Matthew 5:16 - Serving Faithfully

Foundations: Living on Purpose

We are continuing in our series called Foundations. If you remember way back to the beginning, we kicked this off with the idea of embracing the gospel at a point in time. We call that justification—that moment where you acknowledge the fact that you’re a sinner, that Christ died on the cross for your sins, and you accept Him into your life as Lord and Savior. From that point on, you are made right in the eyes of God.

Then, we talked about embracing the gospel over time. This is the reality that even though you embrace the gospel at a point in time, you are actually still a sinner. There’s a tension between the desire to live in the Spirit and the lingering desire to live in the flesh.

Last week, Mark was here and he talked about the idea that we’re called to live on purpose. He laid out the “Three E’s” of living on purpose: First, we examine the way God has wired us and the experiences He’s given us. Second, we experiment—we just try something out to see where we are called to serve. Finally, we evaluate. After trying that thing, we ask: “Was that actually what God wired me to do?”

This week, we are starting part two of that thought, which is to serve faithfully. In the Foundations curriculum, these are separate, but for the purpose of our time today, they go hand in hand. We have to know how we’re wired and try different things in order to find the place God has called us to serve.

Love is a Verb

Before we jump into our main texts, I want to look at something Jesus told His disciples. He explained how others would be able to see Him through them.

John 13:35 (NASB)

‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’

In other words, there is something inside of us as believers that is observable. As people look at us as disciples, they should be able to see and know that we belong to Jesus.

We have to differentiate this from the common cultural belief that love is merely a feeling. Now, this isn’t a marriage message, but we know that all around the world, people believe love is simply a feeling that comes and goes. It’s the butterflies in your stomach. Yet, in this verse, Jesus says there’s something observable about love. If it’s observable, there has to be something people can see. Love is not just a feeling; it’s actually a verb. It’s an action that happens outside of the internal feeling. You can’t see a feeling.

I have a daughter named Ashton. She’s three years old—the “surprise” fourth daughter. She’s still trying to get the hang of how to go to the bathroom on her own. She’s mostly got it, but she isn’t quite tall enough to get on the toilet yet. So she’ll come to us and say, “Mommy” or “Daddy, I need to use the potty.”

I imagine that if I just stood there, looked at her, and said, “I love you,” while she proceeded to pee all over my floor, that wouldn’t be the most loving thing I could do in that moment. Not to mention, my wife Kristen would have to clean it up because there’s no way I’m touching pee. That’s a half-truth, but you get the point. In that moment, the most loving thing I can do is to pick her up, take her to the bathroom, and place her on the toilet. Simply expressing my love is not actually love in the first place, because the situation calls for an outward expression of my love in an act of service.

The Heart of a Servant

Serving faithfully is not merely something we do with our hands; it starts in our heart. Our best example of a heart of service is Christ Himself. Take a look at how Paul describes Jesus in Philippians.

Philippians 2:5 (NASB)

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Paul is inviting the Philippians, and us, to something greater than what we have on our own. In all of us, there is a sinful heart that, left to its own accord, is selfish. We love the things of the flesh. Paul is inviting us to share in the heart of the God of the universe. He wants us to be dissatisfied with our selfish hearts and instead have the attitude of Christ.

See, outlook determines outcome. If the outlook is selfish, the deeds will be selfish. But if we accept this invitation to have the heart of Christ, our outcomes can become selfless. Serving faithfully begins in the heart because Christianity is never merely about our behavior; it’s primarily about our heart. Paul goes on to describe what this attitude looks like.

Philippians 2:6-8 (NASB)

who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

We have to deal with a theological term here: the hypostatic union. It’s easy to read those verses and think Jesus emptied Himself of His deity to become human, but that’s not accurate. The hypostatic union is the perfect union of 100% God and 100% man. Jesus never lost His deity, but when He was born as a baby, He “put on” humanity.

As He took on humanity, He accepted certain human limitations. As humans, we aren’t all-knowing or all-powerful in our physical bodies; we can’t be in multiple places at once. Jesus took on these limitations, which led to a beautiful dependence on the Holy Spirit. We see this when He draws away from the crowds to pray, or when He asks for the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Paul says that He took the form of a bondservant. This threw the disciples off. They expected the Messiah to come as a King who would rule, reign, and beat back the Romans. They didn’t expect the Savior of the world to come as a servant who had no place to lay His head.

Jesus humbled Himself in the greatest way. The King of the universe looked from His throne and said, “I love my creation too much to stay here.” He came down, was born in a stable, placed in a manger, raised by poor parents, and called disciples who were definitely not the cream of the crop. He served the outcasts, the sick, and the oppressed. In John 13, the Savior of the world washes the feet of the disciples—including the one who would betray Him.

Jesus said, “I came to serve and not to be served.” You guys, Jesus picked a cross over a throne, and He did that for us.

