Christmas is about walking as a servant
CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT WALKING AS A SERVANT
This week we start on a journey towards one of the most wonderful times in the year – CHRISTMAS.
The idea behind Christmas is that the result of God giving His one and only Son, would be the redemption of all; for without this purpose Christmas would be just another day in just another month.
However, over time the world has changed the concept of Christmas into a time of giving and receiving presents instead of giving self; a Christmas that serves self and not the creator of Christmas.
The reason being, that we do not fully understand that Christmas is all about – GOD’S GRACE.
Matthew 20:25 ... "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." NLT
GOD'S GRACE is the key to Christmas and thus to our walk as servants.
Without an understanding of GOD’S GRACE, we will serve God from a wrong motivation:
Ø Out of a sense of duty
Ø Out of a desire to gain acceptance
Ø Out of a need to prove something to others.
In the main, we either do not like being servants or we are servants based on a wrong perception of a servant.
When we speak of servants we have a mental picture of Uriah Heap in Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield.
But that is not the Jesus model of a servant; He:
John 13:4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
Here we see Jesus washing the feet of the disciples a job that was normally given to the lowest of servants.
But before we take this as a guide we need to read verse three.
John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God,
Jesus knew that His Father had given all things into His hands.
Jesus knew that God the Father had told the disciples; “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Jesus knew that God the Father had said of Him; “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus knew who He was in God the Father.
Jesus knew His destiny was assured.
From this exalted position He was a servant, not from a position of weakness but a position of strength.
So if we are to be servants of God out of a right motive, we must KNOW what God has done for us.
1. HE HAS TAKEN US TO HIS THRONE
GOD'S GRACE has adopted us into the position of son-ship.
There is nothing we can do to earn that position - no service, no sacrifice, nothing!
This revelation of GOD’S GRACE releases us from any hint of self-effort and self-attainment.
The reason we do not need to earn anything from God is because in Christ we have everything!
Ephesians 2:6 ... raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
When we received the Lord Jesus, we received everything.
2 Peter 1:3 ... His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
We became complete in Him
Colossians 2:10 ... you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
- is nothing to work for, nothing to earn from God; He has blessed us.*
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Only now - when we understand that we don't have to do anything in order to get anything from God - can we begin to serve God:
Ø Not out of selfish ambition or vain conceit;
Ø Not to be anybody because we already are somebody;
Ø Not to get love but to give love to God and to others.
And all this has its roots in the grace we call Christmas.
2. HE HAS GIVEN US THE MIND OF CHRIST
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Jesus did not become a servant to achieve something for Himself.
He was not "grasping" after position or favour; His motivation was a love for His Father and a lost world.
Like Jesus, we must have the same attitude; for like Jesus, we have nothing to grasp after.
We have eternal life; we are sons and daughters; and we are seated, in heavenly places, in Christ.
And from our exalted position, in Christ, we too can become a servant from a position of strength.
2 Corinthians 6:10 As grieved and mourning, yet we are always rejoicing; as poor ourselves, yet bestowing riches on many; as having nothing, and yet in reality possessing all things. AMP
- Jesus, we are not servants striving to be sons, but we are sons who have chosen to be servants.*
3. HE HAS GIVEN US THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE
Matthew 6:24> "No one can serve two masters;
The Bible tells us that people are slaves to whatever or whoever has mastered them.
As Christians, we are given the choice of either serving:
Ø The world or THE LORD.
Ø Death or LIFE.
Ø Hell or HEAVEN.
Ø Money or GOD.
Ø Own way or GOD’S WAY.
Ø Ourselves or THE CHURCH.
Joshua 24:15 … choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve - as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
The grace that is Christmas gives us the ability to be a servant from a position of a strength that is not our own.
THE GRACE TO SERVE IS GOD’S; THE ABILITY TO SERVE IS GOD’S; THE POSITION TO SERVE IS GOD’S; THE STRENGTH TO SERVE IS GOD’S; THE CHOICE TO SERVE IS OURS.