The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18quoted at the opening as 'always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances because this is God's will for us in Christ'
16 Rejoice always.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
the main passage read and taught through, covering Jesus predicting his death and teaching on servant leadership
32 They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was going in front of them, and they were amazed; and those who followed were afraid. He again took the twelve, and began to tell them the things that were going to happen to him.
33 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death, and will deliver him to the Gentiles.
34 They will mock him, spit on him, scourge him, and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.”
36 He said to them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They said to him, “Grant to us that we may sit, one at your right hand, and one at your left hand, in your glory.”
38 But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to him, “We are able.” Jesus said to them, “You shall indeed drink the cup that I drink, and you shall be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;
40 but to sit at my right hand and at my left hand is not mine to give, but for whom it has been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard it, they began to be indignant towards James and John.
42 Jesus summoned them, and said to them, “You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 Whoever of you wants to become first among you, shall be bondservant of all.
45 For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
Monday night's study moved through Mark 10, where Jesus predicts his death a third time and then corrects his disciples' ideas about greatness. The thread running through the whole passage is a single kingdom principle: to follow Jesus is to serve others. Pastor Blake traced that principle from the road to Jerusalem all the way to the cross and back out into everyday life.
What was said
The passage opens with Jesus walking toward Jerusalem ahead of his disciples. Mark notes that the disciples were filled with awe and those following were overwhelmed with fear. Something heavy was in the air. Jesus had already predicted his death twice, and here he does it a third time, describing in detail the betrayal, the Roman trial, the mocking, the flogging, and the killing, and then adding that after three days he would rise. Luke's account, Pastor Blake noted, adds that the disciples did not understand any of it, and what comes next makes that plain.
Immediately after this third prediction, James and John pull Jesus aside and ask to sit at his right and left when he comes into his glory. Pastor Blake said this made him smile rather than made him angry at the disciples, because he could see the same impulse in himself. What struck him most was Jesus' response: he doesn't brush them off. He asks, "What is your request?" That patience, extended to people who had just missed the whole point, is one of the things Pastor Blake said he keeps noticing as the group reads through Mark together.
Jesus does push back, asking whether they can drink from the same bitter cup of suffering he is about to drink. They say yes without really knowing what they are agreeing to. Pastor Blake pointed out that they were not entirely wrong about their answer. After the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, every one of those disciples did suffer. But he was quick to add that suffering is not the whole picture. He said he does not experience his walk with Christ as only suffering, but as something that also carries joy, purpose, peace, and contentment, even through the hard things.
When the other ten disciples hear what James and John asked, they are indignant, and Jesus gathers them all together. He contrasts two kinds of leadership. In the world around them, rulers lord their authority over people; they all knew exactly what that looked like under Roman rule. But Jesus says it will be different among his followers. Whoever wants to lead must become a servant, and whoever wants to be first must become the slave of everyone else.
Jesus then names himself as the reason and the example. He did not come to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Pastor Blake spent time on that word ransom: a payment made to release someone from captivity. The debt of sin was one none of them could pay. Jesus paid it by living the perfect life they could not live and then dying in their place. The result is not condemnation but forgiveness and freedom.
Pastor Blake closed the teaching portion by reading from Philippians, the passage describing how Jesus, though He was God, did not cling to His divine privileges but took the position of a slave, humbled Himself in obedience, and died a criminal's death, and was therefore lifted to the highest honor. The point he drew from it was that the freedom Jesus purchased is not meant to stop with the individual believer. A verse from Galatians made the same move: you have been called to freedom, but do not use that freedom to satisfy your own sinful nature; use it to serve one another in love.
The discussion that followed let people connect the passage to their own lives. Florina described the daily reality of working at a self-checkout, where the pull to serve well runs directly against moments when a customer is demanding and every instinct says no, and how stopping to pray in those moments changes the response. Barbara made the point that there is real joy in serving, and that when people resist being helped out of suspicion about motives, they can end up taking that joy away from the one who wanted to give it. Several people returned to the image of Jesus walking willingly toward Jerusalem, noting that he moved toward suffering rather than away from it, and that this sets the shape of what following him actually looks like.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
Jesus knew exactly what was waiting for Him in Jerusalem and still walked toward it willingly. What does that tell you about what He thought of you, and how does it affect the way you face hard things you can see coming?
