“Servant of Jesus not self”
Opening Illustration: Today’s clip comes from the movie “Bella” it addresses the subject of selfishness – In the clip one brother challenges the other brother about how selfish he is – his leadership in running his restaurant is all self-centered – he is selfish and he only cares about himself. He challenges him to think about others before himself.
Thesis: Scripture makes it clear that we as followers of Jesus need to be servants and not self-centered – we are to serve each other in the Body and root out any self-seeking behavior so as to please God. We are all called to be servant-leaders!
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 4
1So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
6Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 7For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
8Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! 9For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. 10We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.
14I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. 15Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
18Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 21What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
Introduction:
Our subject today “servant-hood” and what it means to be a servant of Jesus. Scripture tells us that we have to root out all selfishness in our life or we will never become a servant leader within the Kingdom of God. Selfish attitudes are very dangerous to hold onto.
Quote on the danger of selfishness:
Some years ago the MINNESOTA CRIME COMMISSION released a statement more in line with what the Bible teaches about man’s basic nature. ‘Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish, and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, his uncles’ watch. Deny him these once, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is, in fact, dirty. He has no moral, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children – not just certain children – are born delinquent. If permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions, to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal – a thief, a killer, or a rapist.’ THE MINNESOTA CRIME COMMISION HAS IN EFFECT INDICTED THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE! Not the first time though ROM 3:23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. PS 51:5 Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Contributed to sermoncentral.com by: Guy McGraw
Self-centeredness in a church, a Christian, a home, a family, a community and a life will wreck havoc on those around them because life is all about what they want – not what God wants but what they want and demand.
Paul tells the Christians in Corinth that they need to become servants of Jesus (like the apostles and others leaders in the current day church), which means they must deny themselves and die to self. They must pick up their crosses and carry them for Jesus in spite of what the world thinks or even the courts of the day think. All the personalities that they are fighting over would agree that we all need to be servants – true servants of Jesus live for the Lord and not for self. Jesus stressed this teaching in his own ministry. Jesus said this in his teachings about what it means to be a servant of His:
Matthew 10:37-39: 37“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Luke 9:23-26: 23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
It becomes clear from Scripture that SELF has to go from the heart of a servant of Jesus – It has to be crucified –nailed to the cross or we will never be able to serve the Kingdom of God as God intends. Self will always prevent even hinder you from serving the Lord if you allow it to control your life.
Self - I have an acrostic which I came up this week for SELF:
S = Serving
E = Ego
L = Living
F = Foolishly
EGO is:
E = Edging
G = God
O = Out
This is what self always does - it pushes God out of focus and places self as “uno” number one to be served and to be appeased. Servant leaders are those who have chosen to lose to God – to lose to self – to lose to pride – to lose materialism and have chosen the path of the servant-hood! The reality check is when we center on Jesus Christ our focus shifts from self.
Illustration: Story from the Department Store:
A while back I was in store getting some groceries as I observed a mother battling with her child. He was screaming at the top of his lungs and lying on the floor kicking and lashing out at his mother. The mother was really embarrassed by the child’s behavior and she seemed over whelmed and shocked by this little toddlers temper tantrum. You may be thinking, what led up to this toddlers emotional outburst? Was he abused, neglected, felt unloved by his mother? No, none of the above! I had observed this family prior in the store and this little boy seemed normal and even cute. He was polite and behaving in the store as I passed by them several times shopping. But as we were standing in line this sweet little blond haired boy who had seemed to be a mom’s perfect child had decided he wanted a candy bar. She looked at the cute little boy and said the horrible word, “No!” But before the o was all the way out of her mouth the little cute boy transformed into the Devil from Hell. His whole countenance changed from cute and lovable to a raging lunatic who caused many to look on in horror. I think I heard one other person mumble, “I am glad he is not my son!” So what happened to the all American cute little picture child? He unleashed his self-centered – selfish behavior in an attempt to get what he wanted. The tantrum lasted less than 3 minutes and I was rooting inside for the mother saying, “Don’t give in!” “Be tough!” But my heart sank as she finally reached up and handed him the candy bar! I must admit I wanted to go over there and take the candy bar away from the devil from hell but I could not. Amazingly his whole demeanor changed back to little boy blue. His mom turned back around in line and I saw this little monster crack a smile behind his mothers back. When he turned his little head my way we locked eyes and I glared at him and shook my head. And you know what he did he stuck his tongue out at me! In a sense he said in his selfish little mind “I got what I wanted and I love it!” Now this incident happened years ago and some of my memory is blurred, but I do remember thinking, “He just learned how to be selfish and how to get what he wants in life!” In a sense in that moment which I believe was not the first time this had happened she had helped to create another self-centered monster. The fact is if this mother continued to raise her child this way then he would grow up and become another self-centered adult.
