February 19, 2017

We are continuing a sermon series this morning As a matter of fact, we're wrapping up a sermon series this morning for many weeks. Now. I've been doing a series called Twisted where each week. I've focused on a particular verse that's often misinterpreted and we've kind of straighten that out and talk about a fuller richer way to understand several of those verses and this morning. I want to end that serious by doing something someone suggested which is focus on one we get right. So I say to you to begin this sermon well done thou good and faithful servants, and I want to talk this morning about something. I think we get right. Now that first image there is of Jesus washing the disciples feet and I think sometimes we don't appreciate the radicalness of that moment. I had a different painting selected originally, but it was too dark to show up in the one. I originally selected you could see all the shock on the face of the disciples that Jesus was doing what he was doing. Then he was down on his hands and knees and that he Lord was washing the disciples feet like some common household servant. If you know the story and John 13 Peter says no, no, you're not going to wash my feet. This is this is crazy. This is upside down and then reject Jesus until Jesus corrects him and then he says all well, go ahead. Think about the radicalness of what Jesus taught in regards to humility and servanthood in Mark chapter 10. Jesus called them together his disciples and he said to them and this was a teaching moment cuz they were arguing about who would get the positions of greatness in the kingdom of God on his right and on his left. Jesus called the disciples together and said, you know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them and their High officials exercise authority over them. And so Jesus accurately describes the way the world functioned the entire world all through history up to this very moment was that leaders or officials exercise authority over those that they leave but then Jesus says not so with you instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be the first must be slave of all.

What the radical notion of what he's saying hit your ears? In a world of Emperors and rulers were those who were the ones who were great or had Authority or had power they had servants who served them because they did no serving. That was the mark of being great. That was the mark of being powerful. You had people who would wait on you you have people who would do your serving for you. They would go and get you what you made it they would wash your feet when you came into a home. They would serve you and that's what it meant to be great or to be someone Empower you displayed that all the servants waiting around you waiting on you hand and foot to do your bidding and Jesus says it's not the case. He continues. For even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

And think about how radical this for even the son of man God In the Flesh did not show up on Earth in order to be served. It didn't show up in a parade. He didn't show up for people to Psycho my goodness. It's the Son of God everyone down on your knees bow before him quick see if he needs something from get him something and getting something to eat Curry. That's the way a human king would arrive. And Jesus said don't you understand it to his disciples? Or even I the son of man did not come to be served but instead to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. Jesus introduced humility and servanthood as virtues and Christians have followed his lead that warrant word introduced is larger than the others for a reason you need to understand the radicalness of Christ and his ethic of servanthood and humility when it entered our culture. That was the first time it ever appeared. We take it for granted today that Unity is considered a virtue but Jamila T was not considered a virtue in the time of Christ or before the time of Christ. Those who were leaders who were Kings who have authority they lorded it over others humility was silly. It was not a virtue at all. Jesus introduced something we take for granted for thousands of years now take for granted in the western world that you militi is attractive that it's this virtue to be sought that it's something to be at Meijer and he introduced it to a world that did not know it that way at all. That we were talking about humility and servanthood we're not talking about low self-esteem or hiding our strength but instead the foregoing of status and using our power or influence for the sake of others. You understand that distinction. We're not talking about Charlie Brown, you know where we just hang your head down and say well, I'm no good life. No good. I'm a Christian. This is how I'm supposed to live life supposed to be humble in this is what it means. That's not what it means that all it is not about low self-esteem. It is not about hiding or strings or our gifts are influence our butr talent none of that. It's about for going But the decision took to grab that status that that power to give us and instead letting that go and instead choosing to use our status are our power Prestige. Whatever it is. We have using our skills to serve others for the sake of others Jesus knew who he was right? He knew that he was the son of God. He knew that he had come to do the father's bidding and yet he washed the disciples feet. There is no doubt about his power. He had no doubt in his mind. He knew that he could speak to someone be healed and they were healed he knew that he can have the audacity to say in front of the Pharisees. Someone your sins are forgiven. Not even God has the power to send your sins are forgiven and Jesus answer was yes.

