Understanding Christian Service

My name is Randon Schleiden. I am an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church of America, the same denomination as this church body.

I'm currently serving as a chaplain in the United States Army here at Fort Carson, and I have the privilege of opening God's word with you today.

And if you would please turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 10, and we'll be reading from verse 35 to 45. Mark chapter 10, verses 35 to 45.

Mark 10 · chapter mention Mark 10:35–45

As I see that most of you are there, have found it in your bulletins, let us first go to the Lord in prayer and ask his help for understanding this passage.

Father in heaven, mighty is your name. We pray that in your strength you would build us up though we are weak.

We pray that in your word and through your word you would do the work which you promise it will do, which is to rebuke us and correct us,

to reform us, to improve us, to train us in righteousness, that we would be prepared for every good work, maturing Christ.

Father, we pray that what we aren't yet, you would continue to make us through the sanctification of your word and the life that you take us through.

We pray you do this work by the power of your spirit in Christ's name. Amen.

If you would, please follow along as I read from Mark chapter 10, verses 35 to 45.

Mark 10:35–45

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus and said to him,

Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.

And he said to them, What do you want me to do for you?

And they said to him, Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.

Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?

And they said to him, We are able.

And Jesus said to them, The cup that I drink, you will drink.

And with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.

But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant,

but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.

And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.

And Jesus called them all 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.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

As you look at this passage, I want you to recall another scripture that says in John 9,

We must work the works of him who sent us while it is day.

For night is coming when no one can work.

And we know that God has prepared good works beforehand,

before we even came about, that we would walk in them.

And so what I want to challenge you with is that there is work ahead for us to do as Christians,

as disciples of Christ.

And as we look towards that calling which God has called us,

we see in this passage, we are called to bear out those good works,

to walk in them which Christ has called us to,

by serving others.

And so in this passage, I would argue that at least one of the main ideas

that Christ means for us to take away from his word,

is that Christians serve.

Christians serve.

And you may think, okay, yeah, I know Christians in the church are supposed to serve.

I think this passage tells us, at least in three ways, how we are to serve,

or with what mind.

Christians serve, first of all, because Christ first served us.

Christians serve because Christ first served us.

Second, I want you to see that Christians serve in the face of trials.

Christians serve others in the face of trials.

And third, this passage tells us that Christians serve for a reward

that's prepared in advance according to the purposes of God.

Now, as we look at this passage, in this assembly, in this congregation, this flock,

I know that you all have been in Romans, and you've been running through Romans.

And then the Advent season came.

And so you've likely also been focusing on the Advent season,

the nativity scene, the birth of Christ,

the second person of the Trinity taking flesh to himself.

And then here I am coming to preach a sermon from the book of Mark.

So let me tell you a little bit about where we are in this passage.

You see, in Mark chapter 1, we find immediately that Mark is a fast-paced gospel

Mark 1 · chapter mention

where Jesus is on mission, doing the work that God called him to do.

And in all the gospel accounts, essentially, there's kind of a three-phase breakdown.

The first phase is Jesus' Galilean or countryside ministry.

He ministers the gospel and the truth of who he is

and what he's about to do in the countryside.

And then you have Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, phase 2,

where Jesus is en route to Jerusalem, where he will complete phase 3,

which is going to the cross, dying, raising, ascending on high.

Where we are in this passage in chapter 10 is right at the end of phase 2.

Jesus is completing his journey or road to Jerusalem.

He is right on the cusp or right at the gates of entering the city.

Now, closer to our passage of this morning, in Mark chapter 10, verse 32,

Mark 10:32

it says the disciples were amazed at Jesus.

Now, if you've read the gospel of Mark,

you know that there's plenty recorded that the disciples had to be amazed about.

You'd see that Jesus did miracles of healing.

He healed the blind.

He healed the sick.

He healed lepers.

He forgave sin, which only God can do.

You know that Jesus exercised authority over the winds and the sea and calmed the storm,

showing that he was very God of very God, author of creation.

They had plenty to be amazed about.

But this passage tells us, in Mark chapter 10, around verse 30,

Mark 10 · chapter mention

that they were amazed at Jesus' determination to fulfill the will of God.

