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Greatness - Kingdom Style

Servant of All Message Series

October 6, 2019 • Lead Pastor Tim Moen

“True greatness is the ability to achieve what you choose
to achieve in the area you choose to achieve it;
and to achieve it with excellence and a level of mastery.”
James Arthur Ray

Text: Mark 9:33-37

33 “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”

34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,

37 ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”

Deep down inside each of us is...

• A desire for greatness.

• A desire to achieve.

• A desire to excel.

This drive for greatness was placed there by God!

Jesus is going to address that this drive became corrupted when sin entered the world.

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”

Galatians 5:17-21

17 “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,

21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

John emphasizes (in 1 John 2:16) that these physical things do not last; they will pass away.

• The temptation of Eve in the Garden
• The temptation of Christ in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8-10)

The pride of life can be defined as anything that is “of the world,” meaning anything that leads to...

• Arrogance

• Showing off

• Pride in self

• Presumption

• Boasting


Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
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Mark 9:33-34

33 “And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”

34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.”


Jesus unpacks what GREATNESS looks like.

Mark 9:35 "And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”


Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”


There are two different kinds of GREATNESS...
• One kind is recognized by the approval and applause of men
• The other kind is approved and applauded by God


Mark 9:36-37

36 “And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,

37 ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’”


Three Quick Thoughts on Pursuing Greatness - Kingdom Style

Philippians 2:3-4

3 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

#1 A Servant will not follow after SELFISH AMBITIONS!

#2 A Servant is HUMBLE!

#3 A Servant Takes Care of Others!

Philippians 2:5-8

5 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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