The Privilege of Servanthood sermon is one in a series of sermons presented by Pastor Jarod Shumate of Valley View Baptist Church during a week of Revival Meetings and Youth Rally held at West Park Baptist Church. You can view all of his compelling revival meeting sermons:

Wednesday 9/28/2022: Revival Meetings Night One with Jared Shumate
Thursday 9/29/2022: Revival Meetings Night 2 with Jared Shumate
Friday 9/30/2022: Youth Rally Night One with Pastor Jared Shumate
Saturday 10/1/2022: Youth Rally Night 2, with Jared Shumate
Sunday AM 10/2/2022: Revival Services with Pastor Jared Shumate “The Privilege of Servanthood”
Sunday PM 10/2/2022: Revival Services with Pastor Jared Shumate

The Privilege of Servanthood is a sermon that teaches us that the assignment of the servant is a marvelous and incredible privilege in serving the Master, the one that spoke the world into existence.

Key verses:
John 12:26

Amen. It’s good to be in God’s house, isn’t it? Oh my, the Lord has been so good to us. You can start turning your Bibles open to John chapter 12. While you are turning there, I just want to say one more time, thank you so much to the church for allowing me to come, and for putting up with me. It has been a wonderful privilege and a blessing for me to get to know your pastor, Pastor McClure.

I believe, and you can disagree with me and be wrong if you want, but I do believe whenever I look toward scripture, I find God does not bless a ministry. He blesses a man. If you think about it, this is true throughout. He blesses Abraham and then blesses the world because of Him. He blesses Isaac, He blesses Jacob, and He blesses the nation because of their faithfulness.

When the king that sat upon the throne of Israel was a godly king, so the blessings of God poured out on that nation. And when it was an ungodly king, even in that wonderful nation that God has set aside for himself, when it was led by an ungodly king, it was God’s judgment and not God’s blessing that poured down upon them.

You ought to be grateful for the man God has given to West Park Baptist Church, Pastor McClure. No doubt you are blessed to have him here. I am honored for standing behind this pulpit here this week and again today. I just want to say thank you so much for being a kind host to my family and me.

Everyone’s Attention is on Jesus

Here we are in John chapter 12. This is one of the most glorious parts of scripture. Leading up to the day that Christ was crucified, He came triumphantly into Jerusalem. Not so long before that, we see that He has performed what some would argue is His greatest miracle while here on earth. He raised a dead man and brought him back to life. He was that man Lazarus whom everyone seemed to have some awareness of, for his funeral service was packed.

When Jesus showed up from far away, He walks into that town of Bethany where they had buried Lazarus, and then they were gathered around, and that is where we find the most popular verse for every school child to memorize, it’s because it is the shortest. We found that phrase that Jesus wept, in that moment, we see the compassion of our Savior.

I would imagine that many of us have gathered there beside the grave. Lying in that casket is someone so dear to us. As we’re thinking about the terrible departure, even feeling the loneliness at that moment, our eyes well up with tears, and we feel the sorrow and loss. And as the sandy, dirty feet of Jesus walked toward the grave of His dear friend, Lazarus, the Bible says that Jesus wept. Oh, the compassion of our Savior.

He gives instructions to roll the stone away. And perhaps the funniest statement in the entire Bible, they respond, “It’s been four days, surely he stinketh.” Nonetheless, they roll the stone away. Jesus plants both feet on the ground and looks to Heaven, and praised the Father. Then He cries, “Lazarus, come forth.” Bound in his graveclothes, Lazarus comes out of that tomb. Oh, the shock that went across all of that town.

I would dare say if it was me, Jared Shumate, who walked down to some grave here in Delray Beach, Florida, and declared for a dead man to come out of the grave, the tomb were to burst open, that dead person were to walk out, I’d say this place would be packed this morning. There would be people who knocked out the windows so they could peer in and see the man who had the power to make a dead man alive once again.

I imagine there would be families flocking after me to come to raise their children, raise their grandparents, raise their parents. They would be begging me to come by their place.

