Amen. Well, if you're excited to be in church this morning, would you say amen? Amen. So we have been walking through the Gospel of Luke on Sunday mornings with the Lord Jesus Christ. And why are we doing this? Well, because we're watching him so that we can model him. We're listening to him, and we are learning from him. Because we desire to be closer to him. Amen? We desire to be more like him. If we as Christians and if we as a church are not growing more like Jesus each day, then what in the world are we even doing? I mean, we need to be like Jesus. So we are in the final week of Jesus's earthly ministry before his crucifixion and resurrection. Sunday, we call Palm Sunday. He rode the donkey in, they said Hosanna to the Son of David, and they welcomed him into Jerusalem. On Monday, Jesus cleansed the temple and was praised to the children. Tuesday, Wednesday we estimate he was rejected of the nation and of the nation's leaders and there was great contention between him and the leaders of Israel. And so we are really in those final moments, in those final hours before Jesus is going to be hung on a cross to die for the sins of the world. Now if you study the scriptures you'll recognize this, that the gospel writers included more detail about this one week than about any other period in Jesus' ministry. In fact, it has been estimated that in this one week span between Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday, that it comprises 25 to 30% of all the Gospel texts. So truly, what John wrote in John 21-25 is true. He says, and there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. But you know it's not an accident that the Gospel writers give us so much information about this one week. This is really a great climax in humanity's history. By the time we reach Luke 22, Jesus' public ministry is done. And he is alone with his own in the upper room, giving them important instructions for what is about to happen and how they are to respond. Now, I want you to understand, this is a heavy scene. If we back up a couple of verses, look at the context beginning in verse 19. There it says, And he, Jesus, took bread, gave thanks, and break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. Likewise, also after the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. But behold, The hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goeth as it was determined, but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed. They began to inquire among themselves which of them it was that should do this thing. This is a heavy context. Jesus has said, look, fellas, I'm going to die. My body's going to be broken. My blood's going to be shed. And one of you is going to be the one that betrays me. What a heavy, heavy moment. What a heavy moment. But what's interesting to me is that the heaviness with Jesus very quickly turns into hostility among his followers. Because in the very next verse, they were fighting among themselves over who was going to be the greatest. I love how Jesus doesn't get mad. He doesn't flip the table. By the way, Jesus had done that a time or two in certain scenarios. But he doesn't flip the table. No, rather, he patiently and lovingly takes the opportunity to teach these men what true greatness looks like in the eyes of God. Now, I want to make a statement this morning, and I want you to understand where we're going. We should want and we should pursue to be great Christians and a great church for our Savior and His glory. I want to be a great Christian for Jesus. I want to be a great preacher for Jesus. I want to be a great husband and father for Jesus. I want to be great for Jesus. I want you to notice in our text that Jesus does not discourage true greatness, but rather he wants all of his followers to understand what true greatness is and to recognize we all have an opportunity to be truly great for God. Doesn't our world need some Christians to truly be great for God today, church? So let's look this morning at what true greatness looks like. Look at verse 24. The Bible says, and there was also a strife among them. Which of them should be accounted the greatness? I want you to notice this morning when we consider true greatness, I want you to notice number one, the pride that must be forsaken. The pride that must be forsaken. You know, as we go back to our context, I have to wonder, how does this happen? How do we go from debating among ourselves who's it going to be that betrays Jesus to arguing among ourselves who the best of us is? Now, I think there's a couple of ways that this happened. I think, let me give you the best case scenario first. Jesus said, one of you is going to betray me. And Peter looked over at John and said, oh, John, it can't be you, buddy. I mean, you're John the beloved. John, you're the best. And John said, well, I don't know about that. I mean, Peter, you're pretty great, too. I mean, you're the leader, and God's going to use you. And Peter, you're the best. Peter