Loving & Serving One Another
5-5-02
Intro:
Text: Gal. 5:13 (Ampl)
“For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness] but through love you should serve one another.”
1. Like no other generation we enjoy a great variety of choices in life.
a. If I want ICE CREAM I must decide whether to go to Brahums, Baskin & Robbins, Dairy Queen, or Andy’s.
Once I choose the place, I have to decided if want Malt, Banana Split, Sunday, Concrete, and/or Turtle.
(All kinds of choices –lots of freedom to choose)
b. What am I going to do with my time?
I’ve got the same 24 hours/day as everybody else.
I’ve got lots & lots of choices—lots of freedom to choose.
Our particular form of Government gives us that.
The Prosperity we enjoy gives us that.
And in keeping with our text, the Covenant of Grace gives us that.
c. We are not under the Law of Moses with its complex system of regulations.
We are not boxed in with hundreds of “do’s and don’t” under a Legalistic Religious System.
We are not Muslims trying to appease an angry god with specific duties of prayer, fasting & almsgiving.
We do not have to make pilgrimages to Mecca as part of salvation.
d. In Christ we are freely given favor with God.
In the New Covenant we enjoy liberty and freedom of choice.
2. But Freedom carries with it Responsibility. Amen?
a. That’s what Paul is saying to us in our text—
“Don’t let your freedom become an excuse for selfishness.”
b. There is the temptation we all face,
To arrange our time & our lives around ourselves and our own pleasure— to leave no time, no margin, no opening for serving others.
c. In contrast to a selfish life-style what does Paul tell us to do? “…through love you should serve one another…”
3. This morning I want to share with you
3 Quotes from those who Do Not Serve Others.
3 Quotes from those who Choose to Serve Others.
I. Three Quotes from those who Choose Not to Serve Others.
1. “There’s a Lion in the Way.”
“I would do it if it weren’t for all those difficulties & Obstacles.”
a. That sounds reasonable; except that is it is usually not convenient and not easy to help other people.
That’s why in the story of the Good Samaritan the priest and the Levite walked right passed the need that was before them. It was simply easier to ignore the need, perhaps hope someone else would take care of it, maybe even say a little prayer for the guy, rather than stop & help him.
Prov. 26:13 “The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the streets.”
So we’ll call this first character “Lazy Lawerence”
b. Lawerence always focuses on the obstacles-the difficulty of the task. And because the difficulty is so great, he just cannot do it.
a. His version of Gal. 5:13 is “…through love serve one another if it’s NOT TOO hard.”
b. How many know, Nehemiah encountered some obstacles while trying to build the city walls for people of Jerusalem?
How many know Goliath was an obstacle for David to face?
There are always obstacles. But obstacles should not be our focus.
The Goal is the glory of God-the goal is to please God- to serve others.
Can you imagine a Quarterback telling his coach, “ I can’t run this play, I can’t take this ball through that goal line- look at all those mean linebackers in the way, if they weren’t there I would-but I’m sorry I just can’t help you.”
c. Eccl. 11:4 “He who observes the wind will not sow and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”
Conditions are never just right to do the right thing.
There’s always a cloud in the sky that might become a storm— if we let that stop us then we’re stopped.
d. During the first couple of years I was in Springfield we were building this building. There was a lot of work to do and I would watch the weather to see if we could do it. The weatherman would predict rain so I would call off the work day—Then it wouldn’t rain. The next time they were predicting sunshine so I got everybody together and instead of sunshine we had a torrential rain and had to stop working. We weren’t getting the job done. I finally stopped watching the weather and we would simple work until we couldn’t work. That’s how this building got built.
There’s always a lion in the way.
There’s always the possibility of a storm.
There are always obstacles and a Reason not to serve others.
Another Quote by those who do not serve others
2. “I Plan to Do that Later.”
a. In Matt. 21:28-31 Jesus gave the story of a man who had two sons. He asked both of them “Son, go, work today in my vineyard.”
How many remember that story?
One said “OK, Dad, I’m happy to help—I’ll do it.” But he never got around to it. We’ll call him Procrastination Pete.
The other son said he wouldn’t go but later repented and did what his father asked him to do. Then Jesus asked a simple question.
“Which one did the will of his father?”
Obviously, the one who actually did it.
Notice first the instruction the father gave his sons: “Son, go work..
Didn’t tell him to take it easy.
Didn’t tell him to go play.
Didn’t tell him to go shopping.
We usually don’t have to be told to do those things.
But Bible tells us often to work—to be responsible—to serve others.
When was he to do it? “…today…” Why today?
Because tomorrow just never seems to get there.
Because the only time we really have to work & serve others is today.
b. Let’s talk about this son, “Procrastination Pete”.
He probably planned to serve someday.
Other things just kind of kept pushing it out.
I wonder what was going on in his mind.
I wonder if because he said he would go & work that somehow it kind of seemed like he had actually done it.
I think that if we had confronted this young man about his disobedience, he might have been shocked.
“I’m going to help. I plan to help. I said I would help.”
Good Intentions alone did not constitute obedience to his father.
c. There is the Danger that we can hear about serving others,think about serving others ,talk about serving others,
and because all that has happened convince ourselves that we are serving others.
That’s why James tells us in his epistle, “But be doers of the word,and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
I’m afraid that is what the young man in Jesus’ story may have done.
