This post is much longer than normal. It is a sermon I preached on 18OCT09 and will take 10 minutes to read. If you just read the bold print it will take about 4 minutes of time.
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All scripture marked ESV: The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S.
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In the civilized world we have a great system of management called, “the line.”
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I love lines—I’m not a big fan of them when I am in a big line—but it is a great system of managing people so that no one breaks in line.
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I love to see the little children from the CDC go for their morning walk—all holding onto a rope; Training these future Americans to stand in a line.
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If you’ve ever watched a group of third graders standing in line and watched long enough; you will see somebody try to “cut” in line.
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We all need a line to keep us all equal.
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One of the best rules to follow in the Army is to find a line and get in it.
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The other rule is to always bring a book because you never know how long you are going to be there!
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Don’t you hate it when you’ve been in a line for 30 minutes and then somebody steps in front of you?
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What are you going to do? I mean really—you can say—sir, the line is back there.
But what if they say—” so what?”
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How’d you like to get on the blotter that way—company commander goes to the MP station to pick you up and all you can say is, “He broke the line! So, I broke his nose!”
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We all need a line because our tendency is to try to get ahead, to fight for the front, of to be first.
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This morning, we are reading from Mark chapter 10, beginning with verse 42.
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This is a passage where Jesus responds to this tendency to fight for the front.
Jesus is dealing with the squabbling and the backstabbing between the disciples after, in verse 35-41, two of the disciples ask Jesus if they can sit on the right and left of Him when Jesus enters into his glory.
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Basically, they ask that when Jesus takes his throne to become the Anointed King over heaven and earth they will be to the right and to the left. Of course, the other disciples hear this and they are offended.
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You can almost hear them, gossiping, griping, or even some whining.
“What gives them the right to ask for such a thing?”
“I’ve done just enough to be with Jesus as they do—I’ve done my time!”
“Who do they think they are?”
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The other disciples then jump into the argument of who is to be first in the kingdom.
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42 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. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:42-45, ESV
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1. The very first thing that Jesus says is not to be like the Gentiles—those who are not believers, those who are focused only on themselves and their power.
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Wiersbe notes that:
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Like many people today, the disciples were making the mistake of following the wrong examples. Instead of modeling themselves after Jesus, they were admiring the glory and authority of the Roman rulers, men who loved position and authority. Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Mk 10:32
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So Jesus tells them; (in verse 42)
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“You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. Mk 10:42-43a, ESV
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What does he mean to “lord” over someone or to exercise authority over someone?
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Peter writes that Leaders are
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3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Pe 5:2-3, ESV)
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In Ezekiel’s Prophecy to Israel, he gives a good picture of what is means to be domineering.
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Ezekiel 34:4 says
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4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. (Eze 34:4, ESV)
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Jesus says; “It shall not be so among you!”
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We are to be different.
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There is a responsibility that goes with power. We see it abused. We see nations oppressed by ruthless Leaders. We see corporations fall because of shady CEOs. We see Battalions fail because all of the officers are in it for themselves. And we see Soldiers become isolated and alone, because an NCO does not live up to the NCO Creed nor the Army Values.
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2. We are to be different.
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Jesus says;
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But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. Mk 10:43b-44, ESV
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This is Christ’s formula for good Leadership—”Whoever is great become the servant.”
This isn’t a weak statement; it is a reversal of the prophecy of Ezekiel
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We are to:
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strengthen the weak, heal the sick, take care of the injured, bring back the strays, seek out the lost, and rule with kindness and gentleness. (Based on Eze 34:4, ESV)
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This takes work. Hard work.
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Often I watched the Iraqi shepherds watch over their sheep.
They sat in the hot sun watching and protecting.
They led the sheep greenest grass.
They would provide water for the sheep.
They would protect the sheep.
24 hours a day, they took care of their needs.
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This is what we need in Leaders: A committed group to focus on Soldiers and the needs of Soldiers.
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We need Leaders to delve into the depths of their “Leader books”—not because the Commander says to—but because they care about their Soldiers to the degree of knowing their name, knowing the wife’s name, the children’s name, their home town, and their plans for their career.
