SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-05-07T11:00:00-05:00
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
Every time our church celebrates the Lord’s Supper, we hear these beautiful words: “These are the gifts of God for you, the people of God.” The gifts are the bread and the cup; tangible symbols pointing to the reality of God’s saving love for us in Jesus Christ crucified. To those who know the depth of their sin and who feel the weaknesses of their faith, these gifts of God provide relief and stability. These gifts also motivate various responses from us, such as worship, evangelism, and obedience. But there is another response that we too often miss: service.
In a way, all of us like service; we like to be served, and we even like the idea of serving others. But few if any of us are naturally inclined to the actual task of serving others. So we may have felt some internal resistance when heard these words on Sunday, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).”
Sin and the culture of self we sojourn within may threaten to draw us inward, but the gospel of Jesus Christ always drives us outward. Embracing God’s gift to us in Jesus is the key to extending our gifts to serve one another. When we understand and believe Jesus came not to be served by us but to serve us by breaking his body and shedding his blood on the cross, the Holy Spirit initiates a radical reorientation in us. Our old resistance to serving one another shrinks, and our new desire to serve one another grows. That reorientation is not instant or perfect, but it is steady reality in the Christian. As Donald Whitney testifies, “One of the clearest indications that a person has truly believed the gospel of Jesus is that their selfish desire to be served is overcome by a Christlike desire to serve.”
While our spiritual gifts and avenues of service to one another may vary, our central motivation to extend them in service to others is always the same: Jesus Christ – the gift of God for us, the people of God. May we feed on Him our hearts by faith this week, and may we grow to be a people who serve one another in love and gratitude.