Will You Be Great This Year?

Matthew chapter 19 and we're going to begin reading in verse 23. Matthew chapter 19 and verse 23. Sometime I I put titles to my sermons in several different places, my music, my schedule has a title. This has a title. The bulletin has a title and that has a title.

I don't think any of em are the same this morning. So, you'll have to pardon me but they all sort of mean the same thing, alright? Will you be chief? Will you be chief? And I think you'll see what that means when we get to verses 20 to 28 of chapter 20.

But we're going to start out in Matthew chapter 19 kind of get the context as we move to chapter 20. Beginning in verse 23, then said Jesus unto his disciples, verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Let's close in prayer. Let's not close in prayer.

Let's open in prayer again. Lord, we thank you for your word this morning. And we we thank you for the power of God. That his by your grace made it possible for sinners like us to be saved from sin and hell and to know you as Lord and savior father today Lord, you came yes as a baby You died on the cross as a man for our sins. We might be saved.

Through the God man, Jesus Christ We thank you for your grace today and we pray Lord that you would help us to see the importance in this coming New Year. Of being servants of Jesus Christ Serving you and serving others growing close to you every day That you might be glorified in our lives here That we may lay up treasure in heaven there In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. In chapter 19, Christ discusses and demonstrates by the rich, young ruler, the power of riches over the heart of a person who trusts in them. We didn't read the first part of Matthew chapter 19 but a young man came to Jesus and he said, master, rabbi, good master, Jesus points out that there's only one and that's good and that's who?

That's God. We're not. We're sinners and that was for the young man's benefit because he didn't grasp that he was a sinner who needed a what? Savior. He knew he knew he needed something.

He knew he was missing something. So, he came to Jesus and Jesus said, well, have you kept the command He's trying to point out that the man is a sinner who needs a savior and the man not grasping it says, oh yes, I've kept the command he mentions if you, oh yes, I've kept those command he thought, it seems in his mind that he had But as we know, he hadn't. We haven't. Jesus said, okay, you've kept the commandments. Uh-huh.

Well, one thing you lack. Go sell everything you have. Go go get give it away and come and what? Follow me. Come serve me.

Get get just let go of all that stuff that you've got because the Bible says the young man was wealthy and it says, he left how? He left sorrowful because he had great wealth. You see, he hadn't kept the commandments. The Bible says, thou shalt have no other god what? Before me.

Did he have a god before him? Yeah, it was his money as well. That was what he was trusting in and he couldn't let go of that to trust in Christ. The last commandment is thou shalt not covet. That also has to do with wealth and so to speak and obviously, the man had a problem with that one too.

So, Jesus points out as I read here to his disciples, He said, again in verse 23, verily I say unto you, the rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven and again, I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. I remember when I was a kid and one or a preacher speak on preach this message and he said, the eye Of The Needle is actually this smaller gate in the city wall and it's it's it's put there in the city wall so that people can walk through not camels and it is extremely difficult to get a camel through this gate called the Eye Of The Needle But if you look at the Greek from which this is translated the word needle is very clear. It is a medical instrument. It is not a needle as in a gate in the city wall. It was he was actually I believe talking about the eye of a needle and thus his disciples respond in verse 25.

It says, they were exceeding amazed saying, who then can be saved? You see, it was possible to cram a camel through this gate called the eye of a needle but it is impossible to cram a camel through the eye of a needle and so his disciples said, well, who can be saved then? Jesus said verse 26, but Jesus beheld them and said unto them, with man, this is impossible but with God, all things are what? With God all things are possible. God can change the heart, can reach the heart by grace of even the wealthiest sinner and save them.

We don't know what happened to this young man later. Maybe. Maybe he changed his mind down the road. We're not told. One of the people that took Jesus's body off the cross and put it in his tomb was a man named Joseph of Arimathea and we're told that Joseph Arimathea was a wealthy man.

There were few wealthy that came to Christ during his earthly ministry. The poor flocked to him. But by God's grace, all things are possible. Following this passage, the Lord Jesus reveals to his 12 disciples, their exalted position in his kingdom, their reward due to their obedience and sacrifice. If you look in verse 28, his disciples were not wealthy.

