Servolution | Part 2 | This Changes Everything

Well, good morning TC. I hope that you are excited about being in the house of the Lord today. If you're joining us online, I want to say welcome. We're so glad that you're joining us. And church, give it up for our Liberty campus. Hey, we are so glad that you're with us. We love you guys. Well, my name is Jeff and I have the privilege of serving as the executive pastor here at TC. I have a question for you this morning and it goes like this. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to overlook people who serve us every day? I think about the maybe the person that cleans your office building. Maybe the server that comes around your table and refills your family's drinks multiple times during the meal. Or how about this one? How about the person who bags your groceries at Publix? Most of the time we don't even notice them. There was a janitor that had worked at a hospital for over 30 years and one day a nurse asked him, why do you care so much about cleaning these rooms? And the janitor smiled and he said something simple but yet profound. And he said it's because of the fact that there's a mother, there's a child, there is a story that passes through these rooms every single day. To everyone else, he was just a janitor. What if the smallest acts of service are the most sacred moments in God's kingdom? Because you know what? When Jesus wanted to show the world what greatness really looked like, what did he do? If you were here last week, he picked up a towel. And last week we started a new series called Servolution, a revolution of serving. And this revolution didn't start with a sword but it started with a towel. And we've seen how Jesus has completely flipped the world's idea of greatness upside down. You see, the world defines greatness as power, prestige, recognition. Jesus says in this revolution, in my new kingdom, greatness is serving. You see, the world wants to climb higher and higher but Jesus says in my revolution, you have to be willing to be last. Last. So today, we've come to the heart of this revolution because serving like Jesus doesn't just help people. It changes how we see people. It changes how we live. It changes our homes, our churches, our communities. And when a church begins to serve like Jesus, something powerful begins to happen. Walls begin to fall, hearts begin to open, and lives begin to

change. So this morning, we want to look at how serving like Jesus changes everything. How it changes everything. If you want to open up in your Bibles, we're going to look at Mark 10, 43, 45. If you were here last week, we've looked at some of these verses but we're going to look at it from a different angle this morning. Beyond the screens, March 10, 43 to 45, listen to this, whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant. And whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. This verse is at the heartbeat of the kingdom of God. You see, Jesus didn't come to take. He came to give. He came to pour out everything of himself. He came to serve everyone. And when we start living like this, I promise you, everything will change. So one of the first ways we're gonna look at is one, serving like Jesus means laying down your status. I'm gonna be honest with you. This message, you thought last week's message maybe got under you a little bit, challenged you a little bit. I'm gonna warn you up front, it's gonna get a little bit tense in here. It's gonna be a little challenging in here, but I wanna encourage you to lean in

in what God has for you and I this morning. So what do we mean by laying down our status? Do you know one of the greatest barriers to serving like Jesus did is that we like importance. We like recognition. We like to be noticed and we like to be first. Jesus confronts all of that by showing us that in the kingdom of God, real greatness is not found in exalting ourselves, but it is in lowering ourselves for the sake of others. We talked a little bit about how countercultural this is. In our culture today, it's all about our status. It's all about how others see me. Most of us, or some of us, a lot of us, I'm not sure where you're at, but we spend more time behind our phone with a camera in order to post. Why? Because of the fact that we want people to think that we have a level of status or we have arrived. And that's just not, that is not. Where Jesus wants us to live. John 13, three to five, Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he gets up from the meal, takes off his outer clothing, wraps a towel around his waist.

We talked a little bit last week is that Jesus was secure in his identity. He knew what he was called to do. And watch this, so he was free to humble himself. I want you to think about this word, humility, humility. Humility, humility. That's a word that we probably don't like to come out of our lips too often. Humility, culture rewards arrogance and charisma and me first. Why is humility so difficult for us to live in, for us to walk in? See how quiet it got? Wow, it got quiet. Even the babies stopped crying. Man, whoo. I want to let you know that I don't have this all together either. I struggle. So what is at the core, at the heart of why it's so hard to consistently walk in humility? I wrote a couple things down. In our flesh, we are deeply ingrained with ego, with our ego, with sin, with self-preservation, and this pressure to self-promote. That's why.

