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Teaching podcast from the Eagle Community Church of Christ in Mont Belvieu, TX.
Hi, friends. Welcome back to the Eagle Community Church of Christ podcast. My name is John Gunter. This week, you are listening to, this is episode 4. This is sermon number 4 in our series called I Will, a book by Tom Rayner.
John Gunter:Now, this series is all over your toes. If you're not ready for that, just back out now, but it's really good stuff. This week, we're talking about serving. So many times we try to get our own way. That's what drives us.
John Gunter:But what are we supposed to be doing? How has Jesus taught us to live? So that's what we talk about this week. Hopefully, it's helpful. Like I said, we're the Steel Toans.
John Gunter:See you later. This morning, we continue with our study through the book by Tom Rayner called I Will. We begin with a scripture, as Jesus deals with his followers. Matthew chapter 20 starting in verse 20, Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked him for something. And he said to her, What do you want?
John Gunter:She said to him, Say that these 2 sons of mine are to sit, 1 at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom. Jesus answered, you do not know what you're asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am, I am to drink? They said to him, we are able. He said to them, you will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant.
John Gunter:But it is for those whom it has been prepared by my father. And when the 10 heard it, they were indignant at the 2 brothers. But Jesus called them called them to him and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
John Gunter:So today, in the I Will book, we are talking about I Will Serve. Jesus deals with a very human emotion, a human thought, that maybe we deal with at times, and that is, Who has the power? And I'd really like to be that person if you're dishing it out. Could I be him? Right?
John Gunter:And so Jesus deals with a couple of disciples whose mother you ever known a mother that just really thought her boys were just the best ever, right? You ever seen on Facebook when it's somebody's birthday or it's Mother's Day, every single person in the world has the best mother ever. You notice that? I kind of want to comment and say, No, you didn't have mine. Right?
John Gunter:You know? You're just crazy out here. But Jesus addresses these people. He addresses, I'm sure the mother is still standing there, and the 2 sons and says, okay, well, what you're pursuing is something the Gentiles pursue, what the nations pursue. That's the other people, right?
John Gunter:The others, not the people that we're claiming to be. What they pursue is power. What they pursue is I want to be the top dog and I'm going to lord it over you. I'm going to be in control of you. And Jesus said, that's not to be among you.
John Gunter:He said, if you wanna be 1st, you need to be doing what? Serving. You wanna be 1st? You better be the slave. You better be the servant.
John Gunter:That's how in the kingdom of God, you become first. Now, I don't think you serve and say, well, I'm the best, right? We have to humble ourselves to be in a position of service because what the world teaches is you go get yours. You live a life, you go do you. We almost feel like you're not authentic unless you're just out there with this idea of, well, I'm going to be me and nobody better say anything about it.
John Gunter:Well, as Christians, we have claimed Jesus. We have claimed allegiance to Him, as Paul says in Colossians, You have died and your life is now hidden in what? In who? Christ. Absolutely.
John Gunter:And so, I will serve. In the book, Tom Rayner, he gives his his own kind of translation of this and he apologizes beforehand, but I like the way he says it here. He says, if he was to write this, exactly what we just read, he said, Hey, church members. I'm sure he was excited like that. Okay?
John Gunter:I know that the world says put yourself first. Look after number 1, but that's not the way you're supposed to do it. Stop complaining about the music style and what you want. Stop demanding church leaders to do things the way you would like them to be. Stop trying to get your way in church business meetings.
John Gunter:Instead, put others first. Put your desires last. Become a servant instead of a whiner and complainer. And the whiners and complainers started complaining even louder. Right?
John Gunter:Because what we don't like to do is look at ourselves in the mirror and say, Uh-oh, yeah, that's been me. And so what we should be doing, remember a couple of weeks ago when we talked about praying as we came together? The idea of praying in the morning before you ever come to service, the idea of getting here and praying, not that everything will go my way, right? But that I want to see the well-being, you know, of other people, that I care about you, that I have not come here just for myself, but I come because I want to encourage you. I draw encouragement from you, as we just talked about, as Scott just mentioned this morning.
John Gunter:We also receive encouragement, we also give encouragement. Right? We lift up other people. And so, that's the idea there is we have come not to have all of our needs met, but to serve. And Jesus flips everything on its head and said, If you want to be at the top, you go to the bottom.
John Gunter:And how many of us do a real good job of that? How many of us on a day to day, week to week basis, do a good job of saying, Okay, I need to step back, and I need to serve? Or are we more concerned with, I would rather get my way? In your bulletin this morning you have this verse from Galatians 5, For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, what does it say?
John Gunter:Serve one another. You have the freedom. You have the choice. You understand that? You made a choice this morning to be here, didn't you?
