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The Privilege of Serving

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 31, 1911

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 88, No. 35.

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The Privilege of Serving

Among the many beautiful word pictures that are painted for us in the Scriptures, there is perhaps none which surpasses that found in the twenty-first and a portion of the twenty-second chapters of the book of Revelation: the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven; the throne and tabernacle of God with men; every tear wiped away; death no more, neither mourning, nor crying, nor pain; the first things passed away, and all things become new. There is given a description of the New Jerusalem, with its gates of pearl, its streets of gold, its foundation of precious stones; the glory of God is the light over all, and the Lamb is the temple; the gates are open continually, and there is no night there; from the throne of God flows the river of water of life, and on either side of the river is the tree of life, yielding its twelve manner of fruits. Finally, as if it were the last stroke in the picture, are these words: “And there shall be no curse any more: and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein: and his servants shall serve him.”
This suggests the theme for the hour: The service of God, the highest aim of our lives here, and our joy hereafter.
If we should attempt to present what the Scriptures say concerning this question of service, it would require a presentation of the whole Scriptures; for, from first to last, this view is held before our mind,—service, service, service. We can touch upon only a few points that may be suggestive of others.
First, in that remarkable history which we find in the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt, this thought of service is repeated again and again. Note the message sent to Pharaoh: “Israel is my son, my first-born; . . . let my son go, that he may serve me.” And this deliverance from Egypt, which is typical of our personal bondage, is to teach us this lesson: God delivers us from bondage, not that we may bless ourselves, not that we may serve ourselves, but that we may serve him; and the word to him who holds us inbondage, or who would do so, is the same word which was sent to Pharaoh, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.”
When Moses was rehearsing to the children of Israel their experiences, and giving to them final instruction, we find these very significant words:—
“And now, Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, unto Jehovah thy God belongeth heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth, with all that is therein. Only Jehovah had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all peoples, as at this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked. For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward. He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the sojourner, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the sojourner; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt. Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve.”
As Joshua gave his farewell address, after completing his work as the leader of Israel in Moses’ place, he said:—
“Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the river, and in Egypt; and serve ye Jehovah. And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.”
These words have come down to us for many generations, and have been oft-times repeated as a personal decision when one has decided to turn away from the service of evil to serve the true and living God: “As for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.”
So also when David was speaking concerning the temple, and giving instruction to his son Solomon, we find him saying:—
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.”
And the Old Testament canon closes with a remarkable statement as to the difference between serving God and refusing to serve him. These are the words:—
“Your words have been stout against me, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Jehovah of hosts? and now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are built up; yea, they tempt God, and escape. Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah harkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own possession, in the day that I make; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”
This is sufficient for a suggestion of the instruction which forms the warp and woof, as it were, of the Old Testament Scriptures,—deliverance from sin, not to bless ourselves, but that we may serve the living God. The example of this, that example to which we look for both instruction and power, is found in the life of Christ himself on earth. Those words spoken by the father of John the Baptist concerning Christ relate to this very theme:—
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, and hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old, salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, to grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies should serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people in the remission of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us.”
This was the purpose of the salvation promised to Abraham, this was the purpose of the revelation of the gospel, that we should be delivered, and that we might serve him in righteousness and holiness all our days. So the very purpose of sending Christ was to bring about this changed condition: That those who were in bondage, and unable to serve under a hard taskmaster, and who had been made to serve with rigor, might be delivered, and might serve without fear in righteousness and holiness.
This service is an exclusive service. There can be no partnership with any power of evil. This is clearly shown in the reply that Christ made to Satan in the time of temptation:—
“Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.”
Only a small part of the kingdoms of the world, only a small part of the glory, can he show to us, yet that little glimpse oftimes makes us waver; but he showed Christ “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.”
“Again the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
In the face of the severest temptation that can be brought to bear upon the Son of man, after that period of fasting, in that condition of physical weakness, his reply is our reply: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” This, again, is the purpose of deliverance.
The work of Christ and the plan of salvation are set forth in many places in the Scriptures; for example:—
“For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanliness of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
The gift of Christ, the sacrifice of Christ, the work of Christ, the ministry of Christ, the whole purpose, is that we may be able with clean hands and pure hearts in holiness and righteousness to serve the living God.
The experience of Christ, our example and helper for this work, is set forth in this scripture:—
“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.”
“But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” Here we shall see more clearly as we proceed, that it was in harmony with the divine fitness of things that Jesus should take the form of a servant. He was to serve, he had been serving, he was to serve in another capacity; only that service, however, required a wonderful self-effacement, a wonderful sacrifice.
