Serve One Another

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:37.880 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:38.679 leave Inspire. 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:41.919 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:42.120 --> 0:01:45.199 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:02:00.560 Enjoy the message now. 0:02:00.600 --> 0:02:03.480 God bless you and thanks so much for letting us 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:06.559 come into your homes. And if you're ever in our area, 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:08.320 please stop by and be a part of one of 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:09.160 our services. 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:11.720 I promise you we'll make you feel right at home. 0:02:11.960 --> 0:02:14.160 But thanks so much for tuning in, and thank you 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.800 again for coming out today. And I like to start 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:20.240 with something funny. And I heard about this husband and wife. 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:21.280 They had been. 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:24.760 Arguing and now they were giving each other the silent treatment. 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:27.120 The man had to get up early and catch a 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:29.440 flight the next day, and he needed his. 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:30.480 Wife to wake him up. 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.240 Not wanting to break the silence, he left a note 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:37.160 on her side of the bed. It said, please wake 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:40.440 me up at five am. The next morning, he got 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:43.400 up at eight o'clock missed his flight. He was so 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:45.720 upset he went in to find out why she didn't 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:46.359 wake him up. 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:48.640 There was a note on his side of the bed. 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:53.040 He opened it. It read, wake up, it's five. Hold 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.880 up your Bible. Say it like you mean it. This 0:02:56.000 --> 0:02:58.480 is my Bible. I am what it says. I am. 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:01.280 I have what it says I have. I can do 0:03:01.400 --> 0:03:03.920 what it says I can do. Today I will be 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:05.200 talkt the word of God. 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:09.960 I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:13.960 I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:14.600 bless you. 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.960 I want to talk to you today about serving one another. 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:23.400 Jesus said, if you want to be great in the Kingdom, 0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.800 if you want to live a blessed life, it's very simple. 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.000 You have to serve other people. 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:33.119 He wasn't talking about an event that takes place every 0:03:33.160 --> 0:03:33.919 once in a while. 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:37.000 He was talking about a lifestyle. 0:03:36.960 --> 0:03:40.600 Where you live to help others. You're always looking for 0:03:40.720 --> 0:03:45.360 ways to serve. You're helping a friend, volunteering at the hospital, 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:49.240 taking care of a relative. It's not something you force 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:52.560 yourself to do. It becomes a part of who you are. 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:57.120 You've developed that attitude of serving, that's when you'll have 0:03:57.240 --> 0:03:59.320 true happiness, true fulfillment. 0:03:59.640 --> 0:04:02.360 Not living to get, but living to give. 0:04:03.240 --> 0:04:06.119 And this is the reason a lot of people are unhappy. 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:11.600 They're only focused on themselves, my dreams, my goals, my problems. 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:15.240 That's going to limit you. You were created to give. 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.520 God puts people in our path on purpose so we 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:21.159 can be a blessing to them. 0:04:21.680 --> 0:04:26.440 Every morning, we should ask God, show me my assignment today. 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:28.800 Help me to see the people that you want me 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:29.400 to be good to. 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.080 My friend, Johnny, I've known practically my whole life for 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:39.200 over forty years. He's always serving other people, running somebody 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.599 to the airport, taking a friend to dinner helping a 0:04:42.640 --> 0:04:46.400 relative with their project. When my dad was on dialysis 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:48.960 and one of the family members couldn't take him, we'd 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:50.360 always ask Johnny. 