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Transcript

Well, good afternoon, everyone. Good to see you. A larger crowd today to see all the young folks. I think you brought the average age down a little bit, so that’s not a bad thing for us old people. Aged people, elderly people. But it is great to see all of you, which should be, hopefully, a great Sabbath and a great couple of weeks that are coming.

When, two thousand and thirteen, a movie came out, it was called The Butler. Maybe some of you saw it, have heard of it. But the movie was called The Butler, and it was about a butler. And it was based on a man, his name in the movie was Cecil Gaines, and he grew up on a cotton plantation. I think he was born in nineteen-nineteen. He grew up on a cotton plantation, and that was his life. Now when he was about seven years old, tragedy struck, and his mother was raped. She was raped by the plantation owner. So obviously, a very terrible thing. And Cecil’s father, understandably, was very upset about it, and he decided to kill the plantation owner.

So this young man’s life, seven years old, obviously already off to a tragic beginning. Now, interestingly enough, the plantation owner, the man who raped his mother, that man’s mother took Cecil in, and took him in and began to take care of him, so that’s somewhat unusual. She took him in and she trained Cecil to be able to take care of a house, to run a household. The early stages of sort of like being a maid or being a house servant. And she was skilled in that area, and she ended up teaching Cecil how to do that.

So he came up in his life, and things began to improve in that way. He was inside, and he was able to serve. Now fast forward, Cecil eventually turned eighteen years old, and he broke out on his own, and he was going to make a life for himself. And things sadly did not get much better for him. It was just very desperate. Things were very low. At his lowest point, he ended up breaking into a bakery. He was just hungry. He broke into a bakery, and he stole food to have some food to eat. And an elderly man saw him, saw his situation, ended up taking him in.

Now, strangely enough, this particular man that took him in was also very skilled in hospitality. And he knew how to not only take what Cecil had learned growing up, he helped him take it to another level. He was very skilled at interpersonal skills, and how to deal with taking care of a household, but he was able to do it, and teach Cecil how to do it at a more advanced level. So you all see where this is going, you know, the movie called The Butler.

Well, eventually, Cecil went through a lot more challenges, but eventually, he ended up being hired in the White House, and he was a butler in the White House. And he ended up serving in the Dwight Eisenhower administration. So this young man had gone from being a growing up on a plantation, doing sharecropping, going through all that he went through, and eventually becoming a butler in the White House. If you know anything about White House butlers, that’s a very prestigious job for, you know, for that industry.

He served, the man that’s name was based on his name, I think, was Eugene Allen. That’s the Cecil was the name in the movie, but the fellow who inspired the movie, his name was Eugene Allen. Eugene went on to serve under eight presidents. So he served for thirty-four years as a butler, and he was able to put those skills to use. And one moment in his life really stood out. Near the end of his tenure, there, I believe, was nineteen eighty-one, President Reagan and his wife invited him to a special dinner, and it wasn’t as the butler.

He was invited to the dinner as a special guest, and he got to share a meal with leaders and with dignitaries. So his life had completely turned around. Instead of the uniform, he got to wear a tuxedo. He got to dine sumptuously, and as you can imagine, people wondering, “Okay, well, who is this?” And getting to hear his story. I would dare say he probably had one of the most, if not the most, inspirational stories as to why he was attending that dinner.

But you think about Eugene, and I bring him up, and it becomes a perfect analogy for us. You think about, you know, Eugene, he went through his life, it wasn’t about just performing tasks. He was really looking to fill a need, to meet people’s needs, and that’s what butlers do, and people who are in a similar industry, they help meet people’s needs. And they work very quietly, they work in the background, they support, and they make sure people have the things that they need.

Butlers like Eugene, they don’t do it for attention, they’re not looking to do it for attention. I mean, some of you may be thinking, okay, butler, that’s a pretty crummy job, I wouldn’t want to do that, serving food to people and having to clean up after people. Now I would say, you know, that’s a long way from sharecropping, and when it comes to being a butler, that’s the pinnacle, that’s the top, you know, when you think about doing it for the White House.

But people like Eugene, they don’t do it to chase attention, they do it because they want to help people, they want to help meet the needs of others. And we all need help. Everyone needs help. You know, no person, no matter how powerful they are, no matter what their background is, no matter, you know, what their circumstances are, everyone, without doubt, needs help. They need to have someone step in and to serve them. And it’s something that is very important. And, brethren, that’s really what service is at its core.

When you really get to the center of it, it’s about helping make things work and helping people function. That’s really what service is at its core, is to really try to drill it down. It’s helping things work, helping things run smoothly, and helping people to function. It’s really what service is all about. Now, here’s a deeper truth. You know, we’ve been talking about butlers and, you know, circumstances in the world, but really what I’ve been describing is what Christianity should look like, what Christianity is.

A Christian life is a life of service. It’s helping things work and helping people to function. That’s at the core, at the center of what we do. It’s not flashy. It’s not self-promoting. It’s about helping other people. It’s about being faithful, consistent, being there, and being humble as you go about doing it. So, I’m going to share or make a statement here, you may consider it a strong statement, but if we’re not serving, brethren, we’re not Christians. Now, you might think, okay, but what about doctrine? That’s what makes us Christians.

What about standing for the truth? Of course, that’s what makes us Christians. What about, you know, all the things that we do, obeying God, the holy days, and all of that? Aren’t those things important, too? Sure, they are, but if we are not serving, brethren, we are not Christians. So today, I’m going to prove that being a Christian equals being a servant. One equals the other. Being a Christian equals being a servant. Then I’m going to show you several ways to fulfill this high calling.

