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ONE ANOTHER: Christians
SERVE One Another Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN Main Theme: Christians are different. Not just because we worship Christ – but because of the way we are to treat one another. We are to LOVE (agape) one another. How? By SERVING one another. In this 1st of 3 sermons we discuss the reasons serving comes so hard to us. No one instinctively likes to be third (after God and others). But scriptures tell us that real life is not something we get, it’s something we give. Our failure to serve is because we do not love as Jesus loves! We cannot serve if Jesus is not the greatest part of our life. The call to serve is a command. And we cannot serve God, without serving others! We actually NEED to serve others to find joy and happiness according to God’s design. “Total freedom” is an illusion – we can only choose which Master we will serve: Sin or Jesus! But serving should never be a substitute for connecting or relating to God or one another! God wants us! Serving is a way of demonstrating that we are fully His!
1) FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD VIOLIN? An admirer once asked the famous orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein what was the most difficult instrument to play. His answer? “Second violin!” He knew that as a culture we are consumed about being first! No one wants to play second to anyone! Putting others first goes against our very nature! So imagine how difficult it is for growing Christians to discover that Jesus calls us to play third violin in His orchestra! Yep, His greatest commandment is to love God first, and “others” second! We are called not only to surrender the first and second positions, but we called to place those seated in those positions ahead of ourselves! For people born self-centered, (which we all were), this requires a tremendous change of heart – a humbling of spirit, a new understanding of purpose, the sacrifice of self, and willingness to place God and His children ahead of ourselves. But if what Jesus says is true, the inner peace and joy we all seek, can ONLY be found playing third violin!
2) SERVE ONE ANOTHER! If we are going to “love one another”, with that Christ-like “Agape” love we have been talking about in this series, there is no greater way to express that love than by serving one another! In 1st Peter 4:10 we read “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in it’s various forms.” And in Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In fact the word ‘serve’ is used on one form or another 1000 times in the Bible! Serving one another is a very big deal to God! And should be to us as well! Serving one another is the greatest expression of loving one another!
3) SERVANT-HOOD! Problem is, 6 days out of the week too many church going Americans spell ‘service’ this way “Serve us!” Rarely does the average American willingly choose servant-hood as a way of life. Just look how many people are constantly church shopping today: Leaving this one and trying that one as if to say, "Okay, I’m here; now show me what you will do for me." It’s consumerism in its purest form! But if we are to become truly Christ’s followers, we must grow from ‘consuming’ to ‘servant-hood!’ Christian author Gayle Erwin, wrote “A servant’s job is to do all he can to make life better for others…a servant’s first interest is not himself but others.” Sadly, a lifestyle of servant-hood flies in the face of most Americans because we’ve been led to believe that the way to be happy is to gratify our physical and emotional desires! It explains why a recent article said Americans spend $22 billion on luxury bathroom items, which is ten times what is spent on AIDS research. Statistics show that while Americans are wealthier and healthier than they were fifty years ago, the number of people who say they are very unhappy has risen 20 percent! Why? Because most of us believe our lives are our own, and it’s up to us to “maximize comfort and ease pain.” But as author J.P. Moreland suggests - happiness does not come from a life filled with self-gratification: “Real life does not come naturally. It is counterintuitive. It’s a skill we have to learn. That’s because the way to real life is not something we get, but something we give”. Real life comes while choosing servant-hood!
4) SECRET SERVICE? But true servants are becoming a rarity in our world and, unfortunately, in the modern church! I once heard about a pastor who grabbed a man named Jack by the hand after the service and pulled him aside. He said to him, “You need to join the Army of the Lord, Jack.” Jack quickly replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, pastor.” The pastor persisted, “Then why do I only see you on Christmas and Easter?” Jack looked around and then whispered, “I’m in the secret service.” Yeh, right! So secret – not even God is aware of it! Fact is, too many of us claim to be in the secret service, when in reality we are AWOL. Absent with out leave! And so the ‘secret to real life’ eludes us! Robert Lewis, in his book called, “The Church of Irresistible Influence,” challenges all Christians to: “Move from being served to serving, from finding community in the church to impacting the community as the church, from retreating to influencing, from isolation to engagement.” There is no secret service – you are either on the front lines serving Christ by serving others, or you are not.
