Grace in the Kingdom

Matthew 20:1–28

I. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS BUILT ON GRACE, NOT MERIT — MATTHEW 20:1–16

Ephesians 2:8–9  “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”

Galatians 6:4–5  “Let each person examine his own work, and then he can take pride in himself alone, and not compare himself with someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.”

James 1:17  “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

II. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT ABOUT POSITION, BUT SURRENDER — MATTHEW 20:17–23

Isaiah 53:3–6  “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him. Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all.”

Matthew 16:24–25  “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.’”

III. THE KINGDOM OF GOD DEFINES GREATNESS THROUGH SERVICE — MATTHEW 20:24–28

John 13:12–15  “When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done for you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.’”

Mark 10:45  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”