Building a Life of Service
Matthew 20:20-28
Scripture reading (25-28)
How would you define greatness Some might say that greatness is connections and influence. If you went to Wall Street and asked people there, "What's the secret of greatness?" They'd say financial clout and a big portfolio. Well, maybe not right now with the stock market down by almost 50% but in normal times that is what a lot of folks would say. Some would use the name of a person in popular culture like Tiger Woods or Brad Pitt or the late Mother Teresa.
God says, "My definition is very different." God says that things don't last and that people fade into distance memory. You're not going to remember them. God says what's going to last is service. God says the secret of a great life is you're never going to be great, until you learn to serve. Listen to what Jesus says in
Matthew 20:26
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Write these words, "great" and "servant". The Bible says those go together. We all know that great teachers serve their students. We know that great salespeople serve their customers. We know that the key to being a great leader is to serve your followers. The key to being great at anything -- a great manager serves the workers or the employees.
God says the way to Up is Down. The more you serve the greater you are. If I were to ask you, "What two words best define the Christian life?" Summarize all of Christianity in two words; I would pick the words "give" and "serve". That's what Jesus did.
Jesus said, "serve others" and "give my life" -- That summarizes the Christian life. Unless I learn how to serve others and unless I learn how to give my life away, I will never be like Jesus Christ. I may claim to be a Christian. I may have doctrine or thoughts or ideas in my mind, but I'm not really a true believer unless I learn how to serve and I learn how to give.
The Bible says in;
James 1:22,
"But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
God says "I don't want you to just listen to what I say; I want you to act on it, apply it. I want you to work it out in your life. The Bible says that you should give your life in service to God and to other people, and that serving God should be the number one priority over your career, over your hobbies, over everything else in your life. God says the top priority in your life after loving God and getting to know Him should be serving other people. Why does He say that?
The incident in our text seems to have occurred not long after Jesus had talked about the promise of the 12 thrones in ch. 19:28 where the Lord speaks of the kingdom and is significant because it shows how great was the disciples
misunderstanding was concerning this important truth.
I. The exposure of the servants' v. 20-24
The mother of James and John was Salome who was thought to be a sister to Mary the mother of our Lord. Why she approaches the Lord instead of her two sons can only be guessed at; perhaps they thought her close family ties with Jesus would move him to make a concession for them but for whatever reason Salome comes to Jesus and asks a promise from the Lord. She wants a promise before she asks her favor but the Lord is having none of that and so he compels her to reveal her request. Simply put, it did not matter whether it was her idea or her two sons, they were jockeying for position in the coming Messianic kingdom that they thought would be established very shortly. The Lord had announced two things to them; the coming kingdom and his imminent suffering and death. They ignored the significance of the latter and focused their attentions on the former. Jesus responds by speaking directly to James and John he let's them know that there is a price to be paid for what they ask. They indicate their willingness to embrace the conditions set by the Lord and he in turn prophesies their destiny. Undoubtedly, the other disciples overhear this conversation and get up in arms, most probably, not because they realize the unseemly ambitions of their fellow disciples but because they themselves don't want to be left out and are jealous. So Jesus proceeds to give;
II. The explanation of service v. 25-27
Jesus begins by telling them that they are not to compare themselves with or pattern themselves after the world. In effect he tells them that his kingdom is just the opposite of the world. "It shall not be so among you" and he reveals that those who do minister must do so solely for the good of the flock with no self-seeking and no self-interest. He goes a step further in verse 27. He alters the terms and "great" becomes "chief (first)" and "minister" becomes "slave (bondslave)." These are very different words and I feel sure that the Lord's use of the word "slave" in his explanation must have challenged the disciples' concept of the kingdom and their place in it! A true disciple of Jesus is to serve, not be served! He is to devote his time, talent and treasure for the good of the flock. He is to spend and be spent in their service. He is to let no private interests or pursuits interfere with his duties to those he serves. Next, Jesus reveals the true nature of his own purpose in coming to this earth as "the Son of Man;"
III. The Example of the Savior v. 28
Listen to the Lord's words, "Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Jesus challenges the disciples to use his own life as a pattern of service and humility.
Years ago, the Salvation Army was holding an international convention and their founder, Gen. William Booth, could not attend because of physical weakness. He cabled his convention message to them. It was one word: "OTHERS."
This must be the watch word for those who would follow Christ. He gave his life for "others" and we must give our lives for "others" if we would be like him. We must serve him as long as we can with all that we have.
In his book 70 X 7, The Freedom of Forgiveness, David Ugsberger tells of General William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, who had lost his eyesight. His son Bramwell was given the difficult task of telling his father there would be no recovery. "Do you mean that I am blind?" the General asked. "I hear we must contemplate that," his son replied. The father continued, "I shall never see your face again?" "No, probably not in this world." "Bramwell," said General Booth, "I have done what I could for God and for His people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I can for God without my eyes."
