They want to be considered by their peers as someone who is really great! But John faced him nose to nose and told him it was a sin and thats why John was in prison and soon to have his head chopped off and brought in on a plate. Must I empty headed go?. GOD SEES THE GREATNESS INSIDE YOUR BROKENESS AND IS ABOUT TO USE IT FOR GOOD These and many other stories are proof of how God can weave your faults, shortcomings, failures, mistakes, fears, disappointments, hurts, pain and even your sins into His plans for good in your life and the life of someone else. And then you'll notice down in verse 49 John tries to hinder a person who is casting out demons in Jesus' name because he doesn't belong to their group. Pray the above verses of hope over your life. He was a prophet and they saw him that way. This great, powerful, and mighty God will give his people strength and will bless them with peace. And so, they were common ordinary things. But we know he was humble from chapter 3, dont we? Will you allow Him to break up the hardness of your heart and put aside the cares of the world so that those seeds can bring forth new things in you? He stood apart, unstained by the system. Mary gave birth to a baby. Now hang in there, I love this first phrase. Guest. And the first response the Lord talks about is the response of doubt and John is His illustration, and we see that John doubted. His ministry had become the focus. The Messiahs coming, the Messiahs coming, the Messiah is coming. But they didnt believe, and so he was not that Elijah. So you have a marvelous conversation between the Father and the Son, from Malachi 3:1, here given in reference to John the Baptist. Hes the valedictorian of the prophets. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor so that he may always be serious yet never take himself too seriously. Persecution had broken out against John the Baptist. Well, what is this saying? Simply WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. Build me a son, 0 Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid. You dont just easily take Jesus Christ, you dont just easily enter the kingdom. He doesnt want them to think of John as a vacillating kind of weak person with no ability to make up his mind. They were by the thousands everywhere along the Jordan. WebWe were speaking in a preceding sermon about the elements of true greatness, as represented in the life and character of John the Baptist. Well, they didnt receive the kingdom, did they? He lived in the wilderness. They need to find a confident foundation in the middle of their crisis, so that they can overcome their current circumstances. (Amen!) Break the power of hopelessness by speaking life words rather than death words. Does he sulk? There was a little girl who was stolen from her parents and carried to a strange land. Acording to Matthew 21:26, everybody knew he was a prophet. Just kept sitting on top of higher and higher pillars. Single moms struggle with great problems. And as the two disciples departed, Jesus began to say to the multitude concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? The point is this, people. The Pharisees and the scribes had vigorously attacked the Kingdom. WebLet us see to it that, being least in our own eyes, we belong to the greatest in the kingdom. Faithfulness. Its spiritual reality was being rejected. I got this far, Ive got to finish. And he had to go to some extremity to pull that off. And that settled the issue. Why? In other words, you were saying, I do not care about what I look like. 145--a hymn of praise that celebrates God's goodness expressed in the created order. There are thousands of blossoms and green leaves and honey for the bees to gather and later there are branches bending with ripe apples. But look. John was Gods chosen voice. Its an overabundance of quality. The greatest man that ever lived. Its a sense of violently pressing in, breaking the bands of your own sin and self. They can compete against their own weaknesses and they will overcome. In other words, all the men came after her fortune. He is not only one who prophesies, he is the fulfillment of prophecy. WebBecause, although he was God, he gave up all of his divine privileges and became a servant. He will come watch the phrase before Thy face. That means in front of Thee, before Christ. And there were some great prophets. There are two possible ways to translate this verse. Have you ever heard of the G.O.A.T? Bow your heads with me. If they wanted to see that they could see that everywhere. Yes, there is greatness in this seed but now it is potential or undeveloped. The first thing he did was admit that he had a weakness. Scripture: There is trunk with branches and twigs growing out in all directions. Is he a vacillating person? This word basically means to be hidden or concealed. When the great Chrysostom was arrested by the Roman emperor, he sought to make the Greek Christian deny his faith and recant, but he was unsuccessful. Sometimes we are tempted to call you empty headed. Until you allow the water of God's Word to gush forth in you, the seeds of greatness will lie in wait. And, by the way, it had been 400 years since there had been a prophet, 400 years silence. Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness. His teammates clustered around him and urged him to run. Spiritual growth is hard, and Esther felt the growing pains as she learned to trust God in the midst of her fear. As they departed, and that is as the multitude that were were there were still remaining, but the two disciples left. Theres a two-fold offer of the Kingdom. So John was not that Elijah. I mean, there are basically only two kinds of people. Dont let the world look at you and indict God for being lazy. There is no more fear of eternal perdition; for the soul confirmed in grace can neither sin nor lose God. To the lead musician, on the gittith, a psalm of David. Not everybody understood the significance of this man, so the Lord adds a warning and He adds that warning to you: He that ears to hear, let him hear.. He created violence. And in his case the greatest of his personal character matched with the role that he had in history, summed up to make him the greatest man that ever lived. On this particular day the team began to run the bases but Mattie did not get off the bench. It doesnt come from how many Twitter followers you have. True greatness is being in Gods Kingdom. Look at verse 12, it would read this way. Why? Hardly. Theres a somewhat famous boxer who constantly announces around the world that he is the greatest. Im not really sure what exactly his criteria is, but I think he might get an argument out of God. A son who will master himself when he seeks to master other men. John ushered Him into three years of effective ministry. No matter what we experience in life, we should praise God for his undeniable greatness which surrounds us. Let me suggest what these personal characteristics were. Tremendous, tremendous man. B. Many of us dont recognize the power of greatness that is within us. Now, listen to this. Sermon: Three Simple Rules To Greatness - The Greatest in the Kingdom. Greatness does not come from pedigree. In Matthew 3, when all of the religious leaders came out, if he wanted to play to the crowd that was his moment. The key to greatness is to have a servant's heart. He upset the status-quo. Did you go out there to see a guy who plays to the court, who seeks the favors because he wants to pad his seat? Download the Notes Listen to the Podcast. Rumor immediately disposed of her hand to all the young gallants of the quarter. Not exactly affluence. He was a man of great conviction. No, came the answer, for hell be glad to die. The greatest of all time. Box 1400, San Antonio, Texas 78295 US, We pledge to our viewers & supporters to take We find it as far back, even prior to the establishing of the Jewish nation, as the book of Job. He slept sitting in a chair. That it is saying that the Kingdom is moving ahead under the power of this marvelous man, John, and vigorous, aggressive, forceful people are taking that kingdom. Transcending all other perspectives on the human level of greatness is God's view, and the only way we can really understand God's view of greatness is to look at who God labels as great. He made waves. And Herod has done his part, as I said, by taking the chief preacher of the Kingdom and throwing him into prison. So at this point, he is at a low in his life. Its too bad he wasnt blown off. He created conflict. Eighteen months of wilderness preaching and this man creates all kinds of activity. When Ive said it all, true greatness isnt being like John the Baptist, thats beneath true greatness. There were only less than a handful who took that vow for life; Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist. This is true greatness according to Jesus. WebToday's sermon is provided by Min Phyllis givens for Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church. We adults sometimes brood over what we could have been, but the young may plan now and work toward that which you may be come. But secondly, lets assume we translate it reflexively, it would read this way, and and by the way, the verb form can be either way so we just have to take our choice here. Receive the Messiah into your heart, and if you as a nation receive Me, Ill bring the Kingdom to earth, the millennial kingdom. He strengthens and preserves you steadfast in the true faith, If they wanted weak, vacillating, ordinary reeds that blew around with every wind, they could have found them all over their religious system. And he died in A.D. 460 at the age of 72. Both are true, which is kind of interesting, so if you want to believe both, thats probably the safest place. The Promises of God are SURE. For it is he of whom it is written, Behold I send My messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. He is the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1. And He is going to make sure that they understand the greatness of John the Baptist now watch but only as an illustration of a greater spiritual truth. It also was part of the Nazarite vow to allow your hair to grow without cutting your hair, never putting a razor to your head which didnt exactly keep you up with the current society trend and hairdos. Part of the reason that many of us don't realize that we carry seeds of greatness is because we've had so many negative things happen to us. Visit Overflow Ministries at www.CindeLucas.com. Maybe hes a more vacillating person than we have imagined. And I guess if we were all to discuss the subject of greatness, and ask the question, who are really the great people in the world, we might come up with all kinds of answers. He is a fulfillment of prophecy. If you would capitalize on your potential you must keep at it, no matter what. You know, the greater ones are the focus of attention, arent they? Jesus said If youre going to come unto Me then you must deny yourself, take up your What? 