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We need Leaders who seek to know as much as possible about their Soldiers—so that Soldiers have the confidence to come to them with any problem, come to them for advice, and come to them to share in the successes of their life.
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Soldiers need Leaders to look up to—to come beside them and help them. To lead them to the green pastures—not to drive them to the old worn down fields that lead to more trouble and more trouble.
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With over 150 Soldiers committing suicide this year so far, it is clear we have Soldiers that have lost their way.
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The first line of defense is the Leaders that stand with the Soldiers day in and day out. It is easy to get sidetracked, there are many distractions but the main job of the Leader is to take care of Soldiers.
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And you don’t treat them like their weak—you don’t coddle them. Sometimes you must take corrective action—but the objective is to protect them, not to whip them in shape.
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When you become their servant, you are then looking out for their interests above your own. You are seeking to find what is harming them, and seek to protect. You see what they are doing well and you seek to encourage. Not for your sake, but for theirs—you are the servant.
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3. Do you think this is a radical idea?
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Christ uses his very own example as a way to lead others in verse 45:
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45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:45, ESV
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It is very clear in the example of Christ—the good shepherd—of how to lead as a servant. This verse describes what his example looked like.
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We see that he first–he came. That, of course, is quite obvious but he did more than just come to Earth. He stepped away from His throne, to come to Earth. The beauty of Christmas is Emanuel—God with us!
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My father taught me about leadership by walking around—
being visible; taking care of the minor things before they became major—
talking to Soldiers; getting know them where they work—
and enduring the same hardships of the line, as well as the office.
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Jesus first came to Earth.
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And He came to serve.
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Jesus taught the masses, healed the sick, removed the demons, and fed the five thousand.
He protected the children, ate with the tax collectors, and sought out the outcasts.
He then washed the feet of those he led—setting the example for all to see.
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We are here to serve.
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Every day, I encounter hurting people. I’m glad that God put me in a place to help them—but more than anything, I’m glad that these Soldiers have leaders that take the time to step out of their comfort zone and to help. Most of the people that I see in counseling, come after see they their NCO—who has already been helping through the problems of life with this person—and then I send them back to the same NCO to continue working and serving their Soldiers.
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We are here to serve.
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Serving is listen, guiding, mentoring, and, yes, the occasional hurry-up procedure to get a Soldier on the right track.
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We are here to serve (verse 45)
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45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and
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[Thirdly]to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:45, ESV
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He knew this going in. There was no doubt what he would do.
Jesus came to give His life—so that we could have everlasting life.
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I spoke to an NCO the other day that mentioned how he needed to put the Soldiers welfare before His own.
He recognized that in order to serve he would need to give a little part of himself to serve his Soldiers.
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Jesus demonstrated this through giving of his life.
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All of us are sinners. We have all thought thing, said things, and done tings that have made God unhappy.
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The Bible says that the payment for this “sin is death, but the free gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus.” (Rm 6:23, ESV)
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Jesus paid for this death—he paid this ransom—by his own life on a cross.
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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16, ESV)
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This morning you have the opportunity to believe in Him and place your faith in Him that he will give you eternal life. You can do this right where you sit. And I encourage you to do this. As you take this step of faith, I also encourage you to let me know or another one of the Chaplains here and we can help you take that step.
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The passage this morning is about leadership—leadership that came not to be served but to serve.
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How is this going to change you today?
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It maybe time you place you faith in Jesus and start from there.
It may be time to step up to the plate and be the servant to your Soldiers that they desperately need.
It maybe time that you are going to step out of the comfort zone and help that Battle Buddy through a tough time.
It may be time for you to take the words of Christ and the example of Christ seriously and begin to serve.
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And that is my prayer for you today.
Dad says
(well, I’ll try this again. I don’t think the first one transmitted.) Well done, Keith! Although I no longer have soldiers to care for, I still have folks looking to me for an example. You’ve given me something to think about… Great sermon.