Hot Seat Part 5 | How Do I Be Great? with Chris Schlotterbeck

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We hope this message encourages you, challenges

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Now let's hear the message. Hey, good morning

everyone! So good to hear you here, and I am

back and excited to share with you. If you're

joining us from home, thank you for welcoming

us into your space. At first, just want to take

a second to thank all those that stepped in for

me in my absence. I want to thank Rudy and Rhett

and Carl and Steven. I heard they did a great

job. I haven't had an opportunity to listen to

their talk yet, but I'm planning on doing it

this week. But our family had the opportunity

to spend 10 days away at the beach and just kind

of rejuvenate and refresh. And a few things you

may not know. Our family has experienced a lot

of change in the last two weeks. We actually

sent our two youngest off to school. We left

Lily down in Boca Raton, Florida at the University

of Florida Atlantic, where she's starting college.

And Nolan is now boarding at St. James. So we're

moving our youngers out of the house, which leaves

us with Phoenix. If anybody wants to open their

door for them, you know, we can. I'm just kidding.

So it was interesting. I had an opportunity to

take a walk with Lily on the beach. I had an

opportunity to share with Nolan on his way down

to move him into St. James. And something that

is kind of on my heart that I share with my kids

quite often is that in whatever you're doing,

whether they're going to pitch or play soccer

or whatever they're about to do, I always challenge

them with two words, and I say, be great. When

you go out here and you do these things, and

they may be new and they may be intimidating,

be great. Because you have Jesus inside of you.

Now, we live in a culture that teaches us to

chase greatness. From an early age, we learn

that being great means being first. Get the best

grades. Get the promotion. Make more money. Have

more followers. Drive the nicer car. Build a

bigger platform. Have the perfect house. Be recognized.

Be respected. Be successful. And see, there's

nothing wrong with wanting to do something significant

in your life. But here's the problem. The world's

definition of greatness and God's definition

of greatness are not always the same. And in

Matthew chapter 20, James and John's mother comes

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

to Jesus with her quest. See, she wants her sons

to have the positions of greatest honor in God's

kingdom. One sitting at his right hand and the

other at his left. In other words, she's asking

Jesus, can you make my boys, can you make my

sons great? And what's interesting is that the

other disciples aren't even upset because they

think the request is wrong. They're upset and

frustrated because they didn't ask it first.

They wanted the same position. Everybody wanted

to be great. And Jesus doesn't tell them, stop

denying greatness. Stop pursuing greatness. He

never says that. Instead, Jesus teaches them

how to become great God's way. He says in verse

26, whoever wants to become great among you must

be your servant. And see, friends, that's an

upside -down definition of greatness. The world

says greatness is found in being served. Jesus

says greatness is found in serving. The world

says climb the ladder, earn more. Jesus says

lower yourself. The world says, make a name for

yourself. Jesus says, use your life to lift someone

else up. So the question this morning is simple.

Church, are you chasing the wrong things? Because

in the kingdom of God, greatness isn't measured

by how many people serve you. It's measured by

how many people you're willing to serve. So let's

ask the Holy Spirit to come. Be a part of this

gathering and use me. Because I don't want it

to be my words. I want it to be his words that

challenges all of us to change. Holy Spirit,

come. We welcome you here, God. We're grateful

that your presence is here with us. Silence,

distractions, in Jesus' name. Open our ears,

our minds, and our hearts to receive your truth

this morning. We pray this all in Jesus' name.

Amen. All that leads us to our first thought.

You see, Jesus wants his followers to pursue

greatness. We're going to start in Matthew chapter

Matthew 20:18–19

20, verses 18 through 19. Listen, he said, we're

going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will

be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers

of religious law. They will sentence him to die.

Then they will hand him over to the Romans to

be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified.

But on the third day, he will be raised from

the dead. So Jesus had just shared the gospel

with the disciples. He wanted them and us to

know exactly why he came to earth. See, even

though he was a teacher, he did not primarily

come to teach us lessons about who God was and

how we should act. Even though he performed miracles,

he was not primarily a miracle worker. He came

for the redemption of all mankind. So Jesus clearly

communicated to the disciples that he would die

and on the third day be raised from the dead.