You've spoken correctly?

So he wasn't the sort of low self-esteem this sort of modesty off shocks. I'm nothing don't give me any credit. He knew what power and strength and gifts and Mission he had and he chose not to grab those things not to grass that status instead. He chose to forego that no parade for me. No balance down for me instead he bowed down. and served serve in humility.

Humility and serving one. Another is the way why life works best? Now, I think that's one of the reasons Jesus came and modeled because what he did when he came in the flesh was to show us how our relationship with God the Father should work and how our relationship with one another should work and part of the humility part of the servanthood is him showing us. This is how life works best as opposed to what scholar John Dixon cause confidence. I said earlier properly extrapolation competency extrapolation much of this research about Jesus introducing humility to our culture to the Western world comes from John Dixon and he talks about the mistake we make now in our culture were tempted at times if we are strong in an area if we have expertise in an area if we're tempted to assume that that means we're good in all areas. And so if we're really good at one thing maybe we're great CEO of a company then we might go to another company and assume we will just knock it out of the park, even though we may not know anything about that particular industry or we may have great relationships and people Deals, and we might assume that means we can Overlook other deficiencies that that expertise just plows over everything and we have this sort of lack of humility. But the reality is we need one another right, you know the old joke about the the the the three people on the plane and the plane was going to crash in the pilot was one of the three is he comes back and says look, this is my plane. But there's only a few before people counting the pilot. There's only three parachutes on the plane. And so he says I'm taking one. It's my playing my parachute. He takes it jumps off the other three guys are sitting there and there's only two parachutes. One of them is a religious man. And one of them is kind of a backpacking hippie and the other is a professor and the professor steps forward says, look, I'm brilliant. I'm one of the greatest Minds in our world today I'm needed and so I'm going to take this parachute and and it's up to you to figure out the rest and he puts and jumps out and the religious man turns to the hippie and he says son. He said my life is secure. I had a long full life serving the lord and serving others. You take the last parachute and Maybe God says all it doesn't matter. We don't need to worry about that that Professor took my backpack.

Sometimes we can think you know what I've got it all made in this area because I'm so smart or I'm so wealthy from so young or good-looking or physically fit stick a category. We can make that mistake of thinking I don't need anybody else. I can handle it all on my own but the truth is if you've lived a little bit of life. We need one another don't we? No, one person can handle everything that comes through way. There are things that come our way that overwhelm us and we're just dancing like I don't know what to do. I mean I'm out of my element. I have helped we all have those lifeline's there's people that we call and say I need you to pray or I need you to come over. I need you to come down to the jailhouse and post bail. I mean, we all have those moments. We need one another and honestly acknowledging that the humility that that's that is required to acknowledge. That is the way life works best. I think this is where was Paul talking about in 1st Corinthians. He says there's one body but it has many parts even though it has many parts. They make up one body. It is the same with Christ then he continues if you versus later the I can't say to the hand. I don't need you to head can't say to the feet. I don't need you. In fact, it's just the opposite the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can't do without.

Then he continues God has joined together all the parts of the body and he has given more honor to the parts. That didn't have any. In that way the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of each other. Part of the organic logic in the body of Christ is the acknowledgement that we need one another.

