The Very Last and the Servant of All

March 14, 2022 · Brad · Mark

Series · Mark · Week 6 of 26

Scripture referenced 15 passages

The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.

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

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love;
3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.
7 But to each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
9 Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;
12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;
16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts;
19 who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you did not learn Christ that way;
21 if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
25 Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.
26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 and don’t give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

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Romans 8:1

quoted to remind listeners there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

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Philippians 2

cited to explain that Jesus set aside his glory and equality with God to take on flesh

1 If therefore there is any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassion,

2 make my joy full, by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;

3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;

4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.

5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.

8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,

11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

12 So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputes,

15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

16 holding up the word of life; that I may have something to boast in the day of Christ, that I didn’t run in vain nor labor in vain.

17 Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all.

18 In the same way, you also rejoice, and rejoice with me.

19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered up when I know how you are doing.

20 For I have no one else like-minded, who will truly care about you.

21 For they all seek their own, not the things of Jesus Christ.

22 But you know the proof of him, that, as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News.

23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.

24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself also will come shortly.

25 But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, and your apostle and servant of my need;

26 since he longed for you all, and was very troubled, because you had heard that he was sick.

27 For indeed he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow on sorrow.

28 I have sent him therefore the more diligently, that, when you see him again, you may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.

29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all joy, and hold such in honor,

30 because for the work of Christ he came near to death, risking his life to supply that which was lacking in your service toward me.

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Philippians 1:29

quoted to show believers are granted not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him

29 Because it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on his behalf,

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Jeremiah 29:11

quoted as an example of a shiny verse taken out of context that people prefer over harder truths

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

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Romans 8:28

cited as a classic verse about God working all things for good for those who love him

28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

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Romans 5:8

quoted to show that while we were still sinners Christ died for us

8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

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Romans 5:10

quoted to show that while we were God's enemies we were reconciled through the death of his Son

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

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Isaiah 52-53

referenced as the prophecy of the suffering servant fulfilled by Jesus

52:1 Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you.

52:2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!

52:3 For Yahweh says, “You were sold for nothing; and you will be redeemed without money.”

52:4 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.

52:5 “Now therefore, what do I do here,” says Yahweh, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says Yahweh, “and my name is blasphemed continually all day long.

52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks. Behold, it is I.”

52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

52:8 Your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion.

52:9 Break out into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.

52:10 Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

52:11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels.

52:12 For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

52:13 Behold, my servant will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.

52:14 Just as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),

52:15 so he will cleanse many nations. Kings will shut their mouths at him: for they will see that which had not been told them; and they will understand that which they had not heard.

53:1 Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

53:2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

53:3 He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.

53:4 Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.

53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed.

53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

53:7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth.

53:8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

53:9 They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

53:10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days, and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

53:11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities.

53:12 Therefore will I give him a portion with the great, and he will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

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Acts 6

cited to describe Stephen as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit whose job was serving the Hellenistic widows

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, a complaint arose from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily service.

2 The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not appropriate for us to forsake the word of God and serve tables.

3 Therefore select from among you, brothers, seven men of good report, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer and in the ministry of the word.”

5 These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;

6 whom they set before the apostles. When they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

7 The word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

8 Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.

9 But some of those who were of the synagogue called “The Libertines”, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.

10 They weren’t able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.

11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”

12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, and brought him in to the council,

13 and set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law.

14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place, and will change the customs which Moses delivered to us.”

15 All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.

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1 Corinthians 12

referenced for Paul's body analogy about hands feet eyes and tongue and the role of every member in the church

1 Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant.

2 You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.

3 Therefore I make known to you that no man speaking by God’s Spirit says, “Jesus is accursed.” No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” but by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord.

6 There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all.

7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;

9 to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit;

10 and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages.

11 But the one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires.

12 For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ.

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

15 If the foot would say, “Because I’m not the hand, I’m not part of the body,” it is not therefore not part of the body.

16 If the ear would say, “Because I’m not the eye, I’m not part of the body,” it’s not therefore not part of the body.

17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the smelling be?

18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.

19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?

20 But now they are many members, but one body.

21 The eye can’t tell the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.”

22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.

23 Those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable, on those we bestow more abundant honor; and our unpresentable parts have more abundant propriety;

24 whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God composed the body together, giving more abundant honor to the inferior part,

25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

26 When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

28 God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, and various kinds of languages.

29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers?

30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with various languages? Do all interpret?

31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. Moreover, I show a most excellent way to you.

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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

1 Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,

2 looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him who has endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, that you don’t grow weary, fainting in your souls.

4 You have not yet resisted to blood, striving against sin;

5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which reasons with you as with children, “My son, don’t take lightly the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him;

6 For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as with children, for what son is there whom his father doesn’t discipline?

8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have been made partakers, then are you illegitimate, and not children.

9 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they indeed, for a few days, punished us as seemed good to them; but he for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.

11 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.

