Title
Code IV - The Greatest 生命密码4 - 最伟大的人
Date
07/26/2026
Description
Matthew 23:11-12 (NIV)
The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
马太福音 23:11-12 (CUVS)
你们中间谁为大，谁就要作你们的用人。
凡自高的，必降为卑；凡自卑的，必升为高。
John 15:8 (NIV)
When your lives bear much fruit, you show that you are my disciples.
This brings great glory to my Father.
约翰福音 15:8 (CUVS)
你们多结果子，我父就因此得荣耀，你们也就是我的门徒了。
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
哥林多后书 4:7 (CUVS)
我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的能力是出于神，不是出于我们。
Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.
箴言 24:16 (CUVS)
因为义人虽七次跌倒，仍必兴起。
Romans 8:10 (NIV)
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
罗马书 8:10 (CUVS)
然而基督若在你们心里，身体就因罪而死，心灵却因义而活。
John 12:25 (NIV)
Whoever loves their life will lose it, while whoever hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
约翰福音 12:25 (CUVS)
爱惜自己生命的，就失丧生命；
在这世上恨恶自己生命的，就要保守生命到永生。
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two.
马太福音 22:37-40 (CUVS)
你要尽心、尽性、尽意爱主——你的神。
这是诫命中的第一，且是最大的。
其次也相仿，就是要爱人如己。
这两条诫命是律法和先知一切道理的总纲。
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
约书亚记 1:9 (CUVS)
我岂没有吩咐你吗？你当刚强壮胆！
不要惧怕，也不要惊惶；因为你无论往哪里去，耶和华——你的神必与你同在。
The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.
For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
马太福音 23:11-12 (CUVS)
你们中间谁为大，谁就要作你们的用人。
凡自高的，必降为卑；凡自卑的，必升为高。
John 15:8 (NIV)
When your lives bear much fruit, you show that you are my disciples.
This brings great glory to my Father.
约翰福音 15:8 (CUVS)
你们多结果子，我父就因此得荣耀，你们也就是我的门徒了。
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
哥林多后书 4:7 (CUVS)
我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的能力是出于神，不是出于我们。
Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.
箴言 24:16 (CUVS)
因为义人虽七次跌倒，仍必兴起。
Romans 8:10 (NIV)
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
罗马书 8:10 (CUVS)
然而基督若在你们心里，身体就因罪而死，心灵却因义而活。
John 12:25 (NIV)
Whoever loves their life will lose it, while whoever hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
约翰福音 12:25 (CUVS)
爱惜自己生命的，就失丧生命；
在这世上恨恶自己生命的，就要保守生命到永生。
Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:
Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two.
马太福音 22:37-40 (CUVS)
你要尽心、尽性、尽意爱主——你的神。
这是诫命中的第一，且是最大的。
其次也相仿，就是要爱人如己。
这两条诫命是律法和先知一切道理的总纲。
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
约书亚记 1:9 (CUVS)
我岂没有吩咐你吗？你当刚强壮胆！
不要惧怕，也不要惊惶；因为你无论往哪里去，耶和华——你的神必与你同在。
Creator
Pastor: Mike Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3737 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
CODE IV: The Greatest
Matthew 23:11,12
We live in the age of the “Adult Temper Tantrum…” (how did we get here?)
“There must be a better way!”
Who better than Jesus to guide us to a better way of navigating through this life…
Jesus offered an entirely different Code for living
Matthew 23:11,12: "The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart. Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored."
Life (should be) about contribution
Ask: “What is my gift?” The gift you carry isn’t just for you.
The gift God gave you was never intended to stop with you.
Do you see yourself as unable to serve – to make a contribution to others?
I will say this with love: Thinking we are limited is actually true conceit.
If we accomplish something and it is all done with our own abilities, then who gets the glory? the credit? the praise? (selah)
John 15:8: When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
It isn’t about YOU – it is about the Gift.
2 Cor 4:7: “We have this treasure…”
“We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God's, not ours.”
The treasure isn't the jar. It is the gift gets the attention. The Giver gets the glory.
Paul uses this analogy to highlight a core message. The power to transform and save belongs entirely to God, not to human strength or cleverness.
When we go through difficulties or weaknesses, God's power shines through our frail humanity to make it clear where the strength is truly coming from.
Joshua 1:9: “Have boldness to share your gift…”
Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, John 8:47: If you really knew God, you would listen, receive, and respond with faith to his words.
The Secret of Living is Giving
Every culture has a code—a way of defining what success looks like. In our culture, greatness is often measured by followers, fame, influence, possessions, or power.
But Jesus completely rewrites the code.
In God's Kingdom, the greatest person in the room isn't the one being served.
It's the one serving.
The Greatest opportunity is TODAY. NOW.
Take ALL you have learned, experienced – and yes, even all you have regretted,
and use it to build your legacy.
Ed Mylett: YOU are now most qualified to help the person or people that You used to be.
Your failures become valuable the moment they become someone else's instruction.
Your scars become someone's survival guide.
Your perceived liability can be transformed into your greatest asset.
