It's Time To Be Great | Pastor Jamal Hegwood | Forward City Church

What's up, Forward City family? It's Pastor Jamal here, and I am so excited about the word that I have for you today. Today, we are in week three of our level up series, and I get to preach a word entitled, "It's time to be great." Listen, everybody wants to be great, but we don't understand the cost to greatness.

And that's what we're going to discuss today. I need you to get your notepad. I need you to get your pencil, text a few people, send this link out because this word is for everyone. I love you so much. Sit down, relax, be sure to take notes because I think that there's going to be something for you.

Luke 19, starting in the first verse. Can we give it up for our pastors? Pastor Travis, Dr. Jackie, they are in Johannesburg, South Africa right now, I believe, on tour, second leg of the tour. God is using them mightily. I love PT. he on tour getting ready to get on stage and sing and he literally finds the time to text me and tell me he loves me and he's praying for me.

That's the type of leaders that we have. Selfless. Um, but I also am grateful for a church that allows for our leaders to do all that God called them to do, >> to be mature enough to where when God calls them to do something else, they can say yes. >> And they don't feel like they're crippled to hear and they can't obey God.

There >> we're in uh Luke chapter 19 going to read a couple verses. Bible says Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man named there was a man there named Zakius. He was a chief tax collector and he had become very rich.

He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore fig tree beside the road for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked at Zakius and called him by name.

Zakius, he said, quick, come down. Somebody say, "Quick, >> quick, >> come down. >> Come down." >> I must be a guest in your home today. Zakius quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. Father, I thank you for all that you've done, but also thank you for this time.

Speak through me in Jesus name. Amen. On the way to your seat, tell two people the title of this message. Say, "Neighbor, >> neighbor, >> it's time to be great. It's time to be great. >> It's time to be great. It's time to be great. I am so honored and excited to be able to preach in this sermon series.

When I first heard um about this sermon series, Level Up, it intrigued me because we are in a culture and generation that loves to level up and we chase after leveling up. We all, you know, if we're honest, we we like the nice car. We like the nice house.

We we like to look good. Now, y'all probably not going to agree with me after last week's message cuz he stepped on all of our toes. So, it's okay. Um, but we all like nice things. Um, and we all like to level up. But when I first heard about this uh sermon series, it reminded me of a guilty pleasure of Pastor Jamal.

I'm going to be very honest and vulnerable with you um in this sermon. Uh and I'm going to start with this. Pastor Jabal loves playing games on his phone. If I could do anything in my free time, it's that. Okay, I'm talking Scrabble, Uno, Township, Candy Crush, uh uh what's the other?

Scrabble, Word, all that. All that, right? But but a couple weeks ago or this week actually, I got introduced to a new game. Um and it's been taking up all my time. It's called Card Jam. Now, I don't know if you've ever played it. If you do, it's a rabbit hole.

Trust me. Like, you're going to be playing it all day. I I I got I downloaded it and I see it and I say, "Call, it's pretty easy. Cars are all, you know, jumbled together. It's like a puzzle. You press the car, you get it out. It's pretty simple."

Let me tell y'all something. Car jam has been eating Pastor Jamal alive, y'all. Typically, I'm pretty good at these games. Puzzles, all that. I'm good. Car Jam has been tearing me up. Here's where they got you. The first level was super easy. First level was about four or five cars.

Boom, boom, bam. You're done. Great. Then on the screen, a message pops up that says difficulty up. Okay. You know, that's not that's nothing. That's fine. Level two. How hard could it be? I knew it was bad when we went from five cars to about 70. I said we we missed a whole lot of numbers right up in there.

Level two had me stuck for hours. I mean, I was so disappointed with myself. I almost threw my phone across the room. Y'all nephew felt like he had to console me cuz he was watching me play the game. And he was not used to me losing that much.

I mean, he was like almost woo. Oh. Um, it's okay, daddy. It's okay. You're doing so good. You know, and that was making me mad even more cuz I'm like, if you don't be quiet, I'm trying to focus. And so level two, well, I'm level two. And and after hours, I get through level two.

And I said to myself, it was just a fluke. Level two, I didn't have strategy. Level three not going to be that bad. Difficulty up one. I get to level three. Level three was that it was worse. It was worse. I'm stuck on level three for days, y'all.

