Stewardship of Service
Stewardship: God-given responsibility with accountability.
Four Key Principles of Stewardship
1. God owns everything, I own nothing
2. God entrusts me with everything I have
3. I can either increase or diminish what God has given me; God wants me to increase it
4. God can call me into account at any time, and it may be today
John 13:17 - If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
4 principle to help us grow in serving our God
I. Serve When It is Hard
A. When the timing is bad
John 13:1 - Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
B. When it is personal and painful
John 13:2 - During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him…
II. Serve with the Right Focus
John 13:3 - Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands…
A. With confidence in your identity
John 1:12-13 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name…
B. With an eye on eternity
John 13:3 - [Jesus, knew] that He had come forth from God and was going back to God…
III. Serve with Excellence
A. Work hard
John 13:4-5 - [Jesus] got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
B. Tailor your service to the individual
John 13:6-10 - So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…
IV. Serve with Humility
John 13:12-14 - So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
A. Without expectation
B. To become like your Master
John 13:15 - For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
C. Trusting the Lord’s promise
John 13:17 - If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
