Servanthood - Your Call to Action: don't opt out, opt in. Here am I; send me!

[0:00] So we're going to go to the Word of God, to Joshua 24. It was encouraging today as Julie and I were talking and she was asking what I was preaching on! And the very scripture that I'm starting with is the one that she had right in front of her at the time, which is Joshua 24.

[0:19] Of course, it's really just a bit of a launching pad for the rest of the message. But talking about the truth of servanthood, being a servant, so servanthood, the big question we all have to answer is this.

[0:36] Who are you going to serve? Who is it that you're going to bow down and serve? And some people are self-serving or they serve some other God, whether it be the self, the flesh, the world, the devil, their own lusts.

[0:53] Whether you realise it or not, you're serving someone. And who's servant are you is the big question. I want to urge you today to serve God. Let him be the one that you say, yes, I want to be a servant of God.

[1:07] I want to make that decision. And we hear about that in Joshua 24 from verse 15, where Joshua poses that question.

[1:17] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.

[1:30] But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. It was like a place, a point of stepping over the line.

[1:42] Who are you going to serve? And the people were still associating with the false gods of the pagan lands. And Joshua says, no, you've got to make a decision.

[1:53] Step across the line. Are you going to serve God or are you going to keep on serving the false gods? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And it's a decision that we can make, that we want to serve our Saviour.

[2:08] So don't let me exhort you along this line about this truth of servanthood. A second big question that follows on then is this. How are we to be a servant of God? How are we to serve?

[2:20] God calls us to serve him. It's an often repeated theme, to serve him. Many times we read how we are to serve. And we see examples of those who do serve.

[2:31] Who have served. And it says to us to serve him with a fulsome heart. With all our heart, soul and mind. And we see an example of it in 1 Samuel 12, 24.

[2:46] Where Samuel exhorts, only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart. For consider how great things he hath done for you. So there's a wholeheartedness about serving.

[2:59] And today it's a little bit of a sprinkling, if you like, a scattering of seed. There's some examples I'm going to throw at you just to kind of think of some instances of serving, of ways of serving, of challenges to serve.

[3:18] That hopefully you can take something from it. So it's a little openly structured, I guess you could say. About this theme of serving. Taking some instances from across the scriptures.

[3:30] So how can we prepare our hearts to serve? It's a really important question. How can I serve him? And so I put to you first, we have to get the foundation right. If we have a heart to serve, then we've got to serve scripturally.

[3:43] And the foundation, the basis for a life well lived, really, is the word of God. Of course we know our Lord tells the story of the man who built his house on the sand, of the emptiness of this world.

[3:57] And then he gave the example of the man who built his house on the rock. A picture of his word, of our Lord's word. And of course the house on the rock that was built on the word of Christ, that was the house that stood.

[4:12] Are we building a house on the sand or building it on the rock? And the word shows us obviously how to serve God. But most importantly and before serving God is that we're saved by God.

[4:24] The word shows us how to be saved. Of course we can't even begin to serve God without being saved first. That's number one, that we must first be saved before we can even begin to serve God.

[4:37] And the Bible talks about dead works, empty works, vain religion, as we touched on a little this morning. So we can have all kinds of works, but if we're not saved, those works are vain.

[4:48] But on the other hand, for the saved, if you are saved, then there is an exhortation to work. As much as the working is not affecting our salvation, it's consequent to our salvation.

[5:01] And so we see many scriptures exhort us to this end, that we are to work. For example, Ephesians 2, we're familiar, especially with the first part, for by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

[5:21] For we are his workmanship, it reads on, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. So of course we sometimes labour the point that our salvation is not of the good works.

[5:35] It's not of works. Yet once we are a saved man, a saved woman, it follows on that we are his workmanship. He's crafted us, he's made you his very masterpiece, that you should be effectual in your faith, that you should be working unto good works, that there should be works that show that you walk in them.

[5:58] And when we save, there's ways we can serve. So the Bible commends us to good works. And of course we need to serve so scripturally, again, that the foundation is the word. And here's how.

[6:09] Here's how we can be a workman who will be useful. As Paul exhorts Timothy, he says this, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman.

[6:20] So again, that work, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So to be a useful believer, we're exhorted to be a student of the word, to commit to study his word.

[6:35] It's the foundation of knowledge. Someone has put it about the word of God, learn it, live it, love it. That's very true, isn't it? Learn it, live it, love it. By the word, we grow.

