[0:00] Amen. All right, well, good morning. It's a little dimmer in here, isn't it, without the sun shining? It got me looking around and seeing we've got some light bulbs out.
[0:15] I'll have to get on the maintenance man about that, see if we can get that taken care of soon. If you have your Bible, we're going right back to where we were a minute ago in Sunday School, Ephesians chapter 6. So please find that place in your Bible. Ephesians chapter 6, and we've been in this spot here last week, this week again, and in Sunday School, looking at this relationship of the servant and the master and seeing its literal usage and how it is a common thing in biblical times and how it's addressed and it's mentioned numerous times in the Bible. But we also must be aware that the term servant is commonly used to describe the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and to define the believer's role after he intentionally submits to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so while we've studied the literal usage of it, now I want to give you some spiritual application this morning of what we've read. We're going to read the passage together again in Ephesians 6 verses 5 through 9.
[1:35] Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall be he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him. Let's have a word of prayer and then we'll continue. Father, please help and please bless this time. Please just come into our midst and into our minds and just take our attention and put it on you and on the scriptures. I pray that everything that is said would be received and understood and that we would understand our role as defined and declared in the Bible.
[2:36] And Lord, our pride in us doesn't want to fulfill this role. Inside of me, inside of us is this desire to be somebody else, to be something powerful, to gain and to grow and to be seen of men. And Lord, help us to put that down this morning. I pray that you'd put it down inside of us and reveal it to us.
[2:57] Lord, that we could be servants of Jesus Christ, that you'd be pleased with us. We ask this in his name. Amen. Amen. So Christ made some statements in the Gospels that are pretty plain and they're pretty applicable in this thought. He said, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. And considering the hierarchy of master and servant, the goal is to get low. The goal is to get low and low and lower as much as you can. He said, he that will be great among you, let him be your minister.
[3:32] That's what he taught his apostles, his very disciples, training them that it's the Gentiles that exercise dominion and authority, but it shall not be so among you. If you want to be great, then the thing to do is get down, be a minister, be a servant. So I believe based on some of these thoughts, I believe that the greatest calling in the Christian life is a calling to service.
[3:58] It's the, I'd say it's the essence of the ministry is being a minister. It's really, it's, it's absolutely opposite of the way the world works and of the way the world, the way of the world, the way you're told to think. You're taught to move up. You're taught to gain. You're taught to, to get power. And yet the Bible says, lower, lower, lower. John the Baptist fulfilled his ministry and he said it in a word saying, he must increase, but I must decrease. That's a minister. That's a servant. And that's somebody, by the way, that Christ said was the greatest among them that are born of the children of men, not a prophet, nobody greater than John. Why? Because he was going to decrease.
[4:45] It's the call to service is a call to deny yourself and a call to minister to others. You're ministering for the Lord Jesus Christ, like this passage says, but you're also ministering the word of God. You're ministering the, to the spiritual needs and necessities of those around you, whether they know it or not. Even in some cases you minister in carnal ways, but ultimately so that you can backdoor minister to them and their spiritual needs. I'll give you a brief example and then we'll get into this passage. Back in the church where we're from in Pennsylvania, a fellow and his wife got an idea. They wanted to do something and they just didn't know what they could do, but they wanted to do something. And so they came up with this idea and the man came to me. I was kind of close with him. He had gotten saved and discipled him. And so I was kind of his closest contact in the church. And, and I, he said, I have an idea. What do you think? He said, I want to, I think we can get, instead of people donating all their clothes, their used clothes to the Salvation Army and the Goodwills, they can give them to me and my wife and I will collect them and we'll sort them and we'll put them all up in the gymnasium and we'll advertise it all across every medium that we can and saying that we're giving away free clothes and we'll get people to come here and we'll get them to come to our church, like either on Sunday and we'll do it after church or we'll do it and we just try to figure it out. But he's like, well, we'll have somebody there to greet them and give them tracks and we'll have people there to give them information about our buses, how we can pick them up and bring them to church for free. And he's like, what do you think? I was like, that's a great idea. That's a great idea. The idea is not, we just want to give clothes to people that have needs, but we're using that to minister to them so that we can get the gospel of Jesus Christ into that life, into that home. We can maybe get them out to church. And it was an effective ministry that got started, got rolling, and it was fruitful. And it was a great idea. It was a great thought. They called it the closet of many colors. And it was just a fun little thing. It took a lot of work though. It really did. But he was ministering to their carnal needs for a way to minister to them spiritually.
