Sermon: Life-Changing Decisions (Luke 9:18-27): Tim Lewis

[This sermon was preached on November 18, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Tim Lewis]

Jesus is the Life-Changing Decision
Luke 9:  18-27

Introduction

Do you remember a life-changing decision? Looking back, small decisions ended up being big ones. I was mid-way through my junior year in college and leading the very small singles group at our church. One night one gal told us that she had decided not to apply as a short-term missionary to Japan. And Debby Huey turned and said, “Tim, maybe you should I apply.” I shrugged my shoulders and said, “OK, I’ll give it a try.” That shrug of my shoulders started me down a life-changing path that led me, not to Japan, but to the Philippines, to my first time living away from home at 19, to ministry and to my wife, Helen and to, well, today.

There was a period where I could have changed my mind. I really didn’t have any idea what I was getting into. I barely knew where the Philippines was, or what life was like there (“Do they have electricity?” I asked one guy), or have any idea what missionaries do. I was leaving college right in the middle of college, after my junior year. I could have gone back. For a while, it was just excitement and paperwork and interviews, but no real commitment. But then I bought my ticket. And I sold my car.  I was all in.

There were times when I was really homesick. I wondered if I’d done the right thing. One of my supporters, Jan Cox, asked me what I missed from home and I reported a deep longing for Oreo cookies. It cost so much to ship Oreos to Tuguegarao in northern Philippines, which she had to ship it by slow mail. 30 days later I received her package of Oreo crumbs. So delicious.

Is This The Right One?

There is a point when a decision crystallizes into something real. It is your name signed on the mortgage document. It is your “I do” at the marriage altar. It is your credit card on the big ticket purchase. They even have a term for that, right? Buyer’s remorse: the terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach as the full emotional weight of your commitment comes home. There is doubt. There is uncertainty.

And for good reason. First, because you might fail. Sometimes it is easy to promise big but deliver small. Ningas kugon. Flash in the pan. There can be a tremendous amount of energy required to maintain our commitments. We grow tired. We get distracted.

And the person or thing to which we have committed might fail us. The house value declines. The spouse forsakes. The washing machine breaks down right after the warranty expires. We fail. They fail.

There is no place where this is truer than in spiritual things. Oh, we pretend that it is not serious, that we’re just checking it out--sort of like spiritual dating. But we never get serious. And I understand that: it is an important decision. Making the wrong choice, or making no choice, can have serious repercussions. Aim wrong here and you could be aiming wrong forever.

So how do you know if Jesus or someone else is the right one? What’s the catch? Is being a Christian going to make me all weird, or stuck up, or Republican?

God Says:

Those are reasonable questions; questions that Jesus gave straight answers to. Let’s take a look. We’ve been working our way, bit by bit through the 3rd of the 4 biographies of Jesus found in the Bible—the one written by Luke, a doctor and early church historian. By chapter 9, Luke records a period when Jesus has been traveling around northern Israel preaching the ‘good news’ and doing some pretty incredible miracles. About half way through the chapter, in verse 18, here’s what it says:

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” <page down> ²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” ²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

Most of you probably grew up thinking Christ was Jesus’ last name or else the second part of a swear word. But Christ is a title; a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah. Peter is saying that Jesus is the “anointed one” or “chosen one” of God.

It seems strange that Jesus would “strictly warn” them not to tell anyone? He doesn’t disagree with Peter. He just silences them. Why would he do that?

First, the title “Christ” was a politically charged term. In the minds of many people, it was synonymous the word for “king”. But there was already a king in Israel: Herod. Herod reported to the emperor of Rome: Caesar. So taking the title of “Christ” could be perceived as an open act of rebellion. And the people in Jesus’ audience were ready to rebel. Why? Remember the census that forced Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem? Well, that census was tied to higher Roman taxes. It was so controversial in this part of Israel that a man named Judas raised a rebel army and was crushed (Acts 5:37). Pontius Pilate, the one who later presides at Jesus’ trial? He killed people from this part of Israel and mixed their blood with their sacrifices on the altar in the template (Luke 13:1). One of the other biographies of Jesus, written by his follower, John, records that after the feeding miracle that they called him ‘the Prophet’ and wanted to make Jesus king by force (John 6:15) . So, Jesus did not reject the title ‘Christ’; but he wanted to define his role on his terms, not the crowd’s terms.