A matter of fact, they had left behind their occupation, several of them fishermen. In order to follow and to serve him. In verse 26, it says, Jesus said unto them, verily I say unto you, that they which have followed me in the regeneration when the son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, he also shall sit upon 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel and everyone that hath forsaken houses or brethren or sister or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name's sake shall receive a hundredfold and shall shall inherit everlasting life but many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first. There are many in this world today Maybe not so much many of us because of the culture in The United States, the freedom that we enjoy here though some of that is little by little being stripped away from us, I believe But others in other parts of the world to to get saved and to make that known particularly through baptism is to be shunned and even buried if not literally symbolically by their families. Jesus said, if you've lost things on this world, in this world for my sake, you're going to receive much greater one day in heaven.

As Jesus spoke of that, he reassures his disciples that their faith in him and their sacrifice in his behalf would not go unrewarded. Hebrews eleven six says, without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and he is a what? Rewarder of them that diligently seek him. In order to be saved, you must have what?

You must have faith. You must have faith in God. That God is going to keep his word, that he is going to give you the home in heaven that he has promised and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him and those who serve him. First second Timothy four eight, Paul writes henceforth, the crown of righteousness is laid up for me which the Lord, the righteous judge, will render to me in that day but not only to me but also to all those who love his appearing. Paul says, there's a crown of righteousness waiting for me in heaven.

Paul says, I'm looking forward to that day when I stand before him and receive my reward because God does not forget those who have served him and sacrificed for him in this world and there is great reward waiting those in heaven who have sacrificed for the sake of Jesus Christ, their savior. I say there is a reward waiting all of us who have come to Christ by faith. That is not anything we can brag about because it's not by works of righteousness which he has done but according to his what? His mercy. He saved us.

Heaven in itself is a reward but there are even other rewards that God will give out on that day to those who have served him and sacrificed faithfully. Crowns that we will have opportunity to lay at his what? To lay at his feet. However, at this time, I think his disciples heard the 12 thrones. I think that kind of stuck in their head.

The 12 thrones stuff sounded pretty good but they did not understand when or at what cost these 12 thrones would be theirs Jesus knew. Trying to communicate to them but like us, they were a little bit thick headed I think The throne stuck but not the wind and at what cost. In chapter 20 verses one through 16, Jesus relates a story of a landowner and his generosity and the gripes of those who surmised that they had been treated unfairly. In Jesus's parable, God is the landowner. The story goes like this.

We won't take time to read it. I'll kind of paraphrase it this morning. We'll look at verses 13 through 16 in just a second but the landowner went out to hire people, day laborers for the day in his field and he went out early in the morning, hired some people, and he contracted with them, promised them to give them a certain amount to work in his field that day and so, they came and they worked. As the day went on throughout the day, he went back out to find others and he told them to come and work in his field and he would pay them what was right. At the end of the day, when everybody had worked, some had worked only an hour or two, some had worked all day long.

They came and the ones who had only worked for an hour or two, he gave the same amount to them that he had promised to give those when he hired them early in the morning. And as you can imagine, the people that were hired early in the morning were so excited that the master was so generous as to give the same amount to those who would only work for one hour. Is that what the parable says? No. That's the way it should have been but that's not human nature.

Now, the people that had worked all day for the amount that the master, the landowner had promised them. Complained. This is unfair. We worked all day and you gave them the same amount that you gave us. And the master said, well, did I not give you what I told you I would give you?

Why are you angry that I've been generous and kind to these others and given them the same amount and do I not have that? That privilege? Look if you would in verses 13 to 16. But he answered one of them and said, friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

Take that thine is and go thy way. I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good? So, the last shall be first and the first shall be last for many be called but few chosen.

Well, Jesus said to the people that were listening there, representing the landowner He said, why are you angry that I've been generous You know, do we not do the same thing? Do we not complain The landowner had done what he said he would do. How selfish to complain over the generosity of the land over and the blessing of others. We can be so selfish and so easily made jealous over the blessings of others. When we should rejoice in their good fortune.

That's what they should have done. That's what they should have done rather than complain. I am brother Steve Morris isn't here. As I mentioned earlier, he's in the hospital today. So, I'll I'll use him as an illustration.

I'm sure he won't mind but brother Steve is is in a wheelchair permanently. He can't get around. He can hardly stand to get himself ready. And he goes everywhere in that wheelchair because of a stroke had several years ago. Before the stroke, he when he was a younger man, he caught a virus in his heart that weakened and enlarged his heart.

