The Practice of Service

Transformed - Incorporating the Practices of Jesus: The Practice of Sabbath Mark 10:35-45 | August 25, 2024 The great theologian and evangelist Bob Dylan wrote these profound words: But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You're gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you're gonna have to serve somebody Okay, maybe he's not a great theologian or evangelist, but he's right. We all serve somebody. The question is who are you serving, and why do you serve? I want to open this morning with - what some have called - "the summary statement of Mark's Gospel." Others have called it the "heart of Christianity," and others proclaim that this verse "contains the clearest statement of the object of Christ's coming found in the Gospels." Here is that statement from Mark 10:45: FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. What a powerful statement from Christ. In a few moments, we'll look at the context of this verse, but I do want to break this verse down first, as it is critical for us this morning. We really can break this verse into three parts, each revealing to us ... THE MINISTRY OF JESUS Here's how the verse is broken down, and what we can understand from it: FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME -He came voluntarily. AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY. - He came to die. * NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE - He came to serve. This is to say: Jesus' ministry was to voluntarily come to this earth to serve and to die. This summary statement of Mark reminds us that we were born into sin. Because are all sinners, we are not worthy and not able to be in the presence of a holy God. So, God in His infinite wisdom created a picture in the form of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. Illustrating the need for sacrificial atonement for the forgiveness of sins. But there was a big problem. The problem was that it was never enough - they had to keep sacrificing. It was a temporary fix. A band-aid. Never enough. So, God promised through the prophets that He would send the perfect Lamb as that perfect sacrifice for the cleansing of our sins. So, Jesus came. And He did so voluntarily. Here is what He said in John 10:17-18: 17 FOR THIS REASON THE FATHER LOVES ME, BECAUSE I LAY DOWN MY LIFE THAT I MAY TAKE IT UP AGAIN. 18 NO ONE TAKES IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF MY OWN ACCORD. I HAVE AUTHORITY TO LAY IT DOWN, AND I HAVE AUTHORITY TO TAKE IT UP AGAIN. THIS CHARGE I HAVE RECEIVED FROM MY FATHER. Earlier I asked the question, who do you serve? This is really where that comes into play. Dylan said it, didn't he? We all serve somebody. An amazing example is seen in the Bible. Remember when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples? It was customary during that period that the servant washed the feet of the guests upon their arrival, so when they were all in the room, and this ceremonial task was not done by anyone, Jesus took a towel, wrapped it around His waist, removing the outer garment, knelt down and washed the feet of His disciples, including Judas who would soon betray Him. You see, even the disciples that were closest to Him didn't understand their role as servant. But, the great example of Jesus' service is His death. Author John Mark Comer said in his book, Practicing the Way, is that our, "default setting is the opposite; [we] want to be served, not to serve." Donald Whitney, in his book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, said that "two of the deadliest sins - sloth and pride - loathe serving." Jesus came to serve, not to be served. Next time you read through the Gospels, see for yourself how selfless Jesus was in His ministry. I'll say it again, His greatest example of service came in the form of His death. He died for a reason. Mark tells us that He came to pay the ransom. What an amazing and descriptive term that we have here. It means that He paid the price that you and I owed that we could not repay. The term used for "ransom" indicates a "monetary compensation given to a wronged party." Who is this "wronged party?" It was the Lord God Himself. The late preacher R.C. Sproul was once stopped on a college campus after he lectured as was asked by a student, "do you know what you're saved from?" Sproul responded, "from God." From the penalty of sin, that we cannot repay. There was a price that needed to be paid. The price is death, satisfied with a perfect sacrifice, one that only Jesus could pay, and He did it voluntarily and as the ultimate act of service. Now that we got our extended introduction out of the way, another question remains: Why did Jesus respond like that? Let's read the immediate context to this powerful verse to understand better. Mark 10:35-45 says: 35 AND JAMES AND JOHN, THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE, CAME UP TO HIM AND SAID TO HIM, "TEACHER, WE WANT YOU TO DO FOR US WHATEVER WE ASK OF YOU." 36 AND HE SAID TO THEM, "WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR YOU?" 37 AND THEY SAID TO HIM, "GRANT US TO SIT, ONE AT YOUR RIGHT HAND AND ONE AT YOUR LEFT, IN YOUR GLORY." 