Now, I’m making this claim that being a Christian equals being a servant, and I’m stating it as an equation. One equals the other. Now, why do I say this? Turn to Philippians chapter two. We’re going to start to build this out here. Why do I say that being a Christian is equal to being a servant? Philippians chapter two. We’re going to read an amazing description here. Philippians chapter two, and we’ll pick it up in verse five. Philippians chapter two, verse five. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Verse six, “Who,” referring to Christ, of course, “...who being in the form of God.” All right, so form there is to look like God, be in the shape of God, to be God. So Jesus Christ was God. He looked like God. He was God. He was in the shape of God. Keep reading. “...thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” That proves the point that Christ is God. Verse seven, “But He made himself of no reputation,” and did what? “...took upon him the form of a servant.”

So He went from having the form of God to taking on the form, same word, the shape to look like to be a servant. So the form of God to the form of a servant. So okay, well, what did Jesus Christ look like when he came? What was His form? I mean, we could see Him. You know, God is invisible. You can’t see him, but we could see Jesus Christ. What did He look like? What did He take on the form of? Middle of verse seven, “...and was made in the likeness of men.”

Okay, we’re starting to get a sense of what his form was. And being found in fashion as a man. So clearly he was a man. Jesus Christ, who was in the form of God, came to earth and took on the form of a servant. Well, what’s that look like? Well, we keep reading. He took on the form of a man, of a person, of a human being. A human being that’s also being described as a what? A servant. Christ took on the form of a servant, in other words, as a human being. Christ didn’t keep his godly form and come serve people here on earth.

That’s not what he did. He could have done that. He could have kept his godly form and serve people on earth. Even God the Father does that. He has his godly form and, you know, he helps us. He serves us. But Jesus Christ took on the form of a servant. He wrapped himself in flesh. He became a human being, and that is being described as the form of a servant. So in God’s eyes, a human being is a servant, and a servant is a human being. Let’s go to Genesis chapter two. Genesis chapter two.

Back to the beginning when God created man, when he shaped man, when he made man from nothing. Genesis chapter two, verse seven. “And the Lord God,” did what? “...formed man of the dust of the ground and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul.” So God shaped, formed human beings. He formed us from dust. He could have made us out of stone. God could have made us out of diamonds. We could be diamond people.

He could have made us out of gold, all sorts of elements. But God decided to make us out of the dust of the ground. You think, dust? Okay, I shake the dust off my feet. I walk around on dust. Dust is nothing. That’s not by coincidence. That reminds us, as the servants, that we’re going to go on to talk of our humble beginnings. We came from dust. We shouldn’t forget that. I think about Cecil. He came from nothing. He went on to become something much greater. But Christ was equal with God, but then he became a man, and he became dirt.

Christ became dirt. He went from the form of God to the form of man, which means dirt. The living Jesus Christ was dirt. He became flesh. He took on the form and function of a person, as we read earlier, as a servant. So when God’s formed us, you know, because remember in God’s eyes, a man, a human being, is a servant and a servant is a human being. So clearly, when he was forming us, he was forming us with what in mind? Serving. To serve.

He made us with that in mind. That’s why we were made. So he gave us hands so we could build things. We could comfort people with maybe a touch on the shoulder. We can give them a hug. We have feet to be able to move around and go help meet people’s needs when necessary. We have eyes to be able to see when something is lacking, to see when someone needs help, to see when a situation needs us to step in. We have ears. We could hear and listen to people as they open up to us, or we can listen on a project or something that we’re working on.

We can hear, you know what? There is a need there, I believe I can fill that need. We have a heart to be able to think about and care for each other. A brain to be able to think through and put things together. You get my point. We were formed, each of us, all of us were formed with this idea of serving, to be able to serve. Every part of the human form was crafted by God for service. Romans twelve. Romans chapter twelve. This verse, a familiar verse, but it should read a little different to you now.

It read differently to me as I was preparing this. Romans chapter twelve, verse one. Romans chapter twelve, verse one. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies,” so our entire bodies, that’s what it says. “...and present your bodies,” as what? “...a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” So our bodies, us, our flesh, are to be presented to God as living sacrifices, and that’s our reasonable service.

That’s how we are able to serve, using our bodies, using the things that God gave us. That’s what Christ did. That’s what he did. When he put on flesh, when he came to earth, when he spent a portion of eternity here on earth, that’s what he did. He served, he fed people, he healed people, he taught people, he was patient with people. That was his ministry. He washed feet, he gave up a part of himself, his right, he was sitting on the throne, he gave all of that up to take on the form of a human being to come and to serve.

That’s what he did. And he did all of this without drawing attention to himself. When he did draw attention to himself, it was for a purpose. But he did so many things, brethren, that he didn’t draw attention to himself, and I know that because scripture talks about if everything were to be written that he did, there would not be enough books that could contain it, that could contain it all. So that tells us that he did a lot of things. The majority of things that he did, he did it without a lot of fanfare.

He served without a lot of fanfare. That’s what he did. This was Jesus Christ who did this, a member of the God family that we’re describing. God manifest in flesh. That was him. Brethren, what about us? What about us? What are we supposed to do? Remember, I said Christianity equals service. It’s an equation. Turn to Acts eleven. Acts eleven. Acts, chapter eleven. It’s always fun to comb the scriptures and find the simple things, but simple things that can be as fascinating when you think them through. Acts eleven. We’re just going to read one verse.

Acts eleven verse twenty-six. Just breaking it to the middle of a meeting here that was going on. “And when he had found him,” Acts eleven twenty-six. “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people.” And here’s the reason I turned here. “And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”

So it’s kind of fun, neat sometimes, okay, where does Christian come from? Where does that phrase come from? We hear it all the time. Where’s that word, rather, where does that come from? Well, we see here that at Antioch, the disciples, those who had been following Christ, those who had been listening to Christ and his teachings, his disciples were called Christians. There’s just a couple of references of that word ‘Christians’ in the Bible. But it simply means, as I said, a Christian is a follower of Christ, ‘Christian.’