[6:58] And it was a good idea. But that man worked. And he had an idea to do something. And what it turned out to be was a load of work on him. I mean, a whole lot more than he ever imagined it would be. And he served. Paul introduces himself in the very first epistle that he writes in Romans as Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. That's how he wants to be known and introduced before anything else. He calls believers to be transformed into that very humble state of mind themselves and to live as servants. And so I want to say a few things from this passage in Ephesians about being a servant of Christ. And the first thing I want us to see is the servant's heart. Take a look with me at verses 5 through 7 again. And let's notice clearly the servant's heart. It says in verse 5, Notice in singleness of heart as unto Christ. Not anything else as unto Christ. The singleness of your heart. In verse 6, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing service as to the Lord. Three times.
[8:13] The Lord Christ. The servants of Christ. The will of God from the heart. Singleness of heart. The servant's heart. There's just one thing that matters. There's just one motivation and one goal.
[8:27] And it's to please Jesus Christ. The servant's heart is completely fixed upon Jesus Christ alone. In singleness of your heart as unto Christ. Whatever he's doing, wherever he's doing it, and whoever he's doing it for, he is the servant of Jesus Christ. And to him, Christ is all. And he seeks to please nobody else but the Lord Jesus Christ, not even himself. Remember what Jesus Christ said in Matthew chapter 16? He said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Deny himself.
[9:06] And take up his cross and follow me. Now John has a very similar thing. He records that Christ said in John 12, 26. He said it like this. If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. Wherever I go, my servant will be right there because he's following me. And in putting the two together, he's denied himself. He's taken up his cross. He's following me as a servant.
[9:38] Serving Jesus Christ. The servant's heart is completely fixed on Jesus Christ. The servant's heart is fixed on Christ so much that his eyes see Christ only in this life. The ambitions that man once had have been crucified with Christ. His pride, it's been offered upon the altar of complete surrender to the Son of God. His motto, yet not I, but Christ. His desire, fulfill the first and great commandment to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength. His pleasure, knowing he's been bought with a price by his master, his pleasure is to glorify God in his body and in his spirit, which are God's. The servant's heart is fixed on Christ. It's not fixed on fame. It's not fixed on power and position or fortune. Jesus Christ is all. It's on the master. And so he's serving with singleness of heart as unto Christ. He's serving as a servant of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. The servant's heart is completely fixed on Jesus Christ. His motivation is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing matters. Nothing that Christ asks is too big of an ask. Whatever Jesus says, he does. He's in complete submission and obedience. You see the servant's heart, it's humble.
[11:01] It's lowly. It's prepared to serve. Secondly, in the passage in Ephesians, we see the servant's activity. Notice in verse 6 again, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ doing what?
[11:14] The will of God from the heart with goodwill doing service. Doing service. So this isn't something that he's doing in word. This is something he's doing indeed. He's serving and doing the will of God.
[11:32] The servant's activity. Well, what would the will of God be? And in what way does the servant of Christ fulfill and do the will of God? There's probably a long list of these, and I picked out just a few small ones. I think they're worthy of teaching here and preaching. Look at first, we're going to come back, but come to first Corinthians chapter 9. First Corinthians chapter 9.
[11:58] And one way that the servant can serve the Lord Jesus Christ doing the will of God is to serve in the gospel ministry. Come to first Corinthians 9.
[12:12] And in a later epistle, second Corinthians chapter 4, Paul says that we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus's sake.
[12:26] In second Corinthians 4 and verse 5, he assumes this title of servant when it comes to preaching the gospel. Why do you suppose he would do that? Well, look at chapter 9 and listen to that thought.
