string(7) "m-66998" Burnt Hickory Baptist Church

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Mar 03, 2024

Saved to Serve

Saved to Serve

Passage: Galatians 5:13

Speaker: Matt Petty

Series: Rethink Your Life

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: church, worship, prayer, faith, jesus, god, service, sermon, christian, bible, christ, gospel, hope, pray, sermons, holy spirit, inspiration, spiritual, jesus christ, lord, christianity, holy, serve, motivation, bible study, servant, inspirational, prayers, study the bible, motivational, bible teaching, christian motivation, called to serve, burnt hickory worship, burnt hickory baptist church live stream, 2024, motivational video, christian inspiration, be a servant of god, rethink your life

We wrap up our sermon series on rethinking our lives as we kick off our month-long 321 Serve initiative. All March, we encourage everyone at Burnt Hickory to serve the community and neighborhoods at least three times personally, twice as a family, and once as a LifeGroup. In today’s sermon, we look at why we are saved in the first place, and that’s to serve others. We see in scripture that Jesus came not to be served as a deserving King but to serve. He is calling us to do the same, to get off the throne of self-advancement and become a servant. In God’s kingdom, the standard of greatness is measured in service, not in authority or accomplishment. What are you being called to as a servant? Are you following Jesus in His example of servanthood? What are you excited about as an opportunity for 321 Serve? As always, we’d love to connect with you, answer any questions you’ve got, and take time to pray with you. Reach out today! You can also celebrate your next step with us by visiting burnthickory.com/next.

Well. Good morning. Church. We are incredibly glad that you're here today. Before I jump into the message and the conversation that we're about to have, I want to give a couple of shoutouts and just an update. Number one is a huge shout-out to last week, Pastor Eli Laughlin, for bringing the word. Thanks to Eli. Incredibly strong message on temptation. I was at another church that morning and was driving home listening to the message going, I ain't going back to that place. I'm staying at home. Right? it was a good, good message. Secondly, thank you for all of you who helped out, participated, showed up for, and served at our men's nights on Monday night and Tuesday night. It was an incredible, incredible night. From the food to the serving to the all of the fun. And then Coach Yost, it was a great night all the way to the next steps of watching. I mean, many, many men reach out and say, I need to be connected. Also, many have said I need a relationship with Jesus. It was a fabulous, fabulous night. So thank you if you served it; I was so proud of this body of Christ that night. It was great. And then, lastly, an update and a thank you. I told you a couple of weeks ago that we were about to feel the pinch of construction. well, welcome to church this morning. Right. things look a little bit different from this point on. we don't we can't exactly tell you what things will look like. Just know to follow the person in front of you, and you'll get there. All right? That's all. That's kind of all that we can do. All that we can say we're going to do our best to make it as easy as possible. But as you saw this week, things are going to change pretty quickly. And man, a shout-out to you guys for being flexible. And then a specific thank you just for our whole staff team. here this week. It has been a terrible week to be in this building. I don't know if you can say that about church, but I'm saying it about church. All of the tile is coming up, all of the dust, and seven of them are losing their offices and being evicted this week. it has just been a terrible week, but, man, they showed the love of Christ, and there wasn't a full mutiny. so I look at that as a win. it's been a good week together, but we keep praying for the building process, and it'll be good.

Well, look, we have from the beginning of August until now, we've been in a series that we're just called Rethinking Your Life, where we're looking at this idea that where our thoughts go, our lives follow. And so we're taking these huge chunks of life. We're really just asking God, God, will you allow me to compare where my life is and where you are taking me, or where you want me to be? My prayer from the beginning, from March on, has really been, God, show me the things in my life that aren't necessarily lining up with your ways. We've looked at some big, big subjects like salvation. We looked at our understanding of worship, our understanding of success, and our understanding of prayer. We've rethought our idea of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. And then, like I just said last week, with temptation.