It's embracing the humility that says I cannot do it on my own. I need God. I need others Luke 19 says two people go before God one says God. I thank you that. I'm not like this package over here. I got to go to church it or three times a week. I do what I'm supposed to do. I pray I tied and the other person comes before guys. It's a guy that I got nothing. I mean, I think I am completely dependent on you and your mercy and when Jesus tells that Parable he says which of the which one of these two men. Do you think left God's presence Justified? It was the center the tax collector broken in humility before God. Humility is Common Cent. This is the way life works. We need one another it'd be silly for the foot to say I don't need the body anymore or the body say I'm not part of the body how how ridiculous that would be until he gives us this wisdom in this gift in this example as part of saying this is the way you live life correctly and to the fullest with the sort of humility that I've modeled for you. Because of Jesus and the church is but she's made because of Jesus and the church has followed humility and serving another are attractive virtues alluded to this earlier, but you again you need to understand the significance of the significance of this the depth of this today. We understand the idea of seeing somebody serve another as a beautiful picture or we understand the idea of humility as an attractive virtue and we understand arrogance as an unattractive virtue, but Jesus introduced that and the church has followed that lead for centuries. It was not that way before the time of Christ. Humility and serving another was considered being pushed down in the Roman culture and the culture that preceded the time of Christ reserved only the only people you are humble before where the gods themselves and the emperor, but you were not humble or a servant or anyone else if you served at Pier or even worse if you serve someone who was of lesser status the new it was considered a perversion. A twisting of the way things ought to be because the Assumption was that justice has placed everyone in their place in life. And that person is a servant because that's how life is turned out for them. That's what suggest they were born poor and they're here to wash my feet. They're here to bring me my drink and if someone starts treating that servants with respect you're screwing up the whole system. There was this belief that that was Justice.

That we might occasionally slip into that same sort of thinking. Well, that's your lot in life. Nobody to blame but yourself. Maybe if you would work a little harder, you wouldn't be handing me Fries over the counter right so I can treat you the way I treat you. I don't have to make eye contact. I don't have to respect the fact that you're serving me I'm paying for this. And if I go to your restaurant and you don't get my drink as quick as I wanted when the glass is empty you will fill it in the tip.

You see how easy this to slip into that pre Christ mindset.

and not Garner and benefit and submit to the wisdom and the example of Christ.

It's interesting. How in this culture? That was dominated by the sense of I'm in power. That's just the way it is. You're a servant. It's ridiculous to mess with that in this culture. How Did humility and servanthood suddenly get associated with greatness and virtue?

I mean in the Roman World Christianity was born into the Roman world and Rome ruled all. Christina was born as this tiny little sect of weird people who eat the Flesh of their God and that they drink his blood and they're always loving their brothers and sisters. That's some sort of weird. Incest. That was the rumors that the Romans had about the early church and Christian because they didn't understand communion and they didn't understand the scriptures that talk about loving one another and calling one another Brothers and Sisters in Christ. They were this tiny little weird group. And I'm in a mirror 300 years, which is no time and world history. They turn the entire world upside down. This tiny little sick, and I had no power. Not the way the world thinks about power.

I served. And love in humility. You know the idea of taking care of an orphan. Didn't exist in Roman culture.

Do you know what happened to babies that no, one wanted? They took him out into the Wilderness and left them to be eaten by the wild animals.

No regard for children. Jesus said no. No no to the disciples one-time. Right? Don't forbid the children from coming to me. Not like this world around us. Let the children come to me. Tomorrow fact unless you have faith like a little child. You don't even see the kingdom of heaven. The early church, the Christians would go and rescue these abandoned children and bring them into their homes and care for them. And you find letters from Roman Authority saying I don't know what it is with this Christian group. But the way we abandon our children or the way, we take our parents off and leave them to die when they're sick and we don't want to get sick. They keep keep risking everything they keep serving these people who are lepers don't they know they can get leprosy and they're like, oh no, I've got a turtle eye pain. They risk their life for the sake of others and they take these children that no one wants that have been abandoned. Can I bring them into their home like family can care for them?

