We Are Servants: Why Serving is a Gift

This is Amazing Grace

Welcome (Sam Garcia)

Scripture Reading (1 Peter 4:10-11)

Prayer of Praise (God is sovereign), Micah Figgers

Afflicted Saint to Christ Draw Near

Hymn of Heaven

Prayer of Confession (Pride), Aaron Jordan

Living Hope

PBC Catechism #34

Who governs the church?

The church is governed by God’s Word, which teaches that elders are given to oversee the church, deacons are to serve the church, and members are to guard the church’s membership, doctrine, unity, and purity.

Pastoral Prayer (Mike Lindell)

SERMON

The State Department told her not to go, it wasn’t safe. But Priscilla Morse wasn’t concerned about her safety. She and her husband David were saving baby Ryan.

So they made a dangerous journey across roads frequented by the Islamic State until they arrived at an orphanage on a small coastal town in Eastern Europe.

There they met Ryan, a severely malnourished boy who was 7 years old and weighed a mere 8 pounds.

Priscilla and David didn’t merely rescue Ryan. They adopted him and welcomed him as their child. Priscilla said, “I don’t know how to describe it, but you look at them and you just know . . . . We had decided long ago that if we were going to adopt, it was going to be the kids no one was coming for - kids in Third World countries who are locked away in orphanages.”

And like any good parents would, Priscilla and David didn’t merely welcome Ryan into their home. They slowly, gently, patiently restored him to health. Ryan had a host of medical problems, including cerebral palsy, club feet, scoliosis, and microcephaly. “I had never in my life seen doctors look at a child and burst into tears,” Priscilla says. For months doctors were unsure if he was going to make it.

Surgical procedures helped repair Ryan’s clubbed feet and spinal rod placement helped with his scoliosis. Proper nutrition has taken him out of newborn clothing to a child’s size 5/6. He’s also made significant gains with speech and communication and now has a full range of motion in his hands.

David and Priscilla are hopeful that Ryan will continue to improve and will eventually reach his full potential. But they remind those who ask that “It’s going to be a long process. Seven years of neglect can’t be undone in a day.” [1]

Turn to 1 Peter 4:10

Today we’re talking about our identity as servants

There’s two ways we could talk about the Christian’s responsibility to serve the body.

I could tell you that we have to serve

Commands, threats, etc.

Would certainly be true!

Or I could remind you where we came from, and then gently whisper that serving isn’t something we have to do, but we get to do. It’s a gift of grace upon grace.

In many ways, Ryan’s story is the Christian’s story.

Before meeting Jesus, we weren’t merely sick, we were dead.

God sent His Son on a rescue mission. To live a sinless life and die a sinner’s death in our place.

To rise from death and send His Spirit to breathe new life into our dead hearts.

We weren’t merely rescued from our spiritual death, we were adopted into a family.

When you became a Christian, you weren’t immediately healthy. You were malnourished, malformed, and spiritually broken beyond recognition.

But God slowly and gently fed us. First milk, and then solid food. And as He did, we grew.

Sure we’ve still got problems. But we’re healing.

And to top it all off, we’ve been given an incredible gift!

God has taken our broken, rejected, sin-torn souls and given us gifts to serve.

Don’t think of Christian service as another guilt-inducing duty from a stern God with high expectations. Christian service is a loving invitation from the Father who rescued you, adopted you, and is transforming you to look more like your big brother Jesus.

Christian service is a gift.

1 Peter 4:10-11—As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Three Truths:

1) You've Been Gifted to SERVE

1 Peter 4:10—“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace

He doesn’t start with “serve one another”

He could, but He doesn’t.

He gifts us to serve before He commands us to serve.

Augustine—“grant what you command, and command what you will.” [2]

Notice also that Peter doesn’t say “some have received a gift” or “each might receive a gift” but “each has received a gift.”

Every Christian has received a gift!

What is my gift?

Christianity isn’t like Hogwarts, there was no “sorting hat” that spoke to you and assigned you a gift once you became a Christian.

So how do you know your gift?

1 Peter 4:11a—whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies...

Peter seems to be dividing the gifts into two main categories

Both gifts are serving gifts, but one type of gift serves primarily by speaking, the other by doing

Four main passages that list these gifts: Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, 1 Corinthians 12:28-31, Ephesians 4:7-12

SHOW SPIRITUAL GIFTS CHART

The italicized gifts (prophecy, tongues, miracles, etc.) are gifts that many believe are no longer active among the people of God today.