5) A LOVE THAT STOOPS LOW ENOUGH! F.B. Meyer once bluntly suggested 2 reasons why we fail to ‘serve one another’: "This failure arises partly because we do not love with a love like Christ’s–a love which will brace resentment, annoyance, rebuke, in its quest – and partly because we are not willing to stoop low enough." I cannot emphasize enough that Jesus did not call us just to love, He called us to love AS HE LOVED US! …selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially, placing the others ahead of ourselves, and asking for nothing in return! And it means we love one another by stooping down, and serving one another, instead of “being served”! Why? Because that is the way of Christ. The apostle Mark tells us (10:45) "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus stooped low enough for the disciples, and for us! He asked that we follow our Master’s example, and stoop low enough for one another. The question we must ask ourselves when it comes to stooping, is “How low can you go?” Can you let Christ live in you, so as to love others by serving them selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially, placing others ahead of yourself, and asking for nothing in return? “How low can you go?”
6) JESUS: THE BIGGEST PART OF OUR LIVES! I wonder if sometimes we are so absorbed in our “busyness” – chasing after worldly happiness, job promotions, endless entertainment, that we fail to see Jesus as the biggest part of our lives. Our actions, or should I say our ‘inactions’, sometimes suggest that we are proceeding as if Jesus is not present or paying attention. So… if we have a choice this Saturday between serving a neighbor by helping them move, or going to play golf – quite often the excuses, (to go “swing a club”), come bubbling to the surface like a geyser! Are we like those unmotivated people who have to be supervised in order to get them to work! Think about it: How many students will remain busy when the teacher leaves the room? And how many church going folks rise up to play instead of serving; acting like Jesus is an absentee Messiah? Hmmm, is Jesus the biggest part of our lives? It’s important we regularly check our commitment to making Jesus the biggest part of our lives!
7) OPTION? Let’s also ask ourselves: Was the phrase “serve one another” a suggestion? …an option? No, Jesus gave it as a divine command. It was His divine will that we ignore our selfish desires and pick up our cross, and follow Him! We’re called to roll up our sleeves and get dirty in the broken lives of one another! To carry each other burdens! To pour ourselves out for one another! Why? Because Jesus, your Savior, asked you to! Because He wants us to experience the truth: Real life is not something we get, but something we give. No other option brings true life! And if we are truly His children, desiring to please Him, …if we are truly thankful for our countless blessings, and the eternal Salvation He sacrificially bought for us on the cross, then we will do what ever it takes to make Him smile! Friends, serving one another is the only option that makes Him smile!
8) SERVE GOD OR OTHERS? Ironically, many modern churches are filled with people who want to serve GOD, but don’t want to serve others. We have admitted that sometimes people (even in the church) can be so different from ourselves, even difficult to deal with. People are… well, they’re broken! People are “messy”, often immersed in problems and laddened with burdens, …and who needs more of that? Jesus says “You do!” See, you were NOT put here just to ‘take up space’ or focus on just your own problems or comforts. You were put here to serve God! …and THE WAY you serve God is by serving others! Friends, it is IMPOSSIBLE to serve God, and not others. Jesus tells us that our attitude must be like His Own, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:26-28) Fact is, there IS no way to serve God unless you serve others!
9) WHAT DOES GOD NEED? If it is the nature of Jesus Christ to serve, then when He lives in our heart, serving is supposed to become our nature! And for those who still think they can serve God without serving others – ask yourself: What does God need from you in the way of service? Polish His shoes? Wash his dishes? Fix His car? This is the Creator of the universe! He doesn’t need ANYTHING from His creation in terms of service for Himself! He says, “If you want to show me you love me – join me in my mission! Become my hands, feet, and voice to a broken world that I may save my lost children for eternity! I personally need nothing from you! But you CAN serve me IF you will serve others around you as I have served you!” When we serve, we are demonstrating that we truly believe what God has called us to. Fact is, what God needs is for you to serve others!
10) YOU NEED TO SERVE! And speaking of needs: you need to serve others! That’s right! You NEED to serve others! Dr. Karl Menninger, a world-famous psychiatrist, was once asked, “What would you advice someone to do if he felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to say, “Consult a psychiatrist.” Instead he said, “Lock up your house, go across the railroad tracks, find someone in need, and do something to help that person.” This psychiatrist knows that those who serve others have less mental and psychological problems! The best way to bring on a heart attach or a mental, emotional breakdown is to think about yourself all the time. Why is this? Because you were DESIGNED to serve one another; not be self-absorbed! And when you function as you were designed to function, you find the greatest joy and happiness! Remember what we said earlier: Real life is not something we get, it is something we give! Jesus blesses us with service opportunities, because He knows what a blessing it will be to our heart, mind, and spirit! You need to serve!