If David Letterman can have a top ten list, do you think it would be alright if we had one too? If that's okay I have the top ten reasons for giving yourself in service to God. I promise you that since I have 10 points in this message that next Sunday my sermon will be pointless.
TEN REASONS WHY I SHOULD GIVE MY LIFE TO SERVING GOD AND OTHERS:
1. WE ARE CREATED FOR SERVICE
God made me for that purpose. I was designed for it. The Bible says in;
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created [circle "created"] in Christ Jesus unto good works, [that's called ministry, service] which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
God designed everything on this earth for a purpose. He made dogs to be dogs. He made cows to do the kind of things cows do. Bees have a function that they're supposed to do. The Bible says you were put on this earth for a reason. Human beings are here to serve. Human beings are here to help each other. Human beings are here to help make the world a better place. And God says, "I created you for good works ."
Human beings are made for service. And when we're not used in serving other people, we get corroded, ruined on the inside. God says I was made, I was created for service.
2. WE ARE SAVED FOR SERVICE.
2 Timothy 1:9
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
What is a holy work? The Bible word for it is called ministry. Another word for that is service. Anytime you see the word service in the Bible, it's the same word as ministry. Anytime you see the word ministry in the Bible, it's the same word for service. When you see the word servant, it's the same word for minister. When you see the word minister, it's the same word for servant. The two are identical.
The Bible says you were saved to serve. God didn't just put you on this earth to take up space, to set around, watch TV, eat nachos, have a good old time, and just die. Have you ever thought why, the moment we become Christians, God doesn't just zap us and we go instantly to heaven? Why did God leave you here on earth the moment you became a Christian? You know where you're going eventually so why did He leave you here? He has something for you to do. Part of that involves your ministry, your service. You're left here for a reason.
Recently a man was watching a talk show and they had body builders on there. One guy all buffed up was asked, "What do you use those muscles for?" The guy positioned himself and posed, the crowd went wild, clapping, showing all his muscles but the talk show host said, "That's great, but what do you use those muscles for?" So the guy took another pose and the people went wild again and the talk show guy kept saying, "Yes, but what do you use those muscles for?" The guy was bewildered. The fact was he had no use for those muscles. He had muscles just for the sake of muscles.
Let me ask you: Why do you build spiritual muscle? Why do you come to church? Why do you read the Bible? Why do you go to Bible studies? Why do you pray? Why do you develop spiritual muscle? Just to say, "I got it! Look at my Bible biceps!"
The Bible teaches very clearly that maturity is for ministry. Maturity is never an end in itself. You say, "I want to be a mature Christian." You'll never be a mature Christian until you start ministering. Maturity is for ministry. Muscles have a reason.
3. WE ARE CALLED BY GOD TO SERVICE.
I'm not only created for it, saved for it, but I've been called by God for service. This phrase, "God's call", I used to think it was some kind of special thing for special people like missionaries were called of God or pastors had the call, that it was some kind of special thing. You're walking down the street one day and you're zapped and you are "called by God -- from now on I must serve Him with all my life."
But the fact is, the Bible says every Christian is called. The Bible says the call to salvation and the call to service are identical. The moment you signed up and said, "Yes, I want to go to heaven and I want to have my sins forgiven" you also said, "And I'm willing to serve You the rest of my life." They're not indistinguishable. If you are a Christian, you are called to serve. Not everybody's a pastor. But everyone is a servant. What's a servant? Somebody who serves. Anytime you use your abilities to help other people in the name of Jesus, you're serving them. The Bible says we've been called to serve. Every Christian is called to serve.
4. WE'VE BEEN GIFTED FOR SERVICE.
God did not give you your talents just to spend on yourself and retire and die. But He gave you those abilities to help other people.
1 Peter 4:10-11
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Be sure to use them to ... " make a lot of money (Reviled Substandard Perversion) It doesn't say that. "Be sure to use your abilities to feather your nest egg." No it says "Be sure to use your abilities to help each other." That's called ministry. That's called service. If you have given your life to Christ, the Bible says God gave you those abilities for you to use in helping other people.
5. WE ARE COMMANDED TO SERVE OTHERS.
That's good enough reason alone if that's the only one if God says do it.
Matthew 20:28 Jesus said, "
28 "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
It is not an option. Service for a Christian is not optional. A non ministering Christian is a contradiction. To call myself a Christian and not be involved in ministry, God says is silly. It's a contradiction. It can't be. To be a Christian means to have the attitude of Christ. And He said, "I came to serve." Three times in John 21 after Jesus questions Peter about his love for him, the Lord Jesus commands Peter to "feed my sheep,'' and
"feed my lambs."
Human nature does not want to serve other people. I want to be served. Human nature says, "Always focus on who is going to serve me." When I look at life from my own viewpoint I say, "Who's going to meet my needs? Who's going to help me? Who's going to help my hurts? Who's going to help me?" Me! Me!