said, I don't know about that. And then somebody else spoke up and said, no, Thomas, Thomas, you're the best. And Thomas said, well, I doubt that, fellas, but that's best case scenario. Let me let you in on something. That ain't how it happens, amen? You know what really happened? I think they were debating among themselves who it was going to be. Peter said, it isn't me. In me? I'm better than all of you. You see how Jesus has talked to me? What Jesus has promised me? What's ahead of me? It ain't me. We all know I'm the best. And they began to debate among themselves, argue among themselves who was going to be the best. They were promoting and puffing up self. Now, I also note that this is really interesting, that this was a reoccurring problem among the disciples. Because before this ever happened in Luke 22, Matthew 20 is a different scenario. Look at Matthew 20 beginning in verse number 20. And there came unto him the mother of Zebedee. So this is James and John's mama with their children. children with her sons worshiping him and desiring a certain thing of him. So James and John got their mama to come to Jesus and he said unto her, what will thou? And she said unto him, grant that these two my sons may sit one on thy right hand and the other on thy left in the kingdom. Verse 24, the Bible says this, and when the ten heard it, they were moved with the indignation against the other two brethren. And you read the context, and they're arguing among themselves, who deserves to sit at Jesus' right hand? So this wasn't an isolated issue, this was a reoccurring problem that the disciples had. And might I note this morning that that's interesting, but not necessarily surprising, because pride so easily creeps into our hearts. Pride so easily creeps into our motives. Pride so easily creeps into our goals and our purposes. The heart is given to it. This was Lucifer's sin. Isaiah 14 describes this, how art thou falling from heaven, O Lucifer, the sun of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. Look what he says, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. But I remind you that the sin of Lucifer was also the first sin of humanity. Genesis chapter 3 describes it this way. The serpent said to the woman, for God doth know that in the days that ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat." Church, I challenge us this morning, because the heart of humanity hadn't really changed in the last couple thousand years. We are so given to pride. The pride that must be forsaken. Might I point out about Luke 22 as these apostles, these disciples were in this upper room arguing among themselves who would be the greatest in the kingdom. Isn't it interesting that it did not occur to any of them in that moment that the greatest in the kingdom was in the room. It just wasn't any of them. It was Jesus. And I'm afraid sometimes there's all sorts of pride mixed up in our pursuit of greatness. When that happens, our pride causes us to forget about the only true great one there is, Jesus Christ. This pride, this self-centeredness, this self-focus, this self-promotion will always prohibit one from living great in the eyes of God. My life verse is what I strive for is what John the Baptist said in John 3 in verse number 30. He said, He must increase, but I must decrease. So often my flesh says, well, why don't we just both increase together? I mean, win-win, right? But that's not the path to greatness. He must increase, but I must decrease. Christian, I want you to know this morning that the greatest hindrance to greatness is not another person. It's this person. The greatest hindrance to me being a great godly husband is not my wife and not my children and not my other responsibilities. It's this person. Because I get so caught up on me that I have a hard time seeing what I need to see. The greatest hindrance to greatness in your life is not another person. It's you. You know, we live in a very selfish, self-centered world, don't we? I remind us this morning from the outset that a me-first Christian and a me-first church will never greatly impact the me-first world that we live in. And the path to true greatness begins with the pride that must be forsaken. So we're looking at true greatness this morning. Number one, the path of true greatness. What do we see? Number one, we see the pride that must be forsaken. The pride. Pride that must be forsaken. But let's look at what else Jesus says. Look at verse 25 and 26. And He, Jesus, said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so. But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he that is chief as he that doth serve. So number one, the path to true greatness, what do we find? Number one, we find the pride that must be forsaken. Number two, we find the perspective that must be forgotten. The perspective that must be forgotten. Now the world does not think like God does. The world does not see like God does. The world does not value things like