323: Ryan Vaughn – Exhoration: Are you a Servant or a Volunteer?

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
I’m Chris.

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I’m Jason.
And I’m Brian, thank you for

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joining us this week.
On this podcast, we select one

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talk a week to help us get the
Bible in our Daily News feed.

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Each week we post talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

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in by listeners from around the
world.

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Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

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recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

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And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

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Hello, this is Levi.
This week’s talk is an

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excitation given by Brother Ryan
Vaughn at the Abilene Ecclesia

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in Texas on October 27th of this
year.

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This was a suggestion, so thank
you to the person who sent this

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in.
Have you ever much enjoyed this

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excitation?
I’ve chosen the name.

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Are you a servant or a
volunteer?

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Because the file was sent to me
without a name.

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So that’s, that’s how that
works.

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I really enjoyed this, this talk
and kind of this meditation on

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the difference between being a
servant and having an attitude

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of service that doesn’t end, you
know, that doesn’t stop

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throughout your week and
throughout our walk as servants

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of God, that meanwhile,
volunteerism is kind of

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something that we can come in
and out of.

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We can, we can be a volunteer.
We can stop being a volunteer.

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I really, so I really, really
enjoyed this.

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Really excited to share it.
Here is Ryan Vaughn.

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Are you a servant or a
volunteer?

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Thank you, Ryan and good morning
everyone.

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Like to start off by making a
nomination that brother will

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read every scriptural reading
for us.

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There’s a voice that just makes
it come alive.

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That was that was really great.
I enjoyed that certain people

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just have a tone and a voice
that sound really wonderful with

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reading the scripture so well.
Trish and I just returned from

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California.
We went back to visit our

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brothers and sisters and see me
and to do our Thanksgiving,

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which is our my side of the
family’s Thanksgiving.

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We usually do it in October so
we can enjoy it with both sides

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of our families.
And of course, while we’re

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there, every night is packed
with people are like, oh, you

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guys are in from out of town.
You got to come over for dinner.

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We got to do these things.
So just about every night of the

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week we’re with somebody else.
And so we get lots of great

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conversations and lots of great
fellowship with everyone.

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So I, I was, I do want to bring
back your love and greetings

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from the brothers and sisters in
Southern California and the

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Ecclesia and Simi Hills.
During a one such conversation

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with a brother over the course
of the evening, we touched on

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the topic of what our purpose is
in this life.

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He had a very simple answer
which can be summed up in one

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word, service.
The purpose of our lives and the

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reason we’re put together in our
communities is to serve.

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I have to say this idea really
resonated with me in this past

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week.
I’ve been ruminating on it.

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What does it mean to serve or to
be a servant?

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A good old Webster defines the
word serve as to be a servant,

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which is not very helpful.
However, it also has multiple

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definitions.
And further down it also says

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that it means to be of use to
prove adequate or satisfactory

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to help persons to food, such as
to wait a table or to wait on

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customers.
These are all good definitions

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and I think they all speak to
the idea of taking action or

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performing actions for others.
I’ve heard some say that we

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serve our community or our
ecclesia by volunteering.

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A volunteer is someone who
voluntarily undertakes or

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expresses a willingness to
undertake a service.

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Volunteering typically carries
the connotation of donating our

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time.
At first glance, that feels

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right, doesn’t it?
None of us expect to be

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compensated for the things we do
for the ecclesia.

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So it’s logical that we say we
are a community of volunteers.

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Isn’t that what we’re called to
do?

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We volunteered to teach classes,
make food for potluck, maintain

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the hall, coordinate activities,
participate on the arranging

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board.
We might say all these actions

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are volunteer work, but as being
a volunteer the same as being a

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servant, we might say.
When I sat down and really

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thought about it, my own
conclusion was no, volunteering

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and serving are not the same
thing.

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What I’d like to do this morning
is take a few moments to

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consider what the differences
are between a volunteer and a

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servant.
Now, the nation of Israel viewed

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servants were slaves a little
differently than the rest of the

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world.
And I know we’ve talked about

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this before, but slavery in
Israel was not the same as the

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system of slavery perpetuated by
America in the 1800s or by the

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rest of the world.
For all history, all of human

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history for that matter, under
the law of Moses, slaves were

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not allowed to be mistreated and
additional protections were

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given to the Israelites who
ended up as servants or slaves.