What’s in the first part of that word? Christ. So you’re of Christ. You’re a follower of Christ. If you are a Christian, you’re taking on the name of Christ. You are identifying yourself as a follower of Christ. I am a Christian. That’s what that means. So if Christ served, if he is a servant, if he took on flesh and did all the things that we’ve talked about, if Christ did that and we follow him, what does that mean for us? It’s not complicated. It’s not complicated. It means we are also to serve. Why? Because we are Christians.

To be a Christian is to be a servant. It’s an equation. They go together. Christ took on the form of a servant. Brethren, we have an advantage. We’re already in the form of a servant. We were always human beings. He became a servant. So we have an advantage. We are already in the form of a servant. Are we serving? Are we doing that? Might sound basic, but it’s profound. To be a Christian is to be a servant. We are not Christians if we don’t serve. I don’t say it to be mean or offensive. It’s just what it is. It’s just facts.

Many people out there claim to be Christians, but they don’t serve. They don’t serve. Talk about taking on God’s name in vain. They don’t serve. We’re taking on the title of a Christian without the service. Christianity is not just a label. It is a label, but it’s not only a label. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of life. It’s a commitment. We’re going to go through all of that as we continue. But Christian is not just a label, it’s a lifestyle. That was the whole point of Philippians two. Let’s go back there.

I read by it quickly, but now that you understand where I’m going, let’s go back to Philippians two. That was the whole point of that description. What do I mean? Philippians chapter two, verse five. I’ll read it slowly now. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” That’s the beginning. That’s the beginning of a sentence. That same sentence went on to say that Christ was in the form of God, that he took on flesh, became a form of a servant, became a man.

He made himself of no reputation. Same sentence. This is one long sentence. Verse seven, “But made himself of no reputation, took on the form of a servant, made in the likeness of men.” The sentence continues. And being formed and found in the fashion of a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death. He had to become a man in order to die. God can’t die, but Christ died. It’s a miracle. It’s hard to comprehend, hard to explain. Some people don’t believe Christ actually died.

Oh, he’s God. He can’t die. Well, he actually did die. Otherwise, we don’t have a savior. But a part of service, his ultimate service, was to give his life. He died. You have to have flesh in order to die. Even the death of the cross, as that sentence finally comes to an end. But the point was, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The whole point of that description was for us to understand what he did and to have that same mind. To have that same thinking as Christians, followers of Christ.

That’s what we do. We are told, brethren, we are told to be just like Jesus Christ. Go to John thirteen. John thirteen. John chapter thirteen. We are told to be just like Christ, to act the way that he acted. John thirteen, verse thirteen. These are words we read at Passover, during the Passover. “You call me Master,” this is Christ speaking. “...you call me Master and Lord, and you say, well, for so I am.” So he is declaring who he is. He is master and Lord. No doubt about it.

Verse fourteen. “If I, then, your Lord and Master, 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.” We do it every year at the Passover service. But of course, none of us believe that is the only thing that Christ did that we are to model or that we are to make an example of. Of course not. That is just one very graphic example.

Lord and Master, sat on the throne of heaven, the right hand of the Father, puts on flesh and comes and washes people’s nasty feet, dusty. That’s a graphic example. I want all of you to do what I did. Be like me. Do it, too. Christ didn’t just say, serve me, I’m Lord and Master. I am Lord and Master, but I came to wash your feet. I want you to do that, too. Christ didn’t just serve when it was convenient to him and when he felt like it. If he felt like it, yes, I’m going to serve. No problem. I don’t feel like it.

I’m not going to serve. He didn’t take that attitude. In fact, he was just hours away from being betrayed, put on trial, falsely accused, tortured, and killed. Yet what was on his mind was serving people and leaving a very colorful example of how to do that. Jesus was a true servant leader. You’ve all heard that term, servant leader. Maybe about ten, fifteen years ago, that was all the rage. I’m a servant leader. You know, you had CEOs and different ministers, worldly churches, people all around.

I’m a servant leader, and there’s nothing that concept is not bad, but it became a slogan. It became, you know, just a thing to kind of do. Well, Jesus Christ was a true servant leader. His actions showed or displayed his servant leadership. He led by example. It wasn’t just by entitlement. You know, I’m in charge, so there. He didn’t use people. He cared for people. He didn’t use them as a means to an end. Brethren, we should be thinking about ourselves. I’m sure we are. Remember, I’m laying this, the example of Jesus Christ.

We should all be putting this, thinking about ourselves within this example. He didn’t use people. He cared for people. He didn’t serve just when people were looking, when the spotlight was on him. He certainly served when the spotlight was on him, but not for that reason. And not only then, I already established that he did more than we would ever be able to read about. And in many cases, he served in silence. Served in silence, served in private.

Occasionally, people would come out and remark on how much he helped them, how much he served them. But Christ’s attitude, his approach, when it came to service, it made the Father very happy. It made Him very happy. Let’s go back to Isaiah forty-two. Isaiah forty-two. You may think, okay, well, what was the Father doing all this time while Christ was putting on flesh and serving and all of that? What was the Father doing? How was he taking all this in? Isaiah forty-two. Isaiah forty-two, verse one. “Behold my servant.”

So this is an Old Testament reference to Christ. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delights.” The Father was delighted to see Christ serving, to see him giving of himself, to helping people, to not being focused inward, but being focused outward. He was delighted to see that. It made him very happy. Why? Because man’s purpose was to serve. Remember, we were formed. He took on the form of a servant.

