Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. You know, in the kingdom of God, the greatest title isn't master, it's minister. And you and I Our lives have a purpose.
And one of the main purposes is for us to Serve one another. It's interesting, and that's kind of frowned on nowadays. Like, you know, I'm not a servant, but really, that's exactly what we are and should be to Jesus Christ. True liberty in Christ. Sets us free not to live for self.
But to serve. It's not about self. It's about serving. Service is a privilege and a responsibility. Of the believer.
So let's just dig into these verses. Not real long tonight. Don't know that we could all take a lot of this.
So let's just dig into. Number one, in verse 13, I want you to see the freedom to serve. the freedom notice to serve. Verse 13. For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty.
Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve. Notice first, there's liberty from sin. He says, ye have been called. Unto Liberty. Um You know, I was talking with a gentleman today after church and just reminding him, Romans chapter 5, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
And I don't know about you, all of us ought to be very thankful tonight that we can be freed from the bondage of our sin. And freedom in Christ. is freedom. But it is freedom from sin, not freedom to serve self.
Okay, so freedom in Christ is not license. to live selfishly. We are freed from the power of sin so that we can live righteously. Look at this verse, 1 Peter 2:16. As free.
and not using your liberty. For a cloak of maliciousness Notice. But as the what? Servants. Liberty is always real close to the word serve, somehow, some way.
in the Word of God.
So God gives us liberty in Christ, and the point of it... is so that we can serve out of love. not out of obligation.
So we see first the liberty from sin. Notice in this passage, second we see liberty for service.
So it's from sin to serve. Look at verse 13. Just don't use this as an occasion to the flesh. But by love, serve.
So you and I are free. We have freedom so that we can use it to bless and serve others. True Christian, I'm just Fristian. I just made up a, that's a free Christian right there, a Fristian. True Christian freedom, you get up here and try this sometime.
Let's just see how you do. I'll just sit there just like, look what you just said. I'm not bitter at all. I'm not bitter at all. Notice this.
Christian freedom is an opportunity for ministry. not indulgence. For ministry, not indulgence. Let me just say this. Let's just say that you're sitting in jail.
And you got a 30-year sentence. And just miraculously one day, For whatever reasons, I'm not it's just a hypothetical, but You're given freedom from that jail.
Now what would you use that freedom to do? The worst thing you would do is get out of that jail and go right back and break the law and do everything you want. You get that? If I get that freedom, I should be wise, thankful for that freedom, and use it for.
So, what we're saying is. Jesus freed you and me from the bondage, the jail. Of sin. And he did not do that so that we can now go back out and just go do the sin that he just saved us from. I'll hire you in a minute, so I'm gonna go ahead and get a little bit of a turn.
So He frees us.
So that now, and just think about this: if I'm sitting in jail. How can I help many of you? If I'm sitting in jail, And let's just say, you know, find out: hey, your grass needs mowed. What can I do about that? Can't do a thing.
What if I find out, hey, somebody needs to make you a meal? I can't do that sitting in jail. But if I'm given freedom from that, guess what? I've been freed.
Now I have the opportunity to go do these things.
So Jesus freed us from sin, not just so that you don't have to go to hell. And if that was all, that's enough. But he does that, so now you're free from that bondage, so now you can go use that freedom to serve. I hope you understand where we're going with this, because the rest of the passage is going to wrap this all up with a nice bow. Being free to serve honors God.
and it fulfills his purpose. Service transforms blessing or freedom into blessing.
So, when I take my freedom and I use it to serve, that makes now my freedom a blessing not just to me. But to others.
Now, if I get freedom in Christ and I go use it to serve my flesh, who is that a blessing to? Nobody but me. But when I get freedom and I use it to serve others, now my freedom is a blessing to everyone. Everybody got that?
Okay. We got to lay that groundwork.
So there's freedom to serve. Notice, secondly, we see the focus of service.
Now look at verse 13. Use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh. Notice this. But By love. Serve One another.
Short phrase, but a lot in it. Number one, once you see the motive. The motive is love. Amen. By love.
Serve. Not by the need for you to think people will see you and admire you. Or not because you feel obligated, and I'm not gonna look like a good Christian if I don't. By love. So, our motive is love.
Listen to me. Serving without love is empty obligation. Serving without love is empty obligation. Love motivates joyful service. Let me read you this passage, Philippians 2:3.
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory. But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves, serving. Look not every man on his own things. Notice this. But every man also on the things of others.
So, my job. is to serve. And look. And know the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ. And why do I do that?
because I love them.
Well, why do I do that even greater? Because I love him. The more I love him, look at me, the more I love him. the more I'm going to love you. You say, Preacher, I just, it's hard for me to serve right now.
I just, I've got to be honest, I just don't really love people.
