Faithfilled Servant

Title-The Faithfilled Servant

Passage-

Attention-

WHAT IS FAITH?

There are as many definitions of what faith is as there are subsets of Baptists

And while it’s food to go to verses like there is more to what faith is.

Hebrews 11:1 KJV 1900

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is multifaceted

There is the emotional aspect of faith…this is often described in the Bible as hope

There is the intellectual aspect of faith which is described as belief

These two come to a head in the volitional aspect of faith

This is when the complete person, the emotion-intellect-and will, is responding in faith

It is the commitment to live, think, and act on the basis of God’s will as it is revealed in Scripture

Often in scripture this is referred to as faithfulness

Not only do I feel assurance and have a firm commitment to what I believe about God..I ALSO ACT on these beliefs

12 of the spies that went in to survey Caanan had faith in Jahweh but only two displayed the act of faith

Even in site of their fears, Caleb and Joshua were willing to put their faith into action and enter and take possession of Caanan

What is the main driving point (CPS)?

What is the main driving point (CPS)?

Friends, faith is more complex than just believing…one who is full of faith puts those beliefs into action

Why does the CPS matter, what is the consequence?

I think the logic is fairly simple…if there is no act of faith then there is not a fullness of faith

There may be faith but not a fullness of faith

Transition

I. Jesus is the object of love. Not a creed, not a church, not a religion, but Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”( )

Jesus is the object of love. Not a creed, not a church, not a religion, but Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”( )

Explain

I believe that Peter is being asked if he is willing to place his faith in Jesus or not

Do you love me?

Do you agape me?

Do you love me with no reservations…with abandonment for yourself…with concern for Me and My will and no concern for your comfort or desires

That is what is at the core of agape love…abandonment of self and dedication to another

This abandonment of self and dedication to another is a picture of faith

In a sense Jesus is asking Peter…”Do you have enough faith to dedicate yourself to me?”

Now, I know that when Jesus looks at us He isn’t thinking about placing his faith in us....that’s heretical

But when we as the creation look to the creator and he asks “Do you love me” the phrase is impregnated with the concept of do you believe, feel, desire me enough to place your everything into my hands...

Now that is a question of faith.

Bridge to today

Before it’s use in the Bible it was most commonly used to describe the relationship of a parent to a child

The giving for the sake of the child

The parent will lose sleep that the child might be able to

The parent gives up food so that the child might eat

The parent gives ip resources so that the child may have more

Relevance

Are we as devoted to Christ as we are to our family

Family is a bad illustration these days for love and loyalty but in the sense of how it ought to be

Why does this matter?

What we love we devote our time and our resources to

Would you invest in a

Transition

II. Love needs expression in more than words.( )

affirmation, sincere as it may be, needs expression in more than words.( )

Explain

Peter could say all that he wanted to that he loved Jesus but his faith needed to be demonstrated by his actions

Jesus tells him…”good, you said it three times so all is good now”

No…he says “Feed my sheep”

In other words “put feet to your faith”

Jesus isn’t just looking for lip service, that is not faith

Bridge to today

I think that at some level marriage is a picture of faith

There was a day 22 years ago where I acted on the belief that I should marry my wife

Do you know for 100% sure that the person you married was who they said they were or that years later you would still love them?

Not 100%…there can be certainty but no guarantee…at some level you have faith that the love you know and feel will stand the test of time

22 Years ago I could have stopped my display of faith in our love by just saying “I love you”

“I told her, isn’t that enough?”

No, we step out in faith and display our love for one another by making a commitment to one another

Then we daily act out our faith in one another

Relevance

So when do I get to stop loving and serving her?

When I die…that is my goal in life to love and serve my wife to the best of my abilities until the day I die

That ought to be our devotion to Jesus as well

There is no retirement from serving Jesus

If we love Him we will serve Him till the day we die

Why does this matter?

Transition

III. Just so we don’t think that ministry is optional, Jesus concludes His discourse with the command: “Follow me” ()

Explain

First of all, this is a command

Second it is not just following for the sake of following

or because Jesus is going where Peter wants to go

This carries an idea of following because of the commands of Jesus

It has the idea of Jesus as the authority and Peter is to follow simply because Jesus said so.

Bridge to today

The closest example we have to this today would be our military

If you choose to be a United States soldier you choose to put yourself under the authority of the officers

If you choose to place yourself within the Lord’s army you take your orders from Jesus Christ.

Relevance

He doesn’t give stipulations or even a duration

That would be a big difference between the US military and the Lords’ army…the Lord’s army is for life

Why does this matter?

As we age we become more tired

We are a little more limited in what we can do

But that doesn’t mean we cannot serve

I think I’ve spent enough time on the soap box of service within the church as far as teaching, cleaning, and services like that

We can serve one another in even more simple ways

How many of you this morning would call yourself a Christian?

What does the label Christian mean? Little Christ

This in essence means to be imitators of Jesus Christ

How does this apply to service?

Is this ministry about you or is it about Jesus Christ and the Great Commission bringing glory tot he Father.

Do we discuss the church and talk about what we don’t get from it

Or do we look for opportunities to fill those needs

Do we spend more time talking about what should be done and put forth little effort in helping get it done?

This ministry is not about me and it is not about you

It is about Jesus Christ and the commission He has given us

This is not a country club or a resteraunt

If you want it YOUR way try the church down the street.

Conclusion

This church represents our opportunity to act in faith...

Challenge to act now (your part)…immanence

To tangibly display our faith through how we treat one another

Visualize Audience Implementation

By making opportunities within this ministry to be about others not ourselves.

Final Statement

Don’t ask, what do I need that I am not getting....ask what others need that they aren’t getting.

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?

Closing Hymn