Whenever I see something, work that I worked on and put together, and it’s working like I wanted it to, I’m not sad. I’m happy. I’m delighted. The Father was delighted. How delighted is He when we serve? How happy is He when we sacrifice, when we do things that are maybe not the most convenient, when we do it consistently, and we involve ourselves? How delighted is the Father? He’s very delighted. He’s very happy. Keep reading here.

I have done what? I’ve put my spirit upon Him. That’s interesting. And He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Christ is serving. The Father is delighted. He put his spirit upon him to empower him to be able to serve. God puts his spirit in us, too, to do the same thing. He doesn’t expect us to serve under our own power. Many people in the world do that. You know, there are people who serve, they don’t have God’s spirit, and they do wonderful things.

I can’t gainsay some of the service that goes on out there. But I’m speaking to Christians, and God says, as Christians, he gives us his spirit and gives us the power in order to be able to serve. And it goes beyond just effort. Effort is helpful, and that power does help us with effort, but it goes beyond effort. And we’ll speak to that. We’ll go to Romans twelve. Romans chapter twelve. “God puts his spirit,” it says there, upon him.” “...but God puts his spirit in us to be able to serve.” Romans chapter twelve. We’ll keep reading. We read a bit of this.

We’ll keep going. Romans chapter twelve. We saw there, it says we’re presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice in verse one, and it’s acceptable to God, which is reasonable. A reasonable service. Verse two, “And be not conformed,” it’s interesting, conformed has that word form in there. “...be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed,” we see that word again. “...transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

That is all in the context of serving, a reasonable service. That’s all in that context. Those who are conformed to the world serve themselves. In a certain way, it’s not their fault. Why? Well, the God of this world, Satan, is a selfish being. He’s a very selfish being. So, if you’re conformed to the world, if you look like the world, you’re going to look like a selfish being. You’re going to have those fruits, those fruits of selfishness. But brethren, when we come out of the world, we were all in the world to varying degrees.

When we come out of the world, we’re supposed to do what? We’re supposed to be transformed. Do we transform on our own, under our own power? Of course not. How do we transform? Through God’s spirit. So we are no longer conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewing of our mind. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, remember? That is by and through the power of God’s Spirit. That’s how that works. That’s how we’re able to do that. So it’s not really us.

I mean, we have to be open and willing, but it is through the power of God that we’re able to do that. The world is built on the get way. You all remember that saying, the get way of life versus the give way of life, Mr. Armstrong. The world is centered on the get way. Christians, those who serve, we are driven by, and we are thinking about the give way of life. The opposite, one hundred and eighty degree difference from the get way of life. God’s will, it says there, will know what the acceptable, perfect will of God is.

See there at the end of verse two. God’s will is that we serve. That’s God’s will. We don’t have to wonder what God’s will is on this matter. God’s will is that we serve. That’s what he wants us to do. Service is doing something that improves someone’s life or improves a situation. We talked about that. That’s what service is. Okay, what is service? It’s a broad term. It is. There are many ways to serve, but my point is to establish the fact that we must serve.

Before we can get into the fact of how to serve and the things we should be doing and all of that, and how we should be thinking, my point is to make it crystal clear. We have to serve. We have to serve. If we’re going to take on the name of a Christian, we have to serve. And it was interesting, God made us to serve and to be served. Imagine a world where no one would accept being served, but everyone’s serving. How would that work? Let me serve you, no. Let me serve you, no. Let me serve you, no. Let me serve you, no.

So God made us to serve, and built within that is to be served. Both are required. Both are necessary. It’s a two-way street. No matter, and this is important, no matter how capable you are, how much you think you have it going on, how much you just think, I’m good. We all need help in some way, some form, some fashion. Maybe I don’t need help over here, but I certainly need help over here. And you know what? I didn’t even know I needed help over here. We all need help.

We all have areas where people can serve us, where people can help us. No matter how strong we are, how smart we are, how capable we think we are, all of us, self-included, we all need help at some time or another, and probably more than we think. In a world where, in a world, in a job site, in a home, in a congregation, in any of those entities where people are only focused on themselves, it doesn’t work. It breaks down. If we’re all just looking after our own needs and not looking on the needs of others, it eventually breaks down.

That’s at a job site, that’s in the world, in a home, in a congregation. It all eventually breaks down if we’re looking inward. Service is how God thinks. He is a God of service, of looking out to others, helping them fill their needs. And a part of that is accepting those that help, that service when it comes from others. That’s how God thinks, and that’s how he wants us to think. That’s exactly how he wants us to think, the exact same way, this God of service. So being a Christian equals being a servant.

What does it look like in practice? What does it look like in practice? I’m going to break it into two parts. I had an interesting conversation preparing this message, and I was enthusiastic talking about what I was going to cover. I was talking with a man about it. And we were talking a lot about sort of the things that you have to do in order to serve, because my goal is, okay, I want to share with the brethren ways they can serve. You know, I know they want to serve, but I just want to give them some ways to serve.

And in talking with this man, one of the things that he brought out that was very helpful, and I decided to include it, too, it’s not just about what, the what of serving, but it’s also about how we serve. What is our mindset? What is our attitude? What are we thinking about? It’s one thing to just do it, but it’s another thing about how we do it. So we’re going to look at it from two different perspectives. The what of service, these are the kinds of things we should be doing. And just as important, the how of service, as I’m calling it, the how of service.

Our mindset, our attitude, whenever we’re serving. Both are necessary. Both go together. So let’s start with what? Ephesians two. Ephesians chapter two. Some may naturally and reasonably be thinking, Mr. Wingfield, I want to serve. You convinced, you sold me. I want to serve. Maybe you already had that mindset coming in. I want to serve, but I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure how to serve. I don’t want to mess up. Everything looks like it’s going fine. I don’t want to botch it. I’m new. I’ve just started attending.