Even now, there are a lot of people who want to define Jesus. They want to place Jesus into this category or that category. Some want cast Jesus as the insightful, moral teacher. Or a revolutionary. Or a prophet. Or a huge fake. Or a lunatic. We create categories because we want to define Jesus; we want to control his extent and influence; and ultimately we want to be able to dismiss him.

But Jesus insists on defining his own category. Look at the next part of the 9^th chapter:

²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

If you had asked anyone that day the definition of ‘Christ’ or ‘chosen one’ they might have answered: ‘king’ or ‘miracle worker’ or ‘great teacher’ or ‘military leader’. But no one except Jesus used the definition of ‘rejected’ or ‘dead’ or ‘suffering’. Then Jesus goes further: “Guess what, you can grow up and be just like me! Dead.”

Jesus doesn’t pull any punches here. Full disclosure. If I am the “chosen one”, like you claim, I am not just a mobile medical clinic. I am not just a cafeteria. I am not just self-help group therapy. If I am the Messiah, it has consequences for Me and for you.

He asks them: are you all in? Because I am. Now that’s a big ask.

Jesus first met his disciples back in the 4^th chapter. Even back then, they knew there was something different about Jesus. Somehow he, a carpenter/teacher was better at fishing than they were. So they followed him to get a better look. Now, for 1 ½ or 2 years, they have been with him nearly every day listening to him, watching him to see what he is. Is he a good Bible teacher? Sure. A good man? Seems like it? A miracle worker? Amazingly, yes. But is he the Christ?

How they answer that question takes first priority. How we answer that question takes first priority. If Jesus is the chosen one of God, then following him is worth any risk—any effort—any cost. If Jesus is not the chosen one of God, then he is mildly interesting in a Jeopardy sort of way, but ultimately forgettable.

Jesus didn’t ask them to make the commitment blind. Likewise, for you and me, he doesn’t ask us to make a commitment blind. For those who are serious, he invites to tag along to get a closer look; learn more; discover if he is real or a fraud. But he will one day ask the question of all of us: “Who do you say I am?”

²⁶ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. ²⁷ I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

God’s success isn’t defined by our devotion. But our decision will tell whether we will join him in that success…or not. And our success isn’t defined by our failure.

Strangely enough, Luke actually records later (chapter 22) the name of one man who was embarrassed to know Jesus. Know who it was? That’s right. Peter. The first one to call Jesus, “Christ” pretended he didn’t know Jesus, three times. So, did Jesus write him off? No, he gave Peter another chance, appearing to him first (Luke 24:34).

Our success is defined by our trust in the success of God’s chosen one. That success didn’t come cheap. There was the pain of the cross, the shame of the cross, the death of God’s chosen one, But there was the success of his resurrection from the dead, the success of his return to heaven.

Will You Be Happy With Anyone Else?

Where are you in your spiritual journey?

Maybe you are wondering if Jesus is someone you can trust. I can’t answer that. But I can say that it is the most important decision you will make. You need to take it seriously. You need to investigate. So I invite you to tag along with Jesus, read his words, try asking his help, look for clues to what type of God he is. You can start today with a prayer, “Jesus, I know little about you. But I agree my spiritual decisions are important. Can I learn more about you? If you are out there, will you show me? Amen.”

Maybe you have been around Jesus for a while. You’ve seen some things, learned some things. Maybe now is the day Jesus is asking you: “Who do you say I am?” Are you ready to say, “The chosen one of God.” That same Jesus, who gave it all for you and me, asks for it all from you and me. Name on the dotted line, ring-on-the-finger, jump-into-the-river time. You can take that step today. “Jesus, I know you are the one God sent. You gave your life for me. As best as I know how, I want to give my life to you. I am keeping nothing for myself. Amen.”