So, he has had severe health issues since then which indirectly led to the stroke he had a few years ago. Brother Harry fell off a ladder and broke his hip here a few weeks, a couple months ago and he is improving and he's starting to to walk again. Brother Steve Oatman here has been through a lot and praise the Lord. He walked in here without the walker, the cane. You know, brother Steve here with brother Steve Morris was here today.

I don't think there's a jealous bone in his body. I think he would be so excited to see Steve Altman walk in unaided. I think he would be so excited to see Harry walk down this aisle again to take the offering. That's the way we all should be. Brother Steve will probably never walk again but he's excited to see other people have that privilege and God working in their life and I believe that brother Steve Morris will be so far ahead of me and the reward line at heaven one day.

I won't be able to see that far ahead. I appreciate his testimony. For many of the first shall be last and many of the last shall be shall be first. It we're not the judge. Praise God.

If we were the judge, we would judge poorly. But God knows what's best and we can trust him. Yes. He is gracious and merciful to us all because none of us even deserve heaven. That's right.

Nonetheless, any rewards in addition. He goes on in verses 17 to 19, Christ does to speak of his coming death on the cross. In verse 17, and Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the 12 disciples apart in the way and said unto them, behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the son of man, speaking of himself, shall be betrayed under the chief priest and under the scribes and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify him and the third day, he shall rise again. Jesus clearly and in very plain dialogue here tells his disciples exactly what is about to happen when they go to Jerusalem. You know what I think happened?

It went in one ear and out the other. I think mainly because they didn't want to hear it. They didn't want to hear. Have you ever asked anybody for advice and they start giving you advice and then their advice goes somewhere that you don't want it to go and you just kind of shut em down. Sometimes, you're thinking of a comeback before you even listen to what they have to say.

It's not going. You just don't want to hear it. Sad to say that happens a lot when you're trying to present the gospel to people. Sometimes, they just don't want to, they just don't want to hear it. There are some people that have been in churches for years and still do not have the clue what the gospel is.

Sometimes that because they're in churches. They aren't preaching the gospel. So, they're not hearing it. Sometimes, it's because they're just not what? They're not listening.

They don't want to hear because they don't want to hear they're a sinner who needs to humble themselves before almighty God and receive Jesus Christ as savior. I think his disciples here as we'll see were having a hard time with grasping the order of events here and what was about to happen to him and what was going to happen to them before they got to the rewards. Of thrones in heaven, you see. I think they thought the thrones were coming up. But the thrones were not in this life.

The thrones were for later on. You know, I think there's a lot of people in churches today, Christians, many of them. That they're looking for their reward and they get frustrated when they don't see the blessings and rewards that they're looking for. The blessings and rewards that we should be looking for Primarily, as those that are yet to come. God does bless us here.

He and I'm getting ahead of myself but he is with us. He helps us. He uplifts us, comforts us. He guides us. Oh, we have so many blessings that we don't see but there are even greater blessings in heaven and as Christians, we don't live just for here.

We live for there or at least we should, right? Do we really believe? That heaven is a better place? Do we really believe we have a home there? Do we really believe?

That there are awards awaiting us there? That we can cast at his feet? And pleasures of heaven forevermore? I think sometimes, in a way we don't, at least we act like we don't. Because it seems we want it all here.

Here is the time for service up there. That's the time for reward and I'm getting ahead of myself. It is in these circumstances not at all grasping, I think, what is about to happen that John and James mother comes with them to ask Jesus if they can sit at his right and his left. Places of prominence, privilege, and power in Christ's kingdom. Look if you would in verse 20.

We'll read down to 28. Then came to him, the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him and desiring a certain thing of him and he said unto her, what wilt thou? She said unto him, grant that these my two sons may sit. The one on thy right hand, the other on the left in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, you know not what you ask.

Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, we are able. I don't think they know what they're talking about. Verse 23, he say it unto them, you shall drink indeed of my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give but it shall be given to them of for whom it is prepared of my father and when the 10 heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. Of course, they were.

Human nature. But Jesus called them unto him and said, you know that the princess of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority upon them and although they lorded over them, they seek power to control the lives of others. Verse 26, but it shall not be so among you, but whosoever shall be great among you, let him be your minister and whosoever will be chief among you. Let him be your servant. While the Gentiles seek to control the lives of others Christ said, you need to seek to serve others.

