166 Sermon Illustrations on Service

Ye serve the Lord Christ. — Colossians 3:24.

O. H. M. S. These letters are imprinted on the notepaper and envelopes of the British government and ought to be stamped on the life of every child of God. We are all On His Majesty’s Service. What a dignity! What a responsibility! — H. K. Downie.

If done beneath Thy laws,

e’en servile labors shine,

Hallowed’s the toil, if this the cause;

the meanest work divine,

A servant with this clause

makes drudgery divine,

Who sweeps the room as for Thy laws,

makes that and the action fine.

Peter Writes to Pilgrims -- 1 Peter 4:7–11 — Living to God’s Glory « My translation of 1 Peter is to convey the flavour of the Greek rather than to be for English fluency and literacy. Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. Review

1. Outline, thus far (abridged):

a. 1:1–2:12 – The Blessings of Spiritual Pilgrims

b. 2:13–4:11 – The Duties of Spiritual Pilgrims

i. 2:13–17 – Living as Earthly Citizens

ii. 2:18–20 – Facing Unjust Treatment

iii. 2:21–25 – Christ the Example

iv. 3:1–6 – A Good Woman (Wife)

v. 3:7–12 – A Good Man (Husband)

vi. 3:13–17 – A Defence in Suffering

vii. 3:18–22 – Peter’s “Creed”

viii. 4:1–6 – Leaving the Old Life … review …

2. Overcoming Sin, 1 Peter 4:1–2: 1 Hence Christ suffered bodily. You also then, equip yourselves (as for war) with the same thinking: because he who has suffered bodily has finished with sins. 2 To this end, that you live your remaining bodily life no longer by evil human desires, but by the will of God.

a. How does this help us to deal with our sin? « – seek to do the Father’s will the way Jesus did; inoculation against sin »

b. What other armour will help us deal with sin? « – God’s spiritual armour, particularly the shield of faith »

3. The Reaction of Old Friends, 1 Peter 4:3–4: 3 For you have passed enough time accomplishing pagan purposes, having conducted yourselves in excesses, in evil desires, in times of drunkenness, in wild parties, in drinking-bouts, and in lawless idol-services. 4 In this the pagans think it to be alien — and speak evil of — your not running with them unto the same excessive abandonment.

a. When someone is converted and the Holy Spirit changes his life style, how will old friends respond? « – ridicule; tempt to sin; consider as odd, weird, ‘holier than thou’ »

b. What responses can be made to such friends? « – testify to the Christian joy vs. worldly pleasures; warn of sin’s results »

4. Just Judgement is Coming, 1 Peter 4:5–6: 5 These will render account to the one in readiness to judge the living and the dead. 6 For unto this purpose it was proclaimed to the dead, in order that though they should have been judged bodily according to men, they are living spiritually according to God.

a. How did Peter warn? – « people must face the Judge on this »

B. An Incentive to the New Life 1 Peter 4:7a

1. 7a But the end of all things has drawn near. … There are « (at least) » three ways that ‘end’ can be understood; what are they …

a. … as being Jews (like Peter and some of his readers)? « – the immanence of the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD) and the cessation of the Jews as a nation »

b. … as being Christians (like Peter and his readers)? « – the return of Christ is promised and considered as immanent »

c. … as being humans (like Peter and all of us)? « – we are only a breath away from death, ending material existence »

d. Which of these do you think fits the context best? « – discuss »

2. In what way is each of these an incentive to Christian living? « – in different ways, each brings us face to face with the fact that all our material relationships and possessions are passing and that we will soon need to give account of our spiritual life »

C. Some Marks of the New Life 1 Peter 4:7b–9

1. 7b Therefore, be healthy minded; be disciplined unto prayers; 8 and first of all, having ‘stretched out’ A. love B. among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of faults C.; 9 hospitable to one another without grumbling. — A. Fervent, extensive; B. Agape; C. Sins, failures

2. ‘Be healthy minded’ – « sane or sober minded; a compound of the root for save and the word to think. » What has God done to permit us to obey this command?

