FOUR WORDS: SERVING
Text: Mt. 20:28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
- God has invited us to serve. When we accept that invitation, what happens?
- When you serve…
1. God Shows Up
1) God showed up in
2) God showed up through
3) God shows up through
(cf. 1 Cor. 12:27)
God shows up through demonstration by God’s people serving in and through the church, the body of Christ. Through the church, the
People all over the world are asking, “Where is God?” The answer is, “In you.”
- When you show up to serve, God shows up. You get to experience Him in action. You get to see Him move. And others get to see God’s love, heart, work, and Son’s life demonstrated through you and your service.
2. You Shine The Light
Who is the light of the world? The
The world if filled with people who sit in darkness. They need us to shine the light.
- When we shine the light (serve others),
3. You Live A “Better” Life
The thing that holds us back from serving is not inability, un-availability, or that we don’t know who to contact about serving, or that we lack confidence we can get the job done, or that we don’t believe we can make a difference. The number one issue is
Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed (better) to give than to receive.”
- This doesn’t day that you are better, but the experience is better. You live a better life when you sacrifice in order to serve.
On the balance sheet of life, with the scales of gain and loss, your experience
A better life doesn’t mean more money, comfort, ease, material gain, etc. A better life falls in the realm of the intangibles and life experience itself.
- Jesus said, “If a man will lose his life for my sake, he will find it, but if he saves his life, he’ll surely lose it.” (cf. Mt. 16:25)
- We find and live the true meaning of life in sacrificing for Jesus.
Serving Jesus by serving others is not only the dutiful thing to do, it is the better life living thing to do.
In Hebrews 12:2 we see that guilt didn’t move Jesus, duty didn’t move Jesus, bare obedience to His Father’s will didn’t move Jesus. What was it? Joy.
Jesus experienced more happiness and joy in giving himself away than holding on to His life.
When you are invited to serve God, you’re not just invited to fill a spot, a hole on a team, or do our church a favor – it’s an invitation to find life and experience it in a better way – joy, community, significance, and intimacy with God. It’s an invitation to a better life lived.