At the end of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington basked in the warm praise and loving embrace of a thankful group of colonies. Since I love reading presidential biographies, I am asked from time to time who my favorite president is. I have learned, having read a biography on every president up through George W. Bush, that every president has qualities that can be praised and every president has qualities that can be criticized.
You have to understand how very popular General Washington was at the end of the war to understand this point… King George III (of Great Britain) one day asked his painter (who did his portrait) whether Washington would be head of the army or head of state when the war ended. When the man replied that Washington’s sole ambition was to return to his estate, the thunderstruck king declared, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” (Chernow, 453-454).
We see from this anecdote the theme for our study this morning, “The Hidden Power of Serving.” While we rightly criticize General Washington for his support of slavery – and we should recognize that he was torn about the ownership of other human beings – he was a man who did his best to serve his country, in ways that hurt himself physically and financially. But, as the general of the Continental Army, Washington loved his troops and he loved his people.
The “hidden power of serving” explains why George Washington is the only president in American history to win the electoral college vote (twice) unanimously. In President James Monroe’s second term, he almost won a unanimous vote in the electoral college but one elector decided to vote against Monroe simply to preserve the historical value of George Washington’s achievement.
You and I are faced with people each day of our lives who need to be served, whether they deserve it or not. If we want to have good, positive relationships with the people around us – our spouse, our children, our friends, our coworkers, even our enemies – we must absorb from the spirit of Jesus, the “hidden power of serving.”
THE LORD’S SUPPER IS AN EMBLEM OF SERVING – 22:14-23:
You see, the Lord’s Supper, every Sunday, reminds us of the sacrificial service that Jesus offered for you and me. Now He calls us to “do this in remembrance of” Him. Every Sunday, the Lord’s Supper ought to remind us that Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. We ought to be less concerned about our rights and more concerned about serving other people, especially those in our church family.
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THE DISCIPLES ARGUE OVER PRESTIGE – 22:24-30:
These men had not yet learned the hidden power of serving. They were afraid that they would be overlooked. They would be ignored. They would not be respected. So they had to argue over who was the greatest in the kingdom of Christ. Jesus tells them to stop acting like pagans, like unbelievers, like atheists! If you want to be great, Jesus says, then serve. Jesus bluntly says, “I am among you as one who serves.” Remember, it’s in this same context that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. Then Jesus tells His apostles: “You all are going to have equal authority in My Kingdom. You all will sit on the thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” The ground at the foot of the cross is level. No Christian is more important in the eyes of God than any other Christian. Service in the kingdom of heaven is not about power. It’s not about prestige. It’s not about recognition. It’s all about service.
SERVICE MEANS ENCOURAGING OTHERS – 22:31-34:
Jesus told Peter that when his faith was strengthened, Peter needed to turn and strengthen his brothers. You see how “other focused” service is? Strengthen your brothers. Don’t discourage your brothers. Strengthen your brothers. Pray for your brothers. Serve your brothers so that you can encourage them and strengthen them. Peter spoke up and boldly claimed that he would die with Jesus, or at least go to jail for Jesus – and of course, he did not. When the time came, Peter turned inward. He focused on himself and his own strength. That’s why he denied Jesus. He was not leaning on the everlasting arms of the Father; he was relying on his own strength and that scared him and it caused him to deny the Lord he loved.
Tomorrow, I’ll give you three more points on service from the last few hours of Christ’s life on earth.
Paul Holland
