“Stewards Engaged in Serving” Mark 10.43b-45 stewardship2 Oct. ‘26

 

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who enables us to serve others. Amen. This is the second week for our stewardship emphasis, Stewards Engaged in God’s Work.  Our theme today is serving others.  Our text for this message is Mark 10:43b-45: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2.                I begin this message by sharing the LCMS definition of stewardship.  “Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and of God’s Church in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”  Did the words “free and joyous” jump out at you?  Do you associate the words “free and joyous” as you see opportunities to serve others or while you are serving others?  From our text today, we know that Jesus demonstrated a “free and joyous” life of total service.  He lived for His heavenly Father and for others.  Jesus expects His followers to have the same servant heart as He does. 

3.                Our stewardship is faith in action.  God has given our time, He has given us our talents, and He has given us treasures not only to provide for our needs but to be used in service to others.  But, on our own, it is impossible for us to be “free and joyous” in our service for others.  The concept of serving rather than being served isn’t a natural one.  We have an inborn desire to want to be served ourselves and to have our own needs met rather than to see to others.  We by nature prefer to be “number one.”  For instance, nobody has to teach a two-year-old the word ‘mine.’ In fact, some of us have simply gotten better at saying it more politely as we have gotten older. Because of our apathy, we have a lack of interest in sharing.  God loves changing our mindset from wanting self to serving others.  Seeing others as our brothers and sisters in Christ helps us to follow God’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31). 

4.                A life of service is contrary to what our society promotes.   We are told that we should aspire to fame, power, and wealth. Our culture tells us that we should be famous, powerful, wealthy, and important. Apparently, even our coffee cups and T-shirts now need to know that we’re number one. Servanthood brings little or no glory, spotlight, or fame.  A meaningful relationship with Christ is not possible if we put ourselves first and only seek the goals that are important to the world we live in.  Living a life of service, we give of ourselves without striving for financial rewards or glory.  Unlike the praise we receive from God, worldly praise has no lasting value.  Along with the Apostle Paul we say that we are not trying “to please [men] but to please God Who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4).  As a servant, Jesus was not looking for praise from the masses, because He was only interested in glorifying His Father.

5.                In 2 Corinthians 12:15 Paul declared, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.”  Like Paul, because of our desire to serve Jesus, we will find joy in using our gifts to invest ourselves in other peoples’ lives.  We will gladly forego our interests and begin to live a life of Christian service.  Again, we are encouraged by the words of Paul in Galatians 5:13: “For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

6.                Our freedom should express itself in the form of service.  God brings us into a proper relationship with Himself so we can understand what service He expects from us. Jesus lived a life of compassion for others.  He continually served the hungry, handicapped, and homeless, and we are called to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1). When we commit to serving others, it is not done for our own satisfaction or to put ourselves on a pedestal. Christian service is not about finding a pedestal, climbing onto it, and waiting for everyone to admire our humility. If we are serving so that people will notice how humble we are, we may have missed the point. We serve out of love for Christ and to be worthy of His calling. 

7.                We are enabled to live lives of service to others through a relationship with Jesus.  The Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacraments opens our hearts and minds to understand God’s plan of redemption and salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection.  The relationship that each of us has with Jesus is rooted in love.  John 3:16 tells us that it was because of His love for us that God gave His only son to die for our sins.  Despite our sinful ways, God demonstrated His love for us by giving His only Son to die on the Cross.  In response to His  love for us, we can do nothing but share His love with others.  In John 13:34-35 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), we are empowered to share His love by serving others. 

8.                In his first letter John writes, “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16).  When we love others, God’s love is made complete.  Love is the distinguishing mark of God’s followers.  We are called to model Jesus’ love.  “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  Jesus demonstrated His love to His Father and to us by dying on the cross for our transgressions.  Filled with His love, we can serve others. 