The pastor pointed out that right after Jesus predicted His death a third time, James and John asked for the best seats in the kingdom. When have you caught yourself thinking about your own position or comfort at a moment when you probably should have been focused on something else?
Alright. Hey, friends. Welcome to an another Monday night. Glad to
have you. Glad to see you. And, a big thank you to Felix in Guadalupe back there. I don't know if you can hear us Felix in Guadalupe, but very, very, thankful every time they they cook. It's just so good.
We're we're making our way through the gospel of Mark right now, and we're up to chapter 10 tonight. And, it is conversation style at the end. So, you don't have to share anything, but, there's a little verse, a word of encouragement, from the scripture. I always love to bounce it around and just kinda solidify it in our hearts after we read it. But before we get there, would you stand with me and let's let's worship in song together.
A few songs from first Thessalonians. It's always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances because this is God's will for us in Christ and he's our deliverer. Let's sing.
Amen. Lord, there is always something to be thankful for, and I'm reminded of that as we sing this song. So, Lord, thank you. We come to you just as we are tonight. Would you meet us where we are at?
And, Lord, would you calm our anxious hearts. If there's any anxiety in us, Lord, would you would you calm our hearts before you? And, God, would we hear from you? Would we hear? And make room make room to hear from you.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Awesome and great is your name.
And I love this part. We will overcome. God, there is so many things in that song that just, they just hit home. And, Lord, I thank you that you have overcome, And you say to us, you say this to, your disciples, in this world, you'll have many, trials and and sorrows, but then you say, take heart because I've overcome the world. And so, Lord, yes, we do experience trials and troubles and and heartaches.
And, Lord, to follow you is is a road that is also marked with suffering. We'll see that in Mark. But, Lord, there is so much joy in you and purpose in you and peace in you. And so, Lord, would we would we, as your church, seek first the kingdom and right and your righteousness? And all these things would be added, not just material things, not just the things that we need, but also, God, the spiritual things that that we need and we're longing for, that peace that passes understanding.
Lord, we're we're reaching out to you this evening, and and we ask God that you that you would you you would you're always reaching in our direction. But, Lord, may we reach out to you. In Jesus' name. Amen. From Hebrews, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever
God.
I will tell.
I will tell of your wonders, sing of your grace. Of creation, knows me by name.
God, we thank you for your faithfulness, to us. I think of the verse that says, even when we are faithless, you are faithful. And so, Lord, would we see that in the scripture tonight? And, Lord, would you comfort and encourage each one of us here today through this word? Even when there are the hard things, Lord, there's there's even though there's sorrow, there is also joy.
And I and I pray, God, that that's the message that we could hear, tonight. In Jesus' name. Amen. You can have a seat here for a moment. Thank you, Blake.
Who do we thank, Blake? These guys I know it. But, really, that's not an easy job. And then it it also allows us to, you know, folks to to watch at home. And, I think my mom is actually watching too.
And happy birthday, mom. It was her birthday yesterday. Love you so much. Alright. Here we go.
Gospel according to Mark. So we're in chapter 10 tonight, and, this is where Jesus predicts his death a third time, and he teaches about serving others. And and what I love so much right now, what's striking me most in in this gospel of Mark is how patient Jesus is with his disciples. Is anyone noticing that? As they read through the gospel, do you go, wow.
Jesus is really patient with his disciples. Even when they don't understand, they don't get it. He is patient with them, and he's showing them by example here why he came and and what it means to follow after him. So for example, let me just let me just share this. A little a little drawing, a little cartoon drawing, but of the gospel.
He's patient with them when their expectation of Messiah was Jesus is gonna be a victorious conquering king, and he's gonna defeat our enemies. He's gonna be an earthly ruler. Do you remember what Jesus said about that? No, guys. That's that's not why I came.
He redefined that as he says, I'm gonna be a suffering servant, and I will die and give my life as a ransom for many. He's patient with the disciples as they're like, alright, earthly ruler. Here we go. And when they follow him, their expectation you know what? We follow Jesus.
