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Apr 07, 2019

Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership

Speaker: James Gallaher

Series: The Heart of Freedom Fellowship

Category: Sunday Morning

Greater greatness comes when you make yourself a servant to those around you. Becoming a servant is the key to a fulfilling life, says Jesus.

Series: The Heart of Freedom Fellowship Church – The Seven Non-Negotiables

  • #1 Intimacy with God and Intimacy with others 
  • #2 People are Priority 
  • #3 Seek God's Heart Not Just His Hand
  • #4 Simplicity
  • #5 Work Hard and Give Stuff Away
  • #6 Transformation

This week’s message: #7 Servant Leadership

James 4:1-8 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so, you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

What is the source of our conflicts? It is the result of wanting to get our own needs met. We come into the world selfish - the result of original sin. Our world is rampant with this idea of getting what we can; we deserve what we don’t have; we aren’t getting our fair shake; the other side is always getting more; we desire to keep track of what others have done to us. Sometimes we offer to help others, but we add conditions to it. We are not a servant if we do a kindness to get something out of it. Friendship with the world, embracing the world system, or aligning to the world’s thinking makes us an enemy of God.

Consider that God might not be blessing me because that blessing would make me more of a liability to the kingdom of God or to the people around me. Consider that God might not trust me with what He can give. There is a better way of doing things - putting aside my preferences in favor of someone else.

FEAR OR TRANSFER: We should be a transfer station of what God wants to do in others. We get fearful of not having enough. This fear is preventing the blessing from coming. God wants to give so we can have more to give away. We need to trust the giver of good gifts. God jealously desires us to have the Holy Spirit. He desires the places in our lives that are not yet occupied by Him. NEEDS: Phil 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. We all have needs of attention, affection, approval, comfort, encouragement, security, etc. God has created us to have needs, to need God and to need people. Fear keeps us from serving – fear of not getting what I might need. Fear that If I meet other’s needs, then my needs won’t get met.

ABIDE: John 15:4-8 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing . . . My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. That’s the promise: abide in the Holy Spirit and the resulting work would be that we would bear much fruit. The joy everlasting not just dwells in us but that it would be a fruit to be given away to those around us. Example of a neighbor with Orange trees: When it produces too much for one family, they give it away by the handfuls. When God produces much fruit in an individual’s life, He produces enough to hand out.

GREATER GREATNESS: Matt 20:25-28 . . . but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” The desire for greatness is built into an individual’s life. Greater greatness comes when you make yourself a servant to those around you. Becoming a servant is the key to a fulfilling life, says Jesus. The longing to feel important and to make a difference is not fulfilled by gaining more, but as we give up more and then gain what God has to offer.

SEEK TO SERVE: Relationships should seek to serve the other. Check ourselves: Am I looking to get something out of it? Jesus talked about abiding in John 15. Abide and bear fruit. James 4 says God is jealous for His spirit to come and dwell with us. Gal 5:22-23. Jesus ultimate desire is to fill every place of our lives. He wants to produce His very best in us and we don’t have to strive to get it. That’s good news!

There is a difference in the world’s way (if we have more things, we’ll be happy) and God’s way (Jesus says everything for happiness is within – trust in it.) God wants us to take from what’s inside and give to others. We ask for things and we don’t receive because God says come and seek my heart.

Phil 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP: It has to start in our own homes. Husbands serve first. Trust God to do what we can’t do. Parents, do you serve kids? Do you build them up? Kids, what does it look like to serve your parents and honor them?

Begin with trusting God that He will be faithful to meet our needs. Our God is generous and loves to give good gifts to His children. See His fruit produced in my life and then desire to be the fulfillment in others lives.

How has fear of not getting my needs met, kept me from being a servant?

Where am I looking to the wrong source to meet my needs?

Describe servant leadership.