Okay. We get it. We all understand. But that means this first off that you're not quite where you need to be loving him Just work, just listen, everything you do, just think about I'm doing this because I love him. And gradually over time, you'll find the more you love him, the more you'll love others.
So the motive is love. Notice, second, is the manner. How do I do this in humility? What does he say? Bye, love.
Serve. Serve. Do you know that serving is an act of humility? Right. Yeah.
True service is humble. True service doesn't seek recognition. Why? Because Jesus set the ultimate example of this. Look at Philippians 2, verse 5, and it'll be on the screen for you.
But I want you to get this: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. means we're going to have to start learning to think like Jesus thinks. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. That's humility. and took upon him the form of a Humility, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he.
humbled himself. and became obedient unto death. even the death of the cross. Jesus knowing that all power was his. picked up a towel, threw it over his shoulder.
and started serving people. Jesus did not serve because he was weak. He served because he was strong. True greatness is not measured by your ability to promote yourself. but by your willingness to offer yourself.
Number three, I want you to see the mission. and its responsibility. Look what he says. Buy love. Serve who?
one another. That's My mission. There's a reason that God's Word teaches us. that we are to serve. By love, we are to serve One another.
Now, I'm giving you a lot of facts, and I'm going to give you a few more. Let's just stop and apply it. A little bit. How does that look in your life? serving one another.
I would ask this, how are you doing on that? How are we doing on that? Um If Jesus sat down in a chair by you and said, So tell me, how have you been serving? others here at this church. What would you say?
And I think we have a wonderful serving church. I mean, would he have to say, well, I got to be honest with you, I've heard a lot more complaining lately than serving. I gotta be honest, I've seen you kind of dislike more. criticize more and yet I don't see you really involved Helping to change it. I don't really see you there working in these ministries.
I just hear you kind of criticizing, well I just this and well I that. But you're not even in it. How do you even have a right to say anything about it? Y'all understand what I'm saying?
So you've got to ask yourself, I've got to ask myself, well, just because, listen, just because I'm the pastor of this church, doesn't mean I'm where I need to be in serving. Listen, to me, it starts with family. But I got a bounce with the next to me. I need to be serving my staff. I don't really feel.
I'm sure sometimes they might think that I do because I'm Any given day I got 50 things going on. And I've got to try to figure 50 things out. And try to think of all the details of those 50 things. And when you're doing that, as a man, especially, you get focused. You know, men are like waffles, you know, where I'm in that compartment right now, or whatever it might be.
And it just might be, I might just go, hey, Frank, I need such and such. Or hey, Sarah, if you can do this, if you can get whatever. I don't really have time at that point to chit chat. Hey, how are you doing today? Is everything going all right?
You know, how's your dog? Is he doing okay? Kind of. Hey, while we're talking, can you, you know, sometimes it's just, I'm focused. But can I tell you something?
I do not view my staff here like, you know, well, they're here to serve me. No, no, no, no, no. I believe they're here to serve him. And I believe I'm here to serve him. And part of serving him is serving each other.
So that means there's time I need to serve my staff. And they do very well at serving me, but sometimes I gotta remind myself, and everything I got going on. Wait a minute, you know. These are people that work here and they've chosen to Give their life to work in this ministry and they put themselves under my leadership. That takes humility right there.
And so, listen, I'm still in a learning process on this whole thing. How does serving one another look in your life? What could you point to? And it's not about us giving a list of all that I've done, but I'm just asking. Look at our life and how are we doing on that.
Notice number three, we see the fruit of service. Look at verse 14. For all the law was fulfilled in one word, even in this.
So he's getting ready to tell us, okay. You know, this is our job, our responsibility to serve one another, but this is what that makes things look like when you do, okay? This um All the law is fulfilled in one word: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. And that's part of the law. In other words, what he's saying is when we serve one another, We're fulfilling something.
We are not just obeying, we're fulfilling. But if ye bite and devour one another, take ye that ye be not consumed one of another.
Now let's unpack this. Number one, I want you to see the fruit of service. Number one, it fulfills the law. It is love in action. Love in action.
Verse 14, for all the law is fulfilled in one word. And what did he say about love? He says, by love, serve.
So the way I show that I love is I serve. You with me? Say amen.
So, what we're doing here is that when I serve my brothers and sisters in Christ. Out of love, I am fulfilling the law that condemned me. You say, well, what do you mean by that?
Well Let's just be honest. How often have we really loved thy neighbor as thyself? We've ever failed in just one day of our life and not doing that, we're guilty of the whole law. We're condemned. We're on our way to hell.
We can't do it. But Jesus came and died and shed His blood. He took the payment of our sin. And He obviously, through grace, you and I now have salvation. It's not law for me as a believer now.
It's grace. It's the fact that I get something that I don't deserve because of all this. And what it means is this: that now, when I love and serve, I'm fulfilling the very law that condemned me. And when I was condemned, Jesus came and loved and served me.
