Serve One Another
Message 6 in One Anothers Series
Chuck Sligh
October 13, 2013
A PowerPoint presentation for this message and all the sermons in the One Another Series is available upon request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
Intro is not original with me, but I have lost the source. If anyone knows who it is, I’d be glad to attribute if you would send me the source information.
TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians 5:13 which we will read a little later.
INTRODUCTION
Illus. – A pastor in Kansas City, Kansas, was organizing opportunities for people in his church to do small acts of kindness as a demonstration of Christ’s love in the community. He phoned several neighborhood grocery stores and laundromats for permission to do specific services.
In one call, the employee who answered the phone hesitated, and then said, “I’ll need to ask the manager, but first, let me make sure I understand: You want to clean up the parking lot, retrieve shopping carts, hold umbrellas for customers, and you don’t want anything in return?”
“Yes, that’s right,” the pastor replied.
After a moment, the employee returned to the phone. “I’m sorry,” he said, “we can’t let you do that because if we let you do it, we’d have to let everyone else do it, too!”
Isn’t that silly? Why NOT let everyone else do it? Wouldn’t that be wonderful if everyone found ways to serve?
It would be a little like heaven on earth.
• Do you want to find a little bit of heaven in your HOME?
• Do you want to find a little bit of heaven in your WORK?
• Do you want to find a little bit of heaven in all your RELATIONSHIPS?
THEN LEARN TO SERVE!
It’s the reason Christ set us free: Look with me at our text in Galatians 5:13 where we begin to see what our freedom in Christ means to us practically and how it can positively impact all our relationships.
Galatians 5:13 says, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
Right now we’re in a series on the “One Anothers” of the New Testament and so far we’ve seen that we’re members of one another, and we’ve learned that we’re to love one another, be likeminded with one another, accept one another, and greet one another.
At the end of our text we find our sixth “One Another”: By love, we’re to serve one another. The Galatians were caught up in soteriological legalism, thinking they had to add works to grace to be saved or to maintain their salvation. The book of Galatians is a refutation of that false gospel.
But Paul doesn’t want the Galatians to go from LEGALISM to LICENSE. He teaches that God has called us to LIBERTY so we could LOVE, not LUST. Since you’re free, Paul teaches…“Don’t serve yourself. Don’t indulge your sinful nature. Don’t let your freedom become a beachhead for the flesh.” Instead of legalism or license, Paul says to use your liberty to serve others in LOVE.
What does it mean to “serve one another” and how can we do it? That’s the subject of this week’s “One Another” command, so let’s jump right in:
I. FIRST, I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT SERVING OTHERS IN LOVE IS GOD’S PATH TO GREATNESS IN HIS KINGDOM – Go with me to an amazing Scripture: Matthew 20:25-28 – “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. 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: 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.”
We think the way to greatness is through being served. But God says that he who SERVES is the one who will be great in God’s kingdom.
Illus. – I have a friend who was a graduate of Liberty University which was founded by the late Jerry Falwell. The media always painted Dr. Falwell in a bad light because he had always stood FOR righteousness and godliness AGAINST evil and wickedness. But something my friend related to me told me a different story.
When this man attended Liberty, Dr. Falwell was already a household word. His weekly TV show was broadcast around the nation. He had started a university and it was making headlines. His church was running in the thousands. His organization, the Moral Majority, was making a tremendous impact on America in the moral, cultural and political arenas.
One day there was a terrible rain storm in Lynchburg, Virginia. Just outside Dr. Falwell’s office, a student’s car had a flat tire. In a torrent of rain, Dr. Falwell, in his coat and tie, went out and invited him to come in out of the rain into his office until the storm let up. But the student explained that he had to be somewhere for an important appointment and couldn’t wait until the storm had passed.
To his surprise, and despite his protests, Dr. Falwell insisted on personally helping him change his tire in the driving rain. Finally, after they had changed the tire together, Dr. Falwell, who by this point was drenched to the bone, pulled out a soaking-wet wallet and handed the student a $20 bill before sending him on is way.
The student Dr. Falwell helped was the man telling me the story. He had always respected Dr. Falwell and thought of him as a good man, but from that day forward, he thought of him as a GREAT man of God.
