Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10-11
Sermon Series: One Another – Doing Church Life Together – Sermon 05
A budding artist painted a picture of the Last Supper. He took it to famous writer, Leo Tolstoy (picture) for his opinion. Carefully, the famed Russian author studied the canvas. Then pointing to Jesus, the central figure in the painting, Tolstoy declared, “You do not love Him.” “Why, that’s the Lord Jesus Christ,” exclaimed the artist.
“I know,” insisted Tolstoy, “but you do not love Him. If you loved Him more, you would paint Him better.”
Few of us are budding artists, yet Scripture teaches that every believer is to be a servant—a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we love Him, we will serve Him, and we’ll work to serve Him better. And if we love Jesus, we will serve each other. As 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” That’s what we want to work through this morning, Improving Our Serve, in love serving our Lord and our brothers and sisters.
What do you think of when you hear the word serve? Obviously, I don’t mean the opening hit of the racket in a tennis match. I’m not talking about your server at a restaurant. So, what does a servant look like? What picture comes to your mind?
It’s possible you have a positive image. Maybe you think of a soldier in a foreign country serving the USA. Or you think of a police officer serving her community. On the side of her car it says, “To protect and to serve.”
Yet if we’re honest, serving doesn’t conjure up a positive image. Instead, we think of endless menial chores, cleaning up other people’s messes, catering to their whims. When we think of a servant, we think of someone bent over, crushed in spirit, essentially stripped of their dignity. We think of being mistreated and taken for granted. We think of a servant as someone with little ambition, low skill, little value and no will of their own.
Yet the New Testament continually extols the ministry of a servant. The apostles saw themselves as servants and commended others for being servants. As Christ-followers, you and I are called to be servants. It’s imperative that we grow in grace and continually are Improving Our Serve.
It’s important to understand that the New Testament requires servanthood, not servitude. It’s the difference between have to and want to. Servitude is imposed from the outside. Someone forces you to serve but servanthood grows out of the heart. It blossoms from our desires and is rooted in our love for God and others. Peter isn’t talking about some obligation or duty that we have to do for others. He’s talking about what we should freely want to do. We make ourselves the servant of others because we love God, and we love them. It’s an honor to serve and we desire to serve.
Yet this doesn’t come naturally. Our sinful, self-oriented nature fights it. We want the spotlight. We want attention and a focus on us. Our old nature doesn’t want to serve others. It wants to be served, not serve. Because of sin we’re naturally selfish.
In the Bible great leaders are great servants. Influential power is achieved through putting others first. The last shall be first. It turns the conventional wisdom of our culture upside down. Actually, it sets it right side up. It’s our “Me First” culture that has turned everything topsy turvy.
Yet often we talk more about serving than we actually do. A cartoon showed a picture of a woman lying in her sick bed, obviously in misery. In the sink were stacked piles of dirty dishes. A huge basket of clothes to be washed was nearby. Two dirty children were fighting in one corner and in the other a cat sat licking up spilled milk. A smiling woman stood in the doorway and the caption had her saying, “Well, Florence, if there is anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
Too often that’s a picture of the church. Pastors, staff and a few committed members are overwhelmed with serving. More needy people cry out for their attention than they have time for. Children’s ministries and youth programs lack workers. The nursery cries out for staff. New people need someone to befriend them. Facilities need maintenance and improvements. Even some who are involved seem to serve only when it’s convenient. Yet people will often say, “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know!” This is an area we all need to grow in. At Grace, we want to please the Lord so we must be committed to Improving Our Serve. If you’re taking notes…
1.What does it mean to serve each other? There are four words in the New Testament that are often translated: serve, servant or serving. These words are found over 300 times in the New Testament (about 130 in the Gospels and Book of Acts and another 170 in the Epistles). The Greek word Douleo literally means to be a slave, to serve, to obey or submit.
The New Testament writers used it to refer to serving God and others in the framework of Christian love. It describes someone who’s given themselves up completely to another’s will. It’s what Paul had in mind when he wrote, “through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). He was writing about serving our brothers and sisters in Christ in the most devoted sense.
As believers, we’re to give ourselves totally to each other – in love to literally become slaves of one another. Selflessly serving others distinguishes the believers in a self-oriented world. We’re to be a Christian Counterculture.
To serve each other in the Body of Christ is to commit our resources—time, money, energy and expertise—to meet the practical needs of fellow believers. It means that we wait on others, as if we’re choosing to be their slave. It means that we devote ourselves to meeting the needs of people overlooked or exploited in our world.
