Sermon Central
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Week Five Service Series
Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Apr 28, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Service In the Spirit, not the flesh.
SERVICE IN THE SPIRIT
I. INTRODUCTION
This lesson addresses a sticky part for many Christians. They are happy to have been delivered from the judgment of Hell and glad that it is free. Being a disciple and serving, however, are quite different things. As stated in the previous lesson, some people believe that only preachers, deacons and teachers are called to serve. Some people want to kick back and wait for the train bound for Glory, while others think they do not have any gifts with which to serve. Others think that pew warming is a spiritual gift. This lesson should clarify much of the misunderstanding about service.
II. SERVICE IS IN THE SPIRIT, NOT THE FLESH
Then he answered and space unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (KJV)
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
The first thing that needs to be understood before one can fully serve the Lord is that the flesh cannot fulfill His will. It is not how powerful or mighty we are. Few of those types are ever saved. (ICorinthians 1:26-29) It is by His Spirit that His work and will is accomplished.
How hard does a branch on a vine work to produce fruit? Not at all! It just remains open to the vine and allows the vine to fill it with what the branch needs to bear fruit. The vine is the one that draws the nutrients out of the earth and passes it on to the branch. The branch need not be attached to the ground to survive and bear fruit. It needs only to remain attached and open to the vine. We also need to remain open to our Vine.
If we remain open to Him and abide in His presence daily through the Spirit, we will see fruit develop that we certainly did not work to achieve. Because it is by and of the Spirit, it will be sweeter fruit that lasts for eternity. Even at times when we are in despair and think we are not producing any fruit, we may actually be producing the greater fruit.
I remember once in college feeling down and doubting that I was growing at all. Then an older student came up to me to let me know he had seen a lot of growth in me in the last month. He told me he just wanted to exhort and encourage me. I was shocked, but happy that I was not as bad off as I thought. I did not see the fruit or feel like I was working for it, but it was there all the same. When we get to a state of consistent openness to God, we can ask what we will and the Father will be glorified.
We received power after the Holy Ghost came upon us at salvation, and because we were ignorant we walked in that power without stress for months or maybe longer. As we learned more about sin and righteousness we became more aware of our own sin. It is then we got into trouble. We thought we had to really struggle, strain and grovel to overcome our sins. When we got into that mode of thought we moved from walking in the Spirit to working in the flesh. We most likely saw our Christian life grow worse and doubted our salvation because sin seemed to be increasing instead of decreasing. That was because we started trying to keep ourselves saved and tried to fight sin in the flesh.
