1. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

2. A reminder to consider others Please:
Turn off your cell phone or set to vibrate only
Turn off sound to all electronic devices
Use the nursery or cry room if your child is fussy
Get up during the preaching only if absolutely necessary (please sit in back if you must leave early)

3. Who’s The Greatest? Matthew 18:1-4; Mark 9:33-36; Luke 9:46-47
What does it mean to be great?
Great = considerably above average in extent, amount, intensity, ability, quality, eminence, or importance

4. Who’s The Greatest? Matthew 18:1-4; Mark 9:33-36; Luke 9:46-47
There is great, greater and greatest -
but greatness in humans also demands good character qualities
A danger in striving to be great is pride, one of mankind’s chief problems 4

5. The Setting Luke 9:46-47, Mark 9:33-34; Matthew 18:1
Jesus and the disciples had come down to Capernaum from Caesarea-Philippi
Jesus asked them about what they had been discussing while traveling, but embarrassment made them silent
You cannot hide anything from Jesus - He is omniscient

6. The Setting Luke 9:46-47, Mark 9:33-34; Matthew 18:1
Jesus’ questions prompted them to reveal the subject of their argument by asking Him who’s the greatest?
They were expecting Jesus to establish His kingdom soon
Peter, James and John receiving more attention from Jesus would suggest they were more important 6

7. The Setting Luke 9:46-47, Mark 9:33-34; Matthew 18:1
Their reaction is a mirror for any of us to take warning of pride
The quest for greatness can also be pursued internally, not just externally
Displays of pride can be subtle 7

8. The Setting Luke 9:46-47, Mark 9:33-34; Matthew 18:1
Battling pride takes hard work - James 4:10 / 1 Peter 5:6
You can be humble and still have confidence and conviction
Humble people digging into God’s word together will become more mature 8

9. The Setting Luke 9:46-47, Mark 9:33-34; Matthew 18:1
Pride blocks the correction needed to improve and from doing God’s will
It is very dangerous to put yourself in the position of being superior to God and judging His revelation
It is human nature to be proud and make comparisons that are favorable to that pride 9

10. The General Principle Mark 9:35
The principle itself is simple, but contrary to the way human societies establish themselves
In the world, those who are greater are served by the lesser, but this is reversed in the Kingdom of Heaven

11. Jesus Calls a Child Matthew 18:2; Mark 9:36; Luke 9:47
Jesus calls a child to Himself to use as a practical object lesson of greatness in His kingdom
The disciples were acting childish
The greatest in the kingdom is Jesus, and you need to be like Him to be great in His kingdom

12. A Kingdom Entrance Requirement Matthew 18:3
Jesus’ statement exposes their pride and calls into question whether all of them would enter the kingdom
Assurance of salvation is based in the actions of God, not the actions of man
Many people have faith in what they have done instead of in Christ and what He has done

13. A Kingdom Entrance Requirement Matthew 18:3
Jesus questioned their salvation because it is not about doing something, it is about being something
Repentance is the change of mind brought about by being convicted of sin, righteousness and judgment 13

14. A Kingdom Entrance Requirement Matthew 18:3
Conversion means to “turn around” and is the action of the will in response to repentance - Acts 3:19, 26
Man cannot convert himself, it is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit 14

15. The Nature of a Child Matthew 18:3-4
A child is not sinless, but does posses characteristics of humility needed for faith to develop
Those who remain proud will not admit their sin or seek God’s forgiveness as He has directed

16. The Nature of a Child Matthew 18:3-4
A child may be defiant trying to get his own way, but will still yield to his parents on whom he is dependent
God will chasten a Christian to correct and bring about righteousness - Hebrews 12:4-11 16

17. The Nature of a Child Matthew 18:3-4
If you humble yourself before God, He will exalt you at the proper time as you become more like Jesus 17

18. Conclusions
Your primary concern should be getting into God’s kingdom, not who is the greatest
If you are not sure, humbly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)

19. Conclusions
If you want to be great, avoid the world’s definition of it and instead humbly follow and serve Christ
Those who are great don’t think about it - they just keep humble believing the Lord and following Him 19

20. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