Serve

This is church! And I am so glad that each of you is a part of it!

What makes you a part of the church today?

Does your attendance make you a part?

Does your volunteering make you a part?

Does your family history in the church make you a part?

NO! You are a part of the church… the body of Christ… because of your belief and faith in the Lord!

This is God’s church… and Christ Himself is the head of this body! And… God desires to continue to build and to grow this body!

How does God do this?

First, by establishing the church on the foundation of the Word. His Word and truth serves as our firm foundation.

Second, by encouraging foundational disciplines within the body that promote spiritual health and growth. Those disciplines are the building blocks we are talking about throughout this series.

First we talked about the need for prayer. We believe in the power of prayer! If we desire to be a strong and growing body… then we must be a praying body.

Last week, we talked about the need for mission. Our God has created His church for His mission - His redemptive plan for His creation. We, the church, are the extension of Jesus’s ministry until He returns. If we desire to be a strong and growing body… then we must be a missional body.

This morning, we are going to talk about another critical building block… and this one really needs our attention. Similar to prayer, this particular building block is in decline in churches across the nation… and churches are struggling for its absence.

What would you do… if God the Father… put all things under your power? What would you do… if for one week, you possessed God’s unlimited power and authority?

There was a movie made some time ago called Bruce Almighty. The movie featured a guy going through some hard times… he became critical of God... so God placed Bruce in his shoes for a season.

The movie got a lot wrong… but… by the end of Bruce’s almighty experience… he began to understand.

At first, Bruce was all about using this incredible power for his pleasure… to right some wrongs he had experienced.

The more Bruce acted in self… the more the world around him began to fall apart.

At the end… he realizes his focus was wrong. He switched gears and placed others in front of his own self and finally began to understand the lesson God was trying to teach him.

So I ask again… If God the Father put all things under your power… what would you do? Honestly… what would you do?

As you think about how you would respond… I want us to see how Jesus responded.

John 13:2–5 NIV

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus had all things under His power.... given to Him by His Father and what did He choose to do in this moment? SERVE OTHERS! He washed the feet of the disciples! He took on one of the lowliest and disgusting jobs of the day… and He did so for good reason.

Why did Jesus do this? Why Would Jesus decide to wash the nasty feet of His disciples? Was it because He couldn’t stand the odor any more? Was it because they were tracking in dirt on the floor? Was it because He had been gifted a pedicure set and He was itching to try it out?

No, no, and definitely no! All power had been given Him and He chose to serve… and He chose this for a specific reason.

John 13:12–17 NIV

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus washed their feet… to set forth an example for His disciples. The master… became the servant… and He instructs those who serve Him… to do the same. In fact, He stated those who do serve, will be blessed! Jesus came to this world… to serve.

If we desire to be a strong and growing body of Christ… then we MUST be a serving body of Christ.

And that is the central point of our message today. I pray that HWC desires to serve and to serve WELL… no matter the cost.

Let’s personalize that statement… I pray that every believer under the sound of my voice… that you desire to serve and to serve well… no matter the cost.

So what does that look like? What kind of cost might we face in serving the Lord? What are some distractions that might try to deter us from serving the Lord? Those are great questions that we are going to answer in reverse order as we talk about the importance of serving Jesus well!

First, to answer the last question mentioned… we need to be aware of the…

Distractions to Serving

Oh boy… this point alone could be a sermon series in and of itself. Why? Because there are a lot of excuses and distractions a person might face that would discourage them from serving.

I could lay out a lot of topical things we face today… but I am going to focus in on three specific sub points. These points… might make us a bit uncomfortable… because I’m concerned that we have become comfortable within these distractions. God wants to shake us up a bit. He wants to work us out a bit… He wants to wake us up in some areas and move us beyond these distractions.

Number one: the distraction of self. THIS ONE IS HUGE. In fact, I would offer this is the underlying problem to the rest of the distractions we could list today. Our self gets in the way of how Christ is calling us and leading us to serve.

Our flesh, our self… will try to lead and govern our lives. Before we made the decision to follow Jesus, our flesh and self were in the driver’s seat! Now, as believers in Jesus, His Word and Spirit is what and who we follow.

But sometimes, our self gets in the way. Our self is great at making excuses, laying down reasoning, and fending for its own preference and comfort. But when the Lord calls… we need to answer. When the Lord calls… we need to say yes to His calling and put our self in check. The key in moving beyond self is having a mind that is governed by the Spirit.

Romans 8:5–6 NIV

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

Number two: the distraction of too busy. This distraction is rooted in self and is perhaps the number one reason why Christians today do not actively serve within the church. They are simply too busy.