Why was this church in Corinth having problems? The main reason was they were self-seeking – prideful – arrogant and life was all about themselves or their little groupies – Paul makes it clear that they all need to change their perspectives and align their mindset with God’s view of life and service to the Kingdom of God. He even warns them that God will judge them because He knows what is in their hearts.
T.S. – Scripture makes it clear that we as followers of Jesus need to be servants and not self-centered – we are to serve each other in the Body and root out any self-seeking behavior so as to please God. So let’s look at some character traits of a true servant of the Kingdom of God.
I. Jesus’ servants care more about what God thinks than what mankind thinks (1 Cor. 4:1-5)
a. We need to care only about what the Lord thinks about our action and focus in life. It’s His perspective that counts the most for the servant of God.
i. It’s not the perspective of men or even the courts (when wrong) that we follow but the Word of God.
1. Acts 5:27-29: 27Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!
ii. It’s not the perspective of others that the servants of Jesus follow but the voice of God Himself.
1. Col. 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”
2. Ephesians 6:7: “7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”
3. Romans 12:11: “11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
iii. It’s not what my friends think I should do for God – it’s what God wants me to do that matters most.
1. A servant of Jesus follows their Master’s lead and their Master’s instructions.
a. 1 John 5:1-3: “1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”
b. The servant of Jesus has been entrusted with the secret things of God therefore he/she need’s to serve faithfully – in spite of unanswered questions and even understanding.
i. Brian McLaren’s book “The Secret Message of Jesus”
1. Quotes: “Jesus seems to see the whole story of his people coming to fulfillment in his time and in his own person…He is claiming to be a new David…In talking of liberation…he is identifying himself as a new Moses, a new lawgiver who gives the people a new law?...In calling people to faith…In constantly affirming the need to believe the humanly impossible is possible with God…In refusing to draw or respect racial, religious, moral, ethnic, economic, or class barriers, in welcoming non-Jews and treating them with kindness and respect, in eating with both Pharisees and prostitutes hated by the Pharisees, Jesus shows primal kinship with all people-a kind of second Adam who seeks to bring people together after so many centuries of distrust and division…In healing the sick and raising the dead, in performing exorcisms and confronting injustice, in interacting miraculously with the forces of nature, Jesus even identifies himself with the story’s original and ultimate hero-God-stating that those who had seen him had in some real way seen God, declaring that he and God were one, and suggesting that through him, God was launching a new world order, a new world, a new creation…These are not the words and ways of a polite teacher, no matter how brilliant…These are primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying shocking, hopeful words and ways of a revolutionary who seeks to overthrow the status quo in nearly every conceivable way…Against that backdrop, perhaps we can now imagine an obscure Jewish carpenter without credentials or status, without army or militia or even a weapon, without nobility or wealth, without even land or home…With a handful of unimpressive and diverse male followers and a substantial entourage of supportive women as well, he travels village to village, speaking to rustic peasants and the urban poor, having a special attraction to the unemployed and the homeless, the disabled and the disadvantaged, the social outcasts and the marginalized children and women…These –the ones he repeatedly calls ‘The poor” and “the little ones” rather than the greatest-are the ones, he says, who will receive the kingdom of God first…Why no weapons? Why no well-oiled political machine? Why live in constant vulnerability? Why not identify a scapegoat, an enemy, a target of hatred? Because, Jesus says again and again, this kingdom advances with neither violence nor bloodshed, with neither hatred nor revenge. It is not just another one of the kingdoms of this world. No this kingdom advances slowly, quietly, under the surface-like yeast in dough, like a seed in soil. It advances with faith: when people believe it is true, it becomes true. And it advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom gains ground...The message of Jesus may well be called the most revolutionary of all time…This kind of revolution, on the one hand, seems laughable. It’s the crazy dream of poets and artists, not the strategy of generals and politicians. Anyone who believes it should be laughed at or perhaps pitied. It’s hard to imagine anything more unrealistic-perhaps pathetic is the most fitting word for it…Perhaps what’s crazy is what we’re doing and pursuing instead-thinking, after all these millennia, that hate can conquer hate, war secure war, pride overcome pride, violence end violence, revenge stop revenge, and exclusion create cohesion. Perhaps we’re the crazy ones (McLaren, pages 29-33).