And so was the fame of Jesus spread abroad. And then began the rumors. This must be Him. This must be the promised seed of Abraham. This must be the Messiah. This must be the one who will deliver us from Roman oppression. This must be the one that King of Kings, the Lord of Lords.

And there He is on this donkey making His way down from the top of the Mount of Olives, down to the Kidron Valley, and rising up toward that gate of Jerusalem, here in the Passover. And it seems that the millions who are gathered there are swarming about. All of the discussion is about this man named Jesus. Young boys and women alike begin tearing off palm branches. We see in John chapter 12, verse 13:

John 12:13: “Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Oh, the anticipation was palpable. It was so thick that this promise was about to become a reality that it seemed the whole world was turned after Christ. The Bible bears witness to this in verse 18 when they say:

John 12:18: “For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.”

The enemies Christ, verse 19:

John 12:19: “The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.”

At this moment, it was as if every single living soul was pursuing the words of Jesus and desiring to see Him. Even the Bible gives testament in verse 20:

John 12:20: “And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:”

John 12:21: “The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.”

Everyone wanted to see Jesus. The whole world was going after you, and you finally have ears and the attention of all mankind. What is it that you would say? If you had but one moment where everyone’s attention was captive to your words, what would you declare? That is the moment we see Jesus here in this passage.

He is not trying to prove himself where He has now been proven. No more miracles are necessary, for now, everyone’s attention is drawn to the words of Jesus. I wonder, at this moment, what would He say. I want to draw your attention to His words and show you what He said. If you would and if you are able, please stand out of reverence for the reading of God’s Word. And just as those who stood by Jesus with ears attentive and hearts eager to see what the master would say, so we stand and listen to these words, words of John chapter 12 verse 26. After speaking of the sacrifice He would make, He then turns to His audience and says:

John 12:26: “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

Jesus Speaks of Servanthood

It is amazing, as I observe this Word, that while all the attention is turned toward Jesus, Jesus turns everyone’s attention toward servanthood. Being a servant is not often something we applaud or celebrate. In fact, in the history of this nation, it has been servanthood that has caused a dark blot, a dark spot, a place of reproach on this great land.

For many years men and women were enslaved by other men and women. Oh, it is a tragic thing, and we abhor it and consider it to be evil because it is exactly what it is that one man would be owned by another. As a result of that and as a result of man’s pride, we look at this word “slavery” and “servanthood” as a wicked and terrible thing and in light of humanity, it absolutely is. But it seems as while Jesus has everyone else’s attention that when He speaks of servanthood, He speaks of it as an honorable and admirable thing.

Now, He, here in this passage, is not speaking of the type of servanthood that was manifest here in this nation while one man owned another. But instead, He speaks of an entirely different type of servanthood, a type of servanthood where man does not surrender himself to another man. But instead, while man makes himself a slave to his god, that he puts himself under the wheel of his master, God the Father, and serves His purpose and His objective, and His goal instead of the objective and purpose of the person himself. He considers it to be a great honor to serve the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords.

All Are Invited

If you grant me the privilege this morning, I would like to preach the message entitled “The Privilege of Servanthood.” The great privilege of servanthood is found here in John chapter 12, verse 26, and it is something we are all invited to be participants of, and I would like for you to notice, first and foremost, the assignment of the servant. You see, the assignment of the servant has many openings. It is open to anyone and everyone.

The Bible says here in verse 26, “If any man serve me.” It reminds me so much of the old posters that were used in recruiting offices and plastered all over the nation at times of war. And how this older man called Uncle Sam with his red, white, and blue flag hat and tie, points that boney finger out, kind of looking like Colonel Sanders, and says, “Uncle Sam wants you.”

I once responded to one of those posters and found myself sitting in a recruiter’s office for the United States Army. And Sergeant First Class Meadows looked across his desk at me and said, “Uncle Sam wants you.” And I thought, “Me? That’s wonderful.” And then I learned that Uncle Sam had all kinds of requirements. He had physical requirements, and he had mental requirements. Not realizing that if I did not meet the mental requirements of the army, I could always walk across to the Marine Corps. They’ll take anybody. No offense if you are part of Uncle Sam’s misguided children this morning. You are my friends.