And that begin to plant the seed. In the culture around them that said maybe they know more than we do. Maybe they know how to live life better than we do. Maybe this God they serve is real and better than all our many gods. It happened because of this it changed in the culture so dramatically that humility became assign a virtue to be pursued and servanthood become became greatness in versus like this is how the church understood Jesus Christ and his death on a cross by the way out of the three forms of execution in the culture that time being executed crucified on a cross was considered the worst the worst out of all of the most humiliating and the church was left with this savior who'd been crucified on a cross. How do they understand that how did interpret that you can trace it back to this passage in Philippians where Paul says do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility value others above yourself not looking to your own interests, but each to each of you to the interest of others in your relationship to one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Who being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own Advantage rather. He made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross. That's one of the oldest most authenticated passages in all of the New Testament when Paul says was pull back the window. Here's what was happening on the cross. The god of the universe came in the flash became human. And he didn't hold on to his divinity as something to be grasped something to be Lord it over to say Here. I Am The Divine bow down before me instead. He let go of it accepting that human flesh accepting death accepting crucifixion death even on a cross. He continues In this passage where it says and at this name one day what every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord the cross. Christ willingly sacrificing himself and the resurrection the worship of the early church turned upside down the concept of greatness in our world and introduced the beauty of humility and servanthood. A Jesus would give his life for us. Part of that that was not something anyone salt or admired the wise and Powerful one was the one who had a servant to grab and shove in front of the spear. That was the sign of their Authority. No one takes my life. I've got men that I can make line up and die one after the other before my life ever gets harmed greatness was seen as Power and Jesus came and said, you know the authorities among you they Lord it over others. Not so among you.

The one who wants to be great will serve not even the son of man came to be served but to serve and give his life Professor Edwin judge who's considered a world renowned scholar historical scholar says the idea that we are attracted to Humble people comes in tirely from the Christian tradition. He went back and studied in great detail. You don't everything. I've been saying you don't find humility at Meijer or as a virtue prior to the time of Christ. There is a persuasiveness that stems from The credibility born from humility and servanthood that's another reason I think price modeled and commanded and commanded us to follow his example in humility. Not only that it's the way life actually works. We need one another but there's there's a credibility and persuasiveness that God wants us to carry forward and our presentation of the Gospel in resembling him in his own humility and Emperor wrote during the time of the early Christians in frustration. He called the early Christians atheist, by the way, because they didn't believe in the gods and so they were atheist and so he said easiest who support not only their own poor but ours as well all men see that our people lack aid from us. He's complaining to his priests and all the Where is this Christian group atheist that mean believe in the gods it when people observe they are serving and caring for all of the poor whether it's their own poor inside their Christian Community or whether it's our poor who worship the gods of Rome and people can look and see the difference. They can save all these pimples that worship. The many many gods of Rome. They're doing nothing for people. They're not providing any for them. But this little Christian group. They're they're Gathering children that have been abandoned their taking care of lepers and those everyone else distance himself from their providing food for those in need.

You want to hit people that somehow pick up the slack? I don't think there's a single priest or Temple. left from Emperor Julian Emperor Julian simpler for Easter church or Society or I think they went away. And the church is here. And you are here. And I say Well done thou good and faithful servant because the church has followed the lead of Christ. These many centuries. The church has started just about every school that got started in North America and not-for-profit. They started it because of the desire to educate children and young men for Ministry to serve others. They made those commitments. There was a Newsweek magazine article very second article for back of lack of better language who noted when you look at history the culture that benefited most in terms of the way women were treated and in terms of literacy where the cultures were Christian missionaries went in the past fifty or a hundred years. The most often somebody finds an example of abuse and they give that a spotlight and act as if nothing good ever happened, but when you study the big picture of history when Christian missionaries went to new lands, they elevated the place of women where they were treated better and not abused as much and they brought literacy flight to bring literacy because they want to teach people how to read so they could give them the word of God so they could choose to follow him everywhere. They went they left blessings hospitals are rose because of who Christians the early Church in a culture that said I can't risk getting a disease just take my parents off to that Village and let them die with everyone else the church and Christians would gather and say we're going to care for him to the sense. That's how it's going to be too much trouble. Just abandon that child's the church took them in and cared for them. When someone was injured and was too much trouble and a culture that just disregarded them the church started care facilities homes and hospitals caring for those in need because of the example of Christ. The said there's no shame in humbly serving someone else as matter fact, that's what it means to be. All that God has created you to be that's what it means to be great is to serve like Christ. So I say this morning. I'm about to worship team to come forward. I say continue the course.

