Established - Serving God

The American Dream

1920’s - young Michigan farmer - teen

loved building and engineering things

1927 developed new type of furniture

Chair that reclines and later a lever that kicked out a foot rest

People feel in love with it. Company went public in 1970 - Lazy Boy 1.5 billion per year

1998 - Edwin Shoemaker at age 90 came home, sat in his recliner and passed away

Matthew 20:26 CSB

It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

From Bottom to Top

Roman dream - class system

Caesar, Senate - 600 men, Equestrian class - Decurion - wealthy land owners - 100% of the power

Common Citizen - freed men - servants

John 13 - a lot in these 5 verses

Everything was in motion - the cross is coming

all authority - vs 3

Does the radical - The Lord and King - serves

Serves them all - Judas, Peter, Thomas

He got dirty, towel was filthy,

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB

He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

From Bottom to Top

Jesus does the work - we have to respond

Peter vs. 6-8

This is where the Christian life begins - allowing Jesus to serve us

Doesn’t end here

Serving God = Serving Others

Great commandment - Love God - Love others

This is that connection -

we show our love for the invisible God by loving/serving others

Ephesians 2:10 CSB

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

Serving God = Serving Others

vs 14-15 - example to do not just know

this is counter-cultural

vs 17 - blessed - if you do them

blessed - makarios - not just happy - satisfied

This is loving others - new command

John 13:34 CSB

“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.

Serving God = Serving Others

Serve without loving - cannot love without serving

Think about it - we are loved with deserving it

This is how we are commanded to love

To love is to serve, share

Christian life is - learning to receive the love,grace, and mercy of Jesus - giving it away to others

Wesley put it this way

One of the principal rules of religion is, to lose no occasion of serving God. And, since he is invisible to our eyes, we are to serve him in our neighbor; which he receives as if done to himself in person, standing visibly before us. John Wesley