12 Therefore lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees,

13 and make straight paths for your feet, so what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,

15 looking carefully lest there be any man who falls short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it;

16 lest there be any sexually immoral person, or profane person, like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal.

17 For you know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for a change of mind though he sought it diligently with tears.

18 For you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and to blackness, darkness, storm,

19 the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which those who heard it begged that not one more word should be spoken to them,

20 for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”;

21 and so fearful was the appearance that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels,

23 to the festal gathering and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel.

25 See that you don’t refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven,

26 whose voice shook the earth then, but now he has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.”

27 This phrase, “Yet once more”, signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.

28 Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,

29 for our God is a consuming fire.

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Mark 8:34-35

quoted to show that whoever wants to be a disciple must deny themselves take up their cross and follow Jesus

34 He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it.

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Mark 9:30-38

the main passage read and taught through the entire sermon

30 They went out from there, and passed through Galilee. He didn’t want anyone to know it.

31 For he was teaching his disciples, and said to them, “The Son of Man is being handed over to the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, on the third day he will rise again.”

32 But they didn’t understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

33 He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”

34 But they were silent, for they had disputed one with another on the way about who was the greatest.

35 He sat down, and called the twelve; and he said to them, “If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

36 He took a little child, and set him in the middle of them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them,

37 “Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, doesn’t receive me, but him who sent me.”

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone who doesn’t follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow us.”

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Mark 4

quoted at the close as a benediction about paying close attention to what you hear

1 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.

2 He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching,

3 “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,

4 and as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.

6 When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.”

9 He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

11 He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,

12 that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”

13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?

14 The farmer sows the word.

15 The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

16 These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.

17 They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.

18 Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,

19 and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”

21 He said to them, “Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?

22 For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.

23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.

25 For whoever has, to him will more be given, and he who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.”

26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth,

27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, though he doesn’t know how.

28 For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

31 It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

34 Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.”

36 Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him.

37 A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.

38 He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are dying?”

39 He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?”

41 They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

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Recap

The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.

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.

What was said

Jesus pulled His disciples away deliberately to teach them, and Brad noted that this is a picture of what the gathered church is meant to do: equip people for works of service so they go out, not simply become, as he put it, smarter sinners. The fact that Jesus had to repeat His prediction of His death a second time mattered, because it showed that even men who had just witnessed the transfiguration and a miraculous healing were still expecting a military messiah who would hand out cabinet positions.

Brad connected that to the way Christians today can nod at the cross and then get completely pulled off course when a bank fails or circumstances do not match the plans we assumed God had for us. He put Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 1:29 side by side, not to dismiss comfort, but to point out that we tend to reach for the shiny verse and ignore the one that says it has been granted to us not only to believe in Christ but to suffer for Him.

When Jesus asked the disciples what they had been arguing about, Brad said, He already knew. He made the same point about God knowing our hearts today, that we can live what looks like a perfectly moral life, write checks, vote the right way, and still carry real evil in our hearts that has to be brought before God and before the people we do life with.

The heart of the sermon was verse 35: anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all. Brad called this the upside-down kingdom, the way things work when God rules rather than when we do. The clearest display of it is that the long-awaited Messiah knowingly laid His life down for the very people who killed Him. He pointed to Jesus washing the feet of Peter and Judas at the last supper, and then to Stephen, whose job in Acts 6 was caring for widows and serving food, and who died praying for the men stoning him while a man named Saul stood watching.

Brad argued that if Jesus had been the conquering messiah the disciples expected, the kingdom might have lasted a generation. Instead, two thousand years later, people still gather around the death of Jesus rather than around the conquests of Alexander the Great. The kingdom lasts because it runs on dying to self, not on accumulating power.

He closed by pressing the congregation to test their lives against scripture rather than against the surrounding culture, which constantly sells the message that hardship means something has gone wrong. He read from Hebrews 12, that the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and made the point that in the upside-down kingdom, it may actually be those who are comfortable and prospering who need to take the hardest look at whether they are running after Christ. The call was simple: love the least, be last, share your story, and tell people why you do what you do.

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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?
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?

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Yep. Let's do a love that will not let. Okay. Yep. Goodness of God.

Your great name. And then end with Christ alone. In Christ alone, we'll end with. Alright. Hey.

Greetings, everybody. Happy Monday. Good to see you all. Very good to see you. And, thank you to Scotty.

Brian, thank you so much for for your help. Just back in the kitchen and getting everybody fed. Thank you, Domino's Pizza. So we're in the gospel of Mark right now. And, tonight, Brad's gonna be sharing Brad a hand up there.

And, thank you, Brad, for stepping in. Ray and I are just we just got back, from a a trip of some kind of time together as best buds. So it was awesome. And and it's good to be here. It's good to be going through the the book of Mark.

And before we get into scripture, can we sing together and just worship in song? You wanna stand with me? God, thank you for this evening. Thank you for each person here, each precious soul here. God, I am so thankful for this church and the capital c church and for your word.