Well, today, I am going to close the series by just leading us in a conversation and into the word in the idea that all of us should live a life that constantly rethinks this idea of Am I a servant of God? Am I living the life that God has called me to be a servant? That's where we're going this morning. It's how I'm going to close this series up before next week we jump into a new series. Now, here's what I know when I say something like that all of us should be serving. There is a tendency in some people at some churches, maybe not you, but in other churches. There is a tendency when somebody like me gets up here and says that we should serve, that you should be living a life of service. There is a tendency for many to look at a guy like me because this is where I would be if I were you. Right? To look at a guy like me and go, well, Matt, of course, you would say that, right? Of course you, you're the pastor, right? Nothing's getting done here unless you're telling somebody that, right? You're looking at me how I would be looking at me going. Yeah, you're looking at this thing going. You should be serving. I mean, after all, Matt, that is your job, right? That is your life. I mean, you only work one day a week. I mean, yeah, you're going to tell me that, right? And I get that's kind of kind of where you're thinking is because that's where my thinking would be if I were you. Right.

So here's what I want to do this morning. Instead of me getting up here and beginning this conversation on We All Should Serve, coming from the guy who literally is his job, right? I want you to hear from some people that live this life. They have been called just like you. They're just normal-ish people like the rest of us, right? They're normal people that God has got a hold of their life, and he's invited them into the conversation. They love Jesus. They love their families. And they've embraced what the Apostle Paul would say in Galatians 5:13. Look at it. It says this. It says, you, my brothers and sisters, you were called to be free. To which we're like hearty. Amen to that, right? Yeah. But then he says, but don't use your freedom to indulge in the flesh. Rather, serve one another by humbly serving one another humbly in love. So we're going to do this morning. We're going to shine a light on this command by hearing from some people who are just like you. So do me a favor this morning, all right? And welcome from that door right over there. Just some friends from Burnt Hickory.

Give them a hand this morning because they are really nervous, all right? They're just normal Burnt Hickory people. I have been looking forward to this day all week. I get a little excited about Sunday. It's my favorite day of the week, but today, particularly because I can't wait for you guys to hear from them and see what God's been doing in their lives. But I want to jump in real quick because we have a lot to cover. I want you guys just to introduce yourselves. Tell us about your family, and then also just tell us really quickly where it is that you're involved. Maybe here as well as in the community. we'll start with you, Josh. Go for it. Tell us who you are. Well, I just told him, but. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, right?

Yeah. Hi. I'm Josh Lassiter, and I'm excited to be here today. My wife, Meredith, and I have been here at Burn Hickory for six years. We have three kids. We have an eight-year-old, a six-year-old, and a five-year-old. I'm blessed to get to serve in a couple of different places, primarily probably through LifeGroup ministry and then coordinating our Guatemala partnership, and some other areas around the church. And my wife serves in the children's area. And so we're blessed to get to do that.

Come on. Glenn.

Glenn Chappelear. My wife Donna is in the back somewhere. She was in the second service. We've been married for 30 years. During the last service, I forgot to mention my children. so it's an easy thing to do. Yeah. we have three adult children. One is still on the payroll. And we've been at Burnt Hickory for ten years and in Georgia for 30 years. And the areas we are currently serving in, we're we're both retired. Now, let me qualify that by saying I don't have anywhere to be Monday morning, 9:00, is Calvary Children's Home, which is about three miles from right here. And then I've been a chaplain with the Cobb County Police Department for the last 20 years as a volunteer, serving there and then doing outdoor ministry through sportsmen's banquets and things like that.

Cool. Cathy?

Good morning. I'm Cathy Turpin, and my husband Kevin and I have been married for 42 years. We joined Burnt Hickory in 1997. Kevin is on the finance committee and has been on the personnel committee. We've served together in the worship ministry and Baker's ministry. When we first joined Burnt Hickory, they had just partnered with a shelter in downtown Atlanta on Peachtree and Pine. And there might be five, six, or seven hundred men at that shelter. And they were really promoting it when we joined the church. and I thought then, oh, that's not for me. I would never do that. But, never say never to God because I have been on the shelter team for almost 19 years.