[6:48] It tells us 1 Peter 2, verse 2, As newborn babes desire the sincere meal of the word, that you may grow thereby. Have that hunger and thirsting like a baby would have, to be fed the word.

[7:02] It's our feed, it's our food. The word of God, it nurtures our spiritual growth, and it makes us effective in his service. And the word of God equips us as well. Of course, again, following on about the works here, how we can be thoroughly equipped, thoroughly furnished.

[7:17] It says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto good works.

[7:29] So the word of God, it equips us for good works. Without the word, we're not equipped, we're not furnished. And the more scripture we can receive and learn and obey, the better a servant we can be.

[7:40] So another fundamental truth, when you think about it, as the picture reflects of the servants, as we think of servants of old time, the most important thing about a servant is that they obey the master.

[7:52] And so the more that we hear the word of God, the word of our master, the more we can obey what he's telling us to do, that we can be an effective servant.

[8:03] A fundamental truth about a servant is that they obey what the master says. So we need to hear the master's voice and then act upon it. Sometimes that can be lacking. If we've lacked a grabbing hold of the scripture, then we'll miss the voice of the master.

[8:22] We'll miss what he wants us to do. We won't be able to act upon it. So it's fundamental, the word of God. And so let's apply ourselves to receive the word. We know the early church, they had the desire, the readiness of mind.

[8:35] They received the word. It says, Acts 17, 11, with all readiness of mind, they searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. So as we search the word, we'll keep in balance as well.

[8:46] We won't be scattered around with all kinds of winds of doctrine, blown around with all kinds of different, there's so many video preachers out there that have got all kinds of discordant ideas.

[8:57] We've got to keep in the word, search the scriptures daily, check me out, check everything out that is according with the scriptures that we can keep balanced. And that will lead us into righteousness and truth.

[9:08] When you think about it, it's our operating procedures, isn't it? You know, every workplace, every situation of life, there's some instruction from the management, from the direction of the establishment.

[9:22] And this is the master's instructions. This is the standard operating procedures. This is what our master tells us. So we should get familiar with the word of God. Invest your time in Bible study.

[9:32] Make a point of studying. Study where you can. If you can't get here in person on a Wednesday night, tune in and access it. We've got all these. I've got a pile of these. You can take it home.

[9:43] Read it with your family. Get a hold of the word of God. We spend a lot of time putting these things together. So we want to study the word. That's why we care about the Bible study. That's why we care about Bible truth.

[9:55] That we can know it. That we can learn it. We can keep growing in it. We can get established in it. We can hide God's word in our heart. So it's fundamental for the servant of God that the word of God is very much front of mind.

[10:09] That it's the master's voice. We want to obey it. And of course we should put God's word into action as we told in James 1.22. But be ye doers of the word. Not hearers only.

[10:19] Not just hearing it. But actually doing it. Doing the word. And so a good servant will be ready to act upon the master's instructions. So we need to go to the word. Another thing that a good servant would do well to do is to keep close to the master.

[10:37] Keep close to the master. When you think if you're a servant of old time, you want to be ready to hear the master's call. You want to be responsive to him bidding you to do this or that.

[10:50] And it's the same for you and me as servants of God. And friends, don't misunderstand me when I talk about ministry, about service. Because we are all ministers. We are all servants of God.

[11:02] Every one of us is saved people. We are all labourers. And we're labourers together with God. And so we've talked about the word, his voice. Talk about prayer.

[11:12] It's that communication channel between you and your master. And we need that good communication system. That I suppose in the old establishments where there was servants and the servant quarters and the butlers and the maids and the master of the home.

[11:28] That they had a good communication system. They would ring the bell and the servants would come running. And think about that communication system with our master. What is it? It's prayer.

[11:38] It's prayer, isn't it? And we think how they would wait upon their master. And we should wait upon our Lord, our master. Think of it as it's pictured here in Psalm 123 too.

[11:50] Behold, as the eyes of the servants look upon the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon us.

[12:03] There's a sense where we're waiting upon God. We should be like a servant. Hang on, I'm ready. I'm at the starting block. I'm ready to run to the master. To do his bidding.

[12:14] To run to that task that he wants me to take on. And so prayer is that direct communication line with God. It helps us to find God's will. To know it.

[12:26] It's through prayer that we report for duty as well. We say, yes Lord, I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm listening. I'm waiting. I'm at your service. I'm ready for your bidding. And awaiting your instructions.