And every time I would lose, there was this message that would pop up on the screen and and it would say, "For $19.9 you can purchase this package with coins, extra moves, all kind of stuff." And initially, I was telling myself, "That's cheating. I'm not going to do that.

I'm gonna get through this." But that game beat me down so bad. I said, "I'll pay anything to be great." How much is it? $1.99. Click. I I was willing to pay anything to be great because one of my motivations when I play the games are the leaderboards.

I want to see my name on the leaderboard. I don't like seeing all these other names from China and India and South Africa. I'm like, "No, I want my name on the leaderboard." So, I'm like, I am willing to pay anything. It was just $2. But still, I'm willing to pay anything to be great.

Greatness for me with with Card Jam is being on the leaderboard. But, but as I was, you know, thinking about this sermon, it caused me to question, what does greatness look like in the kingdom? >> Like, like like greatness in the world are things and accolades and fame and fortune.

Greatness in Kaj Jam is being on the leaderboard. But in the kingdom, what does greatness truly look like? Be because here's the reality. Greatness is defined in the kingdom much differently than it is defined in the world. >> And today I'm going to give us three truths about greatness.

And the first is simple. And if we're all honest in the room, we can say that we all want to be great. >> I I want to be great. I I want I want to be great. Now, here is the master question. How are you defining greatness? >> Because because it's very important to ask yourself this.

Do you want to be seen as great in man's eyes >> or do you actually want to be great in God's eyes? What I do not want is for me to live my entire life thinking that I was great and then get up to heaven and he tell me that I was not. >> That to me is one of the scariest things is that I lived thinking that I was great and he looks me in my eyes and says actually >> you weren't. >> See, because the Bible defines greatness very simple.

Matthew 23:11, it says this. Please, please don't don't come attack me. This is the Bible. It says, "The greatest among you must be a servant." >> Hold up, hold up. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The Bible goes even further in Mark 10 because it says Jesus says, this is Jesus saying this, but among you it will be different.

Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that my definition of greatness has to be different than the world's definition? Jesus says, "I don't care what they're doing. Among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant." >> And then it says, "Whoever wants to be first among you >> must be the slave >> of everyone else.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served, >> but to serve others. Watch this. And to give his life as ransom for many. >> Y'all, this this does not make sense because this to me seems upside down. You are telling me that the key to greatness is me serving.

I thought the key to greatness was more Instagram posts. I thought the key to greatness was the algorithm. I thought the key to greatness was posting more. I thought the key to greatness was shaking the right hand so I could get the right promotion. I thought the key to greatness was getting more degrees.

I thought the key to greatness was changing jobs so that I could get more money. I thought the key to greatness were all of these other things when instead Jesus is saying you must serve >> in order to be seen as great. >> See, here's the reality. I was willing to pay for something that could help me achieve greatness in a game because I was sick of losing.

And I and I personally think that Zakius was in the same situation because the Bible calls Zakius the chief tax collector. And it was interesting when I studied the chief tax collector was someone who had to place a bid in order to be become the tax collector. So what that means is people in the region would pay more money to be able to collect taxes.

I personally think that Zakius probably walked around and he was short and he probably got bullied and people probably talked about him and I think Zakius was sick of people making fun of him and Zakius said, "You know what? I am going to do something about this. I am going to pay to be great. >> And think about your own life.

In what areas are you willing to pay to be great? >> Zakius said, I you know what? I I I think that I am willing to pay enough, do enough, say enough to where people can think that I'm great, but in actuality, he was lacking. See, see, by Rome's standards, Zakius was doing good.

He making the money. But by God's standards, Zakius was lacking. And here's why. Here's why. God's definition of greatness isn't climbing higher, it's coming lower. >> Let me say that one more time. God's definition of greatness isn't climbing higher, it's coming lower. What does that mean? God is not impressed that you got that promotion.

That's true. >> Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. God is not impressed that you have more than 10,000 followers. God is not impressed by that new brand deal because it is not about how high you climb. It is about how low you get. What does that mean? What that means is does the promotion change your attitude? >> Does the brand deal change your heart >> now?

Because you get paid more. Do you refuse to tithe? >> Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Now, because you got the promotion, do you still have time to serve? >> Oh, let let's let's go into the house. Now, sir, now that you got the promotion or you have the business, do you still have time to spend with your wife and kids?