John Gunter:You have the freedom to do what you want. Then he says, don't use that for the flesh to pursue something ungodly. Use that freedom to, through love, serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Well, we do a lot of griping, complaining, questioning, wondering.
John Gunter:Jesus says, it's all fulfilled in this, love your neighbor, what, as yourself. That's a tough thing. As Scott mentioned this morning, you know, there are things we have to work to work to to to make happen. Right? We have to work on because my my default might not be this.
John Gunter:My default is to take care of me. How about you? Yeah. I care about my well-being. Right?
John Gunter:I need to make sure things are right at home. The scripture over and over and over says, okay. Well, it's not all about that. Right? You need to, okay, love your neighbor as yourself, care about someone else's well-being because the opposite of that is I'm completely focused on me and what I want, and if I don't want, if something is not going the way I want it, then I'm not happy.
John Gunter:But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. You ever been in a church that just bit and devoured and bad talked and gossiped? You ever been in that church? Maybe some of you have been blessed to not be in that church. I grew up in 1.
John Gunter:And that is not fun. It is not godly. It is not something we should ever be a part of because if we are doing the last two verses here, we are not doing this. Right? Because if I care so much about you that I will put your needs up there on par with mine, we're not there.
John Gunter:But that's not what leads to the fights, is it? That's not what leads to the biting and devouring. What leads to that is, I haven't done that. I was like, you need to meet me here or something's gonna go wrong. Jesus says this in Luke 6:40, He says, A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
John Gunter:Do you understand that we are supposed to be growing and maturing to become like Christ? Do you understand that? Now that may feel lofty, that may even feel unattainable as you think about Jesus. Right? We know our sins, we know our faults, you know from day to day, minute to minute what, you know, your things are, right?
John Gunter:The things you struggle with. But Jesus says, okay, when you're fully trained, you should be maturing. Everybody is on a different part of the of the road, right, of the journey, but you should be maturing to be like your teacher. And who's your teacher? Well, Jesus, right?
John Gunter:You should be maturing to be like Him. There's a 1st century Jewish blessing that goes like this, May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. Now, rabbi is teacher and it was a very prestigious thing to be able to follow a rabbi. Now, we understand Jesus and His disciples, right?
John Gunter:He just went out and picked people. But the normal course of action for a Jewish boy is to go to school like our elementary school type of thing, and they would learn the first five books of the Bible. They would be able to recite those, and for most of them, that was the end of their schooling, once you made it through that elementary school type of thing. But for the best and the brightest, they got to go on until about age 17 and continue to train where they could quote or they knew the entire Old Testament. Guess what?
John Gunter:We're going to do that. No, I'm just kidding. There's going to be a test. But can you imagine the study that goes into that, right? That is a concept.
John Gunter:You have to do that. I had to, at Harding, one of our professors, the Dean of Bible, had us memorize the Sermon on the Mount. So Matthew 5, 6, 7. And even knowing that, I was like, You better do it daily, right? I need to keep repeating.
John Gunter:You ever had to just repeat something so you wouldn't forget? Yeah. And so it's over and over. But if you're the best and the brightest out of elementary, then you got to go up until you were 17 and learn the whole Old Testament, and then most people at that point went home, and it was like, Alright, we'll go home and make babies, and hopefully one of them will be a rabbi. Hopefully, one of them will make the cut.
John Gunter:But the best out of them were the ones that got to follow a rabbi. They got to follow him around and that was their life. And so the idea of this, of following a rabbi, of having a teacher, is you wanted to be covered in his dust. You wanted to follow him closely. You wanted to learn from him.
John Gunter:You wanted to become like him so that at some point in your life you are the teacher and the rabbi. And if you remember the great commission, go out and make disciples, that's exactly something they would have known because the teacher has taught all he can teach. Now, it's your turn to go out. And so, may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi. But often is that what our goal is?
John Gunter:To become like Jesus, to be covered in his dust, to so fill our lives and schedules with what Jesus has going on and becoming like him that that's what's happening. Or do we fill our lives and schedules with something else? John Mark Comer has the book Practicing the Way. You can see this is actually the subtitle of the book here. But he has it in three points.
John Gunter:Our goal as Christians, number 1, to be with Jesus. Number 2, become like Him. Now, you can't do number 2 without number 1, right? We've got to be with him. We have to understand what he said.
John Gunter:We have to, again, fill our lives with his teaching. Be with Jesus, become like him, do as he did. Now, that third part is very important, because there are a lot of people in a lot of churches that really like, number 1, we're gonna be with Jesus in the way that we're gonna fill our lives with Scriptures, but it's not about becoming like Jesus, it's about knowing a lot. We actually exalt people in churches that can recite a lot of Scripture. I've met a lot of people that can quote a lot of Scripture and their lives do not reflect what they're quoting.
