What On Earth Am I Here For? Part 5: Serve Others

By Greg Byman
May 20, 2018
St Joe Community Church

What on earth are you here for? What person are you to marry? Children to raise? Vocation to occupy? Mission to join? Whatever God may have in store for you, that calling will fall within the parameters that his word provides for all believers in Christ.
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​This week, Pastor Greg Byman takes a look at Luke 10:25-37 and 1 Peter 4:10-11 to consider Jesus’ mandate to personally represent God’s mercy to this world. Pastor Byman delivered “What On Earth Am I Here For? Part 5: Serve Others” on May 20, 2018 at St. Joe Community Church. 

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​The sorting or on a journey of talking about what on earth am I here for and our fourth purpose that we're going to talk about is serving you just heard a passage in the in Luke about serving someone who was beaten left for dead and a guy that they would the least expected person to actually reach out and be Biblical actually stood up and did the right thing and the and in the story we're going to we're going to unpack that without reading it we're going to pack it a little bit about serving. You see serving is really an expression of God's love in a practical way I was shaped you were shaped We were shaped to serve God shaped us he gave a spiritual gifts S. He gave us a heart desires things that we want to do that other people don't want to do with that we get passionate about he gives us abilities things that we're good at that other people may or may not be good at we have our uniqueness and then we have a personality some people are more into verse some are extrovert some are better at talking to this person as they are to talk to that person and then we have experiences and God doesn't waste a hurt he uses everything good bad the ugly to use it for His glory and honor says well I don't know all of my experiences of really been tough ones well guess what God uses tough experiences to talk to people who have tough experiences God uses every one of us for a reason and there are people that you will minister to that I will never be able to minister to I mean going to school and some of you would rather talk to the teacher than the principal How many here right all right I'm the principal who won't talk to me sometimes how about the assistant principal the principal What's one how many would rather listen to the talk to the system principal than the principal when you get to the principal you know you're in trouble you're already in trouble with the assistant principal sometimes because he's the one has to deal with it or C. But man when you get to the new you get to that office now back in my day there was this there was this plaque on the wall well it wasn't a plaque it was a piece of wood with a handle on the end of it. And it was mounted on the wall as a trophy of God's grace no I there it was it was the you know the Board of Education you know. Right. I have nothing like that in my office OK. But some people they see me coming they think he's going to thump the bible at me even though many of you know that's not the case. The more I love you the more I might but the less I know you the more I won't. Because I don't I does not that's not how I operate but people don't know that and so they're going to talk to you because they're not going to talk to me. And there are men and women in this community that need your love in your own unique way that only you can give it to them Well we're going to impact that for just a moment you see we've been on this journey of going what are my purpose what's my purpose in life and based on two passages the great commandment Love God Love people and the great commission go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them and bring them into grow them up in other words we're to do these things and were unpacking that and the first one we talked about is that my purpose in life is to connect with and worship Almighty God my creator I was created God made me to love me. And some people don't know that that God didn't call you out and build you up so that he can just splot you like an ant that's walking across your floor in your kitchen that you're saying you don't belong here done. God wants to love you and nurture you and encourage you and build a relationship with you we talked about the next week about fellowship with other people I was formed for a family I was talking to somebody at a at a. It was a gathering of people to memorialize the death two years later of a seventeen year old man young man who was shot to death and I happen to know in fact a candle actually worked with John at the nursing home and got to reconnect with her and her family was there Friday night and I met April whose son Cody was shot dead at twenty two years of age in an armed robbery and a situation that just awful awful horrible stuff going on in our city right now. Now and she just point blank said I don't go to church and when I said to April I said I believe. That every Christian without a church family is an orphan and she looked at me I said I'm not trying to get you to be religious be organized in religion I'm not trying to get you to do anything I just want you to belong and have relationships with other believers and the best place I know where to do that safely and carefully is through a local church that's honoring gun trying to get it right hypocrites in recovery bless you. And I want to say is on the say so we need to have fellowship with one another and then gross appeared last week we talked about growing spiritually but I was created to become what Christ God made me to become in the image of who Jesus is Jesus came to show up I'm a Christian and everyone here followers of Christ you live at one point or another refer to yourself as a Christian means you're trying to be like Jesus Christ that means that you're on a journey towards being more like what you're meant to be instead of what you already are so far. And we're supposed to grow and we know this in so many other big practices you know that. Somebody else I know that they're getting their cast off this week and they know that their leg is going to be actually feed that their leg is going to be skinnier than the other leg. And I