Why is Serving a Great Opportunity? John 13:2-20 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Why is Serving a Great Opportunity?

(John 13:2-20) 

The passage for this lesson deals with Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. In this passage Jesus is giving a great example of service. Serving God as well as others can be a challenge sometimes, but it also has great rewards. First we will look at some that deal with facts about service and then will we list 5 things that serving is a great opportunity for.

Some verses on service:

1)  Everyone serves something (1 Thessalonians 1:9)

• From this verse we see that before salvation the Thessalonians were serving false gods.
• The truth is everyone serves something, whether you serve yourself, others, God, or false gods.
• Romans 16:17-18 shows us examples of those who serve their own bellies.

2)  As a result of salvation we can serve God (Hebrews 9:14)

3)  Serving God must be done in an acceptable manner (Hebrews 12:28)

• According to this verse it must also be done with reverence and godly fear.
• This is also a good verse to show that fearing God is not reverence note they are listed together at the same time showing plainly that they are different.

4)  As saved people we are to serve one another (Galatians 5:16)

5)  As saved people we must also remember that we are serving Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:24)

• Serving can be very trying sometimes. The key is to remember that our rewards come from Jesus Christ and that in reality we are serving him although our service maybe at the time directed to someone else.

6)  Our service will be eternal one day (Revelations 22:3)

Why is serving such a great opportunity?

Now we will go back into the text and look at the spiritual applications that show us why serving is a great opportunity.

1)  It is an opportunity to put yourself aside (verse 4).

• In verse 3 we see that Jesus had been given everything from God yet he took time to put that aside and serve his disciples.
• One of the greatest hindrances to serving is that we think we are too busy or too important to take time and serve others. This is why service is such a great opportunity, it gets you to focus on others instead of yourselves for a change (Philippians 2:4)

2)  It is an opportunity to learn something (verse 7).

• Jesus tells his disciples that they may not understand what he is doing right now, but that they will later on. Service is the same way. Many times we do not understand what we are doing when we are simply serving but if we stick with it we may learn something very valuable.
• Taking on the task of serving especially in the role of a teacher or helper in a Sunday School class or other class can be scary. But the truth is the teacher always learns more than the student.

3)  It is an opportunity to be an example (verse 15).

• Jesus was a great example of the example of being a servant (Mark 10:45).
• Let’s face it we live in a society where no one wants to give up their time and serve. If saved people really want to make a difference and get the opportunity to tell other about Jesus Christ, then taking time to serve others especially lost people could a way to show them the example of Jesus Christ.

4)  It is an opportunity to do great things (verse 16).

• Great events or great plans may come from great leaders, but it is usually the servants that get to carry them out.
• God is the true power behind his work, but if we are willing to serve we can have the opportunity to see and be a part of these great works.

5)  It is an opportunity for happiness (verse 17).

• Jesus says if ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them.
• There is a joy and satisfaction that comes from service that we cannot get anywhere else.

Let us go forth and find a way to serve and take advantage of all these great opportunities.