God does. And Jesus, into their strife, He gives a negative example of how the world defines and demonstrates greatness. Now, I find it interesting that the disciples were guilty of this very thing, but Jesus did not point out their sins specifically. No, He used another group. Isn't it easier for us to see somebody else's problems a lot of times? And so he uses another group to point out the problem that the disciples were facing. The world's greatness involves gaining power. gaining popularity, gaining positions, gaining influence that causes other people to follow us, to revere us, to serve us. By the way, that's still the standard definition of greatness for the world. If you were to ask, who is a great person? They'll probably pick a politician. They might pick an athlete. They might pick an entertainer. They might pick a businessman who has achieved a great deal. But greatness is typically seen in our world by one who has amassed enough power, a high enough position, gained enough popularity or influence that other people look up to them, revere them, even serve them. By the way, this is a pretty sweet setup from the world's perspective. because they use their greatness to gain from others. And Jesus points out they do this all the while being called a benefactor to society. So think about that. They leverage their position, their power, their influence to gain from others all the while being seen as a contributor of good to the world. That's a pretty sweet setup they've got there. That's the world's definition of greatness. But Jesus emphatically says that this is not the case for his disciples. So he says, this is how the world does it. Then he looks at the 12, and he says, but for you, not so. Now, Jesus is not forbidding the pursuit of greatness. He just calls his disciples to follow true greatness. Now, definitions matter, amen? Let me give you an example of this. Christopher, come help me. Stand right there. Tyler, come help me. Stand right here. Let me give you an example of this. Definitions matter. Okay, so Christopher, do you have something to ask me? Speak into the microphone. Do you wanna work out with me? Sure. Tyler, you have something to ask. Wanna work out? So, how many of us recognize when Tyler says, you wanna go work out? That means something very, very different than when Christopher looks at me and says, you want to work out? With Christopher, I think, when we're done, I'm going to be high-fiving. Dude, that was awesome. Way to go. I'm pretty sure when we're done, I'm just going to be on the floor, probably for several days. So they said the same thing. What did they both ask? Do you want to what? Shout it out. Do you want to what? Oh, same word. Different meanings. Thank you, guys. You may be seated. You see, both Christians and the world ought to be striving for greatness in their lives, but that word ought to mean two very different things depending on who's saying it and who's pursuing it. You know, Christian. I'm going to say it again. Christ does not forbid us from pursuing greatness. But He calls us to pursue His definition of greatness. To pursue the right form of greatness. Church, hear me this morning. If you and I are going to pursue true greatness in the eyes of God, it means we have to reject the wisdom of the world regarding greatness. You know, 1 Corinthians 3, beginning in verse 18, tells us this. 1 Corinthians 3, beginning in verse number 18. They'll get it up on the screen for us, and we can turn there in our Bibles, amen? After being in 1 Corinthians for like a year, that part of my Bible should be pretty worn out. 1 Corinthians 3, beginning in verse number 18, the Bible says, Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. Then Colossians 2 in verse number 8 calls us not to be taken captive by the rudiments or the teachings of this world. You see, the world has their philosophy. But I'm going to tell you Christian, if you're chasing recognition, you're chasing the wrong greatness. If you're chasing a position, you're chasing the wrong greatness. If you are chasing a level of influence or power or popularity, you are chasing a wrong greatness. You know you can be great in the eyes of God and hated by the world? In fact, that's how many, many Christians live their entire lives. Hated by the world. You see, true greatness requires that a worldly perspective be forgotten. So true greatness, number one, there may be some issues with the screen. They're working feverishly back there. But number one, you know it, number one, true greatness, what? We find the pride that must be forsaken. Hey, it's not about you. You cannot be the filter for your life and live a great life for Jesus Christ. The pride that must be forsaken. Number two, the perspective that must be forgotten. Boy, the world has their version of greatness, do they not? I want you to see how Jesus ends this section, verses 26 and 27. He says, but ye shall not be so. But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that