The Very Last and the Servant of All

In one paragraph

Brad taught from Mark 9:30-38 on a Monday evening at First Baptist Jackson. He traced the disciples' failure to understand Jesus' prediction of His death and resurrection, and drew a direct line from that failure to the way we still miss the point today. The sermon centered on what Jesus called His followers to in light of who He is and how His kingdom actually works. Jesus pulled His disciples...

Read together

1. Ephesians 4 cited to show the main purpose of the church is to equip people for works of service so the body of Christ may be built up
2. Romans 8:1 quoted to remind listeners there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus
3. Philippians 2 cited to explain that Jesus set aside his glory and equality with God to take on flesh
4. Philippians 1:29 quoted to show believers are granted not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him
5. Jeremiah 29:11 quoted as an example of a shiny verse taken out of context that people prefer over harder truths
6. Romans 8:28 cited as a classic verse about God working all things for good for those who love him
7. Romans 5:8 quoted to show that while we were still sinners Christ died for us
8. Romans 5:10 quoted to show that while we were God's enemies we were reconciled through the death of his Son
9. Isaiah 52-53 referenced as the prophecy of the suffering servant fulfilled by Jesus
10. Acts 6 cited to describe Stephen as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit whose job was serving the Hellenistic widows
11. 1 Corinthians 12 referenced for Paul's body analogy about hands feet eyes and tongue and the role of every member in the church
12. Hebrews 12 quoted to explain that God disciplines those he loves and that lack of discipline means you are not a true son or daughter
13. Mark 8:34-35 quoted to show that whoever wants to be a disciple must deny themselves take up their cross and follow Jesus
14. Mark 9:30-38 the main passage read and taught through the entire sermon
15. Mark 4 quoted at the close as a benediction about paying close attention to what you hear

Talk about it

1. Brad said the disciples had just seen the transfiguration and a miraculous healing, yet were still arguing about who was the greatest. Where in your own life do you find yourself missing what God is doing right in front of you because you are focused on your own position or plans?
2. Brad described the kingdom of God as living in glad submission to God, where your benefit comes as a natural byproduct of living for God's benefit rather than your own. How does that sit with you, and where do you find that hardest to believe or practice?
3. Brad pointed to Stephen as someone whose ordinary act of serving food in the church led, through his faithfulness and martyrdom, to the spread of the gospel and the conversion of Paul. How does that change the way you think about the unglamorous or unnoticed ways you serve?
4. Brad warned against measuring our lives against cultural standards rather than scripture, and said that comfort and prosperity in the upside down kingdom may actually be the condition that deserves the hardest self-examination. How do you personally test whether your use of time, money and energy lines up with what the Bible calls you to?
5. Brad closed by saying we should not only care for the least of these but tell them why we do it, and suggested that sharing your story has three parts: who you were before Christ, what brought you to Christ, and what your life has been like since. How comfortable are you telling that story, and what gets in the way?