We're gonna have these great places of honor in the kingdom. It's gonna be so wonderful. And then Jesus redefines greatness, and he goes, you know what, guys? If you wanna be first, you gotta be the servant of everybody else. So that's really the heart of the the scripture tonight.
Jesus says, for the son of man didn't come to be served, but to serve others. God's kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is is in heaven. It's that. It's that right there. It looks like service unto others.
If I were to put tonight in just one sentence, it's this, to follow Jesus is to serve others. Just plain and simple. That's that's a, such an important kingdom principle right here. Jesus emphasizes. I wanna go ahead and read it, and I'll comment as we go.
And would you please take a mental note of, your thoughts too as we as we go through this scripture, verses of encouragement, and then we can, at the end, bounce this around some more. So you ready? Here we go. Verse starting at verse 32. It says they were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them.
And Mark is so matter of fact about this, but it's it's so significant, this little thing right here, because to walk toward Jerusalem meant walking toward the cross. It meant walking towards certain death and suffering. And Mark adds that the disciple the disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. So there's something about this walk toward Jerusalem that's heavy, and they're all feeling it. Maybe they don't quite understand all that's happening right now, but Jesus had predicted his his death twice now.
So there's some fear. There's some awe that they're experiencing. And then taking the 12 disciples aside, Jesus once more began to describe everything that was about to happen to him. So this was now the third time the third time that Jesus predicted his death to his disciples. K.
33. Listen, he said, we're going to Jerusalem where the son of man will be betrayed to the leading priests and teachers of the religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. They will mock him and spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him. But after three days, he will rise again.
Isn't it just amazing? Jesus knew exactly what was what would happen there, and he still walks toward the cross. So that's Mark's account. Luke says the same exact thing, but he adds this part right here. They didn't understand any of this.
The significance of his words was hidden from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about. And and this becomes very, very clear by the the next question that follows. It is right there. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. Teacher, they said, we want you to do us a favor.
So it kinda seems like a untimely question, and and and I think it kinda really shows that they didn't understand the weight of what was happening here. But they asked and look at Jesus. Here again, here's his patience. What's your request? He asked.
He obliges. What is your request, disciples? He loves these guys. They replied, when you sit on your glorious throne, we wanna sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left. And and this is where I know it kinda makes me smile and laugh a little bit because I think, guys, really?
Really? But this is where I see Jesus' patience because he's just predicted his death a third time. James and but James and John, they're more concerned about their own positions, their own positions of authority in the kingdom. 38. Jesus said to them, you don't know what you're asking.
Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with. Because, again, Jesus knows where he's heading. He knows what will happen happen there. He knows the suffering he's gonna go through before he's raised to the glory, but do his disciples.
Well, they say, oh, yes. Oh, yes, they replied. We are able they answer with confidence, thinking, oh, yeah. Yeah. We know it's ahead.
Sure. It'll be a hard road. But then Jesus told them, you will indeed drink from my bitter cup and be baptized with my baptism of suffering. And the truth is the truth is is that they would. After Jesus' death and resurrection and and his ascension and then the Holy Spirit comes and fills those believers, they go on that spirit empowered mission, and they experience varying degrees of suffering and death.
Every single one of them. But may I also add to that? Because I know this is true, that those those disciples experienced life and life to the full measure. I believe that with my whole heart. Christianity is not just suffering.
Can I just say that? Because I I feel like sometimes a pastor can get really gloomy and doomy about it, but that's I I don't see that. I don't experience that in my life, not only suffering. I experience joy and peace and purpose and contentment in my walk with Christ. We experience joy and peace and purpose in contentment in our walk with Christ even through the hard stuff.
Can I get an amen? Like, yeah. Yeah. I can agree. I agree with that.
So I just wanna say we can, believers in Christ, hold our heads up high even when hard stuff comes. Okay? Even as we suffer. So verse 40. Jesus says to him, I have no right to say.
Guys, you're asking for these positions of authority in heaven. Jesus is going, I don't I have no right to say who will sit on my right or left. God has prepared those places for the ones he's chosen. And so can I just say to us, let's let's leave that to the Lord? He he'll be the one.
