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  EMBRACING SERVANTHOOD
  by Buddy Treviño
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of having a servant's
heart, focusing on the humility, willingness to serve, and the
challenges faced in embracing servanthood. It contrasts the worldly
desire for recognition and success with the biblical call to be a
servant, highlighting the need to find joy in serving others and
ultimately glorifying God through selfless actions.

Duration: 1:12:43 Topics: "Servanthood", "Humility in Service"
Scripture References: Isaiah 6:8, Philippians 2:7, Matthew 20:16, 1 Peter 1:3, Luke 9:23

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of having a servant's heart,
focusing on the humility, willingness to serve, and the challenges faced
in embracing servanthood. It contrasts the worldly desire for
recognition and success with the biblical call to be a servant,
highlighting the need to find joy in serving others and ultimately
glorifying God through selfless actions.

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CONTENT
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Good morning. I'm grateful to be here. I just want to talk.

Okay, I have a really good topic this morning. It's not my topic, but
it's something I think about a lot and challenges me a lot and something
I long to grow in. It has to do with the heart of a servant or a perfect
servant's heart.

I think that in the days that we live in, it's really a foreign concept.
I mean, it's something that we can grasp, but it's not something that we
see before us every day, whereas it would have been more tangible or
prevalent in times past, like that there would actually be this a person
whose job it is to serve another person or other people, and he's a low
guy. And just the difference between somebody who is served and somebody
who's One of the closest things we have to that these days is employee
and employer, and that's not really the same.

There's some similarities, but here we have something that's the core of
our religion, our purpose, our goal, this model that we have from God
that we're supposed to walk in, and it's not really readily tangible for
us. It's not something that we see all the time. It's something we have
to kind of conjure up.

So I'm gonna try to conjure up a little bit. I feel like I do for
myself. I try to do for myself and remind myself that I'm a servant.

I've taken on the role of a servant, and not to be surprised or
discouraged when I'm living the life of a servant and I'm faced with the
things that servants are faced with. And even more than that, I would
I'd hope that our desire to be a servant would be kindled, that we would
want to embrace this really lowly type of life. Not just accept it
because that's the way it is, but to long for it and to rejoice when we
recognize that we are walking in it.

It's totally backward from the way the world is and what we're taught in
the world, the world that we're brought up in, and even our own flesh.
Obviously the goal in life is not to be a servant. The goal is to be a
boss.

We see it in the Old Testament. One of the blessings God says is, you're
not going to be a servant. You're going to be a boss.

That's the thing to be. You want to be on the top, not on the bottom.
Temporally speaking, carnally speaking.

When you're the boss, it's easy. The servants do the work. The servants
take care of you.

You can make a mess and you don't have to clean it up. Somebody else
does that. You can spill something, somebody else cleans it up.

You don't have to worry about that. You sit down and eat. Somebody else
made the food.

This is the goal. This is what we want. In the world, if you tell
somebody, what do you do? What's your profession? Well, you want to say,
oh, I own a company.

I run a company. You don't want to say, oh, I pull weeds. I'm a servant.

Like, come on, go to college, make something of yourself, become a boss.
Whereas in this kingdom that we live in, even leaders are the servants.
In Timothy there it says, if you desire the office of a bishop, you
desire a good thing.

It's a good thing to want to be a bishop. And this is one of the ways I
think it gets convoluted because in this idea of what we have
Christianity today, the guys on top are bosses. They got their own
parking space.

They got their own office. They drive the nice cars. They got the nice
houses.

They're bishops. Shouldn't they have the best? Whereas I think what's
taught in the scriptures and the scriptural example that we have is that
the guys on top are the guys getting beat up and stoned and burnt and
they're hungry and they're cold. And they're at the bottom.

To be a Christian leader is to be a servant and pour your life out.
Leadership is a burden, not a place of being served. A Christian's
highest priority and greatest ambition and chiefest desire is to be
pleasing to the Lord.

That all that we do would please Him and give Him pleasure. That He'd
look down upon us and be glad for the decisions that we're making. What
we're putting our hands to.

The words that are coming out of our mouth. The principle of being a
servant. He's the Lord and we are living for the pleasure of our Lord.

That's what we expend our energy in is that He would have pleasure. We
can say that in general it's to please the Lord. That specifically
refers to the Lord Jehovah.

But then it applies temporally as well. That's kind of what I my goal or
my desire. What I would want to focus on.

What I would want us to... What I try to exercise myself in specifically
and what I would hope this would challenge us all to focus on. For
children to recognize that their parents are their lords or are their
masters. And that we would... Whoever... If you find yourself in the
position of a child, that your goal would be to please your parents.

As a wife, you know, God did this thing. He made a man and then he said,
this guy needs a helper. He made her.

If you're a woman, you were made to be a helper for a man. Then it all
kind of turns around. This guy's the man who's the parent and the one
who's been given a help.

It's his job to be a helper for everybody else. It's his job to lay down
his life for his family. For his wife and for his family.

