Month 3 - Servanthood | Week 4 - Finishing Well

Scriptural anchors for us through M3 - Week 4:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (ESV)

“…your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV)

Jesus isn’t just teaching effectiveness here - He is revealing the importance of dependence.

True fruitfulness and finishing well are not the result of our effort, talent, or strategy.It is the byproduct of abiding - staying, remaining, clinging to Him as our source and King.

That is the core word for us this week, that we need to pray, think and research on;

“ABIDE”

Service that is detached from the Vine becomes performance.Service that flows from the Vine becomes perseverance, purity, and power.

Abiding forms the inner life (Psalm 1:2–3).

It purifies our motives (John 15:2).

It roots us in His love (John 15:9–10).

And it strengthens us to finish well (Hebrews 12:1–2).

Finishing Well - In Scripture & the Story of the Church

When God highlights those who finish well, He rarely points to the spectacular. He points to the servants. This is the pattern in Scripture, and this is the pattern across the 2,000+ years of Christianity. Today, we will take a look at 5 examples from across Church history to see what we can learn about finishing well.

1. St. Macrina the Younger - The One Who Shaped Giants (c. 330–379)

Macrina was the older sister of Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa - two of the greatest theologians in church history.

As far as we know, she never wrote a treatise.She never led a movement.She never preached.

Instead, she served her widowed mother,trained servants in Scripture,and discipled her siblings in holiness.

Gregory said she was “the teacher of teachers.” St. Macrina is responsible for some of the greatest church leaders. She finishes well because her hidden servanthood became the soil for some of the greatest minds of early Christianity.

2. Brother Lawrence - Practising the Presence of God in the Kitchen (1614–1691)

Brother Lawrence was a limping monastery cook.No title.No status.No education.

But he saw and served across economical and social lines, and then washed dishes with more joy than kings ruled kingdoms.

He said:

“We can do little things for God.I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for His love.”

His entire life was servanthood through simplicity, devotion, and nearness to God in the mundane.

His letters became the spiritual classicThe Practice of the Presence of God.

He finishes well because he served God: not in the sanctuary, but in the scullery aligned and abiding with God.

3. St. Elizabeth of Hungary - A Princess Who Served the Poor (1207–1231)

Elizabeth was royalty.But she spent her life feeding the hungry,tending to lepers,giving away wealth,and using the castle kitchens to serve orphans and beggars. Chosing to abide in the heart of God instead of the heart of the world.

Her court thought she was wasting her position.Heaven thought she was fulfilling it.

She dies young but finishes well, spending her last years personally caring for the sickin a hospital she founded with her dowry.

4. St. Moses the Black - From Violent Gang Leader to Humble Servant (330–405)

Once a feared criminal,Moses encountered Christ and became a monk in the Egyptian desert.

He served the brothers:carrying water,tending the monastery at night,and showing radical forgiveness to intruders and thieves.

His humility became legendary. His ability to remain abiding with God amidst challenging scenarios was unmatched.

At his martyrdom, he refused to flee, saying:

“For many years I have been waiting for this moment.”

He finished well because he traded violence for servanthood and became one of the saints of the desert.

5. Fabiola of Rome - Founder of the First Christian Hospital (d. 399)

A wealthy Roman noblewoman,after repenting from a broken life,Fabiloa devoted herself completely to serving the sick.

She:

built the first-ever Christian hospital

personally nursed the dying regardless of the risks to her own health

spent her fortune on medical care

served refugees, the homeless, and the abandoned

Jerome (the Bible translator) wrote:

“She made the streets of Rome her church.”

She finished well because she turned privilege into a basin and towel.

The Pattern

Macrina disciples giants in obscurity.Brother Lawrence turns kitchen work into worship.Elizabeth pours out royal privilege for the poor.Moses the Black exchanges violence for humility and forgiveness.Fabiola spends her wealth to heal the suffering.

Different centuries.Different cultures.Different stories.Same posture:

Servanthood is how the Kingdom finishes well.

Not through brilliance.Not through status.Not through visibility or earthly crowns.

But through abiding obedience,faithful, quiet, hidden, and steadyall the way to the end.

These lives remind us that the fruit God values most is grown in the soil of surrender.And every servant who abides in Him bears fruit that will last.

The Hidden Furnace Where God Forms Servants

The unseen places of obedience are where the foundations of “finishing well” are laid.

Greatness in the Kingdom is not measured by:

productivity

visibility

efficiency

or applause

It is measured by the long obedience of a surrendered heart.

Scripture shows again and again that God invests the most in those who seek Him when no one else is looking.

Elijah learned to hear God not in the wind or fire, but in the silence (1 Kings 19:11–13).

Jeremiah carried the agony of prophetic ministry not from crowds cheering but from lonely faithfulness (Jer. 15:17).

Paul spent three silent years in Arabia before preaching a single sermon (Gal. 1:17–18).

They didn’t become servants because they were strong.They became servants because God met them in solitude and reshaped them there.

The hidden furnace is where God forges steel into the soul.

Obscurity Is Often God’s First Assignment

We often imagine the calling of God as a dramatic commissioning.In reality, most servants begin in obscurity - not punishment, but preparation.

Joseph’s shaping did not begin in Pharaoh’s court but in Potiphar’s house and a prison block.

Esther’s preparation for destiny happened long before the throne - in a quiet year of hidden formation (Esther 2:12).