For almost all of that, she has led the shelter team. I will say that. Let me ask this, Josh. Give us your story of what kind of got you to the point of living the lifestyle of a servant. Why did you jump into servanthood, and kind of what point did you in that direction?

Okay, sure. So, I actually grew up overseas. My parents were International Mission Board missionaries. And so, from the age of 13 months old, we lived in the Caribbean and in Latin America. My parents were always really good at making sure that my brother and I always felt and knew that we were all part of the missionary team. It wasn't something my parents did as a job, but we were all there and all called to serve the Lord where we were living. And so, from a young age, I got to be a part of that when they were doing church planning or working with an unreached people group or things along those lines. I came to the States for college and met my wife there. One of the stories I would like to share about this is a couple of years after college. We were living in North Carolina and were members of a church. We loved our church. we were young newlyweds. And so I don't know if y'all remember what that was like, but we were just having fun and traveling and just not really committed to anything. but we were members of our church. Our life group leader said, hey, Josh would love for you and your wife. let's have dinner. I want to talk, and we're excited about that. We think, oh, this is neat. We like this couple. we're excited to sit down with them. And we did. And pretty quickly after we sat down, the dinner changed. And Blake, who is from Georgia, said, Josh, listen, I want to ask you, like, are you really for real and sold out for Jesus? Because I'm going to be honest, that's not what I'm seeing in your life. Bold move. Right. And so I remember, really, I probably took offense and got all frustrated at that moment. And I remember talking to my wife about it that night. What is he saying? Why would he say that? But then, over time, as I reflected on that, I really understood, man, I wasn't really committed to my church like I needed to be. I wasn't serving the Lord like I needed to be. and so it was that kind of point that that happened that stuck in my head. And it's not easy. And I would much rather, not always, serve as, as, as much as is needed, but it's been something to strive for, for sure.

Glenn, what about you? What got you to this point?

I was really involved as a young person, and in the youth group growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, I felt called into ministry at age 18. So, I enrolled in that famous Bible institution, Clemson University. After graduation, I went to seminary. That was a real move of God when I was there in the early 80s, and several of us went to, felt called into ministry, went to seminary, and graduated in 1991. In October, I started as a youth minister at First Baptist Powder Springs. I did that for seven years, but I love the outdoors. I'm just Bubba. I mean, I love hunting and fishing and all that. I began an outdoor ministry in 1997, doing wild game banquets all over the country, fishing competitively for 25 years, enjoyed being around people. And when my kids aged out of the house, I didn't like it. I don't like an empty nest. Now, my wife's got a different view. An empty nest. I don't like it. at age 62, I like to be around people and kids. And so I got invited about 15 years ago to a little tailgate party for the Calvary Children's Home Kids at Hillgrove High School. And so we went, and all of a sudden, I fell in love with those kids, you know, youth ministry at heart. And I just saw the resources. God blessed us with outdoor stuff and fishing stuff. And I was like, man, we could take kids hunting, take them fishing, and do stuff with them because my dad did that with me. and that was 15 years ago. So we're on campus probably 20 hours a week serving all kinds of stuff and driving, going camps with them, all kinds of stuff. And then to be a police chaplain. 20 years ago, Al Elwood, a lieutenant at Precinct 5 right here, asked me, Glenn, would you consider being a police chaplain? I'm like, what do they do? I don't know. So he gave me a little overview of that. And so, I went and did the background check, and all they said to me as a chaplain, the first time I showed up, precinct five was a little intimidated because everybody's got guns but me. And, I don't know anybody, and nobody wants to be seen talking to the chaplain because you have problems if you're talking to the chaplain. So, with all the stigma. I go into the Major's office. Rollo Green was his name. And I said. I said, Major, I hope I'm not here too much. No getting away. He said, son, let me tell you something. You can never be here too much. Well, that just freed me up. And so now I do stuff with the K-9 unit and the Swat team. Those guys cook for them, travel with them, do all sorts of stuff. So that's sort of the season God has for us in our lives, serving here in the local community.

