Sunday 09/23/12 RWJ/Pottersville UMC
Sermon: “Who is the greatest amongst us?”
(Growing in faith series, Part 4 of 6)
Scripture Lesson: Psalm 1
Gospel Lesson: Mark 9:30-37
Good morning brothers and sisters! I greet you in the name our risen Lord and savior Jesus Christ! I hope and pray that you have all had a blessed week and I am happy to be worshipping with you here this morning!
This morning I am continuing on with my six part series called the “Growing in faith series.” In the first week of this series, I talked about “Walking our faith vs. Talking our faith,” and in this message I talked about how much Christian Churches as a whole could accomplish for our communities, our country, and the world, if our churches were filled with people. If we had large churches that were filled with people that gave generously of their time, there gifts and talents, and there resources, we would have more than enough resources to provide for the poor and all those in need. In my second week of this series, I gave a message called “Faith without works is dead.” In this message, I talked about how we as individuals cannot work our way into heaven through good works. Doing good works is important though. As Christians, we should do good works, because we are new creations in Jesus Christ. Out of this great love and blessing that God has given us, we must bless others to the glory of God. Last week, I gave a message called “Would you deny Him?” In this message I talked about denying Jesus Christ. We have all at different times have denied Jesus Christ through both our thoughts and our actions. When we see someone in need, when we see someone suffering, and when we can help someone and we don’t, then we deny Jesus Christ.
As we think about all that the church could become in walking our faith, as we think about the good works that God calls us to do, and as we think about doing to the good works and doing the service that God has called us to do, the question I have for you this morning, is “Who is the greatest amongst us?” I mean who here is the greatest? In exploring this question, I would ask you to think of five historical persons other than Jesus Christ, who you would say are the best people that have ever lived. Just think about this for minute. On my short list would be Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, Saint Augustine, Abraham Lincoln, and the Apostle Paul. I am sure I could come up with many more names, as I am sure that you all could come up with more than five names, as well. Anyone here have any names that I didn’t have on my list of five names? Thank you for sharing.
I think in our culture we tend to rank people by who is the best, and by who is the worst. I think of the recent Olympic Games in London. For many of us, the focus was on who is going to be the best. Who is going to win the gold? We very much live a culture, of “who is the best,” and “who is the worst.” This idea of who is the greatest, I think is not new. In fact, in the Gospel reading from Mark this morning, Jesus’ 12-apostles got into an argument over who was the best apostle. Have you or your kids for example, ever gotten into an argument over who is the best NFL quarterback in history? I am sure that you can think of a few names right now, if you’re an NFL fan. Interesting though, what Jesus says to his apostles in the Gospel reading this morning, in response to their argument over who is the greatest.
Jesus said if you want to be first or the best, you must be last. Jesus also said “you must be a servant all to people to be the best.” Jesus then said that you have to have faith “like a small” child to really know Him. In looking at this, Jesus said the best comes in last, the best is a humble servant, and the best must trust Him like a small child. When looking at this scripture then, I would ask you this morning “who is the greatest amongst us?”
In the reading of the first Psalm this morning, God called up us to live righteously. God calls us too love others, and to not be wicked to each other. How can we really love each other and Jesus Christ though, if we think that we are better than each other? I think to really be righteous, to really be Godly we must do our best to love all people with the love of Jesus Christ. We must realize that Jesus Christ wants to be in a relationship with us all.
Think about this church specific church for a minute, who is the greatest in this church? Who is the best Christian here? Is it you? Is it you? Is it that person? What if none of us are the best? What if we are all equal before almighty God? What if we began to view each and every person as a creation of the hands of God? After all, were we all not made at the potter’s wheel of the master? Are we all not sinners? Are we not all in need of the grace of God, and the salvation of Jesus Christ?
So I ask you then, “who is the greatest amongst us?” Is there a greatest amongst us? I remember when Billy Graham’s wife died, he said something to the effect of, “I hope when I get to my wife lets me live in one of the rooms in her mansion in heaven.”
I think that we might get different rewards in heaven, but aren’t we all fallen? Aren’t we all broken? You see I think as Christians to really grow in faith, to really grow, we must see all people as equals. What a hard thing to do isn’t it? This does not mean we should not respect our elders, that we should not respect our leaders, our bosses, or that we all have the same amount of possessions or money in life, but it does mean on a spiritual level that we all equal before almighty God. Everyone sitting here today was made at the potter’s wheel of almighty God, and so we are all in need of God’s grace and salvation. Imagine a church where we see all people who come through this door as equally children of almighty God. I remember hearing the famous boxer Mohammed Ali say “I am the greatest!” Certainly one could argue that he is the best boxer ever, but spiritually I would argue that we are all spiritually on the same playing field.
A good analogy for this is thinking about Calvary or Golgotha where Jesus was crucified. The Roman centurions nailed him to the cross, and then raised the cross up into a hole so that it would fall into place. Imagine if you were at the crucifixion. Imagine if you tried to reach up and touch the cross of the savior. Would a tall person be able to touch the cross better than a short person? The reality is that the ground at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ is level. We can call access the life saving message of Jesus Christ’s Gospel, and we can all touch the cross. For the ground at the foot of Jesus Christ’s cross is level. We are all God’s children, and Jesus Christ beacons us all. He wants us all. He wants the tall, the sort, the person who society has rejected, the person who struggles with addiction, the person who has made some bad life choices. Jesus Christ wants us all. Our challenge then in growing in our faith is to “love all people into the Kingdom of God.” By this, I mean that most people come to the faith and come to know Jesus Christ through loving relationships with His believers. If we really love all people, and we really see everyone as equal at the foot of the cross, then I think our church will grow. I think that people would come here on Sunday morning not because they were forced to, not because they felt that they had to, but because they wanted to. They would say that I love going to this church! I love the people here! They love me so much and treat me so good! They accepted me in with all my flaws and all my vices! I fell at home here! This is my place of peace!
I hope and pray that we can all continue to grow in faith to make this church a place that is so loving, that is so biblical, and that is so focused on living the Gospel of Jesus Christ that our church grows tremendously.
I want to close today with a story. This story was told by a well known speaker. Here is the story: A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" The hands went up in the air. "Well," he replied, "what if I do this?" He dropped it on the ground and started grinding it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, crumpled and dirty and asked, "Now who still wants it?" Again the hands went up into the air." The speaker then said, my friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was worth $20 regardless of what I did to it." Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value in God's eyes. To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to Him. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know but by who we are!
So this morning brothers and sisters let us realize that we are all God’s children. We are all broken people, but we are all loved equally by God. In fact, you cannot do anything to make God love you more than He loves your right now. As one pastor said it once, “God knows all about you, and He loves you just the same.” Let us this week seek God, grow in faith, and love all people as children of God. Praise God and Amen.
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