[12:37] Your leading. And we see, of course, it tells us how to wait upon the Lord. It says, Isaiah 40, 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles.

[12:50] They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. So let's wait upon our Lord. Amen. It's another key principle of the servant. To be that responsive servant.

[13:01] A willing servant. And he will strengthen you for the work. He will guide you and give you strength. We're told to pray without ceasing. It's something we should always have a mind to do.

[13:12] And through prayer we can align our will with his will. And another thing about prayer is we can pray for one another as well. James says, confess your faults one to another and pray one for another.

[13:23] That ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Think of it as you're a servant of God. We've got other servants around us. Let's pray for one another.

[13:35] Some of us are doing it harder than others. There's situations when you can see some are flagging. To pray for one another. To foster that spirit of unity of love. May we have the heart.

[13:48] Not my will, but thine. Thine be done. Even as our Lord demonstrates, as he said in the garden, as he prayed. As the model of prayer. As the model prayer person.

[13:59] The model prayer that he is. Father. Not my will, but thine. Be done. And so think of prayer. It strengthens us. It strengthens our unity.

[14:10] It helps us depend upon our Lord. Makes the church stronger. Which leads us to where? Where shall we serve God? God. We've seen that.

[14:23] Who are we going to serve? Think about. As we talked about the how. A little. And we'll talk more on that. But think about where. Where shall we serve God?

[14:35] I mean the obvious answer to that is right here. In the fellowship, isn't it? Amongst one another. Another big truth about serving is we need fellowship. And some Christians, they don't grow because they don't have fellowship.

[14:47] And it's a fundamental, isn't it? When someone gets saved, get them to church. Get them to fellowship. That's really critical. And so being a servant of God means working together.

[14:58] Working with one another. That's where the church comes in. We're meant to be this supportive community. That we look out for each other. And we can help one another to grow spiritually. We can pray for one another.

[15:09] We can exhort one another. We can edify one another. We can serve the Lord along with others who love the Lord. And it's interesting, this thought of this concept. And it's a kind of something the world latches onto.

[15:22] And it's kind of like a bit of a buzzword that some use. This word synergy. Synergy. It's kind of like a buzzword in the corporate world. And there's a synergy that happens when God's people get together.

[15:35] It's actually, there's a spiritual aspect to it. In that, actually, the word synergy in our language is based on a Greek word that's underlying the translation of all these three references here.

[15:50] It's interesting. Brethren working together. Fellow labourers. Fellow workers. It talks about there, we are labourers together with God. It says, workers together with Him.

[16:02] It says, Timothy, our brother, minister of God, our fellow labourer. And there's numbers of times, a couple of times with Philemon too, which we talked about this morning.

[16:13] This sense of fellow labouring. This synergy. And it's interesting, the definition of synergy is the interaction or cooperation of two or more agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

[16:29] So in simple languages, it's two agents cooperating or more that bring a greater effect. There's a greater effect. That's church, isn't it?

[16:40] Where two or three are gathered together. He's in the midst. Now, when we get together, we can be God's labourers together with Him. We're labourers together. We're co-labourers, fellow labourers, co-workers.

[16:53] There's a synergy. So it's true that you could say, well, when we get together, we're stronger. Amen? When we get together in fellowship, we're stronger for it. We can grow together.

[17:04] We're more powerful as we pray together, as we love one another. And we can serve better when we serve together, as we work alongside others. This thought of this team effort, working together as this unified body.

[17:17] And that's how we can serve. And here's where we can report for duty, in a way, too, isn't it? Not that it all happens inside a building, but the sense that when we're together, it's the togetherness that's the point.

[17:30] And the church, the assembly, is our local mission station, if you like. Of course, we're exhorted here to get together, to provoke, to love, to good works. We can't provoke unto love and to good works if we're not together.

[17:42] But it's that assembling of ourselves together, that exhorting one another, that is so much a part of the strengthening of our ministry, of our service.

[17:53] So when you think about what God's plan for the church is, that we'd be a cohesive team, that we can be more productive. We can see more fruit for our labors. When we get together and work together, there's a synergy, there's a fellowship, there's a support, there's this common purpose.

[18:09] And Paul talks about how, as we get together, that there'd be no divisions, that we'd be perfectly joined together. The same mind, the same judgment, they'll be on the same page.

[18:21] And then the enemy can't divide us because we're together. There's a togetherness, as we're in Christ's name together. And God blesses that kind of unity. That's what we want as a church, that we have that active participation, that cooperation, that mutual support, to be laborers together.

