[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 5th of November, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
Have you ever given any thought as to what might have been going on in Jesus’ mind during his short time on earth? I mean, He was God, right? But at the same time, He was fully human. He suffered through the same aches and pains as we do, got hungry at times, and thirsty.
And I bet He struggled not to get completely fed up with this stubborn, thick-headed group of people that we too often are. I can’t help but wonder if at some point He didn’t think, “OK, Dad, I’ve had enough of this foolishness - I’m coming home.” Well, if He ever thought it, He never acted on it.
And fortunately for us, we don’t really have to guess what He might have been thinking - our Bible tells us. Listen and follow along to verses 5 through 11 of the 2nd chapter of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Earlier, in our Congregational Reading, we read this passage the New King James Version of our Holy Bible. This time I’m reading from the New Life Version…
And I bet He struggled not to get completely fed up with this stubborn, thick-headed group of people that we too often are. I can’t help but wonder if at some point He didn’t think, “OK, Dad, I’ve had enough of this foolishness - I’m coming home.” Well, if He ever thought it, He never acted on it.
And fortunately for us, we don’t really have to guess what He might have been thinking - our Bible tells us. Listen and follow along to verses 5 through 11 of the 2nd chapter of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Earlier, in our Congregational Reading, we read this passage the New King James Version of our Holy Bible. This time I’m reading from the New Life Version…
5 Think as Christ Jesus thought. 6 Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. 7 He put aside everything that belonged to Him and made Himself the same as a servant who is owned by someone. He became human by being born as a man. 8 After He became a man, He gave up His important place and obeyed by dying on a cross. 9 Because of this, God lifted Jesus high above everything else. He gave Him a name that is greater than any other name. 10 So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him. 11 And every tongue will say Jesus Christ is Lord. Everyone will give honor to God the Father.
--Philippians 2:5-11 (NLV)
Let us pray… Father God, Your great plan to save mankind required that Your Son Jesus suffer and die on the cross. Forgive us, please Father, when we complain about little things, forgetting just what Jesus went through on our behalf. Help us to be more like Him in our dedication to You and Your will. Speak to us this morning, Father, that we might better hear, understand, and obey Your word. In the blessed name of Your Son Jesus we pray. Amen.
During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode up on a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help with the work. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am a corporal!" The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. Their job done, the stranger turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." It was none other than George Washington who pitched in to help his tired men.
George Washington clearly understood the full meaning of service. He was a servant of God even while serving our fledgling country, both as general and as president. To him, “service” was not just a word, but a way of life. It requires a deep commitment to responsibility: of feeling and acting responsible for the welfare of others. And Washington knew that by serving others we serve God.
Are we as dedicated a servant as George Washington?
In our scripture reading, Paul notes that even though Jesus was God, He put aside all His divine privileges and made a servant of Himself. He served us, mankind, and He served God, His and our Father in heaven. He served faithfully, carrying out God’s plan of salvation to the letter, even dying on the cross for us. And God rewarded Him for His service.
Paul also considered himself to be a servant. Listen to how he opens his letter to the Romans, chapter 1, verse 1…
Paul describes himself as a bondservant of Jesus, serving as an apostle, set aside by God to proclaim the Good News of salvation through Jesus. We’re familiar with the word “servant”, being one who serves another, but “bondservant” is a term we don’t hear as often. A bondservant is closer to what we would call a slave rather than a servant. In Jesus’ day it was fairly common to be or to own a bondservant. In some cases a bondservant would serve voluntarily, but most times it was an involuntary, forced position of servitude.
A bondservant could not leave their service until whatever caused them to be placed there was fulfilled or completed, if ever. A frequent reason for becoming a bondservant was to work off a debt that could not otherwise be repaid. Do you remember Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, when Jesus blinded Saul and showed him what he was doing wrong, then gave him not only another chance to make amends, but also special insight into the Gospel? Paul recognized how great a debt he owed Jesus – a debt he could never repay. So he placed himself into lifelong servitude to Jesus, a service he would not leave or try to get out of. He willingly, voluntarily, made of himself a bondservant to Jesus.
Another point Paul clearly understood is that we all serve, in one way or another. We may not be indentured bondservants or slaves, but we still serve other folks, and if we are believers, we also serve our Lord Jesus. So the big question is… Do we serve as Paul did, or even as George Washington did, with the commitment of a voluntary bondservant? Listen to what Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 6 of his letter, verses 5 through 7…
Even if we are just serving our fellow man, in any fashion, we should do just as good a job of it as if we were serving God face to face! Because when we serve others, we serve God! This is exactly what Jesus did! He served others in His service to God!
Everyone who will be helping this Saturday with our bazaar and dinner should try to remember this. Pretend that everyone we are helping in one way or another is actually Jesus. Superimpose His face over theirs. Treat them like we would treat Jesus. Because we are doing just that, according to Paul.
And while we’re helping others, let’s keep another point Paul makes in mind. This one comes from his letter to the Galatians, chapter 1, verse 10…
Don’t do things for the sole purpose of pleasing others or to gain their approval. Do them to please Jesus, for His approval. Remember that we gave ourselves over to His service when we accepted Him as our Lord. That’s what it means when we call Him Master: that we will serve Him, just as Paul did. Do we really think and act that way? Do we truly make ourselves bondservants to Christ?
There is one more aspect of servitude I’d like to examine, and this one comes from the Apostle Peter. In his 1st letter to the far-flung church, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17, Peter admonishes us…
It is the will of God that we voluntarily make ourselves to be His bondservants. Now God is, after all, God, and He could make us dance at the end of a string like a puppet if He wanted. But what He wants is for us to love Him enough to willingly put ourselves into servitude to Him.
