OceanSide church of Christ

 Previous Return to Sermons Next  Click to download Audio

CAN I REALLY BE OF SERVICE?

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    Members of the church have limitations:

1.      Every one of us is just a single member in the body of Christ.

2.      Most of us do not occupy powerful positions in the church.

3.      Most of us have not been blessed with an abundance of wealth.

4.      Several in the congregation are older in age.

5.      Some are struggling with various health issues.

 

B.      All of these factors and others can cause us to ask:  “Can I Really Be of Service” to God?

 

I.                   THE SERVANT OF ABRAHAM WAS OF SERVICE (Gen. 24:1-4)

 

A.    Abraham was a wealthy and powerful man. 

 

B.      He had many important affairs that needed to be taken care of on a day to day basis. 

 

C.     A serious matter developed.  He needed to find a wife for his son Isaac.

1.      He did not want one from among the daughters of the Canaanites.

2.      The trip to find a wife would be long.

3.      To accomplish the task, he sent his eldest servant to find a wife for Isaac (Gen. 24:4).

 

But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

 

a.      This was an important selection.

b.      She would be the woman who would give birth to Abraham’s descendants.

4.      The servant went and did a wonderful job selecting a mate for Isaac.  The one he found was a young lady named Rebekah

a.      Genesis 24:16

 

And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin…

 

b.      She willingly left her father’s house to become the wife of Isaac (Gen. 24:58, 67).

 

II.                JONATHAN’S ARMOUR BEARER WAS OF SERVICE (I Sam. 14:1, 6-7)

 

A.    In I Samuel 14:1, Jonathan and his armor bearer leave their camp to go fight the Philistines.

1.      Saul was not aware of this decision.

2.      It would be just the two of them against several Philistines.

 

B.      Jonathan’s words to his armor bearer (I Sam. 14:6).

 

And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised:  it may that the Lord will work for us:  for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. 

 

 

1.      Can you imagine what might have been going through the armoubearer’s mind?  His response, however, shows that he was willing to be of service (I Sam. 14:7).

 

And his amourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart:  turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

 

2.      Jonathan and his armor bearer were successful in their attack, taking out twenty men with initial fight.

3.      The attack frightened the Philistines and emboldened the Israelites.  Saul and his army won the battle that day.

 

III.             THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHETH WAS OF SERVICE (I Kings 17:8-9)

 

A.    In the days of Elijah, there was a great famine in the land (I Kings 17:1).

 

B.      Eventually, Elijah was told to go to home of a widow in Zarepheth (I Kings 17:8-9).

 

C.     When Elijah arrived, the woman was preparing for her death and the death of her son because the drought was so severe (I Kings 17:12).

 

D.    The widow only had a handful of meal and a small cruse of oil.

1.      Elijah ordered her to fix him a cake first, then one for herself and her child.

2.      The woman did as instructed.

3.      God’s miraculous hand intervened. 

4.      The meal did not fail in her barrel and the cruse of oil did not run out (I Kings 17:14-16).

5.      This widow cared for the prophet during the days of the famine.

 

IV.             THE POOR WIDOW WAS OF SERVICE (Mark 12:41-44)

 

A.    It was time for the offering of the Jews to be collected, and a poor widow came to put into the treasury.

 

B.      Mark 12:41-42

 

And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury:  and many that were rich cast in much.  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw into two mites, which make a farthing.

 

1.      This woman was low on the totem pole in Israel:  woman, a widow, and poor.

2.      Yet, she was of service to her God.

3.      In fact, she was performing more service to God than the rich on that occasion (Mark 12:43-44).

 

And he called unto them his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:  for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did can in all that she had, even all her living.

 

V.                THE WOMAN WHO WASHED JESUS’ FEET WAS OF SERVICE (Luke 7:37-38, 44-46)

 

A.    In Luke 7, a woman was of service to Jesus, and was not recognized for it by man.

 

B.      Jesus was in the home of a Pharisee for a meal and a woman, “which was a sinner,” came and washed “his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and anointed them with oil” (Luke 7:38)

 

C.     Jesus commended this woman for her acts (Luke 7:44-46).

 

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman?  I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet:  but she hath washed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.  Thou gavest me no kiss:  but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.  My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman anointed my feet with oil.

 

1.      The man who was a religious leader and who should have been of service was not.

2.      The sinner did all that she could.  She cried.  She washed.  She dried.  She anointed.

 

VI.             THE LITTLE LAD WAS OF SERVICE (John 6:8-9)

 

A.    Jesus’ miracles and teachings intrigued the multitudes.  They would often assemble around Him.

 

B.      In John 6, a great company came and Jesus wanted to feed them.

 

C.     The little amount the apostles could collect would not have been enough to feed the multitude.

 

D.    A young lad was present who was of service that day (John 6:8-9).

 

One of the disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes:  but what are they among so many?

 

1.      The child gave up his small lunch.

2.      Out of that small meal Jesus fed the multitudes.  In fact, twelve baskets of fragments were left after all had eaten.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.    In the past, there were not many

1.      Builders of an ark like Noah.

2.      Founders of a nation like Abraham.

3.      Law-givers like Moses.

4.      Queens like Esther.

5.      Wall builders like Nehemiah.

6.      Evangelists like Paul.

 

B.      There were many average, ordinary individuals who are not named in the Scriptures who did what they could for the Lord.  We have looked at six such people in this lesson:  a servant, an armourbearer, two widows, a woman who was a sinner, and a lad. 

1.      NOTE:  They were of service.

2.      NOTE:  God knows their names.

 

C.     If they could be of service, so can each one of us.

1.      We are just ordinary.

2.      We are seemingly insignificant.

3.      Few in the brotherhood know our name