Markers of Maturity - Called to Serve

Series: Markers of Maturity

This week Ruth spoke about the times when we can serve one another through our actions

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Your name is indeed powerful, and this morning, as we come around your word, we just ask, Lord, that the power of your name and the power of your word speak to our hearts and minds. Lord, just pray, Lord, that you'll speak to me even as I speak, Lord. Just pray, Lord, that you'll change each and every one of us through your word this morning. And let your name go from this place, glorified and lifted up on high. In Jesus' name. Amen. I'm so thankful to Matt and Judith that they give me the honor of continuing in this series that we're following, the markers of maturity. And I want to talk about being a servant this morning. Do you know? I spent a long time in church, and some of the time I've been in a comfort zone. And the comfort zone is a safe place to be, but nothing usually happens there, as people say. And uh and I probably spent too much time in that comfort zone, but then just a few years ago, God called me out of that comfort zone, and I did lots of new things, things that I hadn't tried before, things that I wasn't expecting to try, things that I wasn't expecting God to call me to, He's called me to. And uh so I spent too long in this comfort zone, and then eventually I got out of this comfort zone and I went and I said to someone one day, I'm so far away from my comfort zone, I don't even know where it is anymore. And then God called me to something else, and I said, and I was just starting to get settled again, and then God called me to something new, and I went on this mission trip. I went on a mission trip just not long ago, and I was down in the south of England, because I didn't want to go, I didn't want to go overseas for mission, mission trip because you know when your parents are getting older, you don't want to be too far away from them just in case. So I did my mission trip in the south of England, and that was really out of my comfort zone. I was working in this um drop-in centre for people who were homeless or people who didn't have safe housing. When people came in in the morning, we served them a snack, and then after a certain amount of time, we stopped serving the snack, but we still served teas and coffees, and then at lunchtime we served a nice hot meal to them. And in the meantime, between all of this, we could point them to we could point them to different things that they could get. We had a a laundry, so people could go and wash their clothes and had a sand they could get they could get a change of clothes there as well, and then people could go and get showers, and then people that came in there weren't people that I ordinarily mix with. There weren't people that I ordinarily encounter, there were people who were like, there were people who were alcoholics, there were people who there were people who were drug addicts, there were people that were sleeping on the streets, there were people that were quite unstable in lots of ways, and thankfully there was um a guy called Renee who used to be able to come and split up the arguments, so I didn't have to do that. And uh so that was really out of my comfort zone. And then after lunch at a certain time, we closed up and the people went away and uh we had to start cleaning up. And you know, some of these people were quite smelly as well because they lived on the streets, and uh so we had to clean up afterwards, and if we'd given if we'd given them tomato soup for a snack and they'd spilt it on the table, it was a table a bit like this, like the surface was like that, and so the the tomato soup stained it, so you had to scrub away at the tables, and it was just totally totally not what I'm not what I usually do in my day-to-day life. And um, the people like some of the people that you might walk past in the streets, you know, when I was working in Newcastle, I used to work right down at the bottom of Newcastle, um, sort of just City Church. People know City Church, it was the office was in there, and so I walked right the way up to Ellen Square to catch the bus on the way home, and I used to walk past lots of this kind of people. And I was uh only at this project for a week, but like by the middle of the week, I was walking down to the shopping centre, and I was like, oh, they come in, oh they come in, and like they were just sitting in doorways and things like that, and ordinarily I'd probably have passed them, but I recognized them, so I stopped and said hello and so you know that's not that's a bit about my comfort zone. But in a part of being on that mission was to be able to serve the people, and as I watched the people who usually work at the project, I just watched how they accepted people who came in there, no matter what their background, no matter how smelly they were, no matter if they spoke English or not, no matter if they were alcoholics or drug addicts or whatever, they just welcomed them the way Jesus would welcome them. You know how Jesus would just love them and show compassion towards them and not judge them. And these were the and just seeing that was just so beautiful because you could just see Jesus at work in that