BE A SERVANT

Luke 9:23

In the past few weeks I have asked you to “stop being a Christian” and instead “be a follower of Jesus.”

  • Today, being labeled a “Christian” doesn’t mean much.
  • It is not that the word “Christian” is a bad word…it has just become an empty word.
  • Today you can do anything, be anything, say anything, think anything and still be a “Christian.”
  • In fact, today you can be a “Christian” without actually following Jesus.

Jesus never called anyone to be a “Christian” and He never told anyone to “accept Him into their heart.”

  • But He did invite everyone to follow Him.

You know, the word “Christian” only appears 3 times in the New Testament and to my knowledge Jesus never used the word.

  • But there is a word that He did use…we find the word “disciple” which means “follower” 256 times in the New Testament.
  • So, instead of more people becoming “Christians” Jesus wants more people to become “followers” or disciples.
  • Jesus wants people who will “die to self, take up their cross, and follow Him” but understand this… that when you follow Him you will become more like Him.

In fact, remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:40: "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

Now, “Is that what you really want? Do you really want to be like Jesus?

  • Do you really want to be like Jesus because becoming like Jesus will require you to redefine…to re-shape yourself?

Look at what Jesus says in Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”

  • Do you see what “followers” of Jesus do? People who want to be like Jesus serve.

Wow! You talk about something that contradicts popular thinking today!

  • Popular thinking today doesn’t ask, “What can I do for you?” Popular thinking today asks, “What can you do for me?”

Bruce and Eleanor Billings: New Hampshire, collection, they don’t come to church to give you something, they come for you to give them something.

Today it seems that we have a generation that will work…but don’t expect them to do anything outside of their job description.

  • And if you check with most non-profit organizations it is extremely difficult for them to find volunteers. (No girls summer softball because no one would volunteer to coach).
  • Everyday the prevailing current takes us in the direction of self.

And let me ask you this: What word did the Oxford English Dictionary choose as “Word of the Year” for 2013?

  • It is a word that increased in use 17,000%.
  • It was a unanimous choice.
  • Do you know what word it was? “Selfie.”

Do you know what a “selfie” is?

  • What it is, is you can take your smart phone and you can take a picture of yourself so the world can see you.

And let me tell you what a lot of people who call themselves “Christians” do, perhaps even some of us.

  • Many who call themselves Christians don’t pick a church to serve.
  • Instead they do just the opposite…they pick a church because they think it will be a good place to be served (In other words, they want their needs met but don’t ask them to do anything.)

.

And do you know what a lot of us preachers do.

  • We drive ourselves crazy trying to keep self-seeking, self-serving people happy so they don’t take their membership to the group down the road where they can get better served.

Now, it is not wrong to go to a church where your needs are met.

  • But it is wrong when the church condones rather than confronts the “It is all about me” thinking that has infected our culture.
  • If people are going to follow Jesus…if you and I are going to be like Jesus we need to lose the “me” in membership.
  • Because if we are going to do church the way Jesus taught it…if we are going to do life the way Jesus lived it, it is not all about “me.”

For example, in Mark 9, Jesus and His disciples came to Capernaum and when He was in the house He asked them, “What were you discussing on the road?”

  • But they kept silent because they were discussing which one of them was the greatest.

And sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

  • Jesus didn’t say it was wrong to do something great and noble in your life.
  • What He is saying is, “It is wrong to want to be great the way the world recognizes greatness.”
  • The world recognizes greatness as being on top.
  • But Jesus says in the kingdom of God greatness is at the bottom.
  • Greatness comes by being a servant of all.
  • Here His disciples are, He tells them to be a servant and the “self” virus is so strong that after three years in training with Jesus they still show symptoms of self to the very end.

Look at this in Luke 22. It is the last supper. It is the last meal before Jesus is going to the cross…and His disciples are still arguing about self-importance.

  • And watch how Jesus responds. Look at John 13 starting in vs. 1:

Jesus knows it is time for Him to leave this world and go to the Father.

  • Now think about this. If ever there was a time or moment in anybody’s life where they could legitimately focus more on what they are about to go through and what they might want…this is it.

Vs. 2: The meal is in progress and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus.

  • And if ever there was a time or a moment when anybody could legitimately have the right to hate…this is it.

Vs. 3: And then it says that “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God”…if ever there was a moment in history when a man had the right to be proud, this was it.

But look what Jesus does. Jesus got up from the meal, took off His outer garment, and wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin…and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.