[12:38] He assumes the title of a servant when he wants to preach the gospel to those that are lost. Chapter 9, verse 19, we'll begin reading. For though I be free. Yes, he is.
[12:50] Look at verse 1. He says, Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Yes, Paul, you're a free man. You're a servant to nobody. Nobody owns you. Maybe you remember in Acts, I don't know the chapter off the top of my head, he's getting bound and he said, Hey, I'm a Roman.
[13:08] And they're like, Whoa, be careful what you do with this fellow. He's a Roman. We're not allowed to bind him. And his captain said, With a great sum I obtained this freedom, this liberty.
[13:22] And Paul said, But I was born free. Paul's a free man. Absolutely free indeed. And he says now in verse 19 again, For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all.
[13:34] Why, Paul? That I might gain the more. What do we, well, if I gave you the context, he's preaching the gospel. Verse 14, verse 16, verse 18, you see that?
[13:48] Preach the gospel. Preach the gospel. That I might gain the more. Verse 20 says, Talking about winning them to Christ. To them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law.
[14:03] To them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law of Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. Notice verse 22, To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak.
[14:16] I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do, do, do, doing the will of God from the heart. This I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
[14:32] You know, it's much more, I strongly believe this, you'll be much more effective in preaching the gospel if you come as a servant.
[14:43] If you make yourself all things to all men, no matter who they are and where they are, you do your part to lower yourself. I imagine if he showed up just blazing his credentials and boasting of his calling, that the lost would run him out of town.
[14:58] And they did, in some cases, regardless. The much more effective approach is that of a humble servant. The gospel message, the gospel minister has got to present himself and his message in humility, with charity.
[15:15] Look at chapter 8, in verse 1. 1 Corinthians 8, verse 1. Paul says, Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we have all knowledge.
[15:28] And we do, don't we? We know. We know what idols are. He even talks about it. They're nothing in this world. It doesn't matter if you sacrifice something, cut it up, cook it up, and eat it.
[15:42] That's nothing changed with that meat. We know that. We have all knowledge. And when it comes to witnessing to others, we have that knowledge. We have all knowledge when it comes to, they're lost.
[15:55] They're trusting their works or their religion. We know where they're wrong. We know what the Bible says. We know Jesus Christ. We have spiritual understanding now that the Spirit of God dwells in us and reveals to us all things.
[16:10] We have all knowledge. But look what he says about that knowledge. It puffeth up. And we go into this to see these lost pagans or to see these unsaved people with a puffed up arrogance.
[16:23] Maybe not intentionally, but we're shooting ourself in the foot. And I've done it. I can't tell you how many times I've done it. Feeling this confidence in the Scriptures and knowing the Scriptures that whatever they say, I can just beat them with the Scriptures and show them how wrong they are.
[16:40] And do you think they want to hear me? Do you think they want to get beat up? I wrote this down. I don't know if I worded it quite right, but an arrogant man's message cannot be heard over the interference of his pride.
[16:57] Because we resist proud people. We don't want to hear them. We tune them out. You think you're better than me? And we don't care what their message is because they're arrogant. Because that knowledge can, in our case, puff us up.
[17:11] Look at 1 Corinthians 13. Charity edifieth. Charity is necessary. And this thought going into the thought that to assume the role of a servant in the gospel ministry, you'll be much more effective.
[17:30] Verse number 1, Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not charity, I become a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, just making a whole lot of ruckus. And though I have gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so I can move mountains and have not charity, I am nothing.
[17:48] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. And I could add to that thought that though you can preach the gospel from start to finish, top to bottom, inside and out, if you don't have charity, you're not going to be effective.
[18:08] You need to assume the role of a servant. The role of a servant in humility with charity, trying to reach the lost for Christ. The servant's activity is doing the will of God.
[18:22] One thing you can do is serve in the gospel ministry. It's necessary that you serve as a servant. We'll be back in Ephesians in a little bit, but I want to continue this thought of the servant's activity.
