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Serving the Lord
Part 1: Introduction to Serving
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
This document is a Sermon Outline. You may hear the full audio of the sermon by following the link to the Online Audio Files located above for this and other Full Sermon Audios. For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org or Truth Digest on Facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church. #worship #godheals #newtestament #jesuslovesyou #churchfamily #godsword #loveoneanother #holy #godislove #church #jesus #god #bible #christian #love #faith #worship #jesuschrist #gospel #prayer #christ #christianity #pray #holyspirit #godisgood #hope #blessed #armorofgod
SERMON TIMELINE
1. Introduction to Serving
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. February 4th, 2024
Now that we have examined what it means to be a saved follower of Jesus Christ, having called on His name, He gives us the gift of forgiveness and Salvation. We become followers of Christ or disciples, and the Lord begins his work in us.
Philippians 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
We receive a down payment, a portion of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father in heaven, which seals us and does the work in us. We begin as a Luke 5 disciple, with little understanding, and He builds us up to the point where we Spiritually mature into a Matthew 28 disciple, ready to fulfill the Great Commission.
Once the Holy Spirit begins to work within us, we start to display the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
As we read the bible, attend church, and pray, we continue to grow in the Lord and understanding. We realize that our battle is not against blood and flesh but spiritual. And through the might and strength of the Lord, we have the Full Armor of God to withstand the battle.
We have the helm of Salvation to protect our minds from attack. Our thinking has been transformed by the word of God and protected against manipulation.
We have the belt of His truth holding all of the armor together.
The breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, not our own, which protects our hearts.
The shield of faith, not only blocking attacks from our enemy but extinguishing the fiery arrows cast at us.
We also have the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, to defend ourselves and cast down any word that tries to exalt itself again the word of God.
Finally, the shoes of peace allow us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others, thus fulfilling the Great Commission.
And though, if this was not enough, the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts, which we are to use to build up, strengthen, and edify the Body of Christ.
Now that we have finished studying the Spiritual Gifts, it is time to learn how to serve the Lord. This brings us to our new series, Serving the Lord.
Today, I will touch on a few ways to serve the Lord, and over the next few weeks, we will dig deeper into them and see where there is room for us to grow in our lives.
As disciples of Jesus, we must strive to be doers of the word and not just those who hear then deceive themselves.
We must also guard ourselves against vain imaginations, which we may use to create a perception of reality that may not be true to the word of God.
Vain imaginations are what got Satan cast out of heaven, Eve to eat the fruit, Adam to follow, Cain to believe he could offer whatever he chose rather than what the Lord demanded, and the list goes on and on.
We must ensure that we live in the reality of God’s word, not a distorted or perverted creation of our own where we become the God of our realm.
Some ignore the truth of the word, and instead of renewing their thinking to have a different mind, a mind like Christ, they cherry-pick from scripture and build a house around them upon the sands of their imaginations.
Then the storm comes, and their perception is destroyed.
No, we must build our lives upon the truth of God’s word and ensure that our lives, relationships, households, church, and community are built upon the rock of Jesus Christ. Then, regardless of the storm, we shall stand.
SCRIPTURE READING
Galatians 6:7-10
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Today’s Topic: Serving the Lord: Introduction to Serving
I. WHERE DOES SERVING BEGIN? IN YOU
a. The work has begun. Embrace it
i. When
I first received Salvation, I was an annoying zealot for the Lord, with no
knowledge or experience but maximum effort.
ii. I
embraced my Salvation in Christ and knew I was a new creation and the old had
passed away.
iii. Over
time, through prayer and study, as well as an experienced mentor, I learned how
to grow in knowledge, gain wisdom and understanding, and gain experience, which
can only be acquired in one way.
1. You
cannot teach experience.
2. It
can only be gained through the experience itself.
3. And
that takes time.
4. This
is why I believe all young people, especially those in good homes, should go on
a mission trip to a third-world country to experience how many needs there are
out there.
iv. We
must embrace and accept that we are no longer who we were, and that’s a good
thing.
v. We must not resist the workings of the Holy Spirit
1. When
we do, we fight God and His hand in our lives
2. We
prolong our conversion.
3. We
needlessly suffer because of our own stubbornness.
4. We cause ourselves more grief than need be, all because the old man does not wish to pass away.
b. Seek, then seek some more
i. Matthew 7:7-12 “Ask, and it will be given to
you; seek,
and you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there
among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? 10
Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask
Him!
12 “Therefore, in all things, whatever you want
people to do for you, so do for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
ii. If
we wish to know, understand, or see truth, gain discernment in a situation, or have
a need, we must ask, seek, and knock.
iii. Notice
the example Jesus gives here.
1. Did
the son ask for a mountain of gold, a mighty ship, or a kingdom to be his? He
asked for a loaf or a fish.
2. Why
does this matter?
3. Some
take this scripture out of its context, cherry-pick part of the verse, and say,
“Ask, and it will be given to you. Everyone who asks receives.”
4. They forget the example of a real need, a loaf or fish, and the rest of the verse, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
5. God is not a genie, and the bible is not His lamp to be rubbed and obey your command.
a.
We don’t always desire what is “good”
for us. Not every desire is a need, and not every perceived need should be met.
