Not long ago an insurance salesman called, wanting to sell me long-term care insurance. I was tempted to tell him I had an unbeatable plan for long-term care, called heaven, but I didn’t. Not this time, anyway, because some aches and pains we had been feeling did remind us that we might actually get old some day and might need help. So I listened to the insurance salesman. As he told me about the benefits, including years upon years of nursing home care, I listened gladly. As he spoke about the possibility of insurance paying for workers to come to our home to take care of us, I heard him eagerly. He waxed eloquent about all the things insurance could do; he was most persuasive about the reputation of his company. It all sounded just great to my ears. But when I asked the cost, he mumbled something under his breath. I thought surely I didn’t hear it right, so I asked him to repeat it. When I found out that the premium for this Christmas tree was more than my annual salary was a few years ago, I shut down! I quit listening! It was no longer of interest. I can get in line for benefits, you see, but when it is time to pay the price, I quit. I back off. I am less than enthusiastic. It’s fine for you to tell me what’s in it for me; it’s not so fine when you tell me what it will cost.
The purpose-driven life is like that. We’ve spent three weeks thinking about all the joys available to us, as God has designed us. First we said that we are planned for God’s pleasure, and that if we worship Him, there will be tremendous joy. That’s what I heard, didn’t you? And then we said that God’s purpose for us includes being formed to be part of God’s family. What a cozy thought! I sure can hear that, can’t you? Part of God’s family. Sounds good! And then last week, the third purpose for which God has designed us – we are created to be like Christ. That means study, learning, soaking up knowledge. Okay; I can do that. I can hear that and respond to that. So far, so good. God’s purposes for us are pleasant and fulfilling.
But look out, brothers and sisters, look out. Today we have come to a turning point. Today we have come to a whole new level. Today we must consider that God has designed us not just for Himself and not just for ourselves, but God has designed us for others. God has designed us to reach out and to give. God has designed us for ministry.
We are about to learn that worship without service is idolatry, that fellowship without service is self-indulgence, and that discipleship without service is perfectionism. And none of those will wash. None of those will accomplish what God wants to do in us. For you were shaped for service. You were shaped to pay the premiums.
Again, listen to the argument for today. We are about to learn, first, that worship without service is idolatry; second, that fellowship without service is self-indulgence; and, third, that discipleship without service is perfectionism. And none of those will wash. None of those will accomplish what God wants to do in us. For you were shaped for service.
I
Now the world says service is menial. The world says that service is for people who can’t do anything else. If you can’t make something, sweep floors and clean toilets. If you can’t create anything, collect garbage. If you can’t get a real job, wait on tables. I’ve heard it said a thousand times – that people who say they can’t find a job could just get out there to some restaurant and wait tables. They say there’s always room for servers.
The world says service is menial. But did you know the Lord says that service is honorable? The Lord says that service is something to which we can aspire, and that if we do not do service, our worship is just idolatry. Worship without service is idolatry.
Have you gone to a restaurant, and somebody comes to your table and says, “Hi, I’m Tammy, and I’ll be your server tonight.”? You barely look up, and certainly do not memorize Tammy’s name or ask her about her love life. You are not interested in connecting with Tammy. Why not? Because Tammy is only a server. She is there only to take your order back to the kitchen and bring you your food, and that’s it. You do not want a relationship with Tammy; you do not want to know Tammy’s biography; you care nothing about Tammy’s family. You just want her to do her thing and disappear. Which, of course, she promptly does – she disappears, for too long a time, and then you decide you want to get her attention. But you can’t even remember which one she is out there on the floor! Was she that one over there, tall and willowy? Or was she that one back there, short and stout? You can’t remember. You were paying no attention. You were focused on better things, like filling your belly, and anyway servers are essentially nobodies, just there to take care of you and that’s it.
The world says service is menial, but the Lord says service is honorable. The Lord says that if you do not serve, you have made an idol of yourself. You do not live within the purposes of God if you do not serve. The world says service is menial and low, nothing; but the Lord says service is significant.
