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Live to serve (8)

Serving with an Overflowing Life
28-30 Oct22
1. Welcome
2. Worship
3. Warming up (Based on the previous message, share about the action you have taken this
week)
4. Word - 10min

Scope of service: service of life, service of sanctuary, service of all nations

Attributes of service: God's grace, God's calling
Object of Serving: Serving God, Showing Compassion to Neighbors
The Root of Service: The Natural Outflow of Life

Our serving not only requires sincerity from the heart and compassion to our neighbors, but also
the natural outflow of our lives. What is inside of us will flows out naturally! From Inside out
and top down. If we want to be precious vessels in the hands of the Lord, we must first be filled
by the Lord (love, grace, mercy, power...), and only then our serving can be a blessing to others.

Why Did God Disapprove Cain's Service?

(Gen 4:6-9) 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face
downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is
right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." 8 Now
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is
your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
[Offering sacrifices to God is a type of serving. Cain sacrificed the produce of the land as
offerings, but Abel offered the firstborn lamb. God looked favorably at Abel's offering, but was
not pleased with Cain's offering. Cain was very angry and attacked Abel to death. The reason
why Cain was not accepted was because his life and actions were not in line with God's will, so
his offering was not accepted. Cain's attitudes of service led to rebellion against God, and
became harmful to himself and other.]

The way of Cain

(Jude 11) 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; …they have been destroyed in
Korah's rebellion.
The unrighteous Cain offered offerings in a wicked manner. Unlike Abel, the “serving” of his
outflowing life was not acceptable to God.

Service is a natural outpouring of life - not what you do, but the state of your life
(Matt 23:35) 35 …from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of
Berekiah, …
Jesus also claimed that Abel was a righteous man. Abel's serving was an outpouring of his life
and his testimony is still being told to this day.
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(Heb 11:4) 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was
commended as a righteous man, as God spoke well of his offerings. And even to present
day, he is still spoken of as righteous, even though he is dead.

A benchmark who outflows his life through his ministry - James

When Jacob was still in his mother's womb, he already had an inner character of "grasping and
fighting". He had begun to fight with his brother over who was the greater. During birth, his
hand was grasping Esau's heel; therefore, he was named Jacob (meaning to grab).
(Gen 25:24-26) 24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her
womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so
they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau's
heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
[Jacob's life service was also "grasping and fighting". He deceived Esau’s birthright and his
father’s blessings. Serving God involves serving people. Although Jacob served Isaac and Esau,
it was with strife and struggling (only to benefit himself). This was not true serving.]

Jacob fled to escape Esau's pursuit. In the wilderness, he dreamt that there was a stairway resting
on the earth, and God appeared to him on top of the stairway. God promised to bless him and be
with him. Jacob got up early in the morning, set up a stone pillar, and made a vow to God.
(Gen 28:20-22) 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch
over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so
that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22 and this stone
that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you
a tenth."
[Although Jacob worshipped God and made a vow to God, his vow was completely self-centered
and just benefits-for-exchange. The essence of his life was still grasping and fighting, and what
flowed out of him was still not true serving. Jacob served his uncle Laban for 20 years, and he
was still serving with “grasping and fighting”.]

Life Turning Point at the ford of Jabbok

Jacob and his family were going back to their hometown at Canaan. After the family crossed the
ford of Jabbok, a man came to wrestle with him till daybreak.
(Gen 32;22-29) 22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his
eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent
over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25
When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that
his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is
daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him,
"What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be
Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” 29 Jacob
said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed
him there.
[God appeared in human form and wrestled with Jacob all night, dislocating his hip. The man blessed
Jacob and gave him a new name, “Israel” (the man who wrestled with God) to represent a new identity.
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God did a renewing work in Jacob, bringing about a real change within and ultimately becoming one
whom God wanted him to be. From then on, his life was no longer " grasping and fighting", but
"wrestling with God" (or, working together with God), and his sign of victory was weakness (limping).
From then on, Jacob walked on broken feet, he no longer relying on his own strengths, but completely
relying on God. Previously, Jacob cunningly used tricks to get what he wanted. As soon as he
encountered a problem, he would run away. Now he can no longer run away when encountering a
problem, he must stand and face it with the Lord until he experienced a breakthrough.]

(Gen 47:31) 31 …Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his
staff.
[In order to bless his sons before dying, Israel leaned on the top of his staff to worship God (no longer
relying on themselves, but only on God). He remembered the grace of God, and passed on the grace of
God to the next generation.]

The victorious yet weak life is the life of service.

(2 Cor 12:9) 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power
may rest on me.

(2 Cor 13:4) 4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise,
we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you.
[The Lord Jesus became weak for us, that we might be strong in Him.]

The true serving will reveal the inner life of a person.

(John 15:5) 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Let us be constantly connected to the life of the Lord. His life becomes ours, so that we may serve Him
with an outflowing life and bear His fruits. Otherwise we can do nothing, and can have no serving.

Edification & Application (30 minutes)

1. Please give an example of someone who has helped and served you, and made you feel
God's love and life flowing through him, touching your life.

2. What has God deposited in you that can be released through you as a blessing to others?

Action for the week:

During the week, find a friend of yours who is yet to know God, and let him experience God's
love and blessings through you.