I don’t even know what the needs are. Everything looks like it’s all taken care of. It doesn’t look like I’m needed anywhere. Where can I serve? Those are natural questions. I’m introverted. I’m shy serving. Well, I have something for you here, so let’s keep going. Ephesians chapter two. Let me turn there. Ephesians chapter two, verse ten. Ephesians chapter two, verse ten. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” So we are God’s workmanship. We were created, formed, remember, formed unto good works.

God handcrafted us. That’s not hyperbole. Go back to Genesis. We were formed. God formed us from the dust of the ground. He physically formed us. We were handcrafted for good works. And good works sounds just like what it is. It’s just good things. Good works are good things. Don’t overthink it when it comes to serving. Don’t overthink it. Where is there a need? How can I fill that need? There are so many different ways to serve, but it’s all in how you look at it, and it’s all in how you view it. Don’t overthink it. Good works, good things.

Matthew ten. Matthew ten. We all know when we see something and there’s a need. We may not know every need, but we’ve all looked at a situation and seen that there’s a need. We’ve all been there, young and old alike. Matthew ten, verse thirty-eight. Matthew ten, verse thirty-eight, just talking about what it takes to be a disciple. “And he,” verse thirty-eight. “...and he that takes not his cross and follows after Me is not worthy of Me. He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake, shall find it.”

I read that verse to explain the level of commitment we have to have when it comes to the what of service, the level of commitment. It says here, if we’re willing to lose our life for my sake, it doesn’t necessarily mean death. Remember, it’s we’re living sacrifices. But if we’re willing to lose our life for Christ’s sake, if we’re willing to lose our life and serve others, if we’re willing to do that, we’ll find life. We’ll find life not only in this life.

Think about how wonderful, especially if you’re doing it from a good place, how wonderful you feel when you serve others and they appreciate it, or you were able to fill a need, how just how wonderful that feels. Ah, this is life. When someone needed a meal and you came through for them, they needed a ride to work. The car broke down unexpectedly. You know what? Yes, I’ll come pick you up. You were there for them. You were a shoulder for them to cry on. Think about how wonderful that is.

If we lose our life in this life for Christ’s sake, we’ll find it in this life. Of course, we’ll find it in the world to come, eternal life. But when it comes to the what of service, the hardest thing can be recognizing the level of commitment. Once our eyes open to the level of commitment, okay, I’m going to give my life as a life of service. I am a Christian. That equals being a servant. When we think that way and we see the world through that lens, suddenly, all sorts of observations about what’s needed and opportunities to serve pop up.

It’s like putting on serving glasses. Oh, I can see all these different ways to serve. But that’s because of a life committed and given to service, being willing to lose our life for service. When we think like Christ thought, opportunities to serve, the what of service becomes a whole lot easy, or at least a whole lot easier than it would be otherwise. Matthew twenty-four. Matthew twenty-four. So here in the book of Matthew, Matthew twenty-four, verse forty-five. Matthew twenty-four, verse forty-five.

This is a reference to an individual in the church, but I’m going to take the principle. Matthew twenty-four, verse forty-five, it says, “Who then is that faithful and wise servant?” We’ll stop right there. So, who then is that faithful and wise servant? Two qualities, faithful and wise. They’re faithful and that they’re consistent. We’re talking about the what of service. They’re consistent. They’re dependable. You can count on them to be there. They’re committed to the service. They’re faithful. They’re also wise. They’re alert. They’re thoughtful.

Where is there a need? Expand your minds. Where is there a need? How can I be wise? You’re proactive. A faithful and wise servant. That’s really all you need, to be faithful and to be wise. I don’t know what to do. Be faithful and wise. If you do those two things, along with understanding the willing to lose your life to service, in other words, to commit your life to service because you have to, because you’re a Christian, if you recognize and put all that together, it becomes a whole, whole, whole lot easier.

God gave us so many ways. So many ways to serve. We can serve in a church setting. You think about all the different things that go on in the church, in the body of Christ, a group of believers who come together to think about, live, represent the things of God. All the different things that make that happen. Sabbath services, the feasts, socials, things that go on during the week related to the work. Here at headquarters, in a direct way.

Many of you in my audience here are at headquarters, but all around the world, all the different things that go on, all the different opportunities, the what of service. Think about all those opportunities. I’m looking at a room here full of younger people, more younger people than normal, but think about all the different ways that you’re already serving. And you know how I know? I see you doing it. I see it. Setting up chairs. I hear stories about young people around the world helping on sound, helping set up the screens, and the different things that go on to put on a service.

Putting out the hymnals, that’s service. That’s meeting a need. That’s filling a need. You could look back, a young person can look back, that’s for others to do. I’m too cool to do all that. But no, that’s not the attitude that you’re taking. You’re taking that opportunity to be able to serve. Cleaning up after services, taking out the trash, vacuuming the hall. We see it when we go out and visit. We certainly see it here. We see it at the feast. Amazing, wonderful opportunities for young people to serve.

Helping parents with young children. I see many young people serving in that way. Doing Passover services, going and babysitting kids so their parents can go take the symbols. That’s service all around church and putting on church services, serving in God’s church. Being supportive, signing cards, staying in contact with each other in between, you know, big events, all things that young people can do. You have AYC coming up. There are going to be a ton of opportunities and ways to serve at camp.

A lot of the things I already named, putting out hymnals, cleaning up, setting up. But making sure you’re attentive. That’s a form of service. That person, a lot of people did a lot of planning to make camp work. What’s the best way that you can repay them? Focus, pay attention, throw yourselves into it. Have fun. Don’t just think about yourself. Many of you young people, you meet by yourselves, you don’t even have anyone your age in your areas for you to be able to fellowship with on a weekly basis.

