{Prayer}

            A couple of phrases that bother me the most as a parent are, “do I have too?” and “I did it last time, it’s their turn.” So, my wife came up with a brilliant idea in order to resolve this problem. We have a magnet on the front of the dishwasher and on the front door. Whoever’s name is on the magnet, that is one who gets the privilege of doing the dishes and taking the dog out. If you forget to flip the magnet, well, tough luck, you just volunteered yourself to do it again.

            While kids may see this as pure torture and maybe think that Mom and Dad are slave drivers, as parents, we are trying to teach responsibility and the importance of serving in the home. As adults, as parents, we do things we don’t necessarily want to do not because we want to but because we recognize the need. More importantly, we serve because we want to help someone else and show them love. Our motivation behind serving is just as important as the act itself.

            When it comes to serving God, I believe that the motivation behind what you do is more important than what you do. We’ve entered into this 40-day Red Letter Challenge to put Jesus’ words into practice. After all that Jesus has done for us, His serving us, sacrificing for us, giving His life for us … we’re motivated to represent Him well and do what He asks us to do. We don’t serve out of guilt or obligation. We don’t serve gritting our teeth. We serve because we love Jesus and we want to be the greatest followers of Jesus that we can be.

            This challenge has five targets. Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, Going. We’ve already looked at Being and Forgiving. This morning, we focus on serving.

            If you’ve been following along with the challenge, you’ll notice there is a flow to it. When we “be” with Christ, when we spend time with Him, we experience He loves us. We recognize His grace and forgiveness. In response, we’re motivated to put His words into practice. Jesus has done all the hard work. Now you and I have the privilege representing Him through our lives. And we want to serve Jesus because He has served us.

            I believe we all like the idea of serving, but sometimes we just don’t want to. Ever sign up for something and, when the time came, thought, “Why did I sign up for this? What was I thinking?”. But while serving, you’re glad you did it? Serving doesn’t come naturally, but it’s more important than we realize.

            Serving fulfills us in a way that nothing else can. Serving invites us into a life that is bigger than our own. Our purpose flows from our identity, and the Bible tells us that Jesus was a servant. He even said, “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). As believers, we bear God’s image. If He’s a servant, then we are meant to be as well. When we serve, we are not only thanking Jesus for what He has done but we are stepping into our God given identity. Serving others brings us joy because it aligns with our true purpose.

            We see this so clearly in the Gospels when Jesus calls His first disciples. Think about it … Jesus walks up to Peter and Andrew, James and John and says, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19) and without question, they drop everything and follow Him. Notice the promise He makes. Jesus doesn’t just call them to follow Him, He promises to make them into something new. He transforms their identity so they can bring others into the Kingdom.

Serving is essential because it helps us become who we are meant to be. A fish needs to swim, a bird needs to fly, and we as a follower of Jesus needs to serve. Without it, we are living a lie.

            One of the reasons we struggle with serving is our culture. We live in a consumer-driven culture where businesses cater to our every need, Burger King tells us we rule and to “Have it your way.” This consumer mindset has seeped int the church, leading some to approach church and faith as customers rather than contributors. People hop from church to church, never satisfied, because they have the wrong view of what church is supposed to be.

            The church is not a business designed to meet our every preference. It’s a movement of people that have been called to serve! If you’ve been unhappy with the church, maybe it is because you’re missing your role in it. Get plugged in! Start serving! And watch how your perspective changes.

            There’s a well-known story in John 4 where Jesus stops at a well to talk to a Samaritan woman. But there’s a scene in this story that doesn’t get a lot of attention. After the woman goes away, the disciples come back from having grabbed some food for themselves in town. John records the conversation.

            “Meanwhile {Jesus’} disciples urged him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you know nothing about’” (4:31-32).

            The disciples have to be like “How? You haven’t moved since we left you!” and this is exactly what they say in the next verse.

            “Then his disciples said to each other, ‘Could someone have brought him food?’” (4:33). They don’t get it, so Jesus explains.

            “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (4:34).

            While the disciples were more focused on consuming, Jesus was focused on contributing. His substance came from serving others. And since we are made in the image of God, the same is true for us. We find greater fulfillment in giving than in receiving.

            From the beginning, God’s plan was for His people to be His representatives. In Exodus 19, God says to the Israelites … “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (19:4-6).

            God specifically called the Israelites to represent Him to the world. As they would grow, and obey God, He would make them prosper and other nations would see it. And when they did, the Israelites would point all glory back to the God. But if you know the story, you remember how the Israelites completely failed. And when they failed, God sent Jesus to show and model for us what a life in God actually looks like. Where Israel failed, Jesus did not.

            And then, after Jesus ascended into Heaven, one of his disciples, Peter applies the same calling God gave to the Israelites to the church. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

            God calls us His chosen people. Just like the Israelites to be His light in this world.

            Jesus says in Matthew 5. “You are the light of the world. … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (5:14-16). 

            God’s plan has always been to use you. There is no Plan B. We may think using broken, fickle people like us isn’t the best idea, but this is God’s plan, not ours. We represent Him best when we serve well.

            And did you catch the end of that last verse from Matthew 5. Jesus said, that when we serve, people will see our good deeds and glorify God. This means that we can’t save ourselves.

 We don’t serve Jesus to gain salvation. Jesus has already won that for us. But we can help point others to Christ through our actions. … You cannot save yourself, but you can help save someone else.

            Some of you are saying, “Okay, I get it. But I don’t know what to do next. I don’t know what my gifts are. I don’t know where to serve.” If you’re unsure where to serve, start by looking at what you’re passionate about. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that each believer has a spiritual gift. If you don’t know where to start, find people who are serving and join them. If you see a need, gather a group of like-minded people and take action. No one should say, “I don’t know where to serve” or “I’m too old for this.” There is always a way to serve Jesus.

            Serving is not about “do I have to?” or “I did it last time.” It’s not about gritting our teeth and forcing ourselves to do it. Serving is a joyful response to God’s love. Let’s step into our identity and serve like Jesus. Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.