As far as as as rewards in in heaven heaven goes, I I I haven't a clue. Jesus says he doesn't even know. That's for God to decide. When the 10 other disciples heard what James and John asked, they were indignant, meaning it grieved them. It made them angry.
Why? Because they want those places. Right? That's that is the natural human reaction. Well, hold on a second.
Why should they get those places? Well, what about us? Now confessional preaching. Alright? Can I just share a little bit here?
I'm working through this, but I realized that I feel that way when I'm flying, like I'm flying on an airplane. Right? And they call first class, and and I've got my basic economy section seven seat, and I get so salty. And and it's a natural human, you know, response to feel jealous of of another person's position. I I'm I'm working through it.
Alright? Forgive me. Forgive me. 42. So Jesus called them together.
He said, you know that the rulers in this world, they lord it over their people. Officials flaunt their authority over those under. Now I am please hear me say this. I am not saying people in first class do this. I am not saying that at all.
Okay. But the disciples understood think of their context here for a second. The disciples understood what Jesus was talking about it. They were truly surrounded by this every single day. Rulers with positions of authority, lording it over those.
They were under Roman rule at the time. So they got this. They get it. And I can just kinda hear them going, yeah, Jesus, but can't we, just for once in our life, can't we be that person at the top? Like, it's legitimate.
I do feel for these disciples. I don't get mad at them for asking the these questions because I I I know that I I probably would in my own heart. So 43, Jesus says, among you, it'll be different, guys. Followers of Jesus, whoever wants to be the leader among you must be your servant. And then whoever wants to be the first among you must be the slave of everyone else.
Isn't that credible? This right here is not it's upside down to us, but this is the right side up kingdom. This is the way it's supposed to be. This is God's will on earth as it is in heaven. This is how God has designed it.
Not to be served, but to serve others. And Jesus this is the great part, church. Jesus sets the example. I love that Jesus doesn't ask his followers to do anything he didn't first do himself. Isn't that great, by the way, about Jesus?
Is he says, if if he asks us to do something, he's already done it. He has already done it. Verse 45. For even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. Just think about it.
You know, we're not there yet in the gospel, but think of Jesus going one by one washing the disciples' feet. I mean, you know, and and one of them would would betray him, and the others would flee. And he's going, I love you, and I love you, and I love you. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna serve you.
And give his life as a ransom for many. We don't use the word ransom a whole lot, but let me back up first, though, by saying Jesus emptied himself. And rather than just seeking his own will and his own desires, he said, father, not my will, but your will be done. Wow. Even when it meant laying down his life as a ransom.
Again, this word ransom, it's a payment to release a person and free them from captivity. That's what Jesus did for us. He made a payment that we could not pay to release us from the captivity of sin. We could not pay that debt on our own. He had to do that.
He had to be perfect. He lived a perfect life that we couldn't live. That's what he did. So now instead of condemnation from God, we get forgiveness and freedom. That's the good news of the gospel.
Jesus is telling his disciples here, and he's telling us, he's going, guys, followers of Jesus, count the cost. Count the cost of discipleship to follow Jesus is to serve others. That's the kingdom principle here. But what's most encouraging to me is not only the patience that that Jesus has with his disciples, but God is patient with us. He's very patient with us as we are learning and we are growing in this area because you know what?
We don't have this down pat. Right? That we are a work in in progress when it comes to this because our human nature is is is is kind of like it's it's we're a me first kind of culture, if we're honest. Right? And and Jesus is going, no.
No. Would you set yourself aside? Do you think of yourself less and serve the people that you're leading? Philippians, sums this up beautifully, and I I wanna end I wanna end with this, that though he, that's Jesus, was God, he didn't think of equality with God as something to cling to. So he did not cling to his divinity.
He didn't cling to it. Instead, what he did was to give up his divine privileges, and he took the humble position of a slave, and he was born as a human being. And when he appeared in human form, he humbled himself. He humbled himself in obedience to God, and he died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor, and he gave him the name above all other names that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father.