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.160 We knew he would gladly do it. 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.400 One time I called him on a hot Saturday afternoon. 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.960 He answered, and it was very noisy in the background. 0:05:00.160 --> 0:05:02.320 Could tell a lot was going on, said Johnny, where 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:05.240 are you? He said, I'm on top of a house. 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:09.920 My friend's next door neighbor is an elderly woman, and 0:05:09.960 --> 0:05:12.560 we promised we would reroop her house this weekend. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:14.800 He didn't even know the lady. 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:18.960 It was his next door neighbor's friend. But he's developed 0:05:18.960 --> 0:05:23.840 this habit to serve one another. When you serve others, 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.080 you are serving God. When you do it for them, 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:31.520 you're doing it for him. Jesus said, if you give 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:34.880 a cup of cold water to someone in need, you 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:40.000 will surely be rewarded. Every time you serve, God sees it. 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:43.520 Every time you help others. You go out of your 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.520 way to pick up that friend, you come early to 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:49.440 sing in the choir, you stay late to train that 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:50.400 co worker. 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.040 God is keeping the records. 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:58.359 Nothing goes unnoticed, he says, you will surely be rewarded. 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:02.040 That word surely means you can count on it. Have 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:05.000 no doubt it will happen. Now here's the key. 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:09.440 Don't look for people to pay you back. People may 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:12.360 not say thank you. You may not get the credit 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:16.960 you deserve. Nobody may be giving you an applause. Let 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:18.599 me assure you, when you. 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:22.080 Serve others, there is an applause for you. In Heaven. 0:06:22.560 --> 0:06:27.760 Almighty God sees your sacrifice. You don't need people cheering 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:31.080 you on. You don't need somebody clapping for you. You're not 0:06:31.120 --> 0:06:33.760 doing it for people. You're doing it for God. He's 0:06:33.839 --> 0:06:37.760 the one that matters. He sees every act of kindness. 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:41.320 He sees you volunteering at the hospital. He sees you 0:06:41.400 --> 0:06:44.760 working in the nursery each week. He sees you taking 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:48.039 your neighbor to their doctor's appointment on your day off. 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:52.000 When you serve others, God promises you will be great 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:56.000 in the kingdom. JJ Moses, right here on the front row, 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.960 was a star football player in college. He was draft 0:07:00.279 --> 0:07:03.720 by the Houston Texans and played for them for five seasons. 0:07:04.279 --> 0:07:07.080 JJ was the kickoff. 0:07:06.640 --> 0:07:10.720 And punk returner. He's as fast as lightning, so quick 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:12.040 when he'd get the ball. 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:16.160 He would electrify the crowd darting here, and they're amazing 0:07:16.240 --> 0:07:16.760 to watch. 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:18.960 In the football world. 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:22.440 He was at the pinnacle of success career wise, at 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:26.720 the very top, playing in the National Football League. 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:28.440 Every week in front of millions of people. 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:32.360 But during the off season or whenever he didn't have 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:35.760 a game, do you know where he was every Saturday night. 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:39.600 Not at home with his feet up, not out enjoying 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.600 his celebrity. He was right over here, ushering in this section, 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:51.160 welcoming to visitors, seating people, passing the offering plates. Many 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:56.840 people they didn't know he was a star professional football player. 0:07:57.360 --> 0:07:59.960 In the stadium, all the lights were on him. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.000 Everybody wanted to get a picture, everybody tried to get 0:08:03.040 --> 0:08:03.800 an autograph. 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:05.920 He could have let that go to his head. 