Equipped 3: HELP OUT
Romans 12:7
Introduction
In Matthew 20, the mother of James and John made an unthinkable request of Jesus. “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” (Matthew 20:21 NLT).. Seats next to a king are seats of honor and seats of power. The other disciples were resentful and angry (MT 20:24 AMP). Jesus taught about the disciple’s attitude.“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (MT 20:25-28 NLT)
In our study called EQUIPPED we have talked about the church as God’s workshop, where he creates tools that can be used to accomplish his will. Last week we talked about the two speaking gifts: Prophecy and Teaching. In this message we are going to look into the idea of SERVING, helping out.
Romans 12:6-8 NIV We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
One definition of serving is “the ability to engage in practical deeds of kindness for the benefit of others.” (Fox)
Thom Rainer wrote, “A servant mindset is totally counterintuitive in our culture today.”
Service is the Outflow of a God-Centered Heart. Here are eight qualities of service:
1. Serving shows our love for God.
Love for God is the source of service. When we serve others, we are expressing our love for God. We simply cannot love God if we do not love others. It is our love for Him that teaches us to care for others.
2. Serving is a way to share God’s Grace with Others.
1 Peter 4:10-11 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: …whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
3. Serving is a reflection of living our faith.
1 John 3:18 "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." When we recognize ourselves as servants, we do not simply talk about serving, but actually live it out.
4. Service makes religion more than a word.
Our religious works are for naught if we do not love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
5. Service is extended to strangers.
The Good Samaritan teaches us to love strangers (Luke 10:30-37)
6. Service pushes our focus away from self.
2 Corinthians 5:15 “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
7. When we serve the least of these, we serve King Jesus.
In a judgment scene, Jesus declared that when we served the least of these, we were serving him! (Matthew 25:34-36)
8. Jesus is the greatest example of service.
Jesus Christ taught the concept of service in his very coming to earth! (Philippians 2:5-8 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”) Becoming a servant is the goal of every Christian because we desire to be like Jesus. It is a part of our thinking, orientation, heart.
2. HOW CAN I DEVELOP THE GIFT OF SERVICE?
Spend time talking with God, the one who gave you the gift. Ask the Holy Spirit to make clear the way He has gifted you.
Study the Bible and the way that these gifts are expressed. This will help you sort through the possibilities.
Ask someone who knows you well what they think your gift may be.
Experimentation - give various ways of serving others a try and test the waters. What opportunities are available to you? Look for how these make you feel and how effective or fruitful they appear.
3. YOUR SERVICE IS OFTEN THE ANSWER TO PRAYER
There are struggling people in our church family and in the community who are searching and praying for God’s help.
Someone may be praying for someone to listen and be a friend.
Someone might be praying for help to carry a burden or figure out a way out of trouble.
Someone might be praying for someone to show the way to Jesus or the way to rebuild their lives.
Someone might be praying for someone to give a ride, or fix a roof, or shovel a driveway.
It might be a prayer for someone to visit the sick or the shut-in, or the prison.
It might be a prayer for someone to teach a Bible class or lead a ministry or become a preacher, deacon or elder.
You can be God’s answer to someone’s prayer when you re committed to service.
Conclusion
Three Roadblocks to Service
-I’m too busy. We all have seasons of life and some of them are more conducive to allowing us time to serve the church.
-I’m not qualified. God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called! If God wants you to serve in a particular ministry, He will equip you with whatever you need. But we have to cooperate with that!
-I’m already serving in other charitable organizations. That is great and we ought to be doing those things. But when we serve in the church we are accomplishing God’s will by encouraging those around us and by leading people to the only place to hear the good news of God.
"Christian service isn’t a hobby, though people sometimes think of it like that; it’s a divine calling, and if that calling is to make cups of coffee after church, that needs to be done with energy, care and flair." (N. T. Wright)
Where is God calling you to be His answer to prayer this week?"
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Discussion Questions
1. The sermon opens with the story of James and John seeking power. Why is the desire for status so natural for people, and how does Jesus's teaching on service directly challenge this impulse?
2. Thom Rainer said, "A servant mindset is totally counterintuitive in our culture today." What are the biggest cultural barriers you see to people embracing a lifestyle of service?
3. How does the act of serving others deepen your relationship with God? Can you share a time when this was true for you?
4. Serving the "least of these" is the same as serving Jesus (MT 25). Who are the "least of these" in our community or our world today? What's one tangible step we can take to serve them this week?
5. The sermon suggests three ways to develop your gift of service: praying, studying, and experimenting. Which of these steps feels most challenging for you and why? Which feels most natural?
6. "Your service is often the answer to prayer." Reflect on the list of prayers mentioned in the sermon. Has someone's service ever been the answer to one of your prayers?
7. There were three common roadblocks to service mentioned: being too busy, feeling unqualified, and already serving in other organizations. Which of these resonates with you the most, and how can we actively work to overcome it?
8. Discuss the quote from N.T. Wright: "Christian service isn’t a hobby... it’s a divine calling." How does viewing service as a calling rather than a hobby change the way you approach it?
9. One commentator wrote, “While every Christian should be quick to “serve” in this way, some have God given aptitude to be unusually effective in certain service capacities. - a gift of service.
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Resources
Barclay, William B. Daily Study Bible Series: Romans. Westminster Press, Revised Edition, 1977.
Damiani, Pat. Using My Spiritual Gifts.
https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/using-my-spiritual-gifts-pat-damiani-sermon-on-spiritual-gifts-262766
Deffenbaugh, Bob. Thinking Straight about Spiritual Gifts
https://bible.org/seriespage/30-thinking-straight-about-spiritual-gifts-romans-123-8
Fox, Michael. Complete in Christ. Xulon Press, 2007.
Osborne, Grant R. IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Romans. InterVarsity Press, 2004.
New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology. Copyright © 2000 by The Zondervan Corporation.
Rainer, Thom. What Does it Mean to be a Servant?
https://www.keylife.org/articles/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-servant/
Reaves, Bradford. Living Sacrifices: Transforming Minds, Transforming Lives.
https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/living-sacrifices-transforming-minds-transforming-lives-dr-bradford-reaves-sermon-on-transformation-286029
Stedman, Ray. Who Am I, Lord? https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/romans/who-am-i-lord
Wright, N. T. Paul for Everyone, Romans Part Two: Chapters 6-16, Kindle Edition
Yarbrough, Robert W. ESV Commentary Series: Romans - Galatians. Crossway, 2020.