remember when my son got his cast off and then we went out to a water park and so every day I'm seeing his little leg compared to the big leg on the side and a. Look at the peg leg you got all goofing around you know just I'm so terrible as a dad I'm just awful OK So pray for my kids but we you know we like this so funny you know and he could walk as well on it because he had been using that muscle. You know what I know that we're supposed to keep growing. And we know that in the physical world we know in business that a business that isn't growing is dying there's no such thing as plateau plateau means you're in trouble it's true in the church too we're not growing we're dying. You're in trouble you've got to do something to fix that we know that but then when it comes to spirituality Well I'm going to take a hiatus on spiritual growth you can't you will not maintain you will diminish you have to keep growing and that's what about radio and some of these other in tools throughout the week can be part of your journey of growing spiritually. Today I want to talk about serving others I was shaped to serve. And so let's get right into it Luke Chapter ten versus twenty five if you're there we're going to look at that but I also want to turn us to first Peter chapter four verses ten eleven I'm going to tie the two together we already read Luke so you can keep your finger there but going to go over to first Peter chapter four and we're going to look at that passage together so that we can see what God has to say about our serving and what it means to serve in his name and how he has created us to serve and how that connects with the word Love Love God Love people and if I want to just throw another one actually that we really are getting at that second commandment the first and second Love God Love people were really getting at the second commandment love people. How do you do that love of people is always connected with serving and giving and being with and working together and meeting one another's needs and take caring for one another and meeting one of these I don't mean necessarily It could be often is physical but I'm talking about meetings like I need a relationship I need people in my life I need someone there for me sometimes my wife loves me by just listening to me because you know I talk a lot and she listens she's very tolerant of that. And when I would and should ask me a question too on top of that but she actually just wants to that I have some a sounding board right somebody to work through what's going on. Not solving my problem not fixing it for me but just listening first Peter chapter four. We read that force that says based on the gift they have received everyone should use it to serve others as good managers of the varied grace of God if anyone speaks a speech should be like the one like the oracles of God If anyone serves his service to be from the strength God provides so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to him belong the glory and the power forever and ever amen So let's look at first. Luke Chapter ten. Keep your finger first Peter because we go back to that. But you heard the parable you heard Pastor Dave give that pair read that parable to us now who is my neighbor. Do you still love your neighbor as yourself and they want to try to trap him. Now who is my neighbor whom I supposed to really love and I just want you know that as he got into this issue of Love your neighbor as yourself they knew instinctively that this kind of love meant sacrificial service So first of all love your neighbor equals serve serve others we know in other passages it says be warm and well fed and then you don't do anything about it when they're hungry and they need food and they are cold that's not love that's a slap in the face why does love that person what have you done for me lately to show your love. When my kids know I love them. How have you expressed that love in a way that they receive it and understand that you are loving them. When they just know. They don't well I love them how are you there for them love is serving others and in this parable there's a man that's been beaten up and it's a it's basically a a fictional story an earthy story that is meant to drive home the point the point of the parable by the way without violence so you don't want to violate the purpose of the barrel was to point out the prejudicial attitude that the Jewish community had about how they would serve and how and what they would do and he was trying to point out that their hypocrisy and their religiosity was that they were they were only selectively serving in caring for the people they wanted to care about and he picked the most offensive person that they could think about a half jew. Or in crass terms a half breed they thought I mean they were so prejudiced against Samaritans and he made the person they hated the most the hero of the story to drive home the point that even this person they hated was and they had to admit was better than they were you and I. Can learn from this that that Jesus is saying to us that we've got to serve sacrificially we've got to meet needs love equals meeting needs in this passage love equals showing mercy. That showing up. And it's being unbiased now use Think of somebody who's had a need in your life lately I can do that myself and say. I'm still working on this I like to serve who I like. And it's hard to serve sacrificially people you don't necessarily connect with this well. You have to go out of your way. Love your neighbor love equal serving meeting needs showing mercy and being unbiased because Jesus said in that passage which one of the persons in the passage showed mercy which of the persons was there. When that person had no one else there for them that's the kind of love that we give now in a moment we think about how we do this there are many ways that we offer opportunities for you as a platform to show that kind of love in ministry at our church but I was one of think generally where you are in the people in your life. Who is it that is receiving your love. Impractical way it's a think about that as we move to first Peter chapter four verse Peter chapter four. Points out I want to make two points based on those two verses first of all God shaped us in order to serve others and this passage is rooted