You Are Saved To Serve

December 8, 2013

Morning Worship

Text: Philippians 2:1-11

Subject: Servant hood

Title: Saved to Serve

Christmas is in the air… Do you like Christmas? I know that for some Christmas may be difficult because of the loss of a loved one or because of bad holiday memories. But Christmas is intended to be appreciated…

Even in the culture the appreciation of the season is seen by the myriads of movies and songs that have been produced over the years.

Movies like IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE… MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET… A CHRISTMAS CAROL…

And songs like all of our traditional Christmas songs… JINGLE BELLS… SILVER BELLS… as well as GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER…

But we all know that there is a reason that we appreciate Christmas and it doesn’t have anything to do with Santa Clause. It is the beautiful picture painted for us by Matthew and Luke in the bible of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But I wonder if everyone really appreciates the story…

(play video)

Let’s turn to Luke 1 and read part of the Christmas story… the angelic visitation to Mary…

30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called£ the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God.”

That would be a nice place to stop reading wouldn’t it? The truth is that many people would actually prefer that it stop there because what we see next is the pattern for all believers, by which we can live our lives.

38“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” …

Do you think that God wants His children to respond to Him in that way today?

Philippians 2:1-8,

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Today I want to look at some other scriptures in order to show you that you have a purpose for your life that does not include just sitting in a pew and getting blessed.

You have been SAVED TO SERVE

Would you agree with me that Jesus’ life on earth gave us a pattern by which we can conduct our lives?

As Pentecostal believers one of the things we emphasize is the power and authority that has been given us by the Son to do the things that He has done. Amen? 1 John 2:6, Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. The letter to the Ephesians tells us what it means to be “in Him”. Eight times it uses those two words together. Ephesians 2:10 tells us exactly what it means to be in him… 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Are we supposed to do the things that Jesus did? Are you created to do good works? We are not saved by good works, but it is those works that defines who we are. Now, in order for us to put this in proper perspective, we need not only to look at the works that we do, but also the attitude and focus behind those works. Mark 10:45, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”