Whether you agree with that or not, all Christians believe the other gifts remain active today

Let’s consider a few practical applications...

These lists aren’t exhaustive

All of these passages were written by the Apostle Paul, yet no two lists are identical, even when they’re in the same chapter!!

For this reason, these lists are probably not exhaustive, but are representative of the types of gifts God gives His people

The gifts aren’t excuses

Some Christians may be especially gifted in evangelism, but all of us must evangelize as we have opportunity

Giving is easy and exciting to some of you. But all of us must give.

Some of you are fantastic servants. You don’t like the limelight, you just want to be in the background helping. But all of us must serve.

The gifts aren’t mutually exclusive

Peter says we’ve each received “a gift,” but that doesn’t mean we only have one gift

Romans 12:6—Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them...

You might be gifted in multiple ways! That’s great! But it would be good to find where you’re primarily gifted

The gifts aren’t offices

The NT teaches there are two offices in the church: elder and deacon.

An elder should have some speaking gifts, and a deacon should have some serving gifts. But having one of these gifts doesn’t make you an elder or a deacon.

The gifts won’t tell you where to serve

At PBC, there are many places where you can use your gifts...

PBC Kids, Safety Team, Welcome Team, Women’s Ministry, Building & Grounds, Music Team, etc.

What you won’t find in the lists of spiritual gifts is the gift of “nursery!”

Depending on your gift, you might do different things in nursery...

Someone with a gift of teaching will want to teach!

Someone with a gift of administration may want to help with scheduling

Someone with a gift of helping will happily work in the background, changing diapers, picking up toys, etc.

Someone with a gift of tongues interpretation will tell us what the little babies are blabbing on about

Someone with a gift of miracles will help us make sure we never have to work to recruit helpers in nursery again

The point is your gift shouldn’t necessarily dictate where you serve but how you serve

The gifts aren’t your personality

"Spiritual gifts tests”

They’re basically a Christianized version of a personality test

So how do I find out where I’m gifted?

Tom Schreiner—“The best way to discover your gift... is not by taking a test. They didn’t have such instruments in the early church, and people discovered and used their gifts just fine. Rather, if you get involved in the lives of others in your church and love as Jesus commanded, then you will discover your gift. Some might say they still don’t know their gift. But knowing your spiritual gift isn’t as important as exercising your spiritual gift.” [3]

If you’re not faithfully serving now than we won’t have any idea where you’re gifted. So roll up your sleeves and get started somewhere!!!

The gifts are gifts

They are gifts of grace (we didn’t earn them and don’t deserve them!)

Don’t boast because of your gift!

Christian service is a gift.

Growing up as one of eleven kids, my mom always had a hard time keeping the gifts secret until Christmas. Me and my siblings would look at the presents under the tree and feel them, shake them, and sometimes even carefully remove a bit of wrapping paper so we could find out what we were getting before the Big Day.

One year my mom tried to outsmart us by writing different names on the packages. Instead of the names of the Boutot kids the packages would have names like Sparky, Dusty, Chuck, and Frank. She had some sort of system that we never figured out.

But we eventually learned that regardless of whose name was on the gift it was given for somebody else.

Something similar is going on with the gifts in our text. Your name may be on the label, but these gifts aren’t for you.

2) You've Been Gifted for the CHURCH

Christian, your gifts aren’t given as trophies to help your self-esteem. They’re not given as luxuries for your comfort or entertainment. They’re given to you for the church.

1 Peter 4:10—“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace

Over 50 times the New Testament uses a word that’s translated in our English Bibles as “one another”

We are called to show hospitality to one another, confess our sins to one another, provoke one another to love and good works, greet one another honor one another...

Here Peter adds, we must serve one another

Who is the “one another”?

Is it referring to all people everywhere?

Certainly not, since many of these commands don’t apply to relationships with unbelievers

We can’t stir up someone to love and good works who is dead in their trespasses and sins

Is it referring to all Christians everywhere?

This interpretation fails because it effectively empties the commands of any force.

You cannot possibly confess your sins to all Christians everywhere, so you don’t confess your sins to anyone.

You can’t show hospitality to every Christian, so you don’t show hospitality to any Christians.

