The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW “MINI” SERIES SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF GREATNESS

I. Seven Ways to Become Great in God’s Eyes

Way #1. Learn to avoid temptation (Lk 1:13-15) It was said of John in Luke 1:15:

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink … It was said of John in Luke 1:15, “ For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink … ” The Nazarite Vow (Num 6) under which John was born was all about avoiding temptation, not merely resisting it. JESUS said in Matthew 26:41, “ Watch and pray , that ye enter not into temptation: the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak .” The true mark of a great Christian lies in his/her ability to avoid temptation. The Nazarite Vow (Num 6) that John was born under was all about avoiding temptation, not merely resisting it. It is not enough just to resist temptation. If we are to be great in God’s eyes, we must avoid what we attempt to resist (Jere 35). As believers, we may be willing to fight daily temptations, but do we avoid the people, places, and things that cause us to be tempted? Therein lies the greatness . When was the last time you avoided what you were trying to resist? THE ADAGE IS TRUE: You don’t check the whorehouses to see if there’s any pretty girls there Way #2. Learn to be SPIRIT -filled for the sake of witnessing (Lk 1:13-16 and Jn 1:6-8) It was said of John in John 1:6-8: The true mark of a great Christian lies in his/her willingness to witness for CHRIST . SPIRIT fullness is for witnessing. There is no other reason for SPIRIT fullness (Acts 1:6-8 & 4:31-33). If being filled with the SPIRIT doesn’t lead to witnessing for CHRIST , it isn’t SPIRIT fullness. God called us to be concerned with world evangelism, not wild emotionalism. It is not enough to simply worship JESUS . If we are to be great in God’s eyes, we must witness about the object of our worship. As believers, we may worship God each Sunday, but do we witness for Him? Therein lies the greatness . When was the last time you witnessed about the One you worship? According to the Bible, there are five ways to receive POWER from on High in order to be a witness for CHRIST ( Eph 5:18 d ). Way #3. Learn to do and teach (Mt 5:19) It was said of Ezra in Ezra 7:10: For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments . The true mark of a great Christian lies in his/her willingness to proclaim what is practiced. It is not enough just to do. If we are to be great in God’s eyes, we must teach what we do, i.e., we must proclaim what we practice. As believers, we may go to church, but do we teach others to go to church? Therein lies the greatness . When was the last time you transferred what you believe to be true? Way #4. Learn to be humble (Mt 18:1-4) JESUS said of John in Matthew 11:7-9: What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet .” This man (John) was in total humility to the will of God for his life. You can’t say that about a lot of God’s people. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness , to bear witness of the LIGHT , that all men through him might believe . He was not that LIGHT , but was sent to bear witness of that LIGHT .

The true mark of a great Christian lies in his/her willingness to practice humility . It is not enough just to hate pride. If we are to be great in God’s eyes, we must practice the opposite of what we hate. As believers, we may profess our humility by proclaiming our hatred for pride, but do we practice what we profess? Therein lies the greatness . When was the last time you practiced humility ( I Ki 21:29 )? 1571