does serve. He says, for whether is greater he that sitteth at me or he that serveth, is not he that sitteth at me, but I am among you as he that serveth. So we see the pride that must be forsaken. We see the perspective that must be forgotten. Thirdly, this morning, considering true greatness, we see the pattern that must be followed. You see, Jesus doesn't just condemn the error. He patiently teaches the truth. True greatness comes not by exalting oneself, not by lording oneself over another. No, true greatness comes not by exalting self, but by humbling self. He said, become the younger. That doesn't mean the cool, spoiled kid, OK? In that time, the younger was the lowest, the least, the least inheritance, the least influence, the least, the least, the least. He said, be the one that serves. That weren't there is an attendant who waits upon another. So in other words, in becoming like the youngest, I am willfully assuming the lower rank. Boy, that's an attitude, isn't it? That I am going to step down. I am going to assume the lower rank. I am going to esteem others better than myself. Assume the lower rank and attitude. In serving, that is an aim to invest and obligate yourself to the benefit of others. I think that's a good word for us. It is to invest and to obligate ourselves for the benefit of others. And that's our actions. So true greatness is both an attitude and actions. The posture of greatness is that. And Jesus asks a striking question here in verse 27. Did you notice it? He said, who's greater? The guy sitting at the table eating the food or the servant who brings the food? Who's greater? Who's greater? Well, the obvious question, obvious answer is what? The dude sitting at the table eating. Right? You with me this morning? That's the obvious answer. By the way, we were able to go out to eat last night with a gift card from the Pastor Appreciation, and that was wonderful. But I'm going to tell you, when we sat down in the restaurant, there was no confusion about what roles we're having. I wasn't offering to bring him a refill, amen? I wasn't offering to bring him more bread. the role that he was in, he was there to attend to our needs. In his position, he had obligated himself for the betterment of my family. So the obvious answer is the greater person is the one sitting at the table, eating the food, drinking the drink, having the good time. And yet Jesus says this, He said, but I am among you as he that serveth. And in doing so, Jesus provides himself as a pattern. that must be followed for true greatness. I love what he said in Matthew 20 in verse number 28. He said, even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many. And this is where, like, putting the Gospels together really, really helps us. Because at this point, really, the Gospel of John gives us some detail that Luke does not. And I want you to see what happens here after the supper that's not recorded in Luke. The Gospel of John chapter 13, beginning in verse number 2. The Bible says this, and supper being ended, this is the Passover. This was the institution of the Lord's Supper. And the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simon's son to betray him. Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he was come from God and went to God, he riseth up from supper, and he laid aside his garments, and he took a towel, and he girded himself. And after that he poureth water into a basin, he began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. He jumped to verse 13. He said, Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that ye 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 ye know these things, happy are ye if you do them. Jesus here, I believe, right in the midst of this conversation about who would be the greatest, I believe Jesus went and He grabbed a towel. And He poured water into a basin. He laid aside His garments. I can't take that off, there's a microphone on there. And began to wash the disciples' feet. And he went one by one by one by one. That's the pattern. Can I give you a couple of truths from that pattern this morning? I want you to notice first of all this true greatness that Jesus exhibits. Jesus takes the initiative. Jesus takes the initiative. He sees the need and He takes the lead. By the way, anybody could have taken a towel and washed the feet of the people there. Anybody could have done it. But Jesus took the initiative and rose up and did it. By the way, you want to be truly great? Just take the initiative. See a need. and take the lead. You see a piece of trash? Pick it up. Throw it away. You see something that needs wiped? Get a rag and wipe it down. You see somebody who needs encouraged? We don't need to form a committee or make an announcement. If you see somebody who needs encouraged, just go encourage them. See the need and take the lead. It's the little things that anybody could do. The pattern Jesus leaves is, number one, to take the initiative. Number