This is your chance at AYC. Two weeks, two weeks. Wonderful opportunities to serve and to learn more about the things of God. I know you don’t, but don’t take that for granted. Don’t take it for granted. For us older people, many, many opportunities to serve. I think about Sabbath services. One of the great thing about Sabbath services is that they’re every week. So there is an opportunity to serve on a weekly basis. If you drop the ball this week, guess what? There’s next week, and next week, and the next week, and the next week.

There are many opportunities to serve on a weekly basis. To volunteer, to help at services, to help for events, to help at the feast. The most exciting time of the year for God’s people. All coming together, representing God in the public, representing God’s way of life to people who are wondering, “Why are those people wearing suits?” Who wears a suit anymore? Dresses, all of that. That’s all a form of service. Different responsibilities at services, speaking opportunities.

Ministers aren’t the only ones that speak. We have lay members who give opening and closing prayers. That is a form of service. That is meeting a need for the service. Song leading, that’s a form of service. Giving announcements, all a form of service. Being proactive, even outside of the two-hour service window. Visiting the widows, picking up an item for a member, because you know what? It was on my way, I don’t mind. I can grab it for you. You know what? I have extra gas in my lawnmower. I can cut your grass.

That’s all a form of service. All the form of helping the brethren. Even outside of the two-hour window, I think about Sabbath in general, there’s potlucks. Potlucks. What an amazing opportunity and chance to serve? And not just serve yourself with a big heaping plate of food. What an amazing, amazing, amazing, I can keep saying amazing, opportunity to serve?

One of the things that fascinated me, I’ve talked about this before, but how, you know, my first Sabbath service, I came and was excited, and I don’t know if I just forgot, I’m sure the minister told me, but I think I was ready to go or thought we were going to leave. Well, no, there’s a potluck. You have to stay. You have to eat. Oh, okay. And over the years, recognizing, you know what? The potluck and breaking bread with God’s people, that is a part of the service. That is why we do it. You could think, okay, two hours, amen to amen, see you next week. No, no.

Often, the best part, depends on the perspective, can be the potluck. Opportunity to break bread. The ministers bring spiritual food. All of you, the brethren, bring physical food. We need both, otherwise we’re in trouble. We need both. The potluck is a great, great opportunity to serve. A wonderful opportunity. If you’re looking, okay, how can I serve, what can I do? Potluck. It’s a great, tangible, weekly way to serve, and it’s not difficult to do. It’s not difficult to do. You can obviously bring a dish.

You can bring food. You know, many of you, you plan, you go, you think about your menu, make your shopping list. You go to the store, probably do it when you’re buying your other food for grocery shopping. And you make getting something for the potluck a part of your purchase. And you bring that food home, you store it away. When the weekend comes, you break it out, you thaw it out, and you get busy. You start cooking. Many are known for their dishes. Oh, that’s Mrs. so-and-so’s dish. That’s Mr. so-and-so’s dessert.

Wow, I’m glad I came to services today. That shouldn’t be the only reason you come to services, but services just got a whole lot better because that person brought their meal, or brought the meal that they like to make. Think about the level of service that goes into someone who’s dedicated, and you can count on them. They are faithful. They are wise. Things are expensive, if you haven’t heard. Things are expensive. Talk about having to be wise. Oh no, I want to contribute to the potluck.

God, give me wisdom. Give me money. But be wise. Many people do it. They go out, look for recipes, ways to stretch food, creative ideas. Very rarely, and you know, some of us are different. I don’t come to potluck expecting to be full. You know what? I haven’t eaten all week, I’m coming to potluck. That’s not how I view it. Bring what you have. Bring what you can. But it’s not just food. We can’t eat the food with our hands. We can, but we don’t just scoop it into our hands. There has to be plates, and forks, and napkins, and things to wash the food down.

Those are also ways to serve. I can’t cook. You can buy juice. You can buy ketchup. Hot sauce. Do we have hot sauce? You can do all that. You just have to care about it. I can’t cook. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to cook. You don’t want to eat my cookie. Okay, you’re probably right. But what about this? Talk about being wise. This was an idea that I heard, and I went, you know what? That’s a great idea. But let’s just say, you know what? I’m not the greatest cook.

I don’t really know how to do it all that well, but here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to talk to someone who is a good cook and who enjoys cooking, and I’m going to do what? I’m going to ask them. What can I buy so you can cook it? What ingredients do you need? I’ll buy them, and I’ll even bring them to your home. You know what? I’ll give them to you so you can cook it. Guess what? You served. That person loves to cook. You contributed. That’s being creative. That’s thinking out of the box.

Congregations change all the time. People move around. Sometimes, you can have people in a congregation who were just masterful cooks.

Circumstances happen, they’re no longer there cooking. What does that all mean? What does that mean? We all starve? No. We all step in, step up, and serve in a different way. Maybe a way we didn’t have to serve before, but now we get to serve in a different way. All about being creative. I’ve talked a lot about serving in the Church. What about serving at home? Serving at home. Ephesians five. Ephesians chapter five. It’s not just about serving at church. I’m guilty of this. You say the word service, I start thinking about stuff related to church and services and all of that, but it goes well beyond that. We’re only here once a week. Here at headquarters is a little different, but you’re only at church services once a week. What about the rest of the week?

Ephesians chapter five, verse twenty-two, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord.” We see the standard there. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” Verse twenty-eight, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself.”

Staying here in Ephesians six. Ephesians, chapter six, verse one, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. And you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Those several verses that I read there, brethren, those several verses presented scores of opportunities to serve in the home. Scores of opportunities.

