True Greatness

He was famous! He was Rich! He was Powerful! And he was great! In fact, his very title was was just that, for the people called him: “Louis the Great!” However, as the story goes, Louis the great was not so great.

And why? Because though he was a king who was quite famous, the truth was, everyone hated and despised him. Though he was rich, he was poor when it came to compassion and care. Though he was powerful, he was powerless to control his vices, as his anger, lust, and envy would always seem to control him. Which all served to make Louis the great not so great.

But to be fair, his entire life has set him up to be this way: For King Louis was the 14th king of France! Ever since he was a baby he was coddled and care for, which meant he had never really suffered! And not only that, but all of his life he had been told how great he was compared to everyone else, for he was of royal blood, which as I am sure you can see would make you pretty prideful, and not very humble! And with a host of servants who waited upon him hand and foot, he never knew what it meant to serve someone else. Nor did he know the meaning of the word sacrifice, as he could have anything or anyone with but a word from his mouth.

And so Louis the great, became one of the greatest tyrant kings of all time.

However, as legend goes, King Louis had a twin brother named Philippe, who couldn’t have been more different. While his brother Louis was famous, Philippe was known by no one, because on the day he was born his father had him sent away not wanting the kingdom be ridden with conflict over which boy would be king. And so while King Louis grew up in riches, Philippe grew up in rags. While King Louis grew up with absolute power, Philippe grew up powerless as he was imprisoned and forced to wear an Iron Mask in order to hide his identity from all.

However, while King Louis the great was not so great, due to his uncontrolled character, Philippe was truly great, for his suffering had led him to be humble, caring, and kind. And so when a plot succeeded in replacing tyrant king Louis with his tender-hearted brother Philippe Philippe exchanged his mask with a crown, and became one of the greatest kings France has ever known, as he humbly and sacrificially served his people.

Ya know something that’s interesting about true greatness, is that when we read of story’s like Alexander Dumais’s Man in the Iron Mask, we easily recognize it! Nobody looks at these two twin brothers and thinks: “I wish I could be like Louis!” In fact, when we hear this story we all identify with Philippe and see ourselves in him. And yet, do you wanna know the truth? We are Louis, not Philippe! We absolutely are! And yet, like King Louis, though we call ourselves great, the truth is, we aren’t so great.

But if that’s the case - and it is - why do we continue to delude ourselves into thinking that we are? Well, lot’s of reason. But the main reason is this: We fail to recognize what true greatness comes through. And if we fail to recognize that, we aren’t going to be great, and like King Louis, we’ll continue on thinking we are great, when we anything but that.

And so if we are going to be truly great, we must recognize what true greatness comes through, And it comes through 3 things: And here they are.

True greatness comes through:

1. Suffering (v. 17-19).
2. Service (v. 20-27).
3. Sacrifice (v. 18-19, 28).

1. Suffering (v. 17-19).

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Matthew 20:17-19 ESV

As Americans, when it comes to suffering, we have one rule, which is: “Avoid it, at all costs!” And why? Because the path to greatness DOES NOT go down that path! At least not very long.

See, in our society, we view greatness in terms of status. Great career, Great house, Great health, Great looks, Great romantic “OOO LA LA” relationships Great family, Great kids, Who have great report cards, Who grow up to have all the great things we just mentioned.

And ya know what. Suffering doesn’t line up with all that, and so it must be avoided at ALL COSTS. And so there are, perfectly minding our own business, chasing the American dream, and then suffering knocks on our door! What a jerk, right? And so in response we try to get that uninvited guest out of our home as fast as possible! And so finally we get em out of there and get on with our lives, but then it isn’t much later when we hear another knock at the door, and he comes busting in more irritating than the last time, with those health issues, with those money issues, causing all those family issues, and to make matters worse, it doesn’t seem like he plans on leaving anytime soon!

So what do we do when we start to realize we are powerless to evict him? We go to someone who know isn’t, Someone who has plenty of power, and then some, to throw this uninvited guest back out on the street right where he belongs! And so we get religion, which in America, sort of defaults to Christianity. Not as much as it used to, but for the most part, it still does.

So maybe we start going to church, We start praying, We start doing all of the things, trying to get God in our life just long enough so he’ll get that uninvited guest named suffering out of our life. And low and behold, it sort of works! So we keep up with the bargain! God, you keep my life great, and I’ll be great at giving you some of this, some of that, just enough of that religion to keep this deal in place!

But then what happens? another knock at the door, and this time it’s more like a police raid as suffering and his friends break the door down and move in expecting to stay for good!

And so you go to God upset that He’s not keeping up His end of the bargain! And you start complaining about how things are fair. Telling God how you don’t deserve that difficult marriage How you were treated unjustly when you got fired for that thing you didn’t even do! How everyone seems to always be treating you poorly, and things never seem to go your way. And if God doesn’t start doing that MAGA thing - make all-things great again, Then I might just have to tear this not-so-great contract up!

