Jesus Calls Us To Put Our Love into Action
Matthew 25:31-46
In Matthew 25 we have some of the final teachings of Jesus. The Harmony of the Gospels lists 31 parables Jesus taught. Jesus taught in parables using fictional stories that used the pictorial language and common experiences of the people to teach spiritual truths.
Jesus told a first parable in Matthew 25 about ten bridesmaids to illustrate the Kingdom of Heaven and His return. Five bridesmaids were wise and five were foolish. Five bridesmaids were prepared and ready for the coming of the bridegroom and five were not prepared. When the bridegroom came at an unexpected hour the wise bridesmaids were prepared and were able to participate in the wedding celebration while the foolish bridesmaids were locked out. Jesus summarized the teaching of the parable by saying: “So stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return,” (Matthew 25:13)
Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus gives the parable of the Talents. In this parable Jesus is saying that everyone is given spiritual gifts and abilities by the Lord for the purpose of using them in service to others. One is given five bags of gold, another two bags of gold and one bag of gold to the last. The individuals with five bags of gold and two bags of gold both invested the money both doubled their money. The man with one bag of gold buried his gold for safekeeping. The two individuals who doubled their talents were blessed and the one talent person who buried his talent was condemned.
After Jesus ascended into heaven he expected his followers to continue the work He started and invest their lives in serving others. Jesus sums up the parable of the Talents by saying: “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away.” Matthew 25:29
Jesus made it clear that we are to be prepared everyday for His possible return. We are to invest our lives in serving Him until He does return. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus teaches us just how we are to serve Him until He returns. (Final Judgment)
From these parables we can draw several truths to guide us in being prepared to serve the Lord until Jesus returns.
Serving the Lord is Expected of all Christ Followers
Jesus expected all His followers to have compassion and love for others. If you see a need, do your best to meet the need if at all possible.
Every follower of Jesus is given opportunities to serve. I Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” The Lord will not call us to serve Him in any way that we don’t have the capacity to serve. Everyone has something to offer in service to Jesus. The main question is: “Will I be available.” “If I feel drawn to a certain area and have a passion to serve, am I willing to be trained and equipped to serve in that area of ministry?”
The Apostle Paul declares in Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do in the name of the Lord Jesus…do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…it is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Ground, is level in serving the Lord. Every work for Jesus will be blest whether serving in a visible or not so visible position. Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”
Serving in second fiddle positions is in keeping with the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said in Mark 10:43-44, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Someone has said: “Those who lead in God’s kingdom lead from a kneeling position, dressed as a servant, meeting the needs of those who follow them.”
Jesus demonstrated “Second Fiddle” leadership. Jesus led with humility. At the Last Supper Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples and encouraged his disciples to serve others just as he served them.
To serve others we have to give up our own rights and surrender to the Lord. Have you heard or felt like saying:
“I’m entitled to...”
“I deserve ……”
“You owe me …”
“I’m in charge of …”
“I’ll get even if you …”
Why is there road rage? “I have my rights and if you violate them you will pay. It’s my road, and anyone who slows me down, honks at me, cuts in front of me, or in any ways interferes with my self-determined rights, better watch out.”
A “Second Fiddle” person doesn’t quit if he/she isn’t chosen as a player to be on the first team.
A “Second Fiddle” person doesn’t refuse to work as hard for the company when passed over for a promotion.
“Second Fiddle” persons don’t give someone a piece of their mind when the person “slights” them in some way.
When it comes to serving the Lord there should be no strings attached or prejudices.
Knofel Stanton in the book Heaven Bound Living tells of a Senator who demonstrated servant leadership.
It had been a long day on Capitol Hill for senator John Stennis, a top Democrat from Mississippi. He drove to his home in 1973, parked his car and was walking toward his front door when two people came out of the darkness, robbed him, shot him twice and left him for dead. Stennis, chairman of the powerful Armed Forces Committee was taken to Walter Reed Hospital.
Less than two hours later, another politician was diving home when he heard about the shooting. He turned his car around and drove directly to the hospital. At the hospital the Senator noticed that the hospital was having a hard time keeping up with the incoming calls about the Senator’s condition. He sat down at a switchboard and voluntarily went to work taking calls all night. The next morning the Senator quietly introduced himself to the other telephone operator, “I’m Mark Hatfield. Happy to help out.” Then Senator Mark Hatfield, Senator from Oregon, walked out.
The next day the press were puzzled when they heard about the event. Why would a conservative Republican, give a Liberal Democrat hours of volunteer service. Mark Hatfield was one who put in action his Christian faith.