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.880 Thought, I'm not gonna usher anymore. I'm big time. I'm 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:14.040 JJ Moses, I'm the original JJ, before JJ Watt I 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:17.840 was here. I don't want to wait on anybody. I 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:19.240 want people to wait on me. 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.280 No, still, every Saturday night he's ushering, week after week. 0:08:23.560 --> 0:08:27.600 He told me, Joel, my greatest honor was not playing 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:30.240 in front of eighty thousand people in the stadium each 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:33.960 week My greatest honor is to volunteer at Lakewood each 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:35.120 Saturday night. 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:37.760 What am I saying? 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:41.600 You're never too important to serve, never too big, never 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:45.280 too influential. I know a man that was worth nine 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.680 billion dollars with the B He's in heaven now. He 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:53.200 started off with nothing, got into oil business, and obviously 0:08:53.280 --> 0:08:56.000 made it very, very big. He loved God. He's a 0:08:56.040 --> 0:09:00.320 good man, always helping others. He owned, among other things things, 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.680 a big retreat center where couples could go and. 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:06.920 Spend the weekend and be refreshed. One day, this couple 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:08.080 came to the front desk. 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:12.200 The receptionist had stepped away, and it just so happened 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:15.439 he was there. He was an older gentleman, very kind, 0:09:15.600 --> 0:09:19.280 very friendly. So he checked them in, gave them their key. 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:21.079 Then he picked up their. 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:23.640 Suitcases and carried them to their room. 0:09:24.160 --> 0:09:26.959 He got them all set up, laid out their bags, 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:30.440 even got them some ice. When he was about to leave, 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.120 the lady reached in her purse and gave him a. 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.080 Five dollars tip. She thought he was the bellman. 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:39.560 And I love the fact that he wasn't too important 0:09:39.559 --> 0:09:40.080 to serve. 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:42.679 He could have said, excuse me, do you know who 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:43.840 I am. I own all this. 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:46.640 I don't need you five dollars. Now here's what I've learned. 0:09:47.320 --> 0:09:51.200 It takes a big person to do something small. It 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.680 takes humility to say I don't have to do this. 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:58.480 It's not required of me. Nobody will fault me if 0:09:58.520 --> 0:09:59.240 I don't do it. 0:09:59.480 --> 0:10:02.840 But I in order to serve God, I need to 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:03.800 serve other people. 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:05.520 And if you want to have a. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:09.840 Great life, it doesn't just come from success, having a 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:11.760 bigger house, more accomplishments. 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:12.640 That's all great. 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:15.559 God wants you to be blessed, But if you're going 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:19.520 to be truly fulfilled, you have to develop this attitude 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:24.280 of serving one another. You were created to make somebody 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:29.559 else's life better. Somebody needs what you have. Somebody needs 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.800 your smile. They need your love, your encouragement, your gifts. 0:10:34.480 --> 0:10:39.040 When you serve others, you will feel a satisfaction that. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:40.120 Money cannot buy. 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:43.360 There will be a joy, a peace of fulfillment that 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:47.800 only God can give. One time, Jesus and his disciples 0:10:47.920 --> 0:10:51.040 had traveled a great distance to the city of Samerian. 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:55.640 They were very tired and hungry. Jesus sent the disciples 0:10:55.679 --> 0:10:58.520 into town to get some food. While he waited by 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:02.360 a well, he met a woman, told her about her future, 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:05.640 and gave her a new beginning. In a few hours, 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:09.199 the disciples came back with the food, but Jesus wasn't 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:13.720 hungry anymore. He was sitting by the well, refreshed at peace. 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.360 They offered him something to eat, but he wouldn't take it. 