[18:37] So part of being a servant of God is learn to serve with others. Learn to serve with others, that we be this united force for Christ in our world, that we have this common goal, this common mission, this common love.

[18:52] And we see it exhorted further by Paul to the Ephesians. He says, keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There's this bond, this connection. There's this partnership by God's Spirit.

[19:04] There's this unity, this common faith that we have. As it reads, 1 Thessalonians 5.11, comfort yourselves together. Edify one another. That's strengthening.

[19:15] That's strengthening. That multiplication of the jointness, the unity that we have, that we can serve God as we interact and encourage one another.

[19:28] And as we talked about this morning, as Philemon, he was a refresher. He was a refresher. We can get refreshing. We can refresh our hearts. So we encourage one another.

[19:40] And it's about us all playing our part, doing our little bit and keeping humble too. I like the saying, keep humble or you will stumble.

[19:52] That's true really, isn't it? So let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

[20:05] Have that heart for others. And so we think about a servant. They take a lowly place, don't they? They take the lowly place. They learn to be humble and to let go of pride.

[20:21] Take the lowest place. I heard one preacher said, it's the mop before the microphone. Learn to serve and then you can serve in other ways.

[20:33] Have that readiness to obey, that readiness to be constructive, to keep a sweet spirit, to keep your spirit right, to forbear with one another in love. Learn to be part of the building crew, not the wrecking crew.

[20:47] And when you think about the church, it's not some worldly concept. This is not some worldly organisation. This is a spiritual work. So we need to have that heart, that heart to serve, the heart to volunteer, to opt in, to say, count me in.

[21:02] I'm in. Boots and all. You know, we've got something happening as a church. Let's get behind it. Let's get behind this effort. Let it not be just an effort of a few. Or some.

[21:14] But they will all have a heart to say, I'm in. I'm in. Boots and all. I'm going to be in. Throw myself into this work. God helping me. As I get time to, and of course some people don't have the capacity with work commitments.

[21:28] But God helping us, that we'll be in. Together. We'll work together. And so we've seen the who. We are to serve. Who are we to serve? Our Lord. Our Master.

[21:40] How? With that wholeheartedness. Where are we to serve? The fellowship. It's the assembly that brings that synergy. That greater result from us working together.

[21:54] There's a greater result. And then we see when. When are you going to serve? Really that's the question that we have to answer for ourselves, isn't it? When are you going to serve?

[22:06] We see Isaiah 6 verse 8. Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Then said I, Isaiah, here am I. Send me. When you hear his call, that's when you say, yes, I'm ready.

[22:22] I will go. I will stand. I will serve. I will go where you send me to go, and I'll do what you tell me to do. Be ready and willing. When is the right time to serve?

[22:33] Right now. Right now. Right here, right now. And so be ready. Be willing to serve. Find ways to serve. What God puts on your heart to serve. And we're in this together.

[22:43] Look out for one another. It says, serve the Lord with gladness in the word, doesn't it? And the greatest example of servanthood is our Saviour himself, isn't it? Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

[22:56] What did he do? He washed feet. He washed feet. He washed feet.

[23:09] The Lord sets the example, doesn't he, of exactly what we're meant to do. And to not serve with eye service when others are just watching, but to serve when others are not watching, to serve consistently, and to serve, why?

[23:25] For the glory of God. For the glory of God. And in a way that, it's like a phrase in it, secret service. We should be the secret service in that the things that we do might be actually secret.

[23:38] That would be even better for the glory of God, wouldn't it? You know, as the word talks about the secret fasting, the secret giving. What's the other one? Secret praying.

[23:49] You know, the things that we do in secret, the Father will reward us openly. So, you know, sometimes serve in secret. You don't have to blow a trumpet and say, look at me, what I'm doing.

[24:01] Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. It's about one another. How can we serve? Think of others. Think of others and their burdens. I know we've got some in our number that they hear of a need and they say, hey, look, what can I do to help?

[24:18] And they actually make practical steps to meet the need and put the hand in their own pocket to meet the need because they care about bearing one another's burdens. That's part of serving God, isn't it?

[24:30] Do we care for one another? I know we've had practical examples of people doing it tough and people on drugs and that. You're reaching out to them, trying to minister to them. And sometimes it's tough going, isn't it?

[24:42] Some people that you try to reach out to, there's people that have got heavy burdens. We should bear one another's burdens. Have that heart, that godly heart, that godly spirit.

