Getting Our Hands Dirty

Opening:

Well Good morning everyone! It is so nice to see everyone here this morning!

This morning, the title of the sermon is “Getting our hands dirty for Jesus”. Today, we are reminding ourselves that in the end, the best expression of our faith is by reaching out in love and service to the world around us. Truly, to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to a world that is in need of His grace and mercy can be a messy endeavor for sure.

I have had a lot of different jobs in my lifetime. Jobs from working in fast food restaurant when I was in high school, to a construction worker while in college, then working on hydro generators shortly after college to being a computer salesman, to an insurance adjuster, to a crisis worker and now to a pastor.

Each of the jobs that I have worked, presented me with different challenges. Each of them had their pros and cons if you will. One of the challenging and dirty jobs that I worked was working asphalt construction. I worked on the grading crew during the week and worked occasionally with the seal crew. While on the grading crew we would tear out the old parking lot or driveway and would prepare the area for blacktop to be installed. It was our job to make sure that all the old chunks of asphalt were disposed of all the grading was proper in order for the blacktop to be installed. This was a dirty job and often times my hands were so tough because I was throwing around chunks of asphalt all the time. Then while on the seal team, I worked on prep team which was responsible to clean the surface. So we would use blowers and steel metal brooms to get the caked on dirt off the ground. Then with the blowers it would clean the surface while in the process get you fill of dirt.

While not all the jobs that I have done in my life have been dirty jobs, some of them were and I needed to be willing to get dirty in order for the job to get done. I believe God is looking for people that He can count on to get their hands dirty once in and awhile. To be a follower of Jesus Christ means that you are one of the few who are willing to take on the dirty job of being a disciple in a broken world. To love people in the middle of their mess, and to extend care and concern to those who are hurting, means that we are going to have to roll up our sleeves.

This message today is not a challenge that we can take in and just walk away from without responding in some kind of meaningful way. This morning, I am calling our church into action and I pray that many would answer this call to further God’s kingdom.

I. In Jesus Footsteps

A. Example

a. We are called to walk in Jesus footsteps. It’s not like God has this expectation for us and doesn’t give us the blueprint or map to follow.

b. In fact, Jesus came to earth to not only save us from our sin, but also to show us how to live.

c. He came to show us how to roll up our sleeves.

d. There are many reasons people can point to as to why Jesus came to earth.

e. You could point to the need for a perfect sacrifice.

f. You could point to the people who received healing from Him.

g. You could point to the messages of hope He preached. However, I believe the clearest reason we are given for His presence was from His own mouth.

B. Called to serve

a. If you have your bibles, please turn with me to Matthew 20:28 NKJV 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

b. Jesus is speaking to His disciples here and explaining that the goal of this life is not to be on top.

c. The point is not to be the most famous or the most powerful person.

d. Instead, serving others should be our ultimate goal.

e. Jesus demonstrates this by leaving His heavenly home and giving Himself sacrificially on the cross. The one person who could have demanded to be served, did not. Instead, He served others.

C. Conversation

a. Not long after Jesus has this conversation with the disciples, He is sitting with them just hours before He would be arrested, put on trial, and crucified.

b. They had gathered to celebrate the Passover festival, which is the remembrance of the blood from the sacrificial lamb back when the Israelite people were in Egypt.