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This great proclamation got you an all-expense-paid trip to prison. They certainly didnt need to go all the way out to the desert to find one. And so, the man and the mission come together. Luke 14:7-11. And then because of his privileged calling. Verse 16, Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God, speaking of John the Baptist he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just and make ready a people prepared for the Lord.. He sends two disciples, it says in verse 2, and said to them, you ask if He is the One that should come or are we looking for somebody else. And this would refer to those who are trying to stop it, the individuals who are trying to do that. Now, what is the nature of this violence? To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. They extended themselves past the place of their ability and are no longer able to pay their bills. Now, would this be a real Elijah? 0 Comments. Now, Im going to give you a little, sort of an interpretive lesson. But if we could not see what God has placed in every head. Register. He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world! She feels her heart melting, and as it were dissolved through love. The Sunday Mail. Well, what shall we do then? the ruler asked. It is being persecuted. It means the very opposite. Back to verse 11, and heres where we end. Greatness comes from one place, and only one place. People are always in a desperate search for a secret source of power. A Sermon by John M. Miller Text Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Key to greatness is not competing. I dont know. Verse 12, his preaching led to violence. The Kingdom of heaven is vigorously pressing itself forward and forceful people are eagerly taking it. His life style was a statement against self-centeredness. You are the residence of greatness, because there is a great God who has decided to reside in you. 5) Greatness has a deeper sense of purpose, something greater than the small "I". The nation did not receive the Messiah. Greatness comes from God. I mean, its a great thing to be the pastor of Grace Community Church. God help such mistaken piety. He longs for the quietness where he can delight in the mercies of his God. Then he shall be executed, said the emperor. No. He had the marks that it takes to be great, to be a cut above, to be set apart, to be unique. The Mem represents the revealed Thats kind of exciting to think about. That is the athlete who beats his body, as it were, because he has a goal. And Jesus said, the key to greatness and He said this in many different passages is humility. The John of Your Kingdom was greater than the John born of women, as great as he was. And thats pretty much the way the Authorized or the King James translates it. Let the seeds of greatness that You placed in us bear an abundance of fruit ( John 15) that will bring glory and honor to You in the earth. AMEN! Cinde Lucas is an ordinary person, who happens to LOVE to encourage and motivate people! And that means it can be translated passive as if something is doing the action to it, or reflexive as if it is doing it itself. And thats very important for us. It is brown in color, stream lined in shape, and so small that if I dropped it, I would have difficulty finding it again. Look ahead, hold on to your goals and keep pedalling. Does he despair? Ships are vessels of Gods grace equipped to bravely transport those around them across troubled waters yet still make it His life had become the issue. The bishop of Paris, attended by his chaplains and the canons of Notre Dame, entered the cell and celebrated a pontifical mass. Anybody who will not admit weakness is not going to get any help. The Greatness of God Is Utterly Relevant. It is utterly relevant for everything in life. If we saw the greatness of God, we would not be so greedy and covetous. If we saw the greatness of God, our eyes wouldn't stray after lustful images and thoughts. He had absolutely no access because he couldnt leave the prison. Haman wanted to exterminate the entire Jewish population, and God knew this was coming. One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts." Get started by creating a new login based on your email address. That particular phrase was somewhat common to designate someones identification with the human race. Whoever would be great among you, let him be your What? Transcending all other perspectives on the human level of greatness is God's view, and the only way we can really understand God's view of greatness is to look at who God labels as great. They were offered both. Dont tune out now. He was above it. They thought he was the Messiah. He wants them to know how great John really is. Nobody ever really becomes great, even on a human level, unless they do recognize they have weaknesses that must be overcome. By the way, I would just point out as a footnote at this point that one of the great marks of this kind of man, one of the truest tests of greatness is humility. The action took place all around him. And when Christ came, the kingdom could be seen. Its earthly reality, also, was being rejected by the Jews. Where he can delight in the Kingdom kinds of people is a great thing to be the pastor grace! A vacillating kind of weak person with no ability to make up his mind life ; Samson,,! First thing he did was admit that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness heart melting and... She learned to trust God in the midst of her fear different passages is.... 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