in the conversation of love I didn't read this part but let me read it now now the end of in verse seven now the end of all things is near therefore be clear minded and discipline for prayer above all keep your love for one another at full strength since love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Then he says based on the gift they have received everyone should use it to serve others this act of service is rooted in being loving and hospitable to the people around us even the people that have sinned against us because love covers a multitude of sins our love our service for one another covers over difficulty in relationships when you are serving somebody in Jesus' name. You are covering over the humanity that Jesus is still working on in their life. And by the way it's covering up the humanity in your life that God is trying to work on in you because if you've ever served somebody in the name of Jesus not for the glory of what people are going to say about you but just because you know you're supposed to do it you're supposed to go be a blessing to that person I can't tell you how many people have told me I was more blessed than I feel I was a blessing to the people that I served. I know that's true when it go on a mission trip we go there to serve people we're going to go be a blessing to that group of people out there in Ecuador and a couple weeks I'm going to go there in June and I'm going to go work with three sets of pastors throughout the little this little country going to travel to three different places for two day trainings of these new pastors that are planting churches in the rural sections of Ecuador and I can guarantee you that when I leave there I will feel more blast and more humbled than I ever believe that I'm giving them and even though they're saying I'm They're inviting me and inviting Rick Hillard who was here before we're there to go serve them and to give us some sent them some spiritual advice and to disciple them as seasoned pastors to younger pastors I know that they're going to bless me more than I'm going to bless them I feel that way I just know it happens every time I go and that their faith and their convictions and their joy I know that's when I get with Lucas the pastor that's that's leading the church that's going to start and this fall that I'm working in our building I just get energized by his youthfulness and and and his vitality and his excitement and his vision there's just something there that just gets me and he wants to we want to meet and talk and I try to encourage him in his in his walk as a pastor a new pastor but I feel like I get more blessed by giving him this stuff than I think he's getting from what I'm giving him. God's working on you guys working on us but God shaped us we're in the zone when we're serving oftentimes a believer a Christian a member of a church someone who is the most. Difficult person to get along with. A person who seems to be dry as a bone spiritually is a person who is not pouring themselves out anybody else except for their own world of what they want to do it's just they just drop dying on the vine why because really serving and giving is what we're safe to do and if we're not doing that. We're river or reservoir not a river and reservoirs these little ponds that you know why they have those big old beautiful fountains in the middle. Because they have to agitate the water gets algae in and it gets nasty and stinky and bad they have to have a an unnatural type of agitation system to keep that water moving so it won't stag night and get nasty. But a river doesn't need that because it's continually flowing. And God's grace that's poured on you needs to be poured out and others you just keep on going. So God shaped us to serve others and I'm the looting to this but I'm going to say it now we are God's instruments of grace. It says here. That we will then as good managers we will use it to serve others as good managers of the very grace of God We are managers of the grace God gave us we manage it by giving it away to others by serving them. And he goes on to explain how we serve he talks about if you serve let a speech be like that of oracles of God if they serve let us service the strength from the strength that God provides and that God be glorified through all of it is see where the hands the feet and the voice of the love of God in people's lives period. You mate you've made her decide for better answers really you may be the only Jesus people ever see you may be the only Bible people read you may be the only person that connects them with the Almighty. And how you serve them will make the difference between whether they want Jesus or not one Jesus now is their choice and when they stand before God and they've rejected Jesus all their life and they enter into eternity without him it's not because they didn't have that opportunity is their choice and they had to be the one to make the choice where they're going to follow Christ or not follow Christ but you don't stand in their way I want so there's was one preacher said I would pray and hope that everyone who chooses to walk into hell without trusting Christ well have people clinging to their feet dragging them as much as they can and as hard as they can to relationship away from the pit of hell and into Heaven as much as possible that they'll know that there were claw marks on their ankles as we begged them in Jesus' name to not enter into Satan's around forever that God loves them and desires a relationship with them and that our love for them in spite of their on loveliness was a testimony of the grace and the mercy of God that he did in our lives that was hit by the great Has it not for the grace of God we would be running right to hell with them our service displays the grace of God and by the way not just lost people but in the believing church your Grace pours out on me and gives me grace of God You see it's one thing to say as a Christian to another Christian I care about you but it's quite another to sit with that person and to walk with them through a trial and circumstance and I'm still learning this I'm still learning how to do this and I've not arrived at that and this passage is as convicting to me as I hope it is to you because it is something that I have to be reminded of. We don't pick and