Has the climbing higher stopped your getting lower? >> Remember the scripture told us in Matthew that the greatest among you must be a servant. And then Mark said, "Even the Son of Man came not to serve, but to serve others." And here's the lesson I need you to resolve right now.

Jesus set the standard for greatness. Here, here's what I mean by that. Everything we know about Jesus is because he chose to come down. >> Wait. Okay. Let me help you. Let me help you. Let me help you. Let me help you. We know Jesus because he decided to leave heaven, come down to earth, and be among us. >> Everything about Jesus was about getting lower.

This man would heal people and then say, "Don't tell nobody. You prayed for somebody with a cold >> and two days later they got better and now you selling healing cloths. Y'all don't want to talk to me. Jesus said, ((applause)) >> you got a healing ministry, baby. They took Tylenol.

It worked. It got it got better. You marketing yourself as a healing evangelist. Jesus healed folks and literally said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't tell anybody." I I love the story of of of of Jesus feeding the 5,000. But then, but then Jesus teaching the sermon on the mount because the sermon on the mount was literally Jesus seeing people following him and saying, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

I have to make sure you're clear on the cost. So before you keep following me, I'm going to teach you what it takes. Everything was about coming down. Which brings me to the second thing we have to understand about greatness. The second thing is simple. The cost of greatness is humility. >> I know.

I know. I know. You thought the cost of greatness was the grind. You thought the cost of greatness was working harder. You thought the cost of greatness was a better graphic or a better video. You thought the cost of greatness was just if you tweet your resume. No.

The cost of greatness is humility. One of our favorite parts of the scripture that we read is found in verse 5. It says, "When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zakius and called him by name. Zakius, he said." Now, a lot of people, they love the fact that he knew his name.

I love the fact that he knew his name, too. But more importantly, the next thing Jesus says is, "Quick, >> come down. Quick, come down." Turn to your neighbor and say, "Quick, >> quick, >> come down." >> If you, if you're watching online, type in, say, >> quick, >> calm down.

With this simple instruction, Jesus didn't just invite Zakius down from a tree. He invited Zakius down into greatness. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. You may be asking yourself, you may be asking yourself, well, Pastor Jamal, how how do I know I need to come down in an area?

Because Zakius, he was not only high in a tree, but he was also high in status. He had built this life. He had done these things that he may or may not have been proud of. And he finds himself in a tree just trying to get a glimpse at Jesus.

And the first thing Jesus tells him is to come down. And you may be wondering, well, maybe I'm in a tree. Maybe I I'm in in a high place. And you may be wondering, how do I know? It's very simple. It's very simple. It's somewhere that you ran ahead of God. >> The Bible says that Zakius in verse four, uh, chapter 4, chapter 19, verse4, it says, "So he ran ahead and climbed the sycamore tree.

Jesus was moving and Zakius felt it was necessary to run ahead of him. Here's one question. In what area of your life are you running ahead of God? >> Running ahead of instruction. Running ahead of wisdom. Running ahead of what he said here. Here's the bigger thing. Running ahead with what you thought your life should look like. >> Here, here's something to remember.

The tree itself wasn't bad. him choosing to stay there would have been the problem. >> Let me let me tell you a little bit about my quick come down moment. I I preached my first sermon when I was 13 and um at the time in little you know Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I was born and raised in a uh KIC church and um well I spent a little bit time everywhere but where where I spent most of my time was in a kic church. I preached my first sermon at 13 and I kind of became a boy wonder. Every church wanted to have the 13-year-old preacher.

And so I would go and and let me tell y'all, all I was doing was stealing messages off of TBN and Word Network. I I I can I can confess it now, but you know, I'm TDJ. Everybody I saw on Word Network. I'm just taking the messages and I'm preaching.

But but but but I always knew that I wanted to to be in ministry. I knew that God had called me to ministry at an early age. And so I had built this idea of ministry in my head. I said, "Man, everybody in Milwaukee, Wisconsin want me to preach."

So of course, everybody around the world wants to hear me preach. I said, "I'm going be 18. I'm going to go to college. I'm go to Bible college and and and I'm just going to travel the world and I'm going to be like all these big preachers and everything's going to be great."

