Text: Mark 10:32–45 In this message, Coleton draws out three defining qualities Jesus desires in His followers. As Jesus journeys to the cross, He pauses to tell His disciples what He wants them to become. In the same way a father might shape the identity of his child (like Coleton does with “bro trips” for his son), Jesus shapes the identity of His people. 1. He Wants the Cross to Be Central Jesus again reminds His disciples of His coming suffering (v.32–34), but they respond by asking for glory and reward (v.35–37). Coleton points out how easy it is to approach Jesus expecting an easier life, rather than embracing the call to die to self. • If the cross isn’t central, we’ll misinterpret hardship as failure, punishment, or evidence that God has let us down. • But suffering is part of the path. Like Jesus, we too will walk through pain. The cross reminds us that hardship isn’t punishment—it’s purpose. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) When the cross is central: • We won’t expect an easy life. • We won’t minimize others’ pain. • We’ll learn to suffer well and bring real comfort to others who suffer. 2. He Wants Us to Be Set Apart In verses 42–44, Jesus tells His followers: “Not so with you.” Coleton emphasizes that Jesus isn’t asking for moral superiority or judgment over the world, but difference. Christians should live in contrast to worldly values—not through self-righteousness but through humility, sacrifice, forgiveness, generosity, and peace. Some examples of a “Not so with you” life: • The world seeks credit; Christians serve quietly. • The world holds grudges; Christians forgive. • The world avoids reconciliation; Christians fight for it. • The world fears the future; Christians trust in God. Jesus doesn’t ask us to condemn the world. He asks us to show a better way. 3. He Wants Us to Represent Him In verse 45, Jesus offers Himself as a model: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Coleton urges listeners to ask themselves: If my life is the only picture someone sees of Jesus, what will they think He’s like? Too many people claim Christ but misrepresent Him with hypocrisy, political idolatry, or cruelty. What our broken world needs is not more cultural Christians—it needs transformed people who reflect the real Jesus. People should see in us the compassion, courage, humility, and love of Christ. ⸻ Discussion Questions 1. The Cross & Suffering • How are you currently viewing your hardship or suffering? • Do you tend to see pain as a sign that something has gone wrong—or as something God can use to form you? • What would it look like to keep the cross central in your thinking during hard times? 2. Living Set Apart • Where in your life would Jesus say, “Not so with you”? • Which worldly values or habits are you tempted to follow instead of embodying Jesus’ way? • What is one practical way this week you can live differently—compellingly different—in your relationships, speech, spending, or reactions? 3. Representing Jesus Well • If someone based their view of Jesus solely on how you live, what would they believe He is like? • Do people see in you someone who has been radically changed by Jesus? • How can you more clearly reflect the compassion, humility, and sacrificial love of Jesus in your day-to-day life? ⸻ 📚 Quotes from Authors Charles Spurgeon: “God’s people have their trials. It was never designed by God, that His people should be an untried people. They were chosen in the furnace of affliction; they were never chosen to worldly peace and earthly joy… Trials are a part of our lot… it is the royal mark that distinguishes the King’s honored subjects. But even though hardship is the path of God’s children, they have the comfort of knowing that their Master has traveled it before them.”