For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
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For half of Mark, he is coming to serve, not to be served. And for the last half of Mark, he is giving his life a ransom for many. Chapter 10, verse 45 says that. So memorize the key verse of Mark. 1045, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. That's chapters 1 through 8, about in the middle. verse 30, 31, all the way to chapter 16, and to give his life a ransom for many. So the emphasis at the beginning is serving. The emphasis at the end is his death and his resurrection, the price he paid for our sins. The first part of Mark, he's with multitudes of people. The last part of Mark, he's focusing in on the 12. Because they were sick and broken, he healed people. Because they were hopeless, he encouraged people. Because they were sinful, he forgave people. The religious officials cannot stand him. Religion has no place for the genuine, authentic Christian message. It's traditionalism filled with legalism. …
… 10 45 for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many Can you remember what you did a week ago last Tuesday? Well, let me make it easier. How about last Tuesday? You remember what you did last Tuesday? Or Wednesday? Or Thursday? How many of you remember what I titled last Sunday's sermon? it's okay well I won't go on because I want to tell you that otherwise you'll be working all for the next 10 minutes wondering what it was a year for letting go is what I called it now you remember isn't it amazing that we cannot remember what we were doing a few days ago that we can't remember even the title of a talk given by someone who had thought it through and passionately delivered it and applied it so that we understood the value of letting things go. Amazing, isn't it? Our problem of course is that we have this hurry-up pace into which we jam things that are not all that important and so they push away the things that are significant. Country Western singing group Alabama made a for our nation a hit song because they sang our story. …
… great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. Then he says, think about it. Even the Son of Man, talking about himself, didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. The same principle runs through the epistles. Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 and in verse 19 says, Though I am free, I belong to no man. I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To win as many as possible. What are you doing, Paul? Well, I'm trying to win as many as possible. What do you mean? Well, I'm trying to see unbelieving people become committed followers of Jesus Christ. Why? So that they might prove themselves to be the worshipers from John 4 that the Father seeks. Why? So that God, who created us for the praise of his glory, is praised and glorified in all that we are and all that we do. And for that reason, and since it is such a compelling issue for me, says Paul, I'm prepared to make myself a slave in order that people might become the worshipers of God. He actually makes the very same point in another way when he writes to the Galatians in chapter 5, and I think in verse 13. And he says, you, my brothers, were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. …
… In Matthew 20, verse 28, Jesus said, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. The only way Jesus could pay our sin debt, The only way he could secure our freedom was by his own death. And that's why he said in John 14, verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me. If there is any other way to have paid our debt, if there is any other way to have secured our freedom, then the death of Jesus was totally unnecessary. But there was no other way. That's the reason he came. You know, the way to understand John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life, is to put it into context. Turn over to John 14, and let's see how this verse fits in to what Jesus is saying about the exclusivity of salvation. …
… the payment for our sins. But secondly, it is a ransom for our freedom. That's another image used in the Bible. In Matthew 20 verse 28, Jesus said, just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. That word ransom is a word that was used to describe payment that had been made for a slave. If you were in the market in Jesus' day for a slave, you would go to the slave market where men and women and boys and girls who were born into slavery were held in chains. And if you paid the appropriate price, you could redeem them, buy them out of the slave market, and they became yours to do whatever you wanted with. Well, that is the word Jesus uses here to describe what he did for us. You and I are born into this world slaves of Satan. We are his property. He is free to do whatever he wants to do with us. …
… Even, even, referring to himself, even the son of man, this is a phrase from the book of Daniel, where Daniel refers to the son of man, the one that God will send to rule and judge over all of man, to judge all of mankind in the end. And he takes on this brand, this title over and over. He says, for even the son of man, talking about himself, even I did not come to be served. I'm not just saying this is for you guys. Even I didn't come to be served. But, and it's not neutral. It's like, I'm not gonna serve you, but I don't expect you to serve me. He goes, no, it's not that. I didn't, not only did I not come to be served, I have come to proactively serve. And then I imagine as he's talking to them, he pauses and he looks down the road to Jerusalem. And he says, and to give his life as a ransom for many. …
… It's not about you. Jesus said the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for others. Listen to this. You're going to find that great happiness and joy comes from serving other people. Because you have been blessed to be a blessing. You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey everybody, Greg Laurie. And I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours. And I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, That's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience. It actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way. It's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel, April 6 to 15, 2027. You can find out more at israel.harvest.org. Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at israel.harvest.org. Well, we're learning some important principles from the example of the early church. Pastor Greg is presenting his message called Better Together. Here's another interesting thing. The early church meant house to house. Look at verse 46. They met house to house breaking bread. This was the first century equivalent of small groups. This is why we have placed such a great focus on getting together in a small group …
… This is why John the Baptist got it right. It's why Jesus said, for even the son of man, talking about himself, for even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many. Follow me because this is the life of contentment. This is the life of joy. This is the life of happiness. This is the life that causes people to lean in and wonder what's going on. And the closer they get, the better you look. So thanks for listening. But before you go, I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who supports Your Move financially. It's the generosity of our listeners that makes this podcast possible. So if you have found this content helpful, we would like to invite you to make a tax-deductible donation to Your Move. You just visit yourmove.is forward slash give. That's yourmove.is slash give. Thanks for considering and make sure you join us next time.
