Sermon of the Week
Matthew 20:26-28 (NKJV)
"Servanthood"
By Dr. Valerie Evangeline Williams
26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Introduction
What is servanthood? Servanthood is the state, condition, or quality of an individual who lives as a servant. So, what is a servant? A servant is an individual who is under submission to another. As Christians, and therefore, disciples of Jesus Christ, this means we are to submit to God first and then to one another. A servant seeks to meet the needs of others. For the Christian, servanthood can be defined as the state or condition of being a servant to others, or of ministry to others, rather than the service of one’s self. What does this mean? This means, we are to being willing to give of ourselves to minister for and to others, and to do whatever it takes to accomplish what is best for another.
A Perfect Example
As servants of Jesus Christ, we are to emulate Him or use Him as an example as He directs us to do, in John 13:12-15. It reads, “So when He (Jesus) had washed their feet, (meaning the disciples’ feet), taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." So then, when we look upon people we are to see love.
It's Not Easy; But The Reward Is Great
Being a servant can be one of the most difficult things we do; however, the rewards can be the greatest. For example, in John 12: 26, Jesus says, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there, My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him, My Father will honor. What a great reward it is when God our Father honors us.
We are to serve others with pure hearts. When serving others and their needs, if our underlying motive and goal is some kind of self-love or self-service, like receiving praise from others for what we have done in serving others, then our service is, in reality, hypocritical. This kind of serving is really intended for serving selfish ends and it is usually done in the unsuccessful pursuit of personal significance through praise, power, or status. 1 Corinthians 10:24, reads, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. Galatians 6:10, reads, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
We Were Made To Serve
Did you know that we were born to serve? As followers of Christ, we are here on earth to serve, as Jesus served. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told that, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Also, Colossians 3:12, reads, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering. This is how we are to conduct ourselves as servants. In Mark 10: 42-45, Jesus says, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles, lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first, shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” In Luke 22: 25-27, Jesus says, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs, as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
Did you know that we were born to serve? As followers of Christ, we are here on earth to serve, as Jesus served. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told that, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Also, Colossians 3:12, reads, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, and longsuffering. This is how we are to conduct ourselves as servants. In Mark 10: 42-45, Jesus says, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles, lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first, shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” In Luke 22: 25-27, Jesus says, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs, as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.
Conclusion
As I said before, being a servant can be one of the most difficult things we do; however, God has given us tools to help us serve others with pure hearts, and they are found in His Word. In Galatians 5:22-23, we find the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are tools that we can possess inside that will help us to serve even the most difficult people. All we have to do is ask for them. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Ah, but remember that, what you ask for, has to line-up with God’s will. So don’t you know that if you ask for the fruit of the Spirit, which is God’s will for us to have, that He will give them to you? How many of us have truly asked? Ouch!
As I said before, being a servant can be one of the most difficult things we do; however, God has given us tools to help us serve others with pure hearts, and they are found in His Word. In Galatians 5:22-23, we find the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are tools that we can possess inside that will help us to serve even the most difficult people. All we have to do is ask for them. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Ah, but remember that, what you ask for, has to line-up with God’s will. So don’t you know that if you ask for the fruit of the Spirit, which is God’s will for us to have, that He will give them to you? How many of us have truly asked? Ouch!
There are several barriers to servanthood. For the sake of time, I want to touch on one such barrier and that’s "pride." Yes, pride is a major barrier to servanthood. Pride can keep us from serving as Jesus Christ served. Let me give you some examples of how pride can get in the way of our serving with pure hearts. Can you remember a time when you really set out to serve someone and that person was so difficult that you just had to give him or her a piece of your mind, because you’d had enough. After all, why should you have to serve that ungrateful person when you were doing him or her a favor. And so you tell him or her off, in no uncertain terms. Did your pride get in the way of what you were supposed to do? Yes. Ouch!!! How about when you are driving on 495 and someone cuts in front of you? Do you serve that person by not reacting? Who knows why that person cut on front of you. Or, do you speed up and cut that person off because he or she did it to you? Did pride get in the way of you serving that person because, we were not going to let that person get away with cutting you off? Yes Ouch!!!!
Remember, as Christians, and therefore, disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to submit to God first and then to one another. We are to seek to meet the needs of others with pure hearts. That is servanthood. I’ll leave you will a scripture from Philippians 2:3, which reads, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself”
Prayer
Prayer
Oh Lord, help me to serve in whatever way You would have me to, for the uplifting of Your Kingdom. Help me to use You as the example of how I am to serve, as You said in Your Word. Help me to use whatever tools You have given me to serve not grudgingly, but with a clean and pure heart filled with love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, longsuffering, meekness, and faithfulness. Help me to see that it is an honor and privilege to serve and not to take what You have given me to do, lightly. Finally, let me serve with a genuine smile on my face, that reaches the hearts of those whom You call me to serve. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Be ready and willing to serve your family, community and church. By serving others, you are always closer to the miracle. You witness GOD's grace and mercy first hand! Contact your local Body of CHRIST and see where you can make a difference and change a life! As always, if you have any questions, comments or prayers, please email nhishand@comcast.net
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