ASK: “What can I give?” “What could I give?” “What do I have to give?”
Discovering your (maybe currently) hidden gift will totally revolutionize your life.
“Let YOUR LIGHT so SHINE…” (good works)
What have you survived? What have you learned?
What mistake taught you something valuable?
What prayer did God answer? What gift have you buried?
Who needs what only you can give?
1 Corinthians 10:11: All these things happened to them as examples—as object lessons to us —to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them.
John Maxwell has a new book entitled: How to Get a Return on Failure
He asks: What would change if you stopped seeing failure as something to avoid and started using it as something to build from?
What have we learned in life that needs to be shared with others?
Some lessons are hard – but they are still lessons. (the Bible is full of these lessons)
Our learning should be used to bless others.
Honestly: Are there any success stories that don’t include set-backs and adversity?
( ) I mean… have you never seen a Rocky movie? Karate Kid?
I recently revisited Og Mandino’s classic: “A Better Way to Live”
Og Mandino (20th century writer) went from being a homeless, suicidal alcoholic to one of the world's best-selling inspirational authors.
After serving as a World War II bomber pilot, he struggled to find work, leading to severe depression, bad life choices, and the loss of his family.
Hitting rock bottom, he wandered into a library, read self-help books, and rebuilt his life.
His book, “A Better Way to Live”, not only shares his testimony of personal recovery and transformation, but also includes 17 Principles for living a better life.
Principle # 3 says, “Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders.”
It’s all about reframing the setbacks to decide how you can use these things to bless others.
"The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.”
Anyone can serve if they have the desire to.
You are not the hero because you conquered something.
You are the hero because you came back with something worth giving.
Prov 24:16: …for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again
What propels us to get back up?
I believe it is the CODE at work in our hearts, causing us to obey Jesus commands
What are those commands?
Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Tony Robbins: "Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”
"It is not what we get - but who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives."
Matthew 23:11-12: The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
We sometimes learn hard lessons
If we can humble ourselves and accept the lesson that comes with the mistakes, we can use that to make not only our own life, but the lives of others better for it having happened.
Let your test become your testimony. Let GOD put His “Super” on your “natural”
Romans 8:10: "Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God."
It’s time to pick ourselves up – or rather, let Christ pick us up, and get back into the game.
It’s time to move on - to “drive on” – to look forward instead of looking back.
Change is never a matter of ability. It's always a matter of strong enough reasons.
“Christ lives his life in you”
The world says, "Hide your failures." Jesus says, "Use them."
The world says, "Become important." Jesus says, "Become a servant."
Because the greatest people are never remembered for what they accumulated.
They're remembered for what they gave.
One day... our money (or lack of it) won't matter.
Our titles won't matter. Our possessions won't matter.
Only what we invested in people.
Only what we gave away. Only what Christ was able to do through us.
John 12:25 "The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever!"
"The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.”
Christ lives His life in you. The treasure is already there.
Your story—your victories, your failures, your lessons, your faith—can become someone else's encouragement.
We so often underestimate our potential to give – to contribute – to serve
So don't ask, 'How can I become greater?' Ask, 'How can I serve more faithfully?'
Because according to Jesus, the greatest among you will be the servant…
the one who serves from the heart.
That is the Code.
If you feel stuck - like you are missing something - and you’re exhausted from trying. The Lord is saying to you, “Look higher than you are looking! Why are trying to walk according to man’s ways and methods? Why are you trying to be provider? But if you SEEK ME, ALL THESE THINGS shall be added.”
Let's pray together.
Father, thank You for Jesus, who showed us that true greatness is found not in being served, but in serving.
Forgive us for the times we've chased applause instead of purpose, for the times we've hidden our failures instead of letting You use them.
Take our stories - the victories and the wounds, the lessons learned the hard way - and use them to encourage someone who needs exactly what we've been through.
Remind us daily that the treasure of Christ already lives in us, and that we don't need to become greater; we simply need to serve more faithfully.
Give us courage to live out this Code - to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves - starting today, starting now.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who served us first. Amen.
Matthew 23:11,12
We live in the age of the “Adult Temper Tantrum…” (how did we get here?)
“There must be a better way!”
Who better than Jesus to guide us to a better way of navigating through this life…
Jesus offered an entirely different Code for living
Matthew 23:11,12: "The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart. Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored."
Life (should be) about contribution
Ask: “What is my gift?” The gift you carry isn’t just for you.
The gift God gave you was never intended to stop with you.
Do you see yourself as unable to serve – to make a contribution to others?
I will say this with love: Thinking we are limited is actually true conceit.
If we accomplish something and it is all done with our own abilities, then who gets the glory? the credit? the praise? (selah)
John 15:8: When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
It isn’t about YOU – it is about the Gift.
2 Cor 4:7: “We have this treasure…”
“We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God's, not ours.”
The treasure isn't the jar. It is the gift gets the attention. The Giver gets the glory.
Paul uses this analogy to highlight a core message. The power to transform and save belongs entirely to God, not to human strength or cleverness.
When we go through difficulties or weaknesses, God's power shines through our frail humanity to make it clear where the strength is truly coming from.
