Theme: We worship the Son of God
Text: Jer. 11:18-20; James 3:16-4:3; Mk. 9:32-37
A few weeks ago the press carried a news item that another European parliament had approved a bill giving homosexual marriages the same legal status as heterosexual marriages. They have even gone further by allowing those who contract such marriages the right to adopt and bring up children. Many people are accepting such changes and a few Churches and some ministers have given their approval by performing such marriages. Is this not happening because we have forgotten or no longer pay any attention to the Word of God? What is happening in the world today should remind us of one of the main themes of Scripture - the difference between being led by the Spirit of God and His Word and being led by man’s own imagination and thinking. The Christian should be able to discern the difference between the two, between God’s leading and man’s leading, between the truth as revealed by Scripture and the ‘so called truth’ as revealed by human imagination and thinking. If we are to understand the Bible correctly, we must maintain the biblical perspective that has been handed down through the ages because God’s truth does not change. We can describe it in different words but the truth that has been understood by the saints through the ages remains the same. To change the truth is to lose the gospel and in every generation, our own included, the church has had to struggle with this danger. Church history is full of it and the belief in teachings contrary to the teachings of Scripture has led to the formation of many different religious groups and religions, and this practice still continues today. When we fail to study the Scriptures we open ourselves up to the dangers of such teachings, which always begins with a very simple idea, which appeals to the mind and which with time, becomes more complex and is taught as truth although it contradicts Scripture. It often begins, like in the case of Jesus’ disciples, in a simple argument about who is greater or who comes first. Thinking this way immediately shifts our focus from Christ to ourselves and this can easily lead to error. Our thoughts should always be centred on Christ because He is the one we worship. We worship the Son of God.
We worship the Son of God by obeying His commands and following His example of service. According to Christ’s own words those who are great in the kingdom of God are the ones who obey His command to serve others out of love and compassion. This is the reason why Jesus taught His disciples over and over again the importance of having a right view of themselves, the importance of having a right view of others and the importance of having the mind set of a servant. If we knew these things and understood them we would have no problem serving. In spite of all His teachings the disciples, and we are included, were more concerned about themselves and their privileges than about their duties and responsibilities to God. They wanted the reward without the service, the benefits without the commitment and the blessings without the dedication.
Living the life of Christ is to live a life of service. At His last meal with His disciples before His crucifixion, it was evident that the disciples still did not understand what it meant to serve. Before the meal it was necessary for their feet to be washed but not one of them was prepared to do this. They felt too important to perform such a menial task. In those days, people ate an evening meal while reclining on a couch or cushions on the floor around a low table. Before settling down however, everybody removed his or her sandals. Naturally, it wasn’t very pleasant for some if you had dirty smelly feet, which was often the case because they had to walk along dusty and dirty roads littered with garbage, refuse and animal waste. Because of this reason the host normally had a servant or slaves at the door to wash the feet of each guest and dry them with a towel. It was a disagreeable job, but it had to be done if the guests were to enjoy the fellowship and the meal together. On this particular occasion no servants were present and no one was prepared to serve. So Jesus washed their feet to remind them of what He had taught them in a way they could not forget and we would also remember. However, when it comes to serving we easily forget what Christ taught and practiced and behave like crabs. We are all familiar with crabs, which for many of us are a delicacy. They can be prepared in different ways and find their way into many different Ghanaian dishes and some of us will be enjoying them this afternoon. Studying the behaviour of crabs we will find them behaving in ways we can easily identify with. The pull him down behaviour we have all heard about and which has become a part of our lives is a description of the way crabs behave. When live crabs in a pot are about to be cooked, you do not need to worry about putting a lid on the pot because they would not climb out. Not that they do not have the ability to do so, they have. They cannot because they do not understand how. When one tries to climb out of the pot, another crab would prevent it from doing so by pulling it down and climbing over it. They end up pulling each other down and not one of them is able to escape. Things would have been completely different if they would help each other, if they knew what it means to serve – hanging on with one claw and reaching out with the other to help another up. Do we really understand what it means to serve? How many of us would wash someone else’s dirty feet? Would we not be more concerned about our status and standing in the society than serving another person? The greatest in the Church is the one who serves.
We worship the Son of God by living a life of service. Service can be viewed in two different ways. It can be viewed from God’s viewpoint or from the world’s viewpoint. It is either seeking God’s approval and applause or man’s approval and applause. Men see greatness in terms of the number of servants a person has and how much power and influence he or she exercises over others. But God sees greatness differently. God has built into every human heart the desire to succeed and Jesus did not on any occasion rebuke His disciples for wanting to be great. What he did do was to tell them the true way to achieve greatness. It is not by getting people to serve you; it is by serving others, it is by becoming a servant. The measure of true greatness is how many people we serve.
