John 12:26

26 Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

1. Servants follow the Lord

We are often told that we need to be serving but the truth is we all serve, it’s who we serve that we need to figure out. Are you serving Jesus and how do you know? Serving Jesus starts with following Jesus, not getting ahead of Him but following. If we’re really honest with ourselves what we want is for Jesus to follow us around and bless what it is that we have chosen to do with our time and our resources. But that is not Jesus’ command to us today. Today Jesus gives us the challenge, “26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” Do you know who you are following?

A simple definition of “Christian” is to be “A Follower of Christ.” In the gospel of Matthew – Jesus is walking by the sea Galilee and He sees Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and he says to them. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The scripture goes on to say that Jesus went along the beach a little further and “He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” What does following Christ involve? It involves becoming His servant. If you desire to serve Christ, you must first follow Him, because choosing to follow forces us to deal with our greatest opposition to servant hood, our Will. To be a servant of Christ we must first be willing to submit to His will and His direction, personal desires must be surrendered to pursue the desire of the master. Following involves submission that is born out of Trust, Obedience and Risk. We will only let go of control if we really trust that God is in charge. We will only obey Him as we take Him at His Word and walk by faith, which is always required if we are to risk it all for Him.

1. Servants are found where Jesus is working

Service is about working with Jesus, it’s about serving a God you can know. Service means moving beyond self to embrace the Savior, there is no way to become like Jesus without the willingness to serve. Service should always lead to an encounter with Jesus, it’s about a relationship. Religion is a duty, it’s an obligation, a futile attempt to somehow measure up. For so many service is about doing, but for me it’s celebrating what He done and an excited anticipation of what He is going to do. I get to join in and work with Jesus, it’s a team effort -Jesus and me. We are saved to serve, not sit, soak and sour! What are you doing in service to your Lord that will outlive you?

1. Servants will be honored by God

Service may require us to humble ourselves, but it is humility that leads to greatness. There are times when the teachings of Jesus make little sense to our human mind and this is one of those times. Our human nature strives for honor, recognition and achievement. The thinking is that we have to climb the ladder of success to accomplish these things. Jesus says that in order to be great, we must lower ourselves. In order to rise, we must be willing to descend. The only ways that Jesus says that we can actually achieve greatness is to give up the pursuit of self-exaltation. It’s only when we give up the quest for greatness in our own abilities that we find greatness in Christ.

Look at how God has blessed and gifted you and then ask yourself, “If Jesus were given this life of mine, what would He do with it? Where would he go with it?”

1 Peter 4:11

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

Superhero’s serve a Greater Cause, they Serve:

• Without Regret v. 9

Serving is not the goal, it is serving without grumbling, without complaining. So many times we find ourselves serving with a bad attitude because we have lost the joy. Somewhere in serving Jesus we lose our focus and we no longer see Jesus just the serving. It’s easy to become a Martha and become distracted by many things and ended up complaining to Jesus about our serving and his servants. Luke 10:38 starts with Martha welcoming Jesus into her home but ends with her complaining about her service. To this complaining Jesus simply says “There is only one thing worth being concerned about, Mary has discovered it” and that one thing is Jesus. Superheroes see the greater cause, they don’t get caught up in the empty trap of service without the Savior. Have you discovered the one thing worth being concerned about, are you serving without regret?

• Selflessly v 10

Just as a superhero has certain superpowers so God has given each one of us gifts so that we can faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.  These gifts are bestowed freely and graciously and so must be shared freely. Serving others always involves sharing and when we serve others with the gift given to us we are passing on His grace that has been shared with us. We are stewards who have been given the responsibility of using the Master’s resources for the Master’s purposes. The gifts God gives us are not ours, they belong to Him and so must not be used to build ourselves up, but to serve others, not to please ourselves but to help and bless others. Gifts should be outwardly used for others not inwardly used for self. Are you using His gifts given to you, how and who for?

• In Speech v. 11a

“If anyone speaks . .” this doesn’t just mean ’professional speakers,’ anytime we speak of Christ and His grace we are to do so with great care speaking only in a manner that accurately reflects His Word in meaning and attitude! We must remember that our own opinions and ideas have no authority, only His Word does. We think of speaking as preaching and teaching, but it includes any speech that conveys God’s truth, like witnessing and praying. Superheroes tend to not speak a whole lot but when they do it’s both profound and worth listening to, so it is when we speak God’s truth. What does your speech look like?

• In Action v. 11b

Superheroes not only speak but they act. One of the reasons why so many superheroes have leapt from the pages of comic books onto the silver screen has to do with one word “action.” Serving always involves action and action always involves an expenditure of energy. It’s this expenditure that makes service so dangerous; it can be draining if we are doing it in our own strength. Not only has God given us gifts to use but He has given us His strength in which to use them. The same principle that applies to speaking applies to our actions and behavior, they should reflect His truth. Is serving the action word of your life?

• At All Times v. 11c

Wherever we are, whatever circumstances we find ourselves, however we may ’feel’, God has provided us with a talent by His grace that we can exercise in service to Him. This is not a part time service, an occasional service or a service that is restricted to certain places or times. This is a service that transcends our situation and tends to make life based on ourselves more than a little incontinent. But unlike superman who always had to find a phone booth so he could change, Christ has permanently changed us, so that no matter the time or place we are always ready for service. Good thing because these days phone booths are in short supply!

• For God’s Glory v. 11d

This is to be the goal of our life, our purpose for living is to live for His glory, His glory is our motivation for life. Our aim in life should not be to exalt ourselves but to exalt Him, not to see our will done, but His. Our goal is His glory. Is it yours? Because when it is, then serving through His entrusted talents will never be cause for complaining or regret no matter what the perceived result. Anytime we faithfully administer the talents He has entrusted to us for His glory, we can be confident that we have ’succeeded’ no matter what else happens or does not happen! So what will you do with your superpower, will you be about the Father’s business?