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:22.559 He said, I have food that you know nothing about. Well, 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:25.360 they thought maybe somebody came and gave him something to 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:29.079 eat while they were away. They started talking about it. 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.679 He was hungry a little while ago, and now he's not. 0:11:32.240 --> 0:11:34.920 He was tired, but now he looks so refreshed. How 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:35.520 could that be? 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:41.040 And Jesus overheard them discussing it. He told them the secret. 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:42.400 He said in John. 0:11:42.240 --> 0:11:46.600 Four, My food comes from doing the will of Him 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:50.280 who sent me to accomplish his work. He was saying, 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:54.360 I get fed by doing what God asked me to do. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:12:00.000 My nourishment comes from helping people. My food, my strength, 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:03.200 my peace, my joy, my satisfaction, it comes when I 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:08.080 serve others. Sometimes you can work all day and naturally 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:10.679 at the end you're kind of tired. But there are 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.520 times when you serve others you get up early. 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:15.480 To help that coworker. 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:18.720 You swing by the hospital and pray for that friend. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:23.120 You mow your neighbor's lawn after work. You should be 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:27.520 tired and run down, but you leave re energized, You 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:32.360 leave stronger, you leave refreshed. Why is that Because when 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:36.520 you do the will of your father, it doesn't drain you. 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:38.040 It replenishes you. 0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:43.040 Many of you today you serve. You volunteer here at Lakewood. 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:46.240 Maybe in your community you get up early and go 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.240 to church on your day off, to work in the 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.120 children's ministry, to sing in the choir, to help others. 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:55.839 Maybe you go clean neighborhoods on Saturday morning with our 0:12:56.000 --> 0:12:59.960 community outreach. Perhaps you spend an afternoon at the prison 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:01.880 encouraging the inmates. 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.679 You'd think you'd be tired, run down. 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:07.479 Man, I gotta go home and rest. I've been volunteering 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:11.240 all day. You know, just like with Jesus, when you 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.600 do what he asks you to do, you're being fed. 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:19.839 Strength comes, energy comes, joy comes, peace comes. You should 0:13:19.920 --> 0:13:24.199 be run down, but when you serve others, God recharges, 0:13:24.600 --> 0:13:28.520 re energizes, refreshes. You don't leave down, You leave up. 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:32.200 You don't leave low, you leave high. God pays you back. 0:13:33.120 --> 0:13:36.960 I know every time I leave this auditorium after a service, 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:40.760 I always leave stronger than I was before. 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:42.000 Why is that? 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:46.960 Because when you serve others, when you make somebody else's 0:13:47.040 --> 0:13:50.880 life better, when you lift people, when you help heal 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.600 those that are hurting, not only are they being blessed, 0:13:54.920 --> 0:13:56.120 but you're being blessed. 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:59.520 You're being refueled. You're getting filled back up. 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:04.560 Now, if you never have any energy, no joy, no strength, 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:08.840 one reason not the only one. One reason may be 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:13.200 because you're not doing anything for anybody else. You got 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:16.640 to get your mind off of yourself. Go to the 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:20.960 senior's home and cheer somebody up. Bake your neighbor a cake, 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:25.720 coach the little league team. When you lift others, God. 0:14:25.520 --> 0:14:26.600 Will always lift you. 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:30.040 And this should be something we do, not every once 0:14:30.080 --> 0:14:32.920 in a while if we have some extra time. No, 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:36.600 this should be a lifestyle where it's a part of 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:37.400 our nature. 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:40.760 We're always looking for ways to be a blessing. 