Many Christians have a wrong idea, view, and attitude toward serving God. There are those today that do not love God’s service. It should be the greatest thrill and joy of our lives. John 15:16; tells us that we are chosen by God. Many, when talking or preaching about service, want to tune you out. If you have hard things to say they don’t want to hear it. John 6:66
Bro. Howard Ingram had an old saying, “Many Christians have just enough religion to make them miserable.” They are saved and know its right to come to church, but they don’t love Jesus enough to be involved with the ministry of the church. Let me say that is the basis of the foundation for everything we do for Him: love. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 1 John 2:3-5, 5:3, john 14:21, 15:10-12
If you don’t love God’s service now, can you imagine what it will be like in Heaven for you. We will eternally serve and worship God when we get to Heaven. Revelation 22:1-3. What would you say service is? Could it be acts of doing good? Could it be anything you do for the cause of Christ? An honest question to ask ourselves in the area of service would be, “How does Jesus view our service? What is right and what is wrong?
1. It would be wrong to think our service has anything to do with our salvation. Matthew 7:21
2. It would be wrong to think God is impressed with any act of service. Not the size, but the sort. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
3. It would be wrong to think a person could serve God through anything but a local new testament church.
a. God has commissioned and empowered the Church to reach this world and nothing else.
b. I am not sure there will be any crowns or rewards given outside of the service rendered outside the Church.
Let’s look at the greatest example. Jesus led us to the way of service and told us to follow His plan. John 13:2-17.
1. Verse 17, if you know these things. Know what things?
2. Verse 12, know yet what I have done to you? What did Jesus do to these men? This was the church at that time.
3. I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done unto you.
a. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.
b. It was an example of real service to follow.
4. A little history concerning this event.
a. It was the custom of the day to have a slave present in the home to wash guests’ feet.
b. No slave and no one was going to lower themselves to that position, what would others think?
c. Luke 22:24, they were worried about who was going to be the greatest they had already made up their mind. They were not going to be placed with slaves.
d. Jesus gets up from the table, takes on the custom of a slave, and He washed their feet.
I. Serving God Regardless of Your Position in Life
1. Who was Jesus? Verse 3, King of kings and Lord of lords, the creator, the owner the master, the boss.
2. If anyone in that room that night had the right to say, “I am too good to wash feet.” It would have been Jesus.
3. Somehow, we feel that there are stages in our service for Christ. we grow too big to do some things. We have matured past some things.
4. Either because of our position in this world or where we feel we in the Church.
5. Same thing is true of our church.
a. Who is it that cleans up after each fellowship?
b. Who is it that comes each workday?
c. Who is it that works in our nursery, children’s church?
II. Serving God Regardless of Our Own Problem and Pressures in Life
1. Verse 1, Jesus knowing his hour had come. What hour? The hour he would become sin for the whole world. The darkest hour of His life.
2. Jesus could have said, “My problems are too great, and my pressures are too much. My schedule is too heavy.
3. Regardless of who you are and how busy or important you may be, the greatest thing you can do for God has put Him first. Matthew 6:33
4. Philippians 2:1-8, great verses for the Christian to memorize and practice.
III. Serving God Regardless of the Pollution of Others
1. Did you notice Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples?
2. He knew who would betray him, yet he washed Judas’ feet also.
3. I wonder how much service goes undone because of personalities.
a. I would serve God if so and so wasn’t there.
b. I would come to church is so and so wasn’t there.
IV. Closing
1. Some of you have benefited the most from this church and are doing the least.
2. Some have not done anything in for the Lord. It would be awful hard for you to say I love God’s service.
3. Matthew 25:26, I want to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant."
