In the 1850s, a well-educated woman from a wealthy British family felt a divine calling to serve others through nursing—an occupation then considered lowly and improper for women of her status. Despite opposition, she trained as a nurse and went to the front lines of the Crimean War in 1854.
When she arrived at the British military hospital, she found deplorable conditions—filth, overcrowding, and a lack of basic medical care. Moved by compassion, she worked tirelessly to care for the wounded soldiers. She cleaned the facilities, organized supplies, and introduced hygiene standards that dramatically reduced death rates.
Known as “The Lady with the Lamp,” she walked the wards at night, comforting the sick and dying. Her selfless service became a national symbol of mercy and devotion.
Her name was Florence Nightingale, and she is considered by some to be the founder of modern nursing.
You see, an act of selflessness would change not only the lives of those whom Florence Nightingale served, it would change the entire nursing profession for generations to come.
Serving others can change lives, and it can change history.
Yet, a genuine commitment to serving others is rare in our society.
The country singer Toby Keith had a song that went like this:
I wanna talk about me, wanna talk about I Wanna talk about number one, oh my, me my What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see I like talking about you, you, you, you usually But occasionally, I wanna talk about me I wanna talk about me
Much more prevalent in our world than serving others are those (like Toby Keith sang about) who are serving themselves.
In fact, one of the very first words that we learn as a young child is mine. What’s incredible is that no one has to teach us that word; we just pick up on it.
Today, we’re going to conclude our “Stop That; Start This!” series with a sermon called “Stop Serving Yourself!”
Before we go any further, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
You know, tomorrow is Memorial Day, which is the day we set aside in the United States to remember those who have given their lives in military service so that we could have the freedoms that we have in our country and so that others could have freedom around the world.
Memorial Day is literally devoted to those who died because they were serving others rather than serving themselves.
Jesus said this about that type of sacrifice in John 15:13: “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.”
Indeed, serving others is admirable; we even celebrate it.
Yet, we don’t often see that around us. What we see more often is those who serve themselves.
However, serving ourselves is not good for us, and it’s not good for those around us.
We’re going to discover two main reasons why serving yourself is not good.
First, . . .
I. Serving yourself is selfish.
That might go without saying, right? However, I’m going to say it, “It’s selfish to do things just for yourself.”
Now, I want to be clear: It’s not always selfish to serve yourself.
Sometimes, we have to pump our gas, right? It’s called “Self Service.”
When you go to a buffet, such as Fred’s Market, you thank the Lord for the wonderful food, then you serve yourself.
It’s good sometimes even to serve yourself when you get up to get your own cup of coffee, wash your own dishes, and take out your own trash.
However, most of you know that’s not what I’m talking about, right? What I’m talking about is when we put the attention on ourselves, we do only the things we want, and we even expect others to do only the things we want.
Just last week, my boys and I were going to the park and it was 90 something degrees. I wanted to get a drink of water for myself and I realized that parks these days don’t have water fountains. Oh, the misery! I wanted water! It was about me!
We want things for ourselves, don’t we?
I want that kind of food! I want that type of house! I want to sing this type of music in church! I want the air set at that temperature! I want to sit in my seat in worship! I want the government to give me more money! I want these taxes taken away! I want this road fixed! I want to go to that grocery checkout lane! I want to get out of church at that time! I want my spouse to treat me this certain way! I want my children to listen! I want my church members to listen! I want the last serving of ice cream! I want it to be this specific temperature outside!
As my friend, Thom Rainer, says: “It’s all about the unholy Trinity of me, myself, and I.”
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:24:
No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.
No one likes selfishness; it’s not good.
Serving yourself is selfish.
Second, we learn that . . .
II. Serving yourself is sinful.
It’s not merely selfish to serve yourself; it’s downright sinful.
Listen to what Paul said in Galatians 5:19-21:
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
That’s pretty strong language, isn’t it? “Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Wow!
The reason those who practice those things will not inherit the kingdom of God is because that behavior indicates a sinful heart, not a heart that is changed by Jesus.
If there’s no change, it indicates that there has been no change.
Paul said in Philippians 2:3-4:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.
Did you catch that? Do nothing out of selfish ambition. That’s pretty clear, isn’t it?
Listen to how strongly James speaks against selfishness in James 3:16:
For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.
You know, the theologians Augustine and Thomas Aquinas said that pride was the root of all sin.
Pride is thinking too highly of ourselves or wanting to meet our own desires. You might say that it’s serving ourselves.
I think Augustine and Aquinas might of borrowed this idea from James because, as we read a moment ago, James said that serving ourselves can lead to disorder and every evil practice.
James said elsewhere, in James 4:6:
. . . God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
You see, God resists those who think too much of themselves because it’s sinful; it’s evil.
Church, needless to say, we shouldn’t want God to resist us.
Serving yourself is not of God; it’s of the devil; it’s sinful.
What should we do instead of serving ourselves? Well, of course, the answer is simple. Check out our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Stop serving yourself; start serving others.
When you serve others you are more like Jesus. When you serve others, you are more like the person God created you to be.
The Bible is filled with instructions for us to serve others.
Acts 20:35 attributes these words to the Lord Jesus:
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Now, that might be hard to believe, but when you serve others you feel the blessings of God more than when you serve yourself.
The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5:
. . . clothe yourselves with humility toward one another . . .
Humility means thinking of others; it means serving others. We are to surround ourselves or put on that type of attitude; we are to clothe ourselves with an attitude of humility.
Do you remember what Jesus said to the apostles after He washed their feet? In John 13:14–15, Jesus said:
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.
You see, feet were gross back then. Many would say they’re still gross today, but they were really gross back then.
Yet, Jesus served His apostles by washing their feet, and He commanded them to follow His example by serving others.
Jesus said in Mark 10:44–45:
. . . whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Jesus said that if you want to be significant (if you want to be first), you will become a slave to all. In other words, you’ll serve everyone you encounter.
When Jesus said that statement, it surely raised eyebrows. So, then, Jesus followed that statement by saying that even He, the Son of Man, came to serve others and even lay down His life.
Paul added in Galatians 5:13
. . . serve one another through love.
The Bible is clear that the most important thing we can do is to love God, and the second most important thing that we can do is to love others.
Paul said that one of the ways that we can love is to serve others.
If you truly love others, you will serve others.
Stop serving yourself; start serving others.
Weekly Challenge: Make a pledge to serve others rather than serve yourself.
Our natural tendencies are to put ourselves first. That’s part of what it means to be human: to want to meet our needs.
However, we’re not to do only that which is natural; we are to be supernatural beings.
Be changed by God and used by God to serve others.
In just a moment, we’re going to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Before I do, let us not leave this discussion about serving others without reflecting on Philippians 2:5–11. The Apostle Paul said:
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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