That's why it's not easy. That comes naturally for us. So what Jesus was doing is Jesus was demonstrating humility. Why? Because of the fact that he knew that this new revolution would never take shape if the disciples didn't understand humility. Here's what Jesus demonstrated when he humbled himself. He humbled himself. Is humility is not insecurity. Humility is not insecurity. Humility is strength under control. And humility is anchored in the Father that you do not need to prove yourself to people. Amen? Amen. How many times do we feel this urge to defend ourselves, to prove ourselves? And Jesus says that in my kingdom, my kingdom, you don't need to prove yourself to people. Now, this passage is gonna hit home, all right? We're gonna go to Philippians 2. I wanna let you know that this is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, but I wanna let you know it's not because of the fact

that it's about love or encouragement or strength. I like it because of the fact that it continues to challenge me. It continues to provide a mirror for how I am living and becoming more like Jesus Christ. So I want you to follow along with me. We're gonna start at Philippians 2.2. Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Here's where it starts to get close to home. Don't be selfish. Don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. And now we're gonna go to five to eight. In your relationship with one another, in your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used for his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. Jesus had the highest status in the universe, yet he did not cling to his rights. You wanna know how you're doing? I challenge you to make this part of your mirror of the Christian life. Because because this is upside-down thinking

This is not normal in Culture, but if you want to be a part of this revolution Then we're gonna have to lean into These characteristics that that Jesus tells us that will make all the difference You see Jesus didn't say that's not my responsibility He didn't say someone else can handle it and Here's one do they know who I am Maybe you work for a boss That He has the attitude of do you know who I am? I'm your boss You don't need to raise your hand. Maybe some of you are the bosses Whoo? Whoa? That's something that's something for you and God right but but Jesus shows that he empties himself He leaves all of that behind he leaves all his status He leaves all his authority And he kneels and he picks up a towel Number two serving like Jesus Changes how we see people Have you ever worn the wrong prescriptions or the wrong contact lenses I have and it's not because of the fact that I'm used to just putting on the wrong prescription It usually happens after I go to a eye exam Right because of the fact that they're trying to get your new prescription and what's going to be the best, you know Hey, does this one look better left or right and you start to get confused and you you lose it, right? Well, then they want to try some things out and and I've been I've been tested on like I've had a doctor Goes hey, I want to try to work on You being able to see what your contacts both nearsighted and farsighted So they had me put put those things in my eyes and I got my car It didn't work so well

at all Like I it was so blurry Like I could see right in front of me, but I couldn't see any signs I couldn't see the you know, the the stop signs and the lights and everything. Everything was blurry You know that one of one of the greatest miracles of serving is That it it does not just change What you do it? changes How we see Because before Jesus transforms us we tend to see people through The wrong lenses Just like wearing Those wrong lenses You see we see people through the lens of inconvenience check That checks for me not you check we see people through the lens of annoyance check we see people through the lens of categories or labels check We ask questions like what can they do for me? Are they worth my time? Will this cost me too much? So last week if you weren't here, I shared a true confession of how I Struggle and last week we talked about Going from First to last and if you remember I shared with you that I struggle with that Especially when it's going to places like Walmart or to a restaurant I see people that are there and I want to kind of hurry up and get before them I don't want to be last. So here's a true confession for me When it comes to seeing people through these wrong lenses