Maybe you already made the commitment. But there are distractions. Maybe they are the same type of distractions that kept you away from God in the first place. Maybe they are new ones. Do you want to succeed or follow Jesus? Do you want to feel good or follow Jesus? Do you want to be liked by people or follow Jesus? If we are honest, we probably answered “both” to one or more of those questions. We will have a choice this week: to fail (in some way, small or big) with Jesus or succeed without him. We will have a choice: to do something uncomfortable with Jesus or play it safe without him. We will have a choice: to maybe say a hard truth to someone with Jesus or a convenient lie without Jesus. Pray with me, in advance of the choice: “Jesus, I choose you again, this week. Even if uncomfortable. Even if unsuccessful. Even if unliked. You are still worth my entire life and this week’s choices. Amen.”

Conclusion

[Story of our courtship when, while apart, Helen used "if we get married" instead of "when we get married" The point at which it became real to her was when the money arrived for her to buy her wedding dress]

When will you move from "if" to "when" with God? What will it take? God knew what it would take. Jesus came, removed the barrier between us and God, so that we could make a life-changing decision. And now, Jesus is asking: Who do you say I am?

 

Sermon: Prayer's Practicality (1 Chronicles 4:9-10): Pastor Tito Dizon

[This sermon was preached on November 4, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Pastor Tito Dizon]

PRAYER'S PRACTICALITY       

1 Chronicles 4:9-10  

Based on a sermon by Ray C. Stedman

 

Introduction

Our study this morning illustrates the very practical impact that prayer can have on a difficult and troubled life. I have the feeling that many of us will see ourselves very clearly in this little study. This is not a very familiar passage of Scripture, because it is one of those genealogies where we get lost in all the begats and begots. Reading the genealogy of the family of Judah in 1 Chronicles chapter 4 is like reading a Hebrew telephone book!

Here in the midst of all the names that appear in the opening verses of Chapter 4, there is a sudden focus on one individual, and I want to call your attention to him. This is God's way of calling attention to him.

Though we have a brief account of who he was and what he did, the theme of this little story is that Jabez was a man who believed in prayer. His prayer is recorded for us as an outstanding example of a man whose life was changed by the power of prayer-or the person behind the prayer.

These verses call for careful study, because certain clues are always given which, if followed through, will begin to unfold the meaning of the story and the reason why it is included in the Scriptures. As you look at this account, it is evident that there is something wrong in the life of Jabez; some shadow has fallen across his path:

⁹ There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers.

1. We are given the first clue along that line in these words, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers."  We do not know how many brothers he had, but that account says something more about the brothers than it does about Jabez. When we read that he was more honorable than they, that indicates something of the dishonor that was attached to their character.

So the first thing we know about Jabez is that he is of a family that has a bad reputation; and that reputation is recorded here for us to the extent that Jabez is regarded as a remarkable exception to a rather dishonorable family.

He would never have done a beer commercial if he werea great ball player. He would not cheat in business. He would not run around on his wife. He was the type who went to church.

^9b His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful.

2. The second thing we learn about him is that, when he was born, his mother named him "Pain," or "Sorrow." That is a strange name to give to a newborn baby, but the mother's remark was, "I named him this because I bore him in sorrow, or pain." That remark could, of course, be referring to the pain of childbirth, but I doubt if that is what it means.

If that were true it would mean that every baby born in pain ought to be named "Jabez," so it would be the most popular name ever, if that were the case. Jabez had several brothers who that indicates that something else was troubling the mother when Jabez was born. Jabez's brothers too seem to have inherited some kind of a family trait which has rendered them a proverb of shame in Israel. 

Then if you look a little closer, you will notice some omissions which are clues to what is going on. All through the chapter these other names are the names of heads of families -- so-and-so is the father of so-and-so, etc. -- but suddenly Jabez is introduced, with no mention at all of his father.

 She saw nothing ahead but difficulty  

¹⁰ He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me  and expand my territory!

3. Furthermore, it is evident from this account that there was a struggle going on in the family of Jabez. They seemed to be under the blight of terrible poverty, for Jabez prays, "Lord, enlarge my border," i.e., increase my material possessions. This indicates that something was amiss in this regard.

Here is Jabez,  with no mention of his father's name, and with the additional information that his brothers were a dishonorable lot. This is telling us something very significant about Jabez. We have to fill in with our imagination what has gone on, but it is very like us… an account of someone whose inheritance has been squandered, gambled away perhaps, or lost in some crazy scheme which probably had some illegality about it, Irresponsibility, resulting in shame and disgrace coming upon the family.

