The Meaning Of Service

Introduction

I love words. I love learning new words and the meaning of words and how we use them. I really even love just the concept of words. Have you ever thought about that? The fact that we can, with our brain in conjunction with our diaphragm, our voice box and our mouths can string together sound and communicate a word that’s recognizable to someone else. And string together a succession of those words and form a sentence and be able to communicate with one another. Words are fascinating. I even like the wrong words. I love malaprops. You know what a malaprop is? A malaprop is when someone means to say one thing but they say something else.

One of my favorite when I was a young man preaching, first place I’d ever preached, we did a Bible reading right before the sermon. And I would assign the Bible reading to the text that I would be using for that sermon. One of the best and most powerful voices was an older man in the congregation, and he read the assigned scripture that was about the stoning of Stephen. The last line that he read from the text was, and they made great laminations over him. And I had to get up and preach, picturing Stephen encapsulated in plastic, sealed over with heat. Sometimes we just use the wrong words, don’t we? And sometimes that’s comical, and sometimes that’s dangerous. This morning I’d like for us to look at two words in Scripture that sometimes we misunderstand.

And two words that sometimes we don’t fully grasp the definition of.

1. Visit Orphans and Widows in Their Trouble

Will give us the true meaning of service. Begin with me in James chapter 1. We look at the first of our two words this morning. James chapter 1 is a familiar text, and specifically the section that we’re going to look at, or the one verse we’re going to look at this morning, is probably very familiar to you, where the author by inspiration says this, James 1 verse 27. He says, pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, to keep oneself unspotted from the world. The first of our two words that we’re going to look at this morning that I believe give true meaning to the idea of service is the word visit. If our religion is to be pure and undefiled, not a sham full of hypocrisy, then we will visit the orphans and the widows.

Visit is just simply a social call. To go by and see somebody.

And swing by and pay a social call upon a widow occasionally. The true meaning of the word visit here means the idea to, yes, to look upon, but to look upon with the intent to see and to fulfill the needs of that person. It’s much more than just a social call. It’s much more than even just a welfare check. It’s the idea to see the needs with the end being to see to the needs of that person. It’s implied in the context. Notice that he said there in James 1, verse 27, that we are to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble. Some translations say in their distress or in their turmoil, implied in that language that we go and visit them in their trouble, implies, does it not, that the idea of the visit was not just to see them, but to see about them.

Later in the book of James, in James chapter 2, he would use this illustration in verse 14 in exhibiting and demonstrating what real faith is that will be borne out in works, he says this, James 2 verse 14, what does it profit, my brethren? If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body. What does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. To illustrate the meaninglessness of a faith that just simply states something and doesn’t do it, he uses the illustration of what it means to visit someone who is in trouble.

Someone who is in need.

And so the word visit means more than just visit, doesn’t it? It carries with it the idea of helping. Look back in the Gospel of Matthew. Famously, and Jesus talked about separating the sheep from the goats on that day of judgment. And he says that one of the distinctions in that separation will be how we treated one another. And he again uses the word visit. Look in Matthew 25, we’ll just look at one verse in this story, verse 36. Matthew 25, verse 36, he says, I was naked and you clothed me.

And I was in prison and you came to me. I was sick and you visited me. Is in the same context when he says, I was naked and you clothed me. So the goal of every one of those visits was to remedy that which was lacking. One last verse. Go back to the Old Testament in Exodus chapter 4. And look at the use of this same word, visit. The Old Testament was translated into the Greek language. The word that was chosen to translate the word visit in Exodus 4. Was the same root word that we’re looking at this morning, Exodus chapter 4, in talking in the context of Moses being sent to deliver the people from their bondage in Egypt, the miracles that he would perform, the deliverance really by the hand of God that would be given.

Notice the language that’s used in the last verse of Exodus 4. So the people believed. So the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped. In talking about all that God would do for the children of Israel, of the miracles, of the plagues that would be sent upon the Egyptians, the miraculous deliverance through the Red Sea, the miraculous supplying of food and water throughout their wilderness wanderings, of fighting every battle for them, of conquering a new land and giving them a land that flowed with milk and honey, giving them houses that they had not built and vineyards that they did not plant. The word that the text uses, it says God visited Israel.

2. Be Hospitable to One Another Without Grumbling

And if I’m to be a true Christian, pure and undefiled religion, I am to visit the orphans and the widows. I’m starting to see what that word really means. Our second word is found in 1 Peter chapter 4. Go back with me in the New Testament, this time, to the first epistle of Peter. 1 Peter chapter 4. And in verse 9, and we’ll find another word that we maybe use or define differently in our common day vernacular than the way it’s meant in our text. 1 Peter 4 and in verse 9, it says, this short verse simply says, be hospitable to one another without grumbling. Now we have a way that we normally define the word visit, and we just saw that maybe the Bible means something different, more meaningful and profound.

And we have a word in which way we use the word hospitality. But maybe the Bible gives it the deeper and more profound meaning. Surely it does. When we think of the idea of hospitality, an image that may commonly come to our mind is having someone, maybe a friend or a fellow church member over to our house, and we’ll provide a meal and we’ll sit around and visit and maybe play a game or two.

We say we practice hospitality. Now don’t misunderstand me, that’s a good effort that can be undertaken.

But you recognize what we typically do in that scenario is we invite somebody over to our house to eat food when they had plenty of food in their own house. And we made that invitation somewhat with a selfish motive in mind. Number one is we enjoy that other person’s company. And either we may anticipate a reciprocal invitation, or this visit may be a payback for them having us over. And while no wrong was done, we haven’t really approached the biblical meaning of hospitality. Hospitality destroys two principles usually employed when we think of hospitality. Number one is that you’re providing something for somebody who cannot provide for themselves with no vision of ever being repaid or reciprocated in any kind. The word hospitality literally means kindness or love to us today, but in the ancient principle of opening up your home for both a meal and an overnight visit, if not several overnight visits, of an absolute stranger.