Churches is good news. This is the gospel. This

is Easter. But we must remember the religious

people all expected the Messiah to show up and

flex his power. They expected... That if he was

the Messiah, the Son of God, the serpent crusher,

the one that the Old Testament pointed to, he

would come and take over by exercising his power

and authority. And see, Jesus doesn't fit into

the religious boxes and instead shows his true

strength by being obedient to death on a cross.

Jesus completely redefines greatness for them

and us. See, in our society, in our culture,

if your desire is to be great, awesome. But unfortunately,

success is most often defined by possession,

position, and power. And in the very next section,

right after Jesus shares the gospel, think about

this. He just shares the good news, the reason

he came. He says, pay attention, everyone. We're

going to Jerusalem. I'm going to be arrested,

crucified, killed, buried, and on the third day

be resurrected from the grave. And in the midst

of that conversation, have you ever been in a

conversation with someone and in your mind you're

thinking about your response while the person's

talking? So essentially you see their lips moving

like this, but you're thinking about your response

because it's so important about what you want

to say. You've never done that before, right?

I believe we can all acknowledge we do that regularly.

But there's a mom who does that very thing to

Jesus. Jesus had just shared the gospel, the

truth of what would happen to him over the course

of the next few days, and she literally says,

enough about you. I have a question. Not even

a question, I have a request. And for many of

us, we're thinking, how could she? What is she

thinking? But here's the reality. There's so

many people that gather in churches every single

Sunday, including our own, with the same attitude.

See, church, this gathering is not about you.

It's not about me. It's not about this stage.

It's not about the music, the lights, or even

the live stream. This gathering is about lifting

up and glorifying the name that is above every

other name. This gathering is all about Jesus,

his glory, his power, his love, his grace, and

his authority. That's what it's about. Yet so

many times people walk into these gatherings

with a checklist and say, well, I didn't get

anything out of that gathering. I didn't like

that song. That action step offended me. My response

to you is this. What did you bring to it? What

are you offering to the gathering? So right after

Jesus shares the gospel, their response should

have been, tell me more. But instead, this is

what we read. Then the mother of James and John,

the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons.

She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. Jesus

says, what is your request? Or in other words,

what do you want? Let's be honest. He knows her

heart. He knows our hearts. She replied, in your

kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places

of honor next to you, one on your right and the

other on your left. And remember, she thinks

when Jesus kicks out the Romans and restores

Israel to the superpower it was meant to be,

then he will be in charge and her sons would

become senior VPs of Jesus Incorporated. This

is the original helicopter parent. You know that

mom or dad? It's always around to make sure little

Johnny is the best or the greatest. You know,

little Johnny didn't make an all -star team,

so I'll just start a travel team. I'll have my

own team. And that way, little Johnny will be

great. And what's interesting is that both her

sons wanted to be great. They wanted to experience

greatness. And again, Jesus never scolds them

for wanting to be great. He doesn't say, how

dare you for wanting to be great. So let me ask

you a question. Do you want to be great? Yeah,

I hope so. It's not a trick question. I want

you to be great. Just like I tell my kids through

texts and messages, be great. I want you to be

a great dad, a great man, a great leader, a great

husband. I want you to be a great woman, a great

mom, a great athlete, a great student. I want

you to become a great musician. I want you to

be even a greater employee and a better friend.

In fact, God wants you to be great. How do I

know that? Well, Ephesians 2, 8 through 10 says,

God saved you by his grace when you believed.

It's not about you. You can't take credit for

it. It's a gift. Salvation is not a reward for

good things we have done, so none of us can boast

about it. For we are God's masterpiece. And the

last time I checked, masterpieces are great.

They're set apart. They're acknowledged. And

they stand the test of time. And if you're in

a relationship with Jesus, God doesn't want you

to be average. He doesn't want you to be like

everyone else. He doesn't want you to fit in.

He wants you to be special, unique. He wants

you to be a masterpiece that's set apart, that

stands out. And not just stands out, but stands

up for others. Remember, Jesus never scolded

the mom or the sons for wanting to be great.

He simply goes on to redefine and redirect what

greatness is in the kingdom of God. And see,

greatness is not about possession, position,

and power. None of that means anything in the

kingdom of God. Greatness in the kingdom of God

means we are leveraging our strength, not for

ourselves, but in the service of others. So hear

me out. This talk is only for people that want

to be great. That's it. So if you don't want

to be great, take a nap or you're free to leave.

