Sermon Notes: 5 Feb 2023
Big Idea of the Series
This four-week series is designed to help Christ-followers see that God’s plan for us is to be transformed into the likeness of his Son Jesus Christ.
By focusing on four practices of Jesus, you will see that we can model our lives after Jesus and depend on who He is in order to become who God wants us to be.
Spiritual Formation
Christian spiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the glory of God. (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
The focus of spiritual formation is the Holy Spirit, who leads us to become more like Christ.
Big Idea of this Sermon
God’s Word teaches us that one of our primary focuses in life is to serve others. Jesus came to serve, not be served. Do you have the heart of a servant?
Mark 10:45 (NLT)
Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
Philippians 2:3-7a (NLT)
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave…
How can you know if you have the heart of a servant?
1. Real servants make themselves AVAILABLE.
2 Timothy 2:4 (NLT)
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
2. Real servants pay ATTENTION to the NEEDS of others.
Galatians 6:10 (NLT)
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to those in the family of faith.
Proverbs 3:28 (NLT)
If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
3. Real servants do their best with WHAT THEY HAVE.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (Living Bible)
If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.
4. Real servants do every task with equal DEDICATION.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
You will never arrive at the state in life where you are too important to help with small tasks. God will never exempt you from the mundane.
Galatians 6:3 (NLT)
If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
5. Real servants are FAITHFUL.
Matthew 25:23 (NLT)
The master said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
Matthew 25:23 (NKJV)
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Are you willing to serve others?
Do you have a servant’s heart?
