OBBC Disciple Track (Part 3): Service

Introduction

Today, we’re picking up the sermon series on our OBBC Disciple Track. We have identified four steps in the discipleship process. David taught on the first two: relationships and growth.

[Display slide of the Disciple Track logo.]

Relationships is the first step because we start with a relationship with God by accepting Jesus as Savior and making Him Lord of our lives. At that moment, we are brought into the family of God—the church.

The second step is growth. We begin a lifelong process of studying and learning God’s Word and applying it to our lives. This happens both individually and corporately. As a believer, it’s important to learn how to study God’s Word on your own in order to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Bible and teach you how it applies to you. Through this process, we are convicted of our sin which allows God to chip away all the things in our lives that don’t look like Him. Again, this is a lifelong process. And a big part of this growth happens in community as we get plugged into a Sunday School class or other small group where we are taught God’s Word and have the opportunity to discuss it with others. So, growth is the next step of the discipleship process, but we also see that it is intertwined with relationships.

Today, we find ourselves at step three: service. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, naturally we will want to live in obedience to Him. And part of that obedience is serving Him. As we look at our passage today, we will continue to find that although these are different steps in a process, they are all really intertwined with one another.

But before we jump into today’s Scripture, let me give you some background.

Background

Peter’s first letter was written against a backdrop of increasing persecution and misunderstanding faced by early Christians throughout the Roman Empire. It was addressed to scattered believers in various regions of Asia Minor, the letter aims to provide hope and encouragement to those suffering affliction. Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples and a leader in the early church, wrote this pastoral letter likely from Rome in the mid to late 60s AD. The letter emphasizes the theme of suffering, mentioning it multiple times, while also focusing on hope in the face of difficulties. It encourages believers to live holy lives, set apart for God, while navigating the challenges of living in a pagan society. The book is loosely structured, reading like an informal talk, and covers topics such as the riches believers have in Christ, the need for holy living, and guidance on facing persecution.

Let’s take a minute to read our passage.

Bible Passage: 1 Peter 4:7–11 (NIV)

Today, I want to share with you four points that will help you in this step of service.

1. Pray with Purpose

1 Peter 4:7

Christians in the early church expected Jesus to return in their lifetime.

The fact that He didn’t return and hasn’t returned doesn’t cancel out His promise. But we must be like them and live in expectancy. An attitude of expectancy shouldn’t turn us into lazy dreamers who just sit back and wait for the return of Jesus. But it also shouldn’t make us zealous fanatics who pour into Bible prophecy and try to figure out when He will return.

I remember sitting in Sunday School class as a high school sophomore and our teacher was talking about Christ’s return. A guy who was senior said that since there was so much talk about Jesus coming back in our lifetime that he just didn’t care to put much effort into school. He had become lazy just sitting back waiting for Jesus to come back.

On the other hand, there are those who become so wrapped up the return of Jesus that they predict the date of His return. There was so much predicting going around during that last total solar eclipse. People were even tracking the names of the towns that would experience it like it was an indication that Jesus was going to come back. Or maybe it was because it intersected previous paths. I don’t know. As you can see, Jesus didn’t come back during the eclipse.

While talking about His return, Jesus said in Matthew 25:13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Nowhere does the New Testament encourage the setting of dates. Nor does the New Testament ever invite believers to withdraw from the world because the end is near and to stare at the sky hoping the Lord will return soon. The study of the end times should be used to encourage us to live in a godly way and to call us to action in this world.

The point is that because we don’t know when Jesus will return we must live with a sense of urgency. We need to be in prayer because…

Prayer will cause us to align with God’s will.

Peter said to “be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.” Paul echoed this same idea:

[Display 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 NLT.]

New Living Translation Chapter 5

6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

If Peter had a chance to read that, it would’ve had special meaning for him because he fell asleep when he was supposed to be engaging in prayer while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Prayer is foundational, prompting us to be clear-minded and self-controlled, ready to serve effectively.

Through prayer, we can remain vigilant and intentional, embodying the heart of Christ in readiness to serve others.

Transition

We must make prayer a priority before we just dive into serving. Spending time in God’s Word and prayer will prepare us for service. This will help us to get our motivation right about serving also. We don’t serve to feel good about ourselves. This takes us to the next thing we learn about how to serve. We need to…

2. Love without Limits

1 Peter 4:8

Love for other believers is so important that Peter says that it should be “above all.” Especially since Peter’s recipients were facing persecution and testing, they needed to have a deep love for one another and remain united.

Unlike the English language where we have one word “love,” the Greek language is much more specific. Of course, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. The word that Peter used was agape. This kind of love could be commanded because it’s not about feelings but a choice.

The goal of agape love is always to seek the good of the other person—it’s a sacrifice.

The evidence is action, not words. It’s always being stretched to the limit by the demands put on it. This is where agape love shines, because it’s not exhausted when things get difficult or inconvenient.

We must demonstrate a love that’s willing to be stretched “because love covers over a multitude of sins.” The word “covers” means to be willing to forgive.

When believers lavish love on one another, sins and offenses can be overlooked.

I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude B. Living for the Will of God in the Church (vv. 7–11)

According to Grudem, “Where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses, and even some large ones, are overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion, every action is liable to misunderstanding, and conflicts abound” (Grudem, 174).

Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that we condone sin. There are times when sin must be confronted but in a gentle, loving way.

Transition

Love is a powerful force that holds a community of believers together.

It covers a multitude of sins, fostering forgiveness and unity within the church. A love that reflects Christ's forgiveness and grace can break down barriers, build deeper connections, and offer a powerful testimony to the love of Christ.

When we love one another, we will have a strong desire to serve the Lord and the church together.

Next we need…

3. Hospitality with Heart

1 Peter 4:9

Our love for one another shouldn’t just be deep and unforgiving, but it should also be practical.

Hospitality was one of the marks of the Christian community.

Background

In New Testament times hospitality was an important thing, because there were few inns, and poor Christians couldn’t afford to stay in them anyway. Persecuted believers would need places where they could be assisted and encouraged.

The Bible lifts Christian hospitality to a higher level. We should have the right attitude about it—“without grumbling.” Many of you may have had guests this past week with Christmas. Did you serve them and take care of them without complaining?

When we show hospitality to others, Jesus taught that we share it with Him.

[Display Matthew 25:34-40 NIV.]

Matthew 25:34–40 NIV

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Whether in your home or here at church, a welcoming spirit can demonstrate Christ's acceptance and grace.

Real hospitality can bridge gaps and create spaces for healing and fellowship.

By fostering authentic community, we can provide a glimpse of God's kingdom, inviting others to experience His love through acts of welcoming kindness.

Transition

The last thing we learn from this passage is that we need to…

4. Serve with Strength

1 Peter 4:10-11

If we’re to live in light of Christ’s second coming and demonstrate agape love to one another, we must serve one another intensely.

If you’re a Christian, then you have received a spiritual gift from God for use in the life of the church. It’s not about feeling good about yourself or patting yourself on the back; it’s for the benefit of others.

Every Christian is capable of ministering to others within the body of Christ.

The Message of 1 Peter 4. Serving in the Grace of Our Stewardship (4:8–11a)

Jesus took a towel and basin to wash his disciples’ feet. Love for our brethren moves us to serve them. It is the love of God that brings us to our brother’s feet; it is the grace of God that fills our basin for service. We are ministers of the rich and variegated grace of God.

Peter splits spiritual gifts into two categories: speaking and serving.

Speaking doesn’t just include preaching or teaching, but many kinds of gifts involving speech, such as evangelism, speaking in tongues, prophecy, encouragement, and leadership. Serving includes any type of assisting or encouraging ministry that directly targets the benefit of others within the body of Christ, such as contributing to the needs of others, healing, miraculous powers, showing mercy, and encouragement.

We don’t all have the same spiritual gift or gifts. It takes varied gifts of service to make the church function properly. When everyone is using their gifts for service, it really is a beautiful thing.

In the Luray Caverns of Virginia stands an organ. This is no ordinary organ. Leland W. Sprinkle, an electronics engineer and mathematician, discovered that when tapped, the stalactites in the cavern projected different tones. He ran wires that controlled mallets that would impact different stalactites until he had covered the range of tones on an organ. The organ can be played by a musician or like a player piano, but either way, it creates beautiful music from these different calcium deposits.

The diverse gifts within the body of Christ reveal His character and draw people to His light, encouraging a lifestyle of serving as an expression of God’s varied grace.

Conclusion

I came to Oyster Bay in November of 2010. What is now our youth building used to be the Fellowship Hall, and on Wednesday nights the youth met in the old parsonage across the street. We would eat supper at the Fellowship Hall and then head over to the Youth House. Well, I would lose about half of my students to their desire to wander around the church and I would half to waste time gathering them up.

In December, the church would take a break from the Wednesday night meal, and that first week, my attendance dropped. Most of my students came from broken homes and that meal met a physical need. So, the following Wednesday I cooked hot dogs and the students came back.

During this time, Jerry Peebles preached a sermon on serving. After it was over, Jean McCracken approached me and said, “I want to help out with the youth. I’m too old to go on trips, but I want to help you out.” I told her that I wanted to start serving a meal at the Youth House so that I could keep my students contained the whole time and they come when we have a meal. Mrs. Jean said, “I can do that, and I will get my friend, Linda Duke, to help.”

Some of you may even remember Mrs. Jean popping in Sunday School classes saying, “Linda and I are going to start cooking for the youth on Wednesday nights, but we need some money. I need everyone of you to give me $20!” And people did it!

Those two ladies cooked amazing meals for those students, but they did it out of love. In fact, Mrs. Jean required every student to give her a hug before they could eat. They were both true servants, using the gifts and talents God gave them to help me build a youth ministry. They exemplified love, hospitality, and service.

Peter addressed the believers, urging them to live with a sense of urgency in their relationships with one another. He emphasized prayer, love, hospitality, and the use of spiritual gifts as essential elements of a faithful Christian life that not only honors God but also builds up the church as we await Christ's return.

We are encouraged to actively use our spiritual gifts to serve. When we love intentionally and show hospitality, we can see lives transformed, a strong community created, and the love of Christ reflected to the world, especially in challenging times.

Christ is the ultimate giver, who selflessly serves us through His life and sacrificial death. By following Him, we are called to extend His grace and love in tangible ways to one another.