And then for all of us, whether we're a child or a wife or a father, a
single man, whoever we are. If we would serve Christ, then we're to be
servants to the church and to our fellow man. Then it all kind of turns
around again.

Because all of the ways that a child serves his parents and a wife
serves her husband. Men serve their wives and families. Then all of us
are serving the church and each other.

This is our service to the Lord. It's not some lofty, just invisible
feeling of devotion. Our service to God is practically worked out in how
we serve whoever our Lord is in whatever position that we're in.

Like our Lord is our boss. It could be your employer, your landlord. We
show our service to the Lord by how we serve whoever our carnal Lord is
in whatever situation that we're in.

A servant's heart finds pleasure and fulfillment in being spent for the
benefit of others. The carnal heart, the natural heart, wants to be
recognized. Wants to be acknowledged.

Wants to be rewarded for his talents, his labors, his sacrifices. I'm
not just going to do this for free. I mean, I want to get paid.

If I'm not going to get paid, I at least want everybody to know that I'm
the one who invented this. I'm the one who thought of this. I'm the one
who made this possible.

If you don't get that, somebody's talking about something that's being
done and they're not mentioning that this was your idea or you're the
one who... I don't know if you guys are like that. I mean, I've at
different times in my life felt myself longing. Like, is he going to say
that? Is he going to mention me? Like, I was part of this? Like, it
longs for that.

But a servant doesn't. The perfect servant heart doesn't do that. It's
over all that.

Jesus teaches us... I appreciate what Walter read this morning. Jesus
teaches that we are blessed when we're wronged and that we should
rejoice when we're wrongfully abused. This is totally backwards.

A servant isn't eager for temporal pay or recognition, a servant of God,
but rather for for the glorification of his master. I saw a movie a long
time ago and it was it was depicted like back in the Civil War slave
days and there was a scene that always stood out to me that there was
like these slaves were all going to do some work and they were saying
how good a job they were going to do and they were going to make their
master look real good. And I just thought, you know, what? Like, I would
just have this idea that like slaves would just be like out there
begrudging how they're being put to work for somebody else.

But he was just... in this movie it was depicted and it's I don't know
if that's how it really was in the slave days but this this concept just
like stuck out to me like wow this guy is just like I'm gonna make the
master... we're gonna make the master look real good. He said we're
gonna work really hard and everybody's gonna think our master is really
good. And that should be that should be our goal and it's it's not what
we're taught and it's not what what our flesh wants.

It's something... it's something unnatural so that the flesh would like
grudge... begrudge that his that his master is being glorified for the
work that he did. And yet for us this is our goal. Our goal would be
that God would be glorified.

If we are a light to this world it make it makes God look good. If we
have changed in our in our lives to be better people, if we are people
of peace, if we are people of character and ethic, it makes him look...
it makes him look good. And if we're not then it makes it makes our
religion look vain.

It makes it makes him look bad. If if you see my children bickering and
being selfish it makes me look bad. You think boy buddy's not doing a
really good job.

But if my boys if my children are peaceful and loving and patient and
servants it makes me it makes me... I mean they look good but really it
makes me look good. So it's this it's this low place. It's a place of
being despised and we long to recognize that when I'm in this place that
this is this is success.

This is this thing Jesus talked about. Rejoice when this really bad
stuff happens to you because this is it. This is the goal.

You made it. You're doing it. When people... when you when you're doing
good and suffering for it this that's that's what you're going for.

It should be what we're going for. It shouldn't be something we're
displeased about. Just real quick in case maybe for some of you younger
people in case you didn't in case you didn't know when you work really
hard with your muscles your muscles get sore.

You guys ever work real hard and your muscles get sore? It means you you
overworked them and what happens when you do this is that they get
damaged and then and then they heal when it takes a few days and they
heal when they heal back you'll be stronger. Your muscles will get
bigger and some people figured this out and they wanted to have big
muscles and so instead of working they go to places called gyms and they
and they pick up these weights and overwork their muscles so that their
muscles will get sore and then their muscles get bigger. That's what
they want is big muscles but they don't really they don't want to work.

They just want to push a bunch of heavy stuff around but but those guys
that the pain is their goal. They they don't sit there being like oh man
that hurts so bad like they went to the gym to do that. They wanted to
to tax their muscles.

Their goal is to have big muscles and it's a similar concept in James.
Walter read it. My brethren counted all joy when you fall into diverse
temptations knowing this the trying of your faith faith work is
patience.

Let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire
wanting nothing. When when we're tried and we're forced to exercise our
patience it's like it's like a it's like a weight and and the more we do
it and the harder that something is and and and if we're able to
maintain our patience will get stronger and will become even more
patient even more perfect and in all of these areas. When it'd be like
when we decided to follow Jesus it's like deciding that that that was
your goal.