Service always means sacrifice at some level. It requires us to give so that we learn to live with less (time, money, energy, opportunity, advancement), so that those we’re serving will have more. Yet it must be voluntary sacrifice. Paul urges believers in Galatians 5 to use their freedom in Christ to serve each other. Freedom sets the stage for service. Gratitude for God’s love inspires us to show love and use our gifts for others. Freedom from pressure makes us eager to sacrifice for the sake of others.
Jesus is our model for serving others. When we think of a servant, the first image that should come to our minds is the Lord Jesus. When we serve, we become more like Him. After telling His disciples that the way to become great was by serving, He said that He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.
Remember how He fleshed this out in a powerful way. In John 13, we read that Jesus, “got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.”
To fully appreciate this, we need to step back in time. Back then roads weren’t paved. They were simply dirt paths. If you travelled, you went on foot with sandals. At the time of year when Jesus did this, frequent rains made the roads muddy. When you arrived somewhere, your feet, ankles, and calves were caked in dirt and even animal excrement. Because of this, it was common when hosting others to have a servant at the door to wash guest’s feet as they arrived. If no servant was available, the earliest arriving guest took it upon himself to wash the feet of others.
Not only was this needed after a long walk it served a very practical purpose at mealtimes. 1st Century Jews didn’t sit in chairs at a table. Their tables were low to the ground. They’d recline on pillows and lie down around the table. Picture this in your mind. Imagine 13 sweaty, filthy guys reclining around this table. One guy’s head is right next to the next guy’s feet.
But as they arrive for the Passover meal, not one disciple takes it upon himself to wash the others’ feet. Instead, they recline to eat, feet dirty. We know from Luke’s Gospel that an argument broke out at the table about which of them was the greatest. They argue about honor with dirty feet.
What do you think went through their minds as Jesus arose from the table, removes His robe, taking up the servant’s towel? He grabs the basin of water, and one by one their Master begins to wash their feet. How do you think they felt? What would you have felt? Afterwards, Jesus tells them: “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:12-17).
Do you want to be like Jesus? Then you must be a servant. You don’t have to have a lot of theological knowledge or be able to teach or sing. It doesn’t have to cost money, just time and love. If you want to get closer to God, the way up is down. You get closer to him by humbling yourself and serving others. Here’s the thing, you cannot look down on others and up at God at the same time. We are never more like Jesus than when we are serving others.
2. What are some barriers to improving our serve? George Barna (picture) argues that time, not money, has become the most important commodity in Western Culture. So, what hinders us from serving others?
Self-Centeredness. Philippians 2:4 says, “Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” (The Message). We’re so focused on our own to-do lists that we often don’t see the needs of others. We’re so focused on “Me time” and taking care of ourselves that we’re oblivious to other’s needs.
The number one enemy of compassion is self-centered busyness. It leaves no time to help others in need. Someone suggested that a good way to define the word “busy” is to make it an acronym, “Being Under Satan’s Yoke.”
Satan loves to keep us busy doing things we think are important but are trivial in comparison to helping someone in Jesus’ name. We can even crowd our lives with “spiritual” things so that we’re too busy to help someone.
Have we hung a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of our hearts because we’re so busy doing “spiritual” things? Are we like the priest or Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan—people so busy doing religious things that they have no time to stop. They just passed by the injured man.
Yet nothing is more “spiritual” or Christlike than dropping what you are doing to help someone. Genuine Christian servants are never too busy. Like Jesus, they’re always available to help someone who needs it.
Judgementalism. Many Christians refuse to help the needy because they believe their situation is either their fault—or that they’re just lazy or taking advantage of the system. And there are people out there who do take advantage of the system. We’ve all seen them. And maybe like you, I’ve been burned by those I helped and later learned they were deceiving me about their needs. Let me say a few things here.
First, we must not let our experience with fakes and frauds harden our hearts because there are real people who are suffering and need our help even in our own church family. It’s better to keep your heart tender by helping a not-so-needy person than to let it become jaundiced so that you help no one.
Second, we need to remember that there are people out there whose need is not their fault. There are single moms on assistance through no fault of their own. There are those born in to poverty. It’s very hard to get out of that.
Third, sometimes people are in a mess because they sinned or have a sinful habit. And there is a line where it becomes enabling. Yet aren’t you thankful God didn’t hesitate to rescue us because we made our own mess. We must not let judgementalism get in the way of compassion or helping others.
Materialism. Instead of using our resources to help others, we hoard them. But you can’t hoard material wealth and at the same time serve others in the name of God. Jesus said in Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.” He didn’t say, “It’s hard to serve both God and money.” He said, “You can’t do it. It’s impossible.”
