The Blessing Of Serving Series

“The Blessing Of Serving!”

Mark 14:12-16

Introduction:

1. IE: I Know That Several Of You Have Been On A Trip To Israel - And Most Of Us That Haven’t Gone Would Love To See The Homeland Of Our Savior While He Was Here On Earth - One Of The Most Famous Attractions In Israel Is The Dead Sea - I Have Seen Pictures Of People Literally Floating In The Waters Of The Dead Sea Without Swimming & Without Any Floatation Device Because Of The Heavy Concentration Of Minerals In The Water - In Fact, “The Dead Sea Is So Salty That It Contains No Fish Or Plant Life. What Accounts For This Unusual Condition? There Are Absolutely No Outlets! A Great Volume Of Water Pours Into This Area, But Nothing Flows Out. Many Inlets Plus No Outlets Equal A Dead Sea. This Law Of Nature May Also Be Applied To The Child Of God, And It Explains Why Many Believers Are So Unfruitful And Lacking In Spiritual Vitality. It Is Possible For Some People To Attend Bible Conferences, Listen To Religious Broadcasts, Study The Bible, And Continually Take In The Word As It Is Preached From The Pulpit, And Yet Seem Lifeless And Unproductive In Their Christian Lives. Such Individuals Are Like The Dead Sea. They Have Several “Inlets” But No “Outlets.” To Be Vibrant And Useful Believers, We Must Not Only “Take In” All We Can, But We Must Also “Give Out” In Service To Others!” (Our Daily Bread, May 22, 1996)

2. This Morning, As We Return To The Gospel Of Mark, I Want You To Know That There Is Great Blessing In Serving!

- We See This In The Lives Of The Disciples As We Meet Them Preparing For The Last Supper Of Our Lord!

- Let’s Turn To Mark 14:12-16, And Read About Their Exceptional Service To The Lord!

3. There Is Great Blessing In Serving!

- And Throughout This Passage, We Learn Many Facets About Our Service To The Lord That Will Lead To Great Spiritual Blessing In Our Lives!

- We First See A:

1. Willingness In The Lord’s Service!

- In Order To Experience The Great Blessing The Lord Has In Store For Your Service, You Must First Be Willing To Serve! This Is Usually The Hardest & Most Difficult Step! But We See The Lord’s Disciples Ready, Willing & Eager To Serve The Lord – And So Must We!

- 14:12 - “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?”

- The Disciples Said Those Three Important Words:

- “Where Wilt Thou?”

- They Sought The Lords Will In Their Service! They Were Willing To Do Anything & Go Anywhere In His Service! You Might Even Say Those Words: “Where Wilt Thou” Have Me To Go, Lord? Or, “What Will You” Have Me To Do, Lord? You Might Even Sing From The Bottom Of Your Hearts:

“I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,

O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;

I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,

I’ll be what You want me to be.”

- But Do You Really Mean Those Words? Do You Really Understand What Those Words Mean & Imply? A Willingness To Serve Implies That You Are Already Serving Him!

- When The Disciples Used The Word “Go” In This Verse, It Revealed That They Were Already Making Preparations For This Passover Meal! Another Translation Brings Out This Meaning With The Disciples Saying: “Having Gone, Where Will You Have Us Prepare?” Preparations Were Already Well Under Way! They Were Already Intent On Serving The Lord, And Couldn’t Wait For His Further Instructions!

- Perhaps You Are Willing To Serve, But Do Not Know Specifically Quite Where The Lord Wants You To Serve! Don’t Just Sit There, “Waiting & Praying” - Get Into Serving The Lord & Let The Lord Lead You! - IE: Isn’t It Much Easier To Turn A Vehicle That Is Already Moving, Than One That Is Sitting Still Or Barely Moving? We Have Tremendous Opportunities Where You Can Begin To Serve!

- But A Willingness To Serve Also Implies That You Will Labor For Him! Serving The Lord Involves Work & Effort!

- The Disciples Were Willing To “Prepare” This Bountiful Feast For The Lord, So That He Could Continue To Do His Work! And This Preparation Took Time, Effort, & Even Money! They Were Willing To Serve No Matter What The Cost!

- Perhaps You Are Wanting To Serve, But Do Not Want To Pay The Price! Consider The Price The Lord Paid In Serving You! Mark 10:45 - “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many!”