START: Taking the Next Step of Service
2017-10-22
Pastor Jonathan Falwell
Key Verse:
John 13:15
For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Today, we conclude our brief series entitled START: Taking the Next Step From The Step You’re On. We’ve talked about awareness of our security in Him, the security of His Word, the power of prayer, and fighting for what really matters. Today, I want to conclude by discussing how to take the next step of service. The church should never be a haven for placeholders but rather a launching pad for world changers! This comes through service.
John 13:4 (NLT) So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” 10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
The Next Step of Service
1. Putting Jesus First
– serving others is not done for a feeling of self worth or validation, it is done as an expression of love for Christ
– Matthew 25:40 And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’’
2. Putting Others First
– Phil 2:3-4 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
How?
1. With what you have
– vs 4-5 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him
– Don’t wait until you feel you are equipped to serve, serve now!
2. With what you know
– vs 6-8 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” 8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
– we are all uniquely gifted in certain ways and can use those gifts and that knowledge for the Kingdom
3. With Christ as the model
– vs 13-15 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.
– Jesus stepped out of the role of leader/teacher to serve the Disciples in a way that the world would have looked down upon, yet He did so not just to teach a lesson, but because it is the right thing to do.
What’s next?
1. Pray
– Pray about what opportunities are around you every day where you can serve
2. Offer
– Take a step of faith and simply offer to serve
3. Try
– If at first you don’t “like it” try something else! Practice makes perfect!