Because Jesus said, hey, when I get to this city of Jerusalem,

I'm going to be put to death.

I'm going to be scorched.

I'm going to suffer.

I'm going to bleed.

I'm going to be spit on, and I'm going to die.

And what they saw after Jesus shared that with them,

is that he continued marching, not losing a step towards the city,

where he would be put to death for the sins of many.

And so Mark chapter 10 is right on the edge of that.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

And so as you see these Advent candles,

and remember what it means that Jesus took flesh to himself,

that God was willing to go to the cross for us,

that we would have life as sinners.

I want you to link the reality of that truth,

of what those candles represent, to this one,

that Jesus was born to die, to go to a cross,

to shed his blood, and have it applied to you and me by name,

so that we would be counted as children of God.

So with that introduction, let us go into the passage.

We serve as Christians because of Christ's service,

because Christ first served.

Look at verse 45 of our passage.

It says,

The Son of Man came not to be served,

but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

When it describes Jesus,

when he describes himself as the Son of Man,

that Son of Man phrase, you may know,

is one of Jesus' favorite descriptions or titles for himself.

It's pulled from a few places in scripture,

but specifically and most often referenced to Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

And without reading that passage,

the summary is that Daniel receives a vision from the Lord,

of the Messiah, the Son of Man,

the promised descendant of David,

the one who would take away the sin of the world,

that that one is in this vision given to Daniel,

receiving all authority and dominion and power from God on high,

and he's being given the throne,

and this majestic sight that Daniel gets to report to all of God's children.

And so, when Jesus says,

The Son of Man, speaking of himself,

came not to be served, but to serve,

he says the one who sits on the throne

is also going to be the one who gets lowest beneath other people in service,

to lift them up.

You see, when Jesus came from on high to low,

a king to be a servant to all,

he left what he had always enjoyed,

which was the immediate presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit

from all eternity,

to do the work of redemption that God had called him to.

Jesus left comfort.

He left the service of angels

and all other eternal created beings

that God had made to serve him

so that he could rescue you and I.

If you read passages from places like the book of Luke,

Luke 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15 and elsewhere,

it says that Jesus even came

and left that glorious company

to sit in the company of drunkards

and sinners,

tax collectors

and cheats

and prostitutes.

And in the presence of a military company,

I would also say

that if Jesus came for them,

he also came

for soldiers

and for airmen

and for sailors

and Marines.

But we have an issue here

that we have to resolve.

Jesus says

he came to give his life

as a ransom for many.

For those of you

who have read through the Psalms recently,

maybe you've come across Psalm 49

where it says,

truly,

no man can ransom another

or give to God

the price of his life.

For the ransom of their life

is costly

and can never suffice.

That he should live on forever

and never see the pit.

And then it says in verse 15,

but God

will ransom my soul

from the power of Sheol

for he will receive me.

And so what Psalm 49 says

is that

if you're guilty of sin,

which each of us are,

each a sinner before God

apart from Christ,

we cannot pay the debt

that we owe God

for the sin

and our offense against him.

A debt that we cannot pay

by any work in this world,

any money in our bank account,

any good that we do,

any service we offer,

the whole of our lives

cannot purchase away

the sin debt

that we owe God.

But then in verse 15,

it says,

but God can pay that debt

if he so chooses for us.

And when you look at this passage

in verse 49,

it tells us that

Christ offers to do just that

and he accomplishes it.

But verse 45 of our passage says,

the Son of Man

came not to be served,

but to serve

and give his life

as a ransom for many.

And that might trigger again

in your mind

to go back to the Old Testament,

places like Isaiah 53,

not coincidentally called

the servant song,

referring to God's chosen servant

to redeem his people.

It says,

out of the anguish of his soul,

he shall see and be satisfied.

By his knowledge

shall the righteous one,

my servant,

make many

to be accounted righteous

and he shall bear their sins

or bear their iniquities.

Don't ever think for a moment

that because God is sovereign,

he has not made it his work

to receive many into his presence

at the command of his will.

Some people think

that because God is sovereign,

it means that only a few

will be elected to be saved.