And put yourself in where you fit. If you’re not married, put yourself in where you fit. But there’s scores of opportunities to serve at the home. In fact, service begins at home. You don’t learn to serve at church. No, you learn to serve at home. That way, when you come to church, you look like you know what you’re doing. “Oh, I’ve done this before. I’ve served. This feels familiar.” You’ve done it before. It’s not new. Children, you are to serve and obey your parents. You get something out of it. It’s the first commandment with promise. Get a long life. That’s not so bad.

Husbands, we are to serve and love our wives. Wives, you are to serve and honor your husbands. Parents, we are not to put our thumb on our children. We are to raise them with nurture and admonition. That is how we serve them. We show them what a relationship with God is like. That’s a form of service. Teenagers, do your chores without having to be nagged. That’s a form of service. That’s a great service. Get along with each other, siblings. Don’t fight. And if you fight, do it, make it quick. And not violent. And end on a good note.

Husbands, love and be gentle with your wife. Wives are delicate creatures. Don’t be harsh on your wives. Don’t do that. And wives, honor your husbands. None of this, “I told you so. I told you that wasn’t going to work.” A man doesn’t want to hear that after something just went wrong. Believe me, he knows that you said it. You don’t have to remind him. That’s one of the worst feelings in the world. Don’t do that. Just be kind to each other. That is, in itself, is a great form of service. To have peace in your home.

Will wives and husbands disagree? Yes, it’ll happen. Will the kids see it sometimes? Yes. But try to keep it to a minimum. Help them understand. Help your children understand what it’s like as a husband to serve and honor your wife, and wife as a person who is supposed to honor the husband. Husband loving the wife. Wife honoring the husband. That is a form of service. You are teaching your children what they should do when they have a family.

There’s also service in the community and at work. Matthew five. Not just at home. Not just at church services and at socials. There’s opportunities to serve at work, in the workplace. “Well, I don’t serve at the workplace. I’m there to get a check.” Okay, nothing wrong with getting a check, but we’re also there to serve. Our purpose is much greater than just getting a check, though that is nice. Matthew five, verse sixteen. Matthew five, verse sixteen, “Let your light so shine before men that they may,” do what? “...see your good works.” We talked about good works earlier. “So let your light shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven.”

When we’re allowing people to see our good works, largely because we’re doing good works, but when we do them and people see it, it serves a purpose. It helps them, allows them to glorify God. You’ve all heard it. We are the only Bible that many people will ever read. Actions speak louder than words. When we act the way we act and people happen upon the fact that we’re a Christian, “Ah, that’s why they act that way.” And in fact, they’re different than the other people over there saying that they’re Christians. They’re different. That’s a form of service. That’s more than just getting a check. And, oh, by the way, if you are a light, you’ll probably make more money. So if you’re all about the money, that’s fine too. That’s fine too. But that’s not your focus. It’s to be a light. It’s to represent our Father, which is in heaven. It’s an important thing to do.

Matthew twenty-five. As we wrap up this what, Matthew twenty-five, before we get into the how, we’ll just read this set of verses here. Matthew twenty-five, verse thirty-five. Matthew twenty-five thirty-five, “For when I was hungry,” this is Christ speaking. And he’s just giving out his rewards here and punishment. “When I was hungry, and you gave me meat, and I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, and I was a stranger, and you took me in, naked, and you clothed me, and I was sick, and you visited me, and I was in prison, and you came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we you hungry, and fed you, or thirsty, and gave you something to drink, or that you were a stranger, and took you into our home, or naked, and clothed you, or that when you were sick, or in prison?” When did all that happen? We don’t remember seeing that.

Verse forty, “And the king shall answer and say unto them, Truly I say unto you, inasmuch as you have done it unto one of these, the least of my brethren, you have also done it unto me.” None of us, in our right minds, would not feed Jesus Christ if he was hungry, or give him something to drink if he was thirsty. None of us would do that. But understand the point. When we do that for the least of these, my brethren, when we do that for each other, when we serve each other, we are directly serving God. That’s what the what” of service is about.

Let’s focus on the how. Because, as I stated, God cares as much about the how or the spirit behind our service as he does the service itself. Now, the how as can often be hard to manage, hard to understand in some cases, and maybe even observe. Because you could see someone handing you a drink of water. You can see that if you’re on the receiving end of it, or maybe you’re standing off to the side and you see it happen. That’s easy to see. What’s not so easy to see is what’s on that person’s mind when they’re giving that drink of water. What are they thinking about? What’s their focus? That’s a little harder to see. And sometimes it can even be hard to see for the person doing it.

Brethren, it’s not just about serving the acts themselves. Very important, very important. But it’s the how we do it. What is our focus? Galatians five. Galatians five, verse thirteen. Galatians five thirteen, “For brethren, you have been called unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” So we have this liberty. We have this freedom. We have the opportunities to make choices. And what we’re reading here is one of the choices that we should be making is serving, and we should do it in love. Outgoing concern, not inward focus.

Matthew six. Matthew chapter six. Matthew chapter six, verse one, “Take heed that you do not your alms before men to be seen of them. Otherwise, you have no reward of your father, which is in heaven.” Verse two, “Therefore, when you do your alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory of men. Truly I say unto you, they have their reward.” They got what was coming for them. They got the reward that they were seeking. The problem is, it was from men. They have their reward.

Verse three, “But when you do your alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does, that your alms may be in secret, and that your father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” Brethren, if we are serving for attention, if we’re serving so people can see us serve, “Look at me, I’m serving.” You have your reward. Wow, that’s a great sermon right there. What’s for lunch? Okay, he served, great. You have your reward. That can’t be our motive. That shouldn’t be what we’re focused on.