John the Baptist grew in strength in the wilderness, not in Jerusalem’s spotlight (Luke 1:80).

Obscurity is not the absence of God’s calling - it is the workshop of His calling.

It is in the unremarkable places that God prepares remarkable people. It is in abiding that he establishes.

Those who finish well do not rush out of obscurity.They allow themselves to be shaped by it.

The question isn’t, “Am I being used by God?”The question is, “Am I letting God form me where no one else sees?”

The Weight of Glory Requires the Weight of Humility

Every servant God trusts with influence must first be trusted with humility.

Influence will weaken you if humility has not strengthened you.

Richard Baxter said:“Pride is the enemy of every ministry, and humility its greatest armour.”

C.S. Lewis wrote:“Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”

Humility is not self-reduction.It is God-exaltation.It is the posture that says:

“Father, not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

The Kingdom does not advance through impressive people,but through yielded people.

Abided-Servanthood is the only posture capable of carrying the weight of glory

Finishing Well Requires the Long View

Many start well.Few finish well.

Why?

Because finishing well requires:

long obedience

long endurance

long humility

long faithfulness

long repentance

The Christian life is not a sprint - it is a slow, sacred tread toward Christlikeness.

Paul didn’t say, “I sprinted well.”He said:

“I have finished the race.” (2 Tim. 4:7)

Finishing well means:

staying faithful when emotions fade

staying humble when influence grows

staying surrendered when comfort tempts

staying obedient when no one else notices

The great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) is full of saints who simply refused to quit serving Jesus.

Finishing well is not about brilliance.It is about steadfast, servant-shaped endurance.

Practice: Three Secret Acts of Service This Week

1. Serve Someone Who Cannot Repay You

Find someone outside your circle of influence who cannot strengthen your brand, reputation, or comfort. Serve them with joy and no expectation.

“Do good… expecting nothing in return.” (Luke 6:35)

2. Choose the Lower Place on Purpose

At work, at home, at church - take the low seat. Pick the role no one wants. Do the job no one sees.

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled…” (Luke 14:11)

3. Pray for a Servant’s Heart, Not a Successful Outcome

Ask the Spirit to prune comparison, ambition, image-management, or hurry. Ask Him to cultivate gentleness, meekness, and joyful obedience.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Phil. 2:5)

Reflection Questions For Week 4

Which part of your life has God been trying to shape in the hidden place?

What assignment feels “too small,” and could that actually be your training ground?

Where has ambition or self-promotion crept into your discipleship?

Who can you serve this week who couldn’t possibly repay you?

What rhythms of humility is the Spirit asking you to adopt for the long journey ahead?

Watch / Listen / Read

Watch

This week are bringing other voices to the same topic via short sermons. Below is a selection of intriguing perspectives and thoughts on our theme this month.

Greatness, Humility, Servanthood - Desiring God

This sermon explores the paradox of Christian greatness: the world seeks power; the Kingdom values humility and servanthood. It’s a strong complement to your teaching on finishing well by serving quietly, faithfully, humbly

Leading As A Servant - Voddie Baucham

In this sermon, Voddie Baucham unpacks what it means to lead as a servant, emphasizing humility, sacrificial love, and putting others first.

Philip Anthony Mitchell – “ENTRY & END TIMES | Don’t Waste Your Talents”

This teaching from 2819 Church challenges listeners to steward their gifts faithfully and warns against burying what God entrusted to them.

📅 This Week’s 30-Min Rally Point

We’ll meet for our 30-minute rally point this Thursday at 7:00 PM EST via Zoom.This week, we have Pastor Zach Meerkreebs joining us as a guest speaker.

🕖 Zoom Time: Thursday @ 7:00 PM EST🔗 Click to join the Zoom call - Zoom URL

Next Week's Topic: M4 - Endurance | W1 - Joy in Trials

As we conclude our month on Servanthood, we now step into Month 4: Endurance -where we learn not only to serve well, but to keep serving, keep trusting, and keep standing through the pressures of life.

Week 1 begins with a truth that feels upside-down to the world, but perfectly consistent with the heart of Jesus: Endurance begins with joy - not the joy of circumstances, but the joy of Christ in us.

Our anchor scripture for M4 W1 is:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”- James 1:2–3 (ESV)

And paired with:

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.”- Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)

Next week, we’ll explore:

Why joy is a weapon in trials, not a feeling (Nehemiah 8:10)

How endurance is formed through pressure, not ease (Romans 5:3–5)

The difference between optimism and biblical joy (John 16:22)

How Christ’s endurance becomes our endurance through union with Him (Colossians 1:11)

Month 3 taught us to serve with humility.Month 4 will teach us to endure it with hope.

As you go through this week, remember:

Nothing done for Him is wasted.

No sacrifice unseen.

No labor forgotten.

No obedience lost in the dark.

Heaven measures greatness in the hidden places of abiding, where servants are sustained by the Vine and strengthened to endure to the end.

God is with us!

Jesus, our Vine and our strength, teach us to abide in You so that every act of service flows from Your life within us. Purify our motives, steady our hearts, and let our hidden obedience bear fruit that lasts. Help us finish well, not by striving, but by remaining in You, and trusting that nothing done in Your name is ever in vain.Amen.

I’m glad you’re here.

Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!

Grace and peace,

Sam Johnston

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