38 JESUS SAID TO THEM, "YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. ARE YOU ABLE TO DRINK THE CUP THAT I DRINK, OR TO BE BAPTIZED WITH THE BAPTISM WITH WHICH I AM BAPTIZED?" 39 AND THEY SAID TO HIM, "WE ARE ABLE." AND JESUS SAID TO THEM, "THE CUP THAT I DRINK YOU WILL DRINK, AND WITH THE BAPTISM WITH WHICH I AM BAPTIZED, YOU WILL BE BAPTIZED, 40 BUT TO SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND OR AT MY LEFT IS NOT MINE TO GRANT, BUT IT IS FOR THOSE FOR WHOM IT HAS BEEN PREPARED." 41 AND WHEN THE TEN HEARD IT, THEY BEGAN TO BE INDIGNANT AT JAMES AND JOHN. 42 AND JESUS CALLED THEM TO HIM AND SAID TO THEM, "YOU KNOW THAT THOSE WHO ARE CONSIDERED RULERS OF THE GENTILES LORD IT OVER THEM, AND THEIR GREAT ONES EXERCISE AUTHORITY OVER THEM. 43 BUT IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU. BUT WHOEVER WOULD BE GREAT AMONG YOU MUST BE YOUR SERVANT, 44 AND WHOEVER WOULD BE FIRST AMONG YOU MUST BE SLAVE OF ALL. 45 FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY." Here's the main idea as we explore further the practice of service: To be like Jesus, I must sacrificially serve like Jesus. So, naturally, the question is: HOW TO SERVE LIKE JESUS We'll only look at three principles that we can take from this passage. First, * I must change my attitude from self-righteous service to true service. o Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline, defined it this way: "self-righteous service comes through human effort ... true service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside. True service is a life-style. It acts from ingrained patterns of living. It springs spontaneously to meet human need." o James and John wanted power. They did not want to serve, they wanted to rule. o Here's the unfortunate part of this request from James and John - and their mother, according to Matthew, by the way - prior to this, Jesus - for the third time - had told His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to die, not rule. o So, Jesus' response was to shift their heart attitudes to a place of service, not of power. Shifting their heart attitudes to think about others before themselves. o I love Romans 12 - which we'll review during the Roundtable time - because it is full of wisdom for Christian living, and this is really what we're talking about. Christian living is a lifestyle of service. o Sadly, many serve for recognition. Others serve to get something in return. o At this point in Jesus' ministry, it was widely known that James and John were in the inner circle of Jesus, but even being that close, they failed to see how Christ led by serving. o So, what does this look like for you and me? o We actually saw this last week, didn't we? Serve - expecting nothing in return, as noted moments ago. o This is not just within the community of believers; it is something that must cross into every aspect of our lives. * Our work. * Our homes. * Whatever we are doing, think about why we are doing it - is it for the purpose of others or to satisfy ourselves? * For example, for those who are in the workforce, or who work for someone, or you're accountable to someone, etc. you've experienced this firsthand. * For me, in the Hotel business, we operated on satisfaction. Employee. Customer. Shareholders. * So, when trained my team of four supervisors, I trained them to engage in activities only related to those three areas because those were the three areas that mattered most. * In your home, are you focused on your own satisfaction, or that of your spouse or children? o Now, I'm not saying that God does not want us to enjoy what we've been given, as a matter of fact, the Scriptures actually tell us why we're given these blessings. o Matthew 13:12 reminds us that when we are blessed with monetary wealth, we're expected to use it to bless others o 2 Corinthians 12:7 reminds us that we are given gifts, and those gifts are meant to serve others o When we serve with the right motivation and the right reasons, it changes us. o Next, * Deny myself. o In part, when Jesus responded to James and John, He was reminding them that the ways of the world