a. 2 Timothy 1:7: For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline (NAS) or ‘healthy mindedness’? « – the new spirit of power, love and sound mind He gives us »

b. Isaiah 26:3: The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee. (NAS)? « – His peace »

c. 1 John 4:17-19: By this, love is perfected with us, … because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, … We love, because He first loved us. (NAS)? « – His love »

3. ‘Be disciplined « (watchful, circumspect) » unto prayers’ – « this is plural, but not in the non-biblical idea of ‘saying one’s prayers’ but to paying attention to the places and occasions of public prayer; » what makes this important according to …

a. … John 16:24: Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. (NAS)? « – it is Jesus Christ’s command along with His promise that prayer will be answered »

b. … Matthew 18:19-20: Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst. (NAS)? « – the power of agreement by believers in public prayer »

c. … James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (NAS)? « – it is the one way we can help each other no matter how weak and incapable we are »

4. ‘Stretched-out love’ – « this is agape love extended to its limit; » who is the primary target of this love?

a. John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (NAS) – « other believers »

b. Why, 1 John 4:11: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NAS)? « – as a response to God’s love »

c. Why, Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (NAS)? « – in imitation of Jesus Christ (example of an absolute truth) »

5. ‘love covers a multitude of faults’ (or sins) – some say this means we should hide and gloss over a Christians immoral acts; what is the true biblical practice (Matthew 18:15–17, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20)? « Seek to restore the Christian, at first privately, and if that fails, publicly in the church body, and finally by withdrawing fellowship; there is also a difference between sins against me, and those against the church body or God »

6. ‘hospitable to one another’ – « literally, ‘friendly to strangers’; » who is the target of this practical friendliness? « – believers »

a. What is to be the mark of this hospitality? « – no grumbling, no murmuring, no muttering under your breath! – or? … generous, open-handed, liberal »

D. Marks of the New Ministry 1 Peter 4:10–11

1. 10 According as each one has received a gift A. minister it among yourselves as good dispensers B. of the many-sided grace of God: 11 if any man speaks, let him do so as speaking God’s oracles; if any man ministers, let him do so out of might which God furnishes; in order that in all things, God should be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and the ruling power unto the ages of the ages. Amen. – A. An ability by grace, charisma; B. Stewards;

2. From the word translated ‘minister’ we get the ‘English’ word, deacon! What is the source of such ability to minister …

a. … according to this verse? « – a gift or grace received of God »

b. … Ephesians 4:11–12a: And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service (‘deaconage’)… (NAS)? « – by equipping through God-given men … ie., from God indirectly through others »

3. The word ‘dispensers, stewards’ is a word for the one who had the ‘rule of the house, the house manager’ – what does this tell us about how God works in the church of Christ? « – delegates to His children, so that every ‘member of the body’ has a role to fulfill, a task to carry out »

4. The word ‘many-sided’ is that which was used in the Greek Old Testament to describe Joseph’s many-coloured coat. How does God work in His church? « – like the variety of His creation so is the variety of the ways God works, even in His church »

5. How should each believer respond to this fact? … cite the two examples and how they can be extended. « – with whatsoever gift a believer has received, a Christian should serve ardently; the two examples encompass both the spiritual and material (compare Acts 6:2–4, minister word, serve tables) »

6. What is the ultimate purpose of such service? « – the same for every kind of service, the worship, praise & glory of God; when ‘me’ enters service, displacing God, that service is empty »

No servant can serve two masters … You cannot serve God and mammon. —Luke 16:13

The Lord’s teaching about money in Luke 16 is as up-to-date as today’s newspaper. Some Pharisees listened as Jesus told a parable about an unfaithful steward. He said, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” The Pharisees scoffed at this, for they loved money. Jesus responded, “What is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (v.15).

Author Wayne Jacobsen points out that when Jesus used the word abomination, He wasn’t referring to sordid immorality. He was referring to the Pharisees’ preoccupation with temporal possessions — very much the mindset of many today and still detestable to God.

