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2013-09-20 - The Serve
The PYRO Mission is summed up in three words: Worship, Repent, and
Serve. Over the last few weeks we have looked at Worship and Repent and
seen how they relate to another word, truth. This week I'll wrap things up
by looking at the word serve.
Jesus met with his twelve disciples on the night of his arrest and he ate
with them. Back in the day, people walked from place to place. They walked
on dusty roads. Without the benefits of cars and air-conditioning they got
sweaty. Their sweaty feet kicked up dust; that dust stuck to their sandaled
feet. Thus, at the beginning of dinner service, it was customary for a servant
to wash the feet of everyone eating so no one was lounging near someone
elses dirty nasty feet. This was a job for the lowest of the servants.
If a servant had servants then that would be the guy who would have wound
up with that job. With no servants around and no one else jumping up to do
it, Jesus did it. HE
WASHED
FEET!? Pardon the pun
but let's pause and let that really soak in for just a minute.
John 1:1 (NASB) - In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (NASB) - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John 13:2-5 (NASB) - During supper, the devil having
already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray
Him, 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, got up from
supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples
feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
In John 1:1 God creates the world. In John 1:14 God enters that world in
the form of his creation. And thirteen chapters later, he washes feet.
GOD GOD ALMIGHTY WORTHY OF ALL OUR WORSHIP -
OUR CREATOR took on flesh and then humbled himself to wash the feet of his
disciples. And to really let it sink in good, Judas the betrayer had his
feet washed by the Lord of the universe. Why would he do that? It makes no
sense but the story continues so let us read on.
John 13:12-17 (NASB) - So when He had washed their feet,
and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them,
Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord;
and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed
your feet, you also ought to wash one anothers feet. For I gave you
an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to
you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater
than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you
do them.
Christians follow Jesus. The term Christian means little Christs. Like it
or not, we follow Jesus and he served others. He washed their feet. Heck
he died for others. Whether you realize it or not, God has called you to
a life of service. Your job then is to find a place to serve and to get busy.
Your service says a lot about what you worship and if you have repented or
not. What you worship and whose ways you follow. I am not sure why commercials
have been grabbing my eye so much but a few weeks ago while watching a football
game a beer commercial caught my eye. Since I cannot show you that commercial
in a newsletter let me paint the picture for you. You can find it on
YouTube if you'd like to see it.
A basketball hits the hoop. The camera pulls back and several men are playing
a hard game of basketball. They are smiling and enjoying the game. They are
all in wheelchairs. One man falls over and picks himself back up. The game
ending shot goes in and then all but one man unstraps himself and stands
up to walk off the court. Then they all go get a beer of course since it
is a beer commercial. Over the scene and manly voice says, "Dedication. Loyalty.
Friendship. The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character."
"The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character." I saw that
commercial during a game Monday night and I got goose bumps. "The choices
we make reveal the true nature of our character."
That is genius. What you do reveals your character. Who you serve reveals
your character and who, or what, you truly worship. The outside reveals the
inside. The actions reveal the heart. Like a tree we are known by the fruit
we bear. If I see a tree I could not tell you if it was an apple tree or
a pear tree or just an oak tree without looking at its fruit. Those mens
willingness to handicap themselves to be a true friend shows what they
worship - love and friendship. And isnt that what Christ did for
us? He strapped himself into a wheelchair called this flesh and rode around
for 33 years in it living with all its limitations.
And he went further and still served more.
I can only add two more things to this. "Dedication. Loyalty. Friendship.
Love. Service. The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character."
1 Peter 1:13 (NCV) - So prepare your minds for service
and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that
will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you.
Hebrews 12:28-29 (NASB) - Therefore, since we receive
a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may
offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is
a consuming fire.
When we understand what God did and why he had to, we repent. We accept the
gift of forgiveness and the gift of having our sins removed. We accept the
gift of eternal life. We get the gift of a do-over. Oh how I love the gift
of a do-over. Have you ever desperately needed a do-over? Would you have
been grateful for it? It is that gratitude for what God has done that leads
us to service with respect and awe (also known as worship). Did you catch
all that? Worship, repent, serve that's the gospel in 3 words. That's
our lives in 3 words. It's powerful stuff if youre hearing me.
Romans 12:1-13 (NKJV)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given
to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one
a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one
body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according
to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy
in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it
in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who
exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with
diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor
what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate
to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the
Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing
steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the
saints, given to hospitality.
Verse by verse lets analyze this and see how we can break it down.
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Verse 1 give yourself to God, or simply put, serve.
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Verse 2 go God's way not your way. That means repent.
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Verse 3 recognize you are just a part of Gods whole body. Recognizing
he is in control is worship.
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Verses 3-9 serve together. That means we have to love god, love coworkers,
and love those we are serving.
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Verses 9-11 A list of things to do to live Gods way. Again when
we live his way not ours that is repentance.
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Verse 11 serve the Lord.
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Verse 12 rejoice in worship and repent by living God's way.
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Verse 13 serve others.
That Paul must've thought worship, repent, and serve was important stuff.
I believe he is right.
Is your love on fire for God? Or are you cold as ice when it comes to loving
God? How about loving others? Will you commit? Will you serve? Will you join
me? We can turn our schools and communities upside down if we surrender to
God. Recognize that God is God. He is worthy of our worship. Repent
decide to live life Gods way. Surrender your life to him. Commit to
follow him in a life of service.
IHFHBOH
Adam
acdum@hotmail.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org
Author's note: This is based on a sermon preached
to the Luthersville Baptist Church youth group on 9/11/2013. This is Part
Four, the conclusion, of a series based on three keys to the youth group's
mission: Worship, Repent, and Serve.
All scripture references from KJV unless otherwise noted
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