[18:33] Look at Romans chapter 16, just for a real short example. We can serve also in the local church. There's a lot of scripture on this, but I'll give you just one as an example here of a woman.
[18:52] In Romans 16, Paul leads off this last chapter with reference to this woman. He mentions a lot of names in this chapter. It's not an easy one to read, but he starts off with Phoebe.
[19:07] And the servant's activity, you can serve in the gospel ministry, and secondly, you can serve in the local church as Phoebe is our example. Verse number one, I commend unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the church, which is at Centuria, that ye receive her in the Lord as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you.
[19:30] For she hath been a secureer of many, and of myself also. There's a little outline Paul gives us right of this passage that Phoebe's a sister, that she's a servant of the church, and in verse two, a secureer of many, and of myself also.
[19:49] This woman, Phoebe, had a reputation, and a title even, a servant of the church, of that one local church, that specific one, not the entire body of Christ traveling with Paul, serving every, no, just her church, where she was a member, she was known as a servant of the church.
[20:11] I wonder if that could be said about you. I wonder if I could get in a conversation, I'm just using myself in the first person here, but if I was in a conversation with somebody else, and got talking about the church, and somebody knew or been through here, how so and so, they are a servant of this church.
[20:29] They are nothing but a blessing, nothing but a help, a huge help to this local church. I wonder if that could be said that you're a servant of the church. I believe every church needs a servant of the church.
[20:42] No, I believe every church needs pews filled with servants of the local church. Filled with, you can never have too many that walk in these doors and say, hey, I'm here to serve.
[20:54] I'm here to give. I'm here to help. What do you need from me? And sadly, instead of assisting in the work of the Lord and instead of, as Titus says, being ready to every good work, sadly, the spirit of our age, I'm not pointing people out in this church, I'm just general, it's become, not what can I do, but what can I get.
[21:20] I'm here, what's in it for me at this church? And if I don't see stuff for me, I'm going to look for someplace else where I'm going to be satisfied with something for me.
[21:32] What can this church offer me? What can this church offer my family? What can this church offer my kids? And it's a wrong attitude. It's a wrong spirit. Is that how your family works?
[21:44] Do the kids come home from school and walk in the door and look around me like, this place needs a little work. I don't think I'm going to stay here anymore.
[21:55] I'm moving on to somebody that takes care of their house. Somebody that's doing a little better. Matter of fact, this family, they want too much from me. They're always putting stuff on me to do.
[22:07] I'll go find someplace. It doesn't work like that in a family. And if God wants you in this church or any church, it's not about you. It's never been about you, what you can do, or sorry, what you can get from the body.
[22:22] It's about what you can do for Jesus Christ serving in the local church. It's the servant's activity. Doing the will of God and doing service as we read in Ephesians.
[22:35] A servant doesn't seek attention. A servant doesn't walk in the door looking for what he can gain. Now turn back to Romans 14 while you're close. Romans 14 and there's one more thing I'll say about the servant's activity.
[22:49] He can serve in the gospel ministry as a servant most effectively. He can serve in his local church as a servant and be effective as a spirit and mindset should be. He can also serve in what we'll call the kingdom of God.
[23:01] Look at this in Romans 14 and verse number 17 and 18. It says, For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not physical things.
[23:11] It's not laws and commands. But righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. So it's spiritual. The kingdom of God is spiritual.
[23:24] And notice verse 18. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.
[23:34] these things the spiritual things of the kingdom of God. And when a man will serve Christ in these things he's approved unto God.
[23:49] You want to be approved unto God? You're going to need to learn how to serve in the kingdom of God. In a spiritual kingdom. Being a blessing and a help for Jesus Christ in spiritual matters.
[24:03] You know I firmly believe this. I've grown up in this land. I love this land. I'm thankful to be here. But I've also been surrounded in this land by arrogance. By an attitude that's of pride.
[24:17] I said it in Sunday school that just this thought of I'm American I don't bow to anybody. And that's wrong. Praise God for liberty. Praise the Lord for that.