In God’s kingdom, it’s serving others in love and humility that makes a Christian great.
In his excellent book, The Reign of the Servant Kings, Joseph C. Dillow shows that a prominent theme of both the Old and the New Testaments is that the Old and New Testament saints who persevered in faithful, humble service for the Lord and others are destined to be rewarded in the future millennial kingdom with rulership and authority.
But before RULING in the future kingdom comes SERVING in the present era. He says:
The controlling principle of the biblical philosophy of history rests in the precept of the second before the first. God often chooses the “nothings” (1 Cor. 1:26-27). Only in this way is the self-praise of man destroyed. It is the pervading characteristic of the whole course of redemption that God chooses the younger before the elder, sets the smaller in priority to the greater, and chooses the second before the first. Not Cain but Abel and his substitute Seth; not Japheth but Shem; not Ishmael but Isaac; not Esau but Jacob; not Manasseh but Ephraim; not Aaron but Moses; not Eliab but David; not the Old Covenant but the New; not the first Adam but the last Adam. The first becomes last and the last becomes first. (p. 4)
Serving is God’s way of advancement in the Kingdom of God. Only love and holiness receive as much stress as SERVING in the Bible with regard to believers.
II. SECOND, I WANT YOU TO SEE THAT SERVING OTHERS IN LOVE IS THE PREIMINENT WAY JESUS INTENDED BELIEVERS TO FOLLOW IN HIS STEPS.
Several New Testament writers exhort Christ-followers to emulate Jesus in general.
• In Ephesians 5:1-2, PAUL exhorts, “Be therefore followers of God, as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour [i.e., “fragrance”]
• PETER says in 1 Peter 2:21, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”
• And JOHN says in 1 John 2:6 he says, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
We ought to follow the example of Jesus in every way, of course. EVERYTHING Jesus did was perfect and right and pleasing to the Father, so ANYTIME we follow His example in ANY area of our lives, we’re on solid ground.
But there’s only one time in the Gospels that Jesus HIMSELF tells us to follow His example and it’s found in John 13, and I’ll ask you to turn to John 13 now.
Before we look at these verses, I want to explain something to you first. Being a servant was the most humbling position in Roman and Greek society. The servant was given the lowliest chores, the dirtiest work, the most difficult, demanding jobs, the things that no one wanted to do.
And one of the most lowly, humbling, nasty jobs a servant could be called upon to do was to wash the stinking, dirty feet of those they served. Foot-washing epitomized the reproach of being so unfortunate as to be a slave.
Now with that in mind, look with me at John 13:4-15 – “He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. 5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. 6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; [or “you do not understand now”]; but thou shalt know hereafter.’ 8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. 9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. 10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed [i.e., “bathed”] needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. 11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. 12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”
Jesus was—and still is—the Master; the Lord; the King of the Universe. But instead of demanding the honor as the Lord and Master that He alone in the universe deserves, He condescends to do the dirtiest, most common, most demeaning job a servant could do—wash the feet of His disciples. Following in the steps of our Savior by serving one another in love means not to look for recognition and honor and having others serve you, but to look for and do for OTHERS the LOWLY tasks, the DIRTY jobs, the HARD work.
Jesus, more than anyone else on earth, showed this kind of humble servanthood, and He says, “I’ve given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” He’s saying to follow his example of humbly serving others.
Well, how can we serve one another like this?—That leads me to my third point:
III. LET’S LOOK AT HOW PAUL TEACHES US HOW TO DO THIS.
In Philippians 2:3-8, the Apostle Paul teaches us how to serve one another is love. He mentions several things:
• First, he says to practice humility.
In verse 3 Paul says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory [which means “vainly seeking self-glory”] but in lowliness of mind [i.e., “humility”] let each esteem other better than themselves.”
What is humility?—Humility is “the quality of a Christian which makes him think of himself no more highly than he ought to think and causes him to lift up and honor others rather than himself.”
If you don’t see yourself as better than anyone else, you’ll have no problem cleaning the church, washing out dirty toilet bowls, working in the nursery and wiping dirty bottoms, or teaching a class of snotty-nosed kids. You won’t try to be a prima donna on a music team, but along with singing in front of the congregation, you’ll also be willing to work in the nursery, or do yard work at the church.
