Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Servanthood John 13 10-20-02

Sermon 10-20-02 Servanthood

Do we serve? Do we serve out of obligation? Do we serve out of joy

Luthers quote
A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is also a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.

When I was a kid my mom ran the Christmas pageant
Made all the animals out of paper mache….camel on skateboard
Dad…this is too much

When we serve for the wrong reasons, we are burdened and resentful

Being a Christian does not mean you are a doormat
Not to others, not to the idea of God in your head

One of the questions we should be asking is this:
What is God asking you to do? Anything?
Have you asked the question?
True servanthood begins when we choose to be God’s servants

God has not given to each the same gifts
- you cant fix everything, you don’t have the gifts
- you cant worry about others…others wont be doing exactly what you are doing….they don’t have the gifts

Who was Jesus serving? Others yes, but others because he served God

John 13….washing the feet of the disciples
Not a demeaning thing, an act of selfless love…….

Going thru the motions…..
Coach buck…..you can watch from the sidelines
Are we serving people or are we serving God?

Signs of a godly servant
Servants are joyful

People that have a passion to do their best
What do you do in the face of fear
Serve the Lord and thus serve one another

How do you help people live out their faith in a world like this?
[we used to have the tiger by the tail
Healing from fear thru joyful proclaimation

Servants don’t worry about stuff
- Worried about stuff….mt 6:25-34
-
We want to be on top
We want to be the important person

A servant is thankful for what he has

Today, consider the biblical call to servanthood
- John the Baptist…I must decrease, he must increase
- Paul….Romans 12…honor one another above yourselves
- Paul.. Phil 2… look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
- Jesus …Mt 6…….Pray in the closet
-Do not need to be the center of attention

Are we serving others, or are we serving God?
easy at church to serve people and think you are serving God

When the church asks….we have a need for you to…………..
It is impt to pray about it and respond for the right reasons

Closing
The questions that we must face and listen to are this:
Are we serving others?
Are we serving for our own benefit?
Are we serving God?

When we serve God, we are filled with joy and purpose.
We are doing the right things for the right reasons

Let us be about our fathers business

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