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Leviticus 25 speaks to this,
speaks to it specifically when

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it says in verse 39.
That’s Leviticus chapter 25,

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verse 39.
And if thy brother that dwelleth

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by thee bewax and poor, and be
sold unto thee, thou shalt not

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compel him to serve as a bond
servant, but as an hired servant

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and as a sojourner.
He shall be with thee, and shall

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serve thee unto the year of
jubilee.

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And then shall he depart from
thee, both he and his children

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with him, and shall return unto
his own family, and unto

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possession of his father’s shall
he return.

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For they are my servants, which
I brought forth out of the land

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of Egypt.
They shall not be sold as

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bondsman.
And there’s another provision in

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Exodus 21 that specifically
states that after six years of

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service, the slave must be set
free and all of his debts would

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be forgiven.
However, if the man decided that

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he loved his master and wanted
to remain in service, his master

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would take him before the elders
of the city, and he would drive

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an awl through his ear or Pierce
his ear, and that man would be

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his servant forever.
This is what the Lord Jesus

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Christ has called us to do when
He called us to serve in His

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ecclesia.
It is a lifelong commitment.

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I can’t help but see a bit of an
echo to this in the crucifixion

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of Christ in Isaiah 53.
It says that he was pierced for

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our transgressions.
He was crushed for our

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iniquities.
Upon Him was the chastisement

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that brought us peace, and with
His wounds we are healed.

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It was after Jesus was pierced
through his hands and his feet,

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and He was lifted up on the
stake, putting the man of sin to

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death, that he was forever
sealed to His Father.

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That final act of dedication and
service in giving His life for

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us sealed his fate forever.
Which brings up the first

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difference that I’d like to
point out between a volunteer

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and a servant.
Volunteering is something you do

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while serving is something you
live.

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When you volunteer for a task,
it’s typically something that

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when the job is done, you’re
done and you can walk away.

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Anything that happens after that
is none of your concern.

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However, that’s not the case for
a servant.

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The servant is dedicated for
life.

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The servant has built his or her
life around the task, so there’s

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no switching on and off.
The task is a part of who they

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are.
We’ve all been given

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opportunities throughout our
life in our community to sign up

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for something, whether it’s
making a dish for potluck or

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planning activities for a Bible
school.

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When we plan out these
activities, is there a

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separation in our minds between
the task and our other life?

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Do we cordon off the minimum
amount of time for the ecclesial

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work, looking forward to the
time when it’s done?

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I know I do.
I’m the worst offender of this.

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I’ve said this before to many
people, and there’s no feeling

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like being done with an
exhortation or Bible class.

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The relief that I experienced
from being done is euphoric.

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It’s something that I don’t have
to think about anymore.

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I’ve realized, at least in
myself, that I get that feeling

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because I’ve been volunteering
and not serving.

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Studying the Word of God and
ruminating on these topics so I

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can share them with my brothers
and sisters shouldn’t be

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something that I only do when
I’m preparing for a class.

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It should be a part of my
everyday life.

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Because filling our minds with
the Word of God, it’s not

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something we only turn on for
Wednesday night class and Sunday

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mornings.
It should be a part of who we

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are in everyday life.
Secondly, a volunteer focuses on

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what they give, while the
servant focuses on what Jesus

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gave.
When we volunteer to help with

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the ecclesia, it’s easy to tell
ourselves I’ve given so much

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energy, so much time, so much
effort, so much of myself that

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we forget about what Jesus gave.
A servant doesn’t weigh or

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measure how much he has given
his master because his time, his

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resources, his very life is not
his own.

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It belongs to his master.
When we think about how much

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Jesus gave, anything we have
given or ever will give pales in

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comparison to the sacrifice he
made #3A volunteer keeps score.

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Servants make sacrifices.
A volunteer keeps a log of all

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the things they’ve done, and
over time they become

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frustrated, disappointed or
discouraged.

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We don’t get the attention or
the recognition or it cost us

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more than we thought it would.
But a servant says that’s what

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I’m here for.
It’s supposed to cost me

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something or inconvenience me.
I’m supposed to take up my cross

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and bear it.
I’m not always going to enjoy my

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service or like what I have to
do.

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I don’t have to always be
comfortable.

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Our lives are very comfortable
in this day and age, aren’t

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they?
My brother Robert reminded of

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reminded us of this in one of
his exhortations earlier in the

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year.
By most of the world’s

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standards, we are very wealthy.
And with wealth comes comfort

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and an aversion to anything that
makes us feel uncomfortable.