How about you, Cathy? What got you to the point where homeless feeding was your deal?

So, about 20 years ago, I was hearing church sermons here at Burnt Hickory on God's purpose and plan for you. And then we'd go into LifeGroup, and we were doing a series on purpose. And I thought, well, God, am I just supposed to be Kevin's wife and Megan's mom? If that is my purpose, I'm fine with that. But if there's something else I'm supposed to do, you know, let's get after it. I was in my early 40s at that time, and I started washing dishes on Wednesday nights after the Wednesday night suppers. And there was a couple that I was washing dishes with, Van and Kim Wholesomeback, a great couple. And they were the leaders of the shelter ministry at that time. And so every Wednesday night, they'd be plugging and promoting the shelter. Kim said to me, because they were involved in the children's ministry, I can't speak. Children's ministry. They said we don't know. A lot of adults were always with the children, but she said, I need some help. at that time, when we were going to downtown Atlanta, it was a shelter on Peachtree and Pine. And again, there'd be 5 or 600 people. So we needed ladies to come beside us and cook the meat. And we would be out here on Sunday mornings, and, I, I said, sure, I can call ladies. I know ladies with servant's hearts who would love to do this. And, so, we'll put together about 32 ladies, and they would come and pick up their meat on Sunday after church. They'd take it home. They'd prepare it, they'd bring it back the next day, we'd load it up and head downtown. Then Kim said to me, well, I really could use your help on Mondays cooking the side dishes. And I said, well, sure, I can help. You could do side dishes. So, on Monday, she said, well, why don't you just go downtown with us? She's sucking you in. She was. She was like, you know. So, I went with them that night, and I just knew by the time the evening was over that this was. This was my purpose, and I needed to get busy.

Now, Josh, what keeps you in it? I mean, why? I mean, I get you got called out. And most of us, when we're called out, we'll do the right thing for a little while, right? Bbut then, when life gets crazy, priorities get out of whack. I mean, you got three young kids. I mean, obviously, things are crazy. What keeps you going?

So I think the most important thing to remember, first of all, is that we are commanded to do it. God tells us to do it right. And so that is the first thing that I needed to learn then. And I need to tell myself every day we're commanded to do it. And we love God, and we're commanded to do, and we should serve him and follow him and do that. but the truth is that there's not been one area of serving where if it's somebody here at the church who has a need if you have kids, Josie's team, I'm sure, has called you and said they have a need, right? Marty or Matt or anyone else has said, hey, we have this need, and we'd love for you to fill it. There's not been one area that it hasn't led to. Incredible blessing for me and my family, and a blessing in the sense of not something monetary or anything like that. Blessing. Just a blessing to our family and our spirit and our soul and serve the Lord in that way. So I think we're commanded to do the two parts. That command isn't always remembered. I don't remember those things very well. All the time, but God has always blessed us with them.

What do you, Glenn? What keeps you in it? I mean, you're at a different stage of life than Josh is.

Second Timothy 2:21, Paul is encouraging Timothy to be a vessel useful to the master. And that's a real motivator for me. because I envision God looking from heaven to my life, and can I count on Glenn? If I speak to his heart through my spirit, will he respond? And so, coming out of my devotion time with him gives me the overflow. And the other thing that really motivates me is a lot of our ministry is organic. It changes like what I'm doing tomorrow or the next day. We calendar. I don't try to go out too far, and I try to see if I can see Zacchaeus every day. It's my goal.

By that mean meaning, you want to see what the need in the tree is and meet it.

Yes, or if I see where God's working, or if I see where God's blessing something that Donna and I are doing, then I pour into it because I'm like, hey, here's where God's blessing us. And so let's get after it. And I'm bored easily. And I think God has more for me, and I'm just not satisfied.

How about you, Cathy, what keeps you in it? I mean, you've been doing this for 18 years, right?