I once heard that in the army, they used military time. Military time in the afternoon continues those numbers from 12 to 13, then 14 and 15. Oh, it’s a very complicated system. But then I learned in the Marine Corps, they used Mickey Mouse time. Whatever Mickey Mouse’s little hand was pointing to was the hour, and his big hand was the minute. I’m just trying my best to offend every Marine in the building. That’s all I’m trying to do. I hope you understand and it’s all out of love.

“Uncle Sam wants you,” is the cry. Uncle Sam wants you, but there are requirements. There were physical requirements. There were mental requirements. You had to pass an ASVAB. You had to do so many pushups and so many sit-ups and had to run two miles in a certain amount of time.

But whenever I look at this passage in scripture, I realize that the assignment of the servant in the Lord’s army is open to absolutely everyone. It says, “If any man serve me, let him follow me.” And I am pleased to announce this morning that God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

I want you to know no matter if you are a teenager, an adult, or an experienced adult, the Lord can use you. Not only that, the Lord desires to use you for His glory. It doesn’t matter if you are smart or if you’re dumb, you’re skinny, or if you’re fat. I’m glad the Lord can use even a skinny preacher like me in His army because you can be part of something greater than yourself, for the assignment of the servant is open to all.

I want you to notice there is an objective here, and the objective is to serve. The word “servant” literally means to be an attendant. In other words, to accomplish things for someone else’s purpose. Someone once told me this, and I believe it to be incredibly true, that the greatest responsibility of a servant is not to serve. It is to obey. That might seem like a contradiction at first, but I’ll remind you that it’s possible to do all types of service that is outside the will of the Master.

Oh yes, it is easy to become a servant to yourself and take every moment that God gives you and use that to only serve your own desires and the will of the flesh. Yes, you can serve others whom you love and be a type of servant. But God’s call is not just to serve, it is to obey. And that is the greatest calling of a servant.

At this time, we are reminded there are openings, and the openings are for anyone, “If any man.” But then it says, “If any man serve me,” the objective is not to be an attendant for ourselves. It’s not to accomplish our own purpose. It’s not to live for the health care package or the retirement plan or to live that we might bring accolades into ourselves.

No, that great man of the wilderness, John the Baptist, once said this, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” He declared that concerning Jesus Christ, he was not worthy even to unloose His sandals. Why? Because John the Baptist understood quite well that if he was going to serve, he needed to humble himself.

And I cry to you this morning, church, humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God, and you will discover in due time He will exalt you. But let not your exaltation not come by your own hands, about your own doings, and especially not your own words, but let it come by the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ, for this assignment is open to everyone.

Our obligation, our objective is to follow Him. Notice this verse once again, “If any man serve me, let him follow me.” It reminds of the story we see in Luke chapter number 18. In Luke chapter 18, there is a rich young ruler that comes to the Lord and asks Him a very important question, “What must I do to inherit life everlasting?”

When Jesus responds to this servant, He asks him if he obeyed all the commandments and all the laws. Of course, this rich young ruler has a very high opinion of himself, much like we do. “I’ve kept all those things from my youth.” Can I be honest with you? I don’t believe that to be an honest response, for the Bible says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” The Bible reminds us, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

If you are not able to gaze into the mirror of your life and see the fact that there have been times when you have offended the Holy God, where you have lied, and now before Him, you are a liar where you have taken those things which are not yours to now; you are a thief. You have looked upon others with disdain or bitterness to now; you are a hate monger. And when we look to God, we realize we are all guilty before Him. But yet, in arrogance, this rich young ruler says, “I kept all those things from my youth.”

And the Lord responds, “Yay, thou lackest one thing. Sell all that thou hast and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven.” Here are his last words, “Come, follow me.” You see, our problem is we’re always willing to sign up for that which brings us pleasure and brings us joy and makes us look good. But what Christ is asking us to do is to die to self, to pick up our cross, and follow Him.

The assignment of the servant, it is a marvelous and incredible privilege to serve the Master, the one that spoke the world into existence. But He requires something of a servant. He requires that a man be found faithful and the man be a follower of Him. “If any man serve me, let him follow me.”