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:44.760 And it doesn't have to be something big. It can 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:50.680 be something small. Simple words of encouragement can brighten somebody's day. 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.880 One time, Victoria was walking through the hallway after service. 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:57.960 We had just dismissed, and there were hundreds of people 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:02.040 in the corridor. The Victoria passed a young lady. She 0:15:02.160 --> 0:15:05.200 stopped her, looked her in the eyes, and said, you 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:10.600 are so beautiful. Ten second conversation, No big deal. They 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:13.920 both went on their ways. A couple of weeks later, 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:17.440 the young lady told me how that was a turning 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:20.680 point in her life. She had just gone through an 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:26.920 abusive relationship, and she felt so unattractive, so bad about herself, 0:15:27.000 --> 0:15:29.080 so beaten down by life. 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.080 She said, when Victoria said those. 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:36.160 Words, you are so beautiful, it was like a chain 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:39.480 was broken off of my mind. Something came back to 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.000 life on the inside. 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:43.600 The scripture says. 0:15:44.280 --> 0:15:49.520 Kind words work wonders all through the day. We can 0:15:49.640 --> 0:15:55.720 serve God by speaking kind words, giving a compliment, giving encouragement. Hey, 0:15:55.760 --> 0:15:58.720 I love you, Hey, you look beautiful. I believe in you. 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:02.720 I'm praying for you. Simple things can make a big difference. 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:06.360 And really this should start in our homes. 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:08.400 It's great to serve. 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:11.640 People when you're out in public, that's important, but make 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:16.200 sure you serve your own family husbands. 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:17.880 Serve your wife. 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.240 Honey, I'm going into the kitchen, can I bring you 0:16:20.320 --> 0:16:21.080 anything back? 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:23.760 Or let me run get your car filled up with 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:25.680 gas so you don't have to tomorrow. 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:28.240 Let me help the kids do the homework. You take 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:32.320 a night off, be a blessing to your spouse. I'm 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:36.440 convinced if we would have this servant's mentality, more of 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:37.960 our marriages would stay together. 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:38.920 Now. 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.000 I know husbands that they expect their wife to do 0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:42.880 everything for them. 0:16:43.520 --> 0:16:46.000 I'm not gonna serve her. I want her to serve me. 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:49.640 Cook clean, bring me my food, make sure my clothes, 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.360 or walk, keep this house straightened up. 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:53.720 That's not a wife, that's a maid. 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.920 You might as well call a cleaning service. You can 0:16:57.000 --> 0:17:02.040 hire somebody to do that. If you want a wife, 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:05.280 if you want a friend, a lover, somebody to make 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:07.879 your life great, you've got to serve that woman. 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:11.680 Make her feel special, bring her breakfast in. 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:16.360 Bed, pick up your own stinky clothes, help with the children. 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:21.480 It's not a dictatorship, it's a partnership. 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:27.800 Well, Joe, the Bible says the wife. I have a 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.439 feeling there's more ladies here than men. But Joel, the 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:34.520 Bible says, the wife is to submit to her husband, 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:36.280 the only scripture. A lot of men know. 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:41.880 Yes, but It also says the husband is to love 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:47.399 his wife like Christ loved the church. Jesus modeled a 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.679 servant's attitude. He had all the power in the world, 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:55.719 the most influential person that ever lived, Yet he bowed 0:17:55.800 --> 0:17:59.680 down and washed his disciples feet. He could have hired 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.280 somebody to do it. He could have called an angel 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:04.160 down from heaven and said, hey, wash their feet. 