[24:28] As long as we use it in the way of righteousness and for the kingdom of God and for Jesus Christ whom we serve. But I think Americans need to be freed although they think they are they need to be freed from that carnal mindset and begin to follow the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ who made himself of no reputation but took upon him the form of a servant.
[24:54] That's what he chose to do for you and me. And that's the example that he gave us to follow. In John chapter 13 do you remember reading that Jesus Christ just moments literally just in the very eve before going into that crucifixion and the garden and going to the whipping and he got down on his knees girded himself and washed the feet of his disciples.
[25:21] And Peter he's like thou shalt never wash my feet. that was kind of a normal response because the servant doesn't the master doesn't wash the feet of the servant.
[25:35] The servant serves. That's understood. And if you're better than others if you feel like you're somebody else you don't bow. And that was the problem Peter had and Christ said no that's not how it's going to be around here.
[25:51] And I believe that we need to free ourselves of believing that we're somebody and be freed from that mindset to adopt a better mindset to serve.
[26:02] To serve in the kingdom of God. To serve others. Some people's culture tells them that they're better than other cultures. Some people's financial status makes them feel like they've gained and are above others around them.
[26:15] It's the way the world promotes it. It's the way of the world. You may find yourself even just as a parent or as a grandparent or as a grandparent. As you get older in life you just see yourself as more authority.
[26:27] People obey and look to you and how much better when you humble yourself to be a servant to all. It's a mindset we need to be freed from thinking we're somebody and follow what Jesus Christ the only one who is anybody dropped it all to become a servant.
[26:44] That's the command that's us to follow. The activities of a servant. So I'd say find yourself something you can do to serve in the kingdom of God where there's no respect of persons.
[26:57] I know I told you this before I don't know if you remember this but it's one that's going to stick with me for eternity I believe that there was a man in a local church before that just he just drove me nuts and I just can't say it any other way he was just he was so arrogant but so so helpless like it's just such an awkward dynamic this man had just knew a little bit about everything and nobody could tell him anything and he'd always show up just to tell everybody what to do but didn't do anything himself that's the way I saw him and as you can tell he drove me nuts and he had a problem one time with his leg and had some issues there and he just for a while he was just kind of like limping really badly and he just couldn't do much and I was standing there with my pastor at the time and I was one of the assistant pastors at the church and this guy came up and I just felt like between he and I I was kind of like here we go because he's going to just you know talk about himself for the next 20 minutes and it's going to be just this crazy that was common and he came up and he just he couldn't really bend in this leg with what happened and so his shoe was untied and I didn't even notice it but the pastor just like hey so and so your shoe's untied you want me to get that for you and he bent right down there and just tied his shoe there on the floor and I'm standing here looking at him and looking at him and just thinking in my like I would have never thought that I'll help you out and tie your shoe you repulsed me and I was shame on me and I learned unless I saw that pastor a servant and minister to somebody who doesn't deserve it and it stuck with me and it will ever stick with me that to be called a minister is to minister and to be a servant of others and find yourself something you can do there's no respect of persons in the kingdom of God we're all called to be servants of Jesus Christ seek a way that you can serve someone's spiritual needs in Philippians chapter 2 verse 4 the Bible says look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others find a way to use what you have been given for the Lord Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to the Lord Jesus Christ alone find a way that you can be a servant in the kingdom of God now come back to Ephesians you can keep your place maybe actually we're going to go to 1 Corinthians 4 very soon here so maybe get that on your way back to Ephesians so there's the servant's heart and secondly there's the servant's activity and there's plenty for the servant to do for the Lord Jesus Christ but of what purpose is it and with what measure will it count if it's not being done as a servant of Christ
[29:50] I want us to consider another thing here look at Ephesians 6 you'll see in verse 5 that the servants are to be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in verse number 9 it tells the masters to forbear threatening you have to understand and be aware that being a servant is not a glorious life it's not a wonderful thing that you're called to it is in a sense to get to serve the king of kings with the greatest calling it is but where the rubber meets the road things aren't glorious and just walking on lilies and just people applauding and lauding you and praising you and feeding you and everything you're not a king you're a servant and I want you to realize and this third point is that we're going to see the servant's cross there's a cross the servant was called to bear we quoted it earlier in Peter 1 Peter 2 this is a verse we read earlier in Sunday school servants be subject to your masters with all fear not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward and in that passage