When you follow Jesus He expects you to serve him according to your ability and gifts He gives you.
Jesus Calls Us to Serve Him Out of the Box
Ministry happens on the Campus of the Willow Vale Church and School, and ministry happens as we scatter abroad in the community.
When the early church came together they devoted themselves to Bible study - the teachings of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus. They prayed together and ate together. As they departed from their gatherings they continued to gossip the Gospel and continue the work that Jesus started.
We come together for worship and adoration. We come together to become equipped as servants of the Lord. We pray for one another. We show love to one another. We encourage one another. We bear one another’s burdens. We forgive one another.
When it comes to serving in the various ministries of the Willow Vale Church we believe in being a “Permission Giving” Church. If you believe God is calling you to serve in a certain area of ministry talk to ministry team leaders. They have permission to give you the go ahead. Our task as Pastors and church leaders is to mobilize, equip and release believers to serve in their area of giftedness.
The Biblical concept for various ministries in the local church is this: “In the essentials we need unity, in the non-essentials we need freedom, but in all things we need love.”
Your satisfaction in life is directly linked to the degree in which you fill your God-given calling. God created you with certain motivations and passions. You get a clue to your calling when you are involved in something where you experience personal satisfaction and achievement.
Some of the greatest opportunities to serve the Lord are outside of the box. One way we serve is through the use of the various facilities on this campus. A couple weeks ago we have a time of window washing of cars of people that come to the Monday night Narcotics Anonymous group that meet in the church fellowship hall. Thee were between 45-50 cars. We left a note saying we washed the windshield showing the love of God without any strings attached.
I think that Satan’s strategy is to keep us so busy inside the box that we have no time to demonstrate God’s love to the community. Dr. Bill Hull, in The Disciple Making Church wrote, “The Church of Jesus Christ, is at least three things: A hospital for the spiritually sick, a greenhouse for the growth of new believers, and training center fort the eager and well.”
What is it that compels us to serve the Lord? The Apostle Paul said, “For Christ’s love compels us…” It is the love of Christ and the love for others that compels us to take a risk and get out of our comfort zone and become salt and light in the world.
One of the greatest mission fields many of you have is your work place. One of the discussion questions on week 10 of our Prayer Triplet Prayer Guide asked this question: “Do your friends know you are a Christian and that you attend the Willow Vale Church?
As a Christ follower do you give your best to your job? Do you work with integrity?
Another mission field we all have is our neighborhood. How do you think Jesus would treat your neighbors if He lived in your neighborhood? Are you constantly looking for ways to serve your neighbors in the name of Jesus with no strings attached! Ken Jones has a farm. He calls his neighborhood his farm. He constantly is sowing good seeds of kindness to his neighbors. He told me that he weekly cuts five of his neighbor’s lawns. One of their neighbors had a new baby so Mable is hosting a baby shower and inviting families in their neighborhood to come to the shower.
Ken and Mable are doing their best to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their neighborhood.
Jesus makes it clear that He expects His followers to care for those who are needy – “The least of these my brothers and sisters.” Jesus said when you help the “least of these,” you are in fact serving Jesus.
Francis of Asissi was rich and wealthy and from a family of high society. Francis of Asissi was a man of adventure, but he was not happy. He felt that his life was incomplete. Then one day he was out riding and he met a leper, loathsome and repulsive in the ugliness of his disease. Something moved Francis to dismount and fling his arms around this miserable sufferer; and at that moment, in the arms the face of the leper changed to the face of Christ. (William Barclay, Gospel of Matthew P.360)
Pastor Dwight and I often get weary of helping people with various needs that come to us looking for help. We try to be compassionate and help those who have real needs and not those who are looking for easy money without doing what they can do to manage their financial budget. We do what we can using the best judgment possible so no one can say, “Nobody cared for my soul.”
If we are going to serve Jesus in a needy world we all are going to need to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
The story is told about a businessman who awoke early, as he often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean’s edge and greet the new day. As he moved through the misty dawn, he focused on a faint, far away motion. He saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, and no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As he approached, he sadly realized that the youth was not dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night’s tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. He asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea."
As the youth explained, the man surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching out in both directions beyond his sight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth’s plan became clear to me and he countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to the man he simply said, "I made a difference to that one."
The businessman left the boy and went home, deep in thought of what the boy had said. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the boy throw starfish in to the sea.
We may not be able to help everyone who has a need, but we can help one or two people as we keep alert to those around us and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the people He would have us help.
Jesus expects us to serve Him through the ministries of the local church and by reaching out to our neighbors and surrounding community. This week will you be available to serve at least one other person?