To help us reverse our preoccupation with money, Ken Gire wrote this prayer: “Dear Jesus, help me this day to see with the eyes I will one day be given at death. I see clearly enough now what is highly valued in the sight of men. Give me eyes to see what is highly valued in Your sight.” And what does God highly value? People in need—the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the lonely, the prisoners (Matthew 25:34-40). Valuing people involves listening, understanding, and meeting their needs.

Are we preoccupied with earthly values or with God’s eternal values? —JEY

I want to do service for Christ while I live,

And comfort and cheer to poor lonely hearts give;

For this is the program approved by the Word,

To visit the needy and speak of the Lord. — Bosch

Hold loosely to what is temporal and tightly to what is eternal.

Bible Verse: So the last will be first, and the first will be last. — Matthew 20:16

The landowner in Jesus’ parable wants workers to tend his vineyard just as God needs workers in His Kingdom. The landowner agrees to pay one denarius for one day’s work: one promise, one payment.

Four other times during the day the landowner returns to the market place to hire workers, with the promise to pay them “whatever is right.” He hires at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour. The landowner also seems to be interested in keeping the idle busy and in providing worthwhile work for them to do. He seems to regret that there are those “doing nothing.”

At the end of the day, the owner of the vineyard has his foreman pay all the workers one denarius, beginning first with those who worked least. Those hired early in the morning grumble because they thought they would receive more than those hired later in the day.

The landowner points out that he has kept his agreement and that he has a right to be generous with his own money. He thought it was right to pay all the workers the same–even those who only worked for an hour.

The lesson seems to be that it is not how long or how hard we work in God’s Kingdom–only that all who believe and belong will be saved: one promise, one payment. Entering God’s Kingdom and serving the Lord is not a competition between believers; nor is it earned as one would “earn” wages at a regular job. It is a gift freely given for faith and by God’s grace. Those saved sooner than others have the joy of worthwhile work within God’s Kingdom for a long period of time. Those saved later may not work as long, but they, too, gain eternal life.

What a joy it is to realize that whenever the heart is ready for Jesus, Jesus will be waiting. His promise of eternal life is the same for all who believe. Whenever we come to Jesus believing and trying to practice His Word, He will allow us to be part of His Kingdom. We need only be willing to be workers for Him: one promise (obedient faith), one payment (eternal life).

“O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” –Exodus 4:13

When God asked Moses to do some work for Him, Moses presented God with a list of problems or “reasons” he could not undertake this mission. God responded with promises and solutions.

1. Self-esteem problem — “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?” Moses asked. God reassured him, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:11-12).

2. Authority problem –”Suppose . . . they ask me ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God told Moses to reply, “I AM has sent me to you” (3:13-14).

3. Credibility problem — “What if they do not believe me or listen to me?” protested Moses; and God obliged with many signs (4:1-5).

4. Ability problem — Moses said, “I am slow of speech and tongue.” God reminded him, “Who gave man his mouth?” adding reassuringly, “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (4:10-11).

Finally, Moses protested, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (v.13). And the Bible reports: “Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses” (v.14).

When the Lord calls you, do you say:

• “I don’t know enough. I can’t possibly teach Sunday school.”

• “My friends laugh when I talk about God.”

• “They’ll call me a fool to believe such things in this day and age.”

• “No one will listen to me; besides, what proof do I have?”

• “I’m not good at public speaking, I don’t explain things well, and I have a terrible memory.”

Do you try to wriggle out of things by pleading, “Oh, no, Lord! Please send someone else,” while in your heart you know you’re giving an excuse? What do you think the Lord will say? –Tanya F.

REFLECTION

• What is God calling me to do today? Teach? Talk to someone? Visit someone? Sing? Write a letter? Make some change in my lifestyle?

• Do I try to wriggle out of obeying? What excuses do I put forward? Are they anything like Moses’ excuses?

