Serve One Another
Notes
Transcript
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KC, Kan pastor wanted to give his folks some concrete opportunities to go out into the community to do small acts of kindness.
Did it with a good attitude!
Didn’t have to, didn’t have to be good natured about it but he was.
Lots of good folks here who are like that.
But it’s important to recognize that it’s not always that way.
Getting up every day - picking the struggle.
Charge out with our hair on fire to fight and claw our way through the day.
Or is there a better way?
Life is often defined by struggle.
Service is Expected
Service is Expected
So he called several grocery stores in the area to ask permission for his members to come over and do these small kindnesses.
Got an employee on the phone at one store who said, “let me see if I understand: you want to come here, clean up the parking lot, retrieve shopping carts, hold umbrellas for customers and you don’t want anything in return?
All the way back to the Garden. Total freedom.
basic concept of service shows up over 300 times in various contexts in NT.
yep.
two major words:
We all long for the freedom from toil, etc that was our original birthright in Creation but, would we really know what to do with it if we had it?
douleo - slave, to obey, to submit.
Like the proverbial dog who finally caught the car. Now what?
Hang on. After a few minutes the clerk came back and said, “I’m sorry, but you can’t do that because if we let YOU do it, we’d have to let everyone else do it, too!”
Wow. What a wonderful world it would be if everyone else served people like that, too!
diakoneo - minister to. especially materially.
One of the greatest challenges of the Christian life is realize and to act like people who have truly found freedom.
A little like heaven on earth. Wouldn’t you like for your home, your work, your community, your church to be a little more like heaven?
douleo is used over 160 times. Someone who has given him or herself up completely to another’s will.
Like that dog, now we have it, what to do with it?
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
In , Paul addresses this problem in human existence.
It can be.
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Paul is writing about serving one another in the most devoted sense.
This happens when we embrace the concept that we’re really here to bless and serve one another in love.
Contrast to our society of “I, me, mine”
According to Paul, this is why we have been set free.
In Christ, we’ve been freed from literally everything.
Sin, death, ritual law, judgment, all of it.
the problem is we’re still in this old world and subject to its temptations.
We’re constantly encouraged to live for self. To continue to struggle unnecessarily.
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
Standing on our rights. If our “rights” are in conflict, clearly, mine are more important.
Paul tells us the answer seems paradoxical.
In this section of Galatians, Paul gets intensely practical on what our freedom in Christ is all about and how we live out that freedom.
Why is it so hard at times to break out of self to serve?
Your “freedom from” becomes “freedom to.”
The Galatians churches were struggling with legalism. They were being led astray from relying on God’s grace to adding works to their righteousness.
“Freedom From” Becomes “Freedom To”
“Freedom From” Becomes “Freedom To”
Isn’t it odd how much easier it is to take on a task when we think it’s our own idea?
Paul has argued that nothing we can say or do causes us to be righteous before a holy God. Only Christ’s love and sacrifice on the cross can accomplish that. To try to make some human activity the key factor in salvation is wrong, evil.
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
gal 3:1
But the problem is that humans have a bad habit of swinging from one extreme to another.
Rather than onerous or difficult, we find doing something fun or easy.
Freedom from restrictive laws isn’t a reason to become licentious.
In this case, if it’s not legalism, it’s license.
Freedom from satisfying our sinful nature.
“corrupted flesh”
We have liberty now (freedom from) in order to have the ability to love (freedom to).
“use your freedom” = Gk term for a military base of operations.
Paul tells us the greatest way to know that we’re truly loving when we choose to serve one another.
Don’t let your freedom cause you wage war, start a battle.
Let’s take some time this morning to refresh our minds on the value of serving one another.
Internally or with someone else.
Descending Into Greatness
Descending Into Greatness
The Bible teaches us that the path to true greatness is the path of the servant.
25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
matt 20:25-28
Our cultural instinct is to first focus on ourselves, our needs, our appetites, our priorities.
In the midst of our own purposes, procrastinations, we feel the quiet prompting of the Spirit to serve.
Falwell story.
Famous, university president. Saw student w/flat tire outside his office in pouring rainstorm.
invited student into his office to wait it out. Demurred. Had an important appointment.
Falwell helped student change tire and even gave him a soaking $20!
To be truly great (lifted up) in the eyes of the only one who matters - that’s God, BTW - is to stoop down (descend) to serve.
Indeed, the way up is down.
We Find Our Purpose When We Serve
We Find Our Purpose When We Serve
1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
We Find Our Purpose
We Find Our Purpose
Paganini’s Violin. One of most valuable in the world. Unique sound, unlike any other. Willed to city of Genoa, Italy. Locked in a glass case, unplayed for 100 years.
13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
by early 1900’s it had decayed to a useless relic.
When used and handled, the wood stays flexible and resonant.
Unused, it dried out and became brittle.
Finally, at great expense, restored and put back on display but now it is taken out 1/month and played.
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
A
Our purpose is to fulfill the reason God made us.
When we serve others we are functioning according to God’s design for us.
We
We
7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
How has God made you to serve?
Conclusion:
The keeper of the spring story.