I went off to college and I was in Bible college. Um, and I remember being there and I was a little bit confused because a requirement to us getting our degree was us having to serve. And I remember that they would choose where you served in your first year.

And I will never forget my first serving opportunity was at Uptown Baptist Church for their Monday meal. I had never done anything like serving at Uptown Baptist Church for their Monday meal. We were serving the homeless and the underserved. And I remember that I literally would have to make food for people that smelled and and for people that were drunk and for people that were high and for people that literally didn't even know where they were.

We were getting cussed out because the food was too hot or the food was too cold. And I will never forget the pastor of that church. He told me one day, he said, "What I do on Monday nights is more important than any sermon I'll ever preach." >> I said, "Y'all, that's great.

That's fantastic. Good for you. But I'm called to the nations. I'm called to preach." And I'll never forget, I got I got an opportunity. I got an opportunity um to intern at a church. And And before uh you know, I thought I said, "Man, they going to pay me to do just what?

Come on now. I'm gonna get this full-time job. I'm gonna get this internship because the job description was a full-time job. So, I said I said, "I'm gonna get this full-time job." And then, um uh we didn't talk numbers. And so, they said, "Uh" I said, "Hey," I said, "How much I'm getting paid?"

They said, "Uh, we'll give you uh $200." I said, "A week?" They said, "No, a month if we feel like it." I said, but I thought that things were going to look >> a different way. And in that moment, I remember God saying to me, "Are you willing to come down?" >> H how how do I know this?

Because I went from preaching on the stage to making coffee. >> I went from preaching on the stage to cleaning toilets. I went from preaching on the stage to making sure that the kids ministry had the printouts that they needed. I went from preaching on a stage to cleaning up in the lobby and making sure that the the grass was cut outside.

I I went from preaching on a stage to making sure that everything was needed. I I had to come down from what I thought my life was going to look like into what greatness really looked like. My question to you is are you willing to come down from the idea of your life that you have built. >> Zakius had built an idea of his life and Jesus invited him to come down from that into greatness.

It's it's it's laying down your status, your ego, your wealth. It's laying down what you feel like you should be able to do. And I know I know you might be thinking, "But what will people think about me?" Quick, come down. Cuz it's not about that. It's about what he's called you to do.

Well, what will people say about me? Quick, come down. It's not about that. It's about what he says about you. I know you're like, "But but Pastor Jamal, I I'm I'm Elder so and so. I'm Bishop so and so. Do you know how powerful I am? My personal time with God is huh?

It's not about that. Quick, come down. Are you willing to come down? Are you willing to get low? Are you willing to do the hard thing? I know that you have created this idea of your life in your hand, but God is asking for you to come down.

Well, I'm not giving to that church cuz I don't know what they would do with my money. Uh-uh. No. Quick, come down. It's not about that. You're not giving to a man. You're giving to me. I need for you to know that coming down is the way that you come up.

I'm telling y'all, I thought that my life was going to look easier. >> I had created a narrative of how God was supposed to make me great. >> And God had to invite me out of my narrative >> and into his greatness. You want to be great on your job, look for the tree you need to come down from. >> Oh, y'all not going to like this.

Maybe your next promotion on that job is you coming out of your pride and being the solution to the problem you keep complaining about. Okay, let me talk to y'all over here. Maybe the solution to the trauma and the baggage in your family is you coming down out of your ego >> and being the one to bring everybody together. >> Let me talk to y'all.

Maybe the greatness that you're searching for in your finances can be found when you come down >> out of that ego, out of that pride to say, "I don't know what I'm doing and I need some help." Quick come down. Here's the most beautiful part about the story.

Verse 8 tells us, "Meanwhile, Zakius stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord. And if I have wronged or cheated anybody in their taxes, I will give them back four times as much." Here's the thing. Zakius's proximity to greatness quickly helped him realize that greatness wasn't found in anything he had attained on his own.

He he realized that the only price to pay in order to be great was being willing to come down. >> See, most people when they read this story, they would assume that Zakius's greatness began in verse 8 when he decided to give away everything that he he had attained.

But I disagree. I think that Zakius's greatness was attained in verse six. Verse six simply says in response to Jesus saying, "Come down." Zakius quickly came down. Your life of greatness begins when you quickly obey the invitation to get low. >> See, see, see the reality is that for some of us, I don't mind humility.