But the most that could ever

be saved are saved

because God is sovereign

and he's chosen many

to be received into his presence

through the work of Christ.

And so I ask you at this moment,

is Christ and his service,

his suffering on your behalf,

the foundation and motive

from which you serve other people?

Is he the rock

that you build

your Christian service around?

Or is that motive other?

Is it to look good

or be thought well of by others?

Is it so that you could

be promoted one day?

Is it so that your spouse

will thank you

because you thank them?

Or is it because Christ

suffered for you

and so you would

willingly suffer for others?

Maybe in application

it looks like this.

Maybe you're a spouse

or maybe you're a wife

who willingly sacrifices

a career that you could have

in service to your family.

Or maybe you're a teenager

who willingly drives

your younger siblings

to music lessons.

Or maybe you're simply

a politician

who still willingly prays

in the name of Christ

because you know

he deserves honor and glory

in the office

he has appointed you to.

Now look at verses 43 and 44.

It says,

those that would be great,

here's Jesus' lesson

to the disciples.

Let me back up for a moment.

James and John

make their requests

and they say,

hey Jesus,

we know you're going

to be in power.

They haven't comprehended

what type of power.

They don't really understand

what Jesus' kingdom

is going to be just yet.

But they know

he's going to have a throne.

They know he's going

to be in power.

So they make their request

based on that understanding.

And Jesus says,

I'll tell you what,

I've got a lesson

for all of the disciples.

I know this is an issue

in your hearts.

So he says,

huddle up.

And he brings in

all 12 of his disciples.

And this is what he says.

Those that would be great

among you

must become your servant.

And those who would be

first among you

must be slave of all.

Here's what Jesus is saying.

There is a formula

for receiving glory from God.

There is a formula

for giving glory to God

and for receiving glory from God.

Jesus says,

there's two formulas

you can pick from.

The first formula

is the world's formula.

which says,

you lie,

you cheat,

you beg,

you borrow,

you steal,

you do whatever you need to

to get ahead

of the person next to you.

To be elevated

in the eyes of the world.

To pad your bank accounts.

To have a bigger house.

To have a greater title.

To have more power

and authority.

That's what the world

says to do.

But what Jesus says is,

here's my model.

You suffer

unto service

of other people.

And he says,

let me walk it out

in front of you.

You've heard the saying,

monkey see,

monkey do.

Jesus says,

watch what I do,

hear what I teach,

and then follow my example.

As Christians,

we are called

to be chiefly concerned

with the glory of God.

And when we're

purchased in Christ,

we are given the strength

and the spirit

to do exactly that.

To glorify him

with our heart

and with our work

and with our energy.

That's why when we say

the Lord's Prayer,

it says,

our Father in Heaven,

hallowed be your name.

We say that

every single Sunday here.

When we sing

the Gloria Patri

right before the sermon,

we say,

glory to the Father

and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost.

Glory, glory, glory

to our triune God.

And the five solas

of the Reformation,

one of them

is

sola deo gloria.

Glory to God alone

and Christ alone.

the first catechism question,

what is the chief

and a man?

To glorify God

and to enjoy him forever.

Glory to God,

glory to God,

glory to God.

No higher privilege

or calling

that a Christian

could be made for

than that work.

And God is glorified

when you willingly suffer

unto the blessing

of other people,

especially

other children of God.

J.C. Ryle,

who was an Anglican minister,

Church of England,

he said this,

kind of pointing

at the issue

of the heart

of the disciples

that Jesus was speaking to.

He said,

let all those

who desire

to please Christ

watch and pray

against self-esteem.

Now, we live in a world

where they tell you

you need to be

more confident

in yourself,

more courageous

in your own strength,

more confident

in your abilities.

Do more

from within

the strength

that you can find

within yourself.

And here we have

a renowned pastor

who understood

the gospel

with great clarity,

said,

don't trust your heart,

trust the strength

that is found

outside of you

available only

in Christ.

In Jesus' lesson,

if you think about

who the disciples became,

they were ministers.

When I was walking

through a food line

parking lot

in Mississippi

during grad school,

I bumped into a lady

where the shopping carts were

and she said,

hey young man,

thank you for this cart.