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And when we fall into this mode
of being volunteers instead of

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servants, we give ourselves
limits that, when reached, can

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cause us to be bitter or angry
or burnt out with the ecclesia

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or with specific brethren.
When we keep score, we start to

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notice that brother X or sister
Y doesn’t give as much as I do,

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or they don’t put in as much
effort as I do.

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They don’t pull their own weight
around here.

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Why should I have to give more?
Every servant in God’s house is

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at a different stage in their
journey towards the Kingdom, and

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once we come to that
realization, serving in our own

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capacity becomes much easier.
When we turn our focus to what

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Christ gave as our example, it’s
impossible for us to keep score

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of what we have given or even
consider what those around us

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have given #4 volunteers are
time sensitive, a servant is

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need sensitive.
A volunteer says I can only do

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this much because I only have
this amount of time, while the

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servant says what is the need?
I will arrange my schedule and

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ensure that the needs of others
are met first.

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We find a beautiful example of
this in the parable from the

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Good Samaritan that we read this
morning in Luke 10.

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If you aren’t there, we could
turn over there for a moment.

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Just like to quote a few verses,
it’s in Luke chapter 10,

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beginning in verse 30.
In this parable, a man while

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travelling to Jerusalem from
Jericho is robbed, beaten and

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left for dead.
And while he’s lying on the side

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of the road dying from his
wounds, several people pass by

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him.
First a priest and then a

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Levite.
Both men who were highly

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educated in the law and were
well aware of the commandment to

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love the Lord their God with all
their heart, soul, strength and

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mind, and likewise to love their
neighbor as themselves, as Jesus

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had, just as they had just told
Jesus in the verses before.

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But both men, seeing someone in
need, distance themselves from

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the injured man and walked by on
the other side of the road.

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The parable doesn’t tell us why
they didn’t help.

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00:13:36,800 –> 00:13:40,080
Maybe it was because they had
just been purified for a feast

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00:13:40,080 –> 00:13:42,760
and they didn’t want to make
themselves unclean by touching

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00:13:42,760 –> 00:13:45,720
blood, or perhaps at this point,
a dead body.

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00:13:46,680 –> 00:13:49,400
Maybe they were afraid it was a
trap and the same people who

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00:13:49,400 –> 00:13:52,320
harmed this man would come out
and do the same to them.

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00:13:53,280 –> 00:13:56,080
Maybe they had an appointment
they had to keep, and even

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00:13:56,080 –> 00:13:59,200
though they had the ability to
meet the need, their time was

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00:13:59,200 –> 00:14:02,320
more important and they told
themselves someone else will

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00:14:02,320 –> 00:14:05,320
take care of it.
Maybe they realized they would

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00:14:05,320 –> 00:14:08,040
have to use their own strength,
their own time, their own

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00:14:08,040 –> 00:14:11,400
resources to help this man and
it was just too much for them to

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00:14:11,400 –> 00:14:15,720
do at this time.
Thankfully, we’re told there was

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00:14:15,720 –> 00:14:17,680
a Samaritan that passed by as
well.

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00:14:18,680 –> 00:14:22,200
And this Samaritan in verse 33
had compassion on him.

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00:14:23,080 –> 00:14:26,960
And in verse 34 it says he went
to him and bound up his wounds,

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00:14:27,040 –> 00:14:30,240
pouring on oil and wine.
Then he sent him on his own

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00:14:30,240 –> 00:14:33,000
animal and brought him to an inn
and took care of him.

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00:14:33,000 –> 00:14:36,800
And the next day he took out two
denarii and gave them to the

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00:14:36,800 –> 00:14:40,440
innkeeper saying take care of
him and whatever more you spend,

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00:14:40,480 –> 00:14:45,880
I will pay you when I come back.
Like the injured man, the

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00:14:45,880 –> 00:14:49,440
Samaritan was travelling and no
doubt had planned ahead and

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00:14:49,440 –> 00:14:53,160
brought provisions for his trip.
If you’ve ever been on a road

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00:14:53,160 –> 00:14:56,600
trip, travelling across the US
like we have a million times

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00:14:56,600 –> 00:15:00,360
over the past couple of years,
you bring everything you need on

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00:15:00,360 –> 00:15:03,240
your trip with you.
You bring food, you bring

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00:15:03,240 –> 00:15:07,040
clothes, maybe you bring cash so
you can pay for gas or lodging

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00:15:07,040 –> 00:15:10,600
for yourself and your family.
Nowadays it’s a lot easier to

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00:15:10,600 –> 00:15:13,720
get all these things if you run
out because there’s a million

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00:15:13,720 –> 00:15:17,600
stores along the way, but in
Jesus’s time these things

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00:15:17,600 –> 00:15:19,120
wouldn’t have been readily
available.