Because Jesus desires that we make a difference

in this world. He says, don't be average. Don't

let time pass you by. Be great. Which leads us

to discuss how to be great in God's kingdom.

Five simple steps that if we apply to our lives

every single day, I believe we will turn this

world upside down through the Spirit living inside

of us. And the first is this. We need to surrender

to Jesus. Matthew 20, 20. Then the mother of

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to

Jesus with her sons. And remember, I talked about,

oh, she wasn't listening, but notice what she

did do. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor.

So even though this mom had impure motives, which

Jesus knew, she doesn't understand kingdom economics.

She does understand the authority that Jesus

had because she kneeled before him. She understands

success isn't determined by what you produce.

It is determined by how close you are to Jesus.

See, this is a big deal. Because if we're not

willing to bend our knee before Jesus, then we

can gain the whole world and yet forfeit our

soul, losing everything that matters. So let

me ask all of you a question. Is Jesus first

in your life? Is he the number one priority when

it comes to who you are? And don't answer too

quickly because we're gathered at HCV on a Sunday.

Right? We just sung three powerful songs. We

know something is different in this place. We're

connecting to the Spirit of God. We're connecting

with others. So right now, you might feel like

Jesus is number one. but feelings are irrelevant.

Is this your life? Matthew 22. Love the Lord

your God with all your heart, all your soul,

and all your mind. Not just on Sunday, but on

Wednesday when the stress of the work week has

escalated to a point where you're about to have

a nervous breakdown. And listen, church, it's

really easy to take an account for your life

to see what's first in your life. Just take a

look at three simple things. First is your time.

Is he first? First thing in the morning, what

do you grab? You grab this? Oh, I gotta check

in. Gotta make a video. Gotta let everyone know

I woke up today. Or do you give the beginning

of your day to the one that should be first in

your life? I mean, the reason we gather on Sundays

is because it's the first day of the week and

Jesus followers gather to declare that Jesus

is Lord of their lives. That's why we're here.

Do you prioritize Sunday gatherings? Is that

a part of your time? Or are there other things

that come and get in the way of it? Where's your

time spent? Another way to look is your bank

accounts. Oh, Chris is back. Is Jesus first?

Do you bring him your first and your best? I

mean, Jesus did say, not my words, where your

treasure is, there your heart will also be. Or

you're one of those people that try to navigate

and justify how the New Testament tithing isn't

biblical. Well, Jesus never told it. It's an

Old Testament requirement. Simply proving to

yourself and everyone else that you can keep

everything in your pockets, but still say he's

first in your life. Simply not true. Finally,

take a look at your affections. When we worship,

when we gather together, when we lift holy hands,

when we shout the name of Jesus, are you more

concerned about what he thinks or are you more

concerned about who's gathered around you? Oh,

they might smell my odor. I mean, you heard Trinity

mention today's baptism Sunday, our summer baptism.

We're going to have our summer baptism pool party

at 530 at Potterfield Pool. We have 50 people

already signed up to be baptized. We're excited

about it. We're expecting. Oh, don't clap. No,

no, no, I'm not done yet. And I hear all the

time, well, I want to get baptized, Chris, but

I don't want to get baptized at church in the

pools. I don't want to get baptized in a pool.

I need nature. I need the river. Like, okay.

after the third gathering, which is our next

gathering, we're going to the river. So for all

of you that need the river, show up at 1 .30.

Show us, show God that Jesus is first in your

life. I'm tired of the excuses. Is he first in

your life? And this question is so crucial. To

the follower of Jesus. It goes all the way back

to creation. Before sin even entered into the

world. God established this idea called Sabbath.

And in the Old Testament it's a law. In the New

Testament it's a principle. And please understand.

Sabbath is not necessarily about a day. Because

Jesus is our Sabbath rest. That's what the Bible

tells us. The idea of a Sabbath is not even totally

about rest. Here's why. When you read the creation

account. Adam and Eve were created on the sixth

day. Have you ever thought about why God took

six days to create everything? I mean, God is

never in a hurry. He didn't really need six days.

He could have just spoke everything into existence.