choose. Who we serve with gods the one that puts us in the path and the place to serve. There are places that we naturally serve by the way and I put the list up here real quickly you want to write them down or obvious our first point of connection of being able to know how to serve one on one another is in our connection group it's where we build trust with one another and we actually have these relationships where we can know how to actually meet the needs of people around us and so we have connection groups for that reason you will probably not be served in this church well if you're not connected to a connection group I'm not saying that's right or wrong I'm just saying that naturally speaking it is easier to know what meet people's needs are when they are in a group with other people so that we can hear those needs and we can meet those needs ministry teams these are platforms for serving and building relationships once one another you know I've told all of our ministry teams that they are really a connection group with a purpose of serving and of suspicion or meeting particular task or a need in the church but it's a connection group of people also but it's as much or more about the people in that in that ministry team getting along and learning how to react with want to interact with one another than it is and I a practical example of this is when we have work day at church Rod Love's work day because usually people show up all the rest of the year they don't even know the church needs help I'm sorry that was just wrong. But that he he you know can you do this can you do that and we have there's always needs there's always and it's I love how people say you know that over there needs to be done people quit asking me that so I say when can you show up and do it and be great. I've quit saying that at the high lakes Baptist camp I said you know we could really use an outdoor chapel and he said when does your church want to come down and fix that for me I'm like. I'm going to quit telling Jim Shields at the camp that I have these ideas for the church camp because he's got ideas for how I can bring a group to fix it and so. He just being a pastor right OK this was what we do it's our job we the gift of agitation and so and so we have all these people come onto the campus and we've we have people that come they don't even belong to our church and they bring equipment to help us that one time a long time ago and they come up but you know what as cool as the equipment is in a school as the thing that we got done and wow our community by the way when we did some stuff now you guys are actually take care of the property bubble boy you know that we do a lot but we did something and so they there's a big deal but you know is a bigger deal to me was that we had a bunch of guys hanging out together and women hanging out together and we were all get along and enjoying each other's company and we were building friendships because the relationship is more important in the work. And someone tell me this week I just don't like organized religion I said well you and I are in the same camp because organized religion sounds stuffy and boring and formal and not very Christian. But if you want to talk about relationship with a savior and with the family that he saved yea I'm all for that we're not here for titles we're here to pass out towels. Because in the serving We build relationships when we pass out titles nobody wants to know who that person is you know what I perceive it about Karen our treasure. First of all that she's never embezzled. This is yes but aside from the nuts and the noses the dimes and pennies and to the penny she wants that thing to be right she sits there in that office and she'll sit there with five cents go and where did that five cents come from positive or negative she's got to find it she's got to make it right you know what I care more about Karen is her attitude towards the Lord's work in Archer. You know when we come to the business meeting our team meetings and Karen brings a report and it could be positive it could be negative if you have any more money or we got plenty I don't know if we've ever said plenty but but but we were in good we got enough or we have some real needs and she'll come with that. What I first of all like is that she doesn't bear the burden alone she knows that it's Jesus's burden it's the it's the church's burden she's the bearer of bad news occasionally but it's not hers to handle by herself what I care about Karen is that Karen exudes a confidence in in the body and she gives us a confidence as a leadership team that we're going to solve this. And that God is good and that he's in charge and Pastor you need to talk more about giving but we what she's she is relational about it she's not heavy handed and when people bring her bills to pay. She doesn't come here and hold it over their head that she has a checkbook because she sees it as a true partnership of ministry. Now you haven't said it in so many words Karen but that's how you live your life in front of us and that's more important than being the Treasurer that doesn't embezzle I'm serious although we would do want that to remain true. It's not about the doing of the ministry it's the being the minister in the attitude in the likeness of Christ and that's been enjoyed will to hear more about Karen and Bob and their family and how to pray for them. After we talk about money for a few minutes that's more important to me and having her around more often to be able to build that relationship with their family and better grand kids in our kids than it is about the doing of the work and I could spend the next hour highlighting every person in the room that leads in our church. I could talk about all three of our elders that by the way if you've not from a with our church and you have been a very often the person who prays in the middle of the service we've been strategically putting in one of our elders and we have three of them. Greg Jerry and Bill. And they come up here and they pray but they do far more than that. Their prayer warriors for a church in their service of our church in their personalities are unique league suited to serve in their unique roles as elders in our church and I could sit there and talk to you for twenty minutes at least about each one of