May that right there be what motivates us to serve others. May Jesus be our motivation to serve and love as he served, giving up his divine privileges. And having no sin debt of his own, he humbled himself in obedience to God, and he took those nails for us. And it wasn't just to save us and set us free from the penalty of sin. It was it's so that we would use that freedom to love and serve others.
And can I just can I just share that one more time? That Jesus took the nails for us not just to save us and set us free. Yay. I'm free. But now to use that freedom to love and serve others as Jesus did.
He's always our example. We don't have to look any further than him. He's our example in how we can do this and do it well and do it well at our work, in our marriage, in our friendships, everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Think of everywhere you are and what you do from day to day.
Jesus can and will and does empower us to love and serve as he served. Amen? So I wanna end with that, and I would like to hear too if there was anything that stood out to you in in Mark 10 tonight. What encourages you from the scripture. But before before I open it up, can I pray one more time?
God almighty, I am just absolutely floored. I am amazed at your self giving others focused love. It is just incredible how patient you are and how determined you were, Lord, to to carry out your mission. Even when the disciples didn't get it, even, Lord, when we don't get it, we have a hard time understanding. You set aside your own will.
You humbled yourself in obedience to God. And even when that meant suffering and death, the good news, Lord, here, the good news is that you rose in triumph. You rose from death. And because you live, we also live. Lord, may we use this life that you've given us.
Right? You've ransomed them. You paid the debt. But now, instead of just being free, may we use our freedom to love and serve as you have loved and served us. Holy Spirit, would you remind us daily, daily, when that selfish nature of ours wants to creep up and say, me first.
Lord, would you remind us that you got to the back of the line, that you served with love and humility and obedience to God, and would you help us. As imperfect as we are, we're asking for your help. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen.
Alright. Well, would would anybody have any thoughts? And if you want us to to go back to some of the the scripture here too of of, Jesus saying, I've I've come not to be served but to serve others and give my life as a ransom for many. Is there anything in the in the scripture that that stood out to you that you'd care to mention on or encourage encourage one another with? Anybody have a thought?
Mhmm.
That amazes me, Larry, that that he left the glories of heaven. But the part that really grabs a hold of my heart is that he didn't cling to his divinity. You know what I mean? How many times do we wanna we we want to cling to that that, whatever it might be that we have a a higher position or authority or or whatever we have, and it says that he just didn't he didn't cling to it. He didn't hold on to that.
Instead, he just, in in humility, lived in obedience to to the father's will. It's just it's just amazing. I'm amazed by it. Yeah.
Thank you.
As most of you knows as as most of you knows, I work at self checkout. So I I work with people all day long. And I can tell you with all my heart that there are times when it's so natural to help, but there are times when you do not wanna help or serve at all. It's easy to deal with some people that you like, your friends, family, someone from church. But sometimes when people are demanding or asking you immediately, hey.
Hey. I need your help immediately. My first reaction is no. Definitely no. But in in that moment, I immediately pray.
I said, Lord, how am I supposed to do this? How would you do it if you would be in my place right now? And then my spirit comes right here at the moment. And I'm thinking if the Lord Jesus serves me and is always by my side, always willing to help me in in my everyday Christian life, then I wanna do the same too. But I have really have to say this.
It's not always natural to do that. Our human flesh, our desire is to to respond back with the same level that we are treated at the moment. But only by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do what we can do. And and we have to do it. Even when it's difficult, we still have to do it because that's the only way that we can spread the good news about God, that we can be a light around us.
It's not always easy to be a light as a Christian. We try. We every day or when I I mentioned this many times. When I go to the other, I always say, Lord, use me today. Use me today even in my worst day.
Use me today because I I wanna be an instrument in your hands. But, Lord, you know that it's not easy, but yet I need you. And you said that whatever Jesus asks us to do, he did it himself yet. And that portion of, from, Philippians, when he said he he left that beautiful place just to come here to serve, to die for us, and whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. But it started with that place where he he said, you know what?
Although I'm God, although I'm the son of God, I'm not gonna act like I'm the ruler of everyone here. Actually, I came to serve so I can give you an example so you can do the same. Lord Jesus, help us in our everyday life, Lord. It's not easy, Lord. Lord, like the song says, look down on earth and it's worse than them.