Almost 19. Kevin and I use this verse at home a lot about how to whom much is given; much is required. Kevin used to sing the song a lot. Thank you for giving to the Lord. And in that song, it says you won't know whose lives you've touched until you get to heaven. Whether you were the Sunday school teacher or the missionary. And I have, I have people come up to me in stores and say, I know you from such and such shelter. Thank you. They thank me.

That's good. So what would you say to somebody that's maybe they're not exactly serving in a lot of ways right now? Maybe, the occasional here and there. And they want to point their life in that direction kind of. Josh, what would you say to somebody who wants to be started but doesn't know what's for them? What's your message to them?

Yeah. I think about this question when I think about, like, with our family and the fact that we do have three kids and we're I'm traveling for work and all those types of things. Wherever you are, there are ways that you can plug in and serve. And so you're here on a Sunday morning. There are ways you can serve while you're here at church. you know, my wife is over in the children's ministry, and I know they always have lots of needs for people to run a classroom. That might not be your gift. It's not my personal gift to run a classroom of kids, but they also need people to sit at the computer and click on the next slide. And they need people to sit at the door. in kind of on this side of the building, there is an I think about people who just plug in and serve where they're at. There's a woman in our life group who is really good at doing nametags, coordinating them, and keeping them together. And I would be terrible at that job. I would probably lose them and misspell all the names, but she's good at that. And she's passionate about making sure people have a name tag. There's a guy in our class who is really good at standing in the back and finding new people who maybe haven't had a chance to connect and plug in yet. And so I think the biggest thing is just trying to find opportunities where you're currently at. And I'm not just saying this because I'm up here, but Burn Hickory does have a lot of ways to see what your giftings are alongside that. And so I know C.J. does a great job with the place test. If you haven't taken that, where you can kind of get a sense of your spiritual gifts and practical gifts and ways that that can actually be translated to serving in the local church, there are lots of opportunities, and I recommend that route.

Hmhm. Glenn, how would you say somebody could get started?

First, I would say ask God, you know, where would you want me to serve? And many of us, you know, shut down because I can't commit that much time. I don't have that many resources. I'm not that gifted. A lot of times, God speaks through other people and invites you to something. And as you respond, you could be responding to the Lord using that person. And then it starts up here with me. Proverbs 11:24 says he who is generous will get more. And I believe God has more for me. And so I keep pushing for more. And so that's the way I look at it, looking for those opportunities. What if the current assignment that I'm doing right now for the Kingdom is my last? Well, I better do it with all my heart.

Cathy, what about you? How can somebody get started?

I'd say you can come along with me. I've got I've got a truck, and I do a lot of grocery shopping. I love it.

How practical is that?

I would be glad to have you shotgun. And if you would like to shadow us at a shelter, that would be good too.

Yeah. By the way, speaking of getting started, Cathy has been in this role for a long time, but due to some health issues that are going on, her doctor is really pushing her not to be the lead of our homeless programs anymore. And shameless plug right here. We need some people to step up into that role. Cathy, I know you want to speak to that.

I would love it if it were a family because I've been doing it by myself. Kevin would love to help me, but his schedule just doesn't allow that or friends going together. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I had to stop being the Martha and be the Mary. I had to step back and be the prayer warrior and let the team step up. And they did a great job. They did right. They did a powerful job. So, I'm looking for a replacement. So I'm looking for replacements.

So she'll be standing right over here by the doors after the service. And it's the Holy Spirit so leads you. She would love you. Cathy. What would you say to somebody who just says, and I quote, I'm just too busy at this season of my life.

So you can tell me that I'll accept that. But if you tell God I'm too busy, I would be afraid that my situation would change, and I wouldn't like the change.

Wow. Josh, what would you say to that?

