Servanthood: The Keys to Success
Many Christians experience frustration in their efforts to live faithfully, often feeling they fall short. This message offers a foundational understanding of Christian service, reframing it as God's work accomplished through us.
Christian service isn't about human effort but God working through us. It involves serving others as if serving Christ, using spiritual gifts, avoiding self-service, and being an available channel for God's resources to meet needs.
Overview
Many Christians experience discouragement when trying to live a faithful life, often feeling like they fail despite their efforts. This sermon suggests that such feelings can arise from not understanding essential principles for enjoying one's relationship with God and effectively serving Him.
The core of true ministry, the first key to success, is realizing that service is not something we do *for* God, but something God does *through* us. God takes full responsibility for enabling us to carry out His call, working within us to create the will and ability for His good pleasure, as highlighted in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 and Philippians 2:13.
The sermon then presents the second and third keys: no matter who we serve, we are ultimately serving the Lord Himself, as shown in Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3, urging us to do our work heartily as unto the Lord. Additionally, it emphasizes serving out of spiritual gifts, which are received at salvation, rather than solely relying on natural talents, drawing from Romans 12 and 1 Peter 4.
The final two principles are recognizing that one cannot serve God and oneself simultaneously, as stated in Luke 16:13, meaning our devotion must be singular. Lastly, real ministry occurs when divine resources meet human needs through a loving, available human channel, requiring awareness, availability, and reliance on God.
Key points
- Many believers become discouraged in Christian life, feeling they fail, often due to a lack of understanding basic principles of service.
- The foundational key to successful servanthood is that true ministry is God doing something *through* us, not us doing something *for* God.
- The second principle is to serve everyone as if serving the Lord Himself, regardless of the person receiving the service.
- The third key is to serve primarily out of one's spiritual gift, which is received at salvation, utilizing natural talents alongside it.
- The fourth principle asserts that it is impossible to serve both God and oneself simultaneously.
- The fifth principle defines real ministry as divine resources meeting human needs through an available human channel.
- To be an effective channel for God, a person must exhibit awareness of needs, availability to serve, and reliance on God's power.
In Charles Stanley's words
“True ministry, true service, is not something we do for God, but rather something God does through us.”
“No servant can serve two masters.”
Outline
- I. Introduction: Discouragement in the Christian Life
- A. Why Christians sometimes feel they fail
- B. The need for basic principles for enjoying relationship with God and servanthood
- C. All believers are servants of God
- II. Five Keys to Success in Servanthood
- A. Principle 1: Ministry is what God does through us, not what we do for God.
- 1. God assumes full responsibility for enabling us (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
- 2. God is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13)
- B. Principle 2: No matter who is the object of our service, it is the Lord we serve.
- 1. Serve obediently and sincerely as to Christ (Ephesians 6:5-8)
- 2. Do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men (Colossians 3:22-24)
- C. Principle 3: We serve out of our spiritual gift, not out of our natural talent.
- 1. Distinction between natural talents (born with) and spiritual gifts (received at salvation)
- 2. Different motivational gifts in the body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8)
- 3. Each one has received a special gift to employ in serving one another (1 Peter 4:10)
- D. Principle 4: You cannot serve God and yourself at the same time.
- 1. No servant can serve two masters (Luke 16:13)
- 2. Serving oneself means pleasing people more than God
- E. Principle 5: Real ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through a loving channel.
- 1. The "beautiful triangle": God, available servant, human need
- 2. Three essential elements for the available vessel:
- a. Awareness of needs
- b. Availability to God
- c. Reliance upon God within to be the channel
Scripture references
- 1 Thessalonians 5:24
- Galatians 5:13
- Philippians 2:13
- Ephesians 6:5-8
- Colossians 3:22-24
- Romans 12:5-8
- 1 Peter 4:10
- Luke 16:13
24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Insights
Our deepest discouragement in service may stem from misunderstanding God's role.
True service is God's work flowing through us, not our striving for Him.
Every act of service, no matter how small, becomes an offering to God.
Questions & answers
What common struggle does the sermon address at its beginning?
The sermon addresses the common feeling of discouragement in Christian living, where individuals try hard but feel they continuously fail, often stemming from a misunderstanding of foundational principles for service.
What is the sermon's primary definition of true ministry or service?
According to the sermon, true ministry is not something we accomplish *for* God through our own effort, but rather something God actively accomplishes *through* us.
How does the sermon instruct Christians to serve those in authority over them, like a boss?
Christians are instructed to serve their masters or employers with sincerity and diligence, as if they are serving the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, not just to please men.
What is the distinction between natural talent and spiritual gift, as explained in the sermon?
Natural talents are inborn abilities that people, saved or unsaved, possess. Spiritual gifts, however, are given by God to believers at salvation and are meant to be the primary motivation for serving Him.
What three elements must be present for a believer to be an effective channel for God's ministry?
To be an effective channel, a believer must have awareness of human needs, be available to God for His use, and rely on God's power working within them to meet those needs.
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Source
Unofficial AI summary for study purposes. Watch the full sermon on In Touch Ministries. Sermon Insights is not affiliated with or endorsed by the pastor or church.