You didn't want big muscles. You wanted the fruits of the Spirit and
they come through trials and things that try our patience and that's
when it's happening like you're in you came here for this this is what
this is what we signed up for. So it'd be the the opposite of thinking
of the the servants who worked for the penny who bore the heat of the
day worked all day long and at the end of the day some guys got hired on
they got the same pay but they hardly worked I think it says they worked
one hour and those guys this is that this is that bad thing and we want
to be careful this doesn't rise up in us it's like hey wait I worked way
harder than them how am I only like this is the flesh keeps track of how
much work I'm doing and how much work the other guys doing and I should
be getting paid more or at least some acknowledgement or something where
whereas the the heart that he should have had was oh look like the
master found some guys even at the last hour we're gonna get so much
work done like the goal is the master's garden or but what whatever it
was that the master had there like those guys that worked in early
should have looked up at the last hour and and been like oh good like oh
the masters gonna get so much work done similarly the the prodigal son's
brother he had he had this attitude like this guy's getting a party and
he wasted all your money I've been here being faithful and what do I get
whereas he should have said like oh look how great what a great thing
that's happened he should be pleased for his father and and for his
family a servant's heart is is glad that that the master would profit
he's he's not he's not mad that somebody else's is profiting off of his
labor like it's it's it's a then we find in the world like that we would
be glad that our labors would profit someone else and we don't need rec
we don't need recognition we don't need pay somebody else and this is
again this applies to this applies to the Lord it's for it's the our
lives are spent up for his glory but then I don't want to lose sight
like I'm hoping that every every son every wife every every man would be
recognizing that that this is our life is to be to be spent up to be
used up for somebody else to receive glory for someone else to profit
second Timothy 2 verse 4 no man that woreth entangleth himself with the
affairs of this life that he may please him who has chosen him to be a
soldier our our goal is that we'd be pleasing to him I think this is
what Jesus means when he says who whosoever finds his life will lose it
like if you if you if you go on in the way of this world and find this
life of a boss who who has servants you you missed it but if you lose
your life if you if you abandon the success of this world you'll find
some there'll be an there'll be some true success we in order to follow
God and to be to find our life in him we lose this life on earth we
shouldn't be desiring credit you hear it and young people especially so
I want to challenge any little person and then middle people make
middle-aged people make sure we're getting out of this and old people
this these things should be long gone and let's oh boy if we recognize
these things within ourselves this is way past due but the the tendency
to to something good is happening to hey you know that was that was my
idea I'm the one who thought of that make sure people know that was your
idea yeah I'm the one who did it I built all that I'm the what like
somebody else is getting credit and everybody else is reaping the
benefit I want you to know I'm hey it was me um that did that these are
um I think one of the things Paul's talking about when he says when I
was a child I thought as a child but I have put those things away I
don't need those those things I remember as a youth and even as a young
man and not to say like it wouldn't even still creep up in my life now I
I remember as a young man thinking at different times of my parents you
know I do I do more I do more work around here than they do it's just
such a wicked thought different times I've had jobs where somebody teach
teaches me a skill and then I and then I do this thing and then they
they get paid a bunch of money and I get paid a little bit of money and
I'm looking back and I'm like wait I'm the one who did most I did almost
all the work that guy just kind of gave me the tools and showed me what
to do and got the job but I'm the one who did it it's just it's this
it's this thing in us that that that that has a tendency toward that and
we a servant doesn't really do that a servant is just like okay what's
what's the next job I can do to make my boss a bunch of money if we can
really get a whole like these things I'm saying are should sound foolish
and they this is the cross this is this is foolish thinking but but it's
um but it is it is the truth and and we can have faith that it is it is
it is proper and it is good and it is right these are the teachings of
our Lord but this concept is there like in the things that Walter read
this morning these these things that Jesus taught these concepts are all
I'm just trying to kind of elaborate maybe on this this principle that
he continually brings forth I think of that I've seen I've seen nature
videos where ants are maybe trying to get across something I think it's
answer some kind of bug maybe it's a special kind of ant and the ants in
front just start grabbing on to each other and they grab on to each
other and they grab on to each other and finally somebody makes it
across to the other side and then they and all these ants down at the
bottom are literally becoming a bridge for and then and they're the
other answer I mean there's they they have a goal and that goal is to
get food from here to there or to get the colony from here to there and
these ants might die and they're not even thinking of there they're
thinking of the bigger goal the bigger picture the the hive or the Queen
or the the food for this winter I don't know but I mean they're just
like the they're just glad to be spent up I got a cup out of the bag of
cups over there this morning there's this thing I guess maybe I learned
it as a waiter or something but like if you um if you have a bunch of
stacks stacked up on top of each other say this is the open end where
you put something this is the bottom all like this if you if you take
one off of it like this one's getting dust on the inside of it and then
when you take that one out you're gonna put your beverage in there and
it's gonna have a little bit of dust take it out now some does next
person's gonna get it and they're gonna have a little dust in their