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:06.080 I don't feel like it. They stink today. 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:09.080 Matthew's got some fungus on his toes. 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:10.440 Peter needs some motor eaters. 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:15.359 No, he willingly bowed down, pulled out his towel, washed 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:19.000 their feet one by one. He did this as an 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:22.960 example so we would know we're never too important to 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:26.800 be good to people. You're never too high to where 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:30.640 you can't bow down low and serve somebody else. The 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:34.520 more humility you walk in, the more you serve others, 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:35.800 the higher. 0:18:35.560 --> 0:18:38.080 God can take you and some of you. 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:42.040 If you'd start serving your wife, serving your husband, you'd 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:43.840 see that marriage go to a new level. 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:45.800 I heard about this guy. 0:18:46.200 --> 0:18:48.920 He was bragging to all of his buddies about how 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:52.040 he was the head of his house. He said, yeah, 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:55.280 I run things around my house. About that time, his 0:18:55.359 --> 0:18:58.240 wife walked up. He said, I run the vacuum, I 0:18:58.320 --> 0:19:02.680 run the dishwasher. Victoria and I made an agreement when 0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:06.520 we got married that I would make all the major decisions. 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.960 She would make all the minor decisions. It's funny, in 0:19:09.960 --> 0:19:13.560 twenty six years of marriage, there's never been a major decision. 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:19.600 Let me ask you, who are you serving? Who are 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.080 you lifting up? Who are you being good? To be 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:25.360 on the lookout for ways that you can be a blessing. 0:19:25.840 --> 0:19:29.040 God puts people in our path so we can brighten 0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:29.639 their day. 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:33.280 A few months ago I was able to baptize nearly 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:35.359 eight hundred people on a Saturday. 0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:36.520 There was an. 0:19:36.440 --> 0:19:39.840 Older gentleman there that he had had a stroke and 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.600 he didn't have any kind of mobility, couldn't walk, and 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:46.640 they rolled him in in a wheelchair. The young man 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:49.800 that was pushing him, he looked to be about my age, 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:52.680 and you could tell he really cared about this man. 0:19:53.000 --> 0:19:55.679 He went to great links to make sure he was okay. 0:19:55.720 --> 0:19:58.439 And to get into baptistry you have to walk up 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.760 some stairs and then walk back down into the water, 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:06.160 and some of the workers lifted up the older gentleman. 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:10.280 That young man he put one arm under his knees, 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:14.359 one arm under his back, and he carried him into 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:15.600 the baptistry waters. 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:17.679 Was a very moving scene. 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:21.320 Seeing this older man crippled, couldn't walk, yet he was 0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:24.840 so determined he wanted to be baptized, and seeing the 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:26.399 young man carry. 0:20:26.200 --> 0:20:27.640 Him down into the waters. 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:30.320 After we got him baptized, we put him back in 0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:32.520 the wheelchair and I said to the young man, is 0:20:32.520 --> 0:20:33.280 that your father? 0:20:33.920 --> 0:20:37.160 He shook his head no. I said, was he your relative? 0:20:37.240 --> 0:20:38.440 Your uncle? Who is this? 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:42.480 He told how he was a random man that he 0:20:42.600 --> 0:20:46.639 sat by one Sunday at Lakewood. Never met him before, 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:49.159 but it was the Sunday that I announced that I 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:52.840 would be baptizing people in water. The older man turned 0:20:52.840 --> 0:20:55.200 to him and just in passing, said, wow, I wish 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:58.199 I could be baptized. I guess I waited too long. 0:20:58.520 --> 0:21:01.399 I can't walk anymore, so I guess I missed my chance. 