross and they needed to be prepared for it.

And this is the second of three times that Jesus actually explains this in the book of Mark, I won't read them, but one is in the 31st verse of Mark eight and in the 33rd verse of Mark 10 Jesus is telling his disciples what is to happen so I run into somebody who talks about the crucifixion, as if Jesus was taken off guard. We got in without his notice and they swiftly moved him to Calvary and killed him without his permission. What a silly thing for anybody to say, especially anybody who purports to have read the Bible because throughout this journey with his disciples the Lord Jesus is gradually unfolding the plan of redemption for them so that they have no reason not to know. They understood Jesus wasn't taken by surprise.

Jesus knew that he was born to die. He came not to be ministered on it but the minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Now he's coaching his disciples ahead of time so that they will know what to do now. It's interesting that as he goes along the way and he's teaching them. Obviously, the disciples are also having their own discussion. They were talking about something that they shouldn't have been talking about and is Jesus is involving himself with them and explaining to them what's going to happen to him. He overhears them having a discussion.

Now let's notice after the information the interrogation Jesus questioning his disciples. Verse 33. The Bible says that when they came to Capernaum and they stopped over there obviously they were going to stop in the house of Peter where they had their headquarters. Up until this time Jesus brought his disciples into the house and he asked them a question. He says if I would put in language today. He promise it will you guys talking about on the road as we got here. If you get this picture in your mind. This is, what happened Jesus is walking along the road and his disciples are walking apart from him, probably in front of him. As Jesus is walking along the road and he's been teaching them about his coming death, burial and resurrection, mostly after that, he notices that the disciples are in a discussion.

Literally the word is pretty strong.

It means they were arguing with one another and as they walked along the road. Jesus could see them in this intense argument disciples arguing with one another and when they get to Capernaum and they going to Peter's house.

Jesus gives them in a circle and he says what were you guys talking about on the road. I don't think Jesus was in doubt about what they were talking about. He knew what they were talking about what he was trying to draw them out.

He said tell me what you were talking about. No notice, the questioning of Jesus is met by the quietness of the disciples and they kept silent when the answers question four on the road. They had been disputing among themselves who would be the greatest. How embarrassing. Jesus is telling them about his death and their arguing with each other about who gets to be the greatest things are going on here. Obviously they still haven't figured out the difference between the king with the cross and the king with a crown because their greatness was all about. Hopefully serving in the kingdom with the Lord in a place of prominence and somehow Jesus teaching about suffering and death got them into this debate over who was going to be the greatest. In fact I've noticed in the New Testament that quite often. When Jesus talks about his death brought resurrection, the disciples talk about who's going to be the greatest. So Jesus asked them what were you talking about, and obviously they didn't want to answer that question, they would not answer because they were ashamed and should they not have been ashamed for doing that on that particular day in that particular situation. The Bible says they were arguing about greatness. It wasn't about being great as a disciple. It was about greatness. In essence, is the most important among the disciples I can just hear Peter say all I was standing closest to him when he transfigured on the mountain has to be me. John probably said will you know what he calls me on the disciple Jesus loved no and each of them probably had their own argument about who was the greatest, and they were comparing and ranking their accomplishments, their skills and their gifts and they were talking so much about greatness in the kingdom of God as they were just talking about who was the greatest man among just a few chapters we will learn that James and John and their mother have a similar discussion where she wants to promote her boys so that they get a place of prominence in the kingdom.

You can read about that in Mark chapter 10 will get to it later and later on just before Jesus went to the cross.

The disciples are in the room and their arguing with one another again over who is the greatest in the kingdom and Jesus Christ walked into the room knowing what they had been talking about. The Bible tells us in John chapter 13 that he took off his outer garment and he donned the clothing of a servant, and he got down on his knees and washed the feet of the disciples will he talks about his death, burial and resurrection.

They talk about who's the greatest they talk about who's the greatest he washes their feet and Jesus is then going to explain to them why what they're talking about is so absurd and off-base from the information we have the interrogation and now the instruction notice verse 35 and Jesus sat down and he called the 12 and he said to them if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all this is that sound like a disconnect. How do you get to be first by being last.

Jesus does not tell his disciples to cease trying to be great. Instead, he redefines the meaning of greatness.

He doesn't implore us to stop pursuing greatness. He demands that we pursue a specific form of greatness he is encouraging us to desire to pursue to crave a certain kind of greatness that serves all this is Jesus definition of greatness and of course it's not an isolated thing in the text. I remember the Scripture and being reminded of how many times this principle is recorded in the Bible. It's almost like Jesus wants to make sure we don't forget this. This is not only the key to what it means to follow the Lord. But as you go to see in a moment. It may be one of the missing ingredients is in our culture today. So let me just run through the Scriptures quickly. If I were you, and I'm taking notes just write down the address and you can look them up in filament later, but here's just a sampling of where this is in the Bible.

Matthew 2016 so the last will be first in the first last. Many are called, few are chosen.

Matthew 2026 and 27 whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Matthew 2311 but he was greatest among you shall be your servant Mark 1043 and 44 you shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. Luke 948 whoever receives this little child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me, for he was least among you all will be great.

Luke 1330 and, indeed, there are last two will be first in their first two will be last. Luke 2226 but not so among you. On the contrary, he was greatest among you, let him be. As the younger, and he who governs as he who serve. That's a sampling to settle. That's a sampling of the many times when Jesus taught this class for basic principal of the Christian life. Isn't it interesting we hear almost nothing about it in our culture today. Most people are quite surprised when they hear this, that the principles of leadership for believers is exactly the opposite of that for those who live in the culture.