In Sight of the Savior

Oh, I see in this glorious passage. I see not just the assignment of the servant, but I also see that when we follow Him, it puts us, secondly, in sight of the Savior. It is a wonderful privilege to see the hand of God. Notice what it says, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be.” It is a powerful phrase as we read it straight out of the Word of God.

It seems like so many people are looking for God. They are looking for the peace of God. They are looking for peace with God. They’re looking for the kind of joy unspeakable, full of mercy that the Bible describes. The problem is that they are trying to find it in so many other places in so many other ways. By following the Lord Jesus Christ, I’m telling you, by following the Lord Jesus Christ, it puts you in sight of the Savior. It puts you in sight of the Savior, and when you follow Him and put yourself in sight of Him, it does not say He will follow you around to accomplish all of your purposes.

It makes me so frustrated and angry, for it seems to me that so many people, even so many believers, feel like they have God on a leash. And they feel like they can claim God’s promise no matter what they do in life as if God is the one responsible for following them around, and then as soon as things get bad because of our own foolish mistakes, we turn around with anger against God and say, “God, where were you?” God replies, “Right where you left me.”

If we were going to experience the privilege of servanthood, we’ve got to realize that God is not the one to call us, but we are the ones responsible for following Him, and we would follow close by Him. I have always said to others that it has never been my desire to be ahead of God, but I don’t want to be too far behind, either. I want to put my foot in His footsteps right after the sandal leaves the track.

And just like I used to follow my dad in the deep snows of West Virginia, as soon as his boots would leave the track, there my little foot would be placed right in it. And as soon as that next foot would leave the track, my little foot would be placed right in it. I wanted to be a follower of my father, and now I want to be a follower of my God, my Lord, and my Savior.

And here is the glorious thing about it. The greatest privilege of servanthood is that it puts you in proximity to the Savior. It’s a call to be near. Doesn’t Jesus say, “Come to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”? His words “come unto me” echo in my heart.

In the next chapter over, we learn that when Jesus speaks of coming unto Him, He uses slightly different terminology. Yet, He says this, “He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing.” We put ourselves alongside the Savior. When we follow our God, we realize that it is by no longer our strength that things are accomplished, but it is by His hand. It is by His hand that we are able to see the work of God move.

In Colossians chapter one, the Bible says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles.” Listen to this. What is the riches of this glory of this mystery among the Gentiles? It is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Has it ever crossed your mind that the hope of glory is the power of Christ living through you? How is it that God wants to impact this world? It’s through you. How is it that God wants to carry the Gospel message to every neighborhood and every nation? It’s through you. How is it that God wants to turn on that glorious light so that we might be salt and light in this world? It’s through you. It is in you first, and it is through you last that Christ wants to work. But that can only happen if you put yourself in Jesus’s shoes and follow after Him. And follow closely, my dear friends.

What a wonderful privilege is servanthood. For when we are at the side of the Savior, we see His hands work and move. Oh, the glorious sight of the Savior. The truth of this passage continues to echo in my heart. As those massive crowds are turned toward Jesus as He begins to say, “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be.”

Being a Figure of the Bible

If you could be any figure in the Bible, who would you choose to be? Some would say, David. As a young boy, how much I wanted to be David. To reach down in that valley and grab five smooth stones put them in a little bag, and grab my staff and my sling. See that giant, oh, I wanted to be David. I wanted to look into the eyes of Goliath as he called me a little dog, and I wanted to smile back and say, “I don’t come in my name. I come in the name of the Lord of Hosts.”

And I want to feel the straps of that leather sling in my hand as I reach down and place the stone and begin to swirl it around. I don’t know if David did this, but I’d do it. I’d close my eyes and let it fly and open them just in time to see the rock smack into the depths of his forehead and know that there’s a God that’s at hand. That only happens if you walk near.

Oh, how I thought to be Elijah on top of that mountain. Pastor, I desired to be Elijah so many times. Surrounded by wickedness, surrounded by doubters, surrounded by those who had given up on God. And I wanted to be Elijah and stick my boney little finger in the king’s face, King Biden, I mean, King Ahab, and say gather your prophets together at the top of Mount Carmel.

