Matthew 18:2-4 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and sat him in the midst of them. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Are we listening people? I certainly hope so. But why are we so preoccupied with what we term greatness eh? This whole lecture of Jesus came up because His disciples asked who was the the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Does one person have to be better or greater than another? And in whose eyes, whose perception will we be greater? Each of us has a different understanding or perception of that intangible ideal. Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage, with individual roles to be played. The roles won’t all be of equal size, but they are all important for the success of the whole. Like Bruh Paul talks about the physical parts of the body having different jobs, and some parts seeming more glorified than others, but we all know the example of the least considered part, closing up and making the glorified ones go blind, deaf, dumb, limp,etc. (smile) And Jesus said the last shall be first and vice versa. But we are so taken up with, so fascinated by hierarchy and supposedly prominent positions, that oftimes we sell our souls to sit up where the air is rare. Jesus even warned that at functions we should not run to sit at the high places, for when the honoured guests arrive, we’ll be asked to move lower down. Just think what that would do to your pride. But still we behave like Miss Thomas’ puss that loved high seat, and Humpty Dumpty, who sat on a wall too high for him to handle. The result; they both fell, ‘splat!’ to their everlasting detriment. Jesus continually preached that material wealth and prominent position doesn’t guarantee life hereafter. In fact, if you focus on them, you won’t see any next life. But our society is so taken with the idea of exalted and lowly positions, that we heap honour and respect on the lawyer, the doctor, the rich and the ruling class, who do deserve a certain amount of respect, because they play important roles, but we vilify and look down on the ordinary labourer and garbage collector. But whose withholding of their services has the most profound effect eh? The lowly garbage collector. When he’s on strike, everything backs up. Mounds of garbage lie uncollected, the chances for the spread of sickness and disease greatly increase, and the ungodly stench that rises to high heaven must make Jesus exhale a sad sigh, shake His head and wonder, when will they ever learn? Yes Friends, though our seemingly insatiable desire for exalted status usually backfires, read the celebrity meltdowns, we continue to make it our focus. But as Jesus pointed out, unless we have a humble spirit, a childlike innocence, despite all our worldly riches, high positions and achievements, we wont get into heaven. How much clearer can he be? And please don’t think that having a prominent position in society is wrong, cause it’s not. It’s how we achieve what we have, and then how we use it. Achieve it honestly, with a right heart, and use it wisely, for good, should always be our motto. As Jesus said in the Beatitudes; Matt. 5:10: ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Yes Friends, it’s good advice. Let’s take it, go forth and pursue righteousness, so that we may obtain, the glorious promise of heaven. It’s the only way! Much LOVE!…to come to Jesus…is to do as He says…
Are we listening people? I certainly hope so. But why are we so preoccupied with what we term greatness eh? This whole lecture of Jesus came up because His disciples asked who was the the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Does one person have to be better or greater than another? And in whose eyes, whose perception will we be greater? Each of us has a different understanding or perception of that intangible ideal. Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage, with individual roles to be played. The roles won’t all be of equal size, but they are all important for the success of the whole. Like Bruh Paul talks about the physical parts of the body having different jobs, and some parts seeming more glorified than others, but we all know the example of the least considered part, closing up and making the glorified ones go blind, deaf, dumb, limp,etc. (smile) And Jesus said the last shall be first and vice versa. But we are so taken up with, so fascinated by hierarchy and supposedly prominent positions, that oftimes we sell our souls to sit up where the air is rare. Jesus even warned that at functions we should not run to sit at the high places, for when the honoured guests arrive, we’ll be asked to move lower down. Just think what that would do to your pride. But still we behave like Miss Thomas’ puss that loved high seat, and Humpty Dumpty, who sat on a wall too high for him to handle. The result; they both fell, ‘splat!’ to their everlasting detriment. Jesus continually preached that material wealth and prominent position doesn’t guarantee life hereafter. In fact, if you focus on them, you won’t see any next life. But our society is so taken with the idea of exalted and lowly positions, that we heap honour and respect on the lawyer, the doctor, the rich and the ruling class, who do deserve a certain amount of respect, because they play important roles, but we vilify and look down on the ordinary labourer and garbage collector. But whose withholding of their services has the most profound effect eh? The lowly garbage collector. When he’s on strike, everything backs up. Mounds of garbage lie uncollected, the chances for the spread of sickness and disease greatly increase, and the ungodly stench that rises to high heaven must make Jesus exhale a sad sigh, shake His head and wonder, when will they ever learn? Yes Friends, though our seemingly insatiable desire for exalted status usually backfires, read the celebrity meltdowns, we continue to make it our focus. But as Jesus pointed out, unless we have a humble spirit, a childlike innocence, despite all our worldly riches, high positions and achievements, we wont get into heaven. How much clearer can he be? And please don’t think that having a prominent position in society is wrong, cause it’s not. It’s how we achieve what we have, and then how we use it. Achieve it honestly, with a right heart, and use it wisely, for good, should always be our motto. As Jesus said in the Beatitudes; Matt. 5:10: ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Yes Friends, it’s good advice. Let’s take it, go forth and pursue righteousness, so that we may obtain, the glorious promise of heaven. It’s the only way! Much LOVE!…to come to Jesus…is to do as He says…
SCRIP-BITS 