It is referring to those in your local church...

It’s telling that most of these commands are addressed to local churches

When Paul told the believers in Rome to honor one another (Romans 12:10), he had a specific local church in mind with a specific responsibility.

When he told the Corinthians to wait for one another before they partook communion (1 Corinthians 11:33), he had a specific congregation in mind.

When Peter tells us to use our gifts to serve one another, he’s referring to life in the local church

Let’s consider a few practical applications...

Join a church!

If you’re a Christian who considers PBC your church home, we want you to commit to us through church membership

If you’re not comfortable committing to us, we encourage you to find a place where you can commit

If/when you leave from here, we want you to quickly find a local church where you can commit

Serve regularly!

PBC Covenant—With God’s help we pledge to cheerfully and regularly give of our time, talents, and treasure to support the ministry.

Are you cheerfully and regularly giving of your time, talents, and treasure to serve the church?

Talk about Ministry Fair

Serve with the Church in Mind

1 Corinthians 12:14-20—For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.”

What would happen if one of your legs just decided to stop doing it’s job? It would hurt the rest of your body. It would affect everything else.

So too in the church. If you’re a part of the body, you have a job to do.

You don’t have to serve in the same way as everybody else. PBC member, you have been uniquely gifted by God to serve this body!

Serve in Light of the Gospel

1 Peter 4:10—“...serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace”

Christian, you’re a recipient of grace! First at the cross of Christ, but also in your gifts!

That means you’re not working for approval, you’re working from approval

American Idol—so much pressure during the competition. A single missed note could cost you the competition, but winning could change the course of your life. At the end of the season after the winner had been crowned, he or she would take up the microphone to sing one more time. But this time was different. The winner no longer had anything to prove or to earn. Instead, she could sing with all her heart, delighting in using her gifts to the benefit of others. [4]

"That’s the freedom from anxiety the gospel gives. You have already been chosen and crowned in Christ, so now you can [serve] with all your energy, delighting in whatever gifts God has given you for the benefit of serving others.” [5]

Christian service is a gift.

As important as the church is, even the church is not the ultimate purpose for these gifts. The ultimate purpose is that God Himself would get the glory.

3) You’ve Been Gifted for God’s GLORY.

Perhaps you’re still skeptical. You’re not sure if you’re cut out to serve your church. God isn’t leaving this up to chance, or to your own ability.

God gives us the gift, and the ability to use the gift.

1 Peter 4:11a—whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies...

“Oracles of God” refers to the words God has given His people.

With speaking gifts, our goal is to faithfully speak what God has already spoken.

Are you speaking your own words, or are you faithfully speaking what God has already said?

With doing gifts, God gives us the strength to do what He calls us to do!

Hudson Taylor—“God’s work done in God’s way never lacks God’s supply.”

Have you lowered the level of your service to the level of your comfort? Or are you serving in such a way that you need God’s strength because you can’t do it on your own?

You have been given the ability to use your gift. Are you accessing it?

When we do, God gets the glory...

1 Peter 4:11b—...in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Tom Schreiner—"When those who speak utter God’s words rather than their own and those who serve do so in God’s strength rather than their own, God through Jesus Christ receives the glory. God receives the glory because he is the one who has provided the wisdom and strength for ministry.” [6]

Rear Admiral Grace Hopper of the U.S. Navy once said, "A ship in port is safe, but this is not what ships are built for."

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!

Sure service may be hard. It will take work. It isn’t “safe.” But it’s what you were built for!

Christian service is a gift.

When I first read the story of David and Priscilla Morse and the incredible transformation of their son Ryan, what welled up in my heart wasn’t admiration for Ryan’s resilience. Yes, his recovery has been incredible, but for much of it he’s been a passive recipient.

What overwhelmed me and led me to tears was the love of Ryan’s parents. A rescuing love, an adopting love, a transforming love. A love that took a boy near the brink of death and at great personal sacrifice gifted him with the ability to use his hands for the first time.

So too with you and I, Christian. When you and I are faithful to serve, we’re not the ones who get the glory. It’s the Father. He rescued us, He adopted us, He’s transformed us, and He’s given us gifts to serve.

So let’s roll up our sleeves and get serving, so the world may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Instructions: pray, sing, benediction, stay and learn how you can serve

Take My Life and Let it Be

Benediction (1 Corinthians 15:58)