 At any rate, Jabez's mother seems  gripped by very difficult circumstances.   

¹⁰  Please be with me in all that I do,  and keep me from all trouble and pain!”

4. One other thing is also given to us as a clue here.

Actually, his prayer is,

 "that thou might keep me from the harm, the evil, so that it might not pain me." There is a play on words here. "Hurt," or "pain," translate into the name "Jabez" again, so what he is praying, therefore, is, "Lord, whatever it is that is in me that is wrong, I pray that you will keep it from 'Jabez-ing' me -- from hurting me," because that seems to be his lot in life.

Put together, all of this gives us a picture of a young man who has all the cards stacked against him. He feels within himself a weakness from his heredity which has touched his brothers and brought them to shame and disgrace in the eyes of the whole community; with only small way to start earning a living & to attain to a position of honor or status in the community. 

I do not know how many of you identify closely with Jabez, it has been a tremendous encouragement to me. Many times we hear stories of: A father abandoning his family when kids were very young  and still remember how deeply that touched them -- even more than  realized at that time. The loneliness of growing up without a Dad, and their envy of other boys who had fathers who could play with them, and talk with them, and guide them.  

More than that, The felt  shame of that father's  abandonment had cast upon the family, and the poverty in which it left them,  struggling to keep body and soul together, eating from hand to mouth through the days of theirr “ Depression.” All of that left a sharp impression upon your spirit, so in reading this account you feel very close to Jabez.

This story would not even be here if it did not tell us that Jabez had found an answer; he knew where help was to be found. The remarkable thing about this little incident is this prayer that he prayed. 

Again, we have to supply some of the details from our imagination.  I cannot help but feel that Jabez's mother was probably a godly woman. You often find that kind of situation of a man who is blowing it, who is careless about his responsibility, living only for himself, yet he is married to a woman who stays at home, who tries to keep the family together, struggling valiantly against all the unhappiness and misery of poverty trying to teach her children something about God.

At any rate, no matter where he learned this, Jabez learned that there was a God, and that he answered prayer. It may be that he learned this from Jewish gatherings the stories of Abraham obeying God to go to the promise land…Of  Moses being used by God to lead his people out of slavery to the Promise land…of Joshua…taking over the land that was promised to them.

Something about that, perhaps, had spoken to Jabez's heart, so he prayed this remarkable prayer. Jabez called on the God of Israel. He knew whom he was talking to.  Do you know the Lord personally?

"Oh that thou wouldst bless me and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldst keep me from harm so that it might not hurt me!" {1 Chr 4:10b RSV}

At first glance that looks like a very self-centered prayer. It sounds like that famous prayer of the man who prayed, "Bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four and no more."  But Jabez is really not being selfish, because he is praying for something God wanted him to have.

That is the difference between being personal and being selfish. Selfish prayers are prayers which ask God for something he does not want us to have, at least not at that time, demanding prayers that are interested only in our own immediate welfare, for our own satisfaction. That is selfish praying.

But God is a God of the individual. He promises great and mighty things to us personally that we may lay hold of, so to pray in this way is not selfish, but personal. Let us look a little more closely at these four requests. What is Jabez asking for?

Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying "Oh that thou wouldst bless me …

Well, 1st he asks, "Oh, that thou wouldst bless me."   

What do you mean when you pray, "Bless me," "Bless my children," "Bless the missionaries," "Bless the translators of the Bible," or whatever?  If you are like me, you use that phrase as a lazy way to escape thinking of anything more specific. But this phrase is often used in Scripture, and it is a proper prayer if we mean it.

 

Blessing is wholistic: Material (Financial)…more than that.  Spiritual, Mental/ emotional, Social, Physical

The Priestly Blessing Numbers 6

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
²⁴ ‘May the Lord bless you

    and protect you (Keep you).-----------------------------physical, healthiness

²⁵ May the Lord smile on you----------------------------- spiritual, walking in the light

    and be gracious  to you.social

²⁶ May the Lord show you his favor (prosper)-------- social, finances, work

    and give you his peace.’---------------------------------mental, emotional

²⁷ Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”

So what do we mean by it? To be close to God, to understand his will, & to share in his life. Somehow in this lonely, neglected boy's life there has come a deep sense of awareness that the key to life is hiss relationship w/ God, so this is what he is praying for. It is what we all ought to pray for.

