The Kingdom of God Begins Where You Become the Last

The Kingdom of God Begins Where You Become the Last

Sunday service, November 9, 2025 · Elim Church

This Sunday, November 9, Elim Church paused on a question Jesus once asked his disciples along the road, and one he still asks you today: "What were you discussing on the way?" Behind this seemingly ordinary question lies the very heart of what Jesus came to inaugurate: the kingdom of God in the midst of his people. A kingdom proven not by the place you occupy, but by the way you serve.

1. The Kingdom of God, Summed Up in Three Sentences

The preacher recalled the shortest summary Jesus himself gave of the gospel, in Mark 1:15: "The time is fulfilled, and God's Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News."

Only three sentences. But everything is there. The time is fulfilled (something has changed, God's kingdom is near), Jesus has come, and his reign is inaugurated in his own person. Change direction, and trust his word.

The pastor emphasized what "changing" really means. It isn't just feeling sorry about your mistakes. It's turning around, like a driver who realizes he's on the wrong road. It's turning away from yourself to turn toward God and obey Jesus in concrete ways. "I believe, so I do what you tell me."

2. A Kingdom Seen First in the Family of the Church

After laying this foundation, the sermon moved into very practical territory. How is the kingdom of God made visible? First, in how brothers and sisters treat one another. The church is God's family, and that's where the kingdom becomes visible, or invisible.

The main passage was Mark 9:33-37. Jesus and his disciples arrive in Capernaum. Once inside the house, Jesus asks them: "What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?" The disciples fall silent. On the road, they had been arguing about who among them was the greatest.

This argument isn't the first, nor the last. It will come back again, right up to the final meal. It's a question that comes up in every person, at every age: who is the greatest? Living with twelve others, day and night, eating and sleeping together, isn't simple, just as it isn't in a family or a church. Conflicts, competition, pride, the desire to be in charge: it happens everywhere.

3. Jesus' Answer Turns Everything Upside Down: Be the Last

Jesus sits down, calls the twelve, and speaks a sentence that overturns the world's logic: "If any man wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all."

Then he does something unexpected. He takes a child, places him among them, embraces him, and says: "Whoever receives one such little child in my name, receives me." The preacher pointed out that in that time, a child had no place in society at all. Insignificant, without rights, without a voice. And it's precisely this little one that Jesus puts at the center, to show who deserves to be honored.

Be careful here: Jesus isn't saying the child is king either. Today, in many families, it's the child who chooses everything, decides everything, and whom everyone obeys. That's not what this is. Jesus is teaching a principle of welcome: receive the one who has nothing to give you in return, the one nobody notices, and it's me you're receiving.

4. Jesus the Servant: The Key to the Whole Gospel of Mark

Each gospel has its own theme. Matthew presents Jesus as King (a genealogy starting from Abraham and David, the magi who worship him). Luke presents Jesus as man (a genealogy starting from Adam). John reveals Jesus as the Son of God. And Mark presents Jesus as the servant.

The verse that sums up the entire Gospel of Mark is Mark 10:43-45: "Whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant. Whoever of you wants to become first among you shall be bondservant of all. For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Jesus makes himself small in order to serve others. He is your example. And this morning, said the preacher, Jesus is still here to serve you.

5. Living in Unity Despite Different Opinions (Romans 14-15)

The second major thread of the sermon dealt with Romans 14 and Romans 15:1-7. Paul addresses two subjects that were dividing the Christians of Rome: food, and special days.

Some, strong in faith, knew that in Christ everything is clean, and could eat anything. Others, out of conviction, abstained. Some considered certain days sacred, while others regarded every day the same way.

Paul's answer is simple and demanding: on essential truths (the person of God, salvation through Jesus), there's no room to move. We confess them in love, as Ephesians 4:15 says. But on everything secondary (ways of practicing, cultures, sensitivities), there's no place for judgment or condemnation.

The pastor illustrated it simply: in an African church, people jump, dance, and shout for God. In a Reformed or Orthodox church, things are more reserved. Neither one is wrong. These are cultural, historical differences. Don't turn your own preferences into an absolute.

And he quoted Romans 14:13: "Therefore let's not judge one another anymore, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion for falling."

6. The Principle for the Strong: Carry, Don't Crush

If you consider yourself strong (mature, well-balanced, with solid knowledge), then Romans 15:1-7 speaks directly to you.

"Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up. For even Christ didn't please himself."

The key word here is building up. Your strength isn't there to assert yourself or to crush someone else. It's there to carry those who are more fragile, to help them grow in faith. That's what Christ did for you.

And the conclusion, verse 7: "Therefore receive one another, even as Christ also received you, to the glory of God." It doesn't matter what color: in the church, there are only children of heaven, loved by God, called to receive one another.

7. In Practice: At Elim, Be on Time, Serve, and Take Care of the Children

The sermon closed with a very concrete call to Elim Church. The pastor first thanked everyone for their commitment. Then he asked for two simple things:

• Be on time when you're serving. Otherwise, someone else will do your part for you, and little by little, you do less while they do more. That's not the servant's model.
• Take care of the children. The church needs helpers for the little ones. Right now, there are only two, and that's not enough. There needs to be a rotation, so no one is always missing the service. Serving the youngest is teaching those who will come after us. If you feel that desire in your heart, come forward.

Key Takeaways

• The kingdom of God shows up first in how you treat your brothers and sisters in the church.
• To be great in the kingdom, become the last and the servant of all. That's the path Jesus himself walked (Mark 10:43-45).
• Welcome the smallest ones, those who have nothing to offer you in return. It's Jesus himself you're welcoming.
• Tell the difference between essential truths (non-negotiable) and secondary opinions (to be carried with love, without judgment).
• If you know you're strong in the faith, your strength exists to carry the weaker ones, not to crush them.

Personal Application

• What argument are you carrying right now, in your family, your marriage, or your church, over a secondary issue? Can you decide today to let it go?
• Where could you, this week, concretely choose to be last instead of first?
• Who around you is the "little child" God is asking you to welcome: a newcomer, someone quiet, a child, or someone hard to love?
• If you feel strong in the faith, who are you called to carry in your church, without judging them?
• Is there a way to serve (like taking care of the children) that God is inviting you to step into?

Verses Cited

• Mark 1:15 · The kingdom of God is at hand
• Mark 9:33-37 · The disciples' argument and the child in their midst
• Mark 10:43-45 · Jesus came to serve
• Romans 14 · Don't judge over opinions
• Romans 14:13 · Don't put a stumbling block before your brother
• Romans 15:1-7 · The strong carry the weak
• Ephesians 4:15 · Speaking the truth in love

FAQ

What does "the kingdom of God is at hand" mean?
It means that in Jesus, the kingdom of God is already inaugurated. It's no longer a distant promise: it's here, in the person of Jesus, and it's waiting for you to change direction and trust him.

How do you tell an essential truth apart from a secondary opinion?
Essential truths concern the person of God, the person of Christ, and salvation by grace. Secondary opinions concern how you practice your faith: which days matter, what you eat, styles of worship, cultural sensitivities. On the first, there's no room to move. On the second, you carry one another with love.

Does being "the last" mean letting people walk all over you?
No. Jesus isn't telling you to be passive or to devalue yourself. He's inviting you to give up the race for status, to choose to serve rather than be served, and to welcome the smallest ones. It's a free choice, driven by love, not resignation.