Instructions for Life – Serve God


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Instructions for Life – Serve God

January 15, 2012

Sermon Series Discussion Guide By Mike Watson, Small Groups Pastor

Have you ever noticed that when you are dining out, the thing that has the greatest influence on your experience at the restaurant is the waiter or waitress that is taking care of you while you’re there? Particularly when my wife and I are on a trip, regardless of what else is on the itinerary for the day, there will be a nice meal at the end of it. There is something about the sharing of a meal with someone else that carries a uniquely communal feeling with it. While you are sitting at dinner, someone brings your something to drink, they prepare whatever you desire to eat for the evening, then bring it to you hot, and clean up after you when you are done. Ideally, you don’t have to do anything. You can just focus on the conversation and presence of the person you are there with. That is, of course, unless the service is absolutely lousy. If you are reading this, you probably would not have much difficulty remembering a restaurant experience that was an absolute disaster. Either your glass stayed empty, your food was cold, your order was wrong, your server was rude, or you felt like those running the restaurant simply did not care that you were paying to eat there. Every time I have such an experience at a restaurant, I find myself thinking, “Man…this must have been the only job this person could find. He/she obviously hates it.” Conversely, some of the most mediocre meals I’ve ever paid for have been turned into excellent experiences because of the personality and warmth of the staff that were waiting on us. It makes a tremendous difference. Even if the food was not memorable, the experience and atmosphere created by those that serve well can transform bland mediocrity into something that was memorable. So what? Are we going to talk about food this week? No. We are going to look at service. Specifically, we are going to look at the way God commands us to serve if we are going to be His followers. It might seem like something of a stretch to go from how we are treated by servers at a restaurant to how we serve God, but it really is not. The experience we have at the restaurant is largely dependent on the zeal and warmth of the server – whether they are sincere about their service or just collecting a paycheck. Similarly, when we serve God, following Him in His plan for our lives in the world, there is a right way and wrong way to do that. There is a manner of service in which He delights and manner of service for which He has disdain. How we serve God matters, and Paul provides us with an excellent case study for that truth in Philippians 1:12 – 18. LEARN

As Paul wrote the letter to the Philippian congregation, he sat in prison. That was not unusual for Paul, as he spent a great deal of his apostolic ministry corresponding with churches from imprisonment of one sort or another. He is writing to the oppressed congregation to encourage them as they encounter opposition both from the secular culture around them and from a schism that has occurred within the church that threatened the unity of the congregation. One of the reasons he writes to them is to let them know how he is doing. From very early on in the letter, it is easy to discern how much the Philippians cared for and partnered with

Paul’s ministry. So they sent Epaphroditus to Paul with a gift to check on him while in prison. The church became worried when Epaphroditus did not return, having fallen ill on the journey. Now Paul writes the long-awaited letter to let them know of his condition and speaking into some of the issues in the church that Epaphroditus had informed Paul of upon his arrival. One of the issues was a number of preachers in Philippi that had begun preaching the gospel from impure motives. Our passage finds Paul’s response to that situation. Verses 12 – 14 give insight into the perspective of one who serves God in such a way that pleases Him as Paul explains his circumstances to the Philippians. “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.” Granted, at this point Paul is under house arrest, which afforded him more freedom than more severe forms of imprisonment. But he is still chained to Roman guards. I don’t know how you would react to something like that, but I cannot in clear conscience say that I think my response would be like Paul’s. Instead of focusing on his own predicament and limited freedom, Paul’s attention never leaves the reality that this is part of his service to Christ. This is what he has been called to do and people are coming to know Christ because he is in chains. Paul’s perspective…if it requires him being in chains, then let him be in chains so long as the purpose of God is fulfilled! Verses 15 – 17 include Paul’s acknowledgement of the other side of the proverbial coin, though. “Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.” The situation is that there are preachers taking advantage of Paul being out of commission for a while, preaching to make a name for themselves in Paul’s absence. The envy Paul speaks refers to the jealousy the preachers feel for the platform and respect that Paul has because of his ministry. They desire a similar platform and notoriety. One way to say it would be that they are preaching the Kingdom of God to build their own kingdom of man. They long for prestige and its benefits. The challenge is that the ones that are in it for themselves are mixed in with those preaching the gospel out of a love for Christ and for Paul. Apparently, from Paul’s wording in verse 17 and 18, there is not a noticeable difference in the response the two different groups of preachers are seeing. Either way, people are coming to Christ. Wouldn’t you think that the preachers who are preaching out of just and pure motives would be a little perturbed by that? I mean, why does God honor those who really only care about themselves with fruitful results from their preaching? Does that seem fair? And, surely, if anyone should be upset about it, it should be Paul. These ill-intentioned preachers seem to be stealing from Paul’s followers and potential converts. It is almost as if Paul anticipates that response in verse 18a: “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” Once again we return the one that serves God correctly. Paul is completely without conceit or selfish ambition. He points out that regardless of their motivation, people are hearing and responding to the gospel of Christ. That must be celebrated. Lives are being changed no matter who the carrier of the message is. The cause and purpose of Christ is moving forward and that is Paul’s primary and only concern. That is what it means to serve God whole-heartedly. Service rendered in such a spirit delights the heart of God.