But here’s the thing. You should probably get that contract and actually...Don’t ya think? Because either you didn’t read it, Or you did, but you either forgot or you didn’t pay very close attention. Because if you had, then you’d remember that it says:

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27 ESV

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

Psalm 119:71 ESV

Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12 NLT

1 Peter 4:1 (NLT) So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too.

That’s just four verses out of about 400 that speak to how suffering is a part of the deal! And why? Because suffering leads to greatness! it absolutely does! And if you don’t recognized that, you’re gonna totally lose it when suffering shows up on your door step!

What makes Navy Seals the best of the best? Is it because they have the most cushiest training? The best food, the best pay, and the best living quarters? No... It’s because they go through the most difficult of suffering! And it’s that suffering that produces greatness in them! Which is why the sign-up list for becoming a seal is so long! It’s not drawing masochists who like pain! No, it’s drawing people who want their pain and suffering to forge them into greatness! And so too is it for us church when we approach our suffering with the right attitude! In fact, if we approach it rightly, the Bible tells us we can approach it with JOY!

Romans 5:3-4 (ESV) but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 1:2-4 ESV

Do you see what those verses are saying? Suffering isn’t meaningless! Suffering isn’t to avoided at ALL COSTS! For suffering is the Christian’s seal training that produces GREATNESS IN US! And so of course it doesn’t feel good! Of course it’s gonna hurt when you start forging that flab into muscle! That’s just the way it works! But we can rejoice in knowing that in Christ our suffering is not meaningless! For as Romans 8:28 says: “All thing work together for GOOD for those who love God!” Which includes suffering.

You want to know something remarkable? God isn’t calling us to anything that He hasn’t already done Himself. Because what does verses 17-19 tell us He did? He went up to jerusalem, INTENTIONALLY, in order to experience suffering by the hands of evil men. In order to me mocked, flogged, and crucified upon a cross. Remarkable! The author of life embracing the suffering of death, even death upon a cross! And why? Well Hebrews chapter 5 tells us why:

Hebrews 5:8-10 (ESV) Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him

Christ went through the ultimate Seal training, and He did it for a reason! He did it for us, so that He could become the source of eternal greatness to all who obey Him!

And so here’s where the rubber hits the road on all of this... No matter what we face: Whether it be that difficult marriage, That difficult family relationship, or that difficult illness, We know that ALL THINGS work together for our good! and because we know this, we can say as the apostle Paul said:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8:35 ESV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-39 ESV

Church, the suffering of this age is but the birth pains that lead to life - everlasting life! And so, no we don’t have to LOVE our trials and sufferings! But we can walk through them with Joy because we have set our eyes of faith upon the coming eternal glory that far outweighs them all. And when we’ve done that, we can say as the Psalmist did:

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25-26 ESV

Have you embraced the suffering God has called you to? Do you have a right and biblical attitude about it? Or are you popping spiritual pain killers the second the slightest headache shows up? Well, if so, then know you will never become truly great, Because not only does the path to greatness include suffering, but it also includes service! And make no mistake, if you refuse to suffer, you will refuse to serve others, Because serving others always require suffering. which leads us to our second point.

True greatness comes through:

2. Service (v. 20-27).

We just said that service requires suffering, right? And why is that the case? It’s the case, because that’s how it goes! Always!

For example, if you want to become a great parent with great kids, you have serve them in ways that leads to your suffering! For instance, if you’re pregnant, you’re gonna have to deal with a lot of discomfort! From morning sickness, to aches and pains, to pressure, to all sorts of stuff that culminates is more pain that you ever thought was humanly possible!

But even then your’e not done yet! Because now you basically have to put your dreams and aspirations on hold - at least somewhat! And literally too! because that baby is gonna need to be fed every few hours, which means your dreams are going to be literally interrupted and metaphorically interrupted! And if you don’t embrace the suffering that’s required to serve them, that baby will literally die!

And on it goes, as you have to change diapers, Take time to love them, Care for them, Teach them, At minimum, you’ve got 18 years of suffering service if you want to experience the joy of children! And the degree to which you actually embrace that reality, is the degree to which you’ll experience true parental joy! Because if you don’t - and you ignore them and are negligent parent, they aren’t going to turn out very well, which means your parental joy is going to be greatly diminished!

Do you realize that all relationships function in this way? At least any of the ones that really matter.

Do you want a good marriage? Don’t kid yourself here Cuz if you do then you better be ready to embrace some suffering in order to have it.

Do you want close friends? the same thing goes... Cuz if you turn tail and run whenever somebody crosses you, then you’re never going to experience the joy of deep and meaningful relationships! You absolutely won’t! All they will ever been is skin-deep!

