And thats pretty much the way the Authorized or the King James translates it. You are loved, and you are valuable. The Promises of God are SURE. Where His power is, there is greatness. Try Because we simply cant believe that God can do anything great with us. There, all our desires shall be satisfied. Log In Tremendous, tremendous man. He is it. In fact, do you know something? He was a man so consumed by a greater cause in his own mind that he couldnt be attracted to the system. And, in the next few months, we will be adding additional features that will allow you to access past donation and purchase history 24/7 through your login. To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. You are the residence of greatness, because there is a great God who has decided to reside in you. And, by the way, it had been 400 years since there had been a prophet, 400 years silence. And there was a tremendous amount of excitement. But the ONE they bragged TO, was the SEED of Greatness; Jesus! But thirdly, youve got to have the right impact. The Ayin represents inner reflection. The greatest man that ever lived. He stood there for a awhile as if struggling with himself. The great ones, its they have a way of being followed by a cloud of dust. It doesnt come from how many Twitter followers you have. Thats a mark of their greatness. True greatness is not found in finding people who think you are great and having them serve you. In v. 3-4, he shouts out, "Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. He knew what was right and he would do it. John was great. How could you be more than a prophet? And the Lord is saying did you go out there because he was just a common ordinary garden variety guy, blown around like everybody else with no strength and no conviction? It comes from Almighty God! It is brown in color, stream lined in shape, and so small that if I dropped it, I would have difficulty finding it again. And by the way, you might be interested in knowing, I did a little reading on the background of that statement. In fact, the whole leadership of Israel had let Herods sin pass, Herods horrible adultery and Herods illicit marriage. In fact, today were going to meet a man who is from a common humble family, no wealth, no worldly education, no success, no particular physical beauty, no earthly possession or position, and yet our Lord says hes the greatest human being who ever lived. He was no part of the system at all. Now listen carefully. When He spoke and commanded the earth to bring forth plants, it did so because the seed was already there (see, 10 Reasons God Might Not Be Blessing Your Life, 9 Christians You Don't Want to Sit Beside on Sunday Morning, 6 Truths about Jesus Coming into the World, Inspiring Mother Breaks Down after Earning Golden Buzzer with Celine Dion Hit, 7 Ways Anxiety Dominates the Christian Mind. He was moved by God to write Ps. When he confronted the Jews, things became explosive. If you have professed God as your Lord and Jesus as your Savior, then you need to know that the power of God lives in you. And this is a second mark of the personal character of greatness. There never was a prophet with more human talent and a more significant role to play in human history than John the Baptist. Part of the reason that many of us don't realize that we carry seeds of greatness is because we've had so many negative things happen to us. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. 4) Greatness doesn't court popularity or follow the masses. And then it would also at the end of the verse it would mean violent men are seizing it. God qualifies greatness in His eyes by death. God help such mistaken piety. Well, they didnt receive the kingdom, did they? What do they do with their child who is struggling? Let the seeds of greatness that You placed in us bear an abundance of fruit ( John 15) that will bring glory and honor to You in the earth. AMEN! Cinde Lucas is an ordinary person, who happens to LOVE to encourage and motivate people! In this expression of Gods greatness, he concludes by bringing all of this to a personal level. All of our lives we have heard parable defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Simply this. Let the Water of Your Spirit flow within us and water the seeds that still have not come to life. You are loved, and you are valuable. And here we meet such a person. Bow your heads with me. Back to verse 11, and heres where we end. And so, he acted upon that admission. The Sunday Mail. Jesus also taught in paradox. This is a Psalm of worship and in his worship, he is expressing the greatness of God. Now, Im going to give you a little, sort of an interpretive lesson. He touched the living Christ. Then mind keeps him deeply asleep in his dreary world of illusions, so that he could somehow bear the squeezing and pressing of this limited reality. It is not for those who want to go say goodbye to their mother, it is not for Demases. Fairs sermon speaks of the possibility that each of us have with Gods love and guidance. Its too bad he wasnt blown off. You know, the greater ones are the focus of attention, arent they? His name was Jesus. WebGreatness is often temporary; there is always someone who will come in and replace you. Ever since hes been around weve had problems. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.. your servant. And John had at least enough humility to say I dont know. Pray the above verses of hope over your life. The Pharisees and the scribes had vigorously attacked the Kingdom. Theyre stepping out. For this is he of whom it is written, Behold I send My messenger before thy face who shall prepare thy way before thee.. This great proclamation got you an all-expense-paid trip to prison. AND the best bit.YOU keep control of YOUR money. In other words, God's greatness makes him stronger than all the gods of the universe and God's greatness makes him stronger than all the nations of the world. He rules the gods and he rules the nations, FOR (because) he is great and does wondrous things; he alone is God. Did you know that? In fact, according to Luke 1:15, it said He would drink neither wine nor strong drink. And that meant he took a Nazarite vow. Because everybody has weaknesses, everybody has failings and infirmities and problems. You generation of snakes, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Acording to Matthew 21:26, everybody knew he was a prophet. Put your name in the verses. He was greater than Abraham. It also is used to express the idea of having something in common. And the multitude had heard this whole conversation, and they were now aware of Johns doubt. He had dynamic ability to communicate. Is it True for Christians That 'Once Saved, Always Saved'? The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. And what Hes saying is, if you wanted to find some spineless people there are plenty of them right where you were. There are families who are in search of answers to great problems that are housed within the walls of their home. Now, theres one more statement and this message is finished. Great truth. Jesus said If youre going to come unto Me then you must deny yourself, take up your What? God can break that and our hearts respond. And his food was locusts and wild honey. Hes not as hot as we thought he was. WebIts a very tender and touching sceneone of the most moving and heartwarming farewell speeches thats ever been recorded in literature. But secondly, lets assume we translate it reflexively, it would read this way, and and by the way, the verb form can be either way so we just have to take our choice here. If you would capitalize on your potential you must keep at it, no matter what. He was a man who would recognize weakness; he would see it for what it was. So the emperor discussed with his advisers what they could do to this prisoner. I think Ill turn around and go fishing. Thats the way our life is, more leisure. The guy was so remarkable that people thought he was the Messiah. He was the greatest. John ushered Him into three years of effective ministry. We adults sometimes brood over what we could have been, but the young may plan now and work toward that which you may be come. And, also, because he had been in prison for about a year his unfulfilled expectation of the Messianic kingdom made him question and doubt and become perplexed. Theyre thinking, well, John, I mean, hes doubting. Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness. He will have been that Elijah. The bottom line in Scripture is that God hates pride and honors humility. He had the marks that it takes to be great, to be a cut above, to be set apart, to be unique. And here we meet such a person. Some of you wish to learn, and some do not, and there are others who do not want any-one else to learn. He said afterwards, That was the most important lesson I have ever had. Look ahead, hold on to your goals and keep pedalling. And that we may, let us hold fast by the Source of all greatness, Christ Himself, and so No views Dec 31, 2022 0 Dislike Share Save broroy40 Subscribe New Year Sermon 2023! His cause was not to see how easy it could be on him, and if he could just hang around long enough to fall into the gravy like so many people who are hoping that every day their ship will come in. David uses the word amam. God's plans and purposes (seeds of greatness) for our lives have become buried and/or they are dormant, waiting for the right Words of Life to germinate them into action. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Now that is an amazing statement. And the first response the Lord talks about is the response of doubt and John is His illustration, and we see that John doubted. Simeon spent 37 years on different pillars, each one higher and narrower than the last, and his last pillar was 66 feet high. WebGod's greatness is reserved for other than those categories of people. And I told you last time that that was a difficult circumstance for a man whod known freedom, who had known freedom, who had known freedom all his life. This simple 5-step process will securely attach all existing account information to your new login provided there is a name and email match. Very much out of her comfort zone and fearful for her life, God called her to speak up and save her people. The truly great people are the people who can deny themselves. 