August 25, 2024: “What Difference Do I Make?”
Call To Worship:
“Better Is One Day”
Worship In Song:
“Holy Forever”
“Fresh Wind”
Message: “What Difference Do I Make?”
Main Idea:
You King has called you to serve.
Tension:
Abad:
1. Work
2. Worship
3. Serve
By looking at the three meanings of that one word, we can form a more full picture of the difference that God has created us to make.
Matthew 22:37-40
So, how do we love our neighbors as ourselves? We serve them.
Truth:
Mark 10:35-38
In modern English terms, James and John are asking to be given positions of authority whenever Jesus becomes king. They’re saying, “When you’re sitting on the throne, we want to be your go-to people.”
They have no idea how backwards and upside down Jesus’s Kingdom is from the Kingdoms of the world.
What are you chasing? Are you chasing power, status, fame, and fortune? Or are you chasing after Jesus? Is your focus on getting power? Or is it on serving people?
Mark 10:41
The rest of the crew are annoyed at the fact that James and John would ask Jesus to be given these positions of power.
Mark 10:42-45
Jesus wants us to see that what we are typically grasping for is not the same thing as what He’s calling us to.
Being telling us that maybe that’s the way the rest of the world works, but that isn’t how things work in His Kingdom. In the Kingdom of God, greatness comes through service. Making a difference comes through taking the position of a servant and putting the needs of others before our own.
Are you more focused on chasing clout or service people? Because, as disciples of Jesus, as citizens of heaven, we have been called to our King to serve. That’s how we make a difference. Because that’s exactly what Jesus did.
Application
We serve by giving others our time, treasure, and talent.
Sometimes, the biggest difference we make comes from serving in really small ways. Because, in the Kingdom of God, the small things are always a big deal.
If you don’t know where to start, I’ll give you two suggestions:
1. Start with prayer.
2. Show up next week.
Humble service is born out of honest prayers. The more we show up in His house, the more ways he shows us where to serve.
Conclusion
Why do we do this? Because our king has called us to service. And the thing that makes Jesus so incredible is the fact that He didn’t just tell us what to do, He set an example for us to follow.
Philippians 2:3-11
What Difference Do I Make?
Response In Song:
“If I Got Jesus”
(Scriptures and points by Student Pastor Rodney Parker)