The New Testament tells us that if you do not have this …then you cannot handle life properly at all.  You will feel lost, lonely and neglected, and you either react with anger and rebellion, or with self-pity and introspection.  

…and enlarge my border,

Then 2nd , Jabez prays, "Enlarge my border."

This is a prayer for opportunity, for the restoration, in his case, for a place to stand in the midst of the culture of his day in which he might gain some sense of status and respect. Translated into our own terms, it means to find a way to break out of whatever may be limiting us, hemming us in and enslaving us.

 

Some of you may feel this because you are in the grip of some habit, some attitude of mind and heart. Some of you may feel that you are in a situation in which you have no opportunity to grow, to advance, to be fulfilled and satisfied. If that is the case, this is the proper kind of prayer to pray, "Lord, give me that opportunity.

Let me find it. Open the door for me." Jabez prays that earnestly…. 

…and that thy hand might be with me, 10: “Let your hand be with me…” 

Then the 3rd petition is, "Let thy hand be with me."   

This is a prayer that comes naturally to his lips as he thinks of the uncertainty of the future he faces.  All of us feel this way at times. We do not know what is coming down the road. We do not know what sudden, unexpected changes may occur in our lives in the next few days, months, or years. Now this is what Jabez is praying for: "Lord, be with me. Go into the future with me.

The third request is to ask Him to stay with you. The progression here makes a lot of sense. When we ask God to send spiritual favor, He will shower us with His blessings. These blessings are then transformed into ministry opportunities as we transfer our blessings to others. When God expands our territory/life/ business/ ministry, we’ll be overwhelmed by the possibilities and may begin to feel burned out.

It’s at this point that we need to beef up our reliance upon God. Wilkinson puts it this way: “… asking for God’s hand upon us is our strategic choice to sustain and continue the great things that God has begun in our lives.” Jabez is praying, “Lord, be with me. Go into the future with me. Remind me that you’re there. “

…that thou wouldst keep me from harm so that it might not hurt me!"

Then the last 4th request was, "Keep me from the evil so that it might not hurt me."   

I see in that request a deep awareness of a tainted heredity in this young man s life. Something he has inherited from his dissolute forebears has taken up residence in his own genetic makeup; he senses a weakness within that frightens him. I see this in many people. I feel it myself.

It may be a tendency towards a hot temper, which destroys many opportunities that could be used for advantage, wrecked by a display of temper that turns everybody off and ruins everything. Maybe it is a lustful sexual life which constantly dwells on sexual themes so that the mind is continually bombarded with desires that race through the blood and awaken passions that ought to be subdued.

Maybe it is avarice, some desire for the acquisition of material gain so that you will be safe and secure, have abundance, and do what you want.

Perhaps that is the weakness that is inside that Jabez fears. Whatever it was --and the text does not tell us -- he knows that God is able to handle it. Now I do not know anything more hopeful in all the Scriptures than that realization.

Psychiatrists and psychologists tell us that the two great areas which lead us astray -- and the two great causes of crime in the world today -- are a bad environment and a tainted heredity. Here is a young man who has both, yet in the midst of his sense of weakness, of his sense of the impossibility of rising above his circumstances,  his only recourse is to fall on his knees and cry to the God of Israel that he would have mercy upon him and grant him these four desires.

I do not think he prayed this prayer just once, on a Sunday afternoon. It is the kind of prayer that comes again and again to human lips if you really are concerned about where you are, and you recognize how impossible, how difficult the situation looks from the human standpoint.  

…And God granted what he asked.

That brings us to the last word we have here in this passage about Jabez: "

God did it.

I do not think Jabez experienced any kind of special angelic appearance to reassure him.  There is no account of any voice from heaven to give him the promise that God had heard and was going to answer. What I think doubtless occurred was that, as Jabez went on, he found doors opening suddenly, unexpectedly.

Opportunity was given for him to buy a little piece of land, perhaps, and to raise a crop on it. More money was given him, perhaps, and he was able at last to restore his. Gradually, as he did so, he established for himself a reputation for honesty and fair dealings with others.

