Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE: Mark 10:35-45
Key Points
- Serving like Jesus means:
1) serving others without expecting anything in return
2) serving even when it costs us something
3) loving someone enough to put their needs before our own - Servants of God prize humility over promotion.
- God is more concerned about the heart of our service than the results of our service.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Mark 10:45 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: What is so shocking about the fact that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve?
2: Why did Jesus come to serve?
3: Think about the different ways Jesus served in his own life. What is distinct about the way Jesus served?
4: Jesus entrusted the work of gospel ministry to his followers. The Greek word for “ministry” means “service.” Why do you think Jesus entrusted servant work to his followers?
5: What role does the Holy Spirit play in gospel service (ministry)?
6: How does your life currently reflect (or not reflect) God’s call on your life to serve rather than be served?
7: What truth is God writing on your heart today?
8: How will you respond to what God is revealing to you today?
Pray
Lord, we confess we often want to be served, rather than serve. And should we serve, we often want to serve ourselves before we serve others. This is not your way. You willingly laid your life down so we could find life in you. Help us to love you so we might love like you. Help us to live with you so we might live like you. Prompt us to place the needs of others before our own.
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references
For those interested in further study, our pastors want to share resources that have aided them in their sermon preparation (in conjunction with the Bible and the Holy Spirit):
· B.L.E.S.S. 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson
· 40 Days of Blessing: Love Your Neighbor. Change the World. PCBC 2021 Lenten Journal
· Jesus According to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels by Darrell L. Bock and Benjamin I. Simpson
· Mark (New Cambridge Bible Commentary) by Darrell L. Bock
· The Gospel According to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) by James R. Edwards
· Mark: A Theological Commentary for Preachers by Abraham Kuruvilla
· “The Empty Religions of Instagram” (The New York Times Opinion Column) by Leigh Stein
Find more Lenten resources here.