11) TOTAL FREEDOM? Here is something that every Christian is supposed to get, but not everyone does! In our independent, individualistic culture – there are those who seek what they call “total freedom”. They long to be a slave to nothing or no one! And that… is an impossibility! Total freedom can only belong to a perfect, all knowing, all powerful God. And it is clear – that is NOT you and I! As His creation, the only choice we have is found in the question: Who will be your master? And the two choices are simple: sin or Jesus? I suppose one might argue you can be free from sin, or free from Jesus. But free only in the sense that you become servant to the other. And believe me, I know: It’s hard to serve God and others, when you are so full of yourself! It’s hard to serve like Christ did when you’re a slave to addictions, or fears, or other people! Remember what we read in Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Fact is, total freedom is an illusion - you WILL have a master!
12) CHOOSE YOUR MASTER! Now, whether you serve sin, or Jesus – is up to you. God will love you and love you, hoping you will respond to His love by loving Him back! But He gave you “free will” to choose your master! Do not confuse free will with total freedom. Free will is just the “Y” in the road. Both paths lead to a Master – but only one gives true life! And yet the choice exists, because before the “Yes” of love can actually mean something, there has to be the possibility of “No”. We were not designed to be mechanical robots or puppets – God’s concept of love is based on us freely giving it. That’s what makes it so special and precious! Knowing we are a servant to someone or something; it has been said that "The first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master". Service is deciding who you are going to follow. So… Who will you folow? Who will you choose to be your Master? Who will you serve? If it is Jesus, then you will join Him willingly and gladly in serving one another! That’s what the Master does!
13) CONNECT/RELATE! Next week we explore the many ways to serve one another, but this week we’ve been exploring “why” we serve, and our “motive” for serving. What I fear is that some people in the church will mistake all forms of volunteering with true service! Please follow me on this: It is possible for us to perform all sorts of service in God’s church without connecting with God! It is possible that church goers can perform ‘acts of service’ for others; to keep from really having to relate to them! An example: some people are always in the kitchen at parties, because washing dishes is way easier than having a deep and caring conversation! Mowing the grass, or painting the class rooms, or running the church website CAN be done without developing caring, sacrificial relationships! Well, if we can serve and still “stiff-arm” Christians, we can do this with Jesus too! We can serve Him in order NOT to have to relate to Him! Service is not a substitute for time spent in prayer, saturating yourself in His Word, seeking constant guidance, or worshipping Him with all your heart, mind, and soul! In the end, God calls us to serve, but He doesn’t want our service, He wants us! And unfortunately we can use our service to keep ourselves from Him! Or we can use our service to give ourselves more fully to Him! Service to God and to one another is meaningless unless our motive is to more deeply connect and relate with God and one another!
Sermon/Confessional Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that we do not love one another as you love us! We are so full of ourselves that we make excuse after excuse not to serve one another. Or we serve with the wrong motive, or for selfish reasons. We are not always eager to play 3rd violin, that is, placing You and others ahead of ourselves. Forgive us, and help us to truly discover that real life is not something we get, but something we give. Teach us the joy of serving!
Lord, as glad as we are that you stooped so low as to die on the cross for us, we have not always been willing to stoop low enough to take on servant-hood as a way of life! We have too often chased the illusion of total freedom, and fought the idea of having a Master. And if we have claimed you as Master, you would not always see it in the way we serve one another according to your divine will. We have even used our service as a way of not having to relate to you or others. Forgive us, and empower us to serve in Christ-like ways!
And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)
(Silence) Lord, you came to us as a servant King! We accepted your gifts and blessings gladly. And yet, if we are to experience the full and abundant life, we will need to increasingly experience the servant’s life – something only you can help sinful and reluctant followers to reach! Fill us, change us, transform us so that we may gladly and eagerly follow the path of servant-hood! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN
Assurance of Forgiveness: Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who came not to be served, but to serve, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember: true life is not something you get, it something you give! If you truly love Jesus, express it this week by serving one another! If you are to love as Jesus loved you, you will serve one another! Praise God! AMEN
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