Ye Belong to Christ
Mark 2026 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?
But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
Introduction
Introduction
Jesus gives us again the announcement of His coming Death and Resurrection. The disciples have been called to the life of bearing a cross. This morning, we will see the importance of service as a disciple of Jesus.
Mark was likely the first Gospel written. Under the inspiration of God, he writes with an intent to point his readers toward the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Those who read are faced with a question: who is this Jesus? All of the miracles of Jesus point to the answer that He is God Himself come as the Suffering Sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As we grow in our walk with God this year, we want to be Following in the Life of Faith. The Life of Faith begins with salvation through the Gospel and carries on toward the daily life of service to Jesus. Mark gives us the message of Jesus to all people.
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Will you look to Jesus for your salvation today? Will you live as a faithful disciple of Him? Will you look with eagerness to His return to establish His earthly kingdom? Let’s Follow in the Life of Faith this year and see God do something amazing!
There is a phrase that is often used in churches today. The phrase is “servant leadership.” People are called servants to the church. We get up on Sundays and go to a church “service.” But why do we use this term? What is service? Who do we serve?
In our passage this morning, Jesus uses a phrase that is helpful to remind us and challenge us in our work for Him. He says in verse 41, “because ye belong to Christ.” We are serving Jesus. We are to be following Him and bearing our cross as He did for us. We are His church and we are His disciples.
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
This is a section of teaching is on what discipleship costs Jesus and what it should look like in His disciples. Following the plan of God cost Jesus’ life. Jesus is challenging here those who follow Him to also have the marks of a commited disciple because they belong to Him.
This morning, how is your service to Him? May God help us to see the practical truths in this passage as we follow Him. The life of faith is seen in the actions of the disciple.
Declaration
Declaration
Service was the choice of Jesus when He came to earth to die for us. He teaches here the importance of identifying with Him through our actions. Today, we need to faithfully serve others through Him in these dark days.
Three ways are seen here that Jesus changes the serving believer.
1. Christ Changes the Care of a Servant
1. Christ Changes the Care of a Servant
And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
Jesus gives the disciples another explanation of His coming death in these verses. They are to be reminded of what discipleship will cost and how they ought to live for God. Then in His teaching, Christ changes the care of a servant.
Jesus is traveling south again toward Capernaum. He is going through the area that He has spent much time in healing and teaching. This is familiar ground for the disciples. As He walks, He teaches them again privately that He will be under the power of men who will kill Him. On the third day, He will rise again. This is the clear explanation of the Sacrifice of Jesus, though they do not yet know why this will happen. Isaiah tells us,
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, And he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he hath poured out his soul unto death: And he was numbered with the transgressors; And he bare the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus is telling the disciples that He will die and rise again. Isaiah tells us that the reason is for the sins of all the world. Jesus is the payment for the debt of man’s sin. In chapter 8, Jesus told the disciples this and then applied it to them in verse 34.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
The announcement of the death of Jesus should have reminded the disciples here that there was going to be a time coming where they would need to choose to be faithful despite the cost. The life of a disciple is a life of learning and leaning on the Master. As one writer has said,
Lexham Context Commentary: New Testament True Greatness: Humility (9:33–37)
The only proper response to the message of the cross is casting away one’s pride…
But we see that the passage continues differently. In verse 32, the disciples again do not understand and don’t ask. In verses 33-34, their understanding is clear. Jesus did not need to be told what they were arguing about because He knows all. Those whose hearts are filled with pride about what they have accomplished do not understand the gospel message.
Jesus addressed here the pride of the disciples. How is your humility today? The opposite of pride is understanding, the understanding of the gospel.
Jesus gives a hard saying for us in verse 35. If you want to be a proper disciple, you must be a servant. This word “servant” is the same word used of a deacon. The servant is one who is willing to help anywhere and do anything according to the teaching of the Master. Jesus is clear that the only way to be first is to be last. In other words, begin at the bottom. Someone has said,
The Bible Exposition Commentary Mark 9:30–50
The world’s philosophy is that you are “great” if others are working for you, but Christ’s message is that greatness comes from our serving others.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Jesus then illustrates this hard truth with the example of a child, one without any power, influence or standing in that society. The illustration of a child is a good visual aid to His teaching because we all see children and think of what they know and don’t know. Jesus says that we are to receive those who are without status because we are humble before God who sent His Son to die for us.
Pride is a constant challenge in the life of the believer. Yet, Jesus is clear that we must have heart of service because that is following the way of the cross. If we belong to Him, we will do as He did. How is your pride this morning?
2. Christ Changes the Perception of a Servant
2. Christ Changes the Perception of a Servant
And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.
Pride is not only seen in what we discuss among ourselves. Pride is seen in how we address others. But, Christ changes the perception of a servant.
John speaks up here for the only time in this Gospel on his own. Sounding as if he were boasting, he tells Jesus that he stopped another from using the name of Jesus to cast out demons. The pride in his heart comes out in how he rebukes another believer. For that is who this man was, one who acknowledged the authority and person of Jesus.
Pride is our enemy. Pride is what holds us back from the way of the cross. How can we show others grace when we feel like we don’t deserve it?
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
The problem for John was that the other man “followeth not us.” This was a distinction that showed the pride that was already developing in his heart. He was not willing to show grace to others who were serving God in a different group.
How does Jesus respond? He tells John to resist speaking against that man. One who is serving God is not likely to immediately turn against God. In other words, just because you cannot see someone following Jesus does not mean they aren't. How are your words today? Do you have a heart to show grace to those who serve God differently than you?