• Spend a few minutes reflecting on God’s responses to Moses. Then, in the silence of your heart, ask the Lord to speak to you and respond to your excuses.

God knows what you can do–He made you!

Sermon in Family Concerns series, #7 2 Samuel 19:31-39

GROW OLD ALONG WITH ME

======================

I. Age is popular.

A. More and more people are getting old.

B. Needs and opportunities.

II. The challenges of age.

A. Loss of esteem.

B. Health.

C. Independence and finances.

D. Loneliness and discouragement.

III. The advantages of age.

A. Bible usually presents old age in a bright light.

B. Emotional maturity.

C. Spiritual maturity.

IV. The opportunities of age.

A. Older people can risk more.

B. Love and time.

V. We are never too old to grow.

VI. Endings mean more than beginnings.

A. Will you be faithful to the end?

B. Trust in Christ now.

This is a true story. It happened years ago on a Sunday morning, right during the middle of the church service for everyone to see. I couldn’t believe my eyes, or my ears. I’m sitting on the third pew in total disbelief that I’m hearing a sermon which feels a lot more like something my old football coach would be saying instead of the a gentle, low dose of expectation that had become customary. I have to admit, it felt good.

Why? Because it was a man-sermon. He was preaching to the men in the church that day. Better yet, he wasn’t screaming at us for being lazy Christians. He was giving us great words on the truth that real men are called to be like those champions found in Scripture who had lived their lives as bold men who served a bold God.

Then he dropped the bomb. Right as he was hitting his homiletical stride, right at the point where every good preacher knows that you’ve got the audience ready, even begging you, to tell them what to do, he did the unthinkable. In a baritone voice that would make Vince Lombardi proud, he said:

“Men, you’ve got marching orders from Holy God. You have the opportunity to give you life’s work to something that actually matters. You can serve a King and His Kingdom and make an eternal difference in this world. And you can do it right here in this church. The best place you can start is by serving our biggest need -- our nursery and pre-school ministry. You can love on those kids, change those diapers, and teach them all about Jesus. Men, we’re here to serve! The church and the men in it are here to serve our God -- just like we are called to serve our wives. He calls the church His bride. We are all the bride of Christ. We all were called to wear that wedding dress of service, serving Him until He comes again.”

I could not believe my ears, or my eyes. He kept on preaching for the next 15 minutes, but I never heard another word. My thoughts stopped. My spirit deflated. I was speechless. As if it weren’t hard enough to try and delete from the hard drive of my mind the image of being forced to wear a wedding dress, I had also just been told by a preacher that my opportunity for serving God was all but bound to the nursery. The implication was that if I did not accept the call, I was spiritually out of touch with the God that made me.

I am not saying that this pastor was wrong for wanting men to serve kids. He was not wrong in that at all. Where he got it wrong was that his definition of what it means to serve God was out of step with the male psyche. Where he got it really wrong was using a wedding dress metaphor to describe how I should be relating to God. I am in no way stating that serving kids is a lesser calling. It most certainly is not. Serving kids is a great calling, but it’s not for every man. What I am saying is that, like it or not, many men simply do not get amped up from that sort of ministry option. I should know, for I speak to thousands of men a year, and this is at the heart of their struggle, not with God, but with “church” and how so often the church narrowly defines what is and what is not “ministry.”

Evangelicals today have media capabilities that would boggle the mind of the first century church. We spend millions every year on our message. Jesus spoke a simple sentence, “Come follow Me ...” and roughnecks like Peter gave up a career path for the Kingdom call. Yet, with all of our current media savvy, churches everywhere are struggling to reach men. It’s no secret that Jesus’ very own congregations can’t seem to find a message that attracts men.

As I’ve worked with congregations seeking to construct men’s ministries, I’ve discovered that churches often end up creating what I’ve come to call the “marginal man.” The average guy in the pew has a thought process in which he realizes that he’s not called to preach. Furthermore, he realizes that he’s not necessarily a good Bible teacher, and they won’t let him sing in the choir. He’s been on a few committees, but that wasn’t enough. Left with those options, he starts to see ministry, by the way the church defines it, as a forgone conclusion. Does this fit the mentality of all churches? No. Yet my experience has found that it’s far more the mindset that rules the day rather than the exception.