two, I want to point out by Jesus' example that not only did he take the initiative, but he allowed himself to be inconvenienced. You realize in a couple of hours, Jesus was going to be betrayed. In a couple of hours, Jesus was going to be hung on a cross. In a couple of hours, Jesus was going to bear the sin of the world in his body. In a couple of hours, the sky would turn dark and he would cry, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus had a lot on his mind. And yet in those moments, he allowed himself to be inconvenienced. And he took a towel. You know, I think sometimes we miss opportunities for greatness simply because they are inconvenient. You know, well, I'm tired when I get home from work, Pastor. I get it, but serve your family anyway, man. Serve your family anyway. I say, well, I'm tired. You say, but I'm discouraged right now. You say, well, I'm just too busy. Let me make this comment about a true servant. A true servant doesn't get to decide what the true need is. A true servant doesn't get to decide what the right timing is. He is simply ready. And Jesus set the example that he was willing to be inconvenienced. The pattern Jesus left was, number one, he took the initiative. Number two, he allowed himself to be inconvenienced. Number three, Jesus willingly took upon himself an insignificant role. I remind you, as he took that towel and began to wash feet, that was not a pleasant job. I mean, you think your feet, not your feet, you think your spouse's feet are stinking, just walking around in shoes all day. Imagine walking dusty roads in sandals. Nasty, nasty. They didn't have pedicurists back then. They didn't have feet doctor. Get rid of all embunions and such and the like. They were nasty men feet. And Jesus, by the way, this job was typically done by the lowest household servant. And Jesus took the towel and did what the lowest household servant was normally required to do. It was not a pleasant task. It was a less than menial task. But you know what Jesus teaches us? You know the pattern He leaves behind? That there is no service that is beneath you. I want to say it again. I don't care how long you've been a Christian. I don't care what position you hold. There is no service beneath you. By the way, I'll make this statement as well. Not only is there no service beneath you, there is no person beneath you. You realize Jesus didn't just wash Peter's feet, James' feet, and John's feet. Jesus washed Judas' feet too. By the way, this pattern, take the initiative. Be willing to be inconvenienced. Be willing to take the most insignificant of roles. This pattern can be applied to every relationship and every situation. You know what true greatness looks like? It looks like getting over yourself and being willing to get your towel dirty. That's what true greatness looks like. Get your eyes off your wife, off your husband, get over yourself and get your towel dirty in your marriage. Get over yourself parents, get your towel dirty raising your kids. Get over yourself. I've done that for 30 years. It's time for somebody else to... Get over yourself and be willing to get your towel dirty. True greatness doesn't look like a clean, well-pressed suit. True greatness looks like a dirty towel. That's what true greatness looks like. You can apply it to your home. You can apply it to your work. You can apply it to the church. You can apply it to the neighborhood in which you live. Pattern that must be followed. You know, church, we all desire to be great for our king, amen? But how many of us recognize this morning that the words of Jesus are easy to understand, but hard to practice? But I'm going to tell you, we should pursue being great Christians for the glory of God. We should pursue being a great church for the glory of God. Why? Because he is worthy. You know, I think a lot of the blessing that we have seen on our church is not so much because of the man at the top of the ticket, because of the men and women who have lived this truth for decade after decade. By the way, Ken Wolf lived a life where his towel was consistently dirty. Guy Tooley lived a life where his towel was consistently dirty. Mike Neisler lived a life where his towel was consistently dirty. Corby Blanton, Bonnie Boyer, Charles Hammond, Bonita Sharpe, so many who have gone before us into glory. You know why I think the hand of the Lord is still on this church? Because so many in this congregation live a life where they are willing to get their towel dirty for the glory of God. They're willing to do things no one else will ever see, no one else will ever know about. I bet sometimes they feel unappreciated, but they keep on doing it anyways. Because He's worthy. Because this is what a truly great life for God looks like. I'm gonna tell you, church, our work's not done. And if you have breath this morning, you have opportunity for greatness in the eyes of God. You say, preacher, what does that look like? It looks like making the