He could have just said everything, and it's

there. Could have, but he didn't. Because God

wanted us to see that he is a person of rhythm

and order. Think about it. The first three days,

God created the environment, and then he fills

them up on the following three days. On the sixth

day, he creates his image bearers and says, everything

is good. But then for the first time ever, he

says, oh, it's not good. Adam is alone. And it's

not good for man to be alone, so he creates Eve.

Then he gives them a bunch of commands on what

to do. There's only one don't, right? Don't eat

from the tree, which of course we know they messed

up. But God tells them, subdue, cultivate, be

fruitful, multiply. Now, please understand, this

isn't in the Bible. It's just an example, okay?

Imagine the conversation Adam had with God the

Father. Okay, so if I were Adam, I've been alive

for maybe 10 hours. The Bible didn't really tell

us, but let's just say I've been alive for 10

hours. Hey, Dad, it's nearing the end of the

day. I'm kind of tired. What are we going to

do tomorrow? You know, you told me we have a

lot to do. We have this garden to tend, right?

We got to name these animals. We have to be fruitful

and multiply. I'm really looking forward to that.

What happens tomorrow? Are we going to get busy

working? Are we going to do the stuff? God says,

this is what we're going to do tomorrow. This

is what we're going to do tomorrow, Adam. We're

going to Sabbath. Okay, what's that? Well, we're

reading Genesis. God blessed the seventh day

and declared it holy because it was the day when

he rested from all his work of creation. Imagine

Adam. He's like, rest from what? I'm not even

tired. I just got created. I didn't even do anything.

Well, see, the point of the Sabbath is not that

a person rests from work. It's resting for work.

It's not just about rest. It's about orienting

our entire life. In making God first. That's

what it's about. And here's the reality. If God

is not first in your life, then your entire life

is out of order. And you're never going to be

great. You're never going to be great. And unfortunately,

busyness has become a greeting in our culture.

How you doing today, busy? I'm busy. And you

know I've used a quote that said, if the devil

can't make you bad, he's going to make you busy.

And that's why God is orienting the Sabbath for

us. Because it makes Jesus, it makes God the

priority so that we surrender to him so that

we can then be great when we work. Romans 12

.1, and so dear brothers and sisters, I plead

with you, give your bodies to God because of

all he has done for you. Let them be a living

and holy sacrifice, the kind we find acceptable.

This is the way we worship him. See, it's all

about making Jesus first in every area of our

life. Have you surrendered to Jesus, which leads

us to our next step. Church, we're going to have

to endure hardships. If you want to live a comfortable,

carefree life, be a person that everyone likes,

go work in an ice cream stand. You know what

I mean? There's never a mean person in an ice

cream line. They're excited about the sugar rush

they're about to get. But following Jesus means

we will experience some pain. How do I know that

again? Matthew 20, 22. But Jesus answered by

saying to them, you don't know what you're asking.

Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of

suffering I'm about to drink? Oh, yes, they replied.

Yes, we are. And that cup that Jesus is talking

about is the pain he will endure on the cross.

He is talking about the cup of the wrath of God

that will be poured out on sin and sinners. And

we know this. From reading ahead, Matthew 26.

He went a little farther, bowed his face to the

ground, praying, my father, if it is possible,

let this cup of suffering be taken away from

me. Yet I want your will be not mine. See, Jesus

is talking about the judgment of God against

sin. Jesus is literally asking God a question

that people in our culture ask all the time.

You mean to tell me that Jesus is the only way

to go and to get into heaven? He's the only way

to reconnect with the Father. Aren't all religions

a way to get to God? And listen, I didn't say

it. Don't judge me. Jesus said it. John 14, 6.

I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No one

come to the Father except through me. But in

the garden, when facing the hardships and the

pain that was coming his way, he's asking, is

it necessary for me to die on a cross? Is there

any other way for sinful humanity to reconnect

with you? But then notice what he said. Not my

will, but yours be done. And church, if we're

ever going to be great in the kingdom of God,

we have to endure pain. And that's terrible news

for a culture that pursues comfort. We love to

be comfortable. We want everything to be lined

up and to be the way we want it. I mean, one

of the reasons we have to endure pain in this

world is because we have to take responsibility

for actions. If you're in a relationship with

Jesus, listen, stop blaming others. Stop pointing

fingers. It's not their fault. Be responsible

for your life and what you've been given. And

stand up and be accountable. And not only are

we called to be accountable for our actions,

we're called to support each other and pray for

each other because we are now a family of God.