Though his brothers had a bad name in the community, Jabez gradually earned a name of respect and honor until one day, looking back on his life, he suddenly became aware that God had answered all his requests.

He had been with him, brought him through, delivered him, opened the door and set him free. I do not know whether this happens to you or not, but oftentimes I find that answers to my prayers come in such quiet, natural ways that at first I am not even aware my prayers are answered until I look back and see how the hand of God has guided and fulfilled, so that quietly it all began to happen.

 

This is a beautiful picture of how adequately God answered this young man's prayer. How practical, therefore, prayer becomes! I do not know how many of you feel close to Jabez.  What encouragement it gives us that prayer is designed to meet us right where we are!  We can bring our requests and make them known unto God, and as we do so, in the realization that he loves us and cares for us and is individually involved with each of us to the fullest degree, he will lead us through all the present difficulties of our life, impossible as they may look, and bring us through to glory.

That is what prayer is all about. It is a way of laying hold of the greatness, the glory, the wisdom and the knowledge of God, not in dramatic interventions, but in quiet daily ways by which God works through the normal ---circumstances of our lives to lead us to the fulfillment of our deepest desires.

I don’t think he prayed this prayer just once, or for that matter, just once a day.  This prayer was his life. He sent these requests to the God of heaven throughout the day and probably uttered them thousands of times over the course of many years. Are you willing to do the same thing?

Action Steps

I want to close by giving you action steps:

• Pray the Jabez prayer every morning for the month of January.
• Write out the prayer and tape it to your mirror, car dashboard etc. to remind yourself
• Pray this prayer for your family and for FCC.

 

 

Sermon: Shaped for Serving God (Ephesians 2:10): Pastor Tito Dizon

[This sermon was preached on October 28, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Pastor Tito Dizon]

SHAPED FOR SERVING GOD

The Bible says this,

“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Eph. 2:10 (NIV)

Circle  “workmanship”?  made to make a contribution, not just to consume.  On this planet nobody gets a free ride.  We’re all meant to give something back. Equipping us first.  God uses five things to shape you: 

Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. 

God make you, and uniquely shapes you, different from anybody else in the world, for a purpose. And that purpose is to serve Him. But I do want you to notice this, God made you unique and your uniqueness is not for your benefit. 

1Pet. 4:10,  “Each of us should use whatever gift he’s received to make a lot of money”. ??

 

No: “Each one should use whatever gift he’s received to serve others.” 1 Pet. 4:10 (NIV) 

He gave you talents and  and background  experiences  for the benefit of other people.   

Our PURPOSE IS TO SERVE GOD BY SERVING OTHERS

You want to know why you’re alive?  You weren’t put here just to take up space, consume and get a free ride through life. Now, some people want to serve God; they just don’t want to serve others.            

 “Ministry” is a…misunderstood word. Every believer is a minister.  Any time you use your SHAPE to help somebody else, you know what that’s called? Ministering.    You’re a minister.  All women are ministers.  All men, All little kids & all old people; if we’re believers, we’re all called to serve Jesus Christ. 

Good news, He gave us a model.  “This is how you do it.  I want you to watch Me”.  Jesus: “Your attitude must be like My Own, for I did not come to be served, but to serve...”   Matt. 20:28 (LB)

And I know a lot of people who figure out their SHAPE, but don’t get this second part down, and so that’s what we’re going to focus on today.   We’re going to look at learning to serve like Jesus.  The greatest thrill in life is to be used by God, to be used in serving Him. 

And what does it take to be used and to learn to serve like Jesus?   Well it takes 3 things.                      

1.         SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING AVAILABLE. 

One day Jesus was walking down to go to Jericho and some blind men start yelling at him.  And the Bible says this:

“Two blind men... shouted, ‘Lord, have mercy on us!’ ... Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’He asked.”  Matt. 20:30-32 (NIV)

Jesus could have said; I have a schedule to do, busy…or later. Circle the word “stopped”.  . If you want to be used by God, you must be willing to be interrupted.  Most of Jesus’ ministry and most of Jesus’ miracles were interruptions.  All the people he healed…the blind man, the lame man, the sick people, the paralyzed man, the dead child.   His first miracle - interrupted at a wedding. 

