Laying Down Our Lives — Alan Martin

Laying Down One’s Life in Service to Others

And you turn with me to Mark chapter 10. We speak from today, Mark chapter 10. I'll give you the verse reference in Mark chapter 10. In a few moments, of course, this weekend is Memorial Weekend. And it's a special time to remember everyone who had given their life for the service of other people.

We pray that they are going to the military first and pay their ultimate sacrifice. And many more people give their life in other areas of service than just military. But long before that, we had more than five firefighters, many who gave their life in the line of duty that took them to save other people, risked their lives to rescue others.

We had those in the medical profession during the COVID years, how many doctors, how many nurses, how many of those working in hospitals lost their lives because they were serving other people. And we see that we have an ability, we have the opportunity to respect those who willingly put themselves in danger and risk their own life just for the sake of someone else.

And they all did it, I want you to think of this, they all did it. So that someone else could experience this life, physical life, health, safety, whether it's financial or whether it's security, being secure in your own home.

Sometimes the military preserve material things. And we have the opportunity to conceive this and take it to an entirely different level. And that's what we're about to do, that we recognize the value of someone who voluntarily lays down their life for the sake of others.

Christ’s Call to Servant Leadership

Let's look at our Lord's life, and let's look at our own relationship to him. In regards to this son called, he laid down his life for us. And he called us to follow that example, to lay down our lives for each other and for the people.

So let's start on Mark chapter 10. This is a, if you go to verse 35 of chapter 10, you'll see the context. James and John, the son of David, they wanted to sit at the right or the left hand of Jesus. They wanted to be prominent, have prominent positions in Jesus's kingdom.

They wanted to be the top dog on his tag, you might want to say. And this caused quite a stir amongst the other disciples. They kind of resented this who's going to be first and who's going to be second attitude.

And Jesus began to address this, we'll start with verse 41. And hearing this, the ten began to feel envious of James and John, and calling them to himself, Jesus said to them, you are the only to recognize as rulers of the Gentiles, the more you obey them, the thinner it is, the year.

Until the fire of the week is caught in the courtyard, it means to move it down, exercising authority on top of others, it is like suppressing, not lifting others up, but holding them down. That's not what leadership should be.

It's being moved down over others. And they're greatly exercising authority over them. Again, the word katah, intensive katah. They're down to the point, keeping people in check. And Jesus tells his disciples, but it is not this way among you.

And you couldn't say, do not let it be this way among you. We are not going to be in leadership in the same way that the world does in leadership. They're going to say, let it be that it becomes great among you, let it be the servant.

Let it be that it becomes great among you, let him become the slave of all. In verse 35. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom. Amen. So Jesus could have had all kinds of amenities or accolades or benefits from being Lord.

And he believed in his disciples. He wasn't there for the benefit he could get from others. He was there for them. He lived to be the blessing to them. Not to get it from the Son of Man. And there should not be a single person in leadership in a church that is not there for God's people.

Leadership in any organization is there when that leadership is there to serve those that he has a responsibility to. Amen. Let me read my book and turn back to Matthew chapter 16. Because any time someone is in leadership for their self-benefit or self-corruption or self-advancement, they miss the whole importance of why God created authority and leadership.

Denying Self to Follow Christ

So Matthew chapter 16. Find with me verses 24 and 25. Matthew 16, 24. And reminding the crowd and his disciples about the purpose of becoming a disciple. Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself.

This is the opposite of seeking self-fulfillment. Seeking your way. Seeking to have your way. Seeking to be in a position so that it will be good for you. Follow Jesus Christ in your life and you do not face yourself first.

You deny yourself for the sake of others. That we are all of Jesus Christ. You deny yourself. You take it as following me. And then he gives this key. Verse 25. Are you ever desirous to save his life?

You'll lose it. And by his life he's meaning you're the good for you. You'll make sure you're happy. Things go well for you. You get what's coming to you. You have a good way. It is good for you. If that's the life you're trying to live, you're going to lose it.

But you'll never lose it. You'll never lose it. The kind of life that is about me, my way, what I want and what I want to do. If you lose that and discover it's the life of Jesus Christ. You'll lose it for his sake.

Remember. He came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life to ransom for many. If you discover that. Then you will really discover the way to live. And as Jesus said, it is more blessed to live.

Giving Freely for the Blessing of Others

If you want richness in life. If you want fullness of joy. Then start pouring out your life to build others up. So you can seek in God. So that you can be happy. And life can be good for you. And you can have good joy.

Forget it. Watch what God is doing. Give. And it will be good for you. Amazing. Press down. Shake it together. Run it over. If God sees that you're giving. You're only wanting to have things to give to others.

He'll make sure you never lack the ability to give to others. Even the teaching of our parents. You remember when Jesus was talking about the disciples. He taught an example of a man who had unexpected company of life in the middle of the night.

And of course, the Middle Eastern mindset was to be hospitable. They'd come off the road. They need to be refreshed, watered, and something to eat. But he was hospitable. He didn't have anything to set forth to eat.

He was not satisfied. He didn't just apologize to them and say, sorry you had to leave in the morning. He went next door. In the middle of the night. And started having all these little chats. And he shouted.

Get up. Get up. I've had some friends come and say to me. I don't have anything to give to you. The man's blowing his own horn. Go away, man. I ain't dead and my kids ain't dead with me. And that didn't work either.