9.                Through the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), we are given an example of how we are to share our love with others.  Traveling on the road to Jericho, the Good Samaritan found a man who had been beaten and robbed.  The Good Samaritan stopped and attended to the injured person. After he had bandaged his wounds, he took him to an inn where the Samaritan paid for his room and care.  The Samaritan sacrificed money, time, and possessions and risked his own health and safety for a stranger who was wounded.  By putting no limits on how far he was willing to go to help this stranger, the Samaritan demonstrated the love we should have for others. 

10.             As God’s disciples filled with His love, we will be compelled to do acts of love for others.  “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV).  Through our acts of love, we will be obeying Jesus’ commandment to love one another.

11.             The following story is another demonstration of what it means to have God’s love within us overflow through to others.  When Sir Ernest Shackleton, An Irish-born British explorer of the Arctic, was asked to describe his most terrible moment in the Arctic, he said it occurred one night when he and the other members of his expedition were huddled together in a barren hut, trying to sleep.  They had divided up the last of their food rations.  There was nothing more to divide. 

12.             Then in the cold darkness, Sir Ernest heard a quiet movement.  He turned and saw one of the men reach over and pick up the provision bag of the man beside him.  Shackleton said he lived through an eternity of suspense the next few moments.  He would have trusted his life to this man.  Was he now turning out to be a thief who would steal his comrade’s last morsel of food?  Then Shackleton saw the man open his provision bag, take out his last biscuit, and place it in the bag of his sleeping friend.  Shackleton said, “I felt I had witnessed a secret moment between that man and God.”

13.             Because God has first loved us (1 John 4:19), each of us can be that person who serves another person by sharing the last of their food.  We can show love to one another in such a way, openly or secretly, that we are raised above the level of mere mortals to become more like our Creator.  That is truly the imitation of God.  As Jesus loved without expectation of that love being returned, so we can learn to love not caring if we receive love in return.  We can demonstrate our love by what we say and do.  As we love others, we will become “little Christs.” As Paul tells us: “Love one another with brotherly affection” (Romans 12:10).  May Christ’s love in us overflow to others.

14.             1 Peter 4:10 is one of many Bible verses that encourage serving.  “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”  The verse outlines three truths.  First, each one of us has received a gift.  Second, we are to serve others.  Finally, we are to be stewards in administering God’s grace, which has been entrusted to us. 

15.             In our faithful service for others, we are serving the Lord.  Jesus said, in “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).  God gives us both strength to do good and to find joy in our service.  In Proverbs 11:25, King Solomon tells us “Whoever brings blessings will be enriched.”  In our service to others, we become channels through whom God works.  We are His hands, feet, and mouth.

16.             Before I close, I want to share this anonymous quote.  It says, “There is a great paradox in reaching out to someone—and that is, the more you reach out to others, the more you will be touched yourself.  Joy and happiness in great measure are waiting for us if we reach just a little further.  In the reaching we become God’s own hand.” Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.

 

“Stewards Engaged in Sharing the Gospel” Rom. 1.16-17, Steward1, Oct. ‘26

1.                Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Today we begin our stewardship emphasis, Stewards Engaged in God's Work. Our text is Romans 1:16-17: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" The message today is entitled, “Stewards Engaged in Sharing the Gospel,” Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                We don't use the word "steward" much anymore, unless we're on an airplane. A steward is someone who manages another's property according to the owner's wishes. In Genesis 1 and 2, God made us His stewards over His creation. And just so we're clear, we are the managers, not the owners. I know, because I've tried to take over the ownership of my own calendar and it has never worked (Just ask my wife and kids). The greatest treasure God has entrusted to us isn't the land, our paychecks, or even our time. It is the Gospel: the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for the salvation of sinners like you and me. By grace, and by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are stewards of the Gospel.

3.                Notice how Paul begins: "I am not ashamed." Why would he say that? Because he knew the temptation. To the Greek, a crucified God was foolishness. To the Jew, He was a stumbling block. And if we're honest, we feel it too. We will talk with great enthusiasm about the weather, football, gas prices, and whether pineapple belongs on pizza, but when the conversation turns to Jesus, we suddenly find our shoes fascinating. We confess that we have been ashamed. We have kept quiet when we should have spoken, and we have buried the treasure like the servant with the one talent. Lord, have mercy.