beverage but if you turn it the other way and somebody pulls it off
they're getting the fresh cup and the one at the bottom just keeps
getting dustier and dustier and dustier and but everybody else so that
that that cup is sacrificing itself so that so that all the other cups
can be clean it's it's a restaurant trick but but we should our hearts
should be longing to be what a blessing what a privilege if we're if
we're the ant clinging to other ants taxing our muscles getting our head
stepped on well while the rest the rest are being able to fulfill
fulfill the goal with there that this some guy stepping on my head he's
carrying food over to the hive I'm not sure what you call it the ant
hill everybody's like oh look the app brought a bunch of food and saying
his name he look what a big piece he brought and like we got our head
stepped on over here I mean and the I'll talk more about it in a minute
but the the crux of our faith is that is is that just to continue with
this illustration like those ants over here that are praising the one
ant who brought all the food and you could be sitting there getting your
head stepped on for the good of the of the ant hill wondering where your
recognition is and the crux of our faith is that is it's there though
the one who true recognition comes from he sees and he cares and those
guys over there singing the praises of this the ant who brought the food
to the hive like that's not what it's about that that's not the goal
that guy hasn't obtained like the the thing we need to really get a hold
of is like the he sees and there will be there will be a time when when
he will give rewards there are there are men I know and it's just
imaginations but there's men I know who by by their reputation my
experience with them in my life I just I just I have this idea there's
um there's a couple of young men that I know of and I've never seen this
happen but but based on everything else I've seen in their life I have
this imagination they're at home there with their family they've got
things to do things they would like to do things they've been doing all
day I just imagine they've been working all day they're hoping to get to
and then and then somebody says to them hey and can you do such-and-such
can you do this now and I just imagine them saying I sure can I should
not like oh I was really like I've been working all day and something I
was really hoping to get to and do you think somebody else could do it I
just I just have this imagination in my heart these managers say I sure
can as soon as I'm done with this I'll put that next on my list I've got
a couple of things but and after that I sure I sure will and if you're a
young man you should be wondering if I'm talking about you and I hoping
that I am and if not working toward that that men men would think such
things of you I've had to work with people and and just by their repute
like there's been times I've worked with multiple people and something
needs done and I and I tend to ask this guy here because I just I just
have learned that whenever I ask this guy he's kind of like he'll do it
but man he makes you feel like you're putting a burden on him or
something this other guy just like he jumps right to it and we just we
don't want to be this this guy over here I I remember one time I I
needed some information on a piece of paper I was living I was living
somewhere where multiple people lived and I this is back in the days of
real telephones and I and people being helpless about stuff and I was
far away from the place where this information was on this piece of
paper and I and I called the house and somebody was there and they
answered and I was I was grateful I'm gonna get this information I said
hey can you go I need your help I'm way far away and I need this
information and I need it now can you help me there's a if you if you go
look I don't know exactly where it is but if you go look I know it's
there if you look and I don't remember the details but something like on
my desk there's some papers there should be a yellow piece of paper it's
kind of this size it and it's got some scribbles on it and something and
they're like yeah I guess hang on okay and I'm waiting and I'm waiting
yeah I didn't see it I'm like hey yeah I am helpless here like I know
it's there if you could please just look a little bit harder oh okay
just oh man I just I mean I was just like couldn't this person realize
like they they could be my savior right now they're just like what uh
they should be just like oh what I can help this guy like this guy
really needs something I can be the one to help him but this person just
kind of blew it then there was another time I had I'd gone try to leave
out too I don't want to give too many details but I was going somewhere
and I had left this thing behind I cared about guitars back then and
building and repairing guitars and I had this busted guitar that I'd
left behind and then I got somewhere way far away and changed my mind
that I that I wanted part of this guitar and I and I was like oh what a
I can't just like so maybe I could call back and have somebody no they'd
have somebody would have to cut that off put it in a box go to the mail
post office and send it to me I can't ask anybody to do that or that
would be just too much people would be burdened nobody would and this
this guy popped up in my mind and I just I just knew if I called him and
told him this job that I wanted done he would be like oh yeah I'll do it
I'll just yeah okay how do you want me to cut it okay what do you mean
okay yeah I'll try to get that done I just like I hadn't asked him but I
knew he was the kind of guy that would do that like he just it I knew it
would just delight him to to know that I was helpless somewhere and he
was able to to do something to really help me out and that's I want to
be that guy I I would hope that if somebody needed something they'd be
like if I called buddy he I know buddy would be so glad to whatever it
is get up go pay I mean I I would hope to not just have that reputation
but but but to have that heart this this is basic this is basic
Christianity this is a principle that is as at the the foundation of all
of Jesus teachings this is what it means this this is the cross that we
take Jesus he suffered this thing I mean Jesus taking up his cross was
he was that aunt who I mean I to fit the illustration he would been the
aunt that was getting despised so that others could be could have
success this is this is the thing this concept is is foolishness to the
world it's a it's a stumbling block to those who don't understand the