Now I'm hoping I'm not the only one That experiences this but if you fly if you fly Have you ever got to your seat first? Have you ever got to your seat first? And you're hoping that the seat next to you is empty. And you see people coming in and you're like, please no, please no, please no. Maybe for you it's because they have a baby. Maybe because of the fact that this person is already talking to themselves a lot. Whatever it is for you. But I find myself, and I'm an extrovert. I can be an extrovert, but I do like my private time. And every time, no, no, no, right? And then someone sits next to you and then all of a sudden I pretend I'm asleep. That's why I always get the window seat. Always get the window seat. That's bad, right? I know it's funny, but I find myself and I'm just, again, I'm sitting there going, oh, do I say something? Do I engage in conversation? Because you know how it is. If you get someone that's extrovert, all you have to do is say, where are you going? I mean, we're all going to the same airport, but you just try to be friendly. Where are you going? But when the heart of Jesus gets inside of us, we begin to see people differently. We stop seeing people as problems to manage and start seeing them as souls to love. We stop seeing them as interruptions and start seeing them as opportunities to share what Jesus has done for you. We stop seeing faces in the crowd and start seeing people that the Father deeply loves. You know, this is one of the biggest differences between the world's mindset and the mindset of Jesus.

You see, the world evaluates people by their status, by their usefulness, by their appearance, maybe their education, their influence. But you know what? Jesus always looked beyond that. He always looked deeper. He saw the image of God in broken people. He saw value where others saw waste. He saw potential where others saw failure. You know, this is the reason why Jesus could stop and talk with the woman at the well when others would avoid her. He could touch the leper that others were afraid of. And that is why he could look at Peter after failure, Thomas in doubt, and the woman caught in sin and still respond with truth and grace and love. You see, Jesus did not just serve people because there was a need. He served people because of the fact that he saw them clearly. Serving opens our eyes. There's something powerful about serving because serving forces us to slow down long enough to notice people. I don't know about you, but I find myself always in a hurry, always. And I'm one that likes to be on time. I'm one that likes to be early. And I find myself that even when I know that I'm going to be early, man, I still feel like I'm in a hurry. And what that does is that now the people that are around me, they just become part of the background. And you're always focused on yourself. People become obstacles. But when you choose to serve, you notice things that you used to overlook. You begin to notice the single mom who's exhausted. You notice the spouse who is carrying way too much.

You notice the neighbor that needs more than just... Just a wave. Lord, forgive me and give me your eyes to see. Jesus saw the crowds differently. Matthew 9, 36 says this, when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Now, if you were writing about me, it would say when Jeff saw the crowds, he turned the other way. Like the older that I get, the idea of going to an amusement park, oh my gosh, it's just like, I heard a yeah, someone yelled out yeah, right? Oh man, I don't look at that crowd with compassion. I'll tell you that, I'm looking at how do I can figure out how to get, there it goes again, first in line, right, for the rides. I'm working on it, I'm working on it. But when Jesus looked at them, he looked at them with compassion. Do you know what I've always wondered as I read about Jesus' life? And some of it has kind of come to life if you've watched some of the chosen. I haven't gotten through all of it, but I've watched some. And you know what I noticed? I noticed that Jesus' eyes were filled with compassion.

And I asked myself, when my kids come to me, do they see eyes of compassion? The people within my sphere of influence, people that I live and work and play, do they see eyes of compassion? You see, other people, they see noise from the crowds. Jesus saw pain. Other people saw inconvenience. And Jesus saw helpless. This is what serving like Jesus does. It teaches us to look past behavior and into brokenness. That's what I need to do. I need to look past my assumptions. I've never walked in that person's shoes. I've never walked in that person's shoes. What if I began to begin to look beyond what is seen on the outside? I began to ask Jesus, help me to see beyond the surface. Sometimes what really looks like rudeness is really pain. What looks like anger is really fear. And what looks like arrogance, maybe it's insecurity. But if we begin to learn to see with the eyes of Jesus, you and I will begin to respond with compassion. So my question, how do you see people right now? Second, do you need to go to the eye doctor and get your eyes checked so that you can step in with Jesus that's calling us to this new revolution?