6. If
what we ask is not for a benefit to us, someone we pray for, or the kingdom,
God will not…can not, give it.
iv. James 1:16-17 “Do not be deceived,
my beloved brothers. 17 Every good thing given and
every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
1. If
it is not a good thing or a perfect gift, it is not from God.
v. James 1:12-15
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does
not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is
carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully
matured, it brings forth death.”
vi. So,
we seek knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of the Word of God to mature
spiritually.
vii. We
pray and ask for God to give us good things, perfect gifts, and anything that
will enable us to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually.
c. As you grow in the Lord, the path will become more clear
i. You
may not yet know what calling the Lord has placed on you.
ii. But
know this, whatever the Lord asks of you, you are essential, you are needed,
and you are expected to serve.
iii. Is
the Lord truly your Master if you are not His servant?
iv. Is
someone your boss if you do not work for him?
v. As
we grow in the Lord, our calling will become more apparent.
vi. We
all have a different calling but are part of the one Body of Christ.
vii. We
all have a different calling but serve the same Lord to fulfill the will of
God, the Great Commission.
viii. We
are all essential in the working of the Body of Christ.
II. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? YOUR HOME
a. Changing takes time, patience, consistency, and wisdom.
i. Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand;
and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also
boast in our afflictions,
knowing that affliction brings about perseverance; 4
and perseverance, proven character;
and proven character, hope; 5
and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out
within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
ii. Change
takes time and is not always easy.
iii. When
we belong to the Lord, we first allow changes by the Holy Spirit in ourselves, which
pours out into our homes.
1. Worldly
things that were once ok are no longer acceptable.
2. Things
we once said or did that are approved by the world are recognized now by the
Spirit as wrong
iv. Changes
are never easy; they take time and perseverance, but they pay off with proven
character, which gives us hope.
v. A
man's true character and integrity is not what he does when others are looking
but what he does when only he and God can see.
b. The man is the Spiritual Head, whether he wants to be or not
i. This
is why the family structure is under attack by Satan
ii. Of
those who attend church, 61% are
women and 39% are
men.
1. I
would dare say many of those men only go because their wives made them.
2. I
wish this weren’t true.
iii. After
over 20 years of working in various churches and speaking with many members, we
are not seeing the men step up as they ought.
iv. Men
must make a stand and lead their families into the Kingdom of God. Whether they
accept this or not, they will be held accountable for what they taught the
family God has blessed them with.
c. Being right with the Lord so we can help others
i. Last
week, we mentioned that we are called to examine ourselves, judge ourselves, and
be honest.
ii. This
is how we grow in the Lord!
iii. We
are no good to anyone else if we are not right with the Lord first.
iv. We
MUST get ourselves to a place where we are useful to the Kingdom. We are not
called by God, given Salvation by the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit, to be
a pew warmer who remembers the Lord for an hour each week, then leaves the
service and pays Him no mind the remaining 167 hours, until the following
Sunday.
v. We
must read, pray, study, meditate on His words, grow in the Lord, or drown in
the milk of elementary teaching.
Hebrews 5:9-14
“Having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of
eternal Salvation, 10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the
order of Melchizedek.
11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.
The Lord does not save us to sit on the
sidelines until we are called up to heaven. We have a job to do, to serve the
Lord, in our lives, in our homes, in our church, in our community.
III. FROM THERE? OUTSIDE YOUR HOME
a. Firstly, in the assembly
i. As
a new believer, I thought you put God first, then the church, then family.
ii. I
was wrong.
iii. You
put God first, then your house (household, spouse, children), church, and
community.
1. I will be no good to my household if I don’t put God first
a.
Exodus 20:3; Colossians 3:17;
Matthew 22:37-40
2. Your house comes before the church. Scripture even states that before serving as an Elder or Deacon, they must have their house in order.
a.
1 Timothy 3:4-5; Titus 1:6-7
3. From
there, you can effectively serve the church assembly you attend
4. And
when the church is filled with people who put God first in their lives, homes,
and church, you will have a church filled with godly people!
iv. We
need godly people in the church today more than ever!
b. Secondly, in the community
i. When
we have a godly church, we reach out to the community and serve the Lord by
serving the community.
ii. We
reach out in many ways but with a singular goal.
iii. Share
the gospel of Salvation that frees people from the bondage of their sin.
c. Lastly, whatever your calling
i. During
your time of spiritual growth, the Lord will make known to you your calling,
and it will be verified by other trusted believers who are serving the Lord.
CONCLUSION
Within the first year of my Salvation, the Lord revealed
that I would be an Elder in the Body of Christ, teaching His word to His
people. After a few years of intense study, the pastor of the church I was
attending approached me and said the Elders recognized a calling by God on me
to be an Elder and asked if I ever felt that call, to which I said yes.
It doesn’t always happen immediately, but if you
seek God’s Will, it will be revealed to you. We are not all called to preach or
teach, but we can serve the Body of Christ in a million ways.
What is important is we learn our calling and we do
it. Nothing is more satisfying in life than knowing what God wants you to do
and doing that very thing.
Over the next few weeks, we will look at how we can
serve the Lord through our faith, lives, homes, families, relationships,
church, and communities.
NEXT WEEK: Serving the Lord Part 2: Serving through our Faith
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