The Ultimate Call: Sacrifice and Service

Today is Memorial Day, a somber and sacred day of remembrance. We pause to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Their willingness to lay down their lives for the sake of freedom is the highest earthly example of love. It is no coincidence, and no accident of the calendar, that this ordination service falls on this specific weekend. For as we honor those who gave their lives for earthly freedom, we are here to ordain Billy Abbott, who is stepping into a vocation dedicated to proclaiming the ultimate, eternal freedom found in Jesus Christ. This morning we will honor those who gave themselves up for our Country and we will also honor a man who is stepping into a role where he is willing to lay down himself for this flock and family here at Highlands Baptist Church. We will honor the calling of God on Billy’s life. While the calling of a deacon may never bring with it the necessity to lay down one’s physical life, it could. It does call for a laying down of himself in his time, his desires and efforts, and his aspirations for the calling to serve our church family. This morning we will see three aspects of Sacrifice and Service. First the Anatomy of True Sacrifice. Second the Servant Leader Paradigm. Third the Eternal Remembrance.

A chaplain was speaking to a soldier on a cot in a hospital. “You have lost an arm in the great cause,” he said. “No,” said the soldier with a smile. “I didn’t lose it–I gave it.” In that same way, Jesus did not lose His life. He gave it purposefully.

Source Unknown.

Today as we remember those who gave their lives for our Country, we also remember a Jesus who gave His life for all Countries, and we also remember the life we are called to live in sacrificial love towards all, including our enemies. Turn with me in your Bible to Mark 10:35-45 and we will see what Jesus said would result in heavenly treasures.

Mark 10:35–45 ESV

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.”

The Anatomy of True Sacrifice

Mark 10:35–43 ESV

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,

Jesus was approached by 2 of His disciples who wanted to be the greatest among the disciples and among all men. They desired to be set at Jesus right and left hand. What is interesting here is you see them approach Jesus separately away from the other disciples. They were looking out for themselves. They were seeking something good for themselves. They ask this favor of Jesus and Jesus then asks them if they are willing to go through the same things He is going to go through. They stated that they were, but then Jesus seeks to reach the heart of what they are willing to do and why they are willing to do it. At the moment they were willing to do it because it would be good for them and Jesus tells them, you will go through the same things that I will go through.

A Church history lesson this morning for you. James would be beheaded and it was recorded in Acts.

Acts 12:1–2 ESV

1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword,

John would later be boiled, some say in Oil some say in Water, either way he experienced excritiating pain for the Gospel and was thrown out on the Island of Patmos where he would write Revelation. Some history indicates that he later returned to Ephesus where he would die peacfully. Both these men as Jesus stated would face the same suffering He did. What Jesus was concerned about is that they understood the purpose of suffering and sacrifice for the Gospel.

John 15:13 ESV

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

As we celebrate memorial day we remember in the military, a soldier gives their life for their country, their comrades, and the preservation of peace. On this Memorial Day, we thank God for that extraordinary courage.

In Christian ministry, you are also called to a life of sacrifice, though the battlefield is different. You are not called to take up physical arms, but to take up the cross.

Laying down your life for your friends in the context of the church means: [1]

Mark 10:43–45 ESV

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.”

Sacrificing your ego: Putting the needs of the congregation above your own desires, comfort, and pride.

Sacrificing your time: Being present for the hurting, the grieving, and the lost, at all hours.

Sacrificing your agenda: Allowing the Holy Spirit to interrupt your plans for the sake of ministering to a broken world.

The Anatomy of Sacrifice calls us to seek the needs of others above our own, not seeking our own good. Anatomy is the study of the bodily structure. Jesus points out to His disciples that the anatomy of the body of Christ means that the lease will be the greatest, the last will be the first. This leads us to our second point this morning.

The Servant-Leader Paradigm

Mark 10:43–45 ESV

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.”

The world often defines greatness by power, prestige, and being served by others. But in the Kingdom of God, the equation is inverted. Jesus made it clear: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 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."

Billy as you are ordained into ministry, remember that you are stepping into a posture of radical servanthood. True spiritual authority is never about lording over the flock; it is about washing their feet. It is about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with your community in their darkest hours and pointing them to the light of Christ. Just as those in our military who we honor today that gave up their lives for our freedom. They saw themselves as serving our Country. It is the reason it is called serving your Country when you enlist. While there are benefits, those benefits come with a cost. Those benefits come at a cost much greater than the benefits that those of us in the civilian world pay for. Our come at the cost of working a 40 hour a week job. Doing things we do not want to do like staying late or adding additional reporting. For those in our military, their benefits may come at the cost of their lives. For all serving in the military it comes at the expense of a normal family life and normal hours, and a normal job. They give up so much of their lives to serve our country and for that we are grateful today. They are leaders because they serve. The church is designed to operate the same way. We do not operate in a world where the greatest are the one’s who exert power over the masses, no in the church it is the one who seeks to be the greatest servant who finds the greatest honor in Christ.

John 13:12–15 ESV

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

We are called to serve and to love one another and to serve the needs of others above our own. Just as we remember those who gave their lives for our Country, we will never forget the sacrifice that Christ made for us. This leads us to our last point this morning, the Eternal Remembrance.

The Eternal Remembrance

Mark 10:45 ESV

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.”

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

On Memorial Day, we build monuments, hold ceremonies, and lay wreaths so that we never forget the price paid for our liberty. We erect physical stones of remembrance to ensure the legacy of the fallen endures.

In the church, we have our own memorial. Every time we gather at the communion table, we remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for our spiritual freedom. As a newly ordained deacon, your primary job is to remind the world of this very sacrifice. You are entrusted with the Gospel—the story of the One who died so that we might live.

The Charge and Benediction

Billy, as you begin this journey, remember the price of freedom on both fronts. Never take lightly the earthly liberties protected by those we honor today, and never lose your awe for the eternal liberty you are now commissioned to live out in your actions.

May God grant you the courage of a soldier, the heart of a servant, and the unshakeable peace of the Good Shepherd.