those men. And I could talk about Rod and John and how they serve in our church on as a property care team leaders and I could talk about Amy and my wife I could talk a long time about my wife but Ada in the children's ministry it's not about the doing of the ministry it's about the developing of relationships and trust. To automatically help people connect with God in. You have relationships in your home and in your community that God's calling you to serve you have work where you can serve out the love of Christ in practical ways and their partner ministries in the middle of June we're going to have. Donovan Coley pastor Donovan is going to be here to preach for us when I'm one of the Sundays and I'm going to be in Ecuador and he's going to share with you a word from the Lord what a awesome man of God and there are so many other ministries in town that are not the local church but they do things that the local church can't do by themselves and we partner with them and you can serve in that way as well God's called us to serve we are the hands in the feet and the voice of Jesus Christ. I want to read a poem that was written by Myra Brooks Well it's an don't put the last part in until I get to that Lynette but it proves a point that we are the hands and feet of Jesus it's a poem called The old violin. If you're an old school contemporary music guy Wayne Watson made it popular in a song. If you're really old school the gaiters brought it out a lot and one of their old time songs but here's the actual poem that was written in about twenty minutes by a lady in a church after a revival meeting as God impressed on her the impact and power of the Master's touch it was battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while to waste this time on the old violin be held up with a smile. What am I to bid good people he cried who starts the bidding for me one dollar one dollar Do I hear to two dollars who makes it three three dollars once three dollars twice go on for three. But no. From the room far back a gray bearded man came forward and picked up the bow then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up the strings he played a melody pure and sweet as sweet as the angels sing. The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low. Said What now and my bid for this old violin is he held aloft with its bow one thousand one thousand Do I hear to two thousand who makes it three three thousand once three thousand twice going in gone said he. The audience cheered but some of them cried we just don't understand what changed it's worth Swift came the reply the touch of the master's hand and many a man with life at a tune all battered and bruised with hardship is auction cheap to a thoughtless crowd much like that old violin a mess of pottage a glass a wine a game many travels on he's going once he's going to why so he's going but the master comes in the foolish crowd never can quite understand. The worth of a soul and the change that is rot by the touch there are people in our city there might be someone right in this room has been auctioned off cheap by a world that does not value life you think your problems are not you think that you don't have any value or worth because of what you've been through or what's going on in your life well somebody knew what my life was about the shameful things that are going on how did I get myself in this mess or maybe you just don't realize that anybody cares about your little thing called life that you're living and the master's touch is all it takes. To elevate you into a position of worth and value like you never understood it before we are the hands and the feet and the voice of the master and if you and I don't show love in practical ways to people around us by serving through the ministries that God has directed our church to serve in through the connection group the god has put you in through your home through your community through your workplace through the things that God put you in the middle of to be a part of these people that the world has marginalized as worthless and unimportant will never know the high value that they are in God I pray that your hand will touch someone's life today tonight and that you will be the masters touch not you the master but the master through you will pour out Grace on somebody through search and being there for a question as we close this this in the team's going to come forward and saying one more song Who's your neighborhood. Who is your neighbor right now who is it the gods calling you to serve. Who is the person that does not realize their value and worth in Jesus Christ Who is that you right now like never before I'll embarrass John Wall them a little bit here but John doesn't need to know you love him he needs to know that you show up with your love for him but not because it's just for John but you know there's a host of people in that community that he lives in that needs to see your faces that they'll never There's a lot of people that never see a familiar face because they're there and nobody else is there for them. And there's a whole staff of people in that community that need to see our faces and love as we're loving on John that we're modeling what it means to be a power family of God for John but they need a family that they're not a part of a church family. They're all stop embarrassing you God is up to something in your life I don't know who your neighbor is but who is it and how can you serve them right now you say Pastor I need more connected with some things in our church I need to know about that whatever team I need to know if maybe my guest would work over here that I'm interested in this put that on the connection card I don't want you to miss out on the greatest joy that you could ever have and that is giving away what God's given you in the form of serving others that stand your feet let's prayerfully saying and respond as the Lord leads us to respond. JERRY And Becky says have you come forward and John and Gene want to go to the back they're part of our per team there are others that can do this but they do this every Sunday and we were and we receive you today if you have a specific need or a specific question about what God is laying on your heart this morning I welcome you to respond to go back or to come forward as we sing this song.