IHS Surrendered Service Aug. 9

In His Steps: Week 2 Surrendered Service “Many Christians would prefer to hear ‘What a great guy’ from the crowd rather than ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ from the Master.” ― Billy Graham, Hope for the Troubled Heart (Romans 7:4-6) 4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

What does the Bible teach us about serving God? 1. A servant’s calling originates with God. (Psalm 78:70) He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens.

(2 Timothy 1:9) 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

(Romans 15:17) So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God. 2. I have been set free to serve.

(1 Peter 2:16) For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

(2 Peter 1:4) And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.

These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

(Colossians 3:10) Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

3. I have been set free to use my God given abilities and gifts .

(1 Peter 4:10) God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

4. I have been set free so that I can serve with others .

(Romans 12:4-5) 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

(1 Corinthians 12:5) There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.

(Ephesians 2:21–22) We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

5. I have been set free to serve others, server with others, but my aim is to please God .

(Galatians 1:10) Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

6. I have been set free to represent someone far greater than myself .

(Hebrews 3:5) Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.

(2 Corinthians 5:20) So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 7. When I serve, I help some grow in God and some know God. (Ephesians 4:16) He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

(2 Corinthians 5:20) So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”