The basic concept of serving is found over 300 times in the New Testament hundred and 30 times in the Gospels and 170 times in the epistles so the Lord did not save us to be sensations he saved us to be servants and is giving us this principle, so we will know how to function not only in the church, but in our culture so that we can know the joy of Christ likeness. Here's the difference between what Jesus is saying here and where most people are in their understanding of leadership today.

Let's just start with the triangle. If you start out in the business world today, men, women graduate from college. Maybe grad school degree ready to go. You enter into the company at the lower level. Nobody starts appearing to start on here and if the lower level of your company are the most people are more people down here in this level than anyplace else. The entry-level if you stay there and you progress in your career.

Little by little, you move out and it every level were you move up there are fewer people. The next level. Fewer people all of a sudden. If you work hard you know the bosses family. You get to the top. Amen.

You get to the top and all of a sudden you're at the top of the triangle and people say it's such a good thing to be able to serve under him was an incident in the world today. I serve under in the military I serve under we serve under people.

That's the way the world views leadership with the triangle and the one at the top. At the pinnacle looks out at his world and he makes this observation.

Look at all the people who are serving me. Jesus is will that's all right if you want to live that way, your culture, but that's not my way. Jesus says you have to turn the triangle upside down. Jesus says he will be the greatest among you, let him be the least that doesn't mean that least indignity the least in popularity, the least and the ability it means you understand that in the biblical sense of leadership. It's not how many people are serving you. It's how many people you are serving that is servant leadership.

That's biblical leadership that Jesus kind of leadership.

Jesus says if you want to be great in the kingdom of God. Don't ask the question how many people are serving me asked the question how many people has Almighty God allowed me to serve and we began to understand the joy of serving as we began to institute this principle in our lives. Greatness is waiting on believers in the form of common and simple tasks. The more common and humble task. The greater the deed.

So Jesus said in Luke 2227 I am among you as one who serves.

No please notice that Jesus is not teaching this principle in classroom. He's teaching it on the road and where's that road taking him you guys it's taking him to Jerusalem. It's taking him to the cross, Jesus is walking out the lesson that he's teaching his disciples. He said I did not come to be ministered to but to minister, and to give my life a ransom for many. What is he doing is walking toward Jerusalem is walking toward the cross. He saved by his attitude. I'm not going to stay here and be here came with the crown because I understand that before I can be your King with a crown. I have to be your King with the cross and in his servant attitude. He's giving himself up. The Bible says he gave himself up for us so that we might be saved. That's what service is and Jesus is living it out as he is teaching it to his disciples. Everyone of us who are parents every one of us as we teach our children and our friends about humble service. We should never do it without living it out ourselves and we should never separated from the teaching of our Lord as we teach others about humble service.

We should also be modeling it in practicality and tangibly before them. I read a lot of commentaries to prepare these messages in one of the best historic writers for New Testament literatures. A man by the name of William Barclay is a bunch of tiny commentaries and you have to have good eyes to read his work has a paragraph about this that I think we will all find very interesting. Today, as we look out on a broken world seems to be getting more broken every day. Listen to what he wrote every economic problem would be solved if men lived for what they could do for others and not what they could get for themselves.

Every political problem would be solved if the ambition of man was only to serve others and not to enhance their own prestige. Can you imagine my friends what would happen if Washington could get a hold of that if they would really understand that we elected them to serve us instead of serve their own political ambition. The divisions he wrote and the disputes which tear the church apart would be for the most part never happening. If the only desire of the church was to serve the church and not to care what position as long as the service was given gone would be the phrase I don't go there because I don't get my needs met. We would be so busy meeting everybody else's needs.

We wouldn't have time to calculate that ourselves. When Jesus spoke of the supreme greatness in value over the man whose ambition was to be a servant.

He laid down, said Barclay, one of the greatest practical truths in the world. Glenda Moody once said the measure of a great man is not how many servants he had, but how many men he serves.

There is the instruction if you want to be great. The question you have to ask is who my serving, let me tell you that that's a principle that would work even if you were to Christian you have to be a Christian.

With this principle of operation. There's a whole genre of literature, now called servant leadership that's growing up in the business world.

Everybody's beginning understand that this works and why it works because all truth is God's truth came from the Bible.

Even people trying to use it who don't know God will find that it works.

How do we serve one another. Jesus says if you want to be great if the learn to serve for greatness in the kingdom is not where you stand on the hierarchy, but it's where you stand and serving other people.

More about that tomorrow as we come to the Friday edition of Turning Point were looking at. Mark chapter 9. This is a part of the series we've called in search of the Savior is part three of the exposition of the bookmark some great passages, friends, and I'm glad that you join me as we study together about our Savior, the Lord Jesus tomorrow on the Friday edition. Who is the greatest part two. Join us tomorrow right here in this good station for the extradition. For more information on Dr. Jeremiah's current teaching series in search of Savior. Please visit our website. We also find ways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Points and sign up today@davidjeremiah.org/radio that's Jeremiah.old/writing to ask you a copy of Ali's Hogan's finding Jesus in the Bible is the Jeremiah study Bible and the English version, new international version and James version filled with helpful notes and articles.

Jeremiah Jeremiah old/radio Gary hopefully join us tomorrow as we continue the series in search of the Savior is here on Turning Point. Jeremiah said