SAVED TO SERVE: Attention to others 1-29-23

SAVED TO SERVE: Attention to others 1-29-23

 

We are saved to serve.

 

We are trusted servants of God.

 

We are to serve in whatever we do.

 

We are called to serve all of our life.

 

We are called to serve others.

 

I.  OUR FOCUS

 

               A.  Not US

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.””

               Mark 12:30-31 NIV

 

              B.  Others

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

            Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

 

In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you ’love’ your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."

 

A little girl came running into the house to her mother, exclaiming: “Mamma, I love you!”

The mother replied: “I am so glad you love me. I have had a hard day, and I am so tired. If you love me so much, will you wash the dishes for me?”

 

The little girl replied: “I do love you, mother, but not in that way.”

How many there are today who say that they love God, but when Jesus says, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments,” they say in actions, if not in words, “I love you, Lord, but not in that way.”—                             Unknown

 

               C.  God

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

               Mark 12:30 NIV

 

The command to love God and love our neighbor is not new to Jesus. It comes right from Torah. The Pharisees had finessed that fundamental law right out of everyday life, but Jesus not only showed us that we can’t live without it, he took it to the limit when he loved us all the way to giving himself on the cross, and continuing to give us His own life in this sacrament of love.

               W. Pat Cunningham

 

II.  J.O.Y.

 

               A.  Jesus

 

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

             Colossians 3:1-4 NIV

 

“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.”

               Hebrews 3:1 NIV

 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

              Matthew 6:24 NIV

 

              B.  Others

 

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

            Philippians 2:5-11 NIV

 

Loving others involves kindness and sacrifice. In the days when an ice cream cone cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he asked. By now the waitress was growing impatient. “35 cents,” she quickly said. The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

               Davon Huss

 

               C.  You

 

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

           Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

 

III.  PRAYER

 

I heard a story of a ship that was sinking in the middle of a storm, and the captain called out to the crew and said, "Does anyone here know how to pray?"

 

One man stepped forward and said, "Yes sir, I know how to pray."

 

The captain said, "Wonderful, you pray while the rest of us put on life jackets--we're one short."

               Author unknown. Taken from pastorlife.com.

 

Too often our praying is characteristic of the little boy’s prayer I read about. He prayed, "Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.  I’m having a real good time like I am.”

Dale Pilgrim

 

Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, says, "To pray is to change. Prayer is the central avenue God uses to transform us. If we are unwilling to change, we will abandon prayer as a noticeable characteristic of our lives. The closer we come to the heartbeat of God the more we see our need and the more we desire to be conformed to Christ..."

 

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

               1 Timothy 2:1-4 NIV

 

A.  Pray for all people

 

Richard Foster in his book "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home", says that intercession is a way of loving others. Intercessory prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer.

 

"Intercessory prayer is priestly ministry, and one of the most challenging teachings in the New Testament is the universal priesthood of all Christians. As priests, appointed and anointed by God, we have the honour of going before the Most High on behalf of others. This is not optional; it is a sacred obligation - and a precious privilege - of all who take up the yoke of Christ."

               "Prayer: Finding the Hearts True Home." HarperCollins Publishers. 1992 page 191.

 

               B.  Pray for those who impact our lives (“for kings and all those in authority”)

 

The Apostle Paul used the word “urge” (parakaleo) meaning to exhort with urgency. He wrote “first of all” meaning that prayer for those in leadership is of primary importance in the church, a very essential part of public worship.

 

We are to pray for those in leadership positions, Republicans praying for Democrats and Democrats praying for Republicans. The heart of God is not first for Republicans to be praying for more Republicans and Democrats praying for more Democrats. “Many years ago a famous chaplain was asked, ‘Do you pray for the Senators?’ he replied with, ‘No, I look at the Senators, and then pray for our county!”

 

This was really a very good answer for Proverbs 21:1 NIV says,

 

“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.”

               Proverbs 21:1 NIV

 

God’s Word affirms that the decisions of the king are under the Lord’s control. And God moves the king to do as he pleases. As the farmer channels the water where he wants and regulates its flow, so does the Lord with the king. No human ruler then, is supreme. God determines the results of his reign and how long he reigns as the king or in America’s case, governs as president.

 

This is why a vigilant nation will have men like George Washington who prayed, “Bless O Lord the whole race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy Son, Jesus Christ.” Men like Abraham Lincoln who served our nation in its bloodiest war who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go to and my own wisdom… seemed insufficient for the day.”

 

One evening six-year-old Bobby asked his father for a puppy.

 

"Sorry, Bobby," his father said, "not now.

 

But if you will pray real hard for two months, perhaps God will send you a baby brother."

Little Bobby prayed real hard for a month, but nothing happened so he quit praying.

But he was very surprised a month later when a baby boy arrived at their home.

 

As he was looking at the baby beside his mother, his proud daddy pulled back the covers a little to expose another baby. TWINS!

 

His daddy asked, "Aren’t you glad that you prayed for a baby brother?" Little Bobby replied,

"I sure am, but aren’t you glad that I stopped praying when I did?"

 

               C.  Pray for the salvation of others

 

In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.”

               Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 229-230.

 

Prayer Opportunity

 

Pray for the service

Pray for the Holy Spirit

Pray for the empty chair

 

CONCLUSION

 

Our focus should not be us.  Our focus should be J.O.Y.  Prayer focuses on others.

 

Someone wrote, "At a horse-pull in Canada, one horse pulled 9,000 pounds, another pulled 8,000 pounds. Together, we might assume that they could pull 17,000 pounds. However, when harnessed together these mighty steeds pulled 30,000 pounds, over three times what either could pull separately!"

 

Similarly, God's power through His church is greater than the sum of His power in our lives individually. It is important to recognize that this prayer is prayed by people just like you and I.

 

“The power of prayer is not in the one praying but in the One who hears our prayers” 

               Max Lucado

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.