We're not individuals. When you're in a relationship

with Jesus, we're a family of God. And therefore,

Galatians 6 tells us, share each other's burdens

and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you

think you're too important to help someone, you're

fooling yourself. You're not that important.

Jesus did say. If you follow me, the whole world

will hate you. Why? Why would he say that? Because

when a person stands on God's truth and not their

own feelings, then society's gonna have a problem

with it. And if you're gonna follow Jesus, we

have to learn to endure pain. How much pain?

Proverbs 24 says, the godly may trip seven times,

but they're gonna get up again. See, we're not

gonna be perfect. It means that we need to persevere

through the pain. Theologian A .W. Tozer said

this, it is doubtful whether God can bless a

man greatly until he has hurt him deeply. Jesus

said, you want to follow me? And if the answer

is yes, he doesn't say, come to church every

now and then when it's convenient, say a prayer,

sing a few songs, and maybe give a tip on the

way out. He doesn't say that. This is what he

says. If any of you wants to be my follower,

you must give up your own way, take up your cross,

and follow me. That's crucifixion. That's crucifixion

of self, crucifixion of sin, crucifixion of ego,

crucifixion of flesh, crucifixion to our own

will. That's what it means to follow Jesus. And

the thing that makes you great is not that you

are going to experience pain. Welcome to earth.

We're humans, and we're going to human. We're

going to hurt other people. It's called sin.

If you want to be great in the kingdom of God,

pain is coming your way. Don't try to avoid it.

Persevere through it. And let others see your

light shine, which leads us to our third step.

Practice humility. And this is counterculture

to our society because everyone wants to make

a name for themselves. Everyone wants the platform.

Matthew 20, 23, Jesus told him, You will indeed

drink from my bitter cup, but I have no right

to say who will sit on my right or my left. My

Father has prepared those places for the ones

he has chosen. Think about it. Jesus is the Son

of God, second person of the Trinity. The Bible

says that the fullness of God was pleased to

dwell in his Son, Jesus. The Bible tells us that

he created all things by him, for him, through

him, and to him. And the first time Jesus came

to earth, he came as a meek and mild baby in

a manger. But that's not his current existence.

Even though we laugh and we make fun about Ricky

Bobby praying to baby Jesus, that's not the way

he is anymore. Right now, Jesus is king of kings

and lord of lords. He's sitting at the right

hand of God the Father and it is by his power

that we have breath in our lungs and the world

is spinning on its axis. And Jesus is anticipatively

waiting for the moment that God the Father taps

him on the shoulder and he says, hey, go get

mine and bring them home. And church, when Jesus

returns, he's coming in power. The trumpet will

blast, the heavens will be torn apart, and Jesus

is coming back on a war horse with fire in his

eyes, a sword coming out of his mouth and tattoos

on his quads. Don't tell me the tattoos aren't

right. And he's coming back to judge the earth.

And the Bible tells us that he'll be dressed

in white for the final fight. And I don't know

about you, but anybody that wears white to a

fight means they know they're going to win and

it won't take long. So Jesus is coming back as

king and in charge. And the mom asked for her

sons to get a promotion. And Jesus responds by

saying, that decision is over my pay grade. That's

humility. And Jesus consistently submits to the

authority of the Father. You want to be the greatest?

Humble yourself. Submit to authority. Sit under

people over you and allow them to pour into you.

Matthew 18, 4, so anyone who becomes as humble

as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom

of heaven. Right? We read that verse. So many

of you have memorized that verse. But yet I get

back from vacation and the first thing I hear

is, Chris, we need more teachers. We don't have

enough teachers in the kids' wing. I'm just like,

I'm praying for our church. I'm praying for our

church. Because we shouldn't be begging people

to want to teach in the kids' wing. There shouldn't

be a Sunday, a gathering that goes by that people

aren't lining up to teach little kids. Because

when we teach kids, what happens? we become great.

Because we're pouring into their life. Matthew

23, the greatest among you must be a servant.

