Serving is our Posture
Notes
Transcript
Welcome/Intro
Hey, welcome to MCC. We are continuing our series AT THE CORE, where we are looking at the values that drive us here at MCC. If you’ve missed a weekend, please go back and check that out because this is like foundational stuff for us as a church because what you value determines your direction.
Growing up I played a lot of sports, but really fell in love with basketball. It helped that I was already 6 foot tall by 8th grade, but I was actually pretty good. Some of that was just natural talent, but that can only take you so far. My coaches saw that I had some talent, but I needed them to teach me how to play basketball better so that I could continue to grow as a player. They did just that, but instead of starting with more advanced stuff they focused on the fundamentals until it became second nature for me and my teammates.
Things like proper footwork, ball handling skills, shooting techniques, and how to properly position yourself to frustrate and impact the other team's offense so you can run it back on them and dunk on them fools. They showed me how to position myself while we were on defense so that I could block, steal, and rebound without fouling out. My coaches showed me that I do not have to leave my feet to play good defense, but only if I positioned myself properly.
DEMONSTRATION – Crouch with arms out // Leave your feet = fouls
Stay crouched I can respond to what you're doing instead of reacting late to what you are doing because I'm in control of my body and properly positioning myself to block the shot or get the rebound.
Just like my basketball coaches taught me how to have the proper position to play basketball, Jesus teaches us how to have the proper position to make an impact with our lives.
Here is what Jesus teaches us:
READ PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
The posture that He took was of a servant.
Yes, he’s 100% God. Yes, he’s the King of King and Lord of Lords. Yes, he’s the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Yes, he is worthy of all because he is “over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:6)
Yet, he chose to temporarily take off his splendor and majesty so that he could put on our flesh and properly position himself to serve us by being our substitutionary sacrifice and dying in our place so that we could enter into a relationship with our Heavenly Father and into a new spiritual family.
If you are part of that spiritual family and a follower of Jesus today, then serving, whether you are aware of it or not, is part of your spiritual DNA and should be your posture.
Attention/Question: So, is it? Is serving your posture today?
Is serving part of the fundamental mechanics of your life today?
Whether serving is a lifestyle for you or not, be encouraged by what the Apostle Peter teaches in 1 Peter 4.
In fact, pull out your Bible or app so you can highlight some key words that Peter peppers throughout these two verses.
READ 1 Peter 4:10-11
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Transition: Peter is showing us that when serving becomes our posture, then there will be at least three characteristics that will be true of our lives.
1. When serving is your posture, you will intentionally look for ways to elevate others. (v. 10)
READ 1 Peter 4:10 - Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
When you read this passage, you should think of Olive Garden. Not because of their amazing breadsticks and endless soup and salad which is fantastic. But you should picture in your mind the waiter. They aren’t just taking your order and bringing you drinks and your food. They are also shredding cheese on whatever you want and for however long you want them too!
That is serving! That is taking care of someone’s needs. That is elevating others above yourself!
When you serve someone, you are functioning like that waiter, properly positioning yourself to ensure that every need that that person has is being taken care of. In essence, you are elevating that person, and their needs even their desires, over and above your own. When you serve others, you are positioning yourself just like Jesus did as a humble servant who elevated others so that God got the glory.
Peter says that we have been given gifts so that we can be faithful stewards of God’s grace. This is so cool because Peter is doing something in the original Greek language that we don’t see in English unfortunately.
In your Bible, circle the word grace and gift because those words are actually connected in the Greek.
· Gift = χάρισμα CHARISMA
· Grace = χάρις CHARIS
The word Gift is actually charisma in the Greek language, but it comes from the Greek root word charis which is translated as grace here in 1 Peter 4. So, what this means is that God not only is God giving you grace, but he is extending His grace through you to others around you. The gift or gifts God has graciously given you not only brings fulfillment to you, but also brings blessings to those around you when you faithfully serve them.
