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Reference

Psalm 90, Hebrews 11, Mark 10:45, John 13:1-17 and Others

Sermon Notes

Service

My dates: 1957 – 20?? 
Your dates:… 

Everyone of us has two of these dates.  One was the year when we entered this world, and the other is when we will leave this world.  We didn’t have any control over the first date, and for the most part we won’t have any control over the second date. However, in the in-between time, there is this little dash that represents our life.  How we live that one life we are given is up to you and me.  How we live, how we love God and others, how we run the race of life is for the most part up to us.  So, the question we are being asked today is, What are you going to do with your dash? 

 

There are some wise people who have reflected on this question for a long time and one of them was Moses, a man of God who wrote a prayer that we have in Psalm 90.  See Psalm 90:4-6, 12…

 

 

 

In our Message Series, Practicing The Way, we are learning more about being a Disciple of Jesus, or the way we could describe it in today’s language, being an Apprentice of Jesus.

 

We have talked about how being a disciple / apprentice of Jesus means that we who have trusted Jesus in faith for forgiveness of sin and salvation, center our lives around 3 Goals:

  • Be with Jesus
  • Become like Jesus
  • Do what Jesus did

 

When this is how we live our life, we become an Apprentice of Jesus, and it leads to Transformation of our life.  And this is what we are pursuing as a church for our own personal lives and for our church family. Our goal this year is to take the Next Step in growing in our relationship with Jesus and each other so that rather than being consumers, we are disciples / apprentices of Jesus.

 

 

Today we are looking at another practice Jesus followed: Service – See Mark 10:45 and John 13:1-17…

 

Busyness and the Pursuit of Comfort both keep us from 1. Being with Jesus 2. Becoming like Jesus, and 3. Doing what Jesus did (living as he did). How many of us truly live into those three goals when we live in a world of all kinds of activities to keep us busy, and we are so comfortable.

 

 

Foundational Truths About Ministry/Service:

 

  1. We have been CREATED for ministry/service (Ephesians 2:10)

 

 

  1. We have been SAVED for ministry/service (Ephesians 2:8-10)

 

 

  1. We have been CALLED into ministry/service (Ephesians 4:1)

 

 

  1. We have been GIFTED for ministry/service (1 Peter 4:10-11)

 

 

  1. We are COMMANDED to minister/serve (Philippians 2:5-7, Matthew 20:25-28, Colossians 4:17)

 

 

  1. We are to be PREPARED for ministry/service (Ephesians 4:11-13)

 

 

  1. The Body of Christ NEEDS my ministry/service (1 Corinthians 12)

 

 

  1. I am ACCOUNTABLE for my ministry/service (Matthew 25:14-30)

 

 

  1. I will be REWARDED for my ministry/service (Colossians 3:23-24, Matthew 25:14-30)

 

 

Taking It Home

 

We encourage you to take a few minutes today and this week to process this morning’s message.  These questions are designed for discussion with your family, a friend, mentor, spouse, and small group.  They are also useful for self-reflection.

 

  1. What stands out to you in these passages from the Bible? From the message?

 

  1. What is difficult for you to understand or accept in these passages from the Bible? From the message?

 

  1. What is God saying in these passages and through what we heard in the message about Himself? About people? About you?

 

  1. What examples are there to follow, commands to obey, or promises to stand on from these passages in the Bible, and from what we heard in the message?