Embracing Selfless Love in Christian Service
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Needless to say, healthcare during this time had many flaws and we've come a long way, but this only began to change when Christianity became the state religion of Rome. It not only brought religious toleration to Christians, but also a special status. Soon churches and cathedrals were springing up all over the Roman empire. They became the center of communities and the sick often received treatment there. In fact, the first hospitals as we know them today were built in association with Christian basilicas." [03:52]
2. "In short, history shows us that modern hospitals owe their existence to the church. And so, you know, we've come a long way. We've come a long path. And we've come a long way. Christ gives it the good. printers, younger workers but modern hospitals have stopped brand put subscribers in this display, suffering. If we are the mercy and compassion that is to care for others who are in need." [04:52]
3. "The reality is to truly serve others, to truly love others, it has to be completely selfless. And this is a characteristic you will only find present, truthfully, sincerely, you will only find present within the Christian faith. Sure, other religions, if you study them at all, or you talk to other people, there are levels of, we should serve others. We should care for others. You should do good. But as you look into the instructions found in many of these other faith backgrounds, they all come accompanied with this need to appease the God of that religion, or to appease the gods of that faith, or to gain advancement in this life or the next. In the end, it's all self-service." [10:35]
4. "And so how do we do this practically? And I'm going to make it really simple for you. And this is going to sound so like cliche and like really, I would encourage simply adding this to your rule of life, your way of life as you seek to follow Christ. And that's to simply make this a focus of your every day. Look for ways you can serve others in your every day. Be on the lookout for ways that you can serve others. If you start your day with this in mind, I'm just going to look out for ways that I can serve others. Then we will begin to love our neighbors as Jesus calls us to." [29:37]
5. "And so to end, I would like to highlight for you the amazing power of this way of living by going to one final history lesson, if you will, or one final story that I came across in my time of study. And that was in the year A.D. 250, where smallpox devastated the major cities of the Roman empire. And at its most deadly phase, it killed thousands of people per day in Rome alone. And it went on for at least 20 years. It claimed the lives of emperors as well as the nameless. Everybody was in the same boat. Like it affected everyone." [33:38]
### Quotes for Members
1. "But as I reflect on this, I tend to think we aren't really unfamiliar with this today. Right? I would wager many of us have experienced the service from others while feeling to some extent it wasn't really genuine. Right? Whether it be someone at work who you find kind of going around and serving other people and being really nice. The back of your mind, you're like, they're only doing this to advance their career. Right? Like, are they really doing it for others? Or it just seems like they're trying to, you know, gain favor so that they can move up in the company. Or a friend or neighbor who helps with something you needed. And yet in the back of your mind, you know that in helping you, they're going to call in a favor in the future and bring up, well, remember that time that I helped you and make you kind of feel obligated to help." [07:55]
2. "And so the story I would like to look at this morning is found in the book of Luke, specifically Luke 10. And so as I encourage you, I mean, we're going to have the scriptures on the screen, but I also encourage you to open up your Bibles, whether that be on your phone or if you have a physical Bible with you, I encourage you to open that up and follow along. And we're going to be in Luke 10. And as you turn there, just a little bit of context for where we're reading from this morning. The book of Luke, as we know it, was written by a man named James. And he was a man named Luke, right? And he was actually a traveling companion of the apostle Paul. And in fact, he was a doctor, much like those who would have traveled around from town to town. And so he would have known this aspect very well." [14:18]
3. "And so the audience, would have been listening to the story and that would have been rushing through their heads, I imagine. And some would have probably been angry, thinking to themselves that they aren't willing to help, then who is? But then the story doesn't end here. Jesus continues the story by sharing that a despised Samaritan is the one who had compassion. And this would have been a shock to everyone who is listening because generally speaking, Jews and Samaritans despised each other, both racially and religiously. And as a result, the culture would have given the Samaritan plenty of reasons to hate this Jewish man and pass him by." [21:28]
4. "And so Paul here is alluding to the fact that Jesus chose to die to himself for the sake of others, to build them up, to serve them. And if we are to follow Christ, to be more in his likeness is to do the same. To serve others at our own expense is to serve our neighbor. This is the heart posture that we see carried out by Christ as well as his followers. To love and serve others sacrificially. And if we are to be the church, as Jesus says, we must go and do the same." [26:58]
5. "And so inevitably, this is what we do as well as the church today when we die to ourselves. Whether it be choosing to just come alongside someone that others ignore or doing something extreme like paying for somebody or taking them to the hospital or taking them in in a time of need. When we choose to serve those around us who have need and we choose self-sacrificing love for the sake of another, we point them to Christ. Again, whether that sacrifice is small or big, we declare to the world around us, I am prepared to die to myself. Because I know a savior who gave his life for me to give me life. And so I want to give you that life. I want to point you to him because he is so worth it. I don't need to care. I don't, he's got me. And so I can care for you. We point others to that reality when we serve our neighbor." [37:45]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "Needless to say, healthcare during this time had many flaws and we've come a long way, but this only began to change when Christianity became the state religion of Rome. It not only brought religious toleration to Christians, but also a special status. Soon churches and cathedrals were springing up all over the Roman empire. They became the center of communities and the sick often received treatment there. In fact, the first hospitals as we know them today were built in association with Christian basilicas." [03:52]