That’s unthinkable for most of us, isn’t it? The ancient practice of hospitality was just that. That because of the sparsity of what we would call hotels or motels, and even most of the time, those things that were called inns at that time were only frequented by those of a fairly low moral base, that travelers could usually find food and lodging in the homes of absolute strangers. That’s the word hospitality. And so when Peter says, be hospitable to one another, what he’s saying is be truly giving and charitable to those who do not have, and those who will not reciprocate or pay in any time. These ideas, these proper definitions do a few things. Number one is that word visit now implies that there’s going to be no charity by proxy.

That I have to, pardon the expression, get my hands dirty. To truly visit and to help someone. It demands some kind of personal contact with that person who is in need. Hospitality demands this kindness, this love shown to those who have a need to be met. This hospitality involves trouble, expense, and time. And so Peter issues the warning, the inspired warning, for us to be hospitable without grumbling. Because he knew that it was going to take some effort on our part. And these principles, the principle of truly visiting, of truly being hospitable to others, is a thread that, a glaring thread that runs both through the old and new testaments. It was a requirement to be a requirement of those who would shepherd us in the local flock.

It was a requirement of those widows who would be taken on the role to be assisted regularly by the congregation, that they be hospitable. That they open up their homes and their pocketbooks and their hearts to those who are in need. And so that’s the true meaning of those words.

3. We Will Have Eyes to Serve

But what do those meanings mean to me? What does it mean that if my religion is to be pure and undefiled, that I’m going to visit, that I’m going to see to the needs, as God saw to the needs of Israel, that I am going to go and examine and look upon and meet the needs. What does it mean that I am to practice hospitality in its most pure and loving form? It means three things. Number one is we will have eyes to serve. We’ll have eyes to serve. You remember this statement in Galatians chapter 6 and in verse 10? Galatians chapter 6 and verse 10, the Holy Spirit says, as we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.

As we have opportunity. That implies at least two things. Number one is we will have opportunity. But it also implies, does it not, that I have to be seeking and seeing that opportunity? That I have to have eyes to serve.

Have you ever noticed that? That prior to you owning one, nobody in Orlando has one. But the day after you buy one, everybody has. You’ll see them everywhere, won’t you? Why is that? It’s simply because you’re seeing them now. They were there yesterday. They thought of that before you did. You copied them, not the other way around. But you’re only seeing it now because you’re looking for it. That’s the way it is with opportunity. Whether it’s opportunity in sharing the gospel to the lost, or whether it’s an opportunity to do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith, will find those opportunities when and only when we look for them. And so visit hospitality, properly defined, will give us eyes to serve. We will take literally the statement in the New Testament that we will look out not only for our own interest, but for the interest of others.

4. A Heart That Serves

Don’t be blind to your opportunities to serve. It means that we’ll have a heart that serves. Tim read this passage already, but let’s go back to Philippians chapter 2. And notice the heart or the mind, the attitude that we’re to have in emulating Christ. Look in Philippians chapter 2 and in verse 5. Famously the text says, let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus. Let this mind be in you. It’s translated attitude. Could be described as having a heart. That’s really what the heart is, isn’t it? It’s the mind, it’s the attitude, it’s the frame of mind that puts one on a certain path. And so he says, in regard to service, and he goes on to say, he’s speaking of the humility, the service, and the sacrifice of Christ.

You have that same mind. Another implication in that verse. I believe it’s implied in there that it’s going to take effort upon our part, which may mean that that’s not our default mind. That they may require a change of mind, a change of heart, a change of attitude to be one who visits and shows hospitality without grumbling. And so is not the apostle saying, change. When he says, Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus. Learn the mind of Christ. Practice the mind of Christ, and change your attitude in your heart. We may not be what we might call naturally inclined to be that type of person.

5. Hands That Serve

To that the apostle would say, let this mind be in you. Our culture may not lend itself to the easy practice of hospitality, truly practice, of really visiting one another, to which the apostle would say, let this mind be in you. We empty ourselves of excuses. And we develop a heart like Jesus to serve. And then lastly, if we have eyes to serve, if we have a heart that will serve, then we will have hands that serve. That we’ll have this mind that Jesus had. The mind that allowed him to leave the glories of heaven and to face the humiliation of this life. We’ll have the mind of Christ that caused him in the face of both his betrayer and his denier to don a towel, to get on his knees, and wash their feet.

We’ll have the mind of Christ that caused him almost literally to climb up on the cross willingly to suffer that anguish and shame so that he might serve us. In 1 John chapter 3 and in verse 18. This warning is issued. And we’ll close with this warning this morning. 1 John 3, verse 18, my little children. Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Words are fascinating. They’re fascinating because words have meaning. But the scriptures teach us that words only have meaning. In the same sense that our religion, our Christianity only has meaning if we put it into action.

Conclusion

Christ served you by sacrificing his life so that you might have life. So that you could come to him, believing in him, repenting of your sins, confessing that faith, and being baptized, so that you could have your sins washed away. So that you could have a Christianity, so that you could have a religion. Not a sham and a shell of religion, but a religion that would change who you are. That would put in you the mind of Christ, that you could serve, that you could visit, and show hospitality. Would you come to Christ this morning? Can we help you in any spiritual way as you hand your life over to Christ or come back to him in repentance this morning? Let us know as together we stand and as we sing.