And then she said,

what are you here

in Mississippi for?

Because she heard my accent.

She knew I wasn't from there

and I said,

oh I'm in seminary here.

I'm training to be a minister.

And she said,

oh, a holy man.

Right?

And she said it

with a southern twang

which I can't replicate.

But the implication there was

if you're going to be

a minister,

your life needs to be

above reproach

because people are watching.

And yet,

the implication of Jesus' lesson

to his disciples

is that

even you as ministers

can be guilty

of trying to climb

to the top

in the wrong way

if you are not

watching your heart

and seeking God's will

in Christ's order

for your life.

And if it's true of pastors,

it can be true of anyone.

Because if pastors

and shepherds

and elders of the flock

are supposed to be

the ones you look to

for an example

then know that

if they need to be on guard,

so do we all.

If I was going to give you

a definition of service

from this passage,

it might be something like

suffering for the good

of one another

is what Christian service is.

Suffering for the good

of one another

or for another.

R.C. Sproul,

another theologian

that many of you

know the name of,

said,

there is no theology

of glory

without a theology

of suffering.

That is,

if you don't understand

how suffering

plays into serving others,

you might not understand

Christian service

or in full yet.

And so while the Bible

isn't calling you

to make your life miserable

and even harder

in suffering

than God has already

said it would be,

the Bible does here

in this passage tell you

we need to willingly

accept suffering

as God assigns it

so we can live

and walk through

that suffering

relying on Christ's strength

to his glory

while blessing others.

And so that makes me

think of that song,

Just a Closer Walk

with Thee.

The passage says,

Through this world

of toils and snares,

if I falter,

Lord who cares?

Who with me

my burden shares?

None but Thee,

Lord,

none but Thee.

Or maybe if you're

a little younger

in this passage,

you know the children's rhyme

or song that goes,

we're going on a bear hunt?

When it comes to

Christian suffering,

it's kind of like that song

where it says,

we're going through suffering,

we can't go over it,

we can't go under it,

we're just going to have

to go through it.

And so that's our first

and majority

of our sermon points

this morning,

but I would tell you

here's our second point.

Christians serve

because Christ first served,

but second,

Christians serve

in the face of wrath

and trials.

Look at verse 39.

Jesus asked them,

he says,

can you drink the cup

that I drink?

And they say self-confidently

of self-esteem we can.

He says,

well let me tell you what,

verse 39,

the cup that I drink,

you will drink.

Now here's what Jesus

isn't saying,

he's not saying

you will also die on a cross

for the sins of many.

Only he can do that.

Only he is perfect,

only he's very God

of very God,

only his blood

is worth infinite value,

valuable enough

to cover the cost

of the sins

for the offense

we have against God.

But he says,

if you are in me,

and you receive my spirit,

and you belong to God

in Christ,

you will suffer

for my name,

in my name,

for the glory of God.

And so Jesus kind of implies

that until he drinks

his cup of dine on the cross,

they won't have the strength

of the Holy Spirit

they need in full

as it's poured out

at Pentecost

to bear the cross,

to bear the suffering

that God calls

each of the disciples to.

And many of them

were martyred.

I mean,

can you imagine,

just stop and think

for a minute,

can you imagine

suffering in this world

as if you were a Christian,

but not having the strength

of the Holy Spirit

to do so?

Suffering,

forbearing the name

of a Christian,

but not being a Christian,

how awful that would be.

And yet,

Jesus says,

I won't leave you

without the Holy Spirit.

I will drink the cup

I must drink,

so that when you are called

to drink the cup

that you're called to drink,

to God's glory

and in my name,

you will have the strength

to do so from on high.

And Jesus essentially says

by this thing

that the cup that I drink,

you will drink.

Jesus says this,

Christian suffering

is not optional.

And there aren't

two types of suffering.

There isn't suffering light

and suffering heavy.

He says there is just

Christian suffering

and you will suffer

in the way that God

has called you to

and when you suffer,

do so to service

to others.

Now,

the Bible's clear.

We don't get credit

before the Lord

for suffering

for wrong that we do.