One other Quote—one other reason for not serving others-perhaps the most common and most compelling:
3. “I am really, really Busy!”
Well, of course, you are. Everybody is busy doing something.
We all only have 24 hours in each day—and those hours after all do get filled with something.
a. Another story by Jesus – Luke 14
A man prepared a great feast and invited his friends to join him.
Everyone had a great reason not to be there.
Everyone had a plausible excuse.
-- One had bought some real estate and needed to check it out.
-- Another had bought 5 yoke of oxen—needed to test-drive them.
-- One had just gotten married and couldn’t come.
They were all very, very busy people doing something.
But the Point of the story was their excuses didn’t matter, what mattered was the choice not to come.
b. Everybody has an excuse not to serve others—even those who choose to serve anyway.
Yesterday a good group of people was here at the church working I am certain that every one of them could have given a reason not to be here serving —but they chose to serve us. We appreciate them for making that kind of choice.
Am I saying there is never a good reason not to serve others in a particular way—No, I’m not saying that.
But I’m saying it’s really a matter of choice—not excuse.
c. Busy Barbara as a practical matter might translate our text:
“…through love serve one another if you’re not busy with your own stuff.”
The command is unqualified. We do not want to substitute excellent excuses for obedience. Amen?
d. Making time to serve others is a matter of PRIORITIES!
Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
What “things” was He referring to?
The things we want—the things we may even need.
When serving others is a priority we will find the time to do it.
When serving is not a priority there will never be time to do it.
Those are issues we all struggle with.
Jeanie was sharing with me an experience she had with this matter and I’m going to ask her to come and share that with you.
(Jeanie’s testimony)
Now let’s talk about some good
II. Reasons to do what Gal. 5:13 tells us to do.
(Quotes from those who do serve others)
1. “Love compels me to do it”
a. That is essentially what Paul said in II Cor. 5:14-15
“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”
Paul’s motives, Paul’s purpose in life had been changed by his relationship with Christ.
A revelation of Christ’s love for him had revolutionized his thinking.
b. That’s true conversion.
Jesus died so our sins could be forgiven. But it doesn’t stop there.
This great salvation is to transform us from a hellish selfish creature to a heavenly creature of love.
If all Christianity does is to make us religious selfish people rather than secular selfish people,it has utterly failed in its purpose.
c. “Oh God, pull my selfish heart out by the roots and fill me with Your love for Your people.” That’s my prayer.
When we survey the wonders of the cross,
When we remember the sacrifice He made for us,
When we think about His love for us,
It makes us want to do something to please Him. And His word to us is
“In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren you have done it unto Me.”
2nd great Quote from those who serve others. Deut. 33:25
“As my day is, so shall my strength be.”
God supplies strength to those who use it for His glory and for His purposes.
a. There was a man in Moses’ day named Caleb-what a man he was!
He was one of the 12 spies who went into Canaan to check out the land.
Only he and Joshua came back with a good report, an expectation that God would do what He said He would do.
What a disappointment this man must have felt when his generation did not enter into the promise land. They were simply not willing to pay the price.
But Caleb stayed true to God and after 40 years he did enter in with the next generation.
After he got there he asked Joshua for authority to take Hebron away from the giants and take as his inheritance.
His desire for God’s purposes had not weakened over all those years.
Here is the amazing thing about Caleb,
At 85 years old his body was just as strong as it was when he was 40.
Why? Because God had a purpose for Caleb. And Caleb was committed to that purpose.
b. We want God to give us health & strength & prosperity— and I think I hear God asking: “What for?”
Is it so we can consume it upon ourselves?
James says that kind of praying is “Asking Amiss—asking God for things so we can just use it for our own pleasure.”
Caleb wanted the strength so he could do the job God had given him to do.
There is a power in that; there is an authority in that.
God has told us to serve one another, when we do that there is strength supplied by the Holy Spirit.
When we simply do our own thing—no matter how good our excuses may sound—we really have not right to expect God to finance that or to empower it.
c. I have found that divine enablement usually follows (not precedes) commitment to do the will of the Father.
There seems to be a proper order of things:
--- God tells us what He wants us to do (Serve Others).
--- We commit ourselves to do it and step out in obedience.
--- He supplies the grace needed.
3rd Quote from those who serve:
“I will reap bountifully if I sow bountifully.”
2 Cor 9:6-11“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9As it is written:
"He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever."
10Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”
a. Context of that verse is financial giving.
Selfishness in the management of our finances will dry up the resource.
Liberality out of a pure heart will bring multiplication.
The principle is the same when it comes to giving our time for others.
The most precious thing we have to give is our time.
There is only so much of it each day and every one of us only has so many days.
b. In Matt. 9:37 Jesus said there is a plentiful harvest waiting for you and
me—all kinds of opportunities to serve and be fruitful.
The limitation is this: Labor! “…the laborers are few..”
He didn’t say the professors are few. Didn’t say attendees are few.
He said the laborers are few.
That is amazing when we consider the blessing that awaits those who serve.
I want to be one of those laborers.
We want to hear our Lord say to us some day, “Well done, good & faithful servant…”
Amen?
Would you stand with me for prayer?
“Lord, strip us of superficial excuses and empower us to do what
You have told us to do in Gal. 5:13.
We thank you for the wonderful liberty we enjoy in this covenant of grace—we now choose to use that liberty as an occasion to love & serve one another.
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
