Series: You’re Gonna Have to Serve Somebody

Title: Dressed to Serve

Text: Luke 12:32-40

Back in 1975 John T. Molloy published the book "Dress for Success."

Four years later he published "Women’s Dress for Success."

Then the "New Dress for Success" and the "New Women’s Dress for Success."

His title "Dress for Success," has become a catch phrase in American society.

Millions of Americans have found that if you’re going to be successful at a job interview or in advancing your career, you not only need to be competent, but you must dress the part. You must dress for success.

You wouldn’t show up at a football tryout in a suit, tie, and dress shoes. No, you’d wear cleats and a football jersey.

You wouldn’t show up at a dance competition wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. No, you’d wear tights and ballet shoes.

You wouldn’t show up at an interview with IBM wearing a cap and baggy pants. No, you’d wear a suit or a dress.

You wouldn’t show up at a cookout today in anything but shorts and a t-shirt.

We dress for the occasion. We dress for success.

We want to be accepted.

We want to make progress.

 

As followers of Jesus, is your soul, is your life dressed for success?

II. Dressed to Serve

In our reading from Luke chapter 12, in the 35^th verse, Jesus said,

"Be dressed ready for service."

"Be dressed ready for service."

What’s He talking about?

While we wait for Jesus’ second coming, we are to be ready at all times. We are to "be dressed ready for service."

You and I are His servants. Jesus is our Lord and Master.

If Jesus is truly your Lord and Master, then you will be dressed to serve.

What does a "dressed ready to serve" follower of Jesus look like?

Let’s look at Jesus’ parable.

Please open your Bibles or leaflet to Luke 12:35.

Jesus said,

35"Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

Here the Master of the household has gone away to a wedding banquet.

First century Jewish weddings were held at night.

First the wedding, then the banquet, then the exhausting journey home.

By the time the Master got home, it would be very very late.

Yet, his faithful servants would wait up for him, ready to serve. In his absence:

They would not fall asleep.

They would not goof off.

They would not squander their master’s food or possessions.

 

Rather:

They would be dressed ready to serve Him.

They would continue doing their master’s work.

They would wisely manage their master’s possession for him.

 

If Jesus is truly your Lord and Master, if you truly love Him:

You will not become lazy in your walk with Christ.

You will not goof off in your Christian duty.

You will not squander what Jesus has given you.

If Jesus is truly your Lord and Master, if you truly love Him:

You will be dressed ready to serve Him.

You will continue to joyfully do His work here on earth.

You will wisely manage all He give you for His honor and glory.

 

Did you notice the reward for faithfully serving Jesus as your Master and Lord?

Look at verse 37:

37It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready...

True servants do not expect their master to serve them.

They expect to serve him at any time day or night, whenever called.

Yet, here the roles are reversed. The Master serves the servants.

This is shocking!

 

It’s like when Jesus washed His apostles feet. Jesus was dressed for success with only a towel around his waist and a bowel of water in his hands (John 13:4-5).

Peter, very appropriately in his day, said,

8"No, you shall never wash my feet."...

John 13:8 (NIV)

Masters don’t wash the feet of their servants. Servants wash the feet of their masters. Right?

Jesus went on to demand to wash Peter’s feet. He demanded to serve him.

Jesus is not the great candy machine in the sky. He doesn’t exist to serve you and me. We exist to serve him.

Yet, as you faithfully serve Jesus in this world, He will demand to serve you, to bless you,

Verse 38:

38It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready...

 

So what do you look like when you’re dressed for success? What do you look like when you’re dressed as a servant of Jesus?

Rick Warren, the author of the Purpose Driven Life and the Purpose Driven Church has defined "five global, evil giants of our day."

One of those evil giants is corrupt egotistical leadership, the exact opposite of a servant.

http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/PEACE/PEACE_Plan.htm

We see it in politics all the time. As Warren says,

"Often their agendas switch from ‘service’ to ‘serve us.’"

But the same is often true in business, in schools, at home, and shamefully even in the church.

To be dressed for success, to be dressed as a servant of Jesus, we must slay the evil giant of corrupt egotistical leadership, and we must begin here (heart) in my heart and yours.

Warren lists five characteristics of servant leadership:

1. Servant leaders set an example.

2. Servant leaders show us how.

3. Servant leaders speak the truth.

4. Servant leaders stretch our faith.

5. Servant leaders sacrifice their comfort in order to get the job done.

1. Servant leaders set an example.

Jesus said in John 13:15:

15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
John 13:15 (NIV)

You can’t expect or elicit servanthood in others unless you’re first willing to set a godly example.

As 1 Timothy 4:12 reminds us:

12...set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

2. Servant leaders show us how.

Servant leaders are not satisfied with just being good examples. They are not satisfied with being the star player. They want to help others become servant leaders too.

As St. Paul reminds us in First Corinthians chapter 11:

1Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)

Servant leaders take time to nurture others, to mentor them.

3. Servant leaders speak the truth.

Often politicians are accused:

Of speaking out of both sides of their mouths.

Of trying to please everybody.

Of not really speaking the truth out of fear of offending someone.

Jesus not only spoke the truth, he even said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6).

Servant leaders speak the truth; they’re persons of integrity.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes it’s offensive.

But as Ephesians 4:15 implores us, they speak the truth in love; they speak the truth with compassion and concern.

 

4. Servant leaders stretch our faith.

Servant leaders are not content to see themselves or others become stagnant in their relationship with God.

Servant leaders encourage others to stretch and grow and mature.

Why in the world did Jesus say outlandish things to his followers? Why not play it safe? Why not avoid misunderstandings and turmoil? He said things like:

56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
John 6:56 (NIV)

Many of closest followers thought he was advocating cannibalism!! They left! And they spread all sorts of destructive rumors.

Jesus was trying to stretch their faith. He was trying to get them to wrestle with the Scriptures until they truly understood them.

Servant leaders today, will do the same.

5. Servant leaders sacrifice their comfort in order to get the job done.

Jesus gives us the greatest example of sacrifice in all of human history:

First, He sacrificed the safety and holiness of heaven to come into this sin-sick and God-hostile world.

Finally, He sacrificed his life on the cross, bearing all the sins of every man, woman, and child – past, present, and future – to guarantee your forgiveness.

True servant leaders are willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of those around them.

As Hebrews 13:16 says,

16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16 (NIV)

In our world:

In our government.

In our schools.

In our businesses.

In our homes.

In our churches.

"There’s a shortage of servant leaders who are influencing for good."

God expects you and me to be servant leaders.

You may influence thousands.

You may influence only a few.

You may influence only one.

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/absolutenm3/templates/articles.aspx?articleid=2127 – March 15, 2007 - by Rick Warren

God wants you dressed for success.

As Luke 12:35 says, Jesus wants you to:

"Be dressed ready for service."

 

During the eighteenth century, Anglican priest, Thomas Secker became the 86^th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Concerning servanthood, Archbishop Secker used to say,

"God has three sorts of servants in the world:

Some are slaves, and serve Him from fear;

Others are hirelings, and serve for wages;

And the last are sons, who serve because they love."

James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 452.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Secker

Only those who serve Jesus out of their love for him are truly dressed for success.

To them Jesus will say, "Well done good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

To them Jesus will say, "You have been dressed for ‘service’ not ‘serve us.’"