John Gunter:Be with Jesus, become like Him. What does that mean? What did we just read? Serve, be a servant to others, care about love your neighbor as yourself. Right?
John Gunter:Do as He did. Act it out. Become that. We, every time I give an example for my life, I walk away thinking, Did they think I was just trying to puff myself up there? Yesterday, we had a soccer tournament, and we met got a red light, and there was a guy in the corner, and he had a sign, a beautiful sign.
John Gunter:I don't know when he had arts and crafts times, but he made a beautiful sign. But he said, I need, he said, the best thing right now is, what is it, water? Water food and cigs. Well, I didn't have cigs, but I did have cold water. And the reason I share that with you is, I handed him a couple of, you know, cold bottles of water because we've been to soccer.
John Gunter:We had soccer fields and we had those. And, on the way back, Logan says, Well, dad, that was good that we did that because we're we're doing what, you know, Jesus commanded. I said, Absolutely, but I don't want you to think about it just as a command or a checklist, like I have to do this. Like, these are the people we want to be. Right?
John Gunter:We want to become like Jesus, not that I feel, Oh, that guy's got a sign. I better do it. I'm going to feel guilty if I don't. Right? But I want to become a person that when I see a need, I love my neighbor as myself.
John Gunter:John Gunther did not want to be out on the soccer field yesterday, and had I forgotten my canopy, I would have turned around and went home, or go to the store and got another one. I didn't want to be out in the sun, that man was in the sun, and in that moment it's like, we've got water. I want to become like Jesus. And so, is that your goal? Be with Jesus, become like Him, do as He did.
John Gunter:What I like about this book is we use the word in church a lot of times discipleship, right? Go and make disciples. And we use that word, but really that I can think of, no other time in our lives do we really use the word disciple or discipleship. And John Mark in this book says, I think what word we should use just so we understand it better is that we are to be apprentices of Jesus. Has anybody in here ever been an apprentice?
John Gunter:I know there's a lot of lot of industry jobs around here, and what you do, again, if you're an apprentice of someone, you're following them around, aren't you? They are teaching you so that you become what they are. Right? That's a I think that I love that because I think that gets into our mind a little better. Okay?
John Gunter:Sometimes when we talk about discipleship, it sounds like, well, I should be only discipling someone. Well, they have to put effort in it too. Right? An apprentice has to show up. An apprentice has to decide, again, I'm gonna be covered in the dust of my my teacher, right?
John Gunter:I'm gonna be there, okay? I'm gonna do is he I'm gonna become that. But John Mark also says, the problem is in the West, we have created a cultural milieu, just a cultural, you know, social situation where you can be a Christian, but not an apprentice of Jesus. You understand that? That ought to hit us right in the chest this morning.
John Gunter:We have created a situation and I'll say, especially in the Bible Belt because a Christian or being a Christian or claiming Christ is just what everybody does, right? Now we are seeing more and more that's not true today, but for a lot of our lives I think that would be the case. That, well, we are just Christians because that's what everybody else does. And we've created this where we are okay as long as you show up and sit in a chair. Like, that's the extent that we are as a church calling you to be like Christ.
John Gunter:He's a faithful brother. He's here on Sundays. Now, I believe you ought to be here on Sundays. Scott did a great job this morning talking about all those benefits, all the ways we come together, all the ways we make each other better. But is your life is your life in Christ confined to where your rear end sits on Sunday?
John Gunter:I sure hope not. Otherwise, we are living this out, aren't we? Our lives should be becoming like Jesus, not simply claiming Christ, but actually living like He did. Again, Jesus said, Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. I love what Jesus did.
John Gunter:He said, I didn't just talk the talk. I lived it. Right? You look at Jesus' life and that's the way he lived. He lived to serve, even giving his life for you and me so we could sit here and gripe at each other about who's better and who gets to sit on the right or the left or all the things we gripe about.
John Gunter:Right? But Jesus said, Alright. What did I do? I lived it out. You should live it out too.
John Gunter:Rayner says this, he says, We church members must cease and desist becoming I want members and become I will members. You remember that from the 1st week? We must cease and desist becoming I want members and become I will members. We must serve instead of demanding our way. And what that takes is a good look in the mirror.
John Gunter:Right? Asking ourselves, well, what is it that I'm doing? What is it that I'm putting out here? How is it that I'm acting? Right?
John Gunter:And I don't think we like that near, as much. Paul says this in Philippians 2. He says, Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross, the worst way to die. Right?
John Gunter:The most shameful way to die. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Somebody needs to say amen to that. But what Paul says is exactly what Jesus said earlier, the way up is down. Right?
John Gunter:That if you feel like you want to lead, the way to lead is to serve. You don't just say, I'm in charge and this is how to be. You live a life like Jesus, saying, this is how I came and I humbled myself and I served. If anybody had the right to exalt themselves and kind of rule in the way maybe we'd like to rule, isn't it Jesus? But his example was, live this kind of life.