Again, worship without service is idolatry; worship without commitment to serving others is worshiping a false god. The Bible says, “flee from the worship of idols”. It’s not about choosing the right religion! It’s about taking the focus off ourselves and letting the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus, who emptied himself, and took the form of a servant, humbling himself, becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross. The world says service is menial; the world says, oh, go on, worship, go to church, have a great time, get a buzz on with moving music and pizzazz preaching, but don’t pay the premium, don’t shell out the price of service. That’s what the world says.
But the Lord says that you were shaped for service. You see, I went to another restaurant, and the server there did something different. Instead of towering over me, more or less out of sight, this one knelt at the table, looked me square in the eye, and said, “I’m John, and I’ll be your server tonight.” That was different. I remembered John, for John got down to my level. John lowered himself to look into my eyes and see me. John became a person that night. Just as Jesus got down on my level and saw me as I am. That’s what service is.
The world calls service menial and low. But the Lord says that service is honorable, and that worship without service is idolatry. “Flee from the worship of idols.”
II
But not only does the world say that service is menial. The world also says that service is about getting what you want. That service is about having it your own way, satisfying your urges and tickling your fancy. The world says that service is about getting what you want, but the Lord says that service is about providing others what they need. Service is about giving others what they need and not about giving yourself creature comforts.
Again, the world says that service is about getting what you want, but the Lord says that service is about providing for others, and that fellowship without service is self-indulgence. Fellowship without service is sheer selfishness. You were shaped for service and not for self.
Go back to my restaurant image with me. When you go to a restaurant, what do you do? You place an order. We call it an order – that means you expect to get what you called for and not something else. Imagine this: you look over the menu and you say, “I’ll have that double-fudge chocolate walnut sundae, oh, and put whipped cream and a cherry on top”. Now that’s called an order, and that’s what you expect to get. But suppose the server comes back with a green salad and low-cal dressing, and says, “I know what you ordered, but looking at you, I decided this is what you’d better have.” Not happy! An order is an order is an order, and we want what we want when we want it. If we don’t get it at your place, we’ll go to Burger King, where they advertise, “Have it your way”. We think – the world thinks – that service is about getting what we want.
That’s why it’s dangerous to focus on fellowship alone and not on service. For fellowship, warmth and coziness, pursued for itself alone, is sheer selfishness and shameless self-indulgence. If we look for spiritual fellowship that is nothing more than people like we are, people who don’t challenge us; if we look for spiritual fellowship that does not demand that we pay a premium, that’s nothing more than self-indulgence. There are plenty of churches out there where you can be quite comfortable, with nice people just like you. I pray God ours is not one of them! For you were not shaped for fellowship that is self-indulgence. You were shaped for God’s service.
Here we are at the Table of the Lord. We call this “Communion”. It speaks of fellowship with God and with God’s people. But it is not a nicey-nice, linen-napkin, warm fuzzy event. This is not a self-indulgent thing, nor is it focused on self at all. The Table of the Lord is about service. It is not about getting what you want, but about identifying with the selfless sacrifice of Christ. Paul says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ?” A sharing in the blood of Christ, in His outpouring! Not very comfortable! And “the bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” A sharing in the body – what sort of body? A nicely toned, upper middle class body? No, the broken, mutilated body of Christ!
Oh, do not come to this table merely to worship, for worship without service is idolatry, and we are to flee the worship of idols. And do not come to this table merely to experience fellowship, for fellowship without service is self-indulgence. Come to this table to see the price of service. Come to this table to be prompted to provide for others. It is not about what you want or I want; it is about what we can provide for others. It is about sharing in the brokenness of Christ. You were shaped for God’s service.
III
Review with me now: the world says that service is menial, but the Lord says it is honorable. The world says that service is about getting what you want, but the Lord says it is about providing what others need. Now, finally, the world says that service is about getting things right. The world says that what matters is qualifying, getting ourselves together, gaining something more. The world says that service is about perfection; but the Lord says that service is about patience and encouragement.