The Bible says this, Prov. 3:28, read it with me,

“Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.” Prov. 3:28 (TEV)

Servant-hearted people don’t procrastinate.  spontaneous,  sensitive, and they say “OK, let’s do it!”   must be willing to step out and say “OK, God what do You want me to do?”  There are hurting people all around us, and the wounded will not wait.  You see a lot of us say  I’d like to serve God, but I’m just not available.” 

And what is it that keeps us from being available?  3 reasons why we are not available:

1st Barrier: SELF-CENTEREDNESS

“Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”  Phil. 2:4 (MSG)

Any time you have a need right in front of your face, and it’s real obvious, somebody needs help.  God is giving you the opportunity to learn to serve to practice serving.  You see the number 1 enemy of compassion is busyness.  We just get too busy!  And because I’m so busy, I don’t have time to serve.

I’ve got my agenda,.. plans,..dreams,..goals,…ambitions.  You know what the problem is?  ( “Do Not Disturb” sign) on the door of our heart, all the time.  If you really have a servant heart, you don’t mind being interrupted because your agenda is God’s agenda, and you get up in the morning and you say “OK, God, you want to bring somebody in my life today?  Bring them in!  Bring them on!” 

Ex. Man: I was too busy, and I found that I was being caught up by trying to meet the demands of family, job, a career, that type of thing.   And it carried me away from my focus, and I wasn’t allowing God to direct vme because I got too busy.

A 2^nd barrier to being used by God is….

2nd Barrier: PERFECTIONISM

Wanting every thing to be perfect.  You know, when it’s all just right, when things settle down, then I’ll serve.  

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you’ll never get anything done.”  Eccl. 11:4 (NLT)

Do the best of what you have for Jesus Christ today. America, is we have a made an idol out of excellence.  And many people worship excellence, even Christians.  And they say “Well, you know if you can’t do it first class, don’t even try”. 

We practice what we call “the good enough principle”…it doesn’t have to be perfect for God to bless it.  If God only used perfect people, what would get done in this world?  Nothing, zip, zero!  We’re all a bunch of misfits.. have weaknesses. faults.  failures.  handicaps.  But guess what?  God uses us all. 

Because God doesn’t use perfect people because there aren’t any.  God uses normal people.  Why?  Because normal, ordinary, average people said, “My house isn’t perfect, and I’m not perfect, my schedule is not perfect.  I don’t perfectly know the Bible, but I could do this!”  And guess what?  You could!  And you did.   

Ex. Woman: I thought I had to be very well-schooled in the Bible to even volunteer for anything.

3rd Barrier: MATERIALISM

Jesus said,    “No servant can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money." Lk. 16:13 (NIV)

Circle the word “cannot”.  Decide whether you want to be rich or you want to be blessed.  You cannot serve both God and money.  It’s an impossibility.  You see, you get so busy taking care of things; you don’t have time to take care of people. 

And that’s a problem.  The most important decision you’re going to have to make in life once you become a believer is  “Am I going to be a kingdom-builder or am I going to be a wealth-builder?”  Now if God wants to give you wealth, that’s great. …but it is not the number one goal of your life. 

If your job is keeping you from having any kind of service, you need to make some kind of adjustment.

 

2.         SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING GRATEFUL. 

“Serve the Lord with gladness.”     Ps. 100:2 (KJV)

We serve Him with gratefulness because He’s given life to us through Jesus Christ.  He saved us!  And if He never did anything else for us, that is enough to be grateful for the rest of our lives to serve Him.   

“It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work not because we deserved it but because that was His plan...” 2 Tim. 1:9 (LB)

He saved us, and out of the gratefulness of that, what He has done for us, we serve Him.           

Barrier: WRONG MOTIVATIONS

The Bible talks about this in Matt. 6:1, Jesus said

“When you do good deeds, don't try to show off. If you do, you won't get a reward from your Father in heaven.”  Matt.  6:1 (CEV)

The wrong motivation of showing off.  Self-promotion and servant hood don’t mix, A lot of our service, can be self-serving at times.  We serve to get others to like us… to be admired.  … to achieve our own goals.  We serve as sort of a bargaining chip with God…”God I’ll serve and You take care of me here”.  Our way to try to manipulate God. 

How do you know if you have a wrong motivation?   Gratitude.  This very attitude.   

