The online KPPI Online Service (Praise and Divine Healing Service) took place again on Monday, August 10, 2020, through the Live Streaming program on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
The Word of God was delivered by Rev. Jacob B. Sumbayak, taken from Mark 9: 33-37 about who was the greatest among Jesus’ disciples?
Jesus Teaches Who Is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
Jesus knew that His disciples were arguing about who was the greatest of them. They may have their own criteria of being called the greatest. Sometimes we also have our own criteria about it. We might say it is the greatest preacher or the one who had performed miracles mostly, and it may be the most handsome, or the smartest, and so on.
Jesus’ disciples discussed who was the greatest among them. But when this was discovered by Jesus, Jesus answered on Mark 9: 35, “Then Jesus sat down and called the twelve disciples. He said to them: “If anyone wants to be first, let him be the last of all and the servant of all.”
We can see here that the greatest disciple of Jesus and also in the Kingdom of Heaven is apparently not because of being the greatness of preaching, or bringing people converted to God the most, or do miracles the most. But Jesus Himself said that if you want to be the greatest then you have to be the last, or if you want to be the greatest you have to be the servant of all. The disciples at that time might be surprised because the greatest criteria in the Kingdom of Heaven is not what many people think.
Matthew 20: 26-27 says: “This is not the case among you. “Whoever wants to be great among you, let him be your servant, and whoever wants to be prominent among you, let him be your servant”. That is the greatest criteria that Jesus said.
Jesus did not Come to be Served but to Serve
Then, who is the example of such criteria? Who is the servants of others? We can read in Matthew 20:28, “Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
We can see here that the example is Jesus Himself. He is the Son of Man that is referred by this verse. Jesus called Himself the Son of Man or the Son of God. He came from heaven not to be served but to serve and gave His life as a sacrifice for the sins of many. Jesus came to care for us, to love us, and think about how to save us.
If Jesus didn’t want to be respected and served, then Jesus would not be born in a stable. He could have chosen to be born from a royal member in the palace so that many people would respect him. But He chose to be born in a stable. It is proof that He did not come to be served, but really wanted to serve and humbled Himself.
He came to love us. He cares for our troubles and problems. He knows human suffering, how we often failed and sinned. He knows that we get problems caused by our sins.
That’s why He wanted to die on the cross, according to God’s Word that He wants to serve us and love us. Therefore He gave His life to redeem our sins. That is what happened two thousand years ago. When His disciples argued who was the greatest among them, Jesus gave an example of Himself. That is Jesus Christ. He came and humbled Himself. He left the glorious heaven and was born to become a common human being that had to sweat to be able to eat.
Will you believe in Jesus? Come, trust in Him. Matthew 18: 3 says, “Truly I tell you, if you do not repent and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. If we do not repent and we do not become like little children, then we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A little child is not arrogant and doesn’t know how to be arrogant. A little child is innocent. Be like a child and come to God. Humble yourself before the Great God like a child.
By His Wounds We Are Healed
For those of you who have believed in Lord Jesus and sick, the Word of God in Isaiah 53: 5 says, “But he was pierced because of our rebellion, he was crushed because of our crimes; the reward which brings salvation to us is inflicted upon him, and by his stripes we are healed ”.
Jesus serves us and loves us very much. All the sufferings and punishments that we must undergo, Jesus carried them on the cross, so that we would be delivered. Therefore the Word of God says, “He gave His life for our salvation and for many people.”
Not only that, but the Word of God also says by His stripes we are healed. Jesus was scourged, Jesus suffered and was bruised, but the Word of God said it was because of His stripes that we were healed. Jesus bore all for us. Jesus took away our sins and all our sicknesses. Jesus is able to do miracles of healing for us. Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [RS/EM]