|
July 22nd , 2007
Confession
I am who God says I am in His Word.
I have what God says I have;
I can be what God says I can be;
I can do what God says I can do.
All authority in heaven and on earth
Has been given to Jesus.
I have been given Jesus' authority.
I have the authority to resist the devil
because Jesus completely defeated him through the cross.
I have been given the right to win over the devil every day!
Satan and his demons are under my feet.
I resist the devil and he runs from me!
The devil is afraid of me because I walk in Jesus' authority.
Colossians 1 Pastor Tom Squashic
The Joy of Being A Servant
Trinity A/G 7-22-07
MAIN THOUGHT: Every believer can discover the deep satisfaction of being a servant by
copying the ways Paul was a servant.
Jesus has called all true believers to be servants of others. "Your servant's heart will reveal your maturity."
("The Purpose Driven Life," Rick Warren, 258)
Matthew 23:11 NKJ "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant."
Paul was first a "servant" of the Lord.
Colossians 1:7 NIV "You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,"
Colossians 4:7 NIV "Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord."
Philippians 1:1 NIV "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus..."
Romans 1:1 NIV "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God --"
1 Corinthians 3:5 NIV "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe -- as the Lord has assigned to each his task."
Titus 1:1 NIV "Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness --"
Matthew 20:28 NIV "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
Luke 9:46 New King James "Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. "
Luke 22:24 NKJ "But there was also rivalry among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest."
26 "But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.
"Real servants don't try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes." (266)
"Servants remember that God owns it all." (266)
"To become a real servant you are going to have to settle the issue of money in your life." (267) ("The Purpose Driven Life," Rick Warren)
"Lord Jesus, I yield myself to You as Your servant.
Use me in any way You choose.
Send me anywhere You desire.
I will speak when You open doors,
And I will obey You in all You say."
"Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life: I am, by nature, selfish. I think most about me. That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson I must relearn over and over. The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I'm given the choice to decide between meeting my needs or the needs of others. Self-denial is the core of servanthood." "The Purpose-Driven Life," Rick Warren, 266
Matthew 25:21 NKJ
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'"
Paul was also a "servant" of the gospel.
Colossians 1:23 NIV "if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Romans 1:1 NIV
"...set apart for the gospel of God."
Romans 1:9 NIV
"God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son..."
2 Corinthians 8:18 NIV
"and we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel."
Ephesians 3:7 NIV
"I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power."
We serve "the gospel." The gospel does not serve us!
Gospel = Good News! (of the Kingdom of God)
The word "mystery" is used in connection with the gospel.
Romans 1:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-4, 6, 9; 5:32; 6:19; Colossians 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3; 1 Timothy 3:16
"Lord, I submit to Your Word
And the truths that are in the gospel.
I will obey what I read in the Bible.
I lay down my rights to live in the flesh,
But I choose to walk in the straight and narrow paths of Your Word.
I will seek to share the Good News with others."
Paul became "a servant" of the church.
Colossians 1:24 NIV "Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.
25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness --"
"Lord Jesus, thank You for Your church!
Thank You for every person I am connected to.
Let me see other believers with Your eyes and compassion.
Teach me to serve and help others the way You did."
"Albert Schweitzer said, 'The only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve.'" (ibid., 270)
Who can I serve this week? __________________________
_________________________________________________
Who do I most want to impress in life? __________________
Am I seeking first God's Kingdom in all of my life? ________
What is the next step in being a better servant of the Lord?
_________________________________________________
How can I hold the Word of God higher in my life? ________
_________________________________________________
What has God shown me to do, that I have not yet done?
|
