<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Untitled Document • Building Maintaining and Nurturing Good Relationships
• JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE OF SERVICE

• Introduction
• As we emphasize the importance of others, understanding what it means to be a servant is crucial.
• In the last few weeks we identified what a servant is.
• A servant is a person who performs duties for others.
• And we also saw that we are always a servant.
• We just have to decide to serve either God or Satan.
• The attitude of a Christian involves the “heart of a servant”.
• But there is no greater example of service than Jesus Christ Himself.
• If we want to learn how to serve, simply look at how Jesus served.
• That is our task in this study today.

• Jesus was a servant
• We begin by noting that Jesus was described as a servant - Romans 15:8-9 –
• He became a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, and that Gentiles might glorify God in His mercy.
• In Acts 3:26 Peter spoke of God having raised up His Servant Jesus.

• Jesus declared Himself as a servant.
• Matthew 20:28, “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
• Luke 22:27, “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”
• The great King of Kings makes Himself a servant by doing things for us.

• As He taught others, Jesus acted as a servant.
• That is seen throughout the gospels as He genuinely cared for others and had compassion – He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, and associated with the common folk – e.g. Luke 7:19-22.
• Often when Jesus was accused of associating with “sinners” and tax collectors, He was doing good deeds in their midst.
• Acts 10:38, Peter declared that He went about doing good.
• Isaiah 42:1-4, (this was even applied to Him in Matthew 12:17-21 where the Pharisees are plotting against Him because of the great works He did for others.)
• John 13:1-7 – on the night Jesus would be betrayed, He instituted the Lord’s Supper and taught His disciples.
• Luke 22:24-27 records on that occasion, the disciples were disputing about who was the greatest.
• I believe it was in response to this that we read in John 13 about Jesus washing the disciples feet – an example of being a servant.
• It was the task of the lowliest of servants and yet Jesus not only did it, he commanded that they let Him do it.

• He is the suffering servant
• Isaiah 52:13-53:12 – Isaiah some 700 years prior to our Lord coming to this earth described Him as a servant.
• The ultimate example of His service was His willingness to die for us.
• Philippians 2:5-8 bears this out as it describes His humility.
• Paul notes that Jesus left heaven and came to this earth and put on humanity, “taking the form of a bondservant” so that He could provide the sacrifice we need.
• 2 Corinthians 8:9 notes that He became poor so that we might become rich.
• There is no greater act of service than to die for others – John 15:13

• He continues to serve as our High Priest
• Just as the High Priest of Israel served the people (Hebrews 5:1), so Jesus as our High Priest serves us - Hebrews 4:14-16 , 2:17-18
• He aids us in our temptations, He make propitiation for us, He sympathizes with us as He approaches the Father on our behalf.

• The message of Jesus addressed serving others.
• In addition to His example, Jesus taught about being servants.
• Matthew 20:25-28, after the mother of James and John come asking Jesus to let them reign on His right and left, Jesus gives a lesson about serving –
1) We are not the rulers of this world
2) Greatness is found in being servants
• Matthew 23:11-12 – rather than seeking the praise of men, we seek humility.
• Luke 16:13 - We are to serve God.
• We are to serve Jesus - John 12:26, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

• In many parables, He addressed servants.
• Luke 12:35-40 –Jesus describes our need to wait for Him as that of an expectant steward that is prepared.
• Luke 12:41-48 – The parable of the faithful steward that is prepared for His master’s coming. Warning given of abusive and unprepared servants.
• Matthew 25:14-30 – The parable of the talents which demonstrates that we have abilities and we must use those to glorify Him.
• Luke 16:1-13 – Jesus describes an unprofitable steward whose conduct is called into account and he acts shrewdly. While the master commends his shrewdness, he was still a corrupt servant and was held accountable.
In 10-12 – Jesus notes that one’s faithfulness is in his character, not in the amount he has been entrusted with.
• Luke 17:7-10 – a faithful and humble servant who must keep working until he is done. He is loyal and realizes when we have done all things, it was his duty
• Luke 22:24-30 – they were arguing (again) about who was the greatest.
• Jesus again seeks to teach them humility and how our concept of leadership is NOT like that of the world.
• We lead through serving.
• Again in vs. 27 He appeals to His own example.
• John 13:12-17 after washing their feet, He taught them.
• Jesus explicitly taught His apostles to follow His example in serving others.
• It was not a ritualistic ceremony He was concerned about, but an attitude.
• When you begin to lift yourself up, the best way to humble yourself is to serve others.
• That is what God expects.

• Conclusion
• Not only was Jesus the greater example of being a servant, He was the greatest of all humanity.
• Jesus wants us to serve others.
• It will benefit others, but it will also benefit us.
• What can you do to be a better servant?

By Carey Scott from an outline by Tommy Thornhill Jr

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