True greatness is working against the natural instincts of the heart. This is why, as we grow as Christians, we learn more and more not to act according to our natural inclinations and feelings but to act according to the Word of God. Our natural inclinations may achieve a form of greatness in the eyes of men but this is often temporary and does not last. Jesus illustrates how to attain true greatness using a little child as an example. True greatness is serving others as we would serve a child. We sacrifice for the sake of our children expecting nothing in return. They have no means or influence to promote our welfare in any way. This, according to Jesus, is the way to serve – serving people with no influence, wealth, or power. Serving people simply because they are people. True greatness is serving someone without first considering whether they can benefit you. It is simply being interested in people because they are people, created in the image of God.
To receive someone in Jesus’ name is to serve him without expecting anything in return. John F. Kennedy at his inaugural ceremony said ‘Ask not what America can do for you, ask what you can do for America’. As Christians we should not ask what others can do for us but what we can do for others.
We can only serve God’s way when we live a life of humility. Although this is a straightforward and uncomplicated requirement, it is not very easy to practice. Humility is a humble attitude of unselfish concern for the welfare of others. It is the total absence of arrogance and pride, which results in a realistic assessment of our gifts and abilities. Humility is doing what we can without boasting. It is acknowledging that our strength and ability come from God to be used for His glory.
The evidence of true greatness is not impressing people but loving people enough to serve them. Without love we cannot serve the poor homeless people, the street children, the beggars, the insane and mentally retarded, and the prisoner. We need to reach out to these people with our love. But we must not forget those close to us who also need our love and service. Do we reach out in love and service to other Church members? Is this evident in your relationship to the person sitting next to you? Or do you neglect him or her because he or she does not measure up to your standards? A true congregation is a family where everyone feels accepted and no one feels like an outsider.
Most of the time when we talk about loving and serving others, we immediately think of our friends and overlook and ignore those who are not. It takes humility to devote our energies to serving those who are not our friends - the unlovable people around us. Have you ever thought about reaching out and serving those who have been rejected by society and their families? The Church has a ministry to serve and meet the needs of the prisoners and this ministry needs all of us. It will become more effective when more people get involved. But getting involved will require a life of humility because without this you cannot minister effectively to a prisoner. I have been impressed with the humility of many people such as Justice Baddoo, a judge of the Appeal Court. As a member of the Prison Ministry and its Vice Chairman he visited the condemned cells on Christmas to take part in a Christmas party with the inmates and share the gospel with them. His interpreter that day was the condemned prisoner Gemann. They greeted and embraced each other. It was such a moving testimony of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. What the others did not know was that this was the first time that the two had met since he, as the judge had sentenced Gemann to death. He had to obey the Law of the land but that did not diminish the love and compassion of the Judge for the condemned prisoner. For me this is service and a reminder of what Jesus did for us. Your involvement in one life can minister to many people.
There are many places where Christians can serve. We can serve in the community by caring for the outcasts, those in the leprosarium, those in the psychiatric hospitals, those in the prisons, those without homes and for those without food. We can also serve one another in the Church. It takes love to help those in need and Jesus showed the way by serving.
Christians should view greatness and power differently from the way the world views it. Some people believe this means that a Christian should not want to achieve greatness. This is far from the truth. Jesus does not condemn the wish to be great. What He condemns is the way to greatness. The Christian should achieve greatness, but not the worldly way, not through bribery and corruption, cheating, immorality, and the misuse of power. God’s way is the way of serving others, the way of Mother Teresa. This is evidenced in the experience of a small boy who grew up in a non-Christian home. He used to hang out on the streets because no one ever had time for him. One Sunday as he was playing by himself on the pavement a stranger walked up and asked to join him. The boy had no one else to play with so he agreed. After the game the man invited the young boy to come to Sunday school with him. The boy agreed and went to church for the first time in his life. He was introduced to Jesus Christ that day and grew up to become a well-known Christian leader. His name is Howard Hendricks. He was able to do great things for God’s kingdom because one man cared enough to reach out to him. Do you care enough? According to D.L Moody “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has but how many he serves.”
Are you reaching out and serving others? You cannot serve everyone but you can serve someone. It is not one person serving everybody but each person serving somebody. If everybody will serve somebody everybody will be served. Let us worship the Son of God by serving somebody today. Amen!