A City on a Hill

Because Christ gave us this example, there should be something noticeably different about us. There should be something people see that makes them go, “That’s unexpected.”

Matthew 5:14-15 (NASB)

’You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does [anyone] light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Throughout Scripture, we see this light and darkness motif—the contrast between the world and heaven, evil and good. Jesus is saying that we are now the light of the world. He challenges us: don’t hide your light under a basket.

The source of the light is Jesus, not us. Our deeds don’t save people; what Jesus did on the cross saves people. He is the light, but we are the lamp. We are like the moon; the moon only shines at night because it reflects the sun. We are only the light in this world as much as we are willing to reflect Christ to those who look at us.

Shortly after I started working here at The Well, I went on an exposure trip to Guatemala. I didn’t have much experience traveling outside the country. We took a red-eye flight, and I was doing that thing on the plane where you keep waking up. Every time I looked out the window, it was pitch black. But suddenly, I looked out and saw this stunning light coming from the ground. It was Mexico City. The light was shining so bright that I could see it from thousands of feet in the air.

I think this is what Jesus is talking about. All throughout Mexico, there are individual homes with lights, but from that high up, you only see the collective light of a community. Jesus is calling us to shine together—to be a city on a hill. We are a community of disciples putting Christ on display for the betterment of the neighborhoods around us.

Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

’Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

It’s like a light bulb. A light bulb doesn’t actually “shine” on its own; it’s the light from the bulb that shines. Our good works share a purpose with the works of Christ: to point people to the Father.

The Blessing of the Basket

In Matthew 14, we see the feeding of the 5,000. Thousands of people were hungry, and the disciples told Jesus they had nothing to offer. A young boy comes up with five loaves and two fish. Now, that sounds like a decent lunch until you realize it was likely five rice cakes and two sardines.

Jesus does what only He can do. But notice this: Jesus doesn’t walk around feeding the people Himself. He could have! He was the one multiplying it. He could have received all the glory and all the thanks directly. He didn’t need the disciples. And yet, He hands the baskets to the disciples, and they walk around and pass out the blessing.

I can’t help but wonder what was going through their minds. They started with five crackers and two sardines, and suddenly everyone is eating. They were experiencing the miracle for themselves because Jesus chose to let them be a part of what He was doing.

Matthew 14:20 (NASB)

and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets.

They ended up with more than they started with. That is the way it is for us. When we serve, the blessings we receive overflow.

To be honest, before Christ, I was probably the most selfish person you would have ever met. Even now, it’s a battle I fight. The world tells us, “You do you” and “Go get yours.” But God has been kind enough to let me experience the blessings of serving Him.

I had a student in my ministry years ago named Maddie. I invested in those kids—I was at their houses late at night when things went wrong, I knew their parents, we did life together. Eventually, I took the job here at The Well, and she went off to college. We lost touch for a bit. One day, she called me and asked if she could interview me for a college paper. Her professor had asked her to write about the person who had most impacted her life.

As I read her words of gratitude in that paper, I promise you, the greater blessing was mine. Whatever it cost me in time or energy, the payoff of seeing God work in her life was greater than anything I ever invested. When we serve, we reap an incredible blessing.

Application: Where Will You Shine?

So, what does it look like for us to be servants?

First, we have to examine our hearts. Ask God for a more selfless heart. No matter how selfless you think you are, you aren’t Christ yet. Service doesn’t start with a checklist of deeds; it starts with an overflowing of the heart. You have to ask for a greater love for Him and for people.

Second, be on the lookout for needs. Ask God to help you observe without the blinders of selfishness. But it’s not enough just to see the need.

James 2:15-16 (NASB)

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that?

We have to take the step to meet those needs. You can do this right here in the church. We need mentors, people to disciple others, and people to welcome others at the door. Whether you have a passion for marriage, kids, or students, there is a place for you. But remember, the work isn’t just “children’s ministry”—the work is discipling and evangelizing.

You can also serve outside these walls. Serve in your home. If you’re a parent, your most important ministry is those kids. Don’t just hope the church will do it in one hour on Sunday; you are the primary discipler. Serve your spouse. Serve in your schools or at your workplace. Be the person who picks up the trash after lunch or the person who listens when a coworker is having a hard day.

Let’s be a church that serves. Let’s be a church that shines. Our purpose is to put the light of Christ on display so that people would turn to Him and glorify God.

Closing Prayer

Father, I’m grateful for Your wisdom and Your love. Thank You for allowing us to serve alongside You and partner in what You are doing. Lord, I know we all have reasons why we think we can’t or shouldn’t serve. But You gave the disciples the incredible blessing of the miracle of the loaves and fish, and You want to give us that same joy. Bless us as we serve You. Give us a heart of servanthood and a deep love for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.