To Be A Servant

Introduction

Who Am I

Scott Townsend

I am Kirkby and Janna Townsend’s son, the baby and the best.

Alicia Townsend & Beatrice Townsend

The goal of today is to answer the greatest question known to man...

Who Is The Greatest Dad In The World?

remember this question through out the sermon, as we are going to take a winding road to get there. God our father, does not count in this question, because he is not confined to the world, so we will endeavor to find the best possible answer! Do you think we will solve this question? only time will tell.

Pre-amble

Now, Whenever I preach, I like to warn the congregation that I use a lot of scripture. If you are a note taker, then please by all means jot down the different passages we will be visiting, however, do not feel the need to try and flip to every passage in your bible as we go along. It will likely be easier if you keep a book mark in our two main passages.

Preliminary Passages

Today our two main passages are Luke 22:24-30 and John 13:1-17. You are likely familiar with these two passages, and they both happen during the passover meal. However, before we dive into our two main focal texts this morning, we need to understand three other similar passages. Matthew 18:1-5, Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-48

Matthew 18:1-5

Matthew 18:1–5 ESV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,

Mark 9:33-37

Mark 9:33–37 ESV

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Luke 9:46-48

Luke 9:46–48 ESV

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

The reason we went through these three passages is to show two things.

The subject the greatest has come up before with disciples, and there are more occurences than these three passages.

to start forming a wholistic view of Jesus’ definition of the greatest int he kingdom of heaven is. To know who the greatest dad is, we must first know who the greatest person in the world is.

Now we begin our first primary passage, another dispute about the greatest in heaven. In Luke, this happens after the passover meal, but in the following passage the event happens before the passover meal.

Main Body

Luke 22:24-30

Luke 22:24–30 ESV

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. 28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Luke 22:26–27 ESV

26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Talk About Children

Story About Childhood Serving Game

A good summary then comes like this. The greatest is not the one who has earned his rest or has the most experience, but rather, the greatest is the one who constantly looks to others good and couldn't care less about status. Instead of status, its entirely about intimacy and relationship.

I’ll give y'all an example that came from my time here as a youth student. This passage had such an impact on our group then. The idea that the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven was a servant was such a powerful idea that we would have servant competitions. We would race to finish our food first so that we could compete to gather each others trash. We would race to doors to open them for the others. We constantly went out of our way to out do each other in service, and the more we served, the more we grew together and the closer we grew like Jesus himself, our role model for service.

The most amazing thing about this game we played is that it took little to no theological understanding to play it. The game was simple. out serve the other players. out polite them and ultimately out love them. The irony was that there was both no winner and yet all were winners who played, for the heart grew richer and deeper with each passing day. So also did Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. To serve someone one is to have compassion and love for them.

Now I want us to look at what motivated Jesus, and by extension should motivate us.

John 13:1-17

As we learned before, Jesus came in the role of servant. we find that this is not a new concept for the disciples in similar statements Matthew 18:1-5 , Mark 9:33-37, Luke 9:46-48

So now, we need to understand why Jesus values the role of the servant so much, and we will be able to see why in John 13:1-17

John 13:1–17 ESV

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

verse 1, The driving force behind Jesus’ desire to serve his disciples was love. He loved his own in the world. He loved them until the end. The inclusion of verses 2 and 3 here are so important. The reason they are important comes down to two things. The first, Jesus was fully aware of his deity and mission of God at this point. Jesus was fully aware of the betrayal of Judas Iscariot that was to come, and knowing all that, with all of that at the forefront of His mind, he took the position of lowly foot washer and washed his disciples feet, even the feet of Judas’ Iscariot.

Verses 6 through 11 show that Peter, despite having been with Jesus all this time, still didn't like the idea of Jesus, his teacher, rabbi - Lord EVEN- washing his feet. He still thought that leaders were not servants. He missed that we are all called to be servants like Jesus.

In John 13:14 Jesus states in plainest language he can exactly why He is washing their feet. As I have served you, you also should serve each other.

John 13:14 ESV

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

John 13:17 Tells us that it is not enough to know these things, but that we are only blessed if we do them too.

John 13:17 ESV

17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

The driving force behind Jesus actions are love and compassion, and he calls for love and compassion to be the driving force behind our actions as well.

John 13:35

John 13:35 ESV

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Now, since it is fathers day, let me relate this back to the celebration at hand.

The greatest dad in the world is the one who serves others rather than self, and teaches his children to do likewise because of his love for them; Just like Jesus does for us.

So fathers, aspire to be dads who serve your wives and your children. Aspire to love your family with your actions and teach them to how to do likewise.

Families, watch the fathers in your life, if you have had a good father, you have already seen them do this. Now honor them the best way possible, by emulating them. honor your dads by serving them today. show your love, not just in gifts and words of affirmation, but by finding a way to serve them today.