… so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. And whoever wants to be the first among you will be a slave to all. For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. the same scarcity mindset that can drive people to be tight-fisted with what they have is often the same mindset that drives people to be controlling. It comes from the same place in the human heart of fearfulness that you won't be enough, that life, you can't control it. So what do you do? You grip it. You grip it tightly. The people around you, if you have influence over them, you hold them down. You try to control them. But what's so ironic is the more control you try to exert, the less likely you are to get the desired result. I remember when I was learning to drive as a high schooler, I was driving with my parents learning, and I was so scared, right? Like all of us, we get in the car for the first time, we're freaking out. What do we do? …
… exalted. Fourth, to exercise humility, you must be willing to give up your rights. In Matthew 20, verse 28, Jesus made a remarkable statement about himself. He said, for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Well, we've heard that so often we forget what an astounding comment that is. I mean, Jesus Christ is the one who flung this whole world into existence by a single word. He created everything. If anyone had the right to be served, it was Jesus Christ. If anyone had the right to see us, you and I as simply tools to accomplish his purpose, it would be Jesus. But Jesus said, the reason I came to earth was not to have people serve me, but so that I could serve others to meet their needs. If we're going to become like Christ, it means we have to be willing to do that as well. The essence of humility is giving up our rights, our privileges, our agenda in order to meet the needs of other people. …
… It's true, so what? the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many why did jesus come what's the purpose of your life what's the purpose of my life what was the purpose of charlie's life to know this jesus and to make him known In fact, maybe a year before Charlie was murdered by gunshot, he answered a question on campus from somebody who wanted to know how he could get into heaven. Notice Charlie even references a gunshot in this video. What would you actually want to tell me if I have 30 seconds left to live? Boy, you got 30 seconds. In 30 seconds, you're about to meet eternal judgment. And there's only one way that you can get bailed out of that. And it's not all the good things you did or the moral scorecard. It's whether or not you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Amen. That's the only thing that's going to matter. …
… but it's a life verse for me. He says, for even the son of man, talking about himself, for even the son of man, I mean, the most important person on planet earth, the most important person that'll ever walk on planet earth. Even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve. Here's that word again, and give his life, ransom. for many. And then he says to you and he says to me, that's how I want you to parent. That's how I want you to employ. That's how I want you to boss. That's how I want you to manage. That's how I want you to neighbor. That's how I want you to fiance. That's how I want you to romance. That's how I want you to love. And here's what we all know, Christian or not, religious or not, you like it when other people do that for you, don't you? In fact, you do that the right way with the right person, they will fall in love with you. …
… And then in Matthew chapter 20, verse 28, look at this. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. The word ransom, we don't see that word often, but it means that Jesus Christ came to pay what was hanging over your head by your enemy. You have been kidnapped. Are you guys listening? You guys have been kidnapped by sin, and Satan uses that against you. And the Bible says Satan is always accusing you before God about how bad you are. Did you know that? The Bible says he's before God day and night accusing us. Isn't that something? So why does God allow that? Don't worry. Read the rest of the Bible. It turns out really good for you. In fact, all that accusation falls right back on Satan's face. That's going to be a great moment. I want to make sure you want to capture that on film, on camera when you do that. …
… Teach them to others first like your king. Remind them that your king did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life. Teach them to live that out. Teach them to be like me. TEACH THEM TO BE CHRIST-LIKE, WHICH MEANS, NOW THAT YOU KNOW, TEACH THEM TO BE LIKE THEIR KING. THAT'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO TEACH THEM. THAT'S NOT BEEN THE POINT OF THE SPEAR MESSAGE FOR THE CHURCH IN MY LIFETIME. THAT'S NOT BEEN THE POINT OF THE SPEAR MESSAGE OF THE CHURCH FOR GENERATIONS BECAUSE SOMEHOW WE DECIDED THAT JESUS CAME to teach us all how to escape to heaven, when in fact he came to establish a kingdom on earth to transform the world. And you have been invited to participate in that transformation. And then he made a promise. He said, Ann, I'm about to leave, but I'm actually gonna be with you always to the very end of this age. And the question, and I've asked you this before, and hopefully you know the answer to the question, is who is you? …
