Understand
Pt. 2 – Saved People
I. Introduction
Last week I mentioned that there is a high value placed on knowledge and understanding in the Word. In fact, Solomon's life testifies to the importance of gaining wisdom and understanding! He tells us in Proverbs 2:
Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That's right—if you make Insight your priority.
So we began talking about the what we must understand as a body and as individuals. Jesus spoke very clearly and then emphasized His words with His actions. He clearly defined our Mission! We must embrace the truth that Found People . . . Find People. Today I want to move one step further and see that Jesus does the same exact thing about our Mode!
II. Text
Matthew 20:25-28
He said, "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."
III. Understanding
Jesus makes it abundantly clear with His words that we must embrace this understanding "Saved People . . . Serve People!" He declares that we must put others first. That our life must not be about getting served, but instead going out of our way to serve others!
But Jesus didn't stop at words. Anyone can talk about living a life of service, but Jesus actually put actions to His words.
John 13:4-5, 12-17
So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron.
12-17Then he said, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do. I'm only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn't give orders to the employer. If you understand what I'm telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life. (Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them!)
Jesus models mode. The Son of God . . . the King of Universe . . . The Greatest of the Great stoops down and as one of His final lessons to His disciples shows them that Saved People . . . Serve People! He teaches us that salvation elevates us into relationship with God, but doesn't make us God where we are too good to get our hands dirty and serve those less fortunate or not as highly positioned as us!
Then He makes an incredibly powerful statement that I had never really thought about before. In one simple sentence He gives us the very key to being blessed. We think worship will cause us to be blessed. We think prayer will cause us to be blessed! We think being religious will cause us to be blessed. Jesus says serve and you will be blessed.
Your blessing level is directly related to your level of service!
I wished He had connected my blessing level to worship cause I can worship without much cost. I wished He had connected it to prayer I can do that in private and keep to myself. I wished He had connected it to religion cause we would all be blessed. However, He says serve and be blessed. So the logical conclusion is sit on your blessed assurance, refuse to touch, refuse to assist, refuse to think about others and you are cursed!
There is an understanding that we must come to as a church . . . if Found People Find People then the way we do that is that Saved People Serve People. Our world is not going to be reached by a “screaming church” but rather a serving church.
"Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation." - Henry Ward Beecham
In fact, I would say it like this . . . our world will not be reached by a worshipping church. They can't see or be impacted by our worship in here. It is isn't the act of worship but the acts of our worship that (service) must extended beyond the hour we are in this place!
Our preaching, if contained in this room, will not reach the world. It is when we preach with acts of kindness, acts of compassion, and actually preach with our hands and our hearts that we will reach our world! And yet, Chickfila is better known for service than the church. We are known for what we are against for than we known for what we are for! Too often you get more smiles at Walmart than you do at church!
Our Mode must change. The disciples who walked with Jesus face-to-face battled posturing, positioning. They got caught up in diva displays and talent tussles! My gift is better than your gift. Jesus constantly had to reign them in! I want you to know that this isn't about gifting . . . if you have a gift you should be using it . . . because according to Parable of the Talents . . . if you don't use it you loose it. However, if we put the focus on the gift and miss the focus which is putting the gift to use for the glory of the master then we are doomed for power struggles, run away egos, and glory grabbers!
Let me say it vey plainly:
Service should be as natural for a believer as breathing!
When we are saved it should instantly be translated into service. We don't serve to be saved! We serve because we are saved!
No one should have to ask you to serve or badger you into service. It should be a natural outflow of relationship. The concept of saved pew sitters who are parasites (take but never give) stands in complete and total contradiction being called one of Christ's followers! The 80/20 rule flies in the face of the genuine results of salvation. You have been served . . . it is time to serve!
How are you serving . . . in the church and outside the church? Can anyone tell you are saved by your service?
Jesus preaches the greatest sermon on service when He tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You know the story, but are we living the sermon?
A man leaves the safety of Jerusalem and begins the dangerous journey to Jericho. The road is designed for ambushes. Robbers and thieves are a dime a dozen and make their living on this path. The Bible says that the man goes down to Jericho. He leaves the City of Blessing for the City of Cursing (Joshua literally cursed Jericho after it fell). The path is a 17 mile, 3,000 ft. drop in elevation journey. This man goes down! The entirety of the message of service is encapsulated in that right there.
We cannot stand idly by and watch people begin the long sloping walk away from blessing into cursing. We cannot turn a blind and uncaring eye as people trudge down into destruction. We must go after them. If we are religious we will ignore them. If we are self righteous we will cross to the other side of the road to avoid them. If we are saved we will serve them to health! We will get our hands dirty. We will expose ourselves to attack. Armed with oil and wine (the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit) we cover their pain. We invest our finances in assistance. We have the ability to serve people right into the Kingdom and we have the ability to cold shoulder people right into the pit. Our service is the difference.
The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are." Our service should reveal who and who's we are!
I also believe that is appropriate that we learn to
Celebrate those who serve!
We should show appreciation to those who go above and beyond. Who practice self sacrifice to make things better for us! Why? Because when you see someone serving you are seeing Jesus in action. You should go out of your way to express appreciation to greeters and ushers. "They get in my way!" No they are serving like Jesus. Tech team . . . too loud. How about the fact that they got here 3 hours before you so you could hear and see? Worship teams, kids workers, coffee makes, and cookie bakers. We should appreciate them. But it can't stop inside here. Garbage collectors ridiculed, but without them can you imagine the condition of our neighborhoods. Police, fire men, school teachers, coaches, cashiers, and custodians! It is time to celebrate service because we should see Jesus in the service!
How are you serving? Who are you serving? Who has shown you Jesus that you need to celebrate?
His name was Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. That was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He was intelligent. Kind of different but very, very bright.
He became a Christian while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative church.
One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair.
The service has already started, so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, this had never happened in this church before!)
By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this young man, everyone is saying to themselves that you can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?
It takes a long time for the deacon to reach the young man. The church is utterly silent, except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes are focused on him. The minister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he
has to do. They watch in amazement as the elderly man drop his cane on the floor and with great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won’t feel alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says,"What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget.
Saved people serve!