You can’t focus your life on getting more things and at the same time help people as Jesus did. We must choose whether we want to be rich in the things of this temporal world or be a blessing to others and be rewarded in eternity.
Do we want to get or give? Do we want to “lay up for ourselves treasures on Earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal.” or in “Heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt and where thieves do not break in and steal.” A vital decision we have to make once we become a believer is “Am I going to be a kingdom-builder or a wealth-builder?” We can’t be both.
Perfectionism. Some never even try to serve others because they think they’re not talented or smart enough. They think that they have to be perfect before God can use them. If God only used perfect people, nothing would ever get done. None of us are perfect. 1 Corinthians 1:27, “God purposely chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful.” God loves to pour His strength into weak, imperfect people. In 2 Corinthian 4:7 Paul puts it this way: “We are like clay jars in which this treasure is stored. The real power comes from God and not from us.”
Let me tell you the story of Shari Mays. Shari had Muscular Dystrophy, but in spite of her “imperfection” God used Shari in a powerful way to proclaim His love as a missionary to Baltimore’s inner city. One summer Shari and two companions led Backyard Bible Clubs. They worked with children and teens, and they learned very quickly that Shari’s weakness was actually one of the strengths because Shari and her wheelchair attracted kids. It even made adults more open to the gospel. They wanted to hear what Shari had to say. God’s power shone through Shari precisely because of her imperfection.
Shari died just a few months after her stint as a summer missionary. At her funeral the pastor read from her summer missions’ application. Listen to what Shari said about the relationship between her imperfection and her ability to have the power to serve in Jesus’ name: “At the age of three, my family learned that I had muscular dystrophy, a cruel disease that strikes young children and usually kills them early in life. The doctors told my parents that I would probably not live to be older than four or five years old. Little did they know that God had a purpose for me with that disease and that He intended to use my life as a witness to His works. As I grew older, I developed an awareness of God and a deep love and respect for Him. At the age of eight I publicly accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I was baptized and began to grow as a follower of God. There have been many times in my life that I have had the chance to witness to people because of my handicap. Many people wonder how one such as I can continue to strive and work towards our life goals and accomplish as much as we seem to. But I can only tell them that it is not me that is able to accomplish these things, but Christ working through me. Many people have asked me if I feel as though God is punishing me or if I would rather not have lived and this really opens the door for me to share with them how God has used me and provided me with such a happy life and many valuable experiences that others have never had. I continue to look forward to the opportunities God has in store for me and when I have fulfilled my purpose in life, I will go to be with my everlasting Father in Heaven.”
Shari’s favorite verse was, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Shari Mays understood that when it comes to serving in God’s name human power has nothing to do with it. It’s all God’s power. As the great missionary statesman, Hudson Taylor (picture), once said. “All God’s giants were weak people.” And they were.
Pride. Most of us are guilty of this. We’re our own worst enemy. But I’m not talking about serving. I’m talking about admitting that you need help. We believers are the worst hindrance from growing in serving because we’re too proud to ask for help. Too many times, people miss out on blessings because of their prideful nature. Wouldn’t it be a shame if God placed exactly what you needed in the hands of another believer, but you missed it because you were too proud to ask?
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. It takes a strong person to admit they need help and we ALL need help. Pride is what keeps your mouth shut. If you look at the word PRIDE, right there in the middle is the letter “I.” Before you can let go of your pride, you have to take the “I” out of your situation. How “I” feel, or how would “I” look asking for help.
So how far would you go before you’d ask for help? True story from May of this year. Without a ride and running late, an Illinois man stole a backhoe from a job site to get to the airport. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call at the Veterans Airport in Marion, Ill., when airport staff noticed a backhoe in the parking lot. When the owner of the equipment arrived and confirmed he left it parked about 10 miles away at a job site, authorities began investigating. Security footage revealed a guy parking the machine and walking toward the airport, where he caught a flight to Portland. Deputies later located this man in Nevada and had local authorities place him under arrest for felony theft. Now that was a guy who wouldn’t ask for help.
But what if this afternoon Jane and I went out after church and our car wouldn’t start but we didn’t want to bother anyone, so we walked home from church? Would you be mad at us? But would YOU call a brother or sister to help you or give you a ride? Most of you would call Uber before you’d give a brother or sister the blessing of serving you. Hopefully, you wouldn’t steal a backhoe rather than admit you need help, you might.