nature of God it was a stumbling block to the Jews because they thought
God's people should be the greatest people and here comes this guy
saying if you want to serve God you're going to be low that was a
stumbling block to them they could get it but some people hear these
things that I'm describing and and and they'll turn away reject these
things however there was those who have years to hear they'll hear his
voice and they recognize this is an unmatched treasure worthy of
sacrificing all that we have even our even our lives there should be
this this can how these concepts sound to you will determine what kind
of person that you are do these things that I'm saying sound beautiful
to you like like is there is there something in your heart that's like
yes I want to be that's what I want to be I want to be that lowly end I
want to be I want to be that or does if it sounds if it doesn't sound
appealing to you like that that that hope I'm not hope it's not too
lofty for me to say to such say such thing but I think I'm speaking
right now the the Word of God that these are his words to us these are
these are his teachings these these are his principles these are this is
his message to you and if and and you can determine whether or not your
sheep you're his sheep but if you can you hear God's voice in these
things does that does that sound like yes yes Lord that that that these
are the these oh that's beautiful when I when we hear these things there
should be something in us that says oh that's that's beautiful I I want
to be a partaker of that I I want to be a partaker of this also I want
to be a part of that I want to be that that lowly guy that that makes it
so that others can them yes does it seem grievous does it does it seem
unfair I mean who who wants to be a talented hard-working devoted
servant that the masters their skills and brings great profit to their
master and then becomes and then is unacknowledged unrecognized and
unrewarded and on top of that falsely accused of being unfaithful or of
not being profitable nobody wants that but but that's that's what he did
it's what he does every day and it's what we must do if we would be his
children why should we think that we should be treated any better if we
could just lay hold of this attitude like I'm just I'm just a servant if
there if there was such a thing as servant ants and leader ants you know
somebody would say okay servant ants do your thing make your make your
human bridge or your ant bridge and then and then the leaders can walk
across but the servant they would know that that's what they were in for
that that was their job they were servants and they don't they don't
deserve any better because that's their place and this is the the
mindset or the heart for us to wrap ourselves wrap our minds around let
to embrace or troubled when when when we find ourselves down low that
that's what we are we're we're servants that's we are to be spent what
why should I why should I get any better after after what I've done
after what I've cost him and I just say that the enemy the devil he goes
around this world the church goes around in our homes and he whispers in
our ear you deserve better than this you should have gotten acknowledged
for that why why is it always you that gets asked to do these things why
do you always get the hard stuff why you get paid more or more that's
that's the enemy if you if you hear that voice whether it's the flesh
whether it's the devil whether it's the world that it's it's the enemy
that tries to make us think that I'll say it later but in Philippians
chapter 2 it says let nothing be done through strife or vainglory but in
lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves look not
every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others
let this mind be in you which was also in Christ being in the form of
God thought it not robber thought it not robbery to be equal with God
but made himself of no reputation took upon him the form of a sir and
was made in the likeness of men in fact of the cross wherefore God also
has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and
things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the world can't
accept these principles they seem wrong and they they're right like I
think one of the principles of the old covenant and the new covenant is
the old the old covenant kind of established laws and rules and the New
Testament comes along and hear me out kind of breaks them not quite but
the the old covenant teaches what teaches us what justice is I for I
tooth for tooth like that's right but then the new covenant comes along
and says but I say unto you and then he teaches us to suffer injustice
he lays down a principle in the old and then and then he lays out a way
teaches us a way to a way that doesn't quite follow it doesn't quite
follow through with with with what he taught but it uses the principles
but teaches us a new way maybe somebody else can think of a better way
to say that thing that I was I was trying to say that used to be
instructed to kill witches and we don't kill witches anymore but witches
are just as bad as the witchcraft is just as bad as it ever was like he
was teaching he wanted to teach us from the beginning how bad that it is
it's just as bad now as it was then but but we don't we don't execute
the death penalty for for for witchcraft oh maybe another example is he
taught us about this thing called an oath if you make an oath you got to
keep it and then he says okay remember I taught you about oaths okay
don't make those like we I mean we could say but you said those were
he's like okay but remember I taught you how you treat an oath that's
how I want you to treat when you say when you say yes remember how an
oath was that's how you treat it just when you say yes just when you
just say no remember oath it's that but first he had to teach us anyway
so so if there is again in the Old Testament he taught this thing when
you're blessed you're gonna be on top other people are gonna serve you
you're gonna get the the head and not the tail the top and not the
bottom something like that and these so these principles are still there
we we do still we do still want to be the goal is still to be at the top
and not the bottom but but where the top and the bottom are has has
changed at least at least for now at least while we're here and the the
big promise and the the the crux of all this thing is is what our faith
is did was this man who he said he was did he have the authority to do
these things like I'm describing to take the law and say okay but it's
gonna be different now now you're gonna be at the bottom like wait does