Those who exalt themselves to be humbled are

those who humble themselves to be exalted. Many

of you don't know the only reason this church

is in existence today is because of a man named

John Elmer. He took a chance on a 28 -year -old

young man with a family that was a punk and thought

he knew it all. I was on fire for God, gave my

life to Jesus and told everybody everything they

were doing wrong. But he took me in and he humbled

me. And he made my wife a janitor. And I had

to take care of a building. And I had to clean

up vomit. And I had to shovel a flat roof because

our roof was leaking so bad we couldn't even

have Sunday gatherings because we had 168 inches

of snow that year. I learned what humility was.

And it was in humility that in 2006 I was then

sent out to start this church. See, are you constantly

self -promoting? Or do you trust God to promote

you? Because hear me out, I don't need this stage.

I don't want this stage. The only reason I'm

standing on this stage is because God called

me to it and I'm just being obedient to his will

in my life. Which leads us to our fourth step

you need to serve. Matthew 20, 24 to 28, when

the 10 other disciples heard what James and John

had asked, they were indignant. I think it's

funny there. They were probably thinking we should

have invited mom. Right? They're all fired up.

I wanted to be great. I should have brought mom

along. But Jesus called them together and said,

you know that the rulers in this world lorded

over their people, and officials flaunt their

authority over those under them. But among you

will be different, church. Whoever wants to be

a leader among you must be your servant, and

whoever wants to be first among you must become

your slave. Slave. For even the Son of Man came

not to be served, but to serve others and give

his life as a ransom for many. So just reflect

on your own life. What do you do when you're

in charge? Because at some point, all of us are

in charge. How do you respond? Do you flex your

authority? Do you throw tantrums or do you serve?

Is serving beneath you? Because if serving is

beneath you, then leadership and greatness is

beyond you in the kingdom of God. See, a man

that I consider great here at HCV is a young

man named Christian Rand. Many of you don't even

know who he is. Some of you may know him as the

keyboard player on our worship team, or some

of you teenagers know he's one of our youth leaders.

Yes, I know he does those things, but I know

him as a young man that is willing to empty the

trash in our vegetables every single Sunday.

See, I don't know if you know this or not, but

there's a lot of people that gather here on a

Sunday, well over 1 ,200 people. And when you

bring that many people together over three gatherings,

guess what? There's a lot of mess. There's a

lot of trash. And just let me remind you, this

is God's house. This isn't Chris's house. This

isn't the staff's house. This is our house because

it's God's house. And dare I say, we need to

be accountable to God and clean up after ourselves.

The last thing I need to hear on a Tuesday when

I get back from vacation at a staff meeting is,

Chris, we need a clean team. We need a clean

team. There's too many messes. There's coffee

spilled and there's cups everywhere and there's

trash and there's paper. Listen, I don't care

if you're in a recovery house. I don't care if

you don't know Jesus. I don't care how long you've

been coming to this church or how long you've

been in a relationship with God. Be accountable

to God and yourself and pick up your trash. You're

the clean team. We have a clean team. There's

500 of you. And what does that mean? Look down

the rows. Look on the floors. When you leave,

pick something up. It's called being a servant.

It's called being willing to serve. As you leave,

if the trash is overflowing, don't pile it up

like Jenga. I've seen you do it. That's how I

know. Like, take the lid off, pull the bag out,

and take it to the trash. It's not that hard.

See, our world teaches us that it's a dog -eat

-dog world. And Jesus says, if you want to be

great in my kingdom, lower yourself and lift

others up. That's what makes you great. Paul

writes this in Philippians 2, don't be selfish,

don't try to impress others. And I thought about

that this morning. I was like, don't be selfish,

don't try to impress others. If I looked at your

Instagram or Facebook feeds, what would I see?

See, there's a reason I'm not on social media.

Yes, I check in. I know all your feeds. I may

not post a lot. I know your feeds. Are you humble?

Are you thinking of others as better than yourselves?

Don't look out for your own interests. Take an

interest in others too. Is that you? Is that

what your social media feed says? That you care

and love others? Or are you just fighting a political

windstorm that's never going to change? See,

we are to treat other people as if they're better

than us. That's how we're to live. And you say,

well, Chris, what does that mean? What about

Tammy that works with you? You know Tammy? You

know Tammy, that person that no one really likes?