3 attributes we find in Pauls heart: 1. True greatness is being in Gods Kingdom. But as Christians, we have God to give us that direction. He not only predicted the Messiah, he actually baptized the Messiah. It was the right moment. One in his power and in his person and with his kind of character. You didnt come out here because he was weak. And Johns message was so decisive that it created a violent reaction and all of that is true. He never quit. Thank you that you have good things stored up, prepared and ready for us. September 22-23, 2012 God has called you to greatness. God desires to make you great. Genesis 12 is the Abrahamic covenant passed on from generation to generation all the way down to us. Abraham sacrificed everything and followed God. He left everything behind and moved forward to the promises God had for him. If they wanted weak, vacillating, ordinary reeds that blew around with every wind, they could have found them all over their religious system. Its for men and women who are willing to enter it and affirm the Lordship of Christ. It means the very opposite. How does he deal with it? Some would say the geniuses of the world. Can we believe him? Why? Because hes searching for greatness. And I like that second view because it expresses the flow of context which is a commendation of John. He is calling apostate Israel to repent. He not only said, by the way, He will come, He will come, He will come, but one day he said, Here He is. He is more than a prophet, because he was not only the last prophet, but the forerunner of Christ, the baptizer of Christ, the fulfillment of prophecy. Im here to tell you that the simple fact isgreatness doesnt come from fame. The key to greatness is to have a servant's heart. He made waves. GDPR is the new European privacy regulation, which will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in the UK and the equivalent legislation across the EU Member States. It is not for would-be disciples who want to go home and collect their inheritance. We find it as far back, even prior to the establishing of the Jewish nation, as the book of Job. How great is the sweetness which a soul experiences when, in the time of prayer, God, by a ray of His own light, shows her His goodness and His mercies towards her, and particularly the love which Jesus Christ has borne to her in His Passion! There is undeveloped greatness in young people. Your greatness is waiting to be revealed, and I cannot wait to see all that you will accomplish. Totum est quod velis. find it. No. (Amen!) Visit Overflow Ministries at www.CindeLucas.com. Third thing, his life was also marked and this is another mark of his personal character by self-denial. original sound - Stephanie Atkinson. And he had to go to some extremity to pull that off. In Heaven, you have all you can desire. To be UNLEASHED is to be no longer tethered to The kingdom is not for deferred prayers or unfulfilled promises or broken resolutions, or hesitant testimonies. Thats why at the end of verse 11 He says, Notwithstanding, or in spite of his greatness, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Now, what Hes saying is this and Ill give you the thesis at the beginning and then well build to it when it comes to human talent and playing a role in human history, there has never been anybody as great as John the Baptist. Its about group pride. He is the greatest human being ever to live up until his time. The question is whether or not you can overcome them and that is the mark of greatness. It is not for Balaams, it is not for rich young rulers. There was electricity in the air when John came on the scene. WebToday's sermon is provided by Min Phyllis givens for Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church. He was Gods tool to purify the people. If you are of this mindset, then think about Adam for a moment. Teach us to walk in Your Ways so that our lives will be like Trees that bear fruit for others to partake of. Mattie sat still for a half hour longer, then got up and walked to first base. And then because of his privileged calling. He stood apart, unstained by the system. There are thousands of blossoms and green leaves and honey for the bees to gather and later there are branches bending with ripe apples. And so, the Lord begins in verse 7 to reaffirm in their minds his true greatness, because people are so often prone to assume that to admit weakness is not to be great when just the opposite is true. As men just stood back and perceived him, there was never anybody like him. Well, basically, that is a sort of a Jewish reference, or a sort of an ancient reference to the human race. Now that is a mark of greatness. What was it that attracted you to that man? It was a time of great persecution for Christians. You just have to be willing to follow His lead. If they wanted to see that they could see that everywhere. What it says then, is that the kingdom is moving ahead and forceful people are entering it. The John of Your Kingdom was greater than the John born of women, as great as he was. 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