"Whatever Happened To Old Fashioned Service?" Series

None of us know in advance how much difficulty we might have when we choose to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Paul said in Philip. 1:29 “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” All of the early disciples suffered because of their service to Christ. So write this down. If you’re serious about serving then be prepared to suffer. Some of the apostles like James were martyred early in life ... John died late in life. We don’t know when we will be called to go home to be with Christ but Jesus is saying here that the thing that matters is that we remain faithful to the end. You see you may be one of those this morning who has given up on serving the Lord. Let someone else do it. It’s too hard. It’s somebody else’s turn. Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Paul is saying expect some problems but don’t let those problems/difficulties move you away from service.

(3) When you serve put others first. This is the 3rd step in becoming a true servant. You have to put others first. Vv. 24 ff. Now in case you’re wondering how the other ten felt when they saw that James and John were trying to grab these positions of power then look at verse 24. Indignant means to be greatly afflicted. But I think that what they were really mad about is that these two got to Jesus first before they did. The attitude of the ten was not any better than the attitude of the first two. It’s called selfishness. And selfishness results in dissension. Write this down. One of the best things we can do together as a church is to serve together. A church that serves together stays together.

Well Jesus sees this dissension taking place so He does what any good shepherd does– He calls them all together. Like a quarterback calling his team to a huddle ... guys please come here. Let’s form a circle. We’re in this together. Listen to what He says to them. Vv. 25ff. This is the difference between servanthood and management. The world teaches that we should spend all our energy to get to the top and then when we get there we can tell everyone else what to do. Jesus then says in v. 26 “but it should not be this way with you.” As a follower of Christ you must not operate like this. He was saying it must not be like this. Please write this down. In the family of God there is only one category of leaders. Here it is. Servants. We are all servants. Vv. 26-27. So if you want to be a leader you have to first become a servant. Now what is that? A servant is someone whose heart is intent upon and whose will is bound to the will and wishes of someone else. If I am your servant then what you say goes. You have the last word. So if God says jump our only response should be how high? If you really want to be truly great then there are some things you must give up.