this guy have the right to be telling me something different than what
Moses said like our faith is that he does have the authority and that
those things he said are the things from God and we can embrace these
things and and rejoice when he said to rejoice and to feel woe when he
said to feel woe so the there's a sense in which the world or the Jews
were were correct that these things are that these things are
foolishness according to the to the here and now and that and that is
why walking in them is glorious this is this is the thing like that that
gets said sometime what what good is it if you if I'm gonna mess it up
maybe somebody could help me but if you suffer well not what good is it
but like there's things that are just they're just they're just the laws
okay you suffer because you did wrong but you know there's nothing so I
think it says if you suffer maybe suffer patiently after you've done
something wrong there's no glory in it but if you did right and then you
suffer there's glory in that I mean that's that's what he did that's
what there's many reasons why God is glorious but that that's one of the
reasons is because like we like like we read that God humbled himself
God suffered just he didn't just kill everybody that would have hurt him
he just he let men little little men slay him and that's it's a glorious
thing he he's invested in this in this broken thing and and if he if any
little bit of it that gets fixed and becomes better and and becomes like
him is to his glory and so so this is where this is where real glory
comes to be glorious one one of the elements of the of the false gospel
that gets put out is um is this whole idea that somehow you become this
thing called saved but you're still just as you're just still just as
bad as you every as you ever were but God looks down and he sees you but
because Christ is over you and it's this you're still bad and then
there's this other thing called Christ that becomes over you and God
looks down and he sees Christ and he just thinks you're glorious even
though you're really not and the truth is what it those words might be
true but it's not that he sees somebody else like it's you like you
Christ needs to be in us and and then when God looks at us he'll see
Christ if Christ is in us if we're doing the things that Christ does
he'll and what it will actually be glorious and and God will will not be
doing anything wrong when when he glories glorifies us because um
because because we we're worthy of it we did we did bring him glory we
did bring him pleasure we we did conform ourselves and into these into
new creatures I I remember this book about child raising and talking
about our jobs our jobs as a parent is to teach our children to help our
children to become worthwhile whether it's to be to develop skills or to
develop work ethic and then and then they be and they and they know it
they know that they're valuable they know that that they're hard workers
they know that they've helped put food on the table or whatever better
better their home in some way in it and in the in the book I think it
talked about like encouraging them like hey you're you're you sure are a
hard worker you sure are working hard now you you can't just you can't
just tell a child who's lazy and doesn't want to help like oh you're
sure a hard worker when they're really not but when a child when he
knows that it's not just empty praise like there's there's something to
that and this is how God is he he's not just gonna say say we're good
when we're not it's his goal to make us good and and and that if if we
work with him and this thing he's doing is a success and we become
better it gives him glory because he did it and it's this is this
concept of when we receive a crown for our victory and we cast it at his
feet he he did it but but he but he really did it if if we really win
the race if we really endure these things with patience and have the
fruit brought forth in us then we will win and he will have created a
winner so the thing the thing that that makes the difference is um is
our is our faith that that these things are temporal in the fact that he
does see he does see what we're going through though he doesn't he
doesn't remedy every wrong immediately he sees it and he is a rewarder
knows those rewards are going to come later and that this is our faith
we believe somebody could mock us look look but we know he sees and he
will reward this is what our faith is and we endure it because we we
believe we have faith that that's what it is what pleased what pleases
him when we groan under our burdens of service it shows a lack of faith
it says something like that it's something like he doesn't see or that
he isn't good that he's allowing something that's not good but but when
we suffer it patiently we're acknowledging okay I do believe he sees and
I do believe he's in control and he's allowing this and he is and he's
good but one of my greatest consolations in life he sees it's one of it
in Hebrew that's one of his names I forget it but it's L something the
God who sees the one who sees do you know it tail okay Oh Jaira people
say Jaira maybe that's when he sees yeah so God's people live their life
for their master whether it's your your your your home your family your
wife your husband your your parents your boss your landlord the church
like there's there's something above you that is your master and
ultimately it is Jehovah and our lives what we do is we we give our
lives for that which is above us knowing that it gives God pleasure
knowing that it will it glorifies him and that these things that he's
taught us that people who work hard should get paid more and people who
do bad should suffer though we don't see them now it will get worked out
he he sees he's not gonna leave anything untaken care of he's not gonna
leave any work unrewarded we just need to be patient so this is uh this
mindset is is at the beginning of the path the way that we walk in and
it is crucial that I didn't realize that till I did this but you guys
know what crucial means crucial means like it's of the utmost importance
it's so important it's you have to have it and that which since anybody
know the root word of that word crucial who said it cross Cruz la Cruz
in Spanish la Cruz I'd be Latin yeah cross crucial it's it it's
essential the crosses it's it's it's like that if you say something's
crucial you're saying that's as necessary as the cross this concept is
not to be shirked or avoided it's not to be despised but but embraced we
have to embrace it and learn to love it learn to I mean in the meantime