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00:15:19,920 –> 00:15:23,880
However, this man takes his own
oil and wine and binds up the

250
00:15:23,880 –> 00:15:26,280
man’s wounds.
He gives up his mode of

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00:15:26,280 –> 00:15:29,680
transportation, his animal, and
puts the wounded man on it.

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00:15:30,440 –> 00:15:33,320
He then takes him to an inn and
pays for his room and stays with

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00:15:33,320 –> 00:15:36,560
him there for a night.
And if all that wasn’t enough,

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00:15:36,560 –> 00:15:39,400
the next day he pays the
innkeeper to continue taking

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00:15:39,400 –> 00:15:43,360
care of the man and commits to
return again and cover any

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00:15:43,360 –> 00:15:47,200
additional costs.
What an incredible act of

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00:15:47,200 –> 00:15:51,360
service and sacrifice.
Can we imagine doing something

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00:15:51,360 –> 00:15:54,440
like this today?
Maybe we would stop to help

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00:15:54,440 –> 00:15:57,720
another Chris Adelphian that we
knew if the town was on the

260
00:15:57,720 –> 00:16:00,680
route that we were taking and
the timing lined up just right.

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00:16:01,520 –> 00:16:04,680
But could you imagine doing even
one of these things for a random

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00:16:04,680 –> 00:16:08,560
stranger we had never met on the
side of the I-40?

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00:16:09,880 –> 00:16:12,920
The magnitude of this sacrifice
is unimaginable.

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00:16:14,000 –> 00:16:19,280
This parable was a calling to
those of Jesus’s day and to us.

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00:16:19,840 –> 00:16:24,200
He says in verse 37, You go and
do likewise.

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00:16:25,160 –> 00:16:29,640
As servants, we must come to the
conclusion that our time, our

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00:16:29,640 –> 00:16:34,880
resources, our very lives belong
to Christ and they and they

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00:16:34,880 –> 00:16:42,040
should all be used in His
service #5 Volunteers want

269
00:16:42,040 –> 00:16:46,120
themselves to look good, while a
servant wants to make God look

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00:16:46,120 –> 00:16:49,240
good.
Serving is not about how I look,

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00:16:49,840 –> 00:16:54,600
it’s about how what I do can be
seen and how through what I do

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00:16:54,600 –> 00:16:59,440
can make God look good.
It’s not about me being noticed,

273
00:16:59,640 –> 00:17:02,600
it’s about God being noticed
through what I do.

274
00:17:03,640 –> 00:17:07,119
Matthew 5 and 14 says you are in
the light of the world.

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00:17:07,599 –> 00:17:10,200
A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hidden.

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00:17:10,720 –> 00:17:14,359
Nor do people light a lamp and
put it under a basket, but on a

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00:17:14,359 –> 00:17:17,000
stand, and it gives light to all
in the house.

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00:17:17,520 –> 00:17:21,079
In the same way, let your light
shine before others so that they

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00:17:21,079 –> 00:17:24,359
may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in

280
00:17:24,359 –> 00:17:27,640
heaven.
Something about what we do and

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00:17:27,640 –> 00:17:32,400
the way we do it should make
others see God, which inherently

282
00:17:32,400 –> 00:17:35,320
means people need to know that
we are servants of God.

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00:17:36,200 –> 00:17:38,720
We’ve talked about this many
times in our classes, and even

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00:17:38,720 –> 00:17:41,760
Jeremy spoke about this in one
of his expectations earlier.

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00:17:42,720 –> 00:17:45,720
No one we know should be
surprised to hear that we are

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00:17:45,720 –> 00:17:50,200
Christadelphians or to be more
at a more basic level, level,

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00:17:50,320 –> 00:17:53,800
that we’re followers of Christ.
People should look at us and

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00:17:53,800 –> 00:17:57,200
think, I know why they behave
that way or why they made that

289
00:17:57,200 –> 00:17:59,960
decision.
It’s because they serve Jesus.

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00:18:00,720 –> 00:18:03,200
Or maybe they just think it’s
because they’re a Christian.