I just want to do it at my own pace. >> I don't mind coming down from the tree. I just want to do it when I feel like it. I don't mind coming down from the tree. I just want to do it after God give me the map quest to my future. >> And I believe that Zakius experienced the blessing because he did it quickly.

Maybe God has been instructing you to do something and you're like, "Okay, God, I'll obey, but I'll obey when I get it all together. Okay, God, I'll start tithing, but I'll start tithing when I make more money. Okay, God, I'll start praying more, but I'll start praying once, you know, this job let up on my schedule and I have more time in the morning.

You you you are delaying your obedience when obedience could solve the problem >> here. Here here's the third and final truth that I need you to understand about greatness and it's simple. Humility. It takes humility to be great, but humility requires coming down. You cannot be humble without getting low.

See, see, it's so funny. I tell people all the time, I say, "You cannot pray for more humility." Humility is not in a glass and God just pours more in you. If you want to be more humble, then what you are going to experience are opportunities to choose humility. >> That's how you become more humble.

So what does that look like? You probably like, "God, make me more humble. Make me more God, I just want to grow in humility." You pray that prayer and then after you pray that prayer, all hell start breaking loose. >> You pray that prayer in the morning and you get to work and somebody start talking you.

You talking to me? >> You pray that prayer and them kids just start acting a fool and you just did not did I not just say what I just humility grows by you consistently coming down out of the tree. Yeah. >> See, see, see, see. God is not impressed by what you can build in your own strength. >> He's impressed by you coming out of what you've built in your own strength. >> See, Jesus was not looking at Zakius and impressed by what he was able to do in his own strength.

No, he still said, "Quick, come down." He wasn't looking and and he wasn't impressed by what Zakius was able to build in his own strength. No, he still said, "Quick, quick, come down." He He wasn't impressed by what he was able to accomplish in his own strength. He still said, "Quick, come down."

And I know for us sometimes we accomplish so much. We do so much that we think that that gains us more access and more right. And Jesus is still looking and he's saying, "Quick, come down." Jesus's invitation out of the tree was also an invitation out of Zakius's status.

Some of us are too wrapped up in status that we are missing the invitation to come down. >> Some of us are too wrapped up in our ego that we are missing the invitation to come down. >> Some of us are too wrapped up in our pride, in our arrogance, in our titles, in our religion, watch this, in our fears. that we won't come down.

When Jesus looked at Zakius and he said, "Quick, come down." He was inviting him out of all of those things, but more importantly, he was inviting him out of his own striving. And my encouragement to you today is that there may have been some things in your life that you have built out of striving.

But the invitation to you is not just come down, but come down quickly. Why? Because Jesus needs you to be great. He wants you to be great and he wants to do it quickly. Not for anything of your own merit, but so that he can get the glory.

The beautiful part about all this is that he invites Jesus down or Jesus invites Zakius down. He goes into his home and and the the life change that happens in Zakius is so radical that only Jesus could have gotten the glory. >> The Bible says the people around Zakius were offended.

They were upset. They were angry. They were frustrated. A and here is the thing that you have to understand. God is not going to cause you or force you to come down from the tree. He's simply going to invite you down from the tree. Here here here's the thing and I'm closing that I want you to understand.

God is in the business of being great. He's great all by himself. He does not need help being great. He is great all by himself. And when he invites us out of the tree, he is not inviting us into our own definition of greatness, but he's inviting us into his greatness. >> God is not asking you to be great in your own strength and based on your own ability.

He is asking you to step into his greatness. I believe what Zakius learned and what Zakius understood was that he had built a life of greatness, but because he built it on his own, it had to be sustained by himself as well. >> And whatever you build in your own strength, it has to be sustained in your own strength.

Man, I hope you enjoyed that word. And I also hope that you took notes as you did. Please do not be stingy with this word. Share it with a friend, a family member, or a co-orker because I believe that this word is going to be a blessing to so many.

And before you go, please do not forget to like and subscribe so you can stay up to date on all things Forward City. This word was meant to catapult you into greatness. And I think we all know what greatness is now. I love you so much. I hope you enjoyed it, but please send it to somebody that you