Help@home Series

Does anything like this ever happen at your house? Anybody there ever start throwing a pity-party? “I’m the only one doing anything around here. No one really appreciates me.” The attitude has kicked in. Someone finally notices that you aren’t very happy. “Hey! What’s wrong with you?” “Nothing!” And the peace in your home is gone.

There is a direct connect between how the help happens in your home and what the peace level is in your home. That’s why I want to talk to you about…

help@home

Text: Luke 17:7-10

Series: peace@home

Next week, we’ll continue our series on having peace at home. We’ll talk about how important forgiveness is. We’ll all be dinged… or hurt badly. What you do with that is huge.

Today… help@home. The Bible word for helping is serving.

Some form of the word “servant” is used over 2000 times in the Bible. That means that this is a big deal to God. And if it’s a big deal to God, it should be a big deal to me.

Some of the most famous predictions about the coming of Christ in the OT called Him a “Servant.” Isaiah 53:11 says, “My Servant [will] make many to be… righteous.” And when Jesus came to this planet, He talked about Himself this way:

The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.

Matt. 20:28a (ESV)

God is a God who serves. It’s important to Him. Doesn’t it make sense that we ought to be servants, too?

The very first Christians got it. Paul and James and Peter all opened their letters to churches by saying, “We are writing to you as servants.”

Do you see yourself as a servant? Are you a servant? It’s a command to every Christ-follower.

… live as servants…

I Peter 2:16 (NIV)

Think about it. I’m in a Kingdom. I have a good and wise and powerful King. And my job is to be a servant of this King. This is a Kingdom of love. One big way I show love is by serving.

I want to be known as a servant of Jesus. It makes me happy to be a servant.

You say, “Hold it. Being someone’s servant sounds so restrictive. I want to be free. I’m not going to be anyone’s servant!”

We are never really free until we are servants of Christ. You are going to serve somebody. Yourself. Your sin. Your money. Your career. Someone’s expectations. Serving anything or anyone other than Jesus enslaves us. But when Jesus, the King, rules your heart, your hands, your feet, your eyes, then you are really free. Because you are doing what you were designed to do.

Are you a servant? You say, “Rick, why are you pressing this point?” It’s because this can make such a huge difference in your home… and in all your relationships. It’s so important that Jesus tells a story about it in Luke 17. This story can help us to adjust our attitudes. From “me first” living to “you first” living. From having whiners in your house to having winners in your house.

Jesus asks us to think. What if you lived 2000 years ago? What if you were wealthy enough to have a servant in your home. You weren’t so wealthy that you had an outside servant and an inside servant. But you had a servant. Someone to plant and keep a big garden for you. Someone to take care of your livestock and animals – your sheep and goats and cows and donkeys. Your servant has been working outside all day and the outside work is done. Would you say, “Sit down right now; get something to eat”? No. He’s your servant.

You’re a good master. You’re treating your servant well. You’re providing good housing. But you’d say, “How about some supper for me? You’re dirty. Get cleaned up. Get dressed up. And serve me. After that, you can have your own supper.” And you wouldn’t even need to say “thanks” because your servant was just doing his job.

Then Jesus says, “So you…” He’s making His point. He’s saying, “You’re not the master. Jesus is. You are supposed to identify with the servant in this story.

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”

Luke 17:7-10 (ESV)

If you are a mom who is a little bit bitter about how much your family takes you for granted… if you are a dad who is frustrated because no one seems to really appreciate you… if you are a kid who resents some of the chores you are asked to do… and if all of that is creating stress in your house, then applying the truths in this story can make a big difference for you. The way you help in your home can help make peace in your home.