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00:18:03,880 –> 00:18:07,520
And if they do, God receives the
glory and not us.

292
00:18:09,960 –> 00:18:14,520
Number six, volunteering is
about convenience, while serving

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00:18:14,840 –> 00:18:18,400
is about commitment.
There’s a story in Second King

294
00:18:18,400 –> 00:18:21,280
17 about the people that were
brought into the land by the

295
00:18:21,280 –> 00:18:24,920
Assyrians after the children of
Israel were expelled during the

296
00:18:24,920 –> 00:18:27,840
reign of Hoshea.
The Israelites were cast out of

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00:18:27,840 –> 00:18:29,720
the land because of their
idolatry.

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00:18:30,440 –> 00:18:32,960
But of course the people that
were brought in by the Assyrians

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00:18:32,960 –> 00:18:36,800
to replace them were no better.
In verse 26, we’re told that

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00:18:36,800 –> 00:18:40,520
they brought with them all their
foreign gods, Sakath, Banath,

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00:18:40,960 –> 00:18:45,440
Nergal, Ashima, Nibhas, and
Tartek, and they burned their

302
00:18:45,440 –> 00:18:49,120
children in the fire to add
Rumilek, add Ramalek and

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00:18:49,120 –> 00:18:52,880
Anamalek.
However, we’re told in verse 25

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00:18:53,040 –> 00:18:57,120
that they did not fear the Lord,
and because of this the Lord

305
00:18:57,120 –> 00:18:59,720
sent lions among them, which
killed some of them.

306
00:19:01,080 –> 00:19:04,960
And when the king of Assyria
hears this report, he says it’s

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00:19:04,960 –> 00:19:07,960
because they don’t know the the
law of the God of the land.

308
00:19:08,640 –> 00:19:13,600
So he sends some of the priests,
Israel of Israel back so they

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00:19:13,600 –> 00:19:16,440
can teach the newcomers into the
land, the law of Moses.

310
00:19:16,840 –> 00:19:19,640
So maybe that will put a stop to
the lion attacks.

311
00:19:20,760 –> 00:19:24,400
And after this education, we’re
told in verse 33, so they feared

312
00:19:24,400 –> 00:19:29,360
the Lord, but also served their
own gods after the manner of the

313
00:19:29,360 –> 00:19:32,160
nations from among whom they had
been carried away.

314
00:19:33,240 –> 00:19:37,960
These people said, God, I just
want enough of you in my life to

315
00:19:37,960 –> 00:19:41,840
keep the lions away.
I want just enough of you so the

316
00:19:41,840 –> 00:19:46,080
attacks will stop.
I want you in my life, but I

317
00:19:46,080 –> 00:19:48,520
don’t want to have to be
committed to you.

318
00:19:49,880 –> 00:19:53,320
This way of thinking can
infiltrate our minds if we are

319
00:19:53,320 –> 00:19:55,600
only volunteering in the
ecclesia.

320
00:19:56,560 –> 00:19:58,720
We want to give just enough of
our time.

321
00:19:59,280 –> 00:20:02,760
We want to have just enough God
in our life so He keeps the

322
00:20:02,760 –> 00:20:06,640
lions of life away.
And just like the people that

323
00:20:06,640 –> 00:20:10,120
were living in the land of this
time, we have a respect for God.

324
00:20:10,680 –> 00:20:14,160
But Monday through Monday
through Friday, we’re serving

325
00:20:14,160 –> 00:20:17,760
our own gods.
We’re connected to God, but not

326
00:20:17,760 –> 00:20:21,200
committed to Him.
A true servant loves the Lord

327
00:20:21,200 –> 00:20:23,400
with all his heart, soul,
strength, and mind.

328
00:20:24,040 –> 00:20:27,320
That means that God will be a
part of every aspect of our

329
00:20:27,320 –> 00:20:29,680
lives.
That means we don’t have some

330
00:20:29,680 –> 00:20:33,400
dark corner of our life where
God is not allowed to go or the

331
00:20:33,400 –> 00:20:36,880
activities that we participate
in that God would not approve

332
00:20:36,880 –> 00:20:39,800
of.
To be a true servant, we must be

333
00:20:39,800 –> 00:20:46,400
wholly committed to God.
Finally, volunteering makes you

334
00:20:46,400 –> 00:20:49,960
feel superior, while serving
makes you humble.