It seems to me that he was being modest. So that's likely. But if you look how he is. He didn't care. He cared. It wasn't driving him. It wasn't how he would look. He would have been driven by the means of the people that would come to his house.

And he wasn't going to take no rides. And when we pray that night. When we're asking God to heal us so that we can have hope. When we're asking Him for strength so we can serve others. When we're asking Him to keep us healthy so we can be a blessing to others.

God would probably feel that. You have to find the life of God. And the life of Jesus Christ. When you discover that. We're going to look at that in another place. 1 John chapter 3. Believe me. In 1 John chapter 3.

Love as Evidence of Passing from Death to Life

Just give you one day. Just one. John chapter 3. Let's stop and listen to that. 1 John 3 11. For this is the message which you have clearly began. That we should love one another. Not as kin as you love even one extremely brother.

For we have been trained to be even with one another. But like us. Do not love one another that they will hate you. We know that we are passed out of death into life. Because you love your brothers. Isn't that interesting?

Passed out of death into life? Yes. Out of death into life. Because you're there for them. They're not there for you. As soon as they get the opportunity. We'll show you how life is built for them. How life is built for them.

And when they're done. They walk away. Then they'll be back. Then they'll be chosen. If they're dead. Live to live. Paul said it is about riddles. The church had a list of riddles. They had to be receptive to be on that list.

And they had to have a good reputation. They had to be known for practicing hospitality. Watching the feet of the saints. Being a friend of the other people. And he said it was about. There were some riddles.

That were riddled with self-indulgence. He said the riddle riddled with self-indulgence. Why should you riddle? Just to watch your souls. And have your snacks. And get it. And then if you don't know what you have.

Your deeds incomplete. That's death. We know. When we're living. To be a blessing. Our strength. And our talking. I can't stand it. When someone left her. And left her in her old man's house. He didn't count for anything.

She didn't count for anything. That's what it means. That's what it means. Everyone who didn't consider each other that way. Was like a murderer. And you know that the murderer had to go right then. And this is verse 16.

And this is the oldest part of this passage for us. By this we know what? That he, our Lord Jesus. Laid. And we ought to lay the ground. For the bread. Now is what we want to watch. Okay. But for those of you who don't know what.

And I want to talk to you as a family. And I want to talk. There's a practical way that we can lay. Because we need to think this through. So stop in the way. If we're not careful. This is clearly a passage.

Christ’s Whole Life as Sacrificial Obedience

And that means. He's acting like himself on the cross. Not doing more. To him laying down his life. Than just the cross. And that's what I want to look at. Because if he would not lay down his life. Every step of the way.

He would never make it to the cross. And that's what I want to look at. Let's look at just one example. I'll give you how to do it. What I'm talking about. Turn over to 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2.

Just. A couple of minutes back. 1 Peter chapter 2. I'll be verse 21. 1 Peter 2. 21. I'll go back to verse 20. 1 Peter chapter 2. Verse 20. I'll start there. What credit is there. When you sin. And you are a sinner.

But when you do good. And suffer for it. And do a good. Verse 21. For this you've been called. You should follow in his steps. Who did no sin. Nor was any deceit from his mouth. Who being reviled. Was not reviled in return.

While suffering. He was uttering no threats. But he kept entrusting himself. To him who judged his righteousness. He himself. Offsets in his body. On a tree. So that having died himself. He might live the righteousness.

And by who did suffer. Let me tell you this. Jesus. Laid down his life. By willing. To be constantly. Wounded. By us. And not washing him back. Thank you. Thank you. Jesus. Gave up. To speak his own mind.

Surrendering Personal Rights and Opinions

Give up that life. Because I would invite you to do that. I would invite you to give up the life. To speak your own mind. Jesus said. I only say. What my father. Tells me to say. He laid down the right.

To give his own opinion. About every matter. Am I living all my life like that? He laid down his right. To do whatever he wanted to do. He said. The son. Does nothing of himself. He only does. What his father shows him to do.

That's taking the form of a servant. That's considering yourself. To be a slave. I don't live to be a slave. I live to do. What my father tells me to do. Are you and I. Willing to lay down. And take care of matters.

Responding to Betrayal Without Retaliation

That we knew were going on. Jesus knew. That Judas. Was a thief. Helping. With the disciples. And collecting. From those. Out of them. And contributing. To the five thieves. And the church. And the judicature.

And the ministry. Jesus knew from the beginning. That Judas was a thief. And pointed out. He said. Nothing of that. He led it no wrong. He gave up. The right. To Judas. Because he betrayed him. To the chief priest.

And he was going to be arrested. And killed. And he gave up. The right. Let it happen. Even as the right suffered. Even as the disciples. He didn't make anyone new. He slipped out before the disciples.

Did you hear that? Let it happen. Betrayed. Failed. Unjustly. While he was praying. In the morning of Gethsemane. Let his disciples know. He gave up. His friends. To him. He told him to drink the cup.

And he said. Nothing. He led it wrong. His right. To be treated with dignity. In fairness. You know. Some of us. We can't even handle being slandered. We get offended. If someone isn't greedy. It's lonely.

We get offended. If someone forgets to call. We deserve. We deserve. That dinner. That meal. That walk in that door. We deserve. Our clothes. Wash the crap. And the door. We. We. We. We. We. We. Feminist.

And nobody. Thought about what you thought personal. If we're trusting and following the devil, and believing in our lives like he did, the world experience that I believe in he gave us.