Sermon Cloud

Who do you serve? What is it that captivates your time, talent, and treasure? These are the very questions that we are seeking to answer during this series called Follow the Leader. We all serve something, but not all things are worthy of our service. We make choices everyday about what is most important to us by what we prioritize and what we neglect. Jesus shows us the way of service in John 13. At one of His last gatherings with His disciples before His crucifixion, he gives us an example of service by humbling himself and washing the disciple’s feet. After a debate with Peter about how much of him needed to be washed or not washed, Jesus explains His actions in verses 12-17, When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. It was not Jesus’ place to wash the disciple’s feet, yet He gives us a shining example of servanthood. He is the great I am. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet nothing was below Him in seeking to glorify His father and draw people to worship Him. Jesus tells them that they are to do as He has done to them. They are to serve others especially when it is inconvenient, embarrassing, “below us,” not according to our passion, not our “calling,” you name the excuse. None of us are too good to serve, because Jesus our Lord was not too good to serve. We are to be His servants.

As I have shared the past two weeks, the elders have come to one mind that the most pressing need for the success of this church to fulfill our mission and vision is that every member advances in their journey as a Biblical servant leader by realizing and fulfilling God’s calling in their life in the church and community. This is our goal for this year. We long to see the example of Jesus lived out in the lives of the people of Harvest Pointe, so that the lives of the people in our community, in our country, and throughout the world can be changed by the powerful message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this church, Jesus is the Great Shepherd who leads us as the suffering servant, the lamb who was slain for our sins. He laid down His life, so that we could have life. He is our Senior Pastor, the leader of this church. Last week, we learned that Jesus desiring that His body and bride be cared for calls churches to have a plurality of Elders, who are the under shepherds of Christ in our local church. The elders, both paid and unpaid, work arm in arm to lead, feed, care and protect the flock of God. As the flock grows, the shepherds load increases and they can be drawn away from their core responsibilities. That is why we see the appointing of Deacons in the church. This week, my hope is to help us understand the responsibilities, qualifications and reward of Deacons as described in the New Testament. The Big Idea today is that: Deacons serve sacrificially!