Sermon - Leviticus 9~10 - Obedient Service - Part 5

Leviticus 9~10

Obedient Service - Part 3

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7. Called to service!

Just as it was for Aaron and the Old Testament priesthood, when we serve and minister, God's honour is released. This is done because service is to show the beauty and glory of God to others. Serving, service and ministry are never to be about what we as mere humans can get out of it. When that is the motive, God is neither honoured nor glorified. God's glory and supremacy is to be the ultimate reason for service!  God is both zealous and jealous for His glory and honour to be upheld! Nadab and Abihu could testify to that I am sure! As Christians, as part of our life of true Joy, we are called to serve and minister.  We are called to exhibit and show our true Joy - just as Aaron and his family were called into a lifetime of obedient service to Jehovah God. Their JOY motto was to be "Jehovah Over Yourself".  For us, true joy is to be "Jesus Over Yourself".  Each of us here tonight is called to perform a unique serving and ministerial function. Showing love, serving each other and giving to others are a practical outworking of our joyful obedience to God.  The ministries of Nadab and Abihu were cut short and hallmarked with disobedience.  Our ministry, and all Christians have one, is to be hallmarked by obedience borne out of love for God and Him alone. Devoted obedience to God borne out of a desire to see God glorified, regardless of what other people may say or think. And we are not left alone to serve in our own power! We would most certainly fail if that was the case!  God Himself has lovingly equipped all those who follow Him, to serve!  God the Holy Spirit, who lives inside each believer, has endowed each Christian with gifts, talents and abilities for that purpose - service! This is so that the whole church is built up and "that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." God wants you and I to be active in service - life long service hallmarked by loving obedience to Him, which reflects our joyful dedication to Him, to His praise, honour and glory!

8. Judged for our service!

Finally, just as God's judgement was upon Nadab and Abihu, the Bible also tells us that all those who follow Jesus Christ will be judged according to what they have done, with what God gave them. That includes any spiritual gifts, talents and abilities we have!  This judgement will not be for salvation, because if we have decided to follow Jesus Christ, judgement for our sins has already fallen on Him, when He died on the cross. Of our sinfulness we have been set free and declared innocent! If we here tonight, have accepted God's free offer of salvation by grace alone, through Jesus Christ alone, then we are declared right with God and in a joyous relationship with Him. Again, it is amazing! However, our belief and faith are to be visibly manifested through joyful obedient service of, and to, God! This judgement is not for your salvation but for your rewards!  As followers of Jesus Christ, God will ask you and I, to give an account of ourselves, and we will be judged according to what we have done.  The quality of our work will be tested and our motives exposed - either we did things for God's glory or we did them for our own glory.  We will give an account of the opportunities and abilities entrusted to us as instruments of God's orchestra of joy.

Conclusion!

For those of us who would call ourselves Christians, the Bible is very clear - you are called to lovingly and obediently serve in some capacity.  A life of true Joy is seen in obedient service to the glory of God the Father, through God the Son Jesus Christ, in the power of God the Holy Spirit who lives in you.  Tonight, if you are engaging in either intentional or unintentional acts of disobedience, then you need to turn your life around to one of utter obedience to the God you profess to follow. As a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit within you, as a seal of your salvation.  Your body is the temple where God now resides! You can't hide from Him, so you may as well choose to be obedient to Him in a life of joyful service, exhibiting that true Joy and the hope you have in Him! Just as joy followed Moses and Aaron's obedience in Leviticus 9, so too can it be for those of us willing to lovingly serve obediently! But if you are not a Christian here tonight, then please do make yourself known to us afterwards and we would love to talk to you about becoming a Christian. While you have breath, it's not too late to start this life of joyful obedience to a loving God and enter into a living and dynamic relationship of true Joy with Him.  Don't leave it so late that you incur God's judgement for your sins and have everlasting separation from Him and others! God does indeed love you and He is calling you to come into a dynamic relationship of true joy with Him today. Take the opportunity today - come and follow Jesus Christ. He is calling you to respond!

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