… As Jesus said, contrasting his power and purpose, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many, Matthew 20, verse 28. His payment exceeds anything that we could imagine. This is what Paul directs us to see in 1 Corinthians 6. You are bought with a price. What a contrast there is in this purchase. We cannot pay for one eternal life, our own, but by the one death and resurrection of Jesus, God has satisfied the debt and cost of all people. All of our lives, our accumulated wealth, all our abilities cannot pay our debt or purchase our eternal life, but the one life, the one death, and the one resurrection from the dead, all that being from the Son of God, that pays for the world. It's as it's said in 1 Peter, Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from our forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. …
… But as Pastor Levi said in the intro, the whole point of this message is to encourage you, to give you an invitation, an opportunity, a push to join a Fresh Life Impact team. Jesus said in Mark 10 45 well actually this isn't Jesus saying this but it's for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve others he didn't come to be a spectator he came to be in the game and give his life a ransom for many there's something about skin in the game There's something about effort and sacrifice that makes it all the more worthwhile. I think it's about time. It's a good message, isn't it? A good series that we're in. It's about time. We give up the comforts of spectating and we get in the game. But you're probably sitting there. What can I do? I don't have any great talents. I couldn't do that. Here's a story that impacted Carolyn and I when we first started coming to Fresh Life a couple of years ago. …
… it sets us apart because just as Christ Jesus himself said, I did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many. When we find a way to collectively and individually give our lives away in the name of Jesus, that is kingdom of God good now. And that's what we've all, every one of us has been called to because when we are in Christ, we are doing Jesus Christ good on planet earth because the good news of great joy as we celebrate every Christmas was for all people. It's why Jesus said, I want you to go into every nation and I want you to teach them specifically what I have taught you. And I want you to live your life in such a way that your light shines in such a way, your life shines in such a way that people don't just chalk you off as, oh, they're just really good citizens. He's like, no, you were created in Christ Jesus for something very specific that connects your life and your time to God's work in his kingdom in your lifetime on earth. …
… I didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give my life a ransom for many. You have to look for ways not to be served but to serve others and to give your life away. He says, I'm all about the one another's, right? And you're to be all about the one another's. In fact, this is what the apostle Paul does in his letters. He takes the teaching of Jesus, this core teaching of Jesus that we're to love as we've been loved and he teases it out into all these relationships. So the apostle Paul says, here's what it looks like. You forgive one another, you accept one another, you care for one another, You encourage one another. You submit to one another. You serve one another. Jesus is like, yeah, that's what I'm talking about. If you choose to lose your life for me the way I lost my life or the people around me, didn't lose it like I can't find it, didn't lose it like I died, lost it because I chose to give it away. …
Mark 10, 45. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. The reason Jesus had priorities and posteriorities was so he could accomplish that mission for you. Three times he predicts his death and resurrection. He said no to the healing, to the exorcisms, and went to the next town so he could announce to sinners the way that they could be saved. And so it is for us. Because of the good news of Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, there is forgiveness available when we fail and we will. And there is also power within us so we don't have to always fail. there's strength within us by Christ's Spirit to enable you to do the things you ought to do and to say no to some of the good things you have been doing that in 2026 we might draw closer to God and as we do He promises to draw closer to us let's pray Heavenly Father we ask now for your grace as we come to your table that you would bless us and feed us. …
… and I call myself a Christian, we have a Lord. The Lord who said even the son of man talking about himself did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life for those, and to give his life as a ransom for many. And that, those are marching orders. And it's not to the exclusion of your physical health or your financial health or your success with your family. But if this isn't a part of, if this isn't a piece of, if this isn't a slice of your time and your opportunity and your talent and your treasure and your expertise, then maybe you have some work to do. So in the meantime, get in shape, diet, exercise, get that degree, get out of debt, keep working on you. and here's why you should keep working on you. Because you should be the best version of you you can possibly be in order to be a means to an end that is not you. …