John Gunter:The context of this is just a couple of verses before, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Well, I didn't like the last one. I surely don't like this one. I was struggling with the think of them as your equal. Now I gotta think of people even above what I wanna do.
John Gunter:I certainly don't wanna do that. Do you? Well, if you're becoming like Jesus, you do. That I would give my life that my life could be forfeit for the benefit of everyone else? That I could step out of the way and allow you guys to benefit somehow, even though it's not the way I want?
John Gunter:Man, I don't like that. How about you? No amens on that? Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Reiner talks about church hopping and he says, as he's talking about serving in the way that we should want to serve, and desire to serve, he says, sometimes it is necessary you found yourself in a situation, I've been in churches where the leadership didn't understand what leadership was.
John Gunter:They wanted to put their thumb on everything that happened, and really didn't allow people to serve in the way they could serve. And he says, you know, in those situations I think you probably should go to a place where you can serve. And so he says this about that and church hopping. He says, As a rule, I'm not a fan of church hopping, but most church hopping takes place when a person is not getting his or her way in a church. In other words, the motive to leave is self serving instead of serving.
John Gunter:That's tough. And I'll tell you the conversations I've had over the years with people that left. You never, I've never had one that said, well, I just want my way. You know, and that's it. Now, they said that all the way up until they left.
John Gunter:But when they left, they blamed everybody else. It's never a moment where I look in the mirror and realize, well, maybe I'm part of the problem. Again, stuck in that I want instead of that I will. Maybe we are the solution to those problems, right? If we only changed our attitude, if we live the way Jesus has asked us to live, we would be a little different.
John Gunter:We would approach our brothers and sisters in a different way. We care less about what I want or understand it in that, context. Right? Well, this is just what I want. Well, what do you want?
John Gunter:What's best for you? Did you this morning think about what's best for your brothers and sisters that showed up here? Were you only concerned with you and yours? Be intentional. Serve.
John Gunter:What I mean by this is I want us, and when I talked about small groups, I I left here and I told somebody I was I was upset with myself because, I felt like I was using small groups in a a more general term, but we use it for a very specific thing. Right? Our small groups that we're signing up for. What I mean is, whether you as an individual or you as a small group, and that can be a small Bible study you started with your friends here. Right?
John Gunter:That can be your actual small group, that can be if you are coming to Sunday school, and your Sunday school is deciding, We want to do this. But A) I think you ought to be a part of a small group. Again, Bible study, Sunday school, actual small group is what we call them, but be a part of a group that comes together and holds you accountable, because that's part of this, isn't it? Because usually when we go off on these tangents away from Jesus, we don't have anybody calling us back. You know, we flock to the people that agree with us, but we don't have the people that will say, John, I don't think you are being very Christ like right now.
John Gunter:Right? Because we wouldn't have those people in our group anyway, right? We would get them out. No, we need to call ourselves, right, and have people in your lives that will hold you accountable. And so I want you to think about that as you live your life in this church.
John Gunter:I want you to start a Bible study with your buddies, with your friends, or if you do young families or just the guys, just the guy, I don't care. But goodness gracious, could we start these groups, grow closer together, have people in our lives that call us back to Jesus. And through those groups, we can do so many things. You can be involved in ministry, and a lot of you, I asked last week, do you understand or do you ever get to a point where you think, I don't know how to do ministry, I don't know the place. I don't know where to start.
John Gunter:But if you get in those smaller situations, you'll see ministry come to your front door. Because once you become close to somebody, well then there is no, well, I don't know what everybody needs. Right? Because when you become close, think about your best friends. They know what you are going through?
John Gunter:Yeah, if you are a real good friend. But live this life. Through these groups or through your life, be intentional. Serve. Look for those ways that you can step out of the way yourself and help others.
John Gunter:Do you think that's an attractive thing for people? Do you think the gospel can be shared through that? Absolutely. Because we get over all the talk, and we start becoming genuine people, and actually walk in the walk, living the life just as Jesus showed us how to do. Be with Jesus, become like him, do as he did.
John Gunter:Be intentional and serve. We're going to offer an invitation song at this time. We'd love to pray with you. And as I've told you a lot of times, if you don't wanna come during this song and pray with me, that is absolutely fine. But what I'd encourage you to do is find a friend in here, someone that will hold you accountable, and ask them to pray with you.
John Gunter:Guess what? They will. Do that. Do something. Don't leave here thinking, no one.
John Gunter:That where I am in my relationship with God is not where it needs to be. Change that right now. Come back to him. And he says, I'm open arms ready for your return. So if we can pray with you, we'd love to do that.
John Gunter:Get you under the other needs when you come as we stand as a recession.