She smells like cats. She's got opinions. She

complains all the time. She brings her lunch

in Tupperware that hasn't been cleaned in three

weeks. And when she opens it, it just straight

up smells like dead fish. You know Tammy, right?

Everyone knows Tammy? Or for some of you that

are younger, maybe that classmate Stephen, you

know he's a little different, and everyone picks

on him. You know Stephen? Paul says, when you

walk into work tomorrow, ask Tammy if you can

get her some coffee. Paul says, when you go to

school tomorrow, find Stephen and ask him how

he's doing. Have lunch with him and hear his

story. See, we are called as Jesus followers

to treat them better than we treat ourselves.

That's having the same attitude as Christ Jesus.

Remember what he said. Though he was God, He

did not think of equality with God as something

to cling to. Instead, he gave up his own divine

privileges and took the humble position of a

slave. That is how Jesus demonstrates greatness.

You want another example of greatness? We read

in John 13, Jesus knew that the Father had given

him authority over everything that he had come

from, God, and would return to God. So he got

up from the table, took off his robe, and wrapped

a towel around his waist. And see, notice, in

this instance, Jesus didn't get up and preach

a sermon to demonstrate how smart he was. He

didn't get up to perform a miracle to demonstrate

his power. He didn't start a political power.

He didn't audition for the lead role in a movie.

He gets up from the table, dresses himself as

the lowest of lows in terms of servants and washes

his disciples' feet. Now, for many of us, we

don't fully understand foot washing because our

examples are often wrong. Have you ever been

a part of a foot washing service, modern day?

Yeah, some of you. I hate them. I absolutely

hate them. And here's why. Because we don't understand

what it means. We have clean feet. We clean our

feet two, three times a day. We scrub them. We

wear socks. We wear shoes. Our feet are clean.

In Jesus' day, people walked around in Jesus'

sandals. This is what was on their feet. And

their roads, remember there was an agricultural

society, they used camels as means of transportation.

And you know what they didn't use? They didn't

use these. Yeah, it's still warm. They didn't

do yeast. Like when we walk our dogs now, we

have poop bags. And we pick up everything and

we throw it all away and we're polite human beings.

Well, in the first century, they didn't carry

around bags to pick up camel dung. You know where

the camel poop went? On the roads, which means

it went on all their feet. And by the time they

got to dinner, the people had to clean up. And

that's where this servant, the lowest of lows,

was responsible for cleaning stinky, poopy feet.

And Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, he

gets up, grabs a basin of water, and washes their

feet. He washes the denier's feet. He washes

the doubter's feet. He washes the betrayer's

feet. And after washing their feet, he put his

robe again and sat it down and asked, do you

understand what I was doing? You call me teacher

and Lord, and you are right because that's what

I am. And since I, your Lord and teacher, have

washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's

feet. I've given you an example to follow. Do

as I've done. Slaves are not greater than their

master, nor is the messenger more important than

the ones who sends the message. That's the gospel.

See, when we serve others, that's the good news.

Because remember, Jesus came down out of heaven

to wash us and clean us of all our sins. And

when we serve others, it's not out of guilt or

manipulation. We're doing it for Jesus. Because

we want to put others ahead of ourselves, which

leads us to our fifth and final step. We need

to be desperate. So right after, right after

notice, Jesus addresses the mom and the sons.

Verse 29. As Jesus and the disciples left the

town of Jericho, a large crowd followed behind.

Two blind men were sitting beside the road. When

they heard that Jesus was coming that way, they

began shouting, Lord, son of David, have mercy

on us. Be quiet. The crowd yelled at them. Society

looked down on these men. They were the forgotten,

the outcast. But they only shouted louder, Lord,

Son of David, have mercy on us. And when Jesus

heard them, he stopped and called. Notice his

response and how it's different from the mom.

What do you want me to do for you? Lord, they

said, we want to see. Jesus felt sorry for them

and touched their eyes. Instantly they could

see, then they followed him. See, these men were

more concerned about what Jesus thought than

what the crowd thought. Are you? Are you? Are

you more concerned about what people think about

you? See, we have an opportunity to serve men

just like this at our first annual HHC Fest that

I'm excited about. Right now, Jeff France is

at HHC leading a group of forgotten people in

a nursing home, teaching them about Jesus, sharing

about what it means to be great. And we want

to invade that nursing home and see every resident

come into a relationship with Jesus. We want

to go there and we want to have wheelchair races.

