Serve Selflessly 2

We are on part 12 of our series, Audacious Faith. So far we’ve looked at, Love Fearlessly, that’s loving even if we can get hurt. Jesus told us to love our enemies, and that is a fearful thing to do if we don’t love fearlessly. Then we went through Live Uncommonly. We do not live like the rest of the world. We don’t think the way the world does. We live uncommonly. We also saw that we need to Pray Audaciously. Boldly in faith knowing that when we pray according to His will, He will answer in His time. We then looked at what it means to Obey Radically. It’s one thing to obey the commandments but it’s a whole ‘nother level to Obey Radically. We also went through the first part of to Serve Selflessly like the way Jesus the Ultimate Servant served us by laying down His life. We need that same mindset to become a servant to others. Today is part 2 of Serve Selflessly and we are going to look at how to serve as Christ’s bondservants. Remember the definition of a bondservant: The word bondservant in Greek is the word doulos. Doulos has the meaning of being a slave, bondman, man of servile condition; one who gives himself up to another’s will in service, or one who is devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests. So let’s get into this.

1 Samuel 12:24 NIV

24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

Proverbs 3:3 NIV

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

We Serve Jesus Faithfully!

We don’t serve Jesus religiously, meaning to do what’s required. You know come to church, do our devotions, and so on. We don’t serve Jesus for the benefits. Healing, finances, friends. We serve Him faithfully, when in church or out, when we’re doing devotions or going to work, when we are healthy or fighting off disease, whether we plenty or little, we serve Him faithfully. In the good times, and in the bad times. All the time we serve. Not just the egg rush, but when your stuck in rush hour. We might get persecuted for serving Jesus but we still serve Him faithfully. Remember when Peter and the Apostles were flogged in Acts chapter 5 for preaching and were ordered to stop using the name of Jesus. After all this as faithful servants the had this attitude. Acts 5:41–42 (NLT)

41The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.

42And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

Serve Him faithfully!

Philippians 2:3–4 NIV

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

1 Chronicles 29:17 ESV

17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.

We Serve With Integrity of Heart!

God loves those who have integrity of heart. Daniel had integrity of heart. The Bible says Daniel had an excellent spirit. He didn’t eat the delicacies of the King and requested to eat only what was acceptable to God. When the ruling was given that anyone caught praying to a God other than the King of Babylon and Daniel heard it, went home and prayed with his windows opened and that landed him in the lions den which God delivered him out of. All because he served with integrity of heart and not for selfish gain. As we serve Jesus with integrity of heart, we can be sure God will see us through every circumstance life throws at us.

1 John 3:16 NIV

16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

We Serve Sacrificially!

All throughout the Bible we see examples of serving sacrificially.

The widow with Elijah is an example of serving sacrificially. She had only enough oil for her and her son to make their last meal and Elijah told her to serve him first. She did knowing there would not be enough left for her and her son. She served sacrificially and God provided for her and her son for many days. The flour and oil never ran out. We cannot be afraid to serve sacrificially. What we give up for God, He will multiply and take care of us.

Ephesians 6:7–8 NIV

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

We Serve Wholeheartedly!

When we serve we don’t hold back. When I was a mechanic, back in the day, they used to tell us not to teach the helpers everything because if you do, one day they will take your job. I never listened to that advice, which might have been a mistake because I’m not a mechanic anymore. But the point is I wanted to support then wholeheartedly. We all have the opportunity to serve wholeheartedly or half heartedly and hold things back because it cost to much of our time and talent. Let’s be determined to serve wholeheartedly!

Luke 6:27–36 NLT

27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you. 32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

We Serve Exceptionally!

To serve exceptionally is to serve uncommonly, audaciously, and far above the norm and expected. We serve even those who don’t like us because our standard is to love our enemies, doing good to those who hate us, pray for those who hate us, and lend to those who cannot pay! If that is our attitude to love exceptionally, no one can hurt us. We don’t take things personal and get offended. The whole goal of our life is to be a faithful servant. Matthew 25:23 (NKJV)

23His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Let’s serve selflessly!