LIVE Serving God can frequently not turn out the way we think it will. There is, in many cases, a subconscious thought that if we will only set aside our preferences and desires in favor of doing what we know that God desires for us to do, then God will be so impressed with our momentary faux selflessness that He will give us more time and resources to do what we want as a reward. That is an inaccurate view of what it means to serve God. Instead, God desires our whole being involved in serving Him. The corollary truth is that as we serve God, we know Him more deeply. The more we know Him, the more our joy for doing that which pleases Him grows. As that process takes place, our serving is filled with joy. Joy drives out caring who gets credit, resentment over it not being done our way, or fixation on the potential hardship that comes from time to time in serving God. On the flip side of that, what replaces well-known feelings of vanity, selfishness, and pride are the satisfaction and fulfillment that comes with being obedient to God. The challenge is that we know what vanity, selfishness, and pride feel like and how to handle them. They are a known experience. However, serving with a heart that honors God requires great faith in believing that the joy that takes place will remove our desire for those lesser things that have brought us temporary enjoyment in the past. Our challenge, then, is to pursue God so that serving God is a joy. In Galatians 1:11 and following as Paul is describing his conversion and call to ministry, the reader can almost feel him getting louder as he writes. Paul is so immensely aware of all that Christ has done for him and how incredible that it is that God would use someone like him to spread the gospel, that fervent gratitude saturates every word. That is to be the same for us. Certainly Christ did no less for any of us than He did for the Apostle Paul. While it is true that we cannot force ourselves to be joyful about serving, we can yield ourselves to God’s will as we grow into our understanding of what Christ has done for us. LEAD When it comes to serving God, there is a great possibility that the person we need to lead the most is oneself. It is difficult to lead someone else to serve God in such a manner that is pleasing to God if we have no experience in that particular area of our own spiritual journey. In that regard, take a look at the following questions as you process what it means to serve God whole-heartedly in your daily life. 1. How big of a deal is it when you do not receive credit for an act of service or kindness that required a great deal of effort and time on your part? 2. When do you feel the strongest sense of gratitude for what Christ has done for you in offering eternal life? Why do you think that is so? 3. What particular ways do you enjoy serving or helping others? 4. What distracts or competes for our ability to serve God whole-heartedly? 5. If you were to assess yourself honestly, how much of your attention goes to the potential reward when you are obedient to do something God is prompting you to do? 6. How strong of a bond do you place between results/fruitfulness and serving God in a manner that pleases Him? 7. When was the last time you interrupted your plans to serve God in some way? How difficult of a decision was it to do so? 8. How does serving God affect your prayer life? 9. What part of serving God gives you the greatest sense of joy? Why do you think that is so?