decision to keep your towel dirty. Greatness in God's economy is not measured in earthly results or earthly rewards or earthly recognition. It is measured in humble service. I want to end this morning with an illustration. Bill Brown and Jack, would you guys come on up? Help me out. We're almost done. I asked our deacons to help me out with this this morning. Look what I got. I'm not wiping your foot, Edgar. So you guys get to be the disciples. You don't have to argue about who's greater. But you guys can just talk. Just talk. Oh, go ahead. Argue about who's greater. I want to see who's greater. Make your case. You like Frank Wiesner? OK. Frank, you want to get a chair? I'm just kidding. So these guys, they're arguing. They're strife. And they're in heated discussion. Now these guys had heard Jesus teach and preach and the world had heard and all of this thing. But here's kind of what I picture in my mind. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. You're just, you're going at it. You're jockeying. Here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking when Jesus rolled up, when Jesus grabbed a foot. No, no, no. Stay with me. I'm going to guess when Jesus grabbed a foot, that all the conversation ceased. All the conversation ceased as Jesus began to wash their feet. By the way, when Jesus grabbed the foot, you're like Peter. You can be Peter, all right? Impetuous Peter. You know what? When Jesus began to grab the feet, here's what happened. I guarantee you Jesus got their attention when he grabbed their foot. I guarantee you Jesus grabbed their attention when he grabbed their foot. So here's the thing. Guys, do we want to be a great church for the glory of God? Do we want to be great Christians for the glory of God? See, it's even filtered over. Boy, if you want to be a great church, you've got to have a great marketing team. You've got to have a great brand. You have to have a great online presence. You have to get out in front of people. You have to be loud. You have to get the message and make yourselves known. By the way, that is the going philosophy in church work today. Boy, that sounds a whole lot like the world's definition of greatness. You really want to be a great Christian? You really want to make a great difference? Here's the key. Be willing to serve like no one else is. Be willing to serve and to do those things and to put yourselves in positions to love and help people like no one else is. By the way, you do that and I guarantee you get the attention of this world. By the way, you do that and I guarantee you get the attention of your household. By the way, you do that and I guarantee you that you and we will make a difference for God. Be a great church in the eyes of God. You want the world to take note, serve like no one else is serving. Because here's the thing. Humble, holy service is not the path to true greatness. It is true greatness. Thank you, guys. You may be seated. As we move towards our invitation this morning, I want to point this out. In the upper room, Jesus became a servant and washed feet. In just a few hours though, Jesus on the cross became our sacrifice that He might wash us from our sin. I want to tell you this morning, Jesus is the only one who can forgive our sin and save our soul. So I want to ask you this morning, has there ever been a time when you have received the sweet Savior as the Savior of your soul. Has there ever been a time where you have put your faith in Him and His finished work? If you haven't, boy, let today be that day when you become a child of God, a child of the King. Christian, this morning, let me ask you, do we want our lives to exhibit true greatness for the glory of God? You know, probably as we looked at the words of Jesus this morning, the Holy Spirit touched our hearts. We know some areas that maybe we need to be a little more of a servant. We know some areas where maybe we need to humble ourselves and get our towels dirty. Maybe this morning we recognize that my perspective, my definition's a little bit off, but I want to be great for God. I want to serve the King. Would you stand this morning, heads bowed and eyes closed? Father, help us, I pray, to be a people who'd be willing to get our towel dirty, to see where true greatness lies. Father, forgive us where we fall short, where we let pride creep in and we filter life through self, where we let the perspective of the world take over. God, help us to see the pattern of our Savior. and give ourselves to follow that. Help us in this invitation to respond as you have spoken to us. We ask in Jesus' name with heads bowed, eyes closed, as God has spoken to you. Hey, would you come this morning? Commit, commit to Him. I'm gonna get my towel dirty for the glory of God. If you're here this morning without Christ, would you come? Let us take God's Word and show you how you can be saved. As God has spoken to you, Well, let this moment pass. Respond to Him. The altar is open. Would you come?