I get it. If someone says that to me, you probably are too busy. I totally understand where you're coming from. One of the ways that I think through answering this question, Matt, is. So, for example, in our family, if my wife is doing something with children's ministry or somewhere else in the church, the Lasseter's are a package deal. So you get you get my wife or me, you get everybody. And so, you know, my kids come along with us. And, if I have something going on, then, then they jump into it. But, Glenn, you said, like, look where God is working and go there. And so if you are here in this place, there are ways to plug in and do that. there are ways to build it into your life, too. Maybe you're sitting there like I was this week, thinking about whether are we going somewhere this summer or are we traveling. If you are thinking about that, we have a team going to Guatemala this summer, and we still need 5 to 10 of you here to sign up. So, lots of ways that you can plug in and serve and and just make it a family thing. It's helpful for everybody.

Glenn, how would you answer that question of “I'm just too busy”?

Number one, I would be afraid to say that to the creator of the universe. Number two, if you've played football, I'm just going to tell you like it is you're underperforming. I mean, if that's what you say to the creator of the universe, and I believe God has more. And here's my question. What am I truly capable of? If the Holy Spirit lives inside of me. I mean it. It's not some gigantic food ministry God's calling you to all of a sudden outdoor ministry or children's home. For me, it was just one little voice. I'm sitting at my house on a Saturday, watching Clemson beat up somebody in football, and I just feel the Lord speak to me. Glenn, are you enjoying that game? Yes, sir. Go, Tigers! Glenn, what about those 23 kids that live four miles from your house? What do you think they're doing today? I said up on the couch. I ask God to forgive me for my selfishness. And I said, God, that'll never happen again. So, any given Saturday from Labor Day till Christmas time, if I'm not in the woods with some of the kids or other friends, those kids be at my house giving what God has blessed me with because we are held accountable for what we have.

That's good. So, Josh, if you had a couple of minutes with somebody just over coffee, that is like, man, tell me about this whole serve thing. Why? Why do I do it? Kind of scripturally, where does it come from? What would you encourage them with from Scripture?

So my kids are playing basketball right now, and my son, who's five, and he's playing. He loves it, and we enjoy it. I get to coach him. He's also very aggressive. And so, we were talking about how to play and, you know, be a good sport and all those things. And we talked about First Corinthians 10:31. So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. And so when you asked for a verse, I would think through whether we are working in our careers or going to church or in our communities and in our neighborhoods. God, if you ask him for opportunities to serve, he's going to give you those opportunities to serve. So be careful if you ask him. So, if you do that, wherever you're at, he's going to make those opportunities obvious and available to you. And so, at that point, it's just a step of grabbing it and doing everything you do for the glory of God. The fact of the matter is that we're all called to be on mission for Jesus. We're not, you know, Matt's the pastor, and we have other pastors, and there are vocational missionaries who live overseas. But whatever our job is, whatever our vocation is, we're all called to be on mission. And there's a lot of need. There are needs here in this community. There are needs around the US, and there are needs to the ends of the earth. And we're all called to each part of those things. And so that's what I would say.

Cathy, what about you? What would you do? Encouraging someone from Scripture. What comes to mind?

Well, what I have claimed over the years is second Peter one seven for I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. So whatever the Lord has led me to do, I have not had. I have not been fearful, I have not struggled with fear, and I fear not of the Lord. Right?

That's good. Glenn?

Two things. especially if you're 55 and over. pay attention. Joshua 14:11 through 14, they've gotten into the promised land, and Caleb is talking to Joshua. I've named my son after Caleb. And here's what he said to Joshua. He said, I've been faithful. And at the age of 85, I can still fight. Give me the hill country. And that's what he wanted. And God gave him that. And many people believe that's where Goliath's family was from. And so, at 85, listen to that drive in that man. Last year, I read an incredible book called Gun Lap. It talks about our lives and that it's a race and that if you're over 55, you're on your last lap. Are you slowing down, or are you speeding up? And I want to be speeding up.