0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:04.080 The young man told him that he would help him 0:21:04.119 --> 0:21:08.480 to get baptized, and that older man said, I don't 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:10.720 have a ride, and I don't have any family here, 0:21:10.760 --> 0:21:11.639 and I can't walk. 0:21:11.760 --> 0:21:14.280 He said, don't worry about it. I'm gonna take care 0:21:14.320 --> 0:21:16.000 of you. He went and picked him. 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:19.040 Up got him to the fourth floor, had him baptized. 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.800 He had only met the man one time before. My 0:21:22.960 --> 0:21:27.240 prayer is, God, help us to have that same compassion. 0:21:27.800 --> 0:21:31.520 Help us to not be so busy, so preoccupied with 0:21:31.600 --> 0:21:36.840 our own affairs, that we can't serve somebody else. God 0:21:36.960 --> 0:21:42.560 is asking us today, will you carry someone, Maybe not physically, 0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:45.720 but will you help lighten their load? Will you help 0:21:45.800 --> 0:21:48.280 make their dreams come to pass? Will you go out 0:21:48.320 --> 0:21:51.560 of your way to be a blessing to them? Helping 0:21:51.760 --> 0:21:55.280 less fortunate people is the closest thing to the heart 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:59.040 of God. I will never forget that image of that 0:21:59.200 --> 0:22:03.479 young man carrying that crippled man into the baptistry for 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:07.080 as long as I lived. I could understand it if 0:22:07.119 --> 0:22:09.879 it was his father. It would make sense to me 0:22:10.000 --> 0:22:13.199 if it was a relative, a long time friend. But 0:22:13.320 --> 0:22:16.920 he did it for a total stranger. He gave up 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:20.840 his Saturday. He could have been out goofing off on 0:22:20.920 --> 0:22:23.520 his day off, down at the beach, working out, hanging 0:22:23.560 --> 0:22:27.280 with friends. Nothing wrong with that. But his attitude was, 0:22:27.840 --> 0:22:32.200 I have an assignment. There's somebody God put in my path. 0:22:32.040 --> 0:22:35.399 On purpose, so I can serve somebody. I can brighten 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:35.840 their day. 0:22:36.400 --> 0:22:40.240 Somebody I can make a difference in their life. Jesus said, 0:22:40.680 --> 0:22:43.000 when you do it to the least of these, you're 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:43.720 doing it under me. 0:22:44.320 --> 0:22:46.960 I love the fact that this young man, he wasn't. 0:22:46.760 --> 0:22:50.560 Looking for any recognition. He wasn't making some big announcement. 0:22:50.600 --> 0:22:52.919 Look at me, everybody, I'm doing a good deed. He 0:22:52.960 --> 0:22:57.240 didn't have anybody cheering him on. He was quietly serving 0:22:57.280 --> 0:23:00.480 this other man. Nobody would have known about it if 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:04.280 I hadn't have said something. Many of you, like him 0:23:04.600 --> 0:23:08.000 are constantly being good to people, going out of your 0:23:08.040 --> 0:23:12.960 way to be a blessing, making sacrifices nobody knows about. 0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:16.720 Let me tell you, God sees what you're doing. He 0:23:16.920 --> 0:23:18.640 sees your heart of compassion. 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:22.760 Nobody may be clapping for you down here, but up there, 0:23:22.800 --> 0:23:24.359 all of Heaven is cheering you on. 0:23:25.359 --> 0:23:25.560 See. 0:23:25.600 --> 0:23:29.760 I realize I'm receiving some of my reward right now. 0:23:30.359 --> 0:23:33.840 People thank me, cheer for me, clap for me. I'm 0:23:33.960 --> 0:23:37.760 very grateful, I'm very flattered. But when nobody is clapping 0:23:37.800 --> 0:23:40.800 for you, when you're not being told thank you, you're 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:44.919 not getting the recognition. Don't be discouraged and think that 0:23:44.960 --> 0:23:49.840 you're being overlooked. Your reward will be greater when people 0:23:49.880 --> 0:23:53.040 give you credit. That's part of your thank you, that's 0:23:53.080 --> 0:23:56.600 part of your reward. But when nobody's given you credit. 0:23:57.200 --> 0:24:01.560 The scripture says, what you do in sin, God will 0:24:01.640 --> 0:24:04.879 reward you in the open. And when it comes time 0:24:05.040 --> 0:24:07.720 for the rewards to be passed out, some of us 0:24:07.760 --> 0:24:10.000 that are in the front now are going to have 0:24:10.080 --> 0:24:10.840 to step back. 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:12.400 And the people that. 0:24:12.320 --> 0:24:16.480 Were behind the scenes, the ones that volunteered year after 0:24:16.560 --> 0:24:20.120 year with no great applause, the ones like this young 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:24.320 man that went to great sacrifices to make somebody else's 0:24:24.400 --> 0:24:28.240 dreams come to pass. The ones that have given time, energy, 0:24:28.400 --> 0:24:31.600 money that nobody knew about, those who are going to 0:24:31.600 --> 0:24:35.760 be the greater rewards. Not long ago, one of our 0:24:35.880 --> 0:24:38.840 ushers went to be with the Lord. He had volunteered 0:24:38.880 --> 0:24:41.320 here for nearly thirty years. 0:24:41.080 --> 0:24:42.399 As faithful as can be. 0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:46.320 He was an older gentleman, and he always dressed nice, 0:24:46.880 --> 0:24:50.679 had a pleasant smile, a quiet demeanor. I don't know 0:24:50.760 --> 0:24:53.360 that I ever spoke to him personally, but I remember 0:24:53.400 --> 0:24:57.280 seeing him month after month, service after service. You could 0:24:57.280 --> 0:25:01.120 count on him. My mother helped a fish at the funeral. 