For instance,

if you steal a car,

let's say you steal a Corvette

and you drive it

and you crash it

and you find yourself

standing before a judge

and the judge says,

you're going to suffer

for the wrong that you've done,

you're going to go to jail

and you're going to pay a fine.

You don't give glory to God

for suffering

for the wrong that you did.

You are able to glorify God

when you suffer injustices

for righteousness sake.

When you suffer injustices

so that Christ

will be glorified.

In the book of Acts,

we have a record

of Paul's ministry

and in Acts 14,

Paul is stoned

for preaching the gospel.

He's in Antioch,

he's in the city,

he's preaching the gospel

and here's what you find

is that when he's preaching,

they hate the truth

of the gospel so much

and the one who bore

that message to them,

loving the people

by being willing

to be stoned

so that they would have

life in the gospel,

carried to them,

that their ears might hear,

that their heart might beat,

relying upon Christ,

they stone Paul.

They take him out of the city

and they stone him.

They're so sure

that he's dead

that they leave him

outside the city

and when the disciples

come to get Paul's body,

they realize he's still alive

and he gets up

and he goes right back

to preaching

and he tells them

that it's through

many tribulations

that we must enter

the kingdom of God.

Yet he was willing

to serve anyone

who would listen

in Antioch

even unto the point

of death.

Now why am I sharing

this with you?

Because 2025

is essentially behind us.

But 2026

is ahead of us

and there's work

to be done

as Christians

and as a family.

There is good

that we can do

obeying the Spirit's leading,

serving others

even while we

willingly suffer.

Are you beginning

to prepare your heart

to suffer

unto the service

of others

in this body,

in your immediate family,

inside the church,

to your neighbors,

in your neighborhood?

Maybe it means

serving in the nursery

and signing up

to watch someone else's kids

who may or may not

be rambunctious

so that other adults

can attend worship together.

Would you give up

hearing the preached word

so other people

could hear it

that Sunday

without distraction?

Would you be willing

to give money

to the missionaries

that are on your board

instead of continuing

to increase

your retirement account?

Would you be willing

to honor

and applaud

and pray for other people

who are leaders

in ministry

in this church

even though you thought

you might have been

a better fit

for leading that committee

that got stood up?

Service creates discomfort

and suffering

creates discomfort.

In service,

you essentially

give away your comfort

so that others

might be comfortable.

You might pause

and think about

how you would do that

in this body.

Here's our last point.

That in Christ,

Christians serve

for a reward

prepared in advance

according to the purposes

of God.

Look at verse 40.

It says,

To sit at my right hand

or at my left

is not mine to grant,

but it is for those

for whom it has been prepared.

It is for those

for whom it has been prepared.

Does that mean

that God already knows,

has already chosen,

has already appointed

who would sit

in higher seats

of honor and glory?

That's essentially

what it means.

It's talking about

the providence of God.

That God has ordered

the events of history

from the beginning

to the end.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism

asks,

What is the providence of God?

It is his most holy,

wise,

and powerful,

preserving and governing

all his creatures

and all their actions.

That means that God

orders your life

so that you would be

matured and improved

for eternity.

Every single thing

you go through,

he's not surprised.

He allows it to happen.

He's appointed it

at the time

that you are facing it

so that you would

turn to him

and walk faithfully

through it.

It's kind of like

how your kids go to school

or how you went to school.

You went to elementary school

and then to middle school

and then to high school

and then to college

or a trade school

or into vocational training.

Why?

To be prepared

for the time

when you're done

with school,

to raise your family,

to live life,

to work in a job,

to be prepared

for that thing ahead.

The suffering

and the service

you go through now

is a schoolhouse

to be trained

in righteousness

for eternity.

So don't despise

the service

that God calls you to

but embrace it

with a grateful heart.

But I might ask you this,

how much suffering

has God appointed you

for in your life?

It's a question

we probably don't want

the answer to

because if we knew

we wouldn't run

and embrace that suffering

that he's appointed for us.

Jesus uniquely knew

what suffering he would face

because the scriptures

are primarily written

about him

and so when he read

the suffering servant

would die on a cross

and that people

would gamble

for his clothes

whenever he was being

put to death,

he knew that was about him.