… He really was the king that came to reverse the order of things. That when he said, the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, that wasn't a metaphor. That wasn't a word picture. That was literal. And in the end, it all came into focus. And we finally understood that if we're not careful, we're gonna live little itty bitty lives consumed on ourselves. And he was inviting us to something grand. bigger, something that would have fruit that would last and remain beyond our lifetime, beyond our generation. It's an invitation to give what we can't keep anyway. And he played that out and lived that out to the very end. Father, Forgive them. Because they think they know, but they don't really know. They don't know what they're doing because they're not in the game. Just forgive them. Then Luke got the following from the folks who were there. The rulers, the people who were kind of responsible for Jesus being crucified, the rulers sneered at him while he's dying. …
And look at these references. He says, for even the son of man did not come to be served. Well, if you're the coming king, if you're going to sit on a glorious throne, if your dominion has no end, of course you came to be served. He goes, no. I came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Luke 19, for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus replied, foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay his head. Luke 9 the son of man must suffer just focus on that word for a moment he must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders the chief priests and the teachers of the law and he must be killed Thank you. and on the third day be raised to life, reaching back to Daniel's prophecy. Jesus chose Son of Man to let you know that he's the coming king, but he also chose Son of Man to let you know that as the coming king, He wants to highlight the values of the kingdom, which are humility and service. …
… world, but through him the world might be saved. That's why he sent. Jesus was sent with a commission to be the savior of the world. He summarized it. Mark 10 45, I came not to be served, but to do what but to serve I am sent to give my life as a ransom for many Jesus was sent this was his whole commission sent from the father to serve and the disciples had seen that played out even just a couple of chapters before as Jesus knelt down and he washed their feet and here the savior of the world their rabbi the teacher was about to die on the cross God himself in the flesh kneels down and he begins to wipe their dirty feet. And he'd seen it over and over and over again, the way he served the crowds, the way he gave his life, the way he held so loosely to the things that they thought were so important in this world, and the way he embraced poverty, the way he embraced spiritual things in a way that they had never seen before. …
… whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, what did he do? He came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Number three, don't get over it. Don't get over it. Don't get over it. Don't get over what? You didn't see it? Verse 13, the vineyard owner called the 6am Christians friend. Friend. friend. He didn't just bring them to his vineyard to work. This is astoundingly out of keeping with the cultural norms of the day. He brought them into relationship with him. He calls you his friend. Oh, what? The creator of the world. The king of kings and the Lord of lords. You want to stay 5 p.m. everywhere all the time? Just remind yourself, pinch yourself, I'm the friend of God. God is my friend. Unless you think like how good you are because of how much you love God, he says you only love me because I loved you. …
… and then Jesus three times predicts his suffering and death before the climactic statement that he gives in Mark 10 45. Many of you know it well the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. This is why Jesus came into the world this is why Jesus preached repentance in the coming kingdom of God. This is why Jesus performed miracles, all so that he could give his life as a ransom for you if you would have faith in him. and friends I want you to notice also in verse five there's a lot a lot of good stuff in that that short verse what does Jesus see when this man is being lowered from the ceiling what what is Jesus looking at he's not looking at the hole in the ceiling he's not looking at this paralyzed man being being descended onto the floor he's not thinking about what interruption this just caused to his preaching. …
… He's redefining this picture. Mark 10, verses 43 through 45. You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. He says, this is what I came to do. I came not to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. Leadership in the kingdom of God, authority in the kingdom of God is a servant authority. It's why in 1 Peter 5, when leaders and elders in the church are addressed, Peter says, do not lord your leadership, your authority over the church. It does not bring honor to Christ. It goes against the picture we have in Christ. Leaders do not lord themselves over people, because there is one Lord, to use Jesus' words from Matthew 23, there's one Lord to whom leadership points. Now this is key right here. When it comes to leadership in the church, I want you to see two foundational realities that must be present in any leader in the church, particularly in an elder in the church, a pastor in the church. First, and hang with me here because this is foundational to thinking about submission. First, their authority, a leader's authority, leader's authority is conditional. …