Two very different things. For who so will be chief or greatest among you, let him be your servant Even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Indeed, they hadn't a clue what was happening. Those thrones awaited the resurrection and the kingdom but for now, what a rated awaited Christ was a cross. And unbeknownst to them, a very similar fate awaited them for the sake of the gospel.

I would like to close with four points here this morning from this passage. Point number one, this is one of the messages, you know, where the pastor finally finishes his introduction in its quarter deal and now we get to the points of the message. Alright. I'll try to go quickly. Number one, this privilege of which they requested was not given by request.

Little children say, I asked first. The disciples like ourselves were acting very childishly, very childishly. They came with their mother. I don't know if this were their mother's idea or their idea but I think they came with their mom and let her do the speaking because they thought that would endear them more to Jesus and he might listen maybe if their their mother spoke on their behalf. I don't know.

But they weren't thinking as servants. They weren't thinking of others. They were thinking of who? They were thinking of themselves. They were thinking they wanted to have a prominent position.

They wanted to get in on it before anybody else got it. You know, they wanted to be on the right hand and the left hand. Kinda like kids in a class and you ask who wants to do this or you ask for volunteers and and you know, they wave their hand, jump on the me, me, me, me, pick me, pick me, you know. James and John, pick me, pick me. I ask first.

You know, sometimes it seems we we struggle a bit ourselves with getting our thoughts off of ourselves and putting the Lord and others first in our life. You be honest. A lot of times we're waving our hand to God and say, God, pick me. You know, give me good health. I deserve it.

You know, give me, give me wealth. Give me these blessings and that blessings and give me this position and I don't want to deal with these other things, Lord. Give me the best, you know, certainly those things will never happen to me. But things happen in life The Bible says, we have Christ We learn need to learn to be content because he'll never leave us nor forsake us Whatever life throws at us we can be content Sometimes we seem to struggle with that because like the disciples, it's it's all about me. The world revolves.

Around the center, which is me. Philippians two two to four, Paul says, fulfill you my joy. Well, how does Paul want the Philippians to fulfill his joy? You can think of a number of things he could say but this is what he said. Fulfill you my joy that you be like man minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

That nothing be done through strife or vainglory. But in loneliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. You know what John and James could've come and said that day? He said, you know, would you put so and so on your right and so and so on your left?

Rather than saying, would you put me on your right and put me on your left? They weren't thinking about so and so and so and so. They like us often times, be honest. We're thinking about their position. They were thinking about themselves.

If we want to fulfill the joy not only of Paul but of our Lord Jesus Christ, we like him will let the same mind be in us that was in him and learn to put others first. And not try to be first place in line. God doesn't give out awards to the one who jumps up and down to get attention the most. As we will see but the one who quietly waits in faith upon the Lord. They that wait upon the Lord shall what?

Renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Number two, this privilege was not for Christ to give at this time.

He pointed that out to them. He said, it is not for me to give but my father but for whom my father has prepared it in heaven. Sometimes, as I mentioned, it seems we only hear what we want to hear. So, it would seem with Christ's disciples. They heard the thrones part but they missed out on the sacrifice and death part.

That was coming. Christ did not come as king to appoint his servants to exalted glorious positions at this time. He came as the suffering servant to die on the cross That's what he was looking to right then Their mindset was obviously not his They didn't seem to understand or fully grasp what was coming They weren't thinking about the cross They were only thinking about the glory Their timing was very bad Maybe we we should be thinking ourselves more about the mission the race that is set before us. The lost who need Christ and the service which our Lord deserves. Rather than the reward that is to come.

Oh God wants us to know that there are treasures to be laid up in heaven. There are crowns we will be given to cast at his feet. God wants us to know that what we sacrifice and live for him will not go unrewarded. However, It isn't our purpose should not be our motivation to always be focusing on what I'm going to get but right now, is our time to focus on what I can give. To focus on the mission that is before me.

To focus on the lost around me that need Jesus. To focus on the brother or sister who needs help. To focus on others and not just to focus on me. That's what God had called them to. He called them on the shores of the Sea Of Galilee, some of them.

He said, come on to me. I will make you what? Fishers of men. He didn't say, I will make you kings. Though he will someday.