0:25:01.760 --> 0:25:04.680 One of his requests is that he would be buried 0:25:05.040 --> 0:25:08.800 wearing his Lakewood Usher's badge. And there he was in 0:25:08.880 --> 0:25:12.159 the casket in his finest suit, and on it was 0:25:12.200 --> 0:25:14.720 the badge that he had worn for nearly thirty years. 0:25:15.240 --> 0:25:18.440 He was so proud to be an Usher. He could 0:25:18.480 --> 0:25:19.240 have been buried with. 0:25:19.240 --> 0:25:23.800 Anything he wanted, but his greatest honor was serving other people. 0:25:24.520 --> 0:25:25.080 Don't you know? 0:25:25.359 --> 0:25:29.719 When he arrived in heaven there was an amazing welcoming ceremony. 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:34.000 I can hear the angels sing, I can see people clapping, 0:25:34.320 --> 0:25:37.679 I can see the trumpets blowing. See there wasn't a 0:25:37.680 --> 0:25:42.239 lot of fanfare, not a lot of applause for his 0:25:42.359 --> 0:25:46.040 life of service and generosity here on the earth. 0:25:46.680 --> 0:25:50.280 But nothing goes unnoticed. You will be rewarded. 0:25:50.800 --> 0:25:54.840 The scripture tells how when Stephen went to Heaven, Jesus 0:25:54.880 --> 0:25:59.159 stood up to welcome him. Jesus is normally seated at 0:25:59.200 --> 0:26:01.800 the right hand of the Father, but I believe there 0:26:01.800 --> 0:26:05.320 are times like with this Usher when he arrived an 0:26:05.480 --> 0:26:06.520 unsung hero. 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:08.280 There will be times when. 0:26:08.200 --> 0:26:11.800 Jesus says, you know what, this one deserves a standing ovation. 0:26:12.200 --> 0:26:15.800 He'll stand up to welcome you home. I heard about 0:26:15.840 --> 0:26:17.479 this older missionary couple. 0:26:18.080 --> 0:26:22.040 They had served over in Africa for more than sixty years, 0:26:22.320 --> 0:26:26.040 helping the less fortunate people, given their whole life and 0:26:26.119 --> 0:26:29.399 done so much good. Now they were returning home to 0:26:29.480 --> 0:26:33.080 New York City to finally retire. It just so happened 0:26:33.080 --> 0:26:37.160 they were booked on the same ship with President Teddy Roosevelt. 0:26:37.680 --> 0:26:41.560 He was returning home from one of his big hunting expeditions. 0:26:42.160 --> 0:26:44.359 When the ship pulled into the dock in New York, 0:26:44.520 --> 0:26:48.679 there was all this fanfare. Band was playing, The mayor 0:26:48.720 --> 0:26:52.200 and other dignitaries lined up, balloons going up in the air, 0:26:52.320 --> 0:26:56.879 confetti coming down. When the crowd saw President Roosevelt step 0:26:56.960 --> 0:26:59.959 off the boat, they begin to cheer, tens of thousand 0:27:00.240 --> 0:27:04.119 of them waving, cheering, trying to snap a picture. The 0:27:04.119 --> 0:27:08.800 missionary said to his wife, doesn't seem right. We've given 0:27:08.840 --> 0:27:12.240 our whole life to help other people, to give, to serve, 0:27:12.320 --> 0:27:15.600 to make a difference. He goes on a vacation and 0:27:15.640 --> 0:27:20.320 the whole world welcomes him home. Nobody even knows we're here. 0:27:21.000 --> 0:27:24.359 They got off the ship very discouraged. That night he 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:28.240 was praying, said God, I don't understand it. He goes 0:27:28.280 --> 0:27:31.960 on vacation and comes home to the fanfare of the world, 0:27:31.560 --> 0:27:34.440 and we come home after a whole life of service, 0:27:34.480 --> 0:27:39.560 and nobody even says hello. Down in here, he heard God. 0:27:39.320 --> 0:27:40.040 Speak to him. 0:27:40.400 --> 0:27:44.360 He said, son, it's because you're not home yet. 0:27:44.920 --> 0:27:48.600 There will be a celebration. There will be a reward. 0:27:49.720 --> 0:27:53.000 You will hear a band playing like you've never heard before. 0:27:53.560 --> 0:27:56.240 It will be the angels. All of heaven will welcome 0:27:56.280 --> 0:28:01.960 you home. Many of you have been faithful, served, volunteered, 0:28:02.440 --> 0:28:07.680 be encouraged. Today God sees every act of kindness. Nothing 0:28:07.800 --> 0:28:08.960 goes unnoticed. 0:28:09.200 --> 0:28:10.760 You will be rewarded. 0:28:11.200 --> 0:28:13.680 Remember, when you do what God asks you to do, 0:28:13.840 --> 0:28:18.840 you're being fed. You're getting stronger, refreshed, reenergized. So be 0:28:18.960 --> 0:28:21.840 on the lookout this week for ways that you can 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:25.960 be good to people. If you'll develop this lifestyle of serving, 0:28:26.280 --> 0:28:29.600 God says you will be great in the kingdom. Now 0:28:29.600 --> 0:28:33.760 I believe and declare, because you serve others, you're coming 0:28:33.800 --> 0:28:38.000 into your reward. You're coming into favor, coming into healing, 0:28:38.360 --> 0:28:40.840 coming into promotion, coming into breakthroughs. 0:28:41.160 --> 0:28:42.200 You're coming in. 0:28:42.000 --> 0:28:46.200 To new levels of God's goodness. In Jesus' name, if 0:28:46.240 --> 0:28:48.040 you receive it, can you say amen? 0:28:48.080 --> 0:28:48.400 Today? 0:28:50.120 --> 0:28:53.080 Well, we never like to close our broadcast without giving 0:28:53.120 --> 0:28:54.840 you an opportunity to make. 0:28:54.720 --> 0:28:57.360 Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? 0:28:58.120 --> 0:29:03.440 Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins. Come 0:29:03.440 --> 0:29:08.880 into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior. Friends, 0:29:08.920 --> 0:29:11.280 if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got 0:29:11.280 --> 0:29:14.840 born again. Get in a good Bible based church. Keep 0:29:14.880 --> 0:29:17.600 God first place. 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