Given these options, the marginal man quietly sits on the boundaries of church life. It’s not that he doesn’t love God, it’s that he’s bored. He feels left out because he does not necessarily embrace the tight mold of what congregations are, and are not, willing to give the title of “ministry position.”

Consider Jeremy Harrill, another true story. Harrill is a wildlife officer in North Carolina, and a hard working man of God at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cleveland, N.C. Knowing that many men in his congregation loved to hunt and fish, Harrill started a Bible study specifically for outdoorsmen. The content, the stories, the brotherhood, all centered around that niche of men who would willingly skip church during hunting season.

Harrill’s small group study was well received, and it wasn’t long until he had another wild idea. He knew that many of these men were barely connected to church life, but if he could find just the right opportunity, he believed that God could push these men to go on a mission trip. So, Harrill took his outdoorsmen to Alaska with the mission of sharing the Gospel via a DVD produced through the Alaska Baptist Convention called “Life:Alaska.” Harrill led his men to share the Gospel, using the DVD concept, with fisherman lining the banks during the summer salmon runs. The rest is history ... still in the making. Jeremy Harrill understands that if you form a ministry around a man’s passion, you don’t have to motivate him. All you have to do is give him permission to serve God through his personality, not in spite of it.

Churches today could reach men in droves if they would start with where men are at, instead of where they want them to be. Marginal men are not necessarily content to be marginal. Whether it’s through golf, disaster relief, motor cycles, home repair, coaching, business networking, or hunting and fishing, marginal men will turn into hardcore Jesus followers if you can teach them how to turn their passion into a ministry with a Kingdom agenda. Shout the message that your church embraces testosterone, and your message will not only be heard, it will be received by men.

Kim Menon was an avowed atheist. As a child, her parents took her to church but no one could satisfy her with the answers she sought.

“I thought believers just weren’t intelligent enough,” Menon said.

Now a kindergarten teacher in Seattle, Washington, education is a central part of Menon’s life. Striving to get involved in her students’ lives and to know their parents, she believes that’s how students best learn and grow. But Menon had no idea this path would lead her into a Christian commitment.

Three years ago, Andy Brown moved from Camden, Arkansas, to Seattle to plant churches, aided by Southern Baptists’ Cooperative Program missions and ministry outreach funded through their tithes and offerings.

Larry Bailey, missions pastor at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a sponsor church for Brown’s mission, noted, “Together we are able to [impact] places like Seattle because it’s so expensive to live there.”

Brown, after arriving in Seattle, registered his son for kindergarten at the local school, where he was placed in Menon’s class. The school building seemed to be in good shape but Brown noticed that the grounds needed landscaping and care.

“A lot of the ministry we do is community service,” Brown said. “A constant presence in the community is the best way to reach people, so we kind of adopted the school.”

When Brown talked to the principal about his desire to help the school, she was hesitant. Brown agreed to work with no mention of his religious beliefs. Everyone knew he was the pastor of The Landing Church but there would be no pressure from Brown while he was on campus. He was there only to serve. Many teachers were curious why he would do all that work with nothing in return, so it piqued their interest.

“He could answer my questions when asked,” Menon said, “but that was it.”

Brown noted that in a small church like The Landing in Seattle’s secular environment, “most of the new believers are still not comfortable being bold with their faith.”

“So we have to have a lot of outside help to have a constant presence in the community” since The Landing does almost all the landscaping at the school along with some painting and catering several times a year for the teachers and other special events.

That’s why mission trips from sponsor churches like Central Baptist are important. Bailey was involved in one of those mission trips as a volunteer in Menon’s class, making copies, grading papers, helping with projects -- anything to be of service.

“She was very suspicious,” Bailey said.