And I am very grateful this this evening that, we get to we get to hear from somebody else, another personality, the scripture saying the same thing to us. God, may we hear what you're what you're sharing, what you're telling us, and applying it to everyday life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Oh, joy that seeks us through pain.

Life is both, isn't it? It really is. There is joy. We recognize the grace of God in it even through pain. Yeah.

Thank you. Quiet our hearts. Quiet our minds, and and just be ready to receive, hear from you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hi. Can everybody hear me okay? No. No? Like, I told you to turn up the base of my voice and then turn me off.

Are we good? Am I am I rolling? How are we doing? Sure.

That's fine. There's so much. There's so much. Yeah.

In case you weren't standing next to me when I was singing, I have no idea what any of this does. So and if you stand next to Naomi, you'll be reminded of how off key you sing, which is painful for me. Okay. How are doing? Better?

The we got that? Yep. And the closer I get? Got it. Okay.

So I don't know about you guys, but I love movies with a plot twist. Ever since I was 10 or 12 years old and I saw Verbal Kent turn into Keiser Sose, I've just loved movies where I I didn't quite know if I was miss running the risk of missing what was really going on. So if you haven't seen the Usual Suspects yet, I'm sorry I ruined it for you. But it's been out for thirty years, so, like, deal with it. But but that's that's what we're gonna look at today.

We're gonna see where the disciples have completely missed the point, and we're also gonna look at what's gonna happen in the end. And I'm gonna warn you, still think we run this risk two thousand years later. So we're also gonna look at what Jesus calls us to in view of the real the real ending of the story effectively. So my caveats as usual, not a professional. If you can nod, if you can smile, if you can humor any jokes that I attempt to make, that helps me a lot.

And also, I'm teaching this week and next week. So if you enjoy this, tell your friends. If you don't enjoy it, don't tell anybody. But immediately before this and and we're trying something new. I'm not doing slides or anything.

So pull out your Bibles, your phones. I would recommend that you do it on something that doesn't give you notifications, ideally, but we're just gonna kinda go a little bit old school with that. So immediately, we're we're going Mark nine thirty through 50 or actually, we're going 30 through 38 today. So immediately before this in Mark, we have the transfiguration. Jesus takes John, James, and Peter up to the mountain, reveals the full nature of his glory.

And then as they come down from the mountain, Jesus heals a boy with a demonic spirit or an unclean spirit that the disciples were previously unable. And then as so they've seen these two amazing things, and then that sets the scene for what we're gonna deal with today. So if you'll pull out your Bibles, Mark nine verse 30 is where we're starting. They left the place and they passed through Galilee. Jesus did not warn did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples.

He said to them, the son of man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days, he will rise. But they did not understand what he meant, and they were afraid to ask him about it. So they came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, what were you arguing about on the road?

But they kept quiet because on the way, they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the 12 and said, anyone who wants to be first must be the very last and the servant of all. He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. So before we get into the main thrust of today's passage, and there's so much that we could cover there, there's one thing that I wanna use as kind of a quick drive by that I think also sets up our time together, which is in verse thirty and thirty one.

Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because he was teaching his disciples. This is intentionally this is Jesus with his disciples intentionally making space for the instruction of those who are seeking to grow in Christ. And that's a lot of what we're doing here today. So if we're trying to start with the parallels of of what we're doing and what Jesus was doing, I think that's the first one. Paul talks about in Ephesians four that one of the main purposes of the church is to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.

That is the point of the church, and that's what we're doing here. And many of you that I've done life with have heard me say that this is church is not a spectator sport. So if you more than more than just claiming the title, if you claim Christ, if you believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and if you are a follower of the way, then we're to get off the sidelines and we're to get in the game. So, you know, holy huddles like this are great, but they're for the equipping of works of service. So we take this and then we go out.

We don't just wanna be smarter sinners. So Jesus predicts his death a second time. This is a big deal. As Christians, we have to remember that at all times, Jesus knew what he was doing. This is no accident.

Jesus knew what he was buying on the cross. So every time that I screw up, every time you screw up, every time you fall short of what you feel like God has called you to, or you don't do the things that you feel like he has called you to, just remember that's been bought and paid for. Romans eight one is such a great reminder here that therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I tend to preach a little bit more sort of exhortationally, applicationally, and that can often come across as heavy handed. So we have to always root ourselves in the fact that there is grace where all of that is, but we're also always called to to more.

So Jesus knew what he was doing. Ephesians or I'm sorry. Philippians two talks about that Jesus set aside his glory, his equality with God to take on flesh being born so that a perfect God may have communion with imperfect sinners just as we're communing here. And so Jesus has to repeat all of this basically to his disciples because they're not getting it. Right?

