Sermon Central
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Paving The Way - A Life Of Service Series
Contributed by Scott Kircher on Apr 10, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Being a servant is not always what people think of as the path to greatness is concerned. Many think that having servants would better signify a great life. But Jesus tells us that whoever wants to be great will be a servant. What does the Bible say in
Paving the Way – A Life of Service
Why should I serve?
I find greatness and fulfillment in service because
God Saved me to Serve
God Gifted me to Serve
God is Glorified when I Serve
God Blesses me when I Serve
Slide
Welcome.
If you are visiting with us today we are glad you are here. We are in the midst of a series called Paving the Way and we focusing on how we can be the church that God wants us to be.
Last week we talked about Stewardship and Sacrifice. We have some things that need to be done to our site and we saw how it would take all of us who call Hickory Creek their home to take steps of sacrifice to accomplish the things we believe the Lord is leading us to do.
Examples
After last week’s message, I talked to a few people about creative ways they thought of in being able to sacrifice so they could have more to give to this Paving the Way campaign.
One couple was going to be selling a car they had and going to one car instead of 2.
Another family was using some of the resources saved through the use of coupons toward the campaign.
If you have a come up with a creative way in your own family, share it with us so we might be able to help others think outside the box as well.
Introduction
For this week, I want to start out with a question.
Who wants to experience a great and fulfilled life?
Everyone does. Well that was easy.
Here is a tougher question.
How do you experience a great and fulfilled life?
People are continually searching for the good life.
We look for it everywhere.
Through accumulating pictures of dead presidents - cash
Through racking up relationships with the opposite sex - Sex
Through becoming the next American Idol - Fame
Through acquiring control of others – Power
Through having no responsibilities with our time or money
At retirement, many people are thinking that if I no longer have to serve “the man,” then I can find the good life with all of my free time.
Often, people find that they have worked and served all of their life to get to this point and it is not what they expected.
They have no sense of fulfillment. They find that while they may have some enjoyment some of the time, they do not sense that the things they are doing are fulfilling. That is why you see people past retirement age, when they could have free time, going back to work. They are continuing to look for that fulfillment that they thought they would find with their free time.
Well, we are not the only ones who want a great and fulfilled life. Some of the apostles did too.
Turn with me to
Slide
We are going to see that James and John wanted this and they wanted to be exalted and sit at the right and the left of Jesus.
But listen to what Jesus says to the Apostles about becoming truly great.
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
38 "You don’t know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
39 "We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Pray
Ok, so Jesus tells the apostles that
if you want to experience real fulfillment,
if you truly want to experience greatness.
then become a servant.
Doesn’t that seem counter intuitive? If you want to experience greatness, don’t we want to have servants, not become a servant? This seems so wrong. At least the world tells us that it is wrong.