The gifts God has given you or not just for you. They are for you to elevate others whether you are using your words or physically doing something that will meet the holistic needs in someone’s life.
Illustration: Steve Pegram Video (~3:30)
I love that. That is a guy who is intentionally building a legacy of serving in his life and his family's life. I love how he is taking the initiative to serve other families and ensure that kids and others are able to worship in a safe space where they can grow together and experience God deeply. Steve is not taking a back seat, he is taking ownership of his service toward others, he is not subscribing to the idea that, “Oh, someone else will step up. Someone else will do it.”
That is not necessarily true, and I believe that lead the late John Lewis to say:
“If not me, then who? If not now, then when?”
God has graciously given gifts that will elevate other people lives. He did not give you that gift so that you could hide it. Start using it wherever you can. God has given you one life to use the gifts he is graciously giving you, so don’t waste it, even if that looks like walking the halls downstairs on Sunday.
Transition: We’ve seen that Peter is showing us that when serving becomes our posture, then we will intentionally look for ways to elevate others, but we will also intentionally look for ways to make an impact.
2. When serving is your posture, you will intentionally look for ways to make an impact. (v. 11a)
READ 1 Peter 4:11a
If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
I love how Peter structures this sentence because he doesn’t bother with getting into the details. Instead, he keeps the main thing, the main thing: make serving your posture and you will never have to wonder whether your life was impactful or not.
Whether God has given you spiritual gifts that can be used while speaking or physically doing something, use them every day and in every way the the Holy Spirit guides you to use them.
Start every morning with this prayer: Jesus, help me make an impact today that will bring you glory. End every day by asking yourself, “How did I make an impact today for God’s glory?” Then start listing the ways.
Application: Share about NIC trip latrine experience.
This was really evident to me when I was in Nicaragua for our impact trip. I loved being in Nicaragua because it was so easy to wake up every day and know that today, I’m going to make an impact in someone’s life because I’m here to serve them.
MCC fulfilled a one-time funding request for Rayo de Sol for latrines.
Pulled names out of hat.
Catalina got a latrine - blessing turned into burden.
I will never have to wonder if my life mattered because Catalina now has a proper bathroom for her and her family that will probably outlast her!
I miss that mentality. I miss that seeming reality.
But let’s be honest. God has graciously given me gifts (and you) that will impact people’s lives whether we are at work or working in a country that we can’t speak the language. So, I don’t have to be in Nicaragua to make an impact. I don’t have to join a mission trip to serve someone. I can do that right now, right here in this city, in my work cubicle, in my neighborhood, and in my family.
Invitation: When you start serving others, you never have to wonder if your life matters because you can see the impact you have on others that can literally last generations.
Transition: So we see that Peter is showing us that when serving becomes our posture, then we will intentionally look for ways to elevate others, we will intentionally look for ways to make an impact, and we will intentionally look for ways to bring God glory (even if things get messy).
3. When serving is your posture, you will intentionally look for ways to bring God glory (even if things get messy). (v. 11b)
READ 1 PETER 4:11B
so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Explanation:
We serve others with the gift(s) that God has given us not because we are philanthropic, not because there are actual health benefits that we receive when we serve others, and not because we want to show others how awesome we are.
We serve others because that is the model that Jesus has given us and we want to bring God glory! I love what I. Howard Marshall wrote in his commentary on 1 Peter. He said,
“The ultimate purpose of service in the church is that, in everything, God will be glorified. God should be seen at work in the speaking and in the serving so that people will praise him and not praise the speakers and the servers.” Marshall, I. H. (1991). 1 Peter (1 Pe 4:10–11)
It is all about him! He is worthy of our worship and our work. He is worthy of our sacrifice and our service.
Just look at some of the ways God has been receiving glory this past year in and through MCC.
