Expecting God To Call Us To Do Great (Hard) Things

Expecting God to Call Us to Do Great (Hard) Things

The story is told of a Sunday morning during the Civil War years when Abraham Lincoln slipped into a church with a friend to worship. After the service the friend engaged Lincoln about what he thought of the service and the sermon. Abraham Lincoln responded that he thought it had been a carefully prepared and well delivered sermon. His friend said, "then you thought it was a great message?" "No," Lincoln replied, "I thought it failed." "Why?" His friend asked. "Because he did not ask of us something great"

Jesus did not fail to ask of his disciples something great. Not only did he ask something great, he called his followers to be great. He tells us the only way to true greatness in eyes of heaven.

Mark 9:30-37; 10:32-45

In a series entitled Expect God and the message today is entitled Expecting God to Call Us to Do Great Things. Let's pray.

In his book, Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper writes about a story his father told that gripped him as a young boy. Piper's father was an evangelist, and was preaching at a church one day and at end of service an old man came forward. Man that the church had been praying for for decades, and for some reason he had come to church that night and God touched his heart with the gospel. He gave his life to Jesus Christ that night. But as he sat there, saved and forgiven of all his sins, receiving the gift of eternal life - he sobbed and sobbed these words, "I've wasted it! I've wasted it!"

John Piper asks the question,

What would it mean to waste my life? That was a burning question. Or, more positively, what would it meant to live well - not to waste life, but to...? How to finish that sentence was the question...What was the opposite of not wasting my life?

Is that a burning question for you and me? It should be. Is it possible to waste our lives? Is it possible to live well - a life that is not wasted? Go further: does God call us to do great things with our lives? Does God call us to be great? That sounds dangerous to say, because it can play to our pride and we know God doesn't play to our pride. But God does call us to be great and to do great things - as defined by Him.

I. The heart of greatness: the heart of a servant

There is a great danger of falling into pride when we talk about pursuing greatness. Almost embarrassing to talk about us being great, isn't it? Sounds proud - and maybe a little ridiculous. But that's exactly what the disciples are preoccupied with - their own greatness. Not only talking about it - arguing about it. Who is the greatest among them. Who among them will have the greatest name and the biggest corner office in heaven? Each of them were promoting themselves as the best candidate. Their conversation stinks of pride and they were understandably embarrassed later when Jesus asked them, "what were you guys discussing earlier on the road?"

But Jesus didn't stop there - cause a little later, James and John come and directly ask Jesus for that corner office - to sit on his right and his left. The wanted a prestigious position in heaven. Maybe the other disciples didn't see that they deserved that - but certainly Jesus would see it.All this sinful, pride-filled talk about greatness, it would be a good time to just say, "stop it. Don't even think about being great. Who do you guys think you are anyway?" But Jesus doesn't do that. He doesn't rebuke them for desiring greatness - he rebukes them for pursuing it in the wrong direction. He points them in right direction:

"If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." (9:35)

"But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." (10:43-44)

At the heart of true greatness, as defined by God, is the heart of a servant. Greatness pursued through lowering ourselves and becoming a servant to all is a safe - and true - way of pursuing greatness.

Sin in our hearts turns a pursuit of greatness into a pursuit of personal promotion. Our sinful hearts define greatness as being known as greater than others. It pursues greatness by self-promotion - rather than serve others, we step on others to promote ourselves. Even when pride serves, it serves others because it sees them as a stepping stone to higher places, not out of genuine love.

I is at the center of pride - true, pride says the door marked "I" is door to greatness. Jesus points to a different door: the servant's entrance. Lower yourself, become last, serve everyone, receive a child. It's not to promote - it's to demote. It's the stuff that looks demeaning to the world. It has no attraction to world or to our fallen hearts. But there is a beauty that the regenerated heart can glimpse. It's the most beautiful thing in world, and our Savior did not just point to the door - he led the way through that door.

Did you otice the sad contrast Mark records? The disciple's arguments about who is greatest were kicked off by Jesus' prediction of his own humiliation, rejection, and execution.

Jesus' greatness is most gloriously seen - not in his ascension to heaven where he is above all authority and powers - but in his coming to earth as a servant. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Nowhere is Jesus' greatness more amazing than at Calvary - pure and selfless love. Jesus came to earth to suffer and die for others - out of love for them and love for glory of God. He who was equal with God emptied himself and became a servant. He humbled himself even to point of the death of a criminal. It was low and humiliating. It was beautiful. It was great.

When our hearts see the beauty of Jesus' greatness then we can hear his call to reflect his greatness by serving others. We can live for a higher purpose than to promote ourselves: we promote Christ. We influence other people toward him.

Every life has some degree of influence. As a young man I read Ray Bradbury's "The Sound of Thunder" in which some people go on a time travel safari - but are warned they must not touch or damage anything. One person accidentally steps off the trail and kills a butterfly. When they get back, find everything has been changed by influence (or lack of) of that dead butterfly.

Each our lives gives off ripples. We affect people, influence people. Some make big ripples in time and history -such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Hitler, Abraham Lincoln, they make large ripples that have tremendous influence and affect thousands, millions of lives. Some make ripples that are known the world over - such as actors or athletes or other famous people - that are wide but forgotten in a short time.
For most of us, let's face it, the ripples of our lives don't extend very far. Pretty small. History isn't radically altered by your life or mine. But it would be a mistake to think that your life doesn't mean much. The bible would tell us something very different. Greatness isn't measured by the size of the ripple - but rather the direction of the ripple. Where does it move people? Does it move them towards the love of God and towards eternal life? Does it move people away from God and His glory?