And third, serving like Jesus is the key to personal transformation. I think for a lot of us, when we think that we're serving, we think it's all about the other people. It's all about helping them. But here's what I've found out. A lot of people want change in our lives, but they don't want it. want to surrender, they want breakthrough without obedience. Because serving does not just change what we do, serving changes who we are. Lord Jesus, change me. It's one thing to sit in the church week after week and hear truth, and it's another thing to step into service and become living proof of that truth. You know, this is one of the reasons why I think for a lot of us who follow Christ become stuck and become stuck for years. It's not because they don't love God. It's not because they're not sincere, but it's because they keep living with a faith that is always receiving and rarely releasing. I told you it was going to get close. They're always taking in, but never pouring out. Always learning, but never practicing. Always attending, but never engaging. Have you ever met those people that it's a badge of honor that they've not missed a Sunday in like 30 years? And one of the things I love to ask is, well, are you serving anywhere? Are you serving anywhere? Because eventually a faith that is never exercised, listen to this, becomes weak. Just like our own physical muscles, if we don't use them, if we don't work them out, they become weak. Serving exposes what's really in us.

It has a way of revealing what really matters in our hearts. It exposes pride, selfishness, impatient, and it exposes our need for recognition. Do you know sometimes the reason why God leads you into service is because of the fact that He wants to use it as a mirror that shows us what still needs to be surrendered. What is it in your life? When you serve and get frustrated, God may be showing you that you need to work on impatience. When you serve and feel overlooked, God may be exposing pride. And when you serve people very different from you, God may be stretching your capacity to love. Serving is not just ministry to others, it is ministry to our souls. Serving breaks the power of self-centeredness. Daniel 4, we see King Nebuchadnezzar, he stands over his kingdom and he says, look what I built, look what I have done, look at how great I am. I thought of this funnier illustration of self-centeredness. I think all of us in our lives probably has that person that is the group photo person. The picture is taken, they immediately grab the phone, they zoom all the way in only to look at their face, their hair, to make sure that everything is perfect. If it's not, what do they do? We got to take the photo. We have to take the photo again, right? And then you take the photo again and that person go ahead and checks it all out and they are like, hey, I look good, even if everybody else looks terrible. And then they get upset if someone else wants to retake the photo, right? At the root of so much Spiritual stagnation is self It's our worst enemy Because of the fact that in our flesh We want comfort we want my preferences my schedule my needs my convenience and yet

Serving breaks that cycle Because of the fact that while you're serving you get it you get a chance to force yourself to look up to look out and Serving moves us from being so consumed with ourselves To begin to step into being aware of others True transformation if you want transformation in your life It has become less self-centered and more Christ-centered You know what you don't grow in compassion by only studying compassion You don't you don't You don't grow in generosity By just hearing about generosity you grow in generosity by giving when it costs you That is why serving is often the missing link for people who feel spiritually stuck Look at what James says do not merely listen to the word and So deceive yourself Do what it says He James didn't say do not merely listen to the words period He says do not merely listen to the words and so deceive yourself Why because of the fact that? Serving like Jesus is gonna cost us Transformation Happens when the truth moves from our ears to our hands It moves from the Sunday notes that we take To our habits and From our theology to a lifestyle Every Time

We serve with the heart of Jesus. We are being formed in his image And you know how that happens is that when we begin to learn how to forgive like Jesus? How we love like Jesus how we give like Jesus? And how we serve like Jesus Do you know that your breakthrough may be hidden in your yes And your yes to God to join This revolution So if you're here and you've been asking why am I stuck But why does my spiritual life seem dry Why do I feel like I'm not growing Maybe the invitation from Jesus is simple Pick up a towel Pick up a towel Because serving like Jesus does not only change the people around you It changes you Let's pray And as we're praying I want you to take a moment and just ask yourself this one simple question Lord Where do you want me to serve? Lord where do you want me to serve? Maybe it's in your family Maybe it's in your community your neighborhood. Maybe it's right here at TC But I want to encourage you When Jesus hands you a towel Say yes Say yes, if you're here today And you don't know what it's like

To follow this Jesus I want to encourage you today that This is the Jesus This is the Jesus that we love and that we serve. If you have questions about Jesus, I want to encourage you to go to our prayer corners and let someone walk you and answer some of those questions.