And we want to have a water balloon toss. And

we want to baptize people. And we want to feed

them and cut their hair. And we want to serve

them. And we don't want to just serve those that

are in the church gathering right now. We want

to serve every single resident. And you say,

well, why, Chris? Because we'll never be great

in the kingdom of God if we care about what the

crowd thinks. I deal with this all the time.

I deal with this all the time because listen,

if you're a pastor and you lead a church that's

healthy and growing and you teach the Bible for

a living, guess what? Social media gets mad at

you. They get real mad at you. And I know that

Jesus called me to do this. Not them and not

you. And I will continue to listen to his voice

and his leading as I pastor and lead this church.

And that's why I stand on Galatians 1 .10. Obviously,

I'm not trying to win the approval of people,

but of God. If pleasing people were my goal,

I would not be Christ's servant. In a world where

greatness is defined by power, position, and

possession, in the kingdom of God, greatness

is all about humility and prayer. Just like those

two men, and in their desperation, they were

healed and set free. And hear me out. We did

a 24 -7 prayer, a week of 24 -7 prayer at the

start of the year. I was excited about it. We

filled every spot and we did it. God has been

doing supernatural things all year up to this

point. And then you, you said, oh, we got to

do that again. It was so much fun. God did so

much. So we said, okay, we'll do it again. And

we have a signup sheet out there and no one's

names are on it. I didn't want to do it. You

wanted to do it. So for all you that wanted to

do 24 -7 prayer, get your name on the sign -up

sheet. Because we're doing it now. We're stepping

out in faith and doing it again. But for all

you that loved it and experienced it and wanted

to do it, get your name on the sheet. Because

it starts next week. And we want every spot filled.

And tomorrow, when your day starts, have a desire

to be great. Because Colossians 3 says, work

willingly at whatever you do. as though you were

working for the Lord rather than people. If you

have that attitude, you will make a difference

in your workplace and your schools. You will

become great as you serve others. But my question

to all of you is this. Will you surrender? I'm

gonna pray a simple prayer. It's my first time

back in a couple weeks. And I'm gonna offer you,

if you've never decided to follow Jesus, right

now is your time. And we're all gonna pray it

with you. And I don't care where you are in your

walk of life. This is your opportunity. Let's

pray together. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of

doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive

me. I believe you're God's son. I believe you

died for me. I believe you're alive today. Make

me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit.

Help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name,

amen. Now listen, if you prayed that prayer,

if you prayed that prayer, get baptized after

the third gathering. If you don't know if you

need to get baptized, there was a question on

our thing. Well, I was baptized as a kid, but

I was forced to get baptized. I'm not sure if

I can get baptized. Just get baptized again.

If there's any question, get baptized. Because

you're just declaring that Jesus is a prior in

your life. Okay, I went long. I'm sorry. My wife's

going to be mad at me. That's okay. I think it

was good. It was worth it, right? All right.

Now listen, I'm going to go through these quick.

Prayer team, get up here. There's prayer on the

left and the right. Literally, when I read these,

it will cover all of you. So be ready. There's

like 18 of them. Okay, you've got a sinus tract

blockage. You have infertility issues. You have

an inner ear infection. You have lower left side

of your stomach in your intestines is painful.

You have a big toe that's swollen and hurting.

You have muscular pain on the inner side of your

right hand. Behind the small finger, you have

hip pain. You have infection on one side of your

right nostril. There's someone here named Phillip

that needs prayer. You have an ear infection.

We already said that, I think. Yeah, we did.

Many with anxiety and depression. You have a

painful muscle knot between your neck and shoulder.

You have a broken tendon right behind your wrist.

You're struggling with migraines because of arthritis.

The left side of your hip has pain when you lift

it. You have a broken collarbone. You have a

painful tailbone. There you go. If any of those

are you, don't high -five me and say, that word

was for me. Because you know what I'm going to

tell you? I'm going to grab your hand and bring

you back here. So if you need prayer for anything

or one of those, God bless you. Get up here and

get some prayer. Next week, we kick off our Daniel

series, Chameleon. It's going to be a great September.

God bless you guys. More than life and us I think

we gotta look to the man above