[31:09] Peter describes the servant enduring grief and he describes the servant suffering wrongfully so being a servant is not an easy life it's a life of toil without appreciation it's a life of giving all that you can give and yet receiving just so little back a servant that's all you are and that's what you're called to be and I want to say a few things about the servant's cross come back to 1 Corinthians 4 and let me show you here from the mouth of the apostle Paul from a servant himself that it was a cross of abuse and a cross of mistreatment and that's no surprise for a servant it's no surprise because he doesn't have much for rights if he gets mistreated oh well you're just a servant suck it up 1 Corinthians chapter 4 look at what the apostle Paul says I think he's kind of venting here to this church in verse number 8 he says now ye are fool now just pause right there and look to verse 11 he says even under this present hour we both hunger and thirst but he's writing to these Christians this church saying now ye are fool verse 8 now ye are rich ye have reigned as kings without us and I would to God ye did reign that we might reign with you like we'd get something from you that you'd help us out you're doing so well everything's so wonderful for you look at verse 9 this is the apostle Paul's venting of the ministry and the calling for I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last as it were appointed to death for we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men we are fools for Christ's sake but ye are wise in Christ we are weak but ye are strong ye are honorable but we are despised even under this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labor working with our hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we entreat we are made as the filth of the world and are the off scouring of all things unto this day that's your servant what a blessing huh where's the line for servants
[33:50] I'd like to there is none huh because that's what it is there's the ministry Paul's just telling the truth we're hungry we're despised and I think that God put us and called us to put us last put us at the very bottom of the whole thing and just deal with it as if we're appointed to death that's what this appointment is with God that's being ordained to this ministry it's an appointment with death itself but you all you're rich you've got it all you're fine things are good there's a cross that the servant bears a cross of abuse a cross of mistreatment and so few care to realize or consider it the servant gets abused the servant suffers or puts up with a lot of stuff and he's just expected to take it and deal with it and Paul just kind of gives a little glimpse of the frustrations that he feels and experiences on a daily basis being in the ministry giving himself to Jesus Christ giving it all never holding back and willing to go on and keep on going working his tail off but treated like the filth of this world now that's a cross of abuse and mistreatment it's also a cross of neglect
[35:14] I want you to see another place here in 2nd Corinthians and chapter 12 you'll see here this kind of same idea this venting nature of the apostle to this church in 2nd Corinthians 12 he's talking about some infirmities and reproaches in verse 10 therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake and he's those are not just filler words those are that's the ministry the apostle Paul experienced you look it over in chapter 11 at the end there and you can see the weariness the painfulness the watchings the hunger you can see all that stuff that he's been through and in verse 11 he says I've become a fool and glory you've compelled me I don't want to but you're making me say these things because I just have to let you know about or set you straight for in nothing verse 11 for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles though I be nothing in the ministry
[36:25] Paul knows and is just declaring the truth I'm somebody in this as far as what Christ has called me to do over all these churches the care of the churches as mentioned back in verse 28 of the previous chapter now he says verse verse 13 12 13 for what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches except it be that I myself was not burdensome to you forgive me this wrong that's sarcasm I didn't take anything from you so forgive me behold the third time I am ready to come to you and I will not be burdensome to you for I seek not yours but you for the children ought not to lay up for the parents but the parents for the children watch verse 15 and I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved the servant he's got a cross to bear it's a cross of neglect he's unnoticed he's overlooked he's expected to give and to give and to give and to drain all of your energy and life right out of him and do it cheerfully as the servant of Christ and he does and Paul says