was not like the ways of Christ - in fact, its contrary to the ways of the world. o If Jesus came to serve and to die, then we are to also do the same o Now this may not mean an actual death, but in Luke 9:23-24 Jesus said that we are to deny ourselves and to take up our cross daily. o The cross was widely known in those days as an instrument of death. Today it's a piece of wall art and jewelry, even for those who don't share the Christian faith. o We are to crucify the flesh, that same flesh that we spoke of earlier when we saw that our nature is to be served and not to serve. o Jesus said that He came to serve. o And Paul told us in Philippians 2 to think of others more significant than ourselves, and as he penned those words, he was speaking of a lifestyle in which we are to live as followers of Jesus. o Finally, * Humble myself. o Jesus says here, clearly and without confusion, the way to live is to become a servant. o Service is an act of love o Love requires sacrifice o Therefore, as someone said on Monday morning, the root is service is sacrifice. o Isn't that what Jesus did when He came to serve and to die? o The ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate act of humility was for the Creator God to come to earth as a man to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. The only acceptable sacrifice was Himself. o Because of this, we cannot be arrogant about who we are and what we have, because if there is no other acceptable way, that means we're always "second." o This - in a way - is why we serve. So, as we draw closer to closing our time this morning on the topic of service, we're also closing out our sermon series, where we've looked closely at the practices of Jesus. Which were ... * Solitude * Prayer * Fasting * Scripture * Sabbath * Community * [and today] Service I think there is one final question to answer to recap this series: HOW TO INCORPORATE THE PRACTICES OF JESUS * Start o Some of us have the tendency to jump into the water in the deep end before we learn to swim, so to speak. o You start where you are now. o We all know where we want to be, but most, if not all of us, are not there now. o I've had the honor of watching most of these kids in this room grow up, but guess what? They weren't the people they are now, ten years ago, they had to work to this point, and all of them are amazing kids. o It takes time. And that's okay. o The first step is to start. o When you do ... * Start slowly o It's about subtraction not addition. o Sometimes in ordering our lives, it means we must clean up a little bit. o If I want to reorganize my garage, for example - which I really need to do - then, I'm going to begin by throwing out, or donating, or selling all the stuff I don't need, then I can see what I have left, and then I can organize the garage. o Building anything requires a step-by-step approach. Just like incorporating - or building - practices of Jesus into your lives. o One great piece of wisdom from Comer's book is that we need to relax. o If you're struggling with getting started, then start with rest. o "Breathe," Comer says, "Open to God. Start with rest." o Because the ultimate question is "do you want to be a follower of Jesus?" o If you answered yes, then slowly begin to incorporate these practices into your lives. o Finally, * Don't stop o Beginning a new habit can be very frustrating and difficult at times. o For me - and I'm sure I'm alone - you can go weeks and weeks and not see a difference, so you get discouraged. o Other times, you miss a day here, then a few days, then a week, then a few weeks, and next thing you know you've put on 17 pounds. * Well, at least that's my current situation o It's no different in your spiritual lives. o That's why it requires discipline, and practice, and training. o That's why the first step is always the most important, then every step that follows helps build in you a habit that's achievable and becomes a normal part of your life. o It is said that things get worse before they get better. o It is also said that there is no "formation without repetition" o So, we must practice, practice, practice. Isn't it ironic that one of the ways that we can become more Christlike is through putting ourselves second, and others before us? Jesus modeled this. Jesus modeled this to the point of death. The ultimate act of sacrificial service. This is why I stated earlier: to be like Jesus, I must sacrificially serve like Jesus. Friends, the worst thing you can do - as a response to this message, and to this sermon series - is nothing. In contrast, the best thing you can do is something. Let's go do something. Let's pray. 2