Amen. Would you guys do me a favor and give him a hand for being out here with us? So, so good. The personalities involved. What I want to do with just a few minutes left is I just want to tie a bow around the conversation and content that they brought from Scripture, probably one of the clearest scriptures that Jesus gave his disciples on this idea of serving in Mark chapter ten, Jesus is with his disciples. They're heading to the cross there right before the Passion Week, which kind of leads us into our series starting next week, and Jesus drops this incredible message on his guys on what it looks like to live the life of a servant. Let me just read it to you, and I want to give you three quick things to think about this week. It says this in Mark 10, verse 32. It says they were on their way up to Jerusalem when Jesus was leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. I love that idea of that. Jesus was just leading him. They were walking. The disciples knew where they were going and, watch what happens again. Jesus. He took the 12 aside, and he told them what was going to happen. We are going up to Jerusalem, Jesus said, And the son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him and flog him and kill him. And then Jesus says, three days later, he will rise.

Now, I love this because the disciples were literally with Jesus the Messiah, right on their way to the cross. And Jesus for the third time. For the third time, Jesus circles back around to the same conversation that we're going on so that I can die. Every time I read this, I think, Jesus, did you not get just so frustrated at these boneheaded disciples and Jesus, like, yeah, just like I do you, right? But Jesus, in patience with the grace that he can only give, he answers them. He's like, yeah, I'm going to give my life. And if you think it can't get worse than that for the disciples, watch this in verse 35, which says, Then James and John supposed to be two of the powerhouses, right? Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him, came to Jesus. Teacher, they asked, we want you to do whatever we ask for for us.

Now, this is a crazy request. I mean, think about it. They're walking with the Savior of the universe, and they go, hey, we want you to do something. We want you to do it now, and we want you to do exactly what we asked. And that's pretty cheeky, right? I mean, it's the savior of the universe. I hate how the new living translates this. They're like Jesus, do us a little favor. That's not the language. The language says, Jesus, do this now. And then, in all the craziness. Jesus he welcomes their request because that's who he is. Verse 38: what do you want me to do for you? Jesus asked. They replied, let one of us sit at your right hand and the other at your left in your glory.

Now pause right there and understand that these two guys have the wrong idea of glory. They're still thinking that he is going to go to Jerusalem and overthrow Rome, and he's going to have this new kingdom in Jerusalem, and he is going to sit on a literal throne and rule, just like Caesar ruled. And what James and John are asking is to be elevated into the kind of president and vice president of this new little kingdom that he's going to establish. And it's so sad that Jesus is on his way to the cross, and two of the closest people around him are still more worried about their earthly positions than what Jesus is doing. Church, I'm telling you, that's why we don't serve. That's the attitude that most of us bring to the kingdom. And that's where a lot of us are. But watch what Jesus says to them. I love this. In verse 38, Jesus says, you don't know what you're asking. Jesus said, can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with? In other words, can you take the sorrow? Can you take and bear this suffering? This is the metaphorical language. Remember Jesus in the garden asking the Father if there's any other way. Take this cup from me. Verse 39. They get even a little more bold. They're like, we can they answer. Jesus said to them, okay, watch this. You will drink the cup that I drink and be baptized with the baptism I'm baptized with.

Now that's that's more of metaphorical language. Not talking about the baptism that we just saw. It's talking about Jesus looking at him and going, hey, listen, you're right. You are going to suffer. You are going to be persecuted. You are going to have this stuff in your future as well. And it actually, he is foretelling what happened. James is one of the first martyrs of the faith. John is the last disciple to live. But look at verse 40: to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared. So, Matt, who are those people? I don't know if that's another day. Right. So, what are these guys asking for? These guys are asking for what most of us ask for when we point our lives in the direction of self-advancement. They're asking for power, prestige, and self-advancement. And what happens when we do that is not only do we break the heart of God, but watch what people do. Verse 41, when the ten heard about this, these are the other ten disciples, they became indignant. They were mad, right? With James and John. Jesus He called them all together and said, now watch this. Here's his; this is the point for us. You know that those who regarded are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles. That's the evil rulers. What did they do? They lorded over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Now, pay close attention to this right here. This is where we're landing. Here's a challenge for us. But not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all. Verse 45, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Write these three things to think about this week. Number one, write this down. Jesus is the only Savior we're following. What does that mean in this context? It means that they are walking to the road to the cross. But yet they're still trying to serve the savior of self-advancement of their families, of their kingdoms, of their lives, of their power. But Jesus is going. You don't even understand what's about to happen. So Jesus is about to lay down his life. But number two, Jesus is calling us to get off the throne of self-advancement and to become a servant. Church, listen to me. At the end of the day, our primary role as a child of the King is to live the life of a servant. But to live that life, what do we have to do? We have to take ourselves off our self-advancement throne. And this one gets a little personal. Why? Because it's completely countercultural in first-century Palestine and today when you think about it.

