Growing through Service
Shed Value Statement • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Have the value statement and the discipleship path passed out.
Review Shed Value Statement Series we will cover for the next 2 weeks.
For the next 3 weeks, I want to answer the question, “Who are we at The Shed.”
If you’re new here and still trying to figure us out, this season will be integral to your understanding of the culture that fuels everything we do here at The Shed. I encourage you to go back and watch the the whole season through and stick with us for 2 more weeks.
We began by walking through our discipleship pathway together, leaning in on the fact that discipleship isn’t a class, it’s not a curriculum, it’s not a book…
Discipleship is life lived together, learning and growing into the image of Jesus on the earth.
The Shed is a greenhouse where disciples grow…
We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there.
And because Growth is the expected avenue that members should be traveling on, each of our six core values are an expression of how we grow…
You will notice, each begins with “Growing”…
Growing with… Growing through… Growing from…
All of these are intended to guide us in and propel us to GROWTH.
These are how we grow…
The expected result of what we do in here is growth.
So “We grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there.”
And this is how we do it:
By…
Growing with Intention
Growing with Intention
Growing through Encouragement
Growing through Encouragement
Growing through Community
Growing through Community
Growing through the Spirit
Growing through the Spirit
And today we will be not only talking about, but putting into practice,
Growing through Service
Growing through Service
We grow by humbly putting others first, reflecting Christ’s love through acts of service.
We grow by humbly putting others first, reflecting Christ’s love through acts of service.
Our vision is to Grow disciples in here that embody Jesus out there…
If we are to make progress in that ideal, it is important we know what Jesus looked like…
How are we to embody what we have not considered?
We aren’t embodying a version of Jesus that comes from culture…
We aren’t embodying a version of Jesus that comes from our imagination…
We aren’t even embodying a version of Jesus that comes from church tradition…
We are embodying Jesus as He is described in the scriptures and evidenced in our hearts…
So let’s look at what is said of Jesus in the scriptures:
Phil 2:3-5
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
This is the attitude that was in Jesus… This was the perspective through which He viewed life…
That nothing He did was from selfishness or empty conceit…
He did not merely look out for His own personal interests, but for the interests of others…
In fact, He was tempted to do this exact thing by the devil himself…
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.
3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
What was the temptation? Satisfy your own hunger, forget about the assignment your on! We are out here in the wilderness, you could do whatever you want and no one would know… Think of yourself FIRST!
That was the first temptation, now Look at the last temptation:
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ ”
Again, this was more than just a temptation of wealth and position, it was a temptation to abandon the purpose for which Jesus came, avoid the pain, avoid the rejection, avoid the crucifixion He knew was coming…
To Put his own comfort above the sacrifice he came to give…
But Jesus sets the record straight with His response: I don’t serve you, I don’t serve my own comfort, I came as an example to serve the Father and See His will Accomplished…
I worship HIM and serve HIM!
He chose to carry on down a path He knew would end in the sacrifice of His own life…
But He did it for you and He did it for me…
Because this attitude was in Christ Jesus to…
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
He saw the needs of others and put them above His own comfort, denying all selfish desire and vain ambition…
Have this attitude which was in Christ Jesus!
Look at what Jesus said about Himself:
26 “… whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Not only did Jesus lay Himself down for us, He expected us to follow His example!
I’ll give you one more example of Jesus’ humility acted out:
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
Look at the two things the author of John puts up against each other…
KNOWING that the Father had given all things into His hands, He positioned himself in the place of the lowest servant of the house…
Knowing… Thinking about it… This wasn’t a lapse of judgement at an emotional time… This was an intentional act of showing how the highest among you must humble himself in the position of the lowest servant…
Jesus should’ve been seated in the place of honor, having the best foods served to him and the servants washing His feet, but instead He lays down all pride and all ego, and all the rights He had and took up the position of servant…
Apron illustration (take off vest, put on apron)
Take off pretense, churchy language, lay down our Sunday best and put on the servants outfit…
Take off all pride, lay down entitlement, kill arrogance, and take up serving clothes..,
Have this attitude which was in Christ Jesus!
If we are to follow His example, we also must put aside anything that would have us position ourselves above anyone else and take up the position of a servant…
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
1 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.
2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.
3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
5 For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
This is probably the most simple of all our core values, and yet it can be one of the most challenging to master…
We Grow through Service
Growing through Service
Growing through Service
So here’s our challenge today… There won’t be an altar call, we aren’t going to spend time contemplating this…
We are going to put it to work…
At noon today we will serving our community and serving each other a Thanksgiving meal.
My challenge to you is this: find a place to put into action the attitude that was in Christ Jesus…
Find a place to serve today.
Many of you have brought food that you will be prepping, others will be setting up tables and chairs, some will be serving food.
You may want to walk around and refill people’s drinks. We have pitchers for just that purpose.
You may want to clear the trash off the tables when people start emptying their plates.
That same trash may need to go to the dumpster when its full.
The coffee or tea may need to be refilled as we go.
If we run out of room, we may need more tables and chairs set up in here in the back of the room.
You may wait around until the end and help clean up or put the dishes in the dish washer.
Here’s what I know: There is a job for everyone.
They may not all happen at the same time and it may be that we take turns doing these things, but there is a place for you to serve today..
So I’m going to pray, then we will all filter in toward the back and find a job. I’ve assigned people to start giving directions once you get back there.
You ready?
Let’s pray…
Pray and dismiss
