Jesus Came to Serve

December 20, 2023

Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Sermon text: Mark 10:35-45


In the Sutton household we celebrate birthdays and special occasions in big ways. For example, we don't just have birthdays, but we have birthday week! Meaning, there is anticipation built into the week leading up to the actual birthday celebration. It is anticipating the anticipated. We are actively anticipating something that we have already deemed important that is still in the future. That is what we are doing during ADVENT. Year after year we spend the better part of a month anticipating. We anticipate the celebration of the coming of Christ every year. This rhythm of life focuses our hearts and our minds on Jesus in a way that gives us a different perspective on the rest of life... readying us for the final actual return of Jesus Christ to earth to establish His reign and His rule forevermore!


A similar occasion is found in our text today. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, have been following Jesus with great intentionality, and as they begin to anticipate that it seems Jesus is soon to enter Jerusalem and establish His earthly kingship, they begin to anticipate the opportunities that this might afford them... what role they might play in His reigning and ruling...how they might be honored in this earthly Kingship of Jesus...


If Jesus stood before you right now and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”… How would you answer? What would be the first request to pop into your mind?


This actually happened to James and John. And their answer was revealing to say the least…

Mark 9:33-35 “ And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house with them he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”


In light of having just been told that the first must be last, James and John seem to double down and say, “You know what? It seems about time that the sons of Zebedee got some respect around here!” They are celebrating ADVENT by seeking their own self-interest! And the other disciples are indignant! “Hey, what makes you think one of us shouldn’t get the seat on the right and on the left?!”


I wish that I could sit here today and tell you that it is not possible to walk with the Jesus and still be full of pride and selfishness, but apparently it is… I wish that I could tell you that there’s no possible way that the Christmas season could be turned into a charade of professing Christians seeking their own self-interest, but apparently it is possible. But what is interesting is Jesus’ response…


1.) Jesus did not condemn their desire to be great.

You may have thought that Jesus would have said, “Being great is not your goal. Only God is great.” But he doesn’t. In fact, throughout Scripture God makes some men’s names great. This was part of the covenant with David, “I will make your name great.” So Jesus isn’t against greatness or the pursuit of it.


2.) Jesus redefines greatness.

Remember, the disciples are wrapped up in pride. “Where will I sit when Jesus is sitting on His throne?” To put it plainly, they want to be famous. They are defining greatness as the amount of power you might have or the position you might keep.

- CJ Mahaney: “Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification.”

So Jesus gives his disciples a course correction. Sure, pursue greatness. But define greatness the right way… verses 42-44 “And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you

MUST be your servant, and whoever would be first among you MUST be slave of all.”

- He is speaking to them as a people… Holy… Set Apart…

- CJ Mahaney points out this significant reversal…

o Greatness defined by culture: “Individuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification.” o Greatness defined by Jesus: “Serving others for the glory of God.”


3.) Jesus came to serve.

v. 45 “FOR even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” If you have trouble finding the motivation to serve others, this is a wonderful passage to meditate on. Just staying within the context of Mark, these disciples are among very few to have gotten a first-hand insight into observing Jesus serving others… Among other things, they watched him heal a boy with an unclean spirit, lovingly comforting a father as he battled with his unbelief, then gently correcting the disciples for arguing over who is the greatest among them… then serving children… teaching about temptation… teaching about divorce… teaching about riches… again gently correcting the disciples in their wrong view of greatness… healing blind Bartimaeus… eventually ending up in the upper room with his disciples, taking the form of a servant and washing their feet… including the feet of one who would soon betray him…At this point, isn’t it fair to ask, “What else do you need?”

4.) Jesus came to die… giving his life as a ransom for many.

Without the death of Jesus, we cannot overcome our pride and selfishness. How does this ransom work? Who is paid? What is paid? Who is redeemed? ESV STUDY BIBLE: “The ransom of Christ’s life was paid to God the Father, who accepted it as just payment for the sins of many.”

- JUSTIFICATION: Your debt to God is forgiven and you are deemed righteous.

- SANCTIFICATION: You are being transformed into the image of Christ.

Forgiven and progressing… Donald English: “At the source of all Christian service in the world is the crucified and risen Lord who died to liberate us into such service.” How did Christ’s death, His life given as a ransom, impact James and John?

JAMES – Acts 12:1-3 “About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw that it

pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also…”

James was the first of the apostles to be martyred. What happened to take James from “I want tobe famous” TO serving others in Christ to the point where he gave his life? The RANSOM!

JOHN – 1 John 3:16 “By this we know love, that Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought

to lay down our lives for the brothers.”


John was the last of the apostles to die after suffering persecution and being banished to the island of Patmos. What happened to take John from “I want to be lifted up” TO “We ought to lay down our lives?” THE RANSOM!

The RANSOM frees us from the bondage to sin, self, and death. Once ransomed, you can be transformed… and the fight against sin is no longer futile or hopeless. James and John embraced this reality of who they now belong to….You don’t just need an example to follow. You need a Savior to ransom you!


Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”


James and John experienced this. And then John becomes the one to give us the most detailed insight into what we are anticipating in ADVENT…


Revelation 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation…”


This is ADVENT! We are anticipating the one who has ransomed us… the One to whom we belong.


Discipleship Questions:

  1. How does our culture define greatness and what are some ways that it is pursued?
  2. How does Jesus redefine greatness?
  3. In what ways do you relate to James and John? How do you battle against entitlement and selfishness?
  4. What was the ransom paid? And to whom was it paid?
  5. How did the RANSOM change James and John?
  6. What are some ways that we can celebrate being ransomed this Advent?
  7. What are some ways we can challenge one another in the areas of serving others?
  8. Read Revelation 5 together. How do these verses help you to anticipate the return of Christ during this Advent season? 

Freed to Serve

April 28, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:11-17 This is the beginning of a section addressing how God's people now function in this world. It begins with aliens and exiles and continues with servants, wives, husbands, and finally, all of you. 1.) Our identity defines our actions. We are sojourners and exiles (temporary, passing through, not at home) We have a heavenly citizenship Actions We abstain from the passions of the flesh Keep conduct among the Gentiles honorable (our conduct is for the benefit of other people) Honorable conduct wins souls… sojourners, exiles, and soul winners “Peter’s point is that believers’ behavior creates a context in which people will listen to God’s word. He is not teaching that ‘good deeds’ in themselves convert unbelievers, but they establish an environment for the Gospel-word to do so.” -Barnett 2.) Our identity defines our expectations (Unbelievers will respond to honorable conduct in 1 of 2 ways) Some will speak evil against us as though we are evildoers Some will see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 3.) Our identity defines our view of authority (Does anyone here ever just want to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it? That’s why laws exist) Be subject to every human institution (for the Lord's sake) This includes governors and emperors (no distinction between good/bad) The will of God... by doing good, we silence the ignorance of foolish people 4.) Our identity defines our view of freedom Don't use freedom as a cover-up for evil We are freed to serve God Honor, Love, and Fear Discipleship Questions: 1.)Why is it so important to understand our identity before talking about our behavior? 2.) How might this reality impact your parenting? For real, what are 3 ways that you can apply that this week? 3.) How is good conduct a form of evangelism? 4.) What do these verses say that we can expect from others? 5.) How can we honor a government that isn't always honorable? Seriously, what are 5 things we should immediately stop doing and 5 things we should immediately start doing? 6.) What are some tangible ways to honor others? Love the brotherhood? Fear God? Honor the Emperor? 7.) Should we fear the Emperor?

Cornerstone

April 22, 2025
Notes from Ky Martin's sermon on Sunday, April 20, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Everyone must accept or reject Jesus. He is the cornerstone. We choose to accept Him as the foundation of our lives or toss the truth aside. When we come to Jesus… We become part of His People 1 Pe 2:4-5 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. The cornerstone is The New Temple. From this we learn that following Christ entails joining his community, the church…The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. -Daniel M. Doriani We join a royal, holy, priesthood 1 Pet. 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Because of who Jesus makes us. We receive God’s mercy Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms….Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years. It means undergoing a kind of death. Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” Discipleship Questions: Why is it impossible to be neutral about Jesus? Why do you believe that Jesus truly is the Son of God? Do you ever have doubts about this? If yes, what are they? According to 1 Peter 2:9, who are we after we come to Christ? Why does Paul say (in 1 Corinthians) that if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain?

Born Again

April 16, 2025
Notes from Scott Sutton's sermon on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Sermon text: 1 Peter 2:2-3 Why do our souls ache for certainty? We are so eager for certainty that we will look for it in all the wrong places. - Certainty in our Finances [show slide from news] - Certainty in our Jobs [Acts 17:24-27] - Certainty in our Health [Covid] - Certainty in our Abilities [Ecclesiastes 3:11 “God has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”] “Things that have never happened before are happening every day.” -Morgan Housel In these verses, God gives us what our souls ache for! 1.) You must be born again of imperishable seed - We have all been born of perishable seed o Impure souls o Disobedient to truth o Unloving insincerity toward others o Lack of loving effort o Impure hearts - We are withering grass and falling flowers - The imperishable seed is the living and abiding Word of God o Does not wither o Does not fall o Does not let us down o It remains forever o It MUST BE PREACHED! But still, how can we be certain that we have been born again? 2.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your relationships When your relationship with God changes, God changes your relationships! - Sincere brotherly love - Love earnestly - Put away… o Malice o Deceit o Hypocrisy o Envy o All Slander 3.) If you are born again, hope will be seen in your appetite for God’s Word - Like newborn infants - Long for the pure spiritual milk Discipleship Questions: 1.) Where are some unhealthy places where you look for certainty? 2.) Why do you do that? 3.) What were some evidences of your perishable seed before you came to Christ? Any of that still lingering that needs to be repented from? 4.) Why does Peter call the Word of God the imperishable seed? 5.) In light of the text, how would you describe being "born again" to a 5-year-old? 6.) How has imperishable hope proven itself in your relationships? OR How might it if you lean into loving others earnestly? 7.) Why does Peter tell us that hope will be seen in our appetite for God's Word?
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