335
00:20:51,200 –> 00:20:54,680
Often times when we volunteer
for things, we can feel superior

336
00:20:54,760 –> 00:20:57,720
because of the role or the
position that we’ve taken.

337
00:20:58,640 –> 00:21:01,160
I don’t think this is really an
issue in our current ecclesia

338
00:21:01,160 –> 00:21:04,160
because we’re smaller.
But when you’re in an ecclesia

339
00:21:04,160 –> 00:21:09,560
of 60 or 100 or more, positions
like arranging brother, finance

340
00:21:09,560 –> 00:21:13,720
brother or recording brother can
make you feel important or

341
00:21:13,720 –> 00:21:16,920
special.
You’re given what some might

342
00:21:16,920 –> 00:21:20,480
consider a position of authority
and this can quickly go to our

343
00:21:20,480 –> 00:21:23,440
heads if we don’t have the
spirit of a servant.

344
00:21:24,520 –> 00:21:27,920
Jesus chastised the scribes and
Pharisees for this time and time

345
00:21:27,920 –> 00:21:31,200
again and even had to address it
with his disciples.

346
00:21:32,120 –> 00:21:34,520
We come over to Matthew chapter
23.

347
00:21:35,080 –> 00:21:38,120
We see an example of this where
he calls out the Pharisees.

348
00:21:41,400 –> 00:21:48,880
Matthew 23, Beginning at verse
one says, Then spake Jesus to

349
00:21:48,880 –> 00:21:52,160
the multitude, and to his
disciples, saying, The scribes

350
00:21:52,160 –> 00:21:54,120
and the Pharisees sit in Moses
seat.

351
00:21:54,640 –> 00:21:58,560
All Therefore whatsoever they
bid you observe that observe and

352
00:21:58,560 –> 00:22:01,240
do, but do not ye after their
works.

353
00:22:01,360 –> 00:22:05,120
For they say, and do not.
For they bind heavy burdens and

354
00:22:05,120 –> 00:22:08,840
grievous to be borne, and lay
them on men’s shoulders, but

355
00:22:08,840 –> 00:22:11,880
they themselves will not move
them with one of their fingers.

356
00:22:12,520 –> 00:22:15,960
But all their works they do.
For to be seen of men they make

357
00:22:15,960 –> 00:22:18,400
broad their phalacteries, and
enlarge the borders of their

358
00:22:18,400 –> 00:22:21,880
garments, and love the uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chiefs

359
00:22:21,880 –> 00:22:25,320
seats in the synagogue’s, and
greetings in the markets.

360
00:22:25,440 –> 00:22:27,560
And to be called men.
Rabbi, Rabbi.

361
00:22:28,400 –> 00:22:31,760
But be not ye called Rabbi.
For one is your master, even

362
00:22:31,760 –> 00:22:36,640
Christ, and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your Father upon

363
00:22:36,640 –> 00:22:38,800
the earth.
For one is your Father which is

364
00:22:38,800 –> 00:22:42,040
in heaven.
Neither be called masters, for

365
00:22:42,040 –> 00:22:45,960
one is your master, even Christ.
But he that is greatest among

366
00:22:45,960 –> 00:22:50,160
you shall be your servant, and
whosoever shall exalt himself

367
00:22:50,160 –> 00:22:53,680
shall be abased, and he that
shall humble himself shall be

368
00:22:53,680 –> 00:22:56,320
exalted.
But woe unto you scribes and

369
00:22:56,320 –> 00:22:59,520
Pharisees, hypocrites, for you
shut up the Kingdom of heaven

370
00:22:59,520 –> 00:23:01,600
against men.
For you neither go in

371
00:23:01,600 –> 00:23:05,080
yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in

372
00:23:06,880 –> 00:23:09,280
when you seek positions of power
and authority.

373
00:23:09,720 –> 00:23:14,080
We put ourselves in a dangerous
place because of because of the

374
00:23:14,080 –> 00:23:16,680
station and authority the
scribes and the Pharisees put

375
00:23:16,680 –> 00:23:19,480
themselves in.
They couldn’t see past their own

376
00:23:19,480 –> 00:23:22,640
pride, which led them to put
Jesus to death.

377
00:23:23,600 –> 00:23:27,160
In Matthew 18, we’re told that
even Jesus’s own disciples came

378
00:23:27,160 –> 00:23:30,840
to him and asked who’s the
greatest in the Kingdom of

379
00:23:30,840 –> 00:23:33,400
heaven.
And again in Matthew 20, the

380
00:23:33,400 –> 00:23:36,520
mother of James and John came to
Jesus and asked him to give her

381
00:23:36,520 –> 00:23:38,480
sons positions of honor in the
Kingdom.