Busy… has become a deadly spiritual cancer within the church. I’ve heard it said this way… If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy. He will keep you preoccupied with doing “life” that you forget what the purpose of living is.

And I get it… I’m a parent of four active kids who are involved in just about everything. It is rare that we have an evening that is free from activities. This is why it is essential that we place boundaries around the things that are most important to us. We are going to attend church and be active in the body! No school event, local fundraiser, class activity, sports event, or community gathering is going to change that!

If you find yourself in a position of being too busy… don’t start cancelling the thing that matters most - your walk and service to the Lord - but rather start to trim down your involvement in other things! GOD COMES FIRST… Say that with me today if you believe that… GOD COMES FIRST. Jesus made clear that when we prioritize the Lord, God will take care of the rest.

Matthew 6:33 NIV

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Number three: the distraction of forgotten eschatology. What is eschatology? Defined, this word is a theological term that designates the study of what will happen at the end of history, particularly the event known as the second coming of Christ. We know that Jesus is coming soon! We know that we are living the last days! BUT… are we SERVING like we are living in the last days?

We know we have a limited window of opportunity to reach this world for Jesus. That window can close at any moment. I truly look forward to that day and… I want to see as many people as possible be caught in the air with Jesus!

But the church is losing urgency in this matter… distracted by chasing issues of the day or following personal agenda instead of following the instruction of the Lord. We need to remember that Jesus is coming… and this truth should compel to tell the whole world the good news of the gospel! As Jesus said in John 4:35, the time for harvest has come! The fields are white and if we believe He is coming soon… we will take to the fields and bring in the lost!

These are but a few distractions that can keep us from serving. It is important that we recognize these for what they are and move beyond them. And… it might cost us something in order to do so. How do we keep our self in check? How do we keep from becoming too busy for God? How do we keep the return of Christ is focus?

We lay down the cost of servanthood.

The Cost of Serving

Serving Jesus… comes at a cost. What is that cost? What is the price tag? The cost… is total surrender to Jesus. The cost is giving all that you are… to Him.

Jesus laid out this cost for us in Luke 9:23

Luke 9:23 NIV

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Following Jesus… comes at the cost of your self. You cannot follow your self and the Spirit of God at the same time. The Word specifies they are in conflict with each other. Galatians 5:17 makes this clear

Galatians 5:17 NIV

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

If we desire to serve Jesus and to serve Him well, it will cost you… EVERYTHING! Jesus says the first thing to go is self… we must deny that old self. The second thing Jesus says is we must be willing to endure suffering. Lastly Jesus says… follow me!

And we need to understand something very important as we follow Jesus. Our Lord is not asking that we do something that He is unwilling to do. JESUS WAS AND IS OUR EXAMPLE and we need to never forget that! The text in our introduction showed Jesus serving by washing the feet of His disciples… but Jesus came to do and give more than that.

Jesus made clear in Mark 10:45 that...

Mark 10:45 NIV

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.”

Jesus laid down His life. Jesus paid the ultimate cost for our salvation. He was willing to go the distance for us… for you… how far are you willing to go for Him?

And we have one more question to answer… That question is… what does serving look like? Well, simply put…

Serving looks like Jesus.

When Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He did something we need to take note of… He took on the very appearance of a servant.

He changed His image… if you will… and performed the duties reserved for the lowliest of servants. Jesus showed His disciples that He was willing to do what it would take… and yet He was willing to go farther.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is the passage we often refer to when we prepare to receive communion. And this passage again highlights how far Jesus was willing to go.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

On the night He was betrayed… just moments after washing the feet of His disciples… Jesus told of how far He would go.

The bread… symbolic of His body… would be broken and crushed

The cup… symbolic of His blood… would be poured out completely.

And He asked His church to do this… partake of communion together… in remembrance of Him for doing so is a proclamation of His death until He returns.

Church, we remember Jesus by receiving communion… and we remember Jesus by serving as He did - by proclaiming His death until He returns.

This is how far the Lord went for you. How far are you willing to go for the Lord? Are you willing to move beyond the distractions? Are you willing to pay the cost? Are you willing to serve like Jesus served? Or… have we become too busy and preoccupied? Have we lost sight of what is to come?

Today I issue a call: for all believers to serve as Christ has called us to serve.

What that looks like will be different for all of us… there is one body with many parts. All believers are a part of the body, and all parts are important to the body.

As we remember what Christ did for us… can we offer ourselves today for His service and glory?

Communion.