They just saw the transfiguration. They just saw him do a miraculous work. And then as they're walking along the road, they're arguing over who's gonna get what cabinet position, basically, when Jesus becomes the, military conquering messiah, that they expect him to be. And and I think that's similar that no one understood the scope. We do the same thing.

We think we know what God wants to achieve, and we know his broader plan. But then we get super upset when things don't go according to our plan. So we tend to ignore Philippians one twenty nine which says, for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him. And instead, we tend to focus on kind of these sparkly verses that are taken out of context that weren't even written to us like the famous one being Jeremiah twenty nine eleven. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope in a future.

We wanna we wanna hold on to those because that just seems shiny and it seems simpler and easier when really the the reality is much messier. And those those two concepts can be reconciled throughout scripture, but we just have to read it. So we look at Romans eight twenty eight as a classic, and and and we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. And so I tend to think that God should wanna bless me and make me the next, you know, great trader or CEO or Pro Bowl quarterback or whatever. So that, like, when they put a microphone in my face, I can I can go, yeah?

You know, all glory to God. You know, Jesus died for my sins, that sort of thing. But in reality, God's already put me in situations. And and I don't ask my server at lunch, even when I'm eating with a a brother in Christ or with Natalie, like, how can I be praying for you? I tend not to share my faith with my barista at at a coffee shop.

I I tend not to share the hope that I have an eternal life with the neighbors that that that live near me. And so the truth is I'm already kind of a coward in the places that God has put me. So when I when I fixate my plans, I'm not really fixating on God's purpose often and and I I think that's a common experience. So similarly with the disciples, they still don't get it. And I love the disciples because all throughout the gospels, they make me feel a little bit better about how much of a moron I've been and and how much I can still kinda get it wrong.

Jesus has already been recorded twice in this gospel of Mark at this point, calling himself the son of man. So, like, son of man equals Jesus. Son of man equals Jesus. And here he says, son of man must be killed and after three days will rise. And the disciples were like, so you're gonna be the next Caesar or you're gonna be the next, you know, Moses or Joshua or something like that.

They still just don't get it. And similarly today, we tend to go, yeah, Jesus died on a cross for my sins, for the forgiveness so that I can participate in the kingdom and not be a part of this world. And then a bank in San Francisco goes bust and and and we get totally pulled off sides. Our attention is totally pulled into, well, what's gonna be the next banking crisis? You know, what's this gonna mean for our portfolios?

And it and it just draws us off sides. It takes our attention away. And I'm not saying that that's wrong, to be clear. Like, there's plenty of good reasons to worry about the banking system. I'm not getting into that.

But but I'm also I'm not gonna dunk on Thomas or Peter or John or James when I get to heaven. And I'm going to heaven. Like, any of y'all can come with me, but I'm going. And that that offer is always on the table today. It's probably gonna be on the table tomorrow, but there's no guarantees after that.

So if you guys are are on the fence in any way, if you're hanging back, there is always a last chance, there's not always a next chance. So keep that in mind. So Jesus turns to his disciples and he goes, what were you arguing about on the road? And I love this because Jesus is funny. You know, there's the old joke, like, how are we gonna recognize Jesus in heaven?

And it's gonna be it's because he's gonna be the one with the sloped forehead from just, like, dealing with these disciples. And this is so similar to what I do with my kids. You know, like, step on a Lego piece and you're like, how did this get here? And, like, I'm pretty sure Natalie didn't put it there. But I wanna see my children's hearts.

I wanna I want them to know the truth that I know how it got there, and I want them to work it out. And this is such a great reminder that God knows the true nature of our hearts. Jesus knew it then, and there's scriptural references for that. And God certainly knows it now, especially if we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So even if we sit in church, if we write checks, if we vote Republican, if we don't cheat on our spouses, God still knows the evil that's in our hearts.

We can live what seems like a perfectly moral life, and there's still evil and sin in our hearts. I know that's personally true for me, and I've gotta bring it to God, and I've gotta bring it to to the men and women that that we do life with. So the main point of today's text, we can get to in verse 35. Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last and the servant of all. And this is what we're gonna look at for the rest of our time today.

I've got five points, but don't worry. We're gonna move through them quickly. And they are, what is the kingdom of God? How does the kingdom of God work in the church? Two examples of who epitomized the kingdom.

What does this mean for us? And how do we live it out? So remember, Jesus is talking to his disciples. They've been expecting a military uprising, and they've just basically been caught red handing ran head red handed arguing about who is the greatest. Meanwhile, Jesus is trying to show them and by extension us the real nature of the kingdom of God.

So what do we mean when we say the kingdom of God? Simply is the reign and rule of God. I'll wake you guys up out of your pizza naps. Say the reign and rule of God. The reign and of God.

Great. Theologians have also referred to this as the the range of God's effective will. I'm not gonna make you all say that because altogether it won't work. But so when we pray, and Ray mentioned this two weeks ago, when we pray thy kingdom come in the Lord's prayer, we are praying for his reign and rule to happen on earth and in our hearts as it does in heaven. So we pray for God to do that outwardly, and we can also pray for it to be inwardly, that we can give our hearts more and more over to Christ, more and more over to the Holy Spirit.

