Dear Christian friends,
Perhaps you have seen the comedian Rodney Dangerfield on T.V. shows.
He always complains, "I get no respect." Often we, too, feel that we
get no respect - no respect from other deaf, or from relatives or from
friends, or from others where we work. We worry much about getting
respect from other people. But do we worry about getting respect from
God?
In one way God respects all people. God thinks that all people are
important. Why? He created them and continues to keep them. But we are
Sinners and often break His commandments. Does God respect sinners and
law-breakers? How can a sinner get respect from God? Therefore, this
morning I ask you an important question:
How Do We Get Respect From God
I. First, we must understand that we cannot earn God's respect.
Many people think they can earn God's respect by their good works or good
service, or in various other ways.
But our good works and service cannot earn respect from God. Our good
works and service may seem fine and nice, but it is never perfect and
holy as God demands.
A. Like the disciples here in our text, we prefer that people serve us (v34)
instead of our serving them. Our nature and heart is proud and selfish.
We often are lazy, tell lies, or cheat and steal to get service and
pleasure from others. We use people for our own needs and pleasures,
and do not really love them or help them.
B. Even when we agree to serve our heart is often selfish. We accept the
duty because we expect to get some reward for ourselves in the future.
We are often the same as the crooked politician who does a good work or
service because he wants the people's votes so he can stay in office
more and accept bribes etc. and get rich. He doesn't really love the
people he serves; he loves only himself. Secretly he does much to hurt
the community he has sworn to serve.
C. Often we serve and do good works because of pride and not because of
love. We compare ourselves with others and think or say, "I have
served more than you. I am better than you." Or we say, "I give more .
money to church than he does; I am better than he." When we think like
that we show that we do not really love God and our brother. We are
serving only to get praise and honor for ourselves.
Therefore we cannot earn respect from God by our own works or service.
Our hearts are sinful and not pure.
II. If we want God's respect we must be honest of heart and with shame and
sorrow confess that we are sinners, that we are not worthy to receive
God's respect or people's respect. And then believe in Jesus. If we
are in Jesus, God respects.
A. God's respect for us is a free gift. We cannot earn it. God respects
us because of His grace. Sparky Anderson, the manager of the world
champion Detroit Tiger baseball team explains about grace. Sparky says,
"Grace is getting something you do not deserve. Mercy is not getting
something you do deserve."' Sparky is right! We sinners do not deserve
God's respect. We do not deserve to be His friends and to go into His
heaven. But God respects us and welcomes us as His friends and He
promises heaven to us because of His grace. And God does not punish us in
hell as we deserve because of His mercy. Instead of punishing us, God
punished His own Son, Jesus Christ on the Cross. (v.31) Jesus' death on
the Cross and His arising from death on Easter morning guarantees to us
that God has forgiven all our pride, selfishness, sin and that He
respects us.
B. When we confess our sins and unworthiness and believe in Jesus Christ
we are sure that God respects us and accepts us as worthy for His heaven.
When we confess our sins our pride is taken away and we receive Jesus'
love and humble spirit. Jesus makes us truly humble and truly great
like Himself.
III. Then in our life we can show that God respects us.
We will, like Jesus, serve people who do not respect us, our enemies
perhaps, people who are not worthy. We are aware that we are not worthy
the same as they.
A. In our text Jesus told His disciples, "If anyone wants to be first, he
must be last. and become the servant of all." Jesus means that
we will really love people and try to help them, forget about ourselves.
We will even risk our money and our life to help someone else, the
same as Jesus gave His life on the cross to serve us and help us.
This past week on T.V. News we saw some men risk their lives to rescue
people from the earthquake collapsed buildings in Mexico City.
Policemen and firemen often risk their lives to serve others. We Christians
who have Jesus' heart and spirit need also risk our lives and spend our
lives and our time and our money to serve others.
B. We Christians should serve although nobody sees us or thanks us. We
should not care about getting praise and honor from men or thanks. We
should serve because we love God and love Jesus. We have Jesus' heart
and spirit in our serving.
C. We will serve people who cannot repay us, perhaps a little child. In our
text Jesus took a child, put His arms around him and said to His disciples,
"If you welcome a child like this in My name, you welcome Me. And if you
welcome Me, you welcome Him that sent Me." (v. 37) At another time Jesus
said to the people, "When you make a dinner or a supper, invite not your
friends or your brothers or your relative, or your rich neighbors; lest
they also invite you later, and repay you. But when you make a feast,
invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and you will be blessed;
because they cannot repay you but you will receive pay at the resurrection
of the just." (Luke 14:12-14)
Conclusion:
When we serve those who cannot repay us God respects our service for
Jesus' sake. He shows grace to us and rewards us. A rich lady visited a
leper hospital and watched a nurse clean a leper's foul wound. The lady
said, "I would not do that for a million dollars." The nurse replied,
"Neither would I. I do it for Jesus' sake." When we believe in Jesus
and humbly serve others for His sake we get respect from God.
Amen.