SLIDE – Annual Outreach Impact
On the screen, you can see just some of the ways God has made an impact in us and through us. This is not a humble brag. This is what it looks like when you allow yourself to enter into a posture of serving. By God’s grace, we have been able to accomplish this because we are following the example that Jesus has given us = serve others by entering into their mess.
Seriously, think about this. When you read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) how many times do you see Jesus actually touching someone?
CHART SLIDE HERE
Well, you can see on the screen that Jesus touched a lot of people during his 3 years of ministry. But Jesus didn’t need to touch people to heal them though. So why did he?
When Jesus physically touched someone, he was showing everyone that he personally identified with them and that he was not afraid to do the unthinkable in his culture by physically entering into our messy situations. Jesus knew the religious elite of his day would judge him for. He knew that people wouldn’t understand why he was doing what he was doing. Even his own followers didn’t understand why he was doing that and wanted him to stop!
But I’m so glad we have a Savior who is willing to enter into our messy situations and elevate us because that has made all the difference in my life.
Jesus was not afraid to enter into messy situations and even get his hands dirty and neither should.
It’s really hard to elevate others and make an impact in their lives when you refuse to enter into their mess. Like Jesus, we should intentionally position ourselves to serve others so that God will get the glory and that is exactly what one family has chosen to do here at MCC.
I’d like to introduce my friend, Missi Kershner to you all. Missi and I had the awesome opportunity to be part of an impact team that traveled to Nicaragua to serve alongside our mission's partners, Rayo de Sol. During that trip, we got to know a lot about each other and after hearing some of her family's story, I asked her to share part of that story with you about how they intentionally decided to say YES to the mess whenever a need presents itself and trust God with the rest.
· Missi Kershner Conversation – 2 – 5 minutes
1. When we were in Nicaragua, you shared a lot of stories of how you and Brian have served so many over the years. What made you guys decide to make serving your lifestyle and say yes to God, even if things got messy?
- Paragraph 1 & 2 (Hot Air Balloon/sand bag)
- First years of marriage serving others
2. Can you share a story of how your yes has impacted both you and those you’ve served?
- PTO story = 20+ year long friendships
- Whiz Kids Program / “we are sinning” if we do say yes to this
3. What have you learned about God and even yourself through all the experiences you’ve gone through by simply saying yes when he invites you into messy situations?
- Paragraph 6 till Bob Goff quote
Thanks for doing this!!
CONCLUSION:
Thank you so much Missi. Thank you for the example you and your family are to me and to all of us.
Are you saying yes to the things that God is inviting you to do?
Are you living a life where serving is your posture?
Are you elevating others above yourself, are you actively looking for ways to make an impact in another person's life, are you actively trying to bring God glory by how you treat and serve others around you?
As followers of Jesus, this has to be the mindset that we adopt. The reason it has to be is because that was the mindset that Jesus had.
I don’t know what it looks for you to simply say yes to serving others.
I don’t know what will need to change in your schedule.
I don’t know if that would mean taking your kids out of the specific sport league, they are currently in so you can more time to serve others.
I don’t know what gifts God has specific given you to be a faithful manager of.
BIG IDEA: But I do know that when you Make serving your posture and you’ll never have to wonder if your life made an impact.
Next Steps:
If you’re here today or watching online and you aren’t serving regularly, then consider this your invitation.
If you aren’t serving, then your next step is to go on our website mcc.church/serve and sign up to serve for our monthly Second Saturday Serve [SLIDE].
If you aren’t serving in the church, then your next step is to go to the welcome center and ask about how you can start serving within the church.
If you have never gone on a mission's trip, then this is your invitation to pray about and learn about the trips we have planned for 2024. You can pick up a 2024 trip calendar at the welcome center or at the big orange wall as you leave today.
I want this for you! Follow Jesus is so much more vibrant and fulfilling when serving is your posture and a lifestyle because it reflects the heart of God for you and for others!
PRAYER
BENEDICTION
READ Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Answer the call Jesus has placed on your life and start serving.