By our belief in Jesus, we are freed from death and sin. Peter instructs us not to use that freedom to do whatever we want, to delve back into a sinful life, but instead to do good for others, to serve God as His bondservant, and in doing so, to silence the blatant ignorance of foolish people! And family, there are a lot of foolish people in this world today who need to see the kind of role model Peter is asking us to be.
Jesus set the example. Paul followed it. Peter exhorts us all to accept the role also. To give ourselves into selfless servitude to Jesus and to God. To commit ourselves, dedicate ourselves fully to serving others and in that way to serving our Lord.
Be a bondservant of Jesus. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You knew what had to be done if mankind was to have any hope of salvation. So You worked out a plan that required a very dedicated Servant. Your own Son Jesus accepted that role, obeying Your will even to His death on the cross. Help us, please Father, to understand and follow our own role in Your great plan. Help us to give of ourselves fully into Your service. Forgive us when we fail to act as true bondservants, thinking we can get out of our servitude. Forgive us for doing good only to seek the approval of man, rather than helping others simply because it pleases You. Forgive us when we stray from Your will.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our disobedience, seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, You showed us what a true servant should look like. You came to offer us salvation, and gave every last ounce of Yourself to us in service to our Father God. Help us, Lord, to follow Your example. Help us to willingly give of ourselves completely into Your service. Help us be Your bondservants.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode up on a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help with the work. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am a corporal!" The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. Their job done, the stranger turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." It was none other than George Washington who pitched in to help his tired men.
George Washington clearly understood the full meaning of service. He was a servant of God even while serving our fledgling country, both as general and as president. To him, “service” was not just a word, but a way of life. It requires a deep commitment to responsibility: of feeling and acting responsible for the welfare of others. And Washington knew that by serving others we serve God.
Are we as dedicated a servant as George Washington?
In our scripture reading, Paul notes that even though Jesus was God, He put aside all His divine privileges and made a servant of Himself. He served us, mankind, and He served God, His and our Father in heaven. He served faithfully, carrying out God’s plan of salvation to the letter, even dying on the cross for us. And God rewarded Him for His service.
Paul also considered himself to be a servant. Listen to how he opens his letter to the Romans, chapter 1, verse 1…
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God...
--Romans 1:1 (NKJV)
A bondservant could not leave their service until whatever caused them to be placed there was fulfilled or completed, if ever. A frequent reason for becoming a bondservant was to work off a debt that could not otherwise be repaid. Do you remember Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, when Jesus blinded Saul and showed him what he was doing wrong, then gave him not only another chance to make amends, but also special insight into the Gospel? Paul recognized how great a debt he owed Jesus – a debt he could never repay. So he placed himself into lifelong servitude to Jesus, a service he would not leave or try to get out of. He willingly, voluntarily, made of himself a bondservant to Jesus.
Another point Paul clearly understood is that we all serve, in one way or another. We may not be indentured bondservants or slaves, but we still serve other folks, and if we are believers, we also serve our Lord Jesus. So the big question is… Do we serve as Paul did, or even as George Washington did, with the commitment of a voluntary bondservant? Listen to what Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 6 of his letter, verses 5 through 7…
5 Servants, obey those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of your heart, as to Christ, 6 not serving when eyes are on you, but as pleasing men as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men...
--Ephesians 6:5-7 (MEV)
Everyone who will be helping this Saturday with our bazaar and dinner should try to remember this. Pretend that everyone we are helping in one way or another is actually Jesus. Superimpose His face over theirs. Treat them like we would treat Jesus. Because we are doing just that, according to Paul.
And while we’re helping others, let’s keep another point Paul makes in mind. This one comes from his letter to the Galatians, chapter 1, verse 10…
10 For am I now seeking the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? For if I were still trying to please men, I would not be the servant of Christ.
--Galatians 1:10 (MEV)
There is one more aspect of servitude I’d like to examine, and this one comes from the Apostle Peter. In his 1st letter to the far-flung church, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17, Peter admonishes us…
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
--1 Peter 2:15-17 (NKJV)
By our belief in Jesus, we are freed from death and sin. Peter instructs us not to use that freedom to do whatever we want, to delve back into a sinful life, but instead to do good for others, to serve God as His bondservant, and in doing so, to silence the blatant ignorance of foolish people! And family, there are a lot of foolish people in this world today who need to see the kind of role model Peter is asking us to be.
Jesus set the example. Paul followed it. Peter exhorts us all to accept the role also. To give ourselves into selfless servitude to Jesus and to God. To commit ourselves, dedicate ourselves fully to serving others and in that way to serving our Lord.
Be a bondservant of Jesus. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You knew what had to be done if mankind was to have any hope of salvation. So You worked out a plan that required a very dedicated Servant. Your own Son Jesus accepted that role, obeying Your will even to His death on the cross. Help us, please Father, to understand and follow our own role in Your great plan. Help us to give of ourselves fully into Your service. Forgive us when we fail to act as true bondservants, thinking we can get out of our servitude. Forgive us for doing good only to seek the approval of man, rather than helping others simply because it pleases You. Forgive us when we stray from Your will.
Please hear us now, Father, as we silently speak to You straight from our hearts, thanking You for Your many blessings, repenting of our disobedience, seeking Your forgiveness…
Lord Jesus, You showed us what a true servant should look like. You came to offer us salvation, and gave every last ounce of Yourself to us in service to our Father God. Help us, Lord, to follow Your example. Help us to willingly give of ourselves completely into Your service. Help us be Your bondservants.
This we pray in Your glorious name, Lord Jesus Christ, our Master and our Savior, the one true Son of God, in whom we place all our hope, all our trust, all our faith. Amen.
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