Who Are You Serving Rom.1:1 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
We are called to be servants just like the Lord Jesus was [Phil 2:3-8; Matt 20:25-28] – and so the question is, Who are you serving? Are you serving:
Christ’s Righteousness – Rom 6:18 – in your life before you were saved, you were the servant of sin – after you were saved you were to quit serving sin and start serving Christ’s righteousness – when the Lord saved you he imputed Christ’s righteousness to you so that by serving his righteousness you could live righteously – in other words, you don’t change to become righteous; instead, you serve his righteousness and his righteousness changes you.
The Lord – Rom 1:1; Phil 1:1 – Paul was without doubt God’s man – he served the Lord – whatever God wanted, that’s what Paul did – and in no way was he a man pleaser – Gal 1:10 “If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” – you need to serve the Lord, first and foremost – you take orders from him and do what he says, when he says it, the way he wants it done.
Your Church – Col 4:12; Gal 5:13 – as servants of Christ, he will direct us into service for others – we will develop into servants for the sake of those in the body whom we serve [Eph 4:15-16] – if you are not serving others in your church in some capacity, you are either just a babe in Christ who will start serving after you have matured or you are not serving the Lord.
The Lost – 1 Cor 9:19; 2 Cor 4:5 – Paul knew the only way he could effectually reach the lost was to serve them – this service to them was an outgrowth of his service to the Lord – in other words, by serving the Lord he was directed into his service of the lost for the sake of their souls and the Lord who died for them.
Your Employer – Eph 6:5-6; 1 Pet 2:18 – your service to your employer is likewise an outgrowth of your service to the Lord – you should be able to top all other employees in the company in terms of the quality and integrity of your work because of your service to the Lord – and what a testimony that is.
Or are you serving:
Your Sin – Rom 6:17; Jn 8:34 – even though you are saved, the sin in your flesh is still there – and the flesh lusteth against the Spirit – so sin is going to still rule in your life if you serve it you and if you serve it you will not be serving the Lord – you may be working for him, but you won’t be serving him because you are serving sin [you can’t serve two masters] – and be sure your sin will find you out.
Your Belly – Rom 16:17-18; Phil 3:18-19 – this is what most preachers are serving today – they use the Bible and they speak the language of preachers but whether they know it or not they are serving their belly and not the Lord.
Your Possessions – Lk 16:13 – you cannot serve God and mammon – there are many Christians today who are very rich in possessions and they serve those possessions – they love money – and when you serve mammon it is impossible to also serve God – in the book, Same Kind Of Different As Me – Denver Moore asked Ron Hall, when Ron threw a ring full of keys down on the table at the coffee shop, “Do you own something to fit all those? Or do they own you?” My friend, that second question is profound – examine your life honestly and determine whether you are serving the Lord or the possessions you attribute to his blessings!
Conclusion: So, who are you serving? Hopefully, you are serving the Lord – and as an outgrowth of your service to him, you should be serving your church, the lost and your employer – and remember that to grow spiritually, you don’t need to change yourself to impress the Lord, you need to serve his righteousness and let him change you – then you’ll know for sure that he’ll be happy with the results.