Please hear me. Our church can’t grow in this area unless we stop being so proud and independent. None of us have our act together. We all need help. Please don’t let your pride be the reason you don’t ask for help and block a blessing in your life or letting someone else get to be a blessing!
3. What are the qualities needed to be a growing servant? At the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, 300,000 doctors, nurses, and researchers met in Atlanta to discuss, among other things, the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping hearts healthy. But at this conference it was discovered that during mealtimes these advocates of heart health consumed fat-filled fast food like bacon cheeseburgers and fries at about the same rate as those attending other kinds of conventions. One cardiologist caught in the midst of downing a Big Mac was asked whether he thought his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example. He replied, “Not me I took my name tag off.” Maybe the moral of this story is, “Either live up to your name tag or take it off!” So, what are the name tags for a growing servant?
Those growing as servants see ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They love helping others. They live out Psalm 100:2 “serve the Lord with gladness.” Experience has taught them the joy that ministry to others brings. They understand that serving is one of the highest uses of a life lived for Christ. John Wesley (picture) is a wonderful example of this principle. His life’s motto was: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.” Those with a servant’s heart eagerly look for opportunities to help others.
Those growing as servants think more about others than they do themselves. They live out Philippians 2:3, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” In other words, their attitude is selfless. As Andrew Murray (picture) put it, “The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself; he simply does not think of himself at all.”
President Ulysses S. Grant (picture) was once on the way to a reception in his honor before TV allowed everyone near-instant recognition of the presidential face. He was caught in a downpour and ended up sharing his umbrella with a stranger who was going to the reception, too. The stranger said to Grant, “I’ve never seen President Grant. I’m only going to satisfy my personal curiosity. Between you and me I’ve always thought Grant was a very much overrated man.” Grant replied, “That’s my view also.” Like Grant, genuine servants aren’t conceited. They’re humble and self-forgetful. They understand what it means to “lose their lives” in service to others.
Those growing as servants do every task with equal dedication. Whenever they serve, they obey Colossians 3:23 “do it with all their heart.” They serve this way because the size of a task is irrelevant. They gladly serve even in mundane ways. They follow the example of the Son of God Who specialized in menial tasks that others tried to avoid like washing the dirty feet of His disciples, helping children, fixing breakfast, serving lepers. Nothing was beneath Jesus, God in the flesh the Creator and Redeemer of this world.
Those growing as servants keep a low profile. They don’t call attention to themselves. They’re content to know that only God sees the way that they serve. As Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Serving to impress people was the sin of the Pharisees. They turned helping others, giving, and even prayer into a performance. Genuine servants know this, so they don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They live for an audience of One.
Those growing as servants base their identity in Christ. To be a real servant, you need to settle your identity in Jesus. Your relationship with Him needs to be the source of your significance. Only secure people can truly serve. Insecure people always worry about how they appear to others.
Henri Nouwen (picture) said, “In order to be of service to others we have to die to them; that is to say we have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others only then are we free to be compassionate.” When you base your identity on your relationship with Christ, you’re free from others’ expectations. It allows you to serve Him and them best.
Conclusion: Learning to serve, being committed to serving and letting others know our needs and serve us connects us as a family, as a band of brothers and sisters.
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay (picture) were the very first to scale Mount Everest. Hillary would have been the first Englishman to conquer the mountain’s ascent and die on the way down if it hadn’t been for his Scherpa guide.
After the historic climb and reaching the top, the two began the treacherous descent. Sir Edmund lost his footing and slipped. Frantically he clawed at the iced-over rocks but couldn’t find a place to grip. He quickly picked up speed, sliding toward a thousand-foot drop-off. Tenzing Norgay saw what was happening and immediately he pulled out his ax and drove it deep into the ice. Simultaneously he entwined his free hand with the rope connecting him to Hillary and held on for dear life. The rope snapped taut. Norgay too stretched taut. Ax in one hand, rope in the other, Hillary’s life in both.
Once safe at the base of the mountain, Hillary told the reporters of his near-death experience. All eyes turned to Norgay. Reporters pressed him for details, but his nonchalance puzzled them. They began saying Norgay was a hero and deserved recognition. But Norgay said, “I am no hero. I simply did what mountain climbers do. We are climbing the mountain together.”
I simply did what mountain climbers do. We are climbing the mountain together. His fellow mountain climber slipped, and Norgay simply held his partner’s weight until a good foothold could be established.
You and I as brothers and sisters in Christ are to simply do what brothers and sisters do. We must be at the other end of each other’s rope. We must grow in selfless serving. We must be a family of believers where we are continually Improving Our Serve. Are you in? Can we count on you?