“She said, ‘I don’t get it. You fly all the way from Arkansas to Seattle to make copies for me. Why?’”

He simply explained, “Because we want to love you and show you that God loves you too.”

As they worked, Menon sat in the back of the classroom and watched with tears streaming down her face.

“I had never met anyone who did things like that without wanting something in return,” Menon said. “I thought Christians were predators who didn’t really care about who I was. They just wanted me to say a prayer and then not give a care about me.”

Persistent love

For more than two years, the Brown family continued to minister to the school and to Menon, among others. They invited her to birthday parties, neighborhood get-togethers and holiday events. They never hid their faith; quite the contrary -- they continually invited her to church. It even became a joke, with Menon saying it would never happen. But as time went on, they all became friends, and she fell in love with this family.

At the same time, Menon’s marriage was falling apart, and she wanted to save it. She knew the Browns were pro-marriage and came to them for help. Menon felt hurt, unloved and rejected by her husband, but the Browns showed her that they would love her no matter what.

It made Menon wonder if there was something to all the talk about Jesus. “I loved them at this point,” she said, yet “I didn’t want to come to church and get their hopes up and then disappoint them.”

So she began to learn about God on her own. If she heard them mention a Christian book, she would secretly buy the book and read it.

Then Menon’s mother became very ill after a series of heart attacks. In spite of her fragile health, she was scheduled for heart surgery. Menon needed a miracle, so she did the only thing left to do: She called Brown and asked him to pray for her mother.

“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” Brown said.

What surprised him even more was what he heard come out of his own mouth: “God will heal your mother.”

Brown panicked. What if God didn’t heal her mother? What if this pushed her even farther from God? Yet he did what he knew he should do -- he started praying. He called everyone in the church, emailed and posted on Facebook so that every believer he knew praying for Menon’s mother.

“Prayer and fasting are first and foremost on Brown’s mind,” Bailey said. “Like the saints of old -- he’s patterned his life after them.”

Everyone waited with expectation as Menon’s mother underwent surgery. But when the doctors opened her up, they could find nothing wrong with her.

Menon was relieved, but also frustrated and angry. She wanted an explanation, but none of the doctors could tell her how her mother had been healed. She called a friend, an atheistic cardiac nurse, and her only response was, “Sometimes we don’t have the knowledge yet.”

She called Brown, and when she questioned him, he simply said, “What do you think about it?”

Menon searched her heart, and she knew who healed her mother: God.

Ready to believe

It wasn’t long until Menon was ready for the “God talk.” She was alone, listening to Christian music, and a song came on the radio that spoke to her.

“I am not alone,” she said. “Even though my husband leaves me, God will never leave me.”

She called the church, and Brown wasn’t available, so she spoke with a woman there.

“I feel something different inside me,” Menon began to explain. During the conversation, the woman led her in a salvation prayer over the phone.

Menon brought 19 of her unsaved friends to her baptism, and she is now the part-time children’s minister at The Landing Church.

“My life has changed immeasurably,” she said. “I used to omit the words ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance. I was for gay rights, and now I have a different definition of marriage -- God’s definition. I didn’t even know what a Gospel tract was three years ago, and now I’m handing them out.”

The Browns continue to help Menon grow in her faith and help her reach others.

“Tell the people in Arkansas, ‘Thank you,’ and that they are changing lives,” she said.

“There’s a teacher next door to me, and she’s been burned by believers. They need to come volunteer in her class. They can give their time and prayers.”

The Pacific Northwest is 96 percent unchurched, and many of the traditional churches that do exist make little or no effort to reach people in their communities.

In addition to Brown’s church plant and his efforts to reach people through the school, he has started a homeless ministry called SALT, which supplies food, clothing, personal health supplies and biblical teaching.

Through Brown’s efforts, 48 people have come to Christ since March 2014.

________

Sabrina McDonald is a freelance writer in Cabot, Arkansas. This article first appeared in the Arkansas Baptist News (www.arkansasbaptist.org), newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.