  • Instead of grasping for position which He could legitimately claim, He grabbed a towel.

So, I am going to ask you again, “Do you really want to be like Jesus?”

Listen, there are many job descriptions in the kingdom of God…but there is only one title and that is “servant.”

  • And you may not have realized it but when you were baptized into Christ…when you said you would “follow” Jesus you committed to full-time, 24 hour service.
  • You basically redefined yourself…and the servant cap never comes off.

And it is a cap that you wear when nobody notices and when nobody applauds and nobody says, “Thank You.”

  • Because you understand that service is your responsibility.

You see, following Jesus is more than just the absence of bad-ness.

  • It is the presence of active goodness.
  • In other words, when Jesus called you and said, “Follow Me” He wasn’t saying, “Stop this, and stop that, and stop that.”
  • He was calling you to “do this, and do this, and do this.”
  • It is not just what He called you away from, it is what He called you into.
  • You are not just saved from, you are saved for.

In fact, look at this verse: Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

  • One of the core beliefs of those who are followers of Christ is that we don’t think ministry and service is for a special class of people.
  • We think service is for every single person who is enrolled in the “follow Jesus” class.

We are all priests (1 Peter 2:9).

  • We have all been filled with the very same Holy Spirit and therefore gifted to serve.
  • Perhaps not all in the same way because 1 Cor. 12 tells us that there are different kinds of service.
  • But 1 Peter 4:10 says that we are to use whatever gift we have received to serve others.

When I was a young man I played sports…but that doesn’t mean that I got into a lot of games.

  • I wasn’t very good so I got the uniform but I watched the other boys play a lot.

Here is the cool thing about Jesus’ team: Every body plays!

  • When Jesus gave you a jersey it was never His intention that you would sit in the stands and watch other people play the game.
  • And another thing about Jesus’ game. You win when you help somebody else score!

So you have this basin of water. And you are either going to do life washing your hands like Pilate saying, “Do with Jesus what you like!”

  • Or you will grab a towel and serve like Jesus.
  • And for some people that is a downer…an embarrassment.
  • But for “followers of Christ”, we think it is the way we lift up Jesus because we understand that serving is a priority.

Why did Jesus wash their feet? What deep, mystical, profound, theological motivation was He illustrating? Why did He wash their feet?

  • Because they were dirty.
  • And when you are a servant and you see a need you respond.
  • And that is what Jesus sends us into the world to do.
  • He did not send us into the world to force our values and faith on the world.
  • We are not going to change anything or anyone from demanding them to serve us.
  • We change people and things by serving them.

We live in a day and age where people are skeptical of faith, particularly Christian faith.

  • And the reason they are is like I said in the very beginning, people have seen so many “Christians” that look nothing like Jesus that they are skeptical of the whole thing.
  • And so our proclamation of Christ cannot be primarily verbal. We can’t just tell people that we are “Christians.”
  • What we must do is show them and here is why.

There is no effective rebuttal of service. When you serve others like Christ wants you to, they cannot criticize or argue against you.

  • Here is what the Holy Spirit through the servant Peter says:

1 Peter 2:15-16 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

  • The greatest proof, the greatest argument against skepticism, is to live as servants of God because there is no effective rebuttal to service.

So, I ask you again, do you really want to be like Jesus?

  • If you do then get rid of the “me” in member…and keep the “low” in follow.
  • Because if you are going to follow Jesus you are going to have to serve.

The widow lady next door can’t mow her yard…be a servant.

  • The older couple that lives 5 miles out of town can’t drive but needs groceries…be a servant.
  • A family down the street has a child with special needs and you know his parents are exhausted…and you know if you take care of him for one day you will be exhausted…be a servant.
  • Your kids are grown and you find out that there is a need for someone to teach the children’s Bible class…and you have done your time and no one would blame you if you just kicked back and took it easy…be a servant.
  • That kid at school that is awkward and most of the other kids don’t like him…but he needs help with his homework…be a servant.
  • And your mom gets home with a car full of groceries…and she has worked all day…and even though you are watching your favorite TV program…be a servant.

You know, it is not always convenient to be a servant of Christ…but it is worth it…because at the end of the path you will hear these words, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

You know, I am often asked, “Preacher, where is your church?” Well, first of all it is not my church…it is the Lord’s church.

  • Where is the Lord’s church? Well, we meet here a couple of hours a week.
  • But the rest of the time the Lord’s church is in school classrooms, in garages, in business offices, in courtrooms, in parks, and nurseries, and hospital rooms…serving others.