In the Kingdom of this world, the standard of greatness and power is control. It's control and advancement. But let me tell you, the foundational principle in Jesus's kingdom is number three: write it down. And God's kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus. The standard of greatness is measured in service and not authority or accomplishment. And let me let me be as honest as I can be this morning. Pay close attention because this is what Jesus wants you to see. Jesus says the question of life is not what kind of service can I extract from somewhere else. What kind of servant can I be? And listen, this is only going to happen when we realize that he is the Messiah. His kingdom is the focus and not my kingdom. And when we begin to do that, we begin to see things in a totally different light. Listen, the whole idea of servanthood this morning it comes down to two different things. It comes down to the idea of whether I see this world as a world about me, for me, that I'm the star, that I am the headliner. Or is it his? Secondly, it comes down to the idea of whether I just see myself as a person who volunteers or as a servant.

Let me let me just give you a little bit of food for thought before we land this plane this morning. I think that we're really close to, in this church, being on the verge of banning the word volunteer forever. Here's why. A volunteer, when they step into a role and only see themselves as a volunteer, has the tendency to say this, look at me. I am sacrificing for you. A servant looks at Jesus, who has ransomed them, and says, all of me is all of yours. And this is the only response that I have. You see, not answering the call to volunteer is like, I don't have time. Not answering the call to be a servant means that we really do not understand what Jesus has ransomed us from. Church this morning, let me ask you this. Are you serving the King, or are you serving your interests? Are you serving with what he has given you with giftedness, with the resources, with the time, and with the talents and the treasures? Are you standing up to Jesus, looking at him, saying, hey, put me and my family at your right? You put whoever you want to, it's left. Put us at the right. Church, I think it's time for us to rethink volunteering versus becoming a servant of the one who has given us life. Would you pray with me?

Lord Jesus, this morning. God, I know, I know, I know that for so many people in this church, their hearts are exactly what we talked about this morning, and they are living this life. But God, I know there's another side of us this morning that they God. Honestly, it's it's not happening. And God, I just pray that today. Lord God, I beg of them today to see their lives as the hands and the feet of Jesus who've come to serve. Who has looked at what you have done in their lives? And they're showing that the only reasonable response for me, Jesus, is to say, yes, Lord, send me. Lord, during these next couple of moments, would you allow us, God, to evaluate our lives and point our hearts in the direction of becoming your servant? It's in your name we pray.

Amen. Amen.

Let's stand together this morning. I'm just going to ask you this morning: what do you need to surrender to? I'm going to be standing over by the next steps sign. If today you just need somebody to pray with you, need somebody to kind of walk with you, or encourage you. This is your time. Maybe today, God is saying, yeah, let's do this together.

Follow Along with the Message

Saved to Serve

March 3, 2024

Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Mark 10:32–34
32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Mark 10:35
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
Mark 10:36–37
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
Mark 10:38–40
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
Mark 10:41–45
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
3 Counter Cultural Truths

1. Jesus is the only worth following.

2. Jesus is calling us to get off the throne of and become a servant.

3. In God’s kingdom, the kingdom of Jesus, the standard of greatness is measured in and not authority or accomplishment.

Philippians 2:3–7
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…
Mark 10:43–45
43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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