Sermon Central
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Four Steps To Becoming A Successful Servant Of God Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Aug 2, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon covers four steps to serve God. 1. Develop a servant mentality. 2. Have a determination to serve. 3. Commit to following God. 4. Serve where you are.
Four Steps To Becoming A Successful Servant Of God
If I were to ask you this morning; “Give me the simplest definition of a Christian that you could think of? What would you say?”
(What I am seeking is “A follower of Christ.”)
A simple definition of “Christian” is to be “A Follower of Christ.” In the gospel of Matthew – Jesus is walking by the sea Galilee and He sees Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and he says to them. "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." The scripture goes on to say that Jesus went along the beach a little further and “He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” Matthew 4:19-22 (NKJV) A simple definition of a Christian is: “A follower of Christ.” Jesus also said in Matthew 16:24; "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)
What does following Christ involve? Following Christ involves becoming a servant of Christ. Look at verse twenty six from John chapter twelve with me.
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:26 (NKJV)
Jesus called His followers servants. If you are truly striving to be a follower of Jesus – if you are striving to be a successful follower of Christ – you must become a servant. As Christians we should all want to be successful servants of God. How do you become a successful servant? Here are four steps to becoming a successful servant. Step one:
1. Develop a SERVANT MENTALITY.
This is the first step in becoming a successful servant. You must have a mentality that says, “My purpose on this earth is to serve God.” You must realize that God is in charge. You must realize your position in life. You must change your way of thinking from “Me” centered thinking to “Him” centered thinking. This world does not revolve around you. Everything that happens in the world is not about you. You are here to serve God – not the other way around. Your pattern of thinking should reflect a servant mentality. Follow along with me in Matthew 10:24.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” Matthew 10:24 (NKJV)
Look at the way the Message Bible puts it.
"A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss.” Matthew 10:24 (MSG)
The question is, “Who do you think you are?’ You are not the boss of the universe. You are not the master of the world. Your thinking should say, “I am a servant of the king.” Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” He is the creator of the universe. He set the stars in place and controls the universe by His power. He is above all – and in all – and at the end of time – the beginning of eternity – “every knee will bow, every tongue will confess – that He IS LORD.”
A successful servant will reflect this fact in their thinking. A successful servant will give of their time, resources, energy, money, expertise, etc. – to glorify God. Jesus becomes the center of a servant’s actions – the center of their motives. The servant’s purpose for living is to please Him. A successful servant gives all that they have – for the glory of God.
The second step to becoming a successful servant is:
2. Have a DETERMINATION to serve.
It is not enough just to have a servant’s mentality – you must be determined to serve –you must be determined to help.
Look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-4
“Now, brethren, we wish to make know to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality, For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.”
The churches in Macedonia had an awesome determination to help. Nothing was going to keep these churches from helping. Not the affliction they were suffering not the poverty they found themselves in. They were determined to help.
Do you know what I have found? I have found that there are three types of givers:
A. The first type of giver are those who give because they can. They have an abundance and they give out of their abundance.