So when I love and serve one another, I'm fulfilling the law that He wrote. And the law that he fulfilled. I am imitating Christ. It fulfills the law. Service is practical love.
Serving is a way that people can tell. That you love them.
Now, can you love them without serving them? Sure. But how do they know?
Well, because I call them and let them know.
Well A lot of people say a lot of things. But the way I know is they serve. Loving service demonstrates Christ. in everyday life. It fulfills the law.
Second, it fosters unity.
Now please get this. It means it prevents division. The more you and I serve one another, the more we contribute. to preventing division. in a church.
You're right, Richard. This is probably more important than some of you even probably realize. You know, it's a sunny night, you're getting a little bit hungry, but you need to hear this, okay? You need to understand. The whole philosophy of the church and what God is telling us here.
Please get this. Is that the reason I ought to serve one another? Is because the more I serve, and the more you serve, and the more each one here serves, the more it's going to promote unity in this church. Look at verse 15. What did he just say?
Love, loving your neighbor, serving them fulfills the law. But, look at verse 15. But the opposite of that is: if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not what? Consumed one of another.
So we are to serve one another instead of being consumed one of another. It means I'm supposed to serve you as opposed to biting you. to hurting you. to breaking you down. to devouring you.
And listen to me, that's the only two options. What he is saying is: this is if you serve one another, that'll keep you from devouring one another. But if you don't learn to serve out of love, what's going to happen is you're going to become selfish, and they're going to become selfish. And a church that doesn't serve one another becomes a very selfish church. They come thinking, church ought to do this for me.
Some people come in thinking, I'm going to come, church ought to give me money. Every time I have a need, they ought to get an offering for me. They ought to give me something. And people come in with this attitude that church is there to do something for me. You cannot find that in the Bible.
Here's what happens. People show up at a church. That's what they see. Oh, the church is supposed to do everything for me. Boy, they're supposed to get, you know, and then when the church doesn't, or in our case, you do and do and do and do till you can't do anymore.
Then they get mad, you didn't do this.
Now they go to another church. And when they get to that church, they say, well, that church over there did nothing for me. And then that church says, well, God, bless your heart. I'm so sorry. Church ought to do that.
And then they find out after they've given three or four times that they're just there to get. And when they stop, they're going to get mad at that church, and then they're going to go to another church. And trust me, around this area, we got people that go from church to church to church, and they sit for a while until the church doesn't do any more for them, and then they go find somewhere else. That will. Yeah, and then right now.
The only thing you can find in the Bible is you're to come here to serve. And here's why. If I'm not serving. I become selfish. And when we become selfish, we begin to devour one another.
and it kills a church. It kills it.
So he says here in verse 15. If you devour one another, you're going to be consumed. It means this that literally we're gonna Eat each other up. There's going to be nothing left. Serving one another keeps biting and devouring and strife from destroying relationships.
Every act of service builds community and strengthens the church body. Look at this passage in John 13.
So when he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments and was set down again, he said unto them, And this is Jesus here. Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me master and lord, and ye say, Well, for so I am. If then your lord and master have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. What did he say?
For I have given you an example. that ye should do As I have done. To you. Jesus. Puts the towel right over his shoulder.
Humbles himself. It starts washing His disciples' feet. How many of you have ever been part of a church that did foot washing? There's got to be some. There's a few of you.
All right. I have been in Independent Baptist churches that practiced foot washing. I do want to announce that in 2026, we are not going to be starting that ministry. I'll mow your grass, I'll do about anything, but. That's for the next pastor.
That's for the next one.
So, preacher, what are you saying? Listen to me. When we love and serve, it fulfills the law. and it fosters unity. And if we're not serving one another, listen to me, this is just the truth.
If we're not serving one another, We're devouring one another. Number four, I want you to see this. the follow-through of serving.
Now this is where the river meets the road and this is good. Look at verse 16. This I say then. Because of this, listen, this is something we've been asked to do. We are to do this out of love.
We've been given liberty in Christ.
so that we can serve. And when we do serve, it fulfills the law. And it keeps unity in a church. Notice. This I say then.
Because of that. Walk in the spirit, not talk in the spirit. Not just talk about all the things you're going to do, actually do them. Walk in the Spirit. That means follow through.
And ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. It means that I should be serving. And I want to serve others, but now your flesh has grown so strong we just don't. But if ye be led of the Spirit, Ye are not under The law.
What did Jesus do? He picked up a towel, he served in love, served in humility. He served in unity. Jesus did. Not just said.
And what I'm saying is this: there comes a time where you and I are going to have to actually follow through. in serving one another.
Now listen. One small act of service. Just One time visiting somebody that's sick. One time, help your neighbor. Mentor a teenager.