… let him be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Do y'all see that right there? Are y'all following me? Have I confused you yet? Okay, let me try a little harder. Jesus is dialoguing with his disciples and here's what he is saying. If you're going to be a part of my kingdom and you want to be great, there's so much discussion about who is the greatest and who's going to be great and who wants to be great. There are three words he uses to define what can't constitute a person being great. And these are three words I want you to evaluate about your own life. Go ahead, lean over to your neighbor and say he's talking to you. the first one is in verse 26 are y'all with me in verse number 26 he says yet it shall not be so among you but whoever desires to become great somebody say desires can i stick can i stop right there god doesn't condemn them for wanting to be great I want to be great. …
… Let me love them. You know, Jesus' mindset, he says, I didn't come to be served. I came to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. And then we call ourselves Christians. That means we are little Christ. So we should gather together. Okay, I don't come here to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. Just like Jesus loved me as much as the father loved him. now, God, let me show up with this mindset to love these people. And Jesus says, look, I'm not doing this to ruin your joy. Go, man, I just want to go to plays with the short service. It's, you know, and get back to the football game and this and that, you know, I even wore my jersey. You know, I, I'm kidding. I just, I already said earlier, I loved him. So then I could do that. And, and, but it's like, I just want this. I just want this. I mean, that's what church has been traditionally. It's about us. And then we leave critical going, well, they didn't do this for me. …
… You see, Jesus knew he was going to suffer. he says that the son of man didn't come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many so jesus knew i came on this earth to suffer that's what when he was going to go to the cross and peter's like no no don't don't don't he goes get behind me satan this is what i came to do i came to suffer and so when the suffering comes he doesn't come to the father i'm like what's happening? He says to the father, okay, this is the cup. This was it. This was the suffering that you had planned. He goes, but is there any other way? Like he knew it was coming. And he says in the same way, how do you arm yourself with that same way of thinking going, okay, man, this is not just about taking a mission trip. This is not about just getting fired up and saying, okay, I'm going to preach the gospel. And then, you know, I'll go back and live my life afterwards. No, it's saying, no, I'm going to arm myself. Let me think right now, do I have that mentality of Christ? I wasn't put on the earth to have a happy life. …
… who came to this earth not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many The last verse I want to read is just a verse my mentor sent me the other day. As I was telling him about my battle with pride. It's Ephesians, I'm sorry, Hebrews 5, verses 8 and 9. Talking about Jesus. Actually, I'll back up to 7. Hebrews 5, 7 through 9. Listen to this. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. although he was a son he learned obedience through what he suffered and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him Did you guys catch that? This is Jesus. Jesus in the flesh. In the days of his flesh. Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. …
… these things, and as we continue to look at these things during the weeks, and make us people like your son who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many in his name we pray amen
… me was. What is it? All right, to glorify him. Next question. I am most like Jesus when I am. All right, to answer that question, listen to what Jesus said. He says, for even the son of man did not come to be served, but rather to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. saw himself as a servant. Jesus always saw himself as a servant. Now let me ask you a question. How many of you think you know how to serve God? I wonder how many people really and truly have ever thought about how do you serve God? What are the requirements of being a real servant? It's very clear in the Scripture that's what it's all about. If I'm not going to serve the Lord, then I'm not going to glorify Him. And if I'm not going to glorify Him, it would be better for Jesus to save a person 50 or 12 o'clock, and then to give them an opportunity to say goodbye to their family and take them on home, and within about 30 minutes, they wouldn't have any more sin in their life, wouldn't have to be broken, wouldn't have to go through valleys, wouldn't have to learn all these marvelous, wonderful, painful lessons that we learn. …
… let me tell you what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 20 and verse 28. Even as the Son of Man came not to be deaconed unto, but to deacon, and to give his life a ransom for many. Now, the word there that I call deacon is really a Greek word that may be translated deacon. we translate it minister, because a deacon is a minister, a servant. He's saying the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. And then again, in Mark chapter 10, verse 43, but so shall it not be among you, but whosoever will be great among you shall be your deacon, your servant. A service makes you like Jesus. If you want to be great, learn to serve. Now, what qualities does it take to be a deacon? Look again in verse 3. First of all, a man must have an honest report. He must have an established testimony. Look ye out among you seven men of honest report. …