Serving: Not Served!
Philippians 2:3-11
March 26, 2017
I remember going to so many Chicago Cubs games when I was a young kid. At every game I would get a pencil and scorecard for a whopping 25¢. Then I would walk, or sometimes run down to the side of the field and try to get autographs from my favorite players. It was always heartbreaking when they would somehow end signing right before they got to me. But many times I was successful and got autographs of famous Cubbies.
That was then! Now, many players don’t sign autographs, they charge you for them at sports memorabilia shows. Some don’t want to be bothered with autographs, and I can appreciate that. After all, most of the superstars can’t walk into a store or restaurant and not get mobbed.
Haven’t we seen pictures of and videos of Justin Bieber and others refusing to sign autographs and getting into arguments with his fans who want a picture of him.
Women over 50 will remember the real rock, Rock Hudson. When he was just becoming popular in Hollywood, his agent took him to lunch at an expensive high profile Hollywood restaurant. The purpose was to be seen by fans. When Hudson finished his meal, he placed his silverware on his plate and folded his napkin, and put it on the plate, so the waiter could easily take it away.
His manager rebuked him, saying ~ “It’s not your job to clean up after yourself. You’re not a busboy. You’re a movie star. You need to act like one.”
In a way, that’s what we expect from celebrities, to have the attitude that says, “I’m rich and famous, I’m a star, and it’s everyone’s job to serve me, to wait on me.”
We live in a culture that worships celebrity — whether they’re politicians, athletes, musicians, or actors and actresses.
Our fascination with fame distorts our perception of what greatness really is. And it distorts our perception of what kind of person we should admire and aspire to be.
We’re in the 2nd week of our series taking a closer look at Jesus. We’re looking at who Jesus is, what He was like, what He came to do, and what He expects of us – His followers.
Last week we were looking at the who of Jesus. We saw that Jesus was and is — God in the flesh. He was not created or some distorted illusion, but He really left the joy and perfection of heaven and lived among us. He suffered and died and rose again. He did that so we can find true life, eternal life, when we say YES to Jesus and eternal life when this life passes away.
Today we’re going to look at an aspect of Christ’s character that anyone can imitate. Of course, there are many things about Christ we can’t copy ~ You’re not pre-existent; you didn’t create the universe; you can’t die for the sins of the world; you’ll probably never walk on water, unless it’s frozen and so on.
But there is one aspect of Jesus’ character you can fully and completely imitate. To do this, you won’t be a celebrity, signing autographs, yet, if anyone deserved rock star treatment, it was Jesus. If anyone deserved to be treated like a celebrity, waited on hand and foot, it was Jesus.
But that’s not what happened. John tells us ~
10 Jesus was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. – John 1:10-11
Jesus could have demanded to live like royalty during His time on earth — but He didn’t. Instead, He came to show us what true greatness looks like — and what true greatness does.
When we look to Jesus, we get an idea of what our own lives should look like. In the final hours of Jesus’ life, He said to his disciples…
27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table?
But I am among you as the one who serves. – Luke 22:27
He also said …
28 . . . the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:28
Jesus’ ministry was a ministry of humility and humble service.
His disciples witnessed amazing things — more miracles than they could count, people healed of every type of affliction, including two who were raised from the dead. They saw the forces of nature obey Him, and the demons tremble at His name. They heard Jesus teach with authority and they saw the power of God at work through Him.
There was nothing about Jesus that was weak or timid, and yet, in the midst of all this power, there was an underlying attitude of humility and servanthood toward others.
Let’s look at some events in Jesus’ life which reflect an attitude of humble service.
The Christmas story shows us that from the very beginning, Jesus’ life was all about humility. He could have announced his birth to King Herod, or to the religious leaders of Jerusalem, or to Caesar Augustus, Emperor of Rome. He could have announced His birth to the greatest of the great, but that’s not what He did.
His birth was announced to a a young teen-age girl who was about to get married. And then to her bewildered fiancé.
And then to some astronomers — who traveled for months to find Him.
And then to a group of shepherds — minimum wage workers on the bottom of the social ladder.
And the King of Kings was born – – not in a palace, but in a stable. Not surrounded by servants, but surrounded by barnyard animals.
His birth tell us, there’s nothing pretentious about Jesus. No sense of entitlement, no expectation of special treatment. If anyone had the right to say, “This day is all about me and I’m going to do it in style,” — Jesus had that right.
Jesus wasn’t impressed with power and prestige. He didn’t seek the approval of the elite.
Through the birth story of Jesus, we learn — God has called each one of us to live a life with no special sense of entitlement. No expectation of special treatment. No chasing after prestige.
When you demand that you be given special treatment from others, you’re demanding for yourself something that Jesus never demanded for Himself. This should be our attitude, as well.
Then look at how Jesus approached public recognition.
Matthew tells us ~
2 a leper came to Jesus and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Lepers were the untouchables of first century Jewish culture, they were considered dirty, sin-filled, polluted! Yet – – –
3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone,” – Matthew 8:2-4
In the very next chapter, Jesus was walking down a road and 2 blind men followed Him and cried out for Jesus to heal them,
29 Then Jesus touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” – Matthew 9:29-30
In Mark 7 Jesus healed a man who couldn’t hear nor speak. The man came to Jesus in a crowd, but Jesus took him aside, away from the center of attention, and He completely healed him, then Mark tells us ~
36 Jesus charged them to tell no one. – Mark 7:36
In Mark 5, one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus, came to Jesus to heal his daughter, but while enroute she died. Yet, Jesus brought her back to life, then told them ~
43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this – Mark 5:43
We see this again and again in the gospels: Jesus performs a miracle, and tells them “Don’t tell anyone.” It’s believed Jesus didn’t want His ministry to just be about gawkers coming to see Him heal others. He wanted faith, belief and trust in who He was.
Can you imagine a celebrity preacher or a celebrity politician doing something good for someone — and not using it to further their agenda? It would be all over the news!
We crave recognition and have to post every accomplishment on social media. We need to create the buzz. Of course, there is a healthy tension in all of this. It’s great to get the word out about the mission of Christ, but if it’s only for the buzz, then we’ve missed what we are really called to do and who we are called to be.
When Jesus healed a hurting person, He was not doing this for self-promotion or fame. He healed people because of His compassion and because He cared and loved the people. He was able to demonstrate God’s power and grace.
We learn that we can do good for others, not because of any benefit that might come back our way, but simply because the other person is worth it — whether we get recognition or not.
If anyone had the right to say, “It’s all about me,” Jesus had the right. If anyone had the right to demand his way and say, “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” Jesus had the right. If anyone had the right to demand preferential treatment, Jesus had the right — — but He never used it.
Instead of seeking a life of comfort and fame, Jesus demonstrated sacrificial service to others. We see it in His attitude. This is why, in the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote ~
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. undercover boss
8 And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:3-11
I then discussed each verse and how it related to who Jesus was and is. Especially in verse 3-4, that image Paul talks about for you and I is the life that Christ lived! Can we do the same?!
Jesus showed, if you want to be great, learn to be the servant of all.
You will never be more like Jesus than when you’re serving others. And, in this way, you can be just like Jesus.