The motive of pride wants to produce a splash that calls attention to ourselves - moves people usward- a direction that is in the end, both empty and destructive. Humility and love wants to serve people by influencing them toward God and His glory - which is life for them and brings glory to God.

The paradox is that greatness is found in realizing we have no greatness. It's pointing to the One who is truly great and longing that others know and love and worship Him. But in doing that - pointing and loving and serving so that others know His greatness, that makes a life that is great in eyes of heaven. The eyes of God.

II. Expecting God's call to do great things

Expect God to ask of you something great. Expect the call. Five ways to "expect the call":

1. Serve the Lord with gladness (Ps. 100:2)

At the heart of a great life is a life of service - serving others because you are serving the Lord. That service is to be joyful - it is a glad thing to be able to serve the Lord. Ps. 100:2 commands us to inject joy in our service - if the Lord is worthy of serving, He is worthy of serving gladly. But it is also true that serving the Lord, serving others, serving His church, serving the lost, brings joy to our hearts. Joy of a life well lived - not wasted.

2. Expect God to call you to serve in ways that involve risk

The Lord calls us to serve Him right where we are - talk about that in a moment. But that doesn't mean serving God means staying right where we are in every way. Usually involves stepping out of comfort zone to do something seems risky.

I was talking to Jason Reyes - Jason recently moved from a pastoral position in Chesapeake church out to the Akron church to become senior pastor. Jason will be our guest speaker here in two weeks. But as Jason was praying and struggling with question of whether he was called to leave a very secure and familiar position for a very stretching and unknown position, the pastors asked him a question: is the gospel worth risking failure for?

Piper claims it is better to lose your life than to waste it. God is calling some of us to serve in new ways - to seek a great life and to pursue doing great things in serving the Lord, but we're afraid. Risk. Take it. Jesus is worth risking failure - even death - for.

Risk brings opportunity: trust God, depend on God, listen for God, learn from God. In end, there really is no risk - because we know God's cause will be gloriously successful. But the steps we take may indeed fail. Risk failure. It's worth it - better to lose your life than waste it.

3. Don't set your heart on a position, set the position of your heart to serve

James and John got their eyes on a position and began to jockey for that position. Jesus adjusted their hearts away from the position (it's not mine to give) to the service (you will indeed be baptized and drink the cup). It is enough to serve the Lord.

Greatness does not come with position. If God brings a position, fine. But don't set your heart on a position, set the position of your heart to serve - serve without fanfare, without applause, without recognition. Serve as unto Jesus. Serve for reward that comes later. If a position finds you - hold it lightly for it doesn't define you, nor does it define or produce your service. Jesus calls us to find our joy in serving, not in position.

4. Don't let fear of pride paralyze you!

All our motives are mixed - if we wait until we serve with perfect motives we will be paralyzed for rest of lives. Seek to put pride to death - but don't expect it to be entirely gone before you serve. God only uses imperfect vessels - all He has on this earth!

5. Understand that most great things are small things that go unnoticed

Good news for ordinary, unfamous, ungreat people like you and me. The call to be great and do great things can be answered in the most ordinary life and walked out in the smallest of things. In fact, it might be argued, that it's the smallest things that often turn out to be the greatest.

In their best-selling book, Doing Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris have a chapter called Small Hard Things where they propose that the hardest things to do are often not the big and challenging stuff, but the little day to day stuff. But they point out that it's that little, day to day, doesn't seem that important and certainly not glamorous, stuff that makes up life. Stuff that no one notices, no one applauds, doesn't seem to make any difference - adds up and faithfully attended to - have tremendous ripple effects in the lives of those around us - faithfully, if quietly, pointing them to Jesus.

This means we have opportunities to do little things that no one notices - but will have great ripple effects that glorify God and move people to love Jesus.

Last week, Art Monk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was the workhorse receiver for the Washington Redskins, for many years holding records for most single season receptions and all time receptions record. Art is a quiet and humble Christian man, and his son's introduction of him at the Hall of Fame induction is very revealing:

You know, growing up as a son of Art Monk is something that I would never ever change for the world. And as his son, there's always been this question I could never escape, that I could never avoid, that I could never get away from and that was: Do you want to be like Art Monk when you grow up? Now, you think such an easy question would have such an easy answer. Let me tell you a few things that go into answering this question ...

After sharing the things he observed in his dad's life off the field, James Monk Jr. concluded the introduction with this answer:

So to answer the question, do you want to be like Art Monk when you grow up, my answer is I'd rather be like Dad. Dad, thank you for being the man of God that God has called you to be, and for raising me in the same way. As your best friend, as your admirer, as your biggest fan and as your son, I want to tell the whole world that I love you and I'm truly honored and blessed to induct you into the 2008 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As read that, get the distinct impression that what made Art Monk great in his son's eyes had nothing to do with receptions in football games. It was the little, ordinary, no-one-notices type stuff that we all can do. This is what produced lasting ripples in his son's life and moved him toward God and Christ.

Monk was not a flashy receiver like some more recent players - he wasn't the deep threat or great play-maker that the last decade has seen. One sports writer writes about this:

Redskins fans never waited for that great Monk play to happen. They were busy watching important ones happening like clockwork.

We can waste our lives trying to make some "great play" while the important ones are getting by us. Jesus tells us it's not the one who's trying to make the "great plays" - be known as great - who will be great or do great things. It's the one who does the important things - serve others, take the last place, love people, point humbly to Christ with their life - who will be great in the kingdom of God.

We can do that right where we are. Right who we are. Let's expect God to call us to do great things.