we can try to remind ourselves okay he said I'm supposed to rejoice when
this happens but our goal would be that that that's just what we do like
we we were so anticipating and hoping for this and we've we've changed
we've changed our mind to the point that we we just it's a victory it's
like like a bodybuilder looking at his big muscles like oh I'm gonna be
so patient look that God's gonna be so glorified we we can't skip this
step we can't move on to other things like this this thing must it's
it's at the beginning recognize the truth that's been that's put out by
the world and not and not just by the world but what what I would call
false Christianity and that's that's oh that's this thing that like
because because we know that there's glory coming eventually to walk in
that now I'm a prince I'm a prince of the I'm the I'm the king's son I'm
a prince and but there's a there's a story about it but there was a king
who had a son and he he didn't have good character and so he sent him
off to a place that to go be poor and and work hard and learn character
and then he was then he was worthy and I think similarly like this it's
a step that we can't that we can't skip we can't think of ourselves as
princes and princesses but it's important that we don't skip ahead and
that that's coming it is coming but but it's that should be the goal of
that is is to to be a consolation as we walk in servanthood and to
really that it don't and it's not going to happen unless we do that
unless we embrace servanthood and learn to walk in it and learn to walk
in humility if we don't humble ourselves we won't be exalted we and so
my my goal as I as I consider these things and I try to remind myself
about these things and I try to recognize when when I hear the enemy
whispering probably probably the most important time is when it when it
comes up within my own heart that that I recognize it and and be at war
against it just be just be on the lookout and be ready to recognize any
any part of me that it's just not all about God's glory or the benefit
or profit of for me it would be for my wife and for my my home for every
young I'll just for every young man it would be you know that your your
family would profit you that your parents would profit for wives it
would be that your husband would be would be helped and and look good in
the gates as the King James I'm not exactly sure what that means but you
want your husband to look good in the gates and and and when when the
husband is looks good in the gates that then the children have succeeded
and the wife has succeeded and then and and vice versa you know
especially I can think like when when if my children grow up with with
the servants of God with with character and patience then I then I've
succeeded and ultimately it's it's it would all be God's God's success
we should all be putting putting forth our efforts laying down our lives
pouring ourselves out for the success of his cause for his his glory
yeah I just want to say amen and I really really appreciate that I think
I think it's this this topic is so crucial it just can't be can't be
drilled in us too hard you know I appreciate the many examples I just
thought I think I think Jesus maybe summed it all up when he said he
that seeks to save his life will lose it he that seeks or he that loses
his life for my sake will find it and and how different that is if you
go to schools and public education places and and there's all this
there's all this teaching and all this talk about finding yourself about
building up self-esteem about finding who you are in this world and it's
it's just so different it's so upside down I think it's why why the
early church was rightly accused of they were accused of turning the
world upside down it it was obvious to the world that this this thing is
reversed from what what we know and so yeah I just some of the things I
thought of as you were going through the message you you ended up
talking about later or reading later like how Jesus made himself a no
reputation there in Philippians and I was I was I was really challenged
with just like look thinking back thinking about my life when it comes
to like you know can somebody call me and ask something from me and do I
am I known as a person who would be you know right there and willing and
they would know I'm willing not not just I guess you know I I just I'm
afraid I fall pretty pretty short in that I know I fall short in that
when it comes to you know my wife and children asking things I'm sure I
failed brothers in that I'm really challenged by that but one more
thought I had just something you said I can't even just remember exactly
what I guess it was just about how how much people want recognition for
the good things they do and how unfair it seems to people when when you
know somebody doesn't acknowledge them for something I was just I heard
about I was reminded last evening about the Trump rally in Tulsa and it
kind of made me wish I or think we should have gone out there to preach
maybe I don't know if it would have been good or not but because it was
on my mind I I listened to a small portion of it as as Donald Trump was
talking and and there was this one part where he he was railing on on
the media and and on CNN and accusing them of fake news and and and he
was talking about how just I guess not too long ago somewhere he was
somewhere I think West Point he gave a speech I don't know what all it
was about or what what all the doings was even about but then like after
after this long doings he he walked down off of a ramp kind of slowly or
something and and CNN focused on that like some something's wrong with
his health and and they're at this rally he was he was just railing on
them like here I I gave one of the best speeches I ever gave and guess
what they cover you know they cover that I didn't walk down the ramp
fast enough it's so unfair and I just that's that's the world that's
that's our flesh too and yeah I just really I'm challenged in to to not
only be a servant but really have a servant heart you know not just to
fake that kind of talk but to just to really be like where we're at the
end of everything I could just say I am an unworthy servant I have only
done what it's my duty to do yeah praise God yeah thanks brother I
really appreciated that it made me think about Isaiah and a verse in
Isaiah just read it here 6 8 also I heard the voice of the Lord saying
whom shall I send and who will go for us then I said here I am send me
just thought about the heart of a servant just so willing to serve I was
really encouraged by the message and convicted a lot of things in my own