And yet, Lord Jesus, we know it's not if it's not easy, yet give us the strength to spread the good news around us even when it seems impossible. And that's the way, Lord, where you can reach out to people and through the light that you shine through us, they might know you, Lord. Amen.
Good word. Gina, have you got a thought?
Share it.
I'm just sharing that on
the mic.
Mikey shared what I was what I was thinking about. I think how this helps me is no matter what we could be going through today, those trials and tribulations. And then I almost felt like after reading that to where I'm making it all about me, kind of selfish and self centered, you know, even if it's an illness or or just anything that could be happening to you, that to know that I just need to like how Jesus is practicing patience. Yes. Take a step back and thank the Lord and the Father and the Holy Spirit.
And just be grateful that I have the Lord in my life. Amen. And it's it can be okay. Let give it to him so he can do the work or he can help me to do the work. Amen.
Thank
you, Jesus.
Barbara, have you got a comment?
Yeah. But I can kinda. So I
think too that there's joy in serving. And so many times anymore when you wanna help someone or do something for someone, people are resistant. So that is. I think people always assume that you have an ulterior motive, but there's there's gonna be something that you expect in return. So I think it's important to keep in mind when someone does wanna serve you or bless you, let them.
Otherwise, you're taking away their joy. Does that make sense?
Yes.
So yeah.
If I can talk about I mean, I cannot believe what Jesus went through for us. And I know that he talks about suffering and everything, and and I mean, yeah, we suffer through a lot of things, but look what he the suffering he went through for us. It's it's just amazing to me. And and I I guess I just can't even talk anymore because I I know I I I just can't understand him and how he can love us that much that he would do what he did. Amen.
And, I mean, he I can't even I can't even talk. So
I really like what Joni said too is that that's what struck out for me is the suffering part of it, and he did so willingly. Like, what a meant suffering he was walking towards, walking to Jerusalem and what that meant, and it was willingly. And in second Peter, he talks about just that, the example that Jesus set for us by suffering, and all he did was good. Right? He lived a perfect life.
And so often in our lives, we wanna put ourselves first. Or if we know suffering is coming, we turn the other way because why would we walk towards suffering? But that's the example that he set for us is to suffer for doing good. So I really like that part as to that's what would Jesus do? He would suffer for doing good.
And there's a lot of suffering in this life like Joni was just saying, and that is our example is to do good. And and we'll suffer for it cause that's what Jesus did. And I also like what you said too is that being a Christian is not just about suffering. And then you went to Philippians, and in Philippians it talks about Yeah. Like, cast all your cares on Jesus.
Pray without ceasing, and you will have a peace that passes understanding. And then later on in Philippians, it's, I know what it's like to be hungry. I know what it's like to be well fed. Know I what it's like to be cold, hot, and goes through this long list. And no matter what the situation is, you can have that peace, and you can do all things through Jesus Christ.
So it's being a Christian isn't all about suffering. It's about having that peace too and having a place to cast your cares in any situation.
Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned that because it is it is true. You know, we can we can easily kinda make it about the, you know, almost kind of like being a martyr. And I I I just think I mean, hey. Look at Florina at the checkout line when you're you know?
And then the joy that radiates, you know, from him. And so hey. Can we close in in one more song? I think I think this one is fitting. It's kinda saying, you know, I I I don't understand everything there is to know.
You know, I I I don't know why he's given us this wondrous grace. I I don't know why he's given us this this saving faith. I I don't always know how the spirit moves, and I don't know when he's coming back. I just know that he is coming back. But I do know this.
I know whom I've believed, and I'm persuaded that he's able to keep my commitment to him, my faith to him on that day that he returns. Alright. I got one more verse to to part with here. And this one's from Galatians, but it's right in that vein of where of of service. Here it is.
That you've been called to live in freedom, brothers and sisters. But he's saying, don't use that freedom to satisfy your own sinful nature. He's saying, don't don't just use that freedom for you. He says, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.
Amen. Lord, help us this week, would you? When, lord, when when selfishness creeps in, when, we just don't want to, lord, would you give us the will and the desire to love and serve as you did. In Jesus' name, amen.
