Sermon Central
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In His Service
Contributed by Jim Twamley on Apr 2, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: I don’t know about you, but when I die, I want to be able to stand in the presence of Jesus and look back over my life and see that it counted for something.
IN HIS SERVICE
When you die, what do you want your tombstone to say?
Do you want it to say, “He died with the most toys?”
Do you want it to say, “She had a street named after her?”
Do you want it to say, “She came to church every week?”
Do you want it to say, “He accomplished much in his life?”
Do you want it to say, “He was a great hunter?”
Do you want it to say, “She was a great cook.”
Do you want it to say, “He died rich”
Or do you want it to say, “I told you I was sick.”
A lawyer’s widow was cleaning out the attic and found two bags of money directly over the bed where the lawyer passed away. She was heard to exclaim, “Oh my, he was trying to take it with him, only he should have put it in the basement.”
I don’t know about you, but when I die, I want to be able to stand in the presence of Jesus and look back over my life and see that it counted for something.
I want to have a life of significance.
I want to be able to look back and see that my life made a difference in the lives of other people.
Listen, if you want to be happy, satisfied and fulfilled in this life, you’ve got to pour yourself into the lives of others.
Pour yourself into the lives of God’s people and I guarantee you this, you will be significant.
All the monuments, trophies and achievements of this world are nothing in comparison with the reward of being significant in God’s Kingdom.
You want to be great in God’s Kingdom? Then learn to be a servant.
LEARN TO BE A SERVANT
Look, some of you have been couch potato Christians far too long.
You’re on the bench, on the sidelines, out of the game.
You know as much about the Bible as I do, yet week after week you get fat on the Word of God and then waddle out the front doors until it’s time to come back and eat again.
I don’t know if it’s because of lack of discipline, lack of motivation, selfishness, lack of direction or what, but this I do know, YOU’LL NEVER BE CONTENT UNTIL YOU BECOME SIGNIFICANT in God’s Kingdom.
You want a cure for depression? Go in the Name of Jesus and help other people.
You want to be happy? Go Name of Jesus and help other people.
You want to have meaning in your life? Go Name of Jesus and help other people.
BE SIGNIFICANT – GET INTO HIS SERVICE!
In our Bible reading this week we’ve been reading about Joseph.
(How many of you kept up with our Bible reading program this week?)
You read the true account of how Joseph was a model of service.
Wherever he went, he served and he was blessed in his service.
The Bible doesn’t say this explicitly, but you can read between the lines and see the footprints of the Devil in Joseph’s life. The Devil knew that Joseph was anointed by God and he did everything in his power to destroy him.
Joseph’s brothers began to hate him and thought about killing him until the oldest brother Ruben stepped in to save him. Instead of killing him, they sold him into slavery. Their own brother. But what the Devil and the brothers meant for evil, God meant for good. Joseph began to serve in Potipher’s house and there the Lord blessed his service.
The Devil again came against Joseph and through the lust of Potipher’s wife he was accused of rape and thrown into jail. But what the Devil and Potipher’s wife meant for evil, God meant for good. Soon Joseph was elevated to the chief prison administrator under the warden and there the Lord blessed his service.
He interpreted the dreams of his cell-mates the Pharo’s baker and cupbearer and eventually he was called before Pharo to interpret his dream and he was appointed the second in command in Egypt. Why? Because he was anointed by God and God blessed his service.
Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully.
48 Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
49 Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
