Servanthood

take ten chickens – any ten

put them in a pen together, and spread a little chicken feed

in short order, you’ll see an amazing thing happen

these chickens, previously strangers, will form a hierarchy based on dominance

to use everyday language, they’ll form a pecking order

instinctively, through a series of skirmishes, they will determine who the Number One Chicken will be; then the Number Two; the Number Three; all the way down to poor old Chicken Number Ten

once the order is established, Chicken Number One can pick on any chicken without fear of reprisal

the rule is, you can pick on any other Chicken who is lower than you are on the pecking order

pity poor Chicken Number Ten: pecked by nine other chickens, with no one to peck

take any ten people; put them in a room together, spread a little food around, and the same thing happens

there might not be clucking and pecking, but gradually we compare status and education, and sooner or later, we know who is Chicken Number One and who is Chicken Number Ten

and Chicken Number Ones have free reign to strut their stuff, impose their will, and to generally peck whomever they want to peck

you see this in the church

it’s disturbing to me how easy it is to label people and decide, "This is somebody who’s important. This is somebody who is nice, but don’t worry about them"

we’re very quick to label over externals and to maintain this pecking order

you see this over and over in the Bible

Jesus talked about how certain people like the important seats in the synagogue

can’t you just see it?

somebody knows they’re Chicken Number One – look where they’re sitting!

(Luke 11:43) "Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

Jesus talks about going to a wedding feast, and taking the place of honor

embarrassingly, however, the host comes and kicks you out of the seat because somebody more important has come along

his point? sit yourself in the humble spots, so the host will come along and exalt you

(Luke 14:11) For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

or what about James and John?

(Mark 10:35) Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."

(Mark 10:36) "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

(Mark 10:37) They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

what a picture of how we act!

how easy it is to condemn when we see this in other people – but how like us, isn’t it?

somebody has wisely observed that pride is the oldest sin in the book – it was through pride that the serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden: "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God"

it’s shown in the way we act – in our vanity, our stubbornness, our effort to become and to remain Chicken Number One

a baby operates the universe as if he or she was the only one alive

and if they don’t get their way – watch out!

a baby is by nature selfish – and as adults we are to grow up so that we’re not focused on ourselves all the time

but the reality is that we are

and Jesus tells us that this is unacceptable

Jesus tells us:

(Matthew 20:25) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

(Matthew 20:26) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

(Matthew 20:27) and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--

(Matthew 20:28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

being focused on ourselves has a number of problems

it makes our world very small

when we remain focused on ourselves, what a small world we live in!

it ignores the interests and rights of others

others don’t get their way – it’s all about what we want

it creates conflict, because others are looking out for themselves as well

if you put even a dozen people in a room, and all of them are selfishly trying to get their own way, conflict is the natural result

and another problem with our self-focus is that we miss out on the joy of servanthood

what Jesus calls the joy of finding ourselves by losing ourselves

the joy of living through dying

ironically, if you want to be happy, stop focusing on being happy – focus on serving others

if you want to be blessed, simply be a blessing to others

in one of the most moving scenes in the New Testament, the disciples gathered in a room together

gathered at the Passover feast, the disciples were very aware that one of them needed to wash the other’s feet

the problem was that the only people who washed feet were the least

so there they sat, feet caked with dirt

it was such a sore point that they weren’t even going to talk about it

no one wanted to be considered the least

and then Jesus took a towel and basin and redefined greatness

(John 13:14) Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.

(John 13:15) I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

this comes so unnaturally to us!

in talking about the spiritual disciplines, which are the pathway to spirituality, we’ve talked so far about celebration and slowing

we’re still going to talk about confession, secrecy, Scripture, prayer, and fasting

but tonight we’re going to talk about three disciplines under the umbrella of servanthood

they involve bringing three disciplines together

LET’S TALK FIRST ABOUT THE DISCIPLINE OF SUBMISSION

this is the inward component of servanthood

(Philippians 2:3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

(Philippians 2:4) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

the phrase "in humility" is crucial

it provides the undergirding philosophy

you see, the Pecking Order is built on the belief that some of us are better than others

it’s the belief that our opinion or our status is more important than someone else’s

here’s the problem

each of us, in the eyes of God, is the same

none of us, regardless of our titles and possessions, is worthy of more than hell

the key is to realize that we’re all equal before God

and therefore, in humility, we’re to do the same thing that Jesus did while on this earth: we’re to consider others as better than ourselves

can you imagine what would happen if everyone followed this?

if presidents of companies treated janitors with respect?

if husbands stopped viewing themselves as "Chicken Number One" with the right to peck away at his wife?

if every husband said, "My wife is a Very Important Person, and I am going to honor, respect and encourage her"

if the wife said the same thing about the husband?

can you imagine what would happen in the church?

servanthood means that we evaluate what takes place not by our own preferences, but the preferences of others

it’s interesting that Paul wrote this to a very mixed church

Philippi was a cosmopolitan city, and the church matched this diversity

there were people of different nationalities and social backgrounds in the church

with so many backgrounds in the church, unity must have been difficult to maintain

and that’s why Paul said it’s so important to guard against any selfishness, prejudice, or jealousy that might lead to dissension

showing genuine interest in others is a positive step forward in maintaining unity among believers

submission means that we give up the right to be in charge and impose our own desires

the Bible places a premium, I believe, on those of us who are dominant – leaders and those with greater power – to be submissive

(1 Peter 3:8) Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

in the New Testament, slaves are told to be submissive to their masters

why should they be told that? they didn’t have a choice!

one of the reasons, I believe, is that it’s possible to be submissive on the outside and rebellious on the inside

the New Testament goes to the heart of the matter

once again, wives were told to be submissive to their husbands

when this was written, they didn’t have a choice!

but, Paul and Peter say, the attitude is what’s important

what is more amazing, and what we sometimes lose today, is what the Bible says to those who had the greater power in the relationship

fathers, don’t frustrate your children

masters, treat your slaves the same way

husbands, love your wives

what we sometimes forget is how much submission this requires of the dominant partner in that cultural setting!

