Sunday Sermons
The Servant
The Servant
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant” (Mark 10:43).
“The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept. Jesus, however measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you” (The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren p. 257). Jesus equally demonstrated the above truth, He lived it. He left heaven and came to this world as a servant (Luke 19:10; Philippians 2:3-6). In John chapter 13 shortly before He would be scourged and crucified for our sins, we find Jesus girded with a towel washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:4-17).
Warren correctly observes that even when we attempt to talk about serving we often get side-tracked. We want to talk about being servant-leaders, rather than being just plain servants or if we serve and volunteer we often want some sort of special recognition or credit for such service. The religious world is filled with a lot of supposed servants who spend a lot of time jockeying and positioning themselves for position, power and prominence. And such existed in the First Century as well (Matthew 23:5-7; Luke 14:7).
A Servant Makes Themselves Available
“No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:4). To be a servant, I must prioritize my time. So I am going to be careful that I don’t fill up my time with a lot of other pursuits that limit how much I can do for God and others. If I am only willing to serve when it is convenient for me than I am not yet a real servant. Being a servant means giving up the absolute right to control my schedule and allowing God and the needs to others to interpret my plans. This includes the willingness to have my sleep schedule interpreted as well. Consider the life of Jesus. Many of the opportunities that came His way were out of the blue and spur of the moment things.
A Servant Looks For Needs
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). In my life I have found that a lot of needs show up at some very inconvenient times. I cannot have the attitude that I am willing serve only between 9 and 5 Monday thru Friday. The opportunities that we have to help others, share the gospel and so on, will frequently show up outside this time frame (Galatians 6:9). In other words, a servant is willing to be spontaneous and realizes that great opportunities to serve never last long and they can pass quickly and never return. “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it’. When you have it with you” (Proverbs 3:28).
A Servant Maximizes What They Have
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). It is so tempting to wait for perceived better circumstances, to convince ourselves that we can put things off to “one of these days” or “when the time is right” or when I am in “more of a position to help”, or “when I feel more qualified and comfortable”. “Less than perfect service is always better than the best intention” (Warren p. 260). Also avoid the trap of thinking, “If I can’t do it perfectly I won’t do it at all”. The truth of the matter is that you will never find Jesus saying anything even close to that. He understands that we are imperfect and yet commanded us to act (Matthew 7:1-4). I have found that the service that many people really appreciate is far from perfect. For example, heart- felt words, in which you stumble to find the right thing to say often means a lot more than a smooth speech that sounds too smooth.
A Servant Gives All To Every Task
I am struck by a statement in Galatians 6:3. Right in the midst of a section which stresses the importance of bearing one another’s burdens (6:2), Paul says, “For it anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself”. As if the Holy Spirit is warning us against the tendency among human beings to feel that we are above certain tasks. “You will never arrive at the state in life where you are too important to help with menial tasks. God will never exempt you from the mundane. It is a vital part of your character curriculum. It is in these small services that we grow like Christ” (Warren p. 260). In fact, we often find Jesus doing things that other people seek to avoid, such as washing feet, spending time with children, fixing breakfast for others, and serving lepers. Paul had the same attitude, consider Acts 28:3. After a horrific voyage and shipwreck, Paul is found out gathering wood for a fire. He was just as exhausted, cold and hungry as everyone else, but he was doing what was needed at the moment. Of course human history is filled with people who were waiting for the chance to do something big and never got around to accomplishing much. I have found that big opportunities sometimes disguise themselves as mundane tasks. Remember, Jesus said that the person who is faithful in a little thing is the same person who is faithful in much (Luke 16:10).
Servants are Consistent and Finish
“Servants finish their tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, keep their promises, and complete their commitments. They don’t leave a job half-done, and they don’t quit when they get discouraged. Faithfulness has always been a rare quality, “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man” (Proverbs 20:6). Every week, churches and other organizations must improvise because volunteers didn’t prepare, didn’t show up, or didn’t even call to say they weren’t coming” (Warren p. 261). Jesus said of the church in Sardis that He had not found any of their deeds completed (Revelation 2:2). Both Jesus and Paul were into finishing (John 17:4; 2 Timothy 4:7). It is tempting to get side tracked, and I have seen too many believers quit and give up on a good work when it appeared for a while that such a work was not very popular and was not getting much attention.
Servants Keep A Low Profile
“Servants do not promote or call attention to themselves. Self-promotion and servanthood don’t mix” (Warren p. 262). Unfortunately too many people get into religion to be somebody, impress others and find some earthly praise and glory: “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you” (Matthew 6:2). Then He said, “When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (6:3). That is give and do good in such a manner that you just unconsciously act without any thought of recognition. So be grateful for obscurity. I have found that once a person abandons the path of self-promotion and opts rather to simply bring glory to God in whatever they are doing that they become far more effective and better servants. All of us have seen the limelight ruin men and women. “Unfortunately, many leaders today start off as servants but end up as celebrities. They become addicted to attention, unaware that always being in the spotlight blinds you” (Warren p. 263). Remember this, serving to get noticed is manipulation, and it does not impress God.
Servants Don’t Use God or the Church
That is, they don’t use religion to bring praise to themselves (1 Timothy 6:5) So a real servant does not use God to further his or her plans and purposes, rather, they allow God to use them.
Servants Concentrate on Their Own Work
It is so easy to get into the habit of comparing ourselves and competing with others. Unfortunately the First Century church was filled with some people like this as well (Philippians 1:15). Be happy and grateful for good work being done in other places, by other Christians, but avoid any sort of envy. Just focus on doing the best you can were you are. The work you are involved in is important as well (John 21:20-22; Romans 15:20-21).
Servants Think Like a Steward Rather Than a Owner
Servants remember that everything belongs to God (Psalm 24:1) and that they can’t take anything with them into the next life (1 Timothy 6:7). Servants live a pilgrim lifestyle being completely aware that the Lord could come at any time, that they could die at any time and that they don’t actually own anything in the absolute sense.
Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net