heart I think I need to really focus on one thought that stand out to me
as Duane was speaking there was how Christians aren't really recognized
very much or we can really be pressing in to do good things and nobody's
noticing that might be discouraging if you look at it in a temporal
sense but if you look at it in the eternal sense it doesn't really
matter it's just a short time down here that nobody might see what you
actually do but but it will be recognized on the day of judgment it will
be recognized by God it will be glorified he will be glorified in you
through you so even even though people aren't recognized now they will
be recognized one day for their service and that's encouraging to focus
on that also another verse I thought about when you're sharing was how
it says I couldn't find it but it says if if need be you are in many
your intent is it something like if need be you're in temptation I can't
think of exactly anyways it sometimes temptation and trials the point I
was trying to bring across was it's needful it really is needful it's
important to go through those hardships and those hard hard times so
that we can be we can become stronger we can become better even though
it's it's painful like the muscles I think there's a saying no pain no
gain in the gym I just really appreciated the message and I'm just
really encouraged I want to try harder to be that guy thank you amen to
the message brother buddy and Dwayne's comments and you guys tales I
guess one of the verse paraphrase it wasn't the one you were looking for
but when Paul was acting like a fool and boasting he said I labored more
than all the rest but not me but the grace of God within me and so like
you were talking about God he'll give you the grace it was the grace and
like brother Dwayne said the way up is down that's the way up is down is
to be a servant and I remember someone he's dead now but Leonard
Bernstein was a symphony orchestra director way back in the 50s and 60s
a great conductor and they asked him what was the more difficult
position to play as you know for musicians because he was the thing
what's the most difficult oh what's the instrument for a musician to
play or what the part and his comment was second fiddle second fiddle
everyone no one wants to be second fiddle like that and Jesus said that
it's not my will it's my father's will and likewise we're doing the same
but I get one criticism against you brother that you lack enthusiasm you
just don't have that enthusiasm and given this lesson no you're very
enthusiastic I appreciate appreciate it there and I throw one comment
that has absolutely nothing to do with the lesson but I'll get feedback
I'm sure I'll get feedback after it but yesterday I didn't have to work
this week and then and so I did on the computer or the smartphone you
know what would I do it out of smartphone right the smartphone I I
googled up so-called man second man to walk in the moon Buzz Buzz Aldrin
and so in Buzz Aldrin the second man to walk in the moon he did
something up there the first man to walk in the moon Neil Armstrong I
thought wasted taxpayers money of course that's what they stopped the
things they could waste the taxpayers money but he took a golf ball and
he took a he hit the golf ball in the moon it was the furthest shot to
that one because gravity is nothing and such a ridiculous thing and Neil
Armstrong he's dead but but Buzz Aldrin the second man to walk in the
moon he did it like nine minutes after him NASA has tried and tried to
hide this thing but you can get it you can get it on there it's in there
it's in there he did it Buzz Aldrin was in Presbyterian minister and on
the moon he took chalice and wine with him and on Sunday he took the
Sacrament of Communion on the moon even though he was he was a fighter
pilot in Korea and he punched a reporter later on but on the moon for
what it's worth I know who gets a Buzz Aldrin he said I wanted to take
the Sacrament of Communion on the moon and he took for one minute he
took a chalice and then and it's not and NASA they admit it but they
can't stand it I know that has nothing to do with your great lesson but
it's just something that we're going to take communion the Lord be
magnified yeah I appreciate it what a scriptures that were shared in the
opening and also thankful for the message on being a servant it was this
is this is a challenge for us to be a servant and it was pointed out in
so many different good ways that I just really appreciate it as
challenging the thought about if we don't really like to be a servant
and we don't really like when things go hard that there's a lack of
faith that would indicate a lack of faith that's I guess I and thinking
it over I I think that is true if we don't believe in the Lord we don't
believe that God is going to take care of us that we don't believe that
he he is the all and the ultimate and he will reward those of us that
diligently seek him then it does make sense it's a lack of faith if we
if we find it difficult to difficult to appreciate the hard things of
like building muscles or that we persevere and that we continue and we
would press on and it's a lack of faith we don't we actually end up we
actually end up being a an eyesore to God or a can't think of the right
word but we're not valuable to God if if we we don't trust him in all
things and this is something I find a challenge in my own life also the
idea that kind of struck a chord in my heart my mind that if somebody
else takes we had an idea and somebody else kind of takes it I I would
have to say I think about it for sure I don't know that means I don't
have enough faith or what but I need to grow a little bit more that I
don't mind if somebody else takes my honor and my my whatever my ideas
or just take them away and I just something something that I can at
least think about it for sure I'm not sure how do how well I do with it
anyways I've been blessed and thankful and praise God I found the verse
I just like to read it blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again into
a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away
reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time wherein you
greatly rejoice though now for a season if need be year in heaviness
through many fold temptations that the trial of your faith being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire
might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus
Christ I I Oh

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/IKsCSn_S1KU.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/buddy-trevino/embracing-servanthood/
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