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Pastor Rob's Notes:
Mark 9:33-37 (NLT)
The “Kingdom of God” is a phenomenal phrase found in the Bible. In fact it's a phrase that's very significant in the life of every believer in Jesus Christ and yet challenging for anyone who does not know Him.
At the center of the "kingdom of God" is the message of Jesus Christ. And Jesus wants to reveal things about the kingdom to those who will hear, to those who will see, and to those who will seek to understand.
One of the biggest points about God’s kingdom is that the kingdom of God is not something that you can point to and say, "Here it is" , or "There it is"...
The kingdom of God is found wherever God rules in human hearts and wherever His will is being done.
1.) GREATNESS IS NOT MEASURED BY PRIDE...
Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
2.) GREATNESS IS MEASURED BY HUMILITY.
Philippians 2:6-7 speaking of Jesus says,
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form...
A.) Humility:
Without power or rights, children were low in more than just stature; they had no voice in the home, the city, or the nation. Their primary duty was to respect and obey their parents and elders.
B.) Trust:
Another aspect of their humility was the trust of a child. Even today, children will believe what most adults say to them (until they learn that some will lie!)
This is especially true of a parent, whom small son or daughter will trust implicitly unless that trust is violated.
C.) Dependence:
The final aspect of the humility of children was seen in the fact that they are utterly dependent on their parents for even their basic necessities of life, as well as the emotional support and education that they needed to survive.
3.) GREATNESS IS MARKED BY HIM
Matthew 20:26 , “whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant”...
And we serve by giving people the gospel & our lives!!!
Most of us probably understand how important faith is to God, but I wonder how many of us understand how important the people who have this kind of humble faith are to God.
In some way that is not easy to understand, Jesus Christ identifies Himself with anyone who cast themselves humbly at His feet in faith.
Jesus says that when you welcome one like this, you welcome Him; when you hinder them from walking by faith with Him, He takes it personally- so personally that He promises severe punishment.
This should make us tremble, both with joy and with fear.
The highest honor of any believer is to be called a disciple of Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for all people.
He promises that if you do this, He'll adopt you into His family, and make you a brand new person...
Today you can come to Him and become a child of God!
But more than that, the scriptures promise that immediately you enter the kingdom of God
Let me also remind you that if you're already a child of God this morning, that you will never outgrow your need for child-like humility.
I don’t mean that you never mature as a child of God, only that the only way to grow up is to stay humble.
Those who grow great in God’s kingdom are those who most depend on Him to work in them.