4.                And He does. That is the whole point of our text. The Gospel is not advice for better living or a five-step plan. It is "the power of God for salvation." It doesn't depend on our eloquence, our personality, or our nerve. In the Gospel "the righteousness of God is revealed." We could never produce that righteousness, so God gave it. "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus "came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10), and that includes you. Your sins, including your silence, are forgiven. "The righteous shall live by faith," and that faith rests on Christ's work, not ours.

5.                Here is the freeing part. If the Gospel is God's power, then the results are His job, not ours. Paul writes, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Our job is to be the mouth, hands, and feet. "How are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14). God has chosen to work through ordinary people like you and me: a neighbor, a coworker, a grandchild, a friend in the next boat. He didn't choose angels for the job. Frankly, I think He knew we'd need the humility.

6.                That is exactly what our Lord commands. Before His ascension, Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:18-20). Notice the "therefore." Because Christ has all authority, because He died and rose, we go. Jesus did not say, "Go, if it's convenient and the weather's nice." And He promises, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." He told us where to begin: "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). For us, that means our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and beyond.

7.                Peter tells us to be ready: "Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). Gentleness and respect, notice. Sharing the Gospel is not ambushing the guy at the gas pump (saying, the power of Christ compels you and throwing a Bible at him, LOL). And sharing the Gospel without love is like playing basketball without the basketball: there's a lot of running around, but nobody's scoring. Our words need to be carried by love. "Love one another with brotherly affection" (Romans 12:10). When people see that love, they will wonder why, and then we get to tell them. We can even brag a little, the way kids brag about their dads: "My Father sent His Son to redeem us, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:5). Let's face it, that tops "my dad can beat up your dad."

8.                Picture those women walking to the tomb on Easter morning. It is barely light. They speak softly, grieving, with their hopes buried. Then they meet an angel, who says, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said" (Matthew 28:5-6). Some of us have walked to the graves of our loved ones this year, bewildered by circumstances and afraid of the future. To us the angel says the same: "Do not be afraid. He is risen." Christ is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20), and we follow Him. Then, almost without taking a breath, the angel says, "Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead" (Matthew 28:7). Go quickly. The first Easter sermon had no three-point outline, and it was gloriously short. (Take notes, Pastor.)

9.                Why is this so urgent? Because every person, whatever else they say about themselves, wants to live. Sin and death have cut that life short, and no one can fix it on his own. The Gospel is God's answer: forgiveness now and life that never ends. When we share it, we offer the greatest gift of love anyone can give, and there's no gift receipt required. Like Peter and John, may we say, "We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

10.             I hope that this message has challenged you to be more intentional in sharing the Gospel.  I want to close my message with two very important thoughts. The first thought or point is that people embrace life, and they want a long life that does not end.  Rev. Alfonso Espinosa in his book Faith that Engages the Culture writes.  “Simply said, the single greatest instinct, desire, and drive in the hearts of human beings is to live.  No matter what drives people or what people say to define themselves, people—all people—embrace life…once a person tastes the gift of life, they do not want it to end.  God knows this.  He created us for life, and He desires that we may enjoy it—literally—forever.  God has done something about our great yearning: it is encapsulated in the Gospel.”  Unfortunately, because of sin in this world, the perfect and eternal life that God had originally designed for everyone has been shortened to seventy or eighty plus years.  Death has entered the world.

11.             The second point is that, through the Gospel, God offers what people need and want and that is life now and a life that never ends.  When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve in the Garden, God demonstrated His love for you and me and all people by sending His Son to earth to secure our salvation to all those who believe.  Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we have received the forgiveness of sins and life eternal with Him. When we share the Gospel, we are telling and offering people the greatest gift of love that can be offered.  

12.             So go, and use your voice, your hands, your gifts, and your offerings so that others may hear. You are not ashamed, because Christ was not ashamed to die for you. The righteous shall live by faith. Amen. Now the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.