The message in his own words to his disciples sets forth in a very clear way the principles which underlie this whole question:—
“And there arose also a contention among them, which of them was accounted to be greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them; and they that have authority over them are called benefactors.But ye shall not be so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For which is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am in the midst of you as he that serveth.”
Wonderful words! The Lord of glory, the express image of the Father, taking the form of a servant, made in the likeness of men, humbling himself even as a man, being obedient even unto the death of the cross, speaking of himself, says, “I am among you as he that serveth.” Certainly if any words or example could dignify service, service rendered unto God, this example, these words, ought to do it. Again referring to his experience under these circumstances, he says:—
“Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
We are accustomed to judge all these things differently. He who can command a large retinue of servants to serve him, is counted great. Of him in whose train follow many ready to do anything at his beck or nod, we say, Behold the greatness of this man! This lesson is contrary to the world’s way and to the world’s policies; yet it is even a lesson to us, that we may understand the nature of true service, that we may render it heartily as unto God, and not to man. These words have been written concerning this very thought:—
If we live to ourselves, and for ourselves only, our life must necessarily be a small and poor life, since it is limited by our circumstances, our situation, and our powers. But if we forget ourselves, and open our doors of work, thought, and sympathy into the great overflowing life of the whole world, we step into so large and full an existence that we can never exhaust nor tire of it. “No man is happy until his first object is outside of himself.”
He who looks only within to find joy and happiness, finds misery multiplied, and the more he looks, the worse he grows. In the very nature of things we have been so created.
No man can be unhappy who throws himself, self-forgetfully, into any effort to share in and better the world’s wide life.
These are words worth remembering and principles worth applying. It is not always easy, I grant you, to do this; but in our very nature, it is where we find our truest happiness, and our best and most useful service. Here are other words worth reading:—
Our Saviour’s joy was in the uplifting and redemption of fallen men. For this he counted not his life dear unto himself, but endured the cross, despising the shame. So angels are ever engaged in working for the happiness of others. This is their joy. That which selfish hearts would regard as humiliating service,—ministering to those who are wretched, and in every way inferior in character and rank,—is the work of the sinless angels.
This may be worth remembering and emphasizing in view of the thought that may sometimes come to our minds: Why should we go to far-off, distant fields, to the interior of China, for example, far away from the forms of civilization; or to India, to spend our lives, after a careful preparation for good service in ministering, for those who appeal to us as being on a lower plane, where life seems a wretched condition, an unutterable wo? Why should we place ourselves in such surroundings as these? Measure, if you can, the distance between the glory of heaven and the wickedness of this world, and compare that with the distance between our spiritual rank and theirs. Think you there is as great a gap between our plane of thinking and working and living and that of the lost for whom we may be called to labor, as there was between the plane of living and thinking of him who had the glory of the Father before the world was, and a lost world?
The Saviour’s life on earth was not a life of ease and devotion to himself, but he toiled with persistent, earnest, untiring effort for the salvation of lost mankind. From the manger to Calvary he followed the path of self-denial, and sought not to be released from arduous tasks, painful travels, and exhausting care and labor. He said, “The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” This was the one great object of his life. Everything else was secondary and subservient. It was his meat and drink to do the will of God and to finish his work.
So those who are partakers of the grace of Christ will be ready to make any sacrifice that others for whom he died may share the heavenly gift. They will do all they can to make the world better for their stay in it. This spirit is the sure outgrowth of a soul truly converted. No sooner does one come to Christ, than there is born in his heart a desire to make known to others what a precious friend he has found in Jesus; the saving and sanctifying truth can not be shut up in his heart. If we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and are filled with the joy of his indwelling Spirit, we shall not be able to hold our peace. If we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, we shall have something to tell. Like Philip, when he found the Saviour, we shall invite others into his presence. We shall seek to present to them the attractions of Christ, and the unseen realities of the world to come. There will be an intensity of desire to follow in the path that Jesus trod. There will be an earnest longing that those around us may behold “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”
And the effort to bless others will react in blessings upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. He has granted men the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature, and, in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow men. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy, that it is possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus become participants in his labors of love, are brought nearest to their Creator.
While we seek to get nearer to our fellow men, let us get nearer to them by serving them.
This is a sufficient foundation upon which we may rest certain statements concerning this service to God. First, let us notice that this service rests upon the right of ownership:—
“Know ye that Jehovah, he is God: it is he that hath made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
This same thought is brought out in these words in speaking of those who should be looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:—
“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works.”
Perhaps no one whose record has come to us through the Scripture, illustrates this truth more clearly than did the apostle Paul after his conversion. It was the whole thought of his life to give himself in service. He recognized that God had a right to that service, and he acknowledged that right. In that time of peril when the ship was likely to be lost, he said:—
“There stood by me this night an angel of God whose I am, whom also I serve.”
And his whole life was a development of that principle. Every power of his being he recognized as belonging to God, and he devoted it to the service of God. That is true Christian ownership, divine rightful ownership. By creation, by redemption we are his. “Ye are not your own: for ye were bought with a price.”
(Concluded next week)