But... If you forgive your spouse when they sin against you 7 times 70 If you forgive you friends and family members when they hurt you - which includes your church family If you embrace suffering for the sake of serving others, You will finally begin to find relationships in your life that finally mean something! But it’s NOT going to happen overnight, No more than raising a child happens overnight!

And yet, how often do we have a microwave approach to our relationships! “THIS THING BETTER BE READY TO SERVE ME IN ABOUT 90 SECONDS OR I’M DONE!” “Cuz that’s all the time and effort I have to put into this!”

Ya? Well if that’s the case, you better get used to TV Dinners level quality of relationships, cuz that’s all you’re get in a 90 second investment. And yet, how often is that precisely how we view our relationships? Instead of seeing them as an opportunity to serve others, like King Loui - we view them as an opportunity to get others to serve us. We start to view them like Ole James and John here in verse 21.

OK, so this would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. Jesus has just finished telling them how He’s going to suffer in order to serve, and what do they do? They send their mommy to try to secure them the top positions of power within Christ’s kingdom... Look at verses 20-21

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”

Matthew 20:20-21 ESV

OK, I know what you’re probably thinking, But don’t you judge them, And I’ll tell ya why.

When I was younger, I used to read stories like this in the Bible where people basically act like total idiots and I’d think: “What is there problem? How could they be do dumb?”

And now that I’m older, I don’t dare think that At least not out loud… And why not? Because all of us - especially myself - are just as dumb ALL of the time! We really are.

How many times have we either read a passage this like this one, or heard a sermon about it, About how true greatness serves others, and then we get home and have a spat with our spouse, and we start thinking: “I don’t deserve this!” Or, when someone asks us to make some food for church, clean the building, or some other super unglamorous ministry, we object to just trivial tasks because, “don’t you know how important, I mean busy, I am...” “Aren’t their other non-right-hand people to do that?”

If we are honestly, we often get this self-serving attitude, And not only that, but when we see it in others we respond indignantly just like the rest of the disciples did we saw this. and it wasn’t because they had righteous indignation, They were just mad cuz they hadn’t thought of it first!

And so in response to this, Jesus calls them over and says to them in verse 25:

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,

Matthew 20:25-27 ESV

As we’ve seen throughout the past two chapters, in Christ’s kingdom, the way up is down, and the way down is up! For true greatness embraces suffering in order to serve others. And it does so knowing that this always comes with a sacrifice Which leads us to our final point.

True greatness comes through:

3. Sacrifice (v. 18-19, 28).

In response to James and John’s question, what does Jesus say to them? He doesn’t chew them out He doesn’t respond irate and upset In verse 25 He says: You don’t know what you’re asking... Don’t you just love that?

And why don’t they know what they are asking? Because they don’t know of the cup that Jesus is going to drink. Verse 18 and 19 already told us, but Jesus tells us again in verse 28, where He says:

Matthew 20:28 (ESV) the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The cup is Christ’s suffering. Which is the wrath of God being poured out upon Him for the sins of men. Which was poured out upon Him on the cross, where Christ suffered in order to serve us, by becoming our sacrifice! And because He did, He holds the greatest place of them all! as God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above all names! All of this, because He suffered in order serve as the sacrifice for men!

Don’t you see now why suffering service and sacrifice leads to TRUE GREATNESS! It’s because Christ pioneered the way! And make no mistake, it’s the oNLY WAY! For the path to the crown always goes through the cross! And if Christ couldn’t bypass it, then neither can us!

James and John tried to. “Sit at my right hand?” “Sit at my left?” “You don’t know what you’re asking” For the way to the crown always goes through the cross! And on Jesus's path to the crown, do you remember who sat by Him at the cross? “Are you sure you want that?” Jesus asks them "Are you sure that you do?!” “Nevertheless, you will drink my cup”

And indeed they did. For James was brutally martyr’d and John was persecuted and tortured. But it does not end there for them does it? Fo though they drank the cup, like Jesus, they too will wear the crown! For these faithful disciples will one day rule and reign in Christ’s kingdom, with their names being among the twelve on the foundations of the New Jerusalem! And in that Kingdom they will be amongst the first, Not because they were famous, rich, or powerful, Not because they were great by the world’s standards, But because they understood that true greatness come through suffering, service, and sacrifice! For that is the way of our Savior, Jesus Christ Christ, who pioneered the path to greatness for us. And it is through Him the weak become strong.

It saddens me how many people misunderstand the true nature of Christianity. For they think that Christianity is us sacrificing for God But it isn’t, for Christianity, unlike all of the other religions, is God sacrificing for us! And when we see that, When we see what lengths He was willing to go in His suffering in order to save us, it changes us in order to want to suffer in order to serve Him. And as we do, one day we will look back and realize that whatever we sacrificed was no sacrifice at all, Not really, At least not compared to the eternal weight of glory that lies before us!

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV

Christ is coming church. Is your hope? Is He your crown? If so, know that your suffering, sacrificial, service is leading to a crown that shall not pass away!

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.