But the Christian life changes that around. The Christian says, "Whose needs can I meet? Who can I help? Who can I serve?" If you're still in the "Who's going to meet my needs?" stage, you haven't grown up yet. You're spiritually immature. The mature Christian says, "Whose needs can I meet?" because they realize the more I give my life away, the more blessed my life becomes. When I focus on the needs of other people, God takes care of mine.
A mature Christian is interested in service. An immature Christian is interested in serve-us. And there's a big difference. God says I'm commanded to serve others. If I have no desire to help anybody else, I should doubt whether I'm really a Christian or not.
6. SERVICE PROVES THAT I BELONG TO CHRIST
Romans 7:4
"4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.."
Circle "body". In the New Testament church, when they would welcome new members into the body of Christ, the family of God, they would say, "Welcome, Jesus Christ now has a new pair of eyes to see with... Jesus Christ now has a new pair of ears to listen to the hurts of others... Jesus Christ has a new pair of hands to help others... Jesus Christ now has a new heart to love others with." Because you're part of the body, ministry is the evidence that Christ is in you. The Bible says that one of the purposes of pastors is to help you get ready for your ministry in life, that God put you here on earth for.
7. MY CHURCH FAMILY NEEDS MY SERVICE
It's needed and necessary.
1 Corinthians 12:27
"27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."
You are necessary. You're a part of the body of Christ, the family of God. What happens in your life when one part of your body stops functioning? You get sick and you may die if one part of your body doesn't function.
If you're a Christian that means you're part of the body of Christ. If you're not functioning it makes the rest of us sick. It makes an unhealthy body. What if one day you got a phone call from your liver? And your liver said, "I don't feel like functioning this year. I just want to be fed." You'd say, "What kind of liver are you? Get back to work!" What if your heart called up or your gall bladder or spleen and said, "I don't feel like functioning in the body this year. I just want to be fed." You'd say, "You get back to work!" A non functioning body part is not doing its job, not pulling its weight, not serving its function.
You say, "Maybe we don't need that body part." God says we're all needed, we're all necessary. We're all needed in the body of Christ. The strength of FFWB church is not the pastors of this church. It's all those who serve in the different ministries of our church. That's the heartbeat of this church.
8. BECAUSE WE OWE EVERYTHING TO CHRIST.
Romans 12:1
"1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for me. And even if He never did anything else, I owe Him my life.
I don't serve God out of duty. I don't serve God out of fear. I don't serve God out of some kind of guilt. I don't serve God out of anger. I serve God out of gratitude. I owe Him my life. He saved my life. I'm going to live forever in eternity. All my sins are forgiven. He gives me power right now in the present. Because of that I want to serve Him out of gratitude, out of joy, not out of duty. I owe Him my life.
9. WE WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUR SERVICE.
One day God is going to have me stand before Him and He's going to say, "What did you do with what I gave you? That talent? That ability? Did you use it to help anybody else? Were you ever unselfish? Did you ever give anything back or were you just a taker in life? Were you ever a giver where you did something totally unselfish that you got no personal benefit from? You just did it unselfishly? What did you do with what I gave you?"
"I'm sorry, God. I was kind of busy. I had some plans and some goals that I thought would be really cool for me and I never got time to get in on Your plan. I was just too busy to have a ministry."
God's going to say, "What? Hello? What were you thinking? Do you think I put you on earth to live for yourself? Of course not! The real happiness and joy I intended for your life is found in giving your life away. You missed it! Wrong answer. What were you thinking?"
I will be accountable one day. I can imagine getting to heaven and Jesus saying, "When I went to earth, My purpose on earth was to give and to serve. By the way, what was your purpose?"
There's one more reason. I need to make giving my life away in service to others the number one priority of my life after knowing God.......
10. BECAUSE WE WILL BE REWARDED FOR ETERNITY.
Jesus says in;
John 12:26
26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
God is planning to reward "honour" you in heaven for eternity if you have served Jesus. One of the rewards you're going to get in heaven for your service on earth is that you will have exceeding "joy" beyond anything you can think or imagine.
Matthew 25:21
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
If someone were to say to you, "Why in the world should you put your ministry of serving other people and serving God by serving others right at the top of your To Do list?" Why would you say that's important?
We are created for service.
We are saved for service.
We've been called by God to service.
We've been gifted for service.
We are commanded to serve others.
It proves I belong to Christ.
My church family needs my service.
Because we owe everything to Christ.
We will be held accountable for my service.
We will be rewarded for eternity.
The question is this: What are you going to do about it? In light of this, knowing that you were made for this, you were saved for this, you were gifted for this, and all these things we just looked at, we're not talking about some side issue here. We're talking about the most important thing in your Christian life -- following God's plan. What are you going to do? Are you going to be a hearer of God's word today? Or are you going to be a doer? Are you going to get up off your blessed assurance and do something? Or are you going to sit around and sit, soak and sour till Jesus comes back? You've got two options.