• Second, Paul says not to be self-centered, but learn to be sensitive to people’s needs.
Look at verse 4 – “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Sidney Powell said: “Try to forget yourself in the service of others. For when we think too much of ourselves and our own interests, we easily become despondent. But when we work for others, our efforts return to bless us.”
How often I have found that to be the case. When I am absorbed in my own struggles and problems, I can’t seem to get my mind off of them; but when I serve others and lose myself in their needs, I leave with a tremendous joy and a sense of purpose I did not have before.
• Third, Paul tells us to have the attitude of Christ in verses 5-8, and then he illustrates that attitude for us in the text.
Look at verse 5 where Paul says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” The word “mind” means “attitude” here Remember that Paul had just commanded the Philippians not to do anything for self-glory, but instead to esteem others as better than themselves and to not be SELF-focused, but OTHERS-focused. So he’s saying, “Rather than do that, have the attitude Christ had.”
So what was the attitude he commands us to emulate?—He tells us in verses 6-8: “Who, being in the form of God [which literally means He was God in His very essence], thought it not robbery to be equal with God [or lit., “He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped or selfishly held on to”]: 7 But made himself of no reputation [the Greek here literally says, “but poured Himself out”], and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Did you get it?—The very God of Gods, God the Son, the LORD Jesus Christ—had all the privileges, rights and authority of the Godhead. But they weren’t things He held dear to His heart and selfishly hung to. He EMPTIED Himself of all those privileges, rights and exaltation and chose to be born into this world as a lowly human in one of the most stark places on earth in one of the most brutal times in history in the home of a simple carpenter, and in His life and ministry, He took on the role of a SERVANT—NOT a king; NOT a master; NOT a ruler—but a humble SERVANT!
THAT’S the attitude God wants us to have! God wants us to have the attitude of humility and self-sacrifice for others. And He wants us to stoop low to not serve just those who can help US, or pay us back for our service, but those who CANNOT help us, who cannot or will not pay us back.
God wants us to be servants.
CONCLUSION
What are some ways we can put this sermon into practice in our lives?
• I’d like to challenge each of you husbands to become servants in the HOME for your wives, and you wives to become servants to your husbands.
• I’d like to challenge each one of you to become servants at WORK.
• In the CHURCH, I’d like to challenge you to take on the DIRTY tasks; the TOUGH jobs that need to be done; the HARD tasks—like working in the nursery; like helping clean the church during the week; like teaching kids; like yard work here at the church.
You won’t be in front of the church, and you may never be recognized this side of eternity, but you have it on the authority of Jesus Himself that He’ll consider you GREAT, for He said in Mark 10:43b – “…whosoever will be great among you must be your servant.”
I’d like to challenge you to come to church not seeking to BE served, but to serve OTHERS. Like I challenged you in my sermon on “greeting one another,”—to come early to church, and don’t wait for people to come and greet you…YOU go and greet THEM. Be a channel through which God can use you to show that our Christianity is real and our love for God is genuine because Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.”
When we have a church fellowship or a potluck, I’d like to challenge you to fully participate. Mark it on your calendars every month and bring some grub. When we tear down after a potluck, I’d like to challenge you not to be among those watching others cleaning off tables; cleaning up the kitchen; loading the table and chairs on the carts and taking them to the storage area; vacuuming and mopping. No, I’d like to challenge YOU to be in there in the thick of it—SERVING!
I’d like to challenge each of you to say, “I’m going to find a ministry in this local church where I’ll serve God to help advance the Kingdom of God, reach people for Christ, and help them mature in their faith.” Everybody should find out what part of the body they’re meant to be—whether an arm or a leg or an ear or a lung—and get busy serving God for the benefit of the body. We have need of GrowGroup Sunday School helpers for our kids, K.I.D.S. Church helpers and teachers, Kids workers on Sunday night; nursery workers; and singers and musicians for our worship team and special music. We need folks to help CLEAN THE CHURCH every week for Sunday services and to keep the GRASS CUT and the GROUNDS CLEAN AND TIDY in the summer and to SHOVEL SNOW in the winter.
My challenge to you is to be a servant; be a servant; BE A SERVANT!