a. If you really study Jesus’ life and message it seems clouded and very mysterious! When you read the Sermon on the Mount’s teachings and some of Jesus other teaching it seems impossible to fulfill and even to the point of outrageous. When you read His parables they seem to have secretive messages woven into them were some got it and others just scratched their heads. Even His own disciples did not always get what he was saying!
ii. The servant of Jesus must be proven faithful by demonstrating a faithful – committed Spirit to the things of God even when we do not understand everything!
c. The servant of Jesus will be judged by the Lord and because God knows the motives of each person’s heart.
T.S. – Jesus’ servants please God not men or even friends and they also adhere to God’s written Word as their blueprint for life.
II. Jesus’ servants adhere to God’s written Word (1 Cor. 4:6-8)
a. The Word of God is to be our blueprint for life as God’s Temple:
i. The Word is what gives us our purpose and goals in life – not TV, movies, culture, media, schooling, and the like.
1. Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
2. Jeremiah 29:11-13: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
ii. The Word is what leads us and guides us to truth.
1. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
iii. The Written Word is what helps us to understand that pride has no place within the Kingdom of God.
1. The servant of Jesus realizes that everything they have is a gift from God – it’s not anything they have earned or achieved with their own talents and gifts.
iv. The Word tells us that we are to follow Jesus not others – we are to worship Him not mere men/women who are His leaders within the Kingdom.
v. The Word tells us that we are kings, and priests of God already in spite of what the world may tell you.
1. 1 Peter 2:9, 10: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
vi. The Word tells us that we are already rich in spite of what the world tells you.
1. Revelation 1:4-6: “4John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.” To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.”
2. 2 Timothy 2:11-13: “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
3. Galatians 4:6-7: “6Now that we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. And his Spirit tells us that God is our Father. 7You are no longer slaves. You are God’s children, and you will be given what he has promised.”
b. The question is: “Who are you going to believe the world – or what God says about you in His written Word?”
T.S. – Jesus’ servants adhere firmly to the written Word of God and willingly sacrifice all personal benefits for the Kingdom of God.
III. Servants of Jesus are willing to sacrifice for the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
a. Servants of Jesus are put on display before the world by the Lord for a specific divine purpose.
i. Some will become martyrs for the Kingdom but they will we be richly rewarded for their faithfulness to the end.
1. Story of a Martyr: Storm from Foxes Book of Martyrs: The First Persecution, Under Nero, A.D. 67:
a. The first persecution of the Church took place in the year 67, under Nero, the sixth emperor of Rome. This monarch reigned for the space of five years, with tolerable credit to himself, but then gave way to the greatest extravagancy of temper, and to the most atrocious barbarities. Among other diabolical whims, he ordered that the city of Rome should be set on fire, which order was executed by his officers, guards, and servants. While the imperial city was in flames, he went up to the tower of Macaenas, played upon his harp, sung the song of the burning of Troy, and openly declared that ‘he wished the ruin of all things before his death.’ Besides the noble pile, called the Circus, many other palaces and houses were consumed; several thousand’s perished in the flames, were smothered in the smoke, or buried beneath the ruins. This dreadful conflagration continued nine days; when Nero, finding that his conduct was greatly blamed, and a severe odium cast upon him, determined to lay the whole upon the Christians, at once to excuse himself, and have an opportunity of glutting his sight with new cruelties. This was the occasion of the first persecution; and the barbarities exercised on the Christians were such as even excited the commiseration of the Romans themselves. Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire; but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity. In the course of it, St. Paul and St. Peter were martyred. To their names may be added, Erastus, chamberlain of Corinth; Aristarchus, the Macedonian, and Trophimus, an Ephesians, converted by St. Paul, and fellow-laborer with him, Joseph, commonly called Barsabas, and Ananias, bishop of Damascus; each of the Seventy.
b. Remember the man penning the book we are studying was martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ.