[24:53] And we see Colossians has got the same heart of having humbleness of mind, that kindness, that meekness, that forbearing one another, that forgiving.

[25:04] All of these practical ways that we can love. So be a positive team member. We're in this together. This is the church. Forbear one another. Overlook the things that get under your skin.

[25:18] Overlook the offences, if there is any for you. And we live in a world where the world teaches us, look out for number one. Actually, no, that's wrong, isn't it?

[25:29] Don't look out for number one. Look out for one another, as we read before. Bear with others. Show grace. Look out for the things of others. And love is the key here, isn't it?

[25:41] It's the bond of perfection. The bond of perfectness. That brotherly spirit. Above all these things. Agape. Love.

[25:52] Charity. It's that bond. That is perfect, isn't it? So love binds us together with a perfect unity. How to be a servant?

[26:05] Serve one another. A really ideal way you can serve God is to serve one another. Look out for one another. You know, there's needs amongst us.

[26:15] We've heard about different situations. Maybe there's a practical need you can help with. Buy, love, serve one another.

[26:26] And have that heart to be that. We see the world does it. Sometimes the world does it better than the church, doesn't it? They have a GoFundMe page or whatever they do when there's some need.

[26:39] And the sports teams are sometimes better at looking after their own kind than the church is looking after one another. It's a reproach really, isn't it?

[26:49] It shouldn't be that way. But it can be, can't it? That the world does a better job of looking after people than the church does, which is very sad. So let's rather be a team player to maintain those healthy relationships.

[27:03] Buy, love, serve one another. And it tells us that two are better than one. So again, along that same idea of synergy that two are better than one. Because they have a good reward for their labour.

[27:16] So this sense of teamwork, it multiplies our efforts. I know I heard of someone talking about going and giving out tracts. And they're going to team up with someone. That's a great idea. Yeah. That's good how, like when we're going door knocking, when there's a team, it's more incentive.

[27:33] Because you know, hey, they're going to turn up, so I'd better turn up. You know, you can help one another. Hey, you know, and giving out tracts. You can cooperate. You can have a teamwork. That yet more done because you're working together.

[27:46] That's a good thing. That's the body of Christ at work, isn't it? And we see that, for example, I won't labour these, but 1 Corinthians 12 talks about body ministry. That we're members one of another.

[27:58] Of one body. And we're individually members of one body. That's the church again. We've all got a unique role. We've all got a different gift. And there's diversities of those gifts.

[28:11] But it's when we get together as the body that God's working it all together. He's working it all in all. And so that's the great thing about the church is that we've all got different ways we can contribute.

[28:23] And identify your spiritual gifts. Find your place of service. What God has given you to do. Find it. Discover it. And seek to please God as he enables you to.

[28:36] You can enrich the body. Because the gifts that God has given you are for the benefit of the body. It's not for your benefit. And God wants us to work together. So another truth is really there's a kind of interdependence too.

[28:51] The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Of course we need the body parts, don't we? The eye needs the hand.

[29:02] And the head needs the feet. Honestly, it's like the church, isn't it? Actually, everyone's needful. Everyone has a function.

[29:13] Every member is essential. And so we rely on one another to function effectively. So talking about this theme of servanthood, of serving one another, that's why we come to church. That's why we are the church.

[29:25] That's why we are active parts. It's like the parts of a body are interdependent. We need one another in a way of serving to make the better impact.

[29:39] And when you think about it too, sometimes we discount certain things or we make light of certain things. And we think that certain things don't matter.

[29:52] But every member is important. And also the things that we do are important. The little things that we do or don't do.

[30:04] Sometimes they can actually jump out at you and think, oh, that's been missed. The little things. And little things can have a big impact.

[30:16] So as we know, it's true with bad little things. It says little foxes spoil the vines. So the little fox can wreck a vineyard.

[30:27] A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Just a little sprinkle of the yeast affects the whole batch of dough. It can have a big impact. And it's like that too with some little good things.

[30:41] Being faithful in the little things. That matters too. So do the little things. The little things. Watch the little things that you say and that you do.

[30:52] Are they the right things? Be faithful. Be faithful in the small things. We see that truth in what our Lord says here in Luke 16.10. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.

[31:05] He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. So our Lord's telling us here the truth that the small things count. The small things matter.

[31:17] And if you're faithful in the little things, then it follows on that bigger things are ahead. The small tasks, the faithfulness in the small tasks will lead to greater responsibilities in God's kingdom.