Watch him scurry around all those prophets of Baal. The prophets of groves, over 450 prophets and said, “Listen here, buddy, this is what we are going to do. I want you to make an altar to your god and put a bullock on top of that, and you just cry unto your god. And how about I do the same, and I’ll cry unto my God. And the God that answers by fire, why don’t we all just let Him be God.”

I would be standing in Elijah’s shoes and hear the voice of the people say, “I like it. Let’s do that.” You could see the concern in Ahab’s eyes. He begins to tremble, wondering, “What if our prophets don’t get an answer?” He’s too far into this now. He can’t go back.

I wanted to be alive to watch those prophets jump up and down and cut themselves and cry to their god, “Please answer by fire,” and know that they are crying in an empty space. Oh, to be Elijah and come near that altar and say, “Douse with water.” Watch the water pour over and say do it again. Watch the water pour over and say do it again. Watch all this water and then look at these prophets of Baal and see the doubt in their eyes, “What is this man doing?” And to look into Heaven and know that I serve a living God. Oh, I wish I could have been Elijah.

Did you know that in Elijah’s prayer, he never asked for fire? Not once is fire mentioned in Elijah’s prayer. You can write that down and look it up and find out if I be true or I be a liar this morning. He never asked for prayer, but I’ll tell you what he does ask for. He asked that God would answer, so that these people may know there is a God in Israel. And where did that bold confidence come from that he knew and didn’t even have to ask by fire? He had that confidence because he walked with God, and he knew that he was a servant of the Most High God.

Oh, I wish I could have been David. I wish I could have been Elijah. Oh, I want to be Moses. I want to be walking in that wilderness thinking that God had given up on me and then one day hear the crackling of that burning bush and walk and turn aside to see why that bush isn’t consumed, and then hear the power of that soft sweet voice of God, “Take your shoes off you are on holy ground.” I remove my shoes, knowing I’m in the presence of God.

He gives me my marching orders, “Go to Pharoah. Tell him to let my people go.” Much like Moses, I would try to get out of it. “I, I can’t go. I, I can’t even speak right, Lord, much less go. What if they don’t believe me? What if they don’t believe you are real? Who shall I even say sent me?”

To be at that burning bush. To be in the shoes or the bare feet of Moses and hear God say, “Just tell them, “I AM, THAT I AM has sent you,” all those plagues transpired, to see the Egyptian army closing in. To be in the footprints of Moses, raise that rod, and see the parting of the Red Sea by the hand of God. The only reason Moses was standing there was that he chose to follow.

Open to Everyone

The disciples there, in the boat, as the wind is pounding down, Jesus walked on the water. Whenever you follow Jesus, your eyes will see the most amazing things. Giants have fallen down, and waters will part. You’ll see the Son of God walking upon the water. For when we take upon ourselves the privilege of servanthood, it puts us inside of the Savior. And Jesus imagining and seeing all these things with His own eyes, and looking across the sea of people, declares, “If any man serve me, let him follow me.”

I am reminded that the privilege of servanthood is open to everyone. The privilege of servanthood puts us in sight of our Savior. Oh, what a glorious thing to walk with Him and see the hand of God. No wonder He says in John chapter 17 verse 24, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory.”

Church, do you want to see His glory? Do you want to see the hand of God moving and the hand of God working? You’re sitting here and saying, “I’ve never seen God move.” Maybe you are following just a little too far behind. You need to pick up the pace. You need to surrender some things in your life and come nearer to the Savior and say, “Well, I can’t do it, Pastor Jared. You don’t know my task.”

No, you don’t know my God. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and invite you to come boldly before His throne by the blood of Jesus Christ. This assignment is open to everyone. “If any man serve me, let him follow me.” Oh, the magnificent privilege of servanthood.

Is It Worth It?

Then I notice what is perhaps the most amazing, the most astounding singular truth in this verse, John 12:26. Something so amazing, to be honest, if it were not so clearly printed in God’s Word, I would feel almost blasphemous to say it. That is, the privilege of servanthood doesn’t just make itself available to all as we see it assigned to the servant. It isn’t just to allow us to be inside of the Savior. But I want you to notice the significance of this service.