He didn't say there is great reward though there is. What he said to them is I will make you fishers of men and that's what he has called us to. We have a mission before us. To bring glory to our savior. And to proclaim his word.

Sometimes, Christians, I think get burned out. One of the causes of getting burned out, I think, is that we expect our reward now and when we don't get it now, we get burned out It seems we work so hard to no avail No, we don't. God is watching. God sees. God knows.

What you give for Christ will not go unrewarded but you won't get it all when and where? Here. A lot of it's awaiting up there. We live in an instant gratification society. You see it?

You want it? You get it. And you have it? Now, but the awards that are waiting us for serving the Lord, you don't get them all now. You get Jesus now.

You get the promise of heaven to come. It's reserved for you but you're not going to get it all now Now is the time to serve reminds me of Elijah Now, Elijah was a great man of God and a prophet and he served the Lord. He stood up Ahab. He stood up to Jezebel. He won a great victory on Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal when when God sent fire down to consume his sacrifice, the prophets of Baal danced and screamed and hollered and cut themselves all day and nothing happened.

But right after that, Jezebel proclaimed she was going to get him and you know what he did? He ran. He ran. He ran into the wilderness. He sat down under the tree and he said, oh poor me.

You see, he won this great victory and he thought, okay, now everything's going to be great. But it wasn't great. Jezebel was still on the throne with Ahab. So, this is what he said. First first Kings nineteen four, but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die and said, it is it enough now, oh Lord, take away my life for I am not better than my fathers.

In verse 10, and he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts, for the children of Israel forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, slain thine prophets with the sword, and I, even I only am left and they seek my life to take it away. Elijah was in the poor me state. Poor me. Poor me. Okay.

All this I did for you. And nothing. Well, God, once he settled him down in a still small voice, God reminded him, he really wasn't alone There were several in Israel had not bowed the knee. To Baal. But you see, he was looking for the reward and the great victory and fanfare then and it didn't happen.

You see, and sometimes I think we do the same thing and so we get burned out and we get all poor me, poor me. I think that Jesus' disciples were looking for instant gratification like we do. The best is yet Indeed it is. Number three, this position was earned by being the most obedient and sacrificial of servants. Christ earned, Christ earned our place in heaven by his work on Calvary and so by God's grace rather than by our works, we are saved.

However, our rewards in heaven are another thing. We have a home reserved in heaven for us not by our works but by whose? By Jesus. But there are other rewards it would seem. Treasures to be laid up in heaven.

By our service and sacrifice for the king of kings and Lord of lords. Our position is not gained by pushing ourselves forward into the limelight. It's by choosing instead to take a back seat. And be a servant for the Lord. They indeed would partake and part experience great suffering as their savior did.

They would drink of that cup. They would be baptized with that baptism. That he was baptized with in many respects. Though they didn't know it yet. See, when they were looking at the reward, they didn't understand that the reward came at a what?

At a cost. Does not Jesus say count the what? Count the cost? There is a cost in serving Jesus There is not a cost in salvation Christ paid that cost and he offers that to you by grace through faith but there is a cost in serving him. As children of God.

There will be sacrifices to be made. They will not go unnoticed by him but Jesus doesn't tell us that there will not be a cost He reminds us there will be The all 12 of the disciples died as martyrs. As far as we can tell Peter was crucified upside down Andrew may have been crucified Paul, James were beheaded for their faith in Christ. John, it would seem died, exiled on the Isle Of Patmos off the coast of Turkey for his faith. They would experience suffering for Christ and they would do it willingly and they would even rejoice in the opportunity as Paul later on.

Christ is not promised to protect us from all suffering. Whether he rather he promises us that if we live for him, as we should, we will suffer. But let's see here. There we go. But he will be with us.

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you and low, I am what? With you always. Even unto the end of the world. Jesus didn't say to his disciples, you won't suffer. A matter of fact, he told them they would.

But he said, I will be one. I will be with you. He didn't promise that we wouldn't suffer but he did promise that he'd supply all of our what? Needs. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus.

He didn't promise we wouldn't suffer but he promised that those that suffered for the sake of Jesus Christ for the sake of the gospel would receive great reward in heaven. Matthew five eleven and twelve. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely. For my sake. What's the next word?

Rejoice. Rejoice. Rejoice and be exceeding glad. For great is your what? Reward in heaven.