2. "In short, history shows us that modern hospitals owe their existence to the church. And so, you know, we've come a long way. We've come a long path. And we've come a long way. Christ gives it the good. printers, younger workers but modern hospitals have stopped brand put subscribers in this display, suffering. If we are the mercy and compassion that is to care for others who are in need." [04:52]
3. "The reality is to truly serve others, to truly love others, it has to be completely selfless. And this is a characteristic you will only find present, truthfully, sincerely, you will only find present within the Christian faith. Sure, other religions, if you study them at all, or you talk to other people, there are levels of, we should serve others. We should care for others. You should do good. But as you look into the instructions found in many of these other faith backgrounds, they all come accompanied with this need to appease the God of that religion, or to appease the gods of that faith, or to gain advancement in this life or the next. In the end, it's all self-service." [10:35]
4. "And so how do we do this practically? And I'm going to make it really simple for you. And this is going to sound so like cliche and like really, I would encourage simply adding this to your rule of life, your way of life as you seek to follow Christ. And that's to simply make this a focus of your every day. Look for ways you can serve others in your every day. Be on the lookout for ways that you can serve others. If you start your day with this in mind, I'm just going to look out for ways that I can serve others. Then we will begin to love our neighbors as Jesus calls us to." [29:37]
5. "And so to end, I would like to highlight for you the amazing power of this way of living by going to one final history lesson, if you will, or one final story that I came across in my time of study. And that was in the year A.D. 250, where smallpox devastated the major cities of the Roman empire. And at its most deadly phase, it killed thousands of people per day in Rome alone. And it went on for at least 20 years. It claimed the lives of emperors as well as the nameless. Everybody was in the same boat. Like it affected everyone." [33:38]
### Quotes for Members
1. "But as I reflect on this, I tend to think we aren't really unfamiliar with this today. Right? I would wager many of us have experienced the service from others while feeling to some extent it wasn't really genuine. Right? Whether it be someone at work who you find kind of going around and serving other people and being really nice. The back of your mind, you're like, they're only doing this to advance their career. Right? Like, are they really doing it for others? Or it just seems like they're trying to, you know, gain favor so that they can move up in the company. Or a friend or neighbor who helps with something you needed. And yet in the back of your mind, you know that in helping you, they're going to call in a favor in the future and bring up, well, remember that time that I helped you and make you kind of feel obligated to help." [07:55]
2. "And so the story I would like to look at this morning is found in the book of Luke, specifically Luke 10. And so as I encourage you, I mean, we're going to have the scriptures on the screen, but I also encourage you to open up your Bibles, whether that be on your phone or if you have a physical Bible with you, I encourage you to open that up and follow along. And we're going to be in Luke 10. And as you turn there, just a little bit of context for where we're reading from this morning. The book of Luke, as we know it, was written by a man named James. And he was a man named Luke, right? And he was actually a traveling companion of the apostle Paul. And in fact, he was a doctor, much like those who would have traveled around from town to town. And so he would have known this aspect very well." [14:18]
3. "And so the audience, would have been listening to the story and that would have been rushing through their heads, I imagine. And some would have probably been angry, thinking to themselves that they aren't willing to help, then who is? But then the story doesn't end here. Jesus continues the story by sharing that a despised Samaritan is the one who had compassion. And this would have been a shock to everyone who is listening because generally speaking, Jews and Samaritans despised each other, both racially and religiously. And as a result, the culture would have given the Samaritan plenty of reasons to hate this Jewish man and pass him by." [21:28]
4. "And so Paul here is alluding to the fact that Jesus chose to die to himself for the sake of others, to build them up, to serve them. And if we are to follow Christ, to be more in his likeness is to do the same. To serve others at our own expense is to serve our neighbor. This is the heart posture that we see carried out by Christ as well as his followers. To love and serve others sacrificially. And if we are to be the church, as Jesus says, we must go and do the same." [26:58]
5. "And so inevitably, this is what we do as well as the church today when we die to ourselves. Whether it be choosing to just come alongside someone that others ignore or doing something extreme like paying for somebody or taking them to the hospital or taking them in in a time of need. When we choose to serve those around us who have need and we choose self-sacrificing love for the sake of another, we point them to Christ. Again, whether that sacrifice is small or big, we declare to the world around us, I am prepared to die to myself. Because I know a savior who gave his life for me to give me life. And so I want to give you that life. I want to point you to him because he is so worth it. I don't need to care. I don't, he's got me. And so I can care for you. We point others to that reality when we serve our neighbor." [37:45]
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