So many times, when we are serving the Lord, we wonder, is it really worth it? We serve in limited capacities that God has allowed us to serve – cleaning the church sanctuary. We watch the nursery and serve as Sunday School teachers. Maybe there is not a whole lot we can do, but we can be faithful and be an encouragement to the pastor and encouragement to others. So that’s what we do. Sometimes we get discouraged and wonder if it’s really worth it. It doesn’t feel very honorable.

You see, that’s the tricky thing about honor. In our society, in our world, honor is always given by the lowly to the mighty. We honor our leaders. We honor those who have achieved great things in their lifetime. But in this passage, the Father wants to honor the servant.

Look with me so carefully in verse 26 of John 12:

John 12:26: “If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

What an incredible thought to be honored by the Father. There was a period in my life when I did respond to Uncle Sam’s call. I raised my right hand and swore to defend this nation against enemies foreign and domestic. That was all before 9/11. I was in Fort Gordon, Georgia, when those planes struck the towers in New York City, flew into the side of the Pentagon, and went down in the field in Pennsylvania. It was a dark day.

One of the soldiers walked out of the barracks that morning as I came back. I hadn’t heard the news. He had a somber look on his face and simply said these words. He said, “We’re going to go to war.” I couldn’t process that; I couldn’t understand what he meant. I walked into the day room of our barracks and saw it on the screen, and my heart sank. A lot has happened since then, hasn’t it?

Since that time, I was deployed on two separate occasions, in 2004 to Iraq and in 2007 to Afghanistan. It was my first deployment that was by far the most difficult of the two for me. To find myself there in the sands of Iraq, there’s a lot for a young man to process.

There were times when I just wanted to come home, and finally, that day came as we took our convoy to Bagdad International Airport. We loaded up on the plane. We flew out and landed in Kuwait. Ahh, almost there. They boarded us on a plane, and we flew all the way across the Atlantic.

I’ll never forget pressing my face against the window as we started to fly over Bangor, Maine. I’ll tell you, to this day, that place has a very special place in my heart. It was October. The leaves were bright and colorful as they changed to hues of orange, yellow, and red. As I looked forward, I was trying to process because I had just stepped out of a world that was so very different than the peace of this land to which I was about to come home.

The plane touched down, and we cheered. I now understand why soldiers wanted to get off of that plane and want to kiss that dirty asphalt because that asphalt’s free. As I was sitting in that plane, soldiers began to come off. We had a layover in Bangor, Maine, before flying back to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where my family waited.

I started to process all that had taken place over the last nine months. A difficult thing. I started to wonder, is it worth it? The difficulty, the loss of life, the pain, the agony, the heat, was it worth it? There was so much turmoil in the country at that time.

Finally, it was my turn to come off the plane with these thoughts in my mind. I grabbed my bag, still in uniform, that stinky, dirty uniform. Nine months of difficulty. We began to walk down the aisle of the plane and came out of the side of the plane. I began to walk down this corridor, you know, as they do, they bring those things out, and we walk down this little metal corridor.

Off in the distance, I could hear this clamor. I could hear this noise, and as I came around a corner, there was a massive amount of people with banners and with signs that say Welcome Home. They were leaning over the banister with their cellphones saying, “You need to call your mother, your wife, your children. Welcome home, Welcome home!” Thank you.

All of those thoughts of fear and worry washed away, and I realized that yes, yes, to these that are here, these people that are home, it was worth every day. It was worth all the struggle if it meant the defense and the protection of those who are here.

When I look at this verse, I am reminded that there is coming another day when we are going to get called home. And there is a lot on this side of eternity. It may feel a little difficult. It may feel vexed with pain and agony and suffering. And you might be tempted to ask whenever you are looking to follow the Savior and whenever the fog creeps in and those cold dark nights begin to place you down to a deep valley, you begin to wonder, is it worth it?

