Entrusted to Serve

Living Out The Gospel Through Serving

We continue our series entitled “Entrusted”

We are focusing on the principles of Stewardship

Time, Talent, Treasure

Mark began the series, last week, with the foundational principle that “God owns everything”

All of good stewardship hinges on this idea / Stewardship is about our response to God

Not only how we view God, Himself, but how we view our lives and everything in it / How we respond to the truth:

God owns everything; Everything in our lives is a gift from God; God expects those gifts and resources to be used for His glory and the building of His Kingdom here on earth

Is that your perspective about your own life and everything in it? (Your Time - Your Talents - Your Treasure)

The understanding of that one, foundational principle will determine what your stewardship looks like

So, over the next few weeks, we are going to talk about the key three areas of stewardship

Today - Gifts / Service / Ultimately the Gospel

Next week - Special guest (Alec Ring / Talk about your treasure)

In a couple of weeks - Kent talk about your Time

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This morning I want to focus on the area of Stewardship that emphasizes our “Service”

We have a lot of great servants in this church, and that is very important because we need people serving in order to operate

Church similar to a household / As a family of believers, this is the household God has given us to operate in, and it takes all of us to help it run well for the glory of God

When the household runs well, it puts this family of believers in a much better position to impact the world around us for the Kingdom and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

How important is our service to the Church?

Ephesians 4:11–13 NIV

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Two things stick out to me: “For works of Service”

“So that the body of Christ may be built up”

“We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Song of God and become mature”

If those two things can help be accomplished through peoples’ works of service within the body (household), What kind of impact could that have on the world around us for the Kingdom of God?

So, we’ll begin with a personal questions: “How important is service to the Church To You?”

During WW II there many young men who lied about their age in order to be able enter the armed services and serve in the war

Fake documentation

Use an older siblings birth certificate

All so they could go off to a war that they very likely would not come home alive from

Why? Because they believed so strongly in the cause that they were willing to risk everything in order to be able to serve.

I know that might be an extreme comparison, but it should bring us back to the question - “How important is service to the Church To You?”

God made us to serve / to work

Adam and Eve (Work / Responsibility, Not Leisure)

You are created to serve / You are created to participate in the mission of God through serving in the Church

It’s good to have time to rest / or vacation, but after certain amount of time most people are ready to get back to doing something productive

It’s because that’s the way God wired us / For Purpose / For Work / For Service

I think the principle for Serving shows that, as Followers of Jesus, we need to be Contributors to the Kingdom and not just Consumers

Serving in the Church and in the Kingdom is about so much more than the task at hand

It is ultimately about making Jesus known to the world

You might be teaching a class or cooking in the kitchen or passing out food in the pantry - But all service comes back to making the Gospel of Jesus known to the world.

So, today we are going to turn to the Letter of 1st Peter to take our instruction about Stewardship through Serving

1 Peter 4:10–11 NIV

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. 11 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.

Peter answers some questions about serving

What / Who / How / Why

1. WHAT (Verse 10) (What are we called to do)

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,...”

Use the gift you have received

Assumes you have received a gift / Did you know that?

Peter talking about spiritual gifts that give us the ability to use to serve others (Whole world / specifically the “Church” body of believers to better enable to be a witness to the world)

What is a gift?

Romans 12:6–8 NIV

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Paul says we have many different gifts according to the grace given to each of us

(List/Name the gifts) (List not exhaustive)

Spiritual gifts are specific to the person / Not one more important than the other

Side Note: You need to keep in mind that you should use your physical/material gifts for the purpose of serving the Church and the Kingdom, as well

Home - hospitality

Car

Food / Clothing

We are primarily focused on spiritual gifts this morning

Do you know your gift?

Maybe yours is in this list in Romans 12, maybe it is something else

Ways to find out what your spiritual gift is:

Spiritual gifts test (not authoritative / Only meant to point you in a direction)

Start serving / Try different things to see if its a fit (Children / Kitchen / Teaching / Greeting) (Upfront / behind the scenes

Sometimes people have taken several tests / you only need one test, then get to serving

Understanding Ability vs. Gifting

Sometimes you have the ability to do something but it is not necessarily your gift

OK to help out with abilities (There is much work to be done), but very important to find you passion of service

The Main idea is to get moving and figure out what your true gift is

2. WHO (Verse 10) - Stewards is WHO we are

“...As faithful STEWARDS of God’s grace in it’s various forms”

God views us as Stewards / Managers

He doesn’t need us / But He wants us

He wants us to do the ground work

That’s why He Equips Us / Blesses Us / Leads Us

We, as believers in Christ, are “Expected” to use (Steward/Manage) What we have been given by God to Equip, To Bless, and To Build the Kingdom of God

Therefore we have been made managers

Adam and Eve were working / serving (Not Lounging)

We are wired to serve / To Work, and it is an expectation in our lives

Matthew 25:14–30 NIV

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

(Brief explanation of the parable)

Bags of Gold (money) represents the gifts God has given to His people

They are to be used and multiplied

This parable shows that God takes the issue of Stewardship very seriously

We are to employ and use the gifts we have been given to actively serve and build up the body of Christ

Also shows there is accountability

3. HOW (Verse 11) - How do we use our Gifts?

1 Peter 4:11 NIV

11 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.

Peter summarizes it down to “SPEAKING” and “SERVING”

Who in her today thinks that they have the gift of Speaking?

Don’t sell yourself short

Even if you think you don’t have the gift of speaking, eventually you will have to speak to serve and promote the Gospel

But whatever you are doing, “...do so with the strength God provides”

Whatever God has gifted you to do, He is also going to be right there with you giving you the strength you need to carry it out

Do you believe Him enough to Step out in Faith?

4. WHY (Verse 11) - Why we serve

1 Peter 4:11 NIV

11 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.

“...so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”

————————————————————————————- Closing

That is the ultimate purpose of why we serve

We do so that God may be praised through Jesus Christ

Understand that, Ultimately, stewarding our talents well is truly about stewarding the greatest gift we could receive - The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Jesus willingly went to the Cross, Died, Rose Again, so that we could have freedom from sin and receive eternal life

He wants us to take part of spreading that message to the world, and we can do that through using our gifts in Service

He doesn’t need us / He wants us / He expects us

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Where are you on the issue of Serving, this morning?

Do you know your gift?

Are you using your gifts as expected?

Or have you buried your bag of gold?

More importantly, Where is God asking you to step out in Faith?

Are you Listening?

Are you ready to take that step?

Just Like the young soldiers who lied about their age in order to be able to serve for a cause they believed in so desperately,

Is the cause of the Gospel great enough for you to want to get involved - Great enough for you To want to Serve?

I can tell you that’s God’s heart for you Today.

Will you answer His Call?