[31:32] And so you might be just starting in the Christian walk. Be faithful in the little things. And God will give you more responsibility. More things that you can do.

[31:45] It's that faithfulness that matters, isn't it? And don't discount the little things you can do for God. You might think, well, pastors asked me to do this, but that's not a very important job.

[31:55] So I just won't bother this week, you know. And the little thing, you think, oh, that's sending a signal to me. Yeah. Maybe they don't really care. Be faithful.

[32:07] Be faithful in the little things. All right. It's a good quality. What does our Lord command? The good servant. He says, well done, thou good and faithful. Good and faithful servant. So keep faithful no matter what.

[32:18] Be consistent. Keep your hand to the plough. Don't be a quitter. You know, that's the enemy that would make you be a quitter. Keep on ploughing.

[32:31] We're called to endurance. Think of it. Grapes must be crushed to make wine. Diamonds form under pressure. Olives are pressed to release oil. Seeds grow in darkness.

[32:42] When you're feeling crushed, that could be just the place that you need to be for God to do a work. You know, don't give up when it's tough. Don't give up when you get stress or opposition.

[32:54] It's better that you're actually saying, no, I'm going to plough. I'm going to keep on ploughing. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of my mission that God has given me to do. Have that heart.

[33:04] That when you're feeling crushed, that it's not going to stop you. It's just going to make you more determined because it's his glory that motivates you as God's servant.

[33:17] So whatsoever you do, you're doing it as to the Lord. Do it unto him. Do it heartily. Don't be a quitter. Be wholehearted in your service. Have that singleness of heart too.

[33:28] That you'll serve the Lord with singleness of heart. As it talks about in this one here, Ephesians 6, 5. So treat serving God as something that's important.

[33:39] It's more important than really any other consideration. That your service to God is more important than any other consideration. Of course, your family is first.

[33:51] Your family. But underneath your family is your service to God. Of course, your love for God is supreme. Your love for your family.

[34:03] But then he wants you to serve. Don't be deterred from that. We see Paul exhorts the servants there in Ephesians 6. To be obedient to your masters with fear and trembling in singleness of heart as unto Christ.

[34:24] And just one last scripture. Hebrews 12, again on this theme of service. It's telling us, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

[34:40] God wants you to serve him. Who should you serve? Your master, the Lord. Now, I like, as I've talked before, his name is the Lord Jesus Christ.

[34:55] He's the master. That's what it means. He's the master. And who should we serve? The master. And how should we serve? If you love the master, if you love him, you want to serve well.

[35:09] Where should we serve? There's an assembly of God's servants. You're a team of servants. There's a synergy there. It's actually we can do better together.

[35:20] We can be stronger together. We can serve more effectively together. When are you going to serve? It's up to you.

[35:32] There's a holy work to be done. And we can do it acceptably. It's taking it seriously. This is actually really important. There's reverence. There's the wonder, the glory of God, the master, the one who loves me so, that I should love him so in return, that I should revere him, honour him, esteem him, regard him, stand in awe of him.

[35:56] And there's a godly fear. Wow. There's heaven and hell here. This is eternity. Not that I'm earning my salvation, but the one who's paid for my salvation wants me to be his servant.

[36:09] And what a privilege. Have a heart to serve. Dedicate yourself to that end. Don't be deterred. When trouble dogs your steps, when you've got opposition, when you've got your own natural weakness and lack of strength, wait upon him, wait upon the Lord, and he will renew your strength.

[36:30] Let us pray. Lord, we praise you. We want to glorify you, our Lord, our master. Help us, Lord, to have a heart that way. Show us, Lord, how you've gifted us and called us to serve.

[36:42] Help us, Lord, not to neglect opportunities to serve. Help us to be faithful. Help us, Lord, not to quit. Help us, Lord, to keep strong, to endure and to look to you for our strength, to wait upon you.

[36:57] As a servant waits upon their master, so we should wait upon you to hear your call, to tune in to the master's voice, your word, Lord, that will have a prayerfulness too, that will always be talking with you and knowing your will and doing it, Lord.

[37:18] Lord, we pray, Lord, that we'll all be encouraged to think of how you've put on our own heart how we are to serve you, what ways you've called us and equipped us.

[37:29] Lord, help us to see what it is maybe you've called us to do that we haven't quite got around to. Lord, help us to have our eyes open to that need.

[37:40] Lord, that will be responsive to your call. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Amen.