place. It was absolutely and it was so so done so gently, it wasn't pushed or anything like that, but you could just imagine Jesus was there and he was just hugging them and being with them and showing them how to get their clothes clean and all that kind of stuff. You could just see Jesus in that place, and I know that was just a special one-off thing, but then I came back and you know I hope I'd like look after people here as well. I didn't just do that for one week of my whole life. Um and I see, I see, and I know, and I see people here. People here who are busy doing stuff, and some things are obvious, like if you're on the host team, it's obvious that you're doing something, if you're on the kids team, it's obvious that you're doing something. There's so many things that are obvious that you're doing that you're doing, but sometimes I come in here because if I've got some work to do in the office, I can come in here and there are people already here. They're fixing things, they're cleaning, they're making things better, and there are there wasn't anybody here to notice that they're doing that, but they're doing it. And so people are doing things, some seen, some not seen. And that's beside all of the things that people do with their family, with their friends, out in the community, maybe if you if you help out the renew well-being oasis, it's an this is all on top of what people do there. Matt talked a little bit about this, but I'm just going to read a little bit about what it says in the Bible. I'm going to read from James 2, 14 to 17. What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see your brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say goodbye, have a good day, stay warm and eat well, but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good is what good does that do? A bit like my mission, eh? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough unless it produces good deeds. It is dead and useless. We're called to serve. Our foundation is faith and love for one another. When faith isn't accompanied by actions from this foundation of love for God, it's useless. Without the foundation of love for others, it's not really much good. But faith's more than faith goes deeper than belief in God. It's partnering with him. Partnering with him through the actions and doing something. The kind of actions that just bring peace, bring relief, put things in order, brings hope, and brings life to the world. It's not just sitting, it's not just sitting and listening, but it's actually doing something. I'm not saying that you can earn your salvation through doing all these things because you can't. Faith comes first, and your actions come from that. You're because you've got the faith, your action, your actions are your expression of your love for Jesus. You're not just doing it because you have to do it, you're doing it because you love, you've got this. You've you're you're becoming more like Jesus, and you want you to reach out to people. And we tell people, don't we? We tell people when they're sort of exploring faith, we tell people it's not enough just to pray, it's not enough just to do be, not just good enough to just to be good. You need you need to put your faith and your belief in Jesus. But where we're at, once you become a Christian, once you're following, once you're a follower of Jesus, then that love is is is poured out in doing things for one another, helping one another, supporting one another, being there for one another. And you know, Judith mentioned it about groups, those other people that you call that you're able to call on, those other people that are going to be around you. And Matt mentioned when we're having communion, it's we're all equal. We're not one of us isn't better than another person. We're doing it for one another because we love one another. And when you love and you serve others, you are serving God. When you do it for them, you're doing it for him. We are his hands, his feet, his heart, his voice, his ears to the people that we encounter. It's the working out of the fruits of the spirit. We talk about the fruits of the spirit, it's the working out of the fruits of the spirit in our lives. And I'm going to read this just so I don't miss one out. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It's those things that we are sharing with the people as we're doing for them these other things that are growing in our lives. The more you do it, the more those fruits grow as well. And you become more like him. The more you do it, the more you become like him. It's like when I was on mission and I talked about those people who welcomed the people, the guests that came in, they welcomed them with the love of Jesus. And they loved the people because Jesus loved them. They loved the people because they could they knew that they could be there and help them and support them. And it was as if they were walking in and meeting Jesus themselves because these people love them so much and were pouring out their lives to serve the people. But why do we do it? Jesus is our example. Everything he did, he did with love and compassion. He didn't judge people for who they've for the things that they had done. He reached out to them with love, compassion, accepting them, caring for them. He's a son of God, and he could have come down in judgment, and he could come, could have come down in mighty power, but he didn't. He came down and he met the people where they were at. He was he came down and he taught people. He came down, he reached out to people, he touched people who were considered unclean and he healed them. He reached out to people where they were at. He valued people for who they were, not because of what they had done. He valued them, he accepted them. He even got down and did one of the most menial tasks. He washed his disciples' feet. Let me read from John chapter 13. It's new Bible season, everybody's got new Bibles, I think. So they don't stay open where you want them to. I'm gonna read, um, I'm gonna start at verse 3. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. And now I'm going to skip ahead to verse 13. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done to you? He asked them. You call me teacher and lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. I have set you an example, so that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. Washing feet. Nobody's ever done that to me. Washing feet was the lowest of low tasks. The very lowest. If you were a Jewish slave, you didn't even do it. It was the Gentile slaves that did this. Because it was the lowest of the law. And um Jesus got down and he did that lowest of law tasks for his disciples. And like I said, nobody's ever washed my feet, though. I could kind of know what the how the disciples might have felt because when I was in Kenya, I was out for um I was out meeting um some people in a village, and as I approached the village, we were supposed to have a meal, and they were preparing the meal for us. And when the meal was ready, they came, and there was a lady with a bowl, a lady with a jug, a lady with a towel, and they asked me to put my hands over the bowl, and one lady poured water over it and washed my hands, and the other lady got a towel, and she so carefully and gently dried my hands, and I felt I don't want anybody to do this for me, I can wash my own hands, but they were showing honor in the way that they knew that they could, and so you know that uncomfortable feeling that I had, even as these were washing these ladies were washing my hands. Imagine having Jesus washing your feet, the lowest of the low jobs, and by washing their feet, Jesus was um demonstrating that service is something that begins with the people who are close to you. He'd walked with these disciples for three years, there were people he knew well. So if we think about serving others, will we start with the people that we're close to? People that we rub shoulders with every day or every week, our family and our community here. Can we start there? In serving like Jesus, we're showing his love to one another. So, what should we do then? Well, the Bible teaches that God's given each one of us gifts. Some of us have got special gifts or abilities or talents that are unique to us. And we've got even we're supposed to use these gifts to serve one another. Now, but in serving Jesus, you've got your gifts. And you've got doing what needs to be done, even when it's a lowly task that no one wants to do. Which one is it that we should use? Should you use your gifts or should you do what needs to be done? Well, hmm, actually, it's a bit of both. There's a balance. We have to find a balance between being willing to do anything and doing what we do best. If you do whatever needs to be done without using your talents, you get off balance. If you do what if you do you just use your talents without doing what needs to be done, you're off balance the other way. So that balance between using your talents, doing what needs to be done, roll up your sleeves, get on with it. Neither one's right, neither one's wrong. It's not either or, it's both and a bit of both. Find the balance. It's easy to think that service is just meeting needs or doing charity from a distance like I did when I was on mission. But that just keeps people as projects. People aren't projects, people are family, people are a community. It's like when I was on the drop-in, when I was on mission, that was just a short-term project, and then I came back and I've come back, and I'm thinking, I'm with you guys all the time. I'm doing my best to be like Jesus. Don't always get it right, but I'm doing my best. Not just here, but in this town. But here's some things, here's some reasons that you might give me to say that you can't do it. Right? I've got the busyness reason. Look how look, you guys who've got kids, I really honour you because sometimes it's hard enough to get myself ready to go somewhere without having to take your kids as well. So, your busyness reason, I'm too busy with family, I'm too busy with work, I'm just busy, busy with other things. So I've got that's the busyness reason. There's the I don't know reason. I don't know what opportunities are available. I don't know if I have enough information about those opportunities. I don't know if I know enough. The I don't know reason. And then there's the tell me why reason. Ask me. Tell me why I should. I don't know anyone that's everything on that team, so tell me how I can contribute. I'm generous in other ways. I give money and