382
00:23:39,280 –> 00:23:43,240
In both instances, Jesus reminds
them that it’s not the positions

383
00:23:43,240 –> 00:23:46,080
of honor or rulership that they
should be seeking after.

384
00:23:46,800 –> 00:23:50,120
Instead, like in Matthew 18,
they should come to him as

385
00:23:50,120 –> 00:23:53,360
little children, willing and
eager to serve.

386
00:23:54,400 –> 00:23:57,400
In chapter 20, he says, And
whosoever will be chief among

387
00:23:57,400 –> 00:24:01,360
you, let him be your servant,
even as the Son of Man came not

388
00:24:01,360 –> 00:24:05,480
to be ministered unto, but to
minister and to give his life a

389
00:24:05,480 –> 00:24:08,880
ransom.
For many, serving is about being

390
00:24:08,880 –> 00:24:12,680
humble and about helping people
wherever they are in their

391
00:24:12,680 –> 00:24:16,000
journey.
So before we close, we’ll

392
00:24:16,000 –> 00:24:19,760
summarize what we’ve considered
this morning when considering

393
00:24:19,760 –> 00:24:23,240
what the characteristics of a
servant of Christ are.

394
00:24:24,440 –> 00:24:27,280
As servants of our Lord, we
approach life in the truth with

395
00:24:27,280 –> 00:24:31,600
humility, and we’re committed to
the work of Jesus and all that

396
00:24:31,600 –> 00:24:35,200
we do.
We serve in his ecclesia and in

397
00:24:35,200 –> 00:24:39,600
the world around us, not for our
own glory and recognition, but

398
00:24:39,600 –> 00:24:41,560
so God can be glorified through
us.

399
00:24:42,560 –> 00:24:45,960
Our service is not time
sensitive, but rather based on

400
00:24:45,960 –> 00:24:47,800
the needs of those whom we
serve.

401
00:24:48,720 –> 00:24:51,800
We keep no record of the deeds
we perform or the time we

402
00:24:51,800 –> 00:24:55,160
dedicated to His service, but
rather we sacrifice our own

403
00:24:55,160 –> 00:24:59,240
needs, resources, time and
desires so that God’s name may

404
00:24:59,240 –> 00:25:03,240
be glorified and to all.
As servants, we don’t focus on

405
00:25:03,240 –> 00:25:06,800
what we’ve given or will give in
the future, but instead we

406
00:25:06,800 –> 00:25:10,760
remember what Jesus gave and
we’re motivated to act by His

407
00:25:10,760 –> 00:25:14,080
example.
Finally, as servants, we

408
00:25:14,080 –> 00:25:18,160
recognize that our our work in
the ecclesia is not just a list

409
00:25:18,320 –> 00:25:22,480
and a task of deeds that we
check off our list, but it’s a

410
00:25:22,480 –> 00:25:26,720
way of life.
Our service to one another is a

411
00:25:26,720 –> 00:25:30,920
part of our lives and makes up
the very fabric of who we are as

412
00:25:30,920 –> 00:25:33,560
people.
As we partake of these emblems.

413
00:25:33,560 –> 00:25:37,920
Now, may our commitment to him
be strengthened and renewed, and

414
00:25:37,920 –> 00:25:41,800
may the day come soon where we
hope to hear those wonderful

415
00:25:41,800 –> 00:25:45,000
words from him.
Well done, thou good and

416
00:25:45,000 –> 00:25:49,160
faithful servant, Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord.

417
00:26:02,730 –> 00:26:04,810
Thank you for listening to the
good Chris Adelphian Talks

418
00:26:04,810 –> 00:26:07,410
podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

419
00:26:07,410 –> 00:26:08,970
your walk and brightened your
day.

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00:26:10,090 –> 00:26:12,170
If you would like to hear more,
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00:26:12,170 –> 00:26:14,690
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00:26:18,770 –> 00:26:21,250
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00:26:21,250 –> 00:26:24,000
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00:26:24,000 –> 00:26:28,120
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00:26:28,360 –> 00:26:30,880
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00:26:32,160 –> 00:26:34,640
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website or message us on any of
our social media accounts.

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Thank you for listening.
God bless and talk to you next

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week.