Living as a Servant (Part 1)

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

Mark 10:45

The world of sports is full of heroes.  Some are heroes because of their talent, titles or personality.  Others because of their good character and servant attitude.  Unfortunately, the latter are harder to find.  Who do you consider to be a sports hero that is known for their servanthood rather than their talent?  Would Roger Federer, Mohammed Ali, Morne Steyn, or Jackie Robinson qualify?   It's sad to say that the sports world doesn't hold many who would fall into this category. 

What if we broaden our pool to anyone in history?  Who would we add to the list of servant-minded heroes?  While we all might list Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr., it's undeniable that Jesus is still our best example of a servant.          

Philippians 2:6-7 talks about how Jesus “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” Also, Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  One of the most beautiful passages portraying Christ’s servant example is in John 13:1-17 when Jesus washes the disciples feet.  The King of the universe took on the nature of a servant, lowered himself and washed the feet of his disciples.  Jesus had all the power and authority to say, “Come and serve me, wash my feet," but He didn't.  He came to serve and not be served.          

What does it mean to live as a servant in sport and life? 

Can you live as a servant without “being” a servant? 

What is a servant and who is your best example of being a servant?

Why is Jesus our best example of a servant?  

Living as a Servant - Intro

Pre Game

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Philippians 2:6-7

Warm Up

We live in the world of sports where the word servant is not a popular word.  Self-confidence, pride, ego and self image are words that are very important in the sports world.  Most people believe that one cannot win without these qualities.  As disciples of Christ we are called to live as servants in the world of sport and in life.  But what does that mean?  The next few weeks we will be doing a series called “living as a servant”.      

The series will hopefully cover many questions such as:  What does it mean to live as a servant?  Can you live as a servant without “being” a servant?  If so, what is a servant and who is our best example of being a servant?  Hopefully we will be able to answer some of these questions, but to summarize it we will break it down to three main areas:   

1)      To live as a servant you need to be a servant and Jesus is our best example.

2)      How do we begin the process of becoming a servant like Jesus?

3)      How can I practically start living today as servant? 

Game Time

What does it mean to live as a servant? 

Can you live as a servant without “being” a servant? 

What is a servant and who is our best example of being a servant?

LOVE IS A VERB

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

James 4:17

The amazing thing about sports is that athletes and competitors know what to do. They know they are not supposed to cheat, lash out at the referee, or lose self control.  Most of the time they know what the right game plan is, how to handle pressure, and how to encourage themselves and teammates.  But as we see in sports, KNOWING is only half of the puzzle. What matters in the end is DOING what you know is the right thing to do.  The same is true about love.

Many believers know that we are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37-38). We also know that we should love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39-40).  But the question is not if you know that you should love or not, but are you actually doing it? 

As James 4:17 says:  “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

Do you just know that you should love or do you actually love?  

Is your love just in your head or has it moved to your hands?  

Love acts, love does, it moves, it's real and it’s active.  Love is a verb.