[37:45] I'll gladly spend and be spent for you I'll do everything I can and I'll love you and put everything of my life into you even if I don't get it back the servant has a cross to bear and he does it for the Lord Jesus Christ why because his heart is fixed on his master the servant is doing the will of God from the heart he doesn't care about how it comes back on him he's not doing a reciprocal ministry he's doing it for Jesus Christ knowing that there's something going to be waiting for him from Jesus Christ and that leads me to the last point here come back to Ephesians chapter number six I want us to see the servant's wages the servant's wages in verse number seven Paul says with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth the same shall he receive of the
[38:49] Lord now an earthly master may not bless his servant he may not take care of him very well he may just overlook and even abuse him he may do that he may give him the food and raiment necessary maybe a shack to stay in but that may be all he receives of his master but the servant of Jesus Christ the one that we're mentioning in Ephesians 6 verse 6 the servants of Christ they're going to receive from the Lord in verse 8 for the good things that he does for doing the will of God for the good will that he's doing service to the Lord he will receive of the Lord and so rest assured and take confidence in knowing that if you sign up to serve the Lord Jesus Christ there is no good deed that goes unnoticed with Christ he promises to reward the faithful servant it's in those parables in Matthew and Luke that when the servants have to reckon what they've done it's the faithful that get mentioned that get rewarded the apostle
[39:54] Paul comes to the end of his life after all of this and he comes to the end of his life you can read in 2 Timothy chapter 4 where he says I'm now ready to be offered the time of my departure is at hand it's over and he can look back on his ministry where he started on the identifying himself to the church when he gave a testimony and he wrote of that service how there was a cross to bear but he wrote of serving in the kingdom of God and the gospel ministry and what he did for Jesus Christ and he remembers the shipwrecks he remembers floating out there in the cold dark waters not knowing if this was going to be the end of him he lived to see another day naked sought his life and put a bounty on his head wanted him dead and now the multiple times the
[40:56] Lord delivered him he said at the end the Lord delivered me out of the mouth of the lion and as he recalls his life and the perils of his life and all the opposition that he faced he said right there and then in second I fought a good fight and better yet I finished my course his course was to be a servant and he finished it he didn't throw in the towel he didn't say I can't take this anymore these people don't love me back they don't take care of me forget all of this they'll be judged no he said hence forth there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness because is the Lord the righteous judge is going to give me the servant has wages coming to him from the master in heaven a glorious reward that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you
[41:59] I believe a servant to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ is the greatest calling in the Christian life as I said it's the very example that Jesus Christ gave when he came to this earth a lowly servant took upon him the form of a servant and he calls you to have that same mind in you what are you waiting for it's been there in the Bible this whole time what are you waiting for to take to take on to take place well you're going to have to humble yourself you're going to lay down those robes of power and prestige and put on the clothes of a servant and humble yourself lowly meek a servant remember that we read it in Titus where he said not answering again a servant just shuts his mouth just takes it a servant doesn't boast himself and a servant doesn't say no to his master so what are you waiting for the job is yours you're hired if you want it it's yours to take it may not look great right now it may even look intimidating but it'll be worth it ask
[43:30] Paul you'll get to see him and say Paul was it worth it do you wish you didn't give in so much do you wish you didn't suffer so much do you wish you just didn't allow those people to treat you that way I'd say that Jesus Christ might be waiting on you to get over yourself and to lay down your personal ambitions for your life and what you're going to do and who you're going and start following him because he said that where I am there shall my servant be if any man serve me let him follow me he's waiting for you to present your body a living sacrifice now lastly remember Christ is a worthy master he's so worthy he's not a task master he's not these forward masters we read about in the scripture he's not the lost he's the best and what he may ask of you in this life is for your good and for his glory can you go wrong with either of those to resist that and to say not for me you're saying my good is better than what he says my good is you're saying
[44:51] I got a better plan and I don't need his way I'm calling on you to humble yourself this morning to consider the scriptures that being a servant is the greatest thing it's the essence of the Christian life and it's a calling that God gives to you let's bow together let's bow our heads in a moment as always we'll close with a song and a hymn but in the moment right now