And so he had to face

those sufferings

in his heart

and his mind

advance of when he faced

them in his body.

When you read

about the martyrs,

here's an example

of what Jesus means.

When he says,

it's not mine to grant

whether you sit

at my right hand

or my left hand

in glory.

If you were to go

to Revelation 6,

it says this

about the martyrs.

It says,

John recording this,

when he opened

the fifth scroll,

I saw under the altar

the souls of those

who had been slain

for the word of God

and for the witness

they had borne.

They cried out

with a loud voice,

O sovereign Lord,

holy and true,

how long before

you will judge

and avenge our blood

on those who dwell

on the earth?

Then they were each

given a white robe

and told to rest

a little longer.

Until the number

of their fellow servants

and their brothers

should be complete

who were to be killed

as they themselves

had been.

What this says

is that God knows

who will be slain

as martyrs,

who will be slain

in faithfulness,

who will suffer

for Christ's name.

And in this account

you see that

those faithful

who died as martyrs

bearing the testimony

of Christ's death

and resurrection

and his sufficiency,

they are surrounded

around the altar

where the scroll

is being opened

and where the throne

of Christ is.

There's not much

closer to Christ's throne

in this depiction

in Revelation

of Jesus' court,

of his throne room.

There's not much

closer to Jesus' throne

than the altar.

And the people

that are closer

to the altar

are those who died

in faithfulness

in a very special way.

And so Jesus

is just saying

they were appointed

to that death

that God might be glorified.

God might be glorified.

It's also important

for you to remember

that as you're called

to serve others,

even through suffering,

that what Christ

desires for you,

even in that suffering,

is greater than

what you desire

for yourself.

James and John

wanted glory for themselves.

Jesus says,

I've got something

much greater for you

and it looks much different

than what you think

it'll look like.

That's why Ephesians 3,

describing what Christ

has for us,

says,

You see,

because here's part

of the reward.

Jesus says in John 14,

I go to prepare

a place for you.

He knows how many rooms

he needs to prepare.

Whose name is going

to go on that door?

Your name and your name

and your name,

they're all going to go

on places Jesus

has prepared for you.

It's like a soldier

who goes to war.

He willingly fights

with more vigor

because he knows

that there may be

peace and resolution

of conflict ahead.

He fights so that

there might be peace.

And yet,

a soldier is most miserable

when he loses hope of peace.

Don't lose sight

of the reward

that Christ has for you

even while you suffer.

That there is a room

prepared for you.

Peace.

I think about faithful ministers

like John MacArthur

who just passed away

this last year.

He preached

until the very end.

He was faithful

and ministering

and active in the church

and active in his body

and active in his family

until the very end.

R.C. Sproul,

the same way.

Alistair Begg

is exemplifying that as well.

They are preaching

to the end

and the only way

that they have

the strength of body

and the strength of will

to continue ministering

the gospel

until the day they die

is because they know

there is a reward

worth much more

than the suffering

they face.

So your reward

is the full presence

of God

in Christ,

a room with your name on it,

a crown of glory,

peace after a short life

of suffering

and service to others,

and fellowship

with other saints

for all eternity

who have also endured

as you have.

This is why Psalm 11 says,

the Lord is righteous

and he loves righteous deeds

and the upright in heart

will behold his face.

So as I close with this comment,

think about this.

Are you prepared

for good works?

Are you prepared

to serve others

through suffering?

Will you rely upon

the sufficiency

of Christ's work

and build upon

the foundation

of his work

and joyfully fulfill

your Christian calling

and the privilege

of the duty

that you can fulfill

in the strength

of the Spirit

this year?

Let us pray.

Father in heaven,

I thank you for the glory

of the work of Christ.

I thank you for him coming,

taking on flesh

and being born.

I thank you for his willingness,

his determination

to go to the cross

and to follow your will

that we would be redeemed.

Sinners reconciled

to a holy God.

I pray that you would

bless his work

in his name

and that he would be glorified

and that we would adore him more

even as we serve others

in the Christian family

and in this world

through the suffering

that you call us to.

We pray this in Christ's name.

Amen.