Depending on your age, mentor somebody younger than you that God lays on your heart. Go to a nursing home. Visit somebody at a nursing home. For some reason, I think church thinks that that's what the pastor does, and that's what this listen. Thank God we're a church the size I just can't do all that.
I just can't get all that done. I would love to. And even as a staff, there's some, listen, you talk about a blessing. And let me just say this. People that are in the hospital or in the nursing home, whatever, they do appreciate when I come and when one of our staff comes.
But there's this thing inside: will they work for the church? They kind of should. But when you as a member do, Right. It's going to bless you. You know why?
They're going to be so appreciative. Because they don't see any reason why you should have. you just did. And that must mean That you love me. That's what serving one another does.
Does. Let me go right to this last five. I want you to see the fulfillment of serving. And then we'll draw a line and we'll be done tonight, okay? I don't even know what draw a line meant.
I don't know what that means. Just needless banter from the pulpit, as normal. Fulfillment. What do you mean, preacher?
Well, when you serve out of love and when I serve out of love It fulfills the law, but that's not the kind of fulfillment I'm talking about here. I'm getting ready to show you that if you, through humility, through love, Determine that you're going to be the kind of Christian and the kind of church member. that you're going to selflessly serve one another. What you're going to find is The person that's going to be the most fulfilled because of that. It's gonna be you.
Yeah. Amen? Amen. Well, I don't know. Let's look at John chapter 13, verse 12.
It's on the screen for you.
So after he had washed their feet, And had taken his garments and was set down again. He said unto them, Know ye not what I have done? He said, Preacher, we've already read this. Yeah, we have. Just hold on.
Let's finish the story. Ye call me master and lord, and ye say, Well, for so I am. If I then, your lord and master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you. But let's finish the story. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither He that is sent greater than he that sent him.
If ye know these things, Happy are ye. If you do them. Did you hear what Jesus just said? You're going to put forth the effort. You're going to make the effort that the other person's not necessarily making.
You're going to reach out. You're going to. Humble yourself. You're going to put yourself last. and you're going to serve one another.
And the end result of that is, happy are ye. He did not say, if you know these things, happy are they if you do them.
Now I gotta be honest with you. You're going to reach out and serve some people and they'll never be happy. Come on, some of you have been in church long enough and you've tried to serve people. Can I have an amen right there? You'll give and give and give, and men, you'll talk and talk and talk, and they need you, and you'll run and do this, and you'll whatever.
And the first thing they don't like, buddy, they'll just complain. It's as if you've never done one thing for them. And in the middle of all of it, hey I have never done one thing for you. This has been a one-sided relationship. And that happens, and there's a lot of people sitting in church, and I'm not serving anymore because that's exactly what happened to me, preacher.
Yeah. But how happy are you? Yeah, we have dogs and skills. I don't mean it. I'm just saying.
Let's be honest, you don't have to tell me. Ask yourself, how happy are you since you stopped serving? Because bless God, nobody's going to do that to me again. And they haven't, maybe. How happy are you?
Have you ever thought that maybe you serving them really had nothing to do? with anything they might do for you. And it really has nothing to do with whether they appreciate it or not. It really has to do that if you obey what God said, He said, you're going to be happy. And that means this.
If I serve somebody. Out of a heart of love? Because it fulfills the law and It Fosters unity in a church and Jesus came and served and loved me, and this is what I want to do: serve and love others. And I got to be honest with you, and somebody acts like that, somebody doesn't appreciate it, somebody takes advantage of it, somebody shows, you know, sometimes can just kind of be a jerk. Excuse the expression.
I mean, I have worse words if you want me to use it, but I'll stop right there. There's this kind of a jerk. Can I tell you something? I would, if I was. That, if I was there, listen, here's what I encourage you.
I would not dare let them rob you of your happiness. Just keep serving them.
Now that doesn't mean you have to let them abuse you, take advantage of you, take your money. It means we've got to be wise about that. But what I do mean is this, listen, just because somebody did this to you, don't stop serving. because you might stop your happiness. Jesus said.
Now that you know these things. If you do them. Happy are ye. And all I'm saying is this: if there is an element of your Christian walk where you would say, preacher, And listen, I'm not a no at all. I'm really not.
The older I get, the less I know. But if you would say, preacher, my Christian walk, I don't know if I really. Have the joy like I thought I should or think I should. I don't know. If I'm really happy like I should be.
I will tell you probably. You've not really applied yourself to serving one another. I'll tell you why you're not happy.
Somehow, there's a mentality that you've analyzed what everybody has not done for you. And I'm going to be honest with you: if you start looking around at what people have not done for you, oh my word. You'll get discouraged real fast. If I let myself do that sometimes, Oh my goodness. You can get real bitter, real cranky.
And I think fast, so my words just... It's just damage, damage, damage, damage. But if your mentality is I'm going to serve You might be surprised how happy you get. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast.
The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web. at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today.
God bless you.
