Service

How to Serve God (2 Sam. 7:1-13) We can only really serve God after we first experience His grace Jesus while washing Peter’s feet tells him that unless he is first washed clean by Jesus, he can have no part with him (John 13:5-8) God’s manner of dealing with man is that He initiates and we respond God is the One Who will determine how we should serve God did not ask for David to build Him a house (2 Sam. 7:7) God instead, intended to build a “house” for David (2 Sam. 7:10-11). This “house” included about a 500 year earthly family dynasty and an eternal, Messianic dynasty, through the person of Jesus Christ. (Ps. 89: 1-4, 28-29) God is far too great to be contained within any house (1 Kings 8:27, Isa. 66:1, Acts 7:44-50, 17:24-25). God took David from pasture to palace (2 Sam. 7:8) Solomon, calling himself God’s servant, recognized that he had been made king by God’s grace (1 Kings 3:7-8) 1 John 4 reminds us that we love Him because He first loved us. Christianity, unlike every other religion, is not about what we can do for God, but about what God has done for us. A faithful servant of God must listen for God to speak (1 Sam. 3:9-10) A faithful servant of God responds according to God’s timetable and remains faithful while waiting upon God’s to act (Matt. 24:45) A true servant of God follows Christ’s lead (and in doing so receives honor from God) (John 12:26) There is only 1 proper motive for serving God Whole-hearted love (Deut. 10:12, 11:13, Josh. 22:5, 1 Chr. 28:9) Other necessary aspects of our service to God Sincerity (Josh. 24:14, 1 Sam. 12:24) Fear and joy (Ps. 2:11) Gladness (Ps. 100:2) Gentleness (2 Tim. 2:24-25) Unity (Zeph. 3:9) Constancy (and He will rescue you) (Dan. 6:16) Humility (Acts 20:19) Serving God is about His glory, not ours (1 Kings 18:36-37)

Years ago a man went to visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, the Baptist church where Charles Spurgeon was pastor. In those days Spurgeon was known as the greatest preacher in the world. Every week copies of his sermons were published all over the English-speaking world, long before there was a Worldwide Web. When the man returned home from the Sunday worship service, his wife asked, "Well, what did you think of Spurgeon?" The man replied, "I think nothing of Spurgeon, I think only of Christ." That is the way it is supposed to be. God determines the nature of our service, regardless of what we may think God may be teaching us all sorts of important lessons - humility, patience, faith - when He calls us to serve in ways and places we would never choose to serve. There are times when our grand human plans to do something for God are seen, after a night of prayer, to be a huge human distraction from what God is doing for us. That's what Nathan realized that night: God showed Nathan that David's building plans for God would interfere with God's building plans for David. Service to God results in physical blessings (Ex. 23:25) People whom God called His servants Abraham (Gen. 26:24) Caleb (Num. 14:24) Moses (Deut. 34:5, Num. 12:7-8, Josh. 1:1-2, 7, 13, 15, 8:31-33, 11:12, 15, 12:6, 13:8, 14:7, 18:7, 22:4-5, 2 Kings 18:12, 1 Chr. 6:49, Dan. 9:11, Mal 4:4, Rev. 15:3) Joshua (Josh. 24:29, Judges 2:8) Jacob (Ezek. 28:25, 37:25) David (2 Sam. 3:18, 7:5, 8, Jer. 33:21-26, 1 Kings 11:13, 34, 2 Kings 8:19, 1 Chr. 17:7) The nation of Israel in the name of Jacob (Isa. 45:5, Jer. 30:10, 46:27-28) Nebuchadrezzar, King of Babylon (Jer. 43:10) Jesus, in the name David (Ezek. 34:23-24, 37:24) Jesus (Matt. 12:18) Christ’s example of service (Matt. 20:26-28, Phil. 2:7)