Spiritual Discipline of Servanthood

We’ve been studying different spiritual disciplines for Christian life - this week, we are discussing the discipline of servanthood. It’s interesting to think about the idea of serving others instead of serving our own needs or wants in the view of Society today. Society wants to paint a picture that it is ok to be concerned about #1 all the time and being on the lookout for ways to serve our own needs and desires instead of those around us. Some of us are gifted with a servant’s heart but we all have an internal desire to serve ourselves.

For instance - who’s hungry? When we get hungry, we think about our need/desire for food and we want to meet that need. This is nature - but what if we wanted to serve others just as bad as we want to serve ourselves when we get hungry? Today, let’s look at the book of John for an example of how Jesus himself was a servant.

John 13:1–17 ESV

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. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 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, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 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. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 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.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 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.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 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? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 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. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

What is the definition of service?

In order to understand how we are to serve, we must fist understand the definition of service. Seems simple, right?

The action of helping or doing work for someone - Dictionary.com

“Sacrificing your own wants, needs, and time to help somebody else with the intent of glorifying God and showing His love” - HAVOC Student Ministry, 07/08/22

This definition was developed by our youth students during project Parkersburg this year. The point of PP is to serve others…each day we spent some time in the morning reading scripture and learning about what it meant to serve others. I think the students did a pretty good job with this definition. Imagine what our lives would be like if we took it upon ourselves to have this kind of mindset. What if we actively sought out opportunities to serve instead of running away from them?

Why are we called to serve?

Simple answer - because we are to imitate Christ and Christ came to serve others and not to be served. If we want to draw closer to God and if we want to show the light of Christ to those around us - then we must develop a servant’s heart and attitude. Instead of thinking, what’s in it for me - how about we think, how can I help or serve others?

How important is serving in the eyes of Christ? IF you look at our text today - I think it was pretty important to Him.

Jesus knew the timing, but made a point to demonstrate servanthood (vs 1 – 5)

Take a look at the situation here in Scripture. Jesus knew what was about to happen and knew what was going on. He knew that he was about to be betrayed by Judas and that he would be put to death very soon. What did he choose to do in his final moment? He chose to SERVE. He knew the importance of telling and showing the disciples how to serve and the meaning of servanthood. Jesus could have chosen to do anything he wanted in his final hours…but he chose to serve. We as Christ followers can also make a choice - we can choose to serve.

Our nature is to reject servanthood – but God will change our hearts (vs 6 – 11)

Peter at first tried to reject Christ’s act of service. The disciples knew the meaning of washing someone else’s feet - it was usually a job saved for the lowest of lows…not a job for a King! We, like Peter, have a nature tendency to reject servanthood. But just like Peter - God can and will change our hears if we are willing to listen and understand. Jesus was trying to show and teach a deeper meaning of service to the disciples instead of simply washing their feet. Jesus was teaching them about the importance of service itself and how everyone is called to be a servant - and a servant to anyone…not just the kings.

Jesus gives us an example of servanthood to follow (vs 12 – 17)

We are to seek after Christ and we are to imitate Christ. In John, Jesus gave us an example of how to be a servant.

Mark 10:45 ESV

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

What is our motivation to serve?

We Serve out of Love

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

When we love somebody, we want to do things for them. Just the other day, we were having a discussion as a family and my wife Amber said to our children, she would literally do anything for them. She is willing to do that because she loves them. I am willing to do anything for my wife, because I love her. Now, God here is calling us to serve one another out of love. So, what do we do when we honestly don’t love the other person? Then we aren’t obligated to serve them too right? No love = no serve??? God is calling us to serve differently…he’s calling us to serve out of the love we have for Christ and out of the love that He has put in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Through that love - we can and should serve anybody.

We Serve out of Gratitude

1 Samuel 12:24 ESV

Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

Have you ever been thankful for something that a person has done for you, that you want to repay them with an act of service? It could be taking them out to eat or helping them move just like they helped you move previously.

I am terrible at asking for help. I really struggle with asking people to help me out with projects around my house or really anything. In my mind, I don’t want to be a burden to somebody else and so I will struggle by myself to get the job done instead. In reality, I may be taking away a blessing from somebody else by not allowing them to serve me. In our service to others, we are blessed in return by God.

We Serve out of Humility

Philippians 2:3–9 ESV

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

Luke 22:24–27 ESV

A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 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.

Humility = “To lower oneself in service without the intent of self glorification” - HAVOC Student Ministry, 07/08/22

What is the need in front of you?

Not what you are planning to do next week or the volunteering you signed up for. Jesus had a huge thing coming up. In 2 days, Jesus knew that He was going to suffer like no other and be crucified. I mean, this is the greatest act of service and humility that has ever been seen in the world, and yet, in the middle of that kind of knowledge, He looks at the need in front of Him. You’ve got to ask yourself, what’s the need in front of you?

How will you imitate Christ and bring Glory to God?

Jesus used a basin to wash the Disciple’ feet; but there was another basin used shortly after that. When Pontius Pilate was going to release Jesus to them, the people were screaming, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him.” Pilate’s reaction was to take a basin of water and wash his hands clean of this crucifixion.

We all have a basin of water in front of us and you have 2 choices in how to handle it.

* You can take the basin of water and say, “I wash my hands of this. I don’t have anything to do with it. I don’t want to have anything to do with this kind of being a disciple and what that means.”

* You can take that basin of water, and you can kneel down and wash feet. You can serve just like Jesus did.

“Any true Christian would say he or she wants to obey God. But we disobey God when we do not actively serve Him. We sin when we refuse to serve God” - Donald Whitney