And so what does that look like? It looks like complete and total submission from every living person to the living and active will of the eternal and holy creator God. So we are living in glad submission to God. That's that's the kingdom of God. So when you're living in the kingdom, you are living for God's benefit and not for yours.

But your benefit, I promise you, will come as a natural byproduct of that. And even secular psychological studies will show time and time again that the way to true joy to true happiness is not to live for for happiness in your life, but to live for something greater. And then we as Christians, we get to say, not only do we get to live for something greater, we live for a concrete greater that that outlives this specific world. Behold, I'm gonna make all things new. And so that's what the kingdom is, the reign and rule of God.

Natalie gets me. Love you, baby. So now we need to know how the kingdom of God works. This has long been called the upside down kingdom economics, and not economics in the monetary sense, even if that's what you're all reading about in the newspaper these days, but in the sense of, like, how things work. So said another way, this kingdom is very backwards.

It's totally different from how our world works. If you wanna be first in this kingdom, be last. If you wanna be a leader, be servant of all. If you wanna be rich eternally, give away every penny that you have. If you want rest, deep rest that pervades circumstances, pour out your life like a fragrant drink offering to God.

So the easiest point, the biggest takeaway here, and then you can all take pizza naps, is how God's kingdom works is most clearly displayed in the fact that the long awaited Messiah knowingly and willingly laid his life down for the very people that killed him. This is fulfilling prophecy of the suffering servant, Isaiah fifty two and fifty three, and I think Paul summarizes it really well in Romans five eight and ten. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And then he goes on in verse 10, for if while we were God's enemies, we were God's enemies, every single one of us. Nods?

Yes. Okay. We were reconciled to him through the death of his son. How much more having been reconciled shall we be saved through his very life? So who lived this out the best?

Sunday school answer? There we go. Pastor Ray's paying attention. The last supper, and this is something I've been dealing with, I mean, just for the last six months. At the last supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

That was a lowly task that not even like the mid level servants wanted to do. That was the lowest servant. And he washed the feet of all of his disciples. That includes Peter who was about to just epically fail him, and Judas who was about to betray him. Now if one of you is putting a hit out on me, I'm not gonna come scrub your toilets the day before.

And that yeah. That's kinda what Jesus is is showing us, and that's a little bit of what he's calling us to in our text today. So trivia for second example then. Who is the only person that the resurrected Christ stood up for? Somebody not in in professional vocational ministry.

Who did Jesus stand up for after he was resurrected? Come on. Stephen. Who knows what Stephen did for for the church? He was not a pastor.

He was not a teacher. He was not a prophet. Acts six tells us that he was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit, and his job was taking care of the Hellenistic widows. He was he was he was serving food in the church, and it's such a great reminder that we can't belittle or or look down upon any act of service within God's kingdom. So it doesn't matter if you're standing here on the platform playing music or teaching or if you're cleaning dishes or if you're taking care of the children or if you're cutting the grass.

If you're serving the kingdom, you're serving the kingdom. Paul, elaborates on this so famously in in first Corinthians with his with his body analogy. We are hands. We are feet. We are eyes.

We are tongue. We cannot downplay the role of any service in the church. But when Stephen is brought to the Sanhedrin, the dude spits the truth. Right? Like, he knows his he knows his gospel, and he is not ashamed of it.

And the other thing that I think is useful for us today is when Stephen makes his famous speech, there's not any immediate converts. It doesn't talk about any of them going, you're right. You got me. Them dropping stones and walking away. But there's one man there holding coats of the guys that were stoning him.

And so while Stephen is praying for the forgiveness for the men that are actively killing him while they're doing it, a man named Saul is standing there. And he goes on to be the greatest evangelist. That's an example for us. That's how the upside down kingdom economics work. And that's how you know that you're not losing the plot in the movie.

So why does the kingdom function this way? If Jesus had been who the Jews expected him to be, the kingdom would have lasted what? Ten years, forty years, maybe a thousand years. But we're standing here two two thousand years later celebrating the life and more importantly, the death of Jesus. There's a reason why we worship Jesus the Christ and not Alexander the Great.

But by worldly standards, Alexander the Great smoked Jesus. Miles conquered. People basically forcibly converted all in his thirty two years versus Jesus's thirty to thirty three depending on who you ask ask Ray. But the martyrs for this kingdom, they die with hope, they die with joy, with faith, and with peace. Similarly, if we live for ourselves, our kingdom dies with us.

Maybe maybe you're brilliant and you're lucky, and you accumulate massive amounts of wealth that'll last a few generations. But the number of American families that have had wealth last through three generations can basically be counted on two hands. And those families, you probably don't wanna be a part of. They make reality TV shows out of that. But if we die to ourselves, if we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven where moth and rust cannot destroy, we get an eternal glory.