For so persecuted they, the prophets which were before you. You are in good company. One day, you'll stand in that company. One day, you'll receive great rewards in heaven for what you have suffered for the sake of Christ. There are great rewards coming but you don't get them all here.

Many of them await us. Up there. And then number four, Jesus was the greatest of all. He came to minister, to serve, and to die. The exaltation comes later.

Take your Bibles and turn to John chapter 13 and I am to my last point, alright? John chapter 13, look in verses 13 through 17. In John chapter 13, before they left to go out to the Mount Of Olives, what did Jesus do? He took a towel and he washed his disciples' feet. That was the job for the lowest servant in the house, not for the master.

So, in John chapter 13 verse 13, he says this, you call me master and Lord and you say, well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and master have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

Jesus said, you know who I am and if I, the master of all, willingly take up this towel to wash your feet. Then you should learn to do the same For you, the servant are not greater than I, the master I have given you an example. It will not be the greatest of men, the mightiest, the most powerful, the most acclaimed, the nobility of this world, the wealthiest of this world, but the lowliest of servants, and the service of Christ who will receive the greatest reward. On that day. Many of the big names you hear about in Christianity are not going to be able to see people like Steve Morris up at the front of the line Look who Christ chose.

Fishermen, Galileans, a despised tax collector. These choices were not made haphazardly by Christ but on purpose to teach them and us something of the power of God and the gospel in and through the lives of willing what? Serpents. That's what these men became. That's what they became.

They did follow his example. They will sit on thrones in heaven. Not just because he called them as his 12 disciples but because of what they gave. In response to his call In John 15, it says, Jesus says that the world will hate you because it hated who? Hated me.

Now, again, he says, I, your master, if the world hates me, don't surprise it hates you. Again, the servant is not greater than his what? Lord, don't expect the world to treat you different than it treated me. How is it that our Lord should have suffered so and we think that we should not and yet receive all the blessings and the eternal rewards without. Nay, we should expect to suffer and sacrifice for the cross of Christ and do so willingly and with praise on our tongue that we have been counted worthy to suffer even a little.

For the sake of Christ. First Peter five six says, humble yourselves under therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. Acts five forty one and they departed from the presence of the council that is the disciples who had been arrested, rejoicing that they were counted one. Worthy to suffer shame for his name. Who will be the greatest Who will be chief in 2018?

The greatest what? The greatest servant. He who would be servant of all. Who would be willing to give and not to take? Who who would be willing to serve behind the scenes and not stand and receive the glory?

Who who would be willing to say, you can get in line in front of me rather than he that would push his way to the front and say, pick me, pick me, pick me. Who will you be in 2018? Will we be the servants of Jesus Christ? Will we look to serve one another? And lay up treasures in heaven?

Will we serve the lost and dying world by telling them the good news of Jesus Christ? Or will we be self absorbed, self centered, looking only for the things that we can get. Forgetting that the things that we will one day want the most. Are up there. And not down here.

And I ask you today as I close. Do you know you have a home up there? You see, if you've never trusted Christ as savior, if you've never come to him in faith and cried out unto him to save you from your sin. And you don't even have a home up there. You can today.

You can begin a new life today. You don't have to wait for tomorrow. Christ says, come unto me all you labor and heavy laden. Let's pray. Lord, thank you.

For Jesus Christ, our savior, for the example he has set before us. Of being the servant of all. For he who is Lord of all came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Lord, if you could live for others, you could obey the will of your father in heaven. You could die for us.

Lord, could we not? Could we not? Is it not our reasonable service? To give ourselves service to you? To in this coming year to take our eyes a little more off of ourselves and put them on the mission that is before us and the rewards that await us not here but in heaven someday.

To serve you faithfully, trusting you. That regardless of what life sends our way, that you're with us, that you are going to take us to our home. And that you are prepared to reward for us there. We serve you faithfully. Lord, forgive us of our selfishness.

Forgive us of our self centeredness. Open our heart and eyes. Help us to see others around us in their need. Help us Lord to see Jesus Christ every day. As you died on that cross, as you rose again from the grave, as you intercede in our behalf in heaven, and as you're coming someday to take us home.

To our reward, that we might live not only for the things of earth, but we might live for the things of heaven. In 2018. We pray Lord if there's one here today who's never trusted Christ as savior, they come as we sing this hymn of invitation this morning. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.