Joshua 1:9: “Have boldness to share your gift…”
Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, John 8:47: If you really knew God, you would listen, receive, and respond with faith to his words.
The Secret of Living is Giving
Every culture has a code—a way of defining what success looks like. In our culture, greatness is often measured by followers, fame, influence, possessions, or power.
But Jesus completely rewrites the code.
In God's Kingdom, the greatest person in the room isn't the one being served.
It's the one serving.
The Greatest opportunity is TODAY. NOW.
Take ALL you have learned, experienced – and yes, even all you have regretted,
and use it to build your legacy.
Ed Mylett: YOU are now most qualified to help the person or people that You used to be.
Your failures become valuable the moment they become someone else's instruction.
Your scars become someone's survival guide.
Your perceived liability can be transformed into your greatest asset.
ASK: “What can I give?” “What could I give?” “What do I have to give?”
Discovering your (maybe currently) hidden gift will totally revolutionize your life.
“Let YOUR LIGHT so SHINE…” (good works)
What have you survived? What have you learned?
What mistake taught you something valuable?
What prayer did God answer? What gift have you buried?
Who needs what only you can give?
1 Corinthians 10:11: All these things happened to them as examples—as object lessons to us —to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them.
John Maxwell has a new book entitled: How to Get a Return on Failure
He asks: What would change if you stopped seeing failure as something to avoid and started using it as something to build from?
What have we learned in life that needs to be shared with others?
Some lessons are hard – but they are still lessons. (the Bible is full of these lessons)
Our learning should be used to bless others.
Honestly: Are there any success stories that don’t include set-backs and adversity?
( ) I mean… have you never seen a Rocky movie? Karate Kid?
I recently revisited Og Mandino’s classic: “A Better Way to Live”
Og Mandino (20th century writer) went from being a homeless, suicidal alcoholic to one of the world's best-selling inspirational authors.
After serving as a World War II bomber pilot, he struggled to find work, leading to severe depression, bad life choices, and the loss of his family.
Hitting rock bottom, he wandered into a library, read self-help books, and rebuilt his life.
His book, “A Better Way to Live”, not only shares his testimony of personal recovery and transformation, but also includes 17 Principles for living a better life.
Principle # 3 says, “Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth. Shake off your blunders.”
It’s all about reframing the setbacks to decide how you can use these things to bless others.
"The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.”
Anyone can serve if they have the desire to.
You are not the hero because you conquered something.
You are the hero because you came back with something worth giving.
Prov 24:16: …for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again
What propels us to get back up?
I believe it is the CODE at work in our hearts, causing us to obey Jesus commands
What are those commands?
Matthew 22:37-40: Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Tony Robbins: "Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.”
"It is not what we get - but who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives."
Matthew 23:11-12: The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
We sometimes learn hard lessons
If we can humble ourselves and accept the lesson that comes with the mistakes, we can use that to make not only our own life, but the lives of others better for it having happened.
Let your test become your testimony. Let GOD put His “Super” on your “natural”
Romans 8:10: "Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God."
It’s time to pick ourselves up – or rather, let Christ pick us up, and get back into the game.
It’s time to move on - to “drive on” – to look forward instead of looking back.
Change is never a matter of ability. It's always a matter of strong enough reasons.
“Christ lives his life in you”
The world says, "Hide your failures." Jesus says, "Use them."
The world says, "Become important." Jesus says, "Become a servant."
Because the greatest people are never remembered for what they accumulated.
They're remembered for what they gave.
One day... our money (or lack of it) won't matter.
Our titles won't matter. Our possessions won't matter.
Only what we invested in people.
Only what we gave away. Only what Christ was able to do through us.
John 12:25 "The person who loves his life and pampers himself will miss true life! But the one who detaches his life from this world and abandons himself to me, will find true life and enjoy it forever!"
"The greatest among you will be the one who always serves others from the heart.”
Christ lives His life in you. The treasure is already there.
Your story—your victories, your failures, your lessons, your faith—can become someone else's encouragement.
We so often underestimate our potential to give – to contribute – to serve
So don't ask, 'How can I become greater?' Ask, 'How can I serve more faithfully?'
Because according to Jesus, the greatest among you will be the servant…
the one who serves from the heart.
That is the Code.
If you feel stuck - like you are missing something - and you’re exhausted from trying. The Lord is saying to you, “Look higher than you are looking! Why are trying to walk according to man’s ways and methods? Why are you trying to be provider? But if you SEEK ME, ALL THESE THINGS shall be added.”
Let's pray together.
Father, thank You for Jesus, who showed us that true greatness is found not in being served, but in serving.
Forgive us for the times we've chased applause instead of purpose, for the times we've hidden our failures instead of letting You use them.
Take our stories - the victories and the wounds, the lessons learned the hard way - and use them to encourage someone who needs exactly what we've been through.
Remind us daily that the treasure of Christ already lives in us, and that we don't need to become greater; we simply need to serve more faithfully.
Give us courage to live out this Code - to love You with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves - starting today, starting now.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who served us first. Amen.