The world says that service is about getting it right; but the Lord says that discipleship without service is perfectionism. Discipleship, learning, without a commitment to service, is nothing more than arrogant perfectionism.
One more time, back to my restaurant image. You have ordered a steak. (Now we really are in the realm of fantasy, aren’t we? When I was growing up I was taught to read a menu from right to left – look at the prices first, and order the cheapest thing I could tolerate!) But imagine that you ordered a steak, and you asked for it very well done. Well, you know, chefs are insulted by that, and so out from the kitchen marches the chef, who plops a blackened piece of coal on your table and says, “This is what you wanted; it’s not right, but it’s what you wanted.” I don’t know about you, but I would be tempted to cut into it and say, “Yes, you’re right, this is a little too well done; take it back and undo it. Make it less well done.” How would he do that? I’m not sure. Sort of like when I get a haircut, my barber always turns me to the mirror and asks if the haircut is all right; what would he do if I were to say, “You cut too much off; put some back on”?
But the world, you see, thinks that life is about getting it right. Measuring up to standards. Achieving correctness. The world thinks we need to make each other do things right. I admit that I have a perfectionist streak in me. I don’t like mistakes. I have this capacity, for example, to look at a printed page and immediately pick up a typographical error. It has driven slightly crazy every secretary I have ever worked with. I want things to be right. “Good enough for government work” is not good enough for me. And so what do I do? I hold back from doing something because I’m not good enough yet. I don’t know enough yet. I don’t have enough skills yet. The world, you see, is like me; it says that life is about getting things right. But the Lord says that discipleship, learning, without service is pointless perfectionism. And that service is lovingly, patiently, nurturing others, even when they mess up.
Oh, to have the eloquence of angels to get this point across! Some of us get totally hung up on this – we say we have not learned enough to minister. We argue that we do not know enough to serve God. We excuse ourselves from Kingdom service because we don’t know enough about the Bible or we don’t understand enough about people or we don’t have certain skills. And do you know what the Lord says about all of that? Do you understand the judgment of God on all our excuse-making? God says, “Do not seek your own advantage, but that of the other.” God says, “Whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” And then the apostle lays it out, “I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.”
You were shaped for God’s service. You were not shaped for perfection. You were not shaped to insist that others meet your standards. You were shaped so that lovingly, patiently, with care and compassion, you might seek not your own advantage, not your own storehouse of learning, but you might seek the advancement of others. You were shaped for God’s service.
We’ve come a long way on our purpose-driven life journey. I applaud the first of God’s purposes for our lives. We were indeed planned for God’s pleasure, for worship. But worship without service is idolatry. Flee the worship of idols.
I applaud and affirm the second of God’s purposes for our lives. We were indeed formed to be part of God’s family. There is great comfort in that. But fellowship without service is self-indulgence. The cup of blessing which we share, the bread which we break, these are signs of suffering and self-giving.
I applaud, affirm, and agree with that third of God’s purposes. We were of course created to become like Christ. But discipleship without service is perfectionism. “Do not seek your own advantage, but that of others.” You were shaped for service.
They say that someone was given a glimpse of both heaven and hell and came back to report what he saw. He saw that in both heaven and hell all the souls departed were seated before sumptuous banquets. All the wonderful food you could want was there, in both places, cooked and seasoned just as each would like. And, in both heaven and hell, it seems, there was a peculiar thing that had happened. Each person’s arms had locked up at the elbows, so that they could not bend their arms. That meant that although there was all this wonderful food in front of them, they could not feed themselves. It was impossible to indulge their desires. This, mind you, in both heaven and hell. But there the difference stopped. For in hell they all just wailed and wept to know that they were missing so much bounty. In heaven, however, each one simply picked up the food with his unbending arm and fed his neighbor; and so all were happy.
Applaud, affirm, agree, and announce that we were shaped for God’s service. If we do not pay that price, we will never fully know any of the purposes of God. Applaud worship, affirm fellowship, agree with discipleship, but announce that around this Table we remember the one who humbled Himself, became our servant, and, having paid the price of service, now has the name above every name.