If we pour ourselves out like a drink offering to show the love of Jesus to those both inside and outside of the body of Christ, this church, then we get to bring others with us, and it's called a crown. So what does this mean for us? Well, the lowest hanging fruit is that we can always check our expectations against the Bible. American capitalism and democracy are two of the greatest ideas that that that man has ever had, but they're not. So don't get me wrong on that.

Right? I am pro capitalism and democracy, but they're not divinely inspired. They are not in in God's word on the same level that the commands that were given in scripture are. So we are called as Christians, as American Christians in the twenty first century to follow scripture first. So we cannot fall trapped to the lie from Satan that Jesus wants us to be healthy, independent, and comfortable.

Instead, we can test our circumstances, we can test our time, our use of resources against biblical standards instead of against cultural ones because it is so easy to think that we're doing well when we claim the name of Jesus and then we basically lead a really boring moral life. And then we compare ourselves to this sort of New Age materialist or hedonistic culture that surrounds us. Instead, we have to remind ourselves of what our true calling is. When we believe the lie, when we think that our broken hearts, broken bodies, our our financial hardship, whatever it may be, is some sign that God is disappointed with us, that we didn't have a good enough quiet time or that we haven't been living out faithfully, we're missing the point. I think Hebrews 12 puts it really well.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood because the Lord disciplines the one that he loves and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son or daughter. If you are not disciplined, then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters of all. So in light of Hebrews 12, I would make the counterpoint that in the upside down kingdom, it's we who are prospering, who are comfortable, who are not experiencing hardship, that we've got to take a hard look at our lives and make sure that we're trying to run hard after Christ. Francis Chan says really well in his in his famous book, Crazy Love, that the point of your life is to point to Christ. I'll say it again.

The point of your life is to point to Christ. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified because this whole thing is his. That's his quote. So we love the least. We be last.

We die to self. The first or last, the last or first. It's about the heart more so than it's about the actions. A man that was really instrumental in in my coming of faith, Jonathan Piclouda, pastors at church in Waco, Texas. He has a saying that it's it's about belief.

It's it's about how you believe, not how you behave. And I would add, but if you believe, it will change how you behave. In normal kingdoms, you would conquer to gain. In this kingdom, we are conquered to gain. We die to gain.

It's in our weakness that is strength. And Paul says that we are more than conquerors. So if we fight for ourselves, if we die for ourselves, you are not making progress, you're actually losing. And it just doesn't feel that way because we're surrounded, we're constantly immersed by by and again, I love the capitalist system. I love democracy.

I think it's done great. But we're constantly immersed in the marketing effectively of it, that if we're experiencing hardships, some we've done something wrong. And that's just not biblical. In the previous chapter of Mark in eight thirty four thirty five, he says, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

So Jesus shows us how in the next section, how to live this out. He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me. Truly, I tell you, anyone who gives me a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Children in those days were viewed as a nuisance and were basically the lowest status holders in society. Nobody set aside time to make sure that children were being built up. But God makes clear that in his kingdom, children are important. And the analogy works well for all of us too. If you do something kind for me out of generosity and you don't expect payment, that's great.

I really appreciate I hope I'm grateful and I hope I express that well. But, man, if you help one of my children, like, I'm all in. Like, if Crystal Updike ever needs to be broken out of prison, like, I'll ride or die for that woman. Like like, the the Van Slyke knows. Right?

Like, he and I, we're going. But it's just like that woman has has fundamentally influenced the way that our children grow up and grow up in Christ. And so if you wanna serve the father, serve the lowest in society. This is why we as Christians, why why every hospital, why every major educational system, why even the basic concept of human rights, these are all Christian things. So even if you're not a Christian, it's example number 9,000 of why it's better to live in a Christian or post Christian society.

But we don't simply provide these people with food and water. We should do that. But Jesus makes clear here that we need to tell them why we do it. If we care for a perceived enemy, be it personal personal, social, or political, we also need to tell them why we do it. And what does that look like?

We know a short version of the gospel, practice it, and share it. It doesn't have to be super articulate. It's okay if it's the Americanized individualized version of the gospel. Say, Jesus died for your sins because that's true. That he was a historical person and that he claimed to be God and they killed him, and three days later, he walked out of that grave.

And because of that, we can have communion with God. That's the gospel. You can even distill it down further than that. Make it about Jesus. The other way you can do it is share your story.

Sharing a story has three really basic parts. Who you were before Christ, what or who brought you to Christ, and what your life has been like ever since. Tell them tell everyone about the freedom that you have known since then. So just like Stephen, we can use what God has given us. We can use where God has put us even if it's not what we wanted.