I could name honestly, and I'm I'm going to resist this cuz I get in the habit of them in the same people. But but you guys know if it if you remember Hillandale, if you've been here any amount of time, you know that there are so many good hearted servants here in the life of this church who serve on a regular basis those who need those who don't have a meal those who don't have something warm to put on on a regular basis service happens in this church resources funds time energy volunteer hours. Again, and again and again in the community. We open our building to other groups and nearly every day of the week. There's a there's a group not associated with Hillandale that's in the building using the building and sometimes there's 50-60 people in that group. The run up and down the hallways. They're using the restroom. They're using our building and we are thrilled for that. Well done thou good and faithful servant.

Honestly, there's there's so many people in this congregation. that by any normal standards You know there a notch above me or 10 notches above me.

They're the ones that I'll see clean up a spill that a kid has on Wednesday night. They're the ones that that go visit somebody at the hospital. They're the ones that that fix a broken toilet in the church.

I see this quality on a regular basis. And so I commend you. Well done. Good and faithful servant.

You're following Christ. Kalen just to serve others that way to to serve others with humility with Christ likeness. We use the word Hesed in the past and Hesed is that word that most often describe the character of God in the Old Testament and then becomes the word christlikeness in the New Testament is doing or seeking what's in the best interest of the other. This speaks to that credibility that persuasion we talked about doesn't someone that you know has your best interest at heart have increased credibility with you.

When your mom or your brother or your sister or your close friend who you know? I love you. And I would do anything for you when they come with a word of encouragement or counsel to you. It has this increased credibility.

So I thank you for being servants for the step by step Ministry for those who drive the vans on a regular basis for the downtown Ministry for for those who support and care for Assurance for those who goes to God's Pantry on a regular basis and help serve the meals for those who serve right here in the church or some who me laughing service kind of gather up garbage and things and make sure it gets cleaned up a little bit for those who served on Wednesday night for those of you who pray earnestly and regularly for our prayer list. Deal thank you for that. It doesn't have to be this visible this this visible physical service for it to be servanthood. But when you do you slice time out of your day to say I'm going to get the prayer list and I'm going to pray I've been praying for all these names on the prayer list. I'm going to give my time away. for the sake of others

the only challenge to offer and will end with this is if you want to take it to the next level. then If you haven't done this already the challenges to say. What if I change my my thinking? Nnn more than just being someone who serves what if I understood my identity to be a servant. If Jesus Christ took on the form of a servant. And commends me to follow him. What if I understood myself to be a servant?

What about throughout this world concept of justice and treated anyone and everyone whose path I cross as if I'm their servant. Metal radical that would be in our world. Hardest place that might start would be our homes.

men would treat their wife says someone they serve.

Their children is someone they sir. And wife's the same.

buddy, buddy stand everywhere How often do you think somebody that that takes your money to gas station at midnight gets eye contact. And the person that walks in and pays or thank you for being here midnight cuz I was low on gas. I'm glad. 2 in the morning, you know got a sick child forgot to put car in the gas put gas in the car and you get up. Sorry forgot to put gas in the car you get up at 2 in the morning been happier. Not at the hospital and you get back in the car thing, and I'm not going to make it home. Aren't you glad there's somebody there at 2 in the morning? Can imagine the the christ-like love we could spread just through the simple Act? I've been willing to serve others care for them treat them with respect. because of Christ because of anything they've done or not done. They might reject your respect. Am I treat you poorly?

but because of Christ you still be Commanded by hand, but treat them with Grace and love. because that's the way

I will go celebrate here in a moment and they'll be folks available out front in the back for prayer needs and I'll be available in the back for prayer needs our decision. Lauren come to the time when we celebrate Christ. Who gave his life up took on the form of a servant gave his life up for us? So again, I said good job. Continue the course of being unafraid to be servants to everyone around you. Please stand as we sing.