Jesus speaks against the pride of John and the other disciples. Anyone, even someone giving a cup of water to another in Christ’s name, will be rewarded. The reward is because of serving as “ye belong to Christ.” Carson tells us,
NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible: Follow God’s Redemptive Plan as it Unfolds throughout Scripture Mark 9:41
Confessing Jesus as Messiah (implied by “because you belong to”) is to become the distinctive mark of Jesus’ disciples.
I remember as a child, we often would go to see my great-grandmother. We called her Nanny. She and Grandaddy lived down the street from my grandparents in Mechanicsville. Nanny was always nice to people she would meet and she enjoyed being kind to those that others did not like, especially squirrels. She is the only person I know who put up a corn cob on a tree just to feed the squirrels.
One week, we went to see her and something had happened. A woman had come to the door and asked for a glass of water. It was warm outside and of course Nanny was happy to go back into the kitchen to get her the water. Nanny always kept her pocketbook on a chair in the living room.
It seems that when Nanny went to get the water, this woman had taken money out of Nanny’s purse. She took the water but robbed my grandmother. How terrible to show such unkindness to Nanny.
But the importance of the story was that Nanny was willing to give that cup of water in kindness to the woman. Jesus has done the same for us. He died for those who would reject Him. He showed humility to save our souls.
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Because we belong to Jesus, we are to live like He lived. Jesus loved the world and died for it. Pride has no place when we see all those in Christ as recipients of grace alone.
3. Christ Changes the Impact of a Servant
3. Christ Changes the Impact of a Servant
And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
The final teaching that Jesus has on this life of the cross is found in the rest of chapter 9. Jesus gives the disciple greater motivation for the life of service to Him. Christ changes the impact of a servant.
The impact of a believer is magnified by the avoidance of sin. Pride is sin and sin affects others. Jesus continues with the idea of a child as a person with little outward standing. We all know people we would rather not talk to. We can all think of people that we just are friendly to but we are not invested in. Jesus wants us to grow together as the body of Christ and press each other forward in service to Him.
How does Jesus motivate the servant in these verses? He uses three different ideas.
In reference to causing those who are young in the faith or without outward warrant of attention, Jesus says that person should have a donkey-driven millstone place around his neck. The weight of the stone will drown him in the sea. Jesus is clear that our pride is to be combatted to ensure that we don’t cause another to stumble and fall into sin. Our impact is to be toward humility and service.
The second idea that Jesus introduces is actually a place. We are to be killing sin in our life because sin leads to eternal punishment. Jesus is not saying here that you can lose your salvation and hope of heaven because of sin in your life as a believer. Instead, He is saying that hell is the punishment for sin and living in sin points to a life without salvation.
Gehenna is the Greek word for hell here. This was a word created from the name of a valley outside of Jerusalem where children had been sacrificed by fire to pagan gods. At some point, it seems to have been used for dumping trash and possibly burning that as well. This was a place of fire that never went out.
Hell is a reality. There is a place that will be the location of eternal punishment for those who do not accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Butler tells us,
Sermon Starters, Volume 1 Second—The Excruciation of Hell
Hell is the most painful place in God’s creation.
Jesus tells His disciples to make sure to remove the pathways to sin because those lead to eternal punishment. The servant has an impact because he is not bound in sin but belongs to Christ. Jesus quotes the final verse in Isaiah to show the reality of the future of the unredeemed sinner.
And they shall go forth, and look Upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: For their worm shall not die, Neither shall their fire be quenched; And they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
The third idea the Jesus uses about the impact of the servant is the ingredient of salt. Salt was used by the Jewish people according to God’s command on their sacrifices (Lev 2:13). Salt was a preservative and a form of payment. Salt was a spice that could improve the taste of food. All of these are improvements because of adding salt.
Jesus uses salt as a picture of eternal punishment in verse 49. Jesus uses salt as a picture of the godly impact of a believer in verse 50. Without a distinction from the world, the disciples will not reflect the heart and actions of their Saviour. Jesus says that “Salt is good,” but there must be a use of the salt for it to do its job. When he uses the word “salt”, the first two times are the physical object. The third time, Jesus uses it as a spiritual application.
Does you life show on the outside the life of faith on the inside? Salt always affects what it touches. The servant of Jesus is changed by the Saviour.
Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
Pride is the enemy. Our pride affects our impact when we are not motivated to serve instead of be served. The change of Jesus is seen in the impact of a motivated servant.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Service was the choice of Jesus when He came to earth to die for us. He teaches here the importance of identifying with Him through our actions. Today, we need to faithfully serve others through Him in these dark days.
How is your service today? Humility is seen in the actions of the willing servant. Jesus was such a servant when He came to earth for us.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The life of the cross is a life of service to Him, perhaps even to death. The Greek word that we get our word “martyr” from is actually a word that means “witness”. This is someone who has seen, been affected by, and believes something. The martyrs stood by the truth even to the point of torchers and death.
Jesus is going to die for the sins of the world. He will rise again and we know that today He has and lives forever in heaven. The disciple is left with a choice of whether he will be humble and follow Jesus by faith.
I remember in November 2015, one of the preachers in our college chapel was talking about the ways that that the eleven disciples suffered and died for their faith. He made a statement that has stuck with me. John, the disciple here who was proud of who he was and rebuked the other man for casting out the demons, was changed by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This preacher made this statement, “John didn't die a martyr's death, but he lived a martyr's life!”
May that be the service that we do for our Saviour.
Jesus died for the sins of the world. Jesus rose again. He offers the free gift of salvation to anyone who will come and take it. Have you accepted that gift? Accept salvation today.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Let us life in humility and serve Him. Forsake Pride and choose the path of the cross. Bare the cross and follow Him in faith today!