Brethren, even the best of us, best of intentions, even the best of us can fall into this trap and let the what of service overpower and overcome the how of service. Sometimes when we serve, we’re grumbling, “I don’t want to do this, but I got to do it.” We’re doing it, but we’re resenting it. Our heart is not in it. We’re doing it because people are watching. Oh, there’s Mr. So-and-so. Look at me, I’m serving. I say a little bit to be facetious, but we’ve all done it. Ooh, look. I’m Mr. So-and-so. I have to show that I’m serving.

We’ve all fallen into the trap of thinking our service, our contribution, is more important than someone else’s. My service is beyond your service. That’s just service. This is service. That’s pride. That’s pride. We’ve all faced it. Just, you know what? I’m just burned out. I don’t want to serve anymore. I’m done. And obviously, that’s going to affect our attitude because our hearts not in it.

Second Thessalonians three. We’re human, we’re flesh. Remember, servants are human, but humans have weaknesses. Humans have bad moments. Second Thessalonians chapter three, verse thirteen. Second Thessalonians three, thirteen, “But you, brethren, be not weary in well-doing.” Be not weary in well-doing. There was a lady who attended with us for many years, and she is infamous, infamous for making a statement along the lines of something like this. “I don’t serve anymore. I’ve done all my serving. I’m done serving.”

Are you a god being? What? To even be thinking like that, and then to say it? And then to not serve? That’s ignorance on a spectacular level. That’s almost certainly a person who allowed themselves to get bitter and fall short. I’ve done all my serving. That’s for you to do. What if Jesus Christ thought like that? I’ve done all my serving. We’d all be in trouble. We’d all be in trouble. It’s very sad, very sad.

Luke ten. Luke chapter ten. We’re going to read about two sisters. Luke chapter ten. Two sisters, and it speaks to this, the what versus the how of serving, or not versus, but what along with the how of serving. Luke chapter ten, pick it up in verse thirty-eight. Luke chapter ten, verse thirty-eight, “Now it came to pass as they went, and he entered...” talking about Christ, “...he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore to come help me.”

Her attitude, I was going to say, leaked out. It came pouring out. Her motives came pouring out. “Have her come help me. This is a lot.” And Jesus answered and said unto her, “Martha, Martha, you’re careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Martha was busily serving, and Mary was listening and sitting at Jesus Christ’s feet. Martha was doing a good thing. She was doing good things.

We’ve all had guests come to our home. We want to make sure they have a good experience. That is a good thing. We want to make sure everything is prepared and where it needs to be. She was not doing anything wrong in that way. But it was her focus that was the problem, and when she wasn’t being acknowledged the way that she thought she should be acknowledged, it came bubbling out of her. And it turns out she wasn’t in as much of a good place as she thought.

Brethren, it can happen to any of us, especially if you’ve been serving for a while. You’ve been in this way for a while, and your knees start to kind of buckle. It’s just like, “Make Mary come help me. I’m tired.” But Mary was focused. She was spiritually attuned. Now, I thought about Mary, and there’s nothing to say that Mary was necessarily the greatest doer. Maybe she didn’t have the greatest attention to detail. Maybe you’d ask her to serve in some way, “Oh, I forgot to bring out the water. How are we going to wash his feet?” “Oh, I didn’t pick up the bread. He’s going to be hungry.” Martha’s like, “How could you not pick up the bread?”

So it wasn’t that, necessarily, Mary was perfect in her service, but she had the right priorities and the right focus. Honestly, a person with a good attitude, their service is a little shaky. Maybe they’re coming along and trying to get things figured out, but if they have the right attitude, God can work with that. God can work with that. Take that away as a lesson.

Psalm fifty-one. Brethren, if we are struggling with this, and we all can, if we’re struggling, there’s hope. If we’re getting tired, getting weary in serving, maybe our service isn’t the greatest, there’s hope. Psalm fifty-one, verse ten. Psalm fifty-one, verse ten, “Created me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in me.” If we’re struggling when it comes to service, we’re getting weary, we’re getting tired, our attitude is not what it should be. Ask God to give you a clean heart, to renew a right spirit in you. Maybe take you back to the place of serving when you first started serving, and it was exciting, and people seemed to appreciate it more. Ask God to take you back to that space. He’ll do it. He’ll do it.

Well, brethren, as I conclude, we’ll go back to where we started. We think about Cecil, the butler, the man who had humble beginnings. He, ultimately, started as a sharecropper, went on to serve in the White House, to serve dignitaries, to be seated with kings. When we serve each other, we’re all serving future kings. That’s what we’re doing. That’s how we should see it when we serve each other. We’re serving future kings, and we’re also preparing to be kings. What do kings do for their people and the lands that they rule? They serve them. We say it all the time. People in charge are to serve those that are under them. That’s what we’re preparing to do.

We’ve all had humble beginnings. Many of our calling has been humble. We’re not the glamorous people of the world, and even if we are, we all came from dirt. So we all had humble beginnings, but we are and have the opportunity to serve quietly with dignity, not for fanfare, not to be noticed. If people notice, great. It’s nice to hear, “Oh, great, I appreciate you serving.” “Oh, you’re welcome,” but that’s not the reason we’re doing it, and we’ll still do it even if people don’t say that.

But our future is very similar to The Butler’s, and it’s very much like Jesus Christ. He put on flesh, he served, he ultimately died, and he was resurrected and went on to be a king and went on to rule. We have that very same promise in front of us. So, brethren, serve. Serve each other and allow yourselves to be served. It’s a two-way street. Serve when it’s easy, serve when it’s not easy. Serve when you’re asked to serve, serve when you’re not asked to serve. Do it decently and in order, get permission, but be proactive. Remember, God sees us. He knows what we’re doing. He’s looking to see what we do. And most importantly, he rewards us for our service. God is watching. He is looking for servants.