"If anything," one person writes, "the sting of the teaching falls upon the dominant partner"

friends, it is crucial that we become servants by submitting

we need to live the words of Martin Luther, who said, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all"

if you want to become a servant, begin submitting to your spouse, those in the church who have different musical tastes than you do, those with whom you have passionate disagreements

ironically, the less compelled you are to try to prove yourself to others, the easier it is to feel peaceful inside

submission is a key biblical teaching that applies to all our relationships

it allows us to follow the example of Christ, who submitted himself all the way to the cross

this is the most important step

THE SECOND COMPONENT TO SERVANTHOOD IS THE DISCIPLINE OF SECRECY

we’re going to talk about this in a few weeks by itself, so we won’t swell on this tonight

one of the hardest things to do is to serve in obscurity, with nobody noticing

Richard Foster writes:

Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness. The flesh whines against service but screams against hidden service. It strains and pulls for honor and recognition.

over and over, Scripture warns us against self-promotion

(Proverbs 27:2) Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.

two men went to the temple

(Luke 18:10) "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

(Luke 18:11) The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.

(Luke 18:12) I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

(Luke 18:13) "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

(Luke 18:14) "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

the moral of the story is simple: don’t be self-righteous

don’t blow your own horn!

don’t do good deeds to be recognized, because if you do, you won’t be a servant

one of the best ways to die to yourself is to be willing to serve, unnoticed and unappreciated, in obscurity

find that place where nobody else is serving, where you might never get any recognition or applause, and become a servant in that area

LET ME CONCLUDE TONIGHT BY TALKING BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT IS CLASSICALLY CALLED THE DISCIPLINE OF SERVANTHOOD

when we read of the discipline of servanthood, people usually have a few things in mind

the first is the ministry of the mundane

like Dorcas, we can find ways to make "coats and garments for the widows"

or, as Jesus said, we can offer somebody cups of cold water in Jesus’ name

practical things in which we put our self-interests aside, and serve somebody else

Richard Foster, who has written a wonderful book called Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, tells this true story

during the frantic, final throes of writing his doctrinal dissertation, he received a call from a friend

his wife had taken the car, and he wondered if Richard Foster could take him on a number of errands

trapped, he consented, inwardly cursing his luck

on the way out he grabbed a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Life Together, thinking that he might have a chance to read it

at each errand, he inwardly fumed at the loss of time

finally, at the supermarket, he waved his friend on, saying that he would wait in his car and read

he opened his book to bookmark, and here is what he read:

The second service that one should perform in the Christian community is active helpfulness. This means, initially, simple assistance in trifling, external matters. There is a multitude of these things wherever people live together. Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly.

ouch!

one of the best ways we can become servants is to see a need and fill it

drive someone to the bank

do their laundry

it’s the ministry of the mundane, and if you’re too busy to engage in it, you’re too busy!

the second is the ministry of being interrupted

sometimes our work must be interrupted for tasks that are not on our agenda

sometimes we must live with the "latch off the door"

we need to make ourselves available, from time to time, to talk or pray with troubled people – people whom we won’t be able to cure, and who won’t contribute to our own success

John Ortberg has suggested that occasionally you set aside a day to be "a day of secret service"

in it you are simply available to others and have no agenda of your own

the goal of that day is that you’re 100% available; it is impossible to be interrupted

the only goal is to serve

there are other things – the ministry of embracing your limitations, the ministry of holding your tongue

but let me touch on one more – the ministry of bearing one another’s burdens

(Galatians 6:2) Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

the ministry of carrying each other’s burdens is to make their problems our problems

to see a need in somebody else, and to realize that the best way to meet that need is to use our own resources

the best example of this is what happens in a healthy family

automatically when a problem arises, a parent or one of the children makes it part of their problem

and whatever resources necessary are moved to meet that need

I see this in the old Mennonite communities

when a barn is destroyed, it’s not the one family’s problem

the entire community drops whatever it was doing and helps to raise the barn

this is a model for us to follow

so submit to one another – put their interests ahead of your own

practice secrecy – don’t blow your own horn

and serve in whatever way possible

I think one of the greatest modern examples of these disciplines was Henri Nouwen

he was one of the brilliant theological minds of our generation, a tenured professor at Yale

but listen to what he said at the height of his success

"I felt I needed something else because my spiritual life was not deep. I’m just a fragile person, and I knew that I wasn’t rooted deeply enough in Christ. I wanted something more"

so this brilliant theological mind closed shop and moved to a small community in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and became a pastor to a group of mentally disabled kids

many people thought he was throwing his life away, caring for the most basic needs such as changing diapers of disabled kids, but Nouwen knew where he belonged

and he staid there until he died of a heart attack a couple of years ago at age 65

(Matthew 25:40) "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

people wondered why a brilliant man would give up his career to help change diapers of mentally disabled children

he said it was because in giving up everything to become a servant, he actually found satisfaction and peace

(Mark 10:43) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

(Mark 10:44) and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

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Servanthood