3.         SERVING LIKE JESUS MEANS BEING FAITHFUL.

It means you don’t give up.   You keep on going.  You don’t quit. At the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Jesus said this in John 17:4, He said

“I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do.” John 17:4 (NIV)

I want you to be able to say that when you get to heaven.  You completed the work that God gave you to do.  Jesus was faithful in fulfilling His service.   He didn’t give in.  He was persistent.  Serve as long as you’re alive. Now you may retire from your job someday, but you’re never retiring from ministry… service.  Because God wants you to serve the rest of your life. 

What motivates us to stay faithful in serving God over the long haul?  I  just talked about, being grateful for all the past that God’s forgiven in our lives.  If God never did another thing for me, I owe Him the rest of my life for what He’s already done for me.

So we have gratitude for the past and we have faith in the future reward.  We also know that what we’re doing really matters.  But any time you’re serving in Jesus’ name, no matter how small, it matters.  The Bible says this, 1Cor. 15:58, let’s read it aloud, 

“Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.”  1 Cor. 15:58 (MSG)

Notice “nothing”, that means it all matters even the little stuff. in God’s book, there is no little service. Real servants do every task with equal dedication because they know it all matters.  It doesn’t matter if you’re doing something important that is well known or ….   

 A little quiz.  Do you know the name of the person that helped you find a parking spot ? Who is teaching your children right now? The names of the musicians? Who are in charge of this projector & sound system? The people who stuffed the bulletin you’re holding?  The person who arranged the seat, wiped it clean,?  The truth is all of them were done by anonymous volunteers.  And it’s all important.   

Have you ever wondered why you’re here at Folsom Community Church? You’re here because God knew you had something to give back.  He did not bring you here just to sit and soak and enjoy.   He knew that you have something, background, talent, skill, ability, contact, network, or whatever, interest, hobby, whatever.   

Application:  

I want you to take this home this week and I want you to look at it and I want you to study it and I want you to say,  “Where might my niche be in my church family?"

I want you to turn it in so that we can know what you’re good at, so that we can know you’re here in the family, you have something, God brought you here, where you could find serving possibilities. 

You can do two things with your life…You can waste it or you can invest it.  The best use of life is to invest it in that which is going to outlast it.  Not every investment here on earth pays off. 

One day you’re going to stand before God and He’s going to say to you “What did you do with what I gave you, the talents, the abilities, the background, the experiences, the freedom, the education, the family experiences?  “Well, God, I was a little busy with my ambitions and plan.  I never got around to serving You.”  And God’s going to say, “Wrong answer!  What were you thinking?  Do you think I put you on earth to live for yourself? I put you here to serve Me by serving others.” 

Now you may be thinking nobody’s watching you.  And nobody’s noticing what you do, but God’s watching.  

“He will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how  you have shown your love to Him by caring for other Christians.”  Heb. 6:10 (NLT)

 
And God keeps His promise.  You know on earth they give awards for 10 years of faithful service?  In heaven you’re going to get eternal rewards.  Look at the next verse:

“'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things so; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!”        Matt. 25:21 (NIV)

You know, family, more than anything else I want God to be able to say that about you. 

Question -  Is God going to be able to say “well done” to you?  “You spent your life in serving Me.  Well done!”  Is there anything in your schedule where you’re giving back unselfishly, or are you too busy?  Are you waiting for things to slow down?  Or do you have other priorities.

If everybody who came here served here, what kind of enormous, spiritual, nuclear reaction would we see in Sac.County and California and the world?”  I make no apology in saying to you that the most important thing you’ll ever do with your life is serving God in ministry. 

It’s far more important than your career, it’s far more important than your hobbies, it’s even more important than everything else you can think of because they aren’t going to last.  But this is.  Let’s bow our heads.  Would you pray this? 

Father I realize that I was shaped to serve You by serving others.  Forgive me for the times I’ve put a “do not disturb” sign on my heart.  Help me to see the interruptions as opportunities to serve.  Help me to make time for what matters most.  You’ve been so good to me.  I want to give something back. I want to serve You freely and gratefully and faithfully, so one day I can hear You say “Well done, good and faithful servant”.  In Your name I pray, Amen.

 

Based on material provided by Rick Warren.