He has given you what you need for the purpose of his glory and your good. So we look to Jesus every day reminding ourselves and everyone around us of the truth of the gospel so that we don't miss the point, so that we don't miss the ending, we don't miss the plot twist, that it's not about you. It's about the crazy, backwards, upside down kingdom of God, which is, again, for his glory and your good, and those two things are inextricably linked. So the point of your life is to point to Christ, change your heart by meditating on what Christ has done for you. He set aside his perfect glory to live the most humble and perfect life and to die on a cross for you.

Share your story and take care of the least of these and tell them why you do it. That's all I have for us today. Just that. Just that. But I would love I mean, this is this is not supposed to just be a monologue.

So I would love I mean, thoughts, like, ons, like, did you know, like I love that. K. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. She shared oh, boy. That section that you shared about Stephen and his martyrdom. First of all, the the church was clumped up. Like, you kinda mentioned at the beginning, there's a holy huddle.

There's a holy huddle around Jerusalem, although Jesus had said, you will be my disciples. You'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and other parts. And they weren't anywhere except for Jerusalem, which is in Judea until Stephen was murdered. And Saul was standing there watching, and everything that Stephen said was true. Oh, man.

Everything that he said was true, and anybody listening to that could not have objected to what he said until he got to the very last. And it was because they had already made up their mind about that part. And and Saul, as he's sitting there, I mean, he's gonna still pursue the followers of the way because that's what a good church man, I guess, at the time synagogue member would do. But he had seen that and, you know, Jesus standing up, like you mentioned. When Saul goes after, just a little while later, Saul goes after the Christians and is knocked on his knocked flat, knocked blind.

And Jesus doesn't say, why are you persecuting these people? He says, why are you persecuting me? And so there's just so much, man. So much in what you said is it just kinda got the the juices pumping. But I love that it was through Stephen being obedient obedient even unto death, which is exactly the verbiage in Philippians for Jesus.

And it was at that point that the church spread out and did prophetically from what Jesus said they would do. They were gonna be the disciples of the the witnesses in Samaria and the uttermost parts. That's that's pretty awesome.

Yeah. And and to add on, like, through persecution. Exactly.

That was God's

Right. That was for their good.

And it still is.

Knew that story when he was writing Romans eight.

That's right.

Yeah. Yep. Yep.

Anyone else? Maybe

I misinterpreted or took it out of context or didn't understand exactly what was being said, but how is being last being first? I mean, if if somebody isn't successful or they're getting an f and everybody else in the class is getting an a, how are you first? You know? I mean, how do you stand out as being a winner if if you're last in line?

Right? The the the lowest and the least of these. That's why we use the example, you know, he's talking about children. Right? Children were despised if they were given any attention.

They were despised. And so that that sort of least of these approach is God has not forgotten the one who's getting the f's, who's getting who's last in the class. In fact, God's heart is specifically in many ways for them. Does that answer your question?

Yes, it does, sir. Thank you.

Thank you. And

to follow-up too, think that the least of these isn't necessarily can be like financial life situation, but I think that's about humility, if I'm not mistaken, but it's more it's not that I made lots of bad choices, therefore, I'm at the bottom of society. It's that I've decided to serve and humble myself instead of chasing after what I want, chasing after what the Lord wants. And that is the humility that that brings that down. So, because you can have people who are very humble and maybe first in God's kingdom, and they might have some money or, you know, down at the bottom, they've made a lot of bad mistakes and stuff like that. God God's looking out for all stratas, all levels.

We see him. He reaches out to the the Pharisees. He's there to the centurion, coming up dry. Cornelius? Cornelius, he's reaching to all the stratas and stuff like that.

So it's not necessarily economic, but it's mostly about humility. So that's

That's really it's about the heart.

Yes, about the heart.

Please don't take it in the wrong way. I do not want to praise myself, but in light of that. At Smiths, I've been asked to be a manager for every month, every two, three months. And I choose not to be a manager so I can serve at the self checkout because it gives me a freedom to talk to people. And because I choose that position, I can serve God better, but I'm not a manager.

I'm nobody there. I'm just a simple servant. But in God's eyes, I'm his servant. So kind of an idea of but again, please, I'm I'm not praising myself at all. Well, will.

No. No. No. No.

I mean, legitimately, I mean, I bet 10% of the local Smith business is because people wanna see Florid's smiling face. You know the blessing that he brings to them.

Thank you. That

that might be the busiest Albertsons in the entire country, but that Smiths is outperforming all metrics too, I very highly major.

That reminds me. I this is probably, like, five or ten years ago now, but I heard a pastor say, you know what? I actually do think you know, society says that the rich, the powerful, the beautiful, like, they're more like, greater are those. Right? And it's and our pastor said, you know what?

I actually think there's a benefit to that because they realize that happiness or joy or, like, the ultimate is not found in those things. And the, you know, the poor man might say, oh, if only I had more money. That would solve my problems. Or the ugly is, only if I were beautiful, that would solve my problems. But once you've experienced all that the world has to offer and it still leaves escaping hole, then you can like and then it points you to Christ.