i. He lived up to the written Word and was faithful to Jesus to the end!
ii. God will have you be a spectacle to the world and even to angels – the good ones and the bad!
b. Servants of Jesus are willing to be called fools because of their commitment to Gospel of Jesus Christ.
c. Servants of Jesus forsake the luxury’s of the world for service to the Kingdom of God.
d. Servants of Jesus work hard for the Kingdom of God.
i. Galatians 6: 4 –10: “4Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. 5We each must carry our own load.6Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what God has said.7You cannot fool God, so don’t make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. 8If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. 9Don’t get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don’t give up. 10We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.”
e. Servants of Jesus understand that they will be mistreated by the world, and even other Christians
i. But they will still respond to mistreatment appropriately:
1. When cursed by others pray a blessing on the curser.
2. When persecuted endure it like Jesus did.
3. When slandered answer kindly.
ii. The world may consider you the scum of the earth but remember you carry the message of Jesus Christ which will change and transform lives for eternity.
T.S. – Jesus’ servants willingly sacrifice all for the Kingdom of God and yet they still are open to Godly counsel from other mature believers in Jesus.
IV. Servants of Jesus are teachable and listen to good Godly advice from their spiritual parents (1 Cor. 4:14-21).
a. Paul writes these words to warn these Christians about their poor choices and to challenge them to change their mindsets and actions.
i. This warning is a loving - spiritual correction, so as to preserve them from the repercussions of their own sinful ways.
b. Paul a servant of Jesus challenges this church to imitate his lifestyle rather than the lifestyle of the world.
c. Paul perceives that this church is in need of assistance so he dispatches Timothy to go help bring healing and restoration to this church.
i. Timothy is coming to them because he is faithful to the call of God and to the Kingdom of God.
ii. He is going to remind them in person of Paul’s teachings and the message of the Cross and the Gospel.
iii. He is going to help them work through healing and restoration.
iv. He is going to help them work through the division and dissension.
v. He will deal with the arrogant ones in the church and bring God’s perspective to the situation.
d. Paul notes that he will come when the Lord is willing to send him.
i. He will be happy to address the arrogant ones and confront them about their pride and spirit of dissension.
e. Paul once again reminds this church that the Kingdom of God is not talk but a demonstration of the power of the Spirit – through the cross of Jesus Christ.
i. Show video clip – “Finger of God” – Heidi Baker.
Conclusion:
Paul exhorts us to be servants of Jesus and to imitate his lifestyle and commitment to the Kingdom of God.
We are reminded that the Kingdom of God is not talk but a demonstration of the power of the spirit. To me this means that we don’t just talk the talk but we actually live the lifestyle of a person taped into the Spirit’s power.
We as Jesus’ servants commit to denying to SELF because we know that this is the most sensible way to live a fulfilled and purposeful life.
Study: UNSELFISH AND HAPPY: A fascinating study on the principle of the Golden Rule was conducted by Bernard Rimland, director of the Institute for Child Behavior Research. Rimland found that "The happiest people are those who help others." Each person involved in the study was asked to list ten people he knew best and to label them as happy or not happy. Then they were to go through the list again and label each one as selfish or unselfish, using the following definition of selfishness: a stable tendency to devote one’s time and resources to one’s own interests and welfare--an unwillingness to inconvenience one’s self for others." In categorizing the results, Rimland found that all of the people labeled happy were also labeled unselfish. He wrote that those "whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves happiness...are far less likely to be happy than those whose efforts are devoted to making others happy" Rimland concluded: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." SOURCE: Martin & Diedre Bobgan, How To Counsel From Scripture, Moody Press, 1985, p. 123. CITATION: Rimland, ’The Altruism Paradox,’ Psychological Reports 51 [1982]: 521,522.) From sermoncentral.com contributor David Yarbrough
Paul challenges the Corinthian church and the Body of Christ today to choose be the servant leaders God has called us to be – this means that as servant leaders for Jesus we have the following 4 Character traits:
Summary:
I. Jesus’ servants care more about what God thinks than what mankind thinks (1 Cor. 4:1-5)
II. Jesus’ servants adhere to God’s written Word (1 Cor. 4:6-8)
III. Servants of Jesus are willing to sacrifice for the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
IV. Servants of Jesus are teachable and listen to good Godly advice from their spiritual parents (1 Cor. 4:14-21).