pray and do other things. So tell me why I should. Do more than that. Tell me why I'm needed, since everything looks as if it's under control. Tell me why I should. If I've tried before and I didn't feel appreciated and no one said thank you, tell me why reason. You've probably got other things you can think of as well, because that was just the list that came off the top of my head. There's probably other things as well. But now that we've got that out of the way, when do I serve? I've got some four markers here. Help serve when it's needed. But there's always something that needs to be done. If you hear about it, if you see about it, why not do it? My next one is when it's not convenient. Let me tell you about David. I call on David sometimes because I need some help. And I'm sure you've got better things to do. My auntie was in hospital in A. Well, my I took my auntie to AE because she wasn't well. And when they released her, I phoned my sister to see whether she'd come and pick us up because I don't drive. So I called my sister, and my brother-in-law was away. And she should the little one was staying overnight, and she'd just got him to bed, so she couldn't come. So I phoned David. And he went, yeah, I'll be there. And then there was another time, actually, it was when I was going on mission. I thought, I've got to go to Newcastle, catch a train. I'll just get the bus to Newcastle. I got on the bus just down there beside the traffic lights. It went one stop and it broke down. David! And I'm sure he's got better things to do, and it's not con always convenient for him. But you know, when you call on him, he's there to serve and to help. And then it's going to get harder from now on. The next one is even when people criticize, they will. Unfortunately, they will. And it's not what we like. But they will. It's a selfish world that we live in. There's this thing called, well, it's my truth. So people say, Well, it's my truth, so I'm not going to listen to your truth. So people criticize. They don't acknowledge your reasons for doing something. And they come along and they'll say, Well, I wouldn't have done it that way. Or they'll come along and say, Why are we doing this? Why are you doing that? Now, as Matt says, ask if you've got those questions. He'll always come up with an answer because he knows the reasons why. Well, I hope he does. But you know, when people criticize, just take care of yourself in those times. Take care of yourselves. We're here for you. We'll support you. We've got your back. So even when people criticize, don't forget to serve. And the next one might be even harder. Even when no one notices. That's a hard one, eh? It's really hard. Because who doesn't want to be appreciated and acknowledged for what they do? When they've put a lot of hard work into something, who doesn't want someone to say thank you? It's our human nature. We've done something well, we've helped people, we've supported a cause. It's just human nature that we want to be appreciated and thanks. And so we can become discouraged in those times. Now it's easy to say, but it's hard to remember. God sees. We sometimes think, even when we've done something wrong, we say, oh, God saw that. God saw me do that. But you know what? He sees the good things as well. So don't forget. When you're serving others, you're also doing it for God. And God sees. And God knows. I don't find it easy to ask somebody to help me. So if I do, ask you to help with something. It means, first of all, that I trust you. Second of all, it means I've just got to the end of what I can do. So, and other people will be like that as well. A wise person once told me that if I don't let somebody help me, I'm denying them a blessing. Listen to what Jesus said. What I read earlier from John. And in verse 17, it says, Now that you know these things, you'll be blessed if you do them. Jesus is saying, Now that I've given you an example, do as I have done. There's a blessing that comes through doing. So can we put aside our busyness reason? Or our I don't know reason, or our tell me why reason. And be a doer, not just a listener, not just a hearer. And can we serve when it's needed? Sometimes when it's not convenient, sometimes when people criticize. And even if nobody's noticing. So let me encourage us as we close with this one verse, which shows that we will be both enriched and refreshed even in our doing. Says in Proverbs 11 and verse 25, whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be water. By doing, you will be blessed, you will be enriched, you'll be refreshed. Because you're doing it for God and not for yourself. And as I just close, can I just pray? And then Judith's going to come and she's going to lead us in our next part of our service. Lord Jesus, we thank you that you are our example in so many areas of our lives. Thank you that you've showed us how to serve others in love, in compassion, without judgment, simply caring for others. Today we ask that you will help us to find ways of serving one another whenever it's needed and even if no one notices. You've blessed us in so many ways, Lord. Now help us to take that blessing to those around us by doing, not just listening, by loving them as you do. Help us to be your hands and feet in this world. Amen.