And I love the in the beatitudes. I just did a study on that and that the blessed was God was like overjoyed that they were so empty that there is room for him. That in those lowly positions that they had nothing else left And that's why, like, I think in third world countries, like, especially there's just this such this joy and the simplicity of, like, they have faith and they don't have much else. Yet they live in conditions that we would be appalled, like, couldn't even fathom ourselves living in.

Yeah. There's if if anybody wants to look up a great example of that, there's two quotes. There's a quote from Tom Brady right after he won, like, his fifth Super Bowl or something. And it it was he, like, married Giselle. It was, you know, more money than we can count.

And it was, like basically, the idea was there has to be something else. And there was a similar quote from Brad Pitt around a similar time. So if you ever want a funny, secular version of what we're talking about today, look up quotes from the great prophets, Tom Brady and And Empress they'll talk about these guys that are the pinnacle of society that are sitting there going, like to Natalie's point, we should be jealous of the rich. But we should be jealous of the rich because they know that riches are not what bring life. And the rest of us are sold that idea.

And we're rich by global standards. Every single one of us in this room. I wanna be clear about that. But, like, because of the way that we stratify in America, we think that riches are what bring happiness. And so there's a few of the rich,

a few of the beautiful, a few of

the famous that have been so bold as to say, nah. This ain't it.

Yeah. What really makes me sick about society and it's disturbing is Miley Cyrus could be in some skimpy attire shaking her booty and young girls and young boys are idolizing it, admiring it, looking up to it, and it it's bothersome. I mean, it bothers me a lot when honorable soldiers that fight for our country that are fighting for family and freedoms don't get the publicity, don't get the honor that they truly deserve. They're the true heroes, not Miley Cyrus shaking her butt.

I mean

But this this is a broken world, and it's always been broken. And and it will be broken until Jesus returns. And so there is there is brokenness, and and I would argue it's been that way all throughout society, all all throughout the history of civilization that we have prioritized the wrong things even in what I would call Christendom. Right? Which you could roughly consider this a Christian nation still despite what most politicians will say.

Anything else?

Brad. Crispy. There was something in the middle that you mentioned. You said comfortable, healthy, and

Oh, I don't know.

A third word. That was basically

We'll have to go to the tape.

You said to you you you exhorted us to compare our life to scripture, not to society. Yeah. And and I think that that pops up in revelation in the letters to the church so often where we're we're trying to continue to compare ourselves to people around us, but we get called to compare ourselves to what what Jesus calls us to. And and then there's that discernment of, you know, taking care of and and taking care of your family. Right?

Because we're called to take care of our family and to not live at the same standard as as the world.

Yeah. But my and I guess some of what I could have elaborated on is, like, my idea of what providing for my family looks like can be very different from what God's idea of providing for my family looks like. And that's where I'm right. 90% of the time, I'm preaching myself on this stuff. Because I know that I swim in the waters that I do of materialism, of capitalism, of things like that, that says, unless you have this truck, this beer, these boots, this whatever, you are not complete as a man.

You're not providing for your family unless your kids wear this brand, do these things, go to these schools, whatever. And I'm 100% indoctrinated in that sort of stuff. And so I need to run to scripture every morning and probably more than just in the morning to be reminded of real truth. That that's why I bring up that Philippians one twenty nine verses. It has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ, but to suffer for him.

And gosh, that's one of those hard verses in the Bible that I just have to stew in for a while. And then I have to remind myself of Romans eight one. And so that's where, you know, we kind of pair. And this is some of what I'll talk about next week's plug is like, how do we match sort of the sort of criticism of easy believism versus the condemnation that comes through kind of the apparent legalism that some verses seem to espouse? And how do we make the two?

So tune in.

Thanks, Brad.

Can I just say this real quick? Awana has ended. And so if you've got children in Awana and you need to grab them, please do. But we we'll keep going here.

Hi, everybody. How much how many minutes do I have?

We're kind of wrapping up, but I would love to have a, like, a conversation just you and me.

Okay. Well, I just wanted to say something. And kind of the answer, I have seven answers, but I'm probably going to tell you just one. But also because Pastor Ray is here, and I think he's going to like it because you said you are from you migrated your family from Georgia. But before Georgia, well before Mexico, what about Scotland?

Way back. That's where Batman is from, right? And Goodscotch. So that's why I wanted to say. And last is first, there is a magic the way it works.

I figured it out because I lived through experience. So but the story I would like to tell is about so first, last. As a human, we were set as the first in animal kingdom. And if you only afford a new animal, right, then then you lust. But the difference is not every human knows their they have a creator, but animals do know.

I'd love to close in in in a song, though, and and sing in Christ alone because this is really this is this is what we're proclaiming here. We're proclaiming Christ. Alright. Here we go. Amen.

I've got here it is. Then I wanna end with this one from Mark four as a benediction. Jesus says, pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given, and you will receive even more. Amen.

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