I am reminding you here this morning that, yes, it is. For there is coming a day when we get called home from this glorious deployment, and one day the gates of Heaven are going to be blown wide open, and there’s going to be a golden corridor, and at the end of that is going to be that great throne. And upon that throne sits the Lord Jesus Christ and the Father, which sits on high. The same one that Isaiah saw, high and lifted up. The same one who spoke this world into existence.

The Bible tells us in verse 26 it says that “where I am, there also shall my servant be.” He says, “If any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” When that day comes, it is my desire to hear the most glorious words of all, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” You see, our eyes might be blind to the significance of serving God in this world. For the world doesn’t understand. They think it is a wasted life. But oh, it is not, it is not, because one day, God is going to honor His servants.

As the great hymn-writer once wrote, “It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase when we see Christ.” Oh, the privilege of serving.

Two-Letter Word

There is only one more word I want to draw your attention to, and we’ll be done. It stands like a sentinel, a guardian. There at the very beginning of this passage, it’s only two letters, but it’s two letters that cannot be erased or removed. You see, the Bible says this, “If any man serve me.” If.

We all want to claim the prize of servanthood, but no one wants the suffering of servanthood, the surrender of servanthood, or the pain of servanthood. That’s why Jesus, with everyone’s attention turned toward Him, describes this glorious honor of all. To be honored by the Father, to be invited into the service of the King. But He opens this statement and says, “If any man serve me, let him follow me: and where I am, there shall also my servant be.” And here it is again, unmistakable, splashing down on earth, “If any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

My greatest question to you this morning is, on what side of this word do you stand? Do you stand on the inside of this word “If” where you have committed yourself? Not to follow yourself but to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. You have received Him as your Savior. He has forgiven you of your sins, and now you are committed to follow.

Or do you sit on the outside of that austere door wondering if it’s going to be worth it? God is looking to you, asking and promising, if you would just take this step forward, oh, He could use you. The privilege of servanthood.

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Father, I pray that you will touch hearts here this morning. Oh, dear God, you are wonderful. Your grace is amazing. The opportunity you have given to us to serve you, Lord, cannot be replaced by anything else on this side of eternity. But Lord, we are so blind to it, so many times. Blinded by our own feelings, blinded by our own flesh. Lord, I would pray that we would open the eyes of our spirit and see the truth of John 12:26. Lord, that we lay hold on servanthood.

With every head still bowed and every eye still closed, I ask in humility before you, if you’ve asked Christ as your Savior, if you were to die today, you are sure you’d be on your way to Heaven? If you could raise your hand as a testimony today of that truth. I see many hands all over the sanctuary. It’s a wonderful thing to be saved. Thank you, you can put that down.

I wonder if there is someone here today that if you were to die, you’re just not sure you’d be on your way to Heaven. Perhaps your heart’s desire is to take on the role of the servant. You realize that it is open to you. You realize that it puts you in sight of your Savior. You realize the honor and the significance of that service, and you want to be part of that.

But the fact is that you’ve never received Christ as your Savior. If that’s you, I want you to know that the Bible says, “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And you’re here this morning, and you’ve never asked Him to save you in that way; you have an opportunity this morning. If that’s you, you be honest with me and say, “Pastor Jared, I’m not sure I’m on my way to Heaven, but I know I don’t want to go to Hell.” Would you raise your hand as a testimony to that? Thank you for your honesty. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down.

If you mean business, with everyone’s head bowed and eyes closed, we won’t embarrass you for the world. But in a moment, we are all going to stand up, and when we do, if you could give us the privilege of showing you from the Bible that you can know for sure, you’re on your way to Heaven. When we all stand up, I beg you to have the courage just to slip out and come down this aisle, and we’ll take you off just to the side here and show you from the Bible how to be saved. Would you be willing to do that?

Let’s stand on our feet. Every head is bowed, and every eye is closed. The pianist is playing softly. If you mean business, please come.

Father, I pray that you will stir our hearts here today. Oh, dear God, I ask that you move us. Lord, there’s an eternity that’s waiting. And Father, we can’t be good enough to get to you. It’s by your dear Son’s sacrifice that we can be forgiven. Lord, I pray that you would give us the courage to follow, to become servants, not to some man but to become a servant to you, and we surrender ourselves for it. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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