Look Out For The Other Guy Series

LOOK OUT FOR THE OTHER GUY!

Romans 12:3-11

S: Service & Lighthouse Lifestyle

Th: Seeing the Unseen Christ: How His Presence Transforms Life

Pr: WE ARE TO EAGERLY SERVE JESUS.

?: How? How do we do it?

KW: factors

TS: We will find in our study three factors we must work with in order to eagerly serve Jesus

The ____ factor we must work with in order to eagerly serve Jesus we are…

I. COMMONPLACE (3)

II. CONSOLIDATED (4-5)

III. CONTRASTING (6-8)

Application (9-13)

RMBC 3/18/01 AM

INTRODUCTION:

Notebook: Inefficient (Cadillac)

Many years ago, a make-up artist was applying makeup on Red Skelton, the famous comedian, and he said to him, “Mr. Skelton, I understand you have a new Cadillac. What kind if mileage do you get?” Skelton replied, “Well, it’s this way. The other day I was filling up, the boy came to my window (there was no self-service then) and said, ‘Would you mind shutting down the engine, Mr. Skelton? You’re getting ahead of me.’”

1. Do you ever feel that you are falling behind?

I confess that sometimes I feel that way in ministry.

I grieve that I am not more effective.

Like when a marriage partner decides to leave his/her spouse and I am unable to persuade them out of it.

Or like when I couple comes into my office and asks me to marry them, and I discuss with the importance of following God’s design in order to receive God’s blessing, I get the blank stare because the couple is already living together.

Or like when I am trying to persuade an officer of children and family services that they are making it worse because they believe an accusation with no basis in truth.

Or like when I witness to someone, but I am observing no result.

I feel ineffective.

You know…

2. Feeling ineffective is very draining.

The truth is, is that in the church, there are more problems than one person can handle.

I can’t personally meet all the needs of everybody.

I can’t be everybody’s best friend.

I can’t be the substitute parent, or the personal confidant in every situation.

Now, don’t misunderstand.

My point is not to evoke sympathy.

This is not my purpose.

I just want to say that the church is not designed to work around one person.

TRANSITION:

The truth is…

1. When the church is not functioning properly, people problems are aggravated.

Have you ever noticed that what seems like a happy marriage will disintegrate almost overnight, and you didn’t even know the couple was having problems?

Or somebody leaves the church and you don’t notice in time, nor did you even know there was a problem?

Or there is someone so depressed about his inability to support his family, and is thinking of ending it all?

I am sure that there is within our fellowship hurting and struggling people falling through the cracks, and nobody, including me, is even seeing it.

But, this is not how it is supposed to be.

2. The church is designed to be a safety net in which people’s needs are met.

For people like we have described, help is found in those of us that make up the body of Christ.

We are to be the help.

It is not for someone else to handle.

It is for you and me.

This is how God has designed it to be.

Though he spoke this 100 years ago, I like how D. L. Moody describes this dilemma in the church:

ILL Moody quote

“A great many people have a false idea about the Church. They have the idea that the Church is a place to rest in… To get into a nicely cushioned pew, and contribute to the charities, listen to the minister, and do their share to keep the Church out of bankruptcy, is all they want. The idea of work for them—actual work in the Church—never enters their mind.”

His point is that every Christian is to be a minister.

The work of the church, or meeting the needs of people, is the responsibility of all believers.

Now…

3. When we practice the Presence of Jesus, we discover that the service we do for others is really service to Him (Matthew 25:40).

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus tells in parable form, a story about Himself as the King who judges; and He says…

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

Now, let me ask you, what difference do you suppose it would make in our attitudes, yours and mine, if we imagined Jesus being the recipient of our service?

What would be different in our minds if we believed Jesus would personally benefit from whatever ministry we did?