SO YOU WANT TO BE A SERVANT?

by Dr. Don Sisk

The Apostle Paul, time after time, referred to himself as a servant. For instance, Romans 1:1: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle.” Peter referred to himself as a servant, II Peter 1:1: “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” These men were called or appointed by Jesus Christ to be apostles. This was a very lofty position; however, more than an apostle, they looked upon themselves as servants of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said very plainly, “The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.” Jesus is very plainly saying, “I did not come to be served. I came as a servant.” In Philippians 2:7 we are told, “. . . and took upon him the form of a servant.”

In each of the references that we have quoted, the word servant is a word that could well be translated bond slave. A bond slave was different from a hired servant. In Exodus 21 we have a description of a man who chose to be a bond servant. The servants bought by the Hebrew people had certain rights and privileges. They were to serve for six years and then be set free. But in vs. 5 we find these words: “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him forever.”

Notice the declaration of a bond servant:

1. It was a plain declaration.

Vs. 5 says, “…and the servant shall plainly say…” In other words he makes his commitment to be a bond slave very plain to everyone. You do not have to wonder what he was saying.

2. It was a passionate commitment.

He said, “I love my master.” Certainly we as born-again children of God would desire to serve the one who has suffered, bled and died for us.

3. It was a public commitment.

He was to be brought before the judges. This was a public hearing. Everyone knew what this meant. This man was publicly saying, “I want to be a servant of my master for the rest of my life.”

4. It was a painful situation.

The Bible says, “and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul.” This is quite different from ladies having their ears pierced today. It was a very painful experience. If we are to commit ourselves to be bond servants of Jesus Christ, it means that the ego must die, pride must die, desire must die. We are no longer living for ourselves! We are His servants! His smallest command should be our greatest desire!

5. It was a permanent commitment.

“…and he shall serve him forever.”

After looking at the requirements of a bond slave, let us ask again the question, “So you want to be a servant?” There is no higher honor that can be attributed to any man, woman, boy or girl on the face of the earth than to be a servant of Jesus Christ. We do not have any rights. We are bond slaves. All of our rights have been committed to our Master. We do not have a personal agenda. Our sole purpose is to obey our Master. We cannot demand anything. Since He is our Master, we must trust Him to give us that which He desires for us.

There were probably people who became bond slaves to cruel, horrible masters and they lived very miserable lives. We have a wonderful, loving Master. He is Jesus, the Savior, the one who showed us how to be a servant. We can trust Him. He will never do anything that would harm us. Some things may hurt us but they will not harm us. He is such a loving, wonderful Master that I can rest assured when He says to me, “Do this”; it is not only best for His kingdom, but it is the best thing for me. When he says to me, “Don’t do that,” I know that it is for my protection and for His glory. He is a sovereign, omniscient Master. He is more concerned about my holiness than He is about my happiness. He is more concerned about my being conformed to His image than He is about my comfort. What a wonderful Savior! What a wonderful Master!

In John 13:3 the Bible says, “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God.” Think about that; He had all power. Everything has been committed into “His hands.” I often ask young people, “If you could be anything you wanted to be or if you could do anything you wanted to do, what would you be; what would you do?” I get many interesting answers to that question. Jesus was one who could have been anything that He would have desired to be. He could have done anything that He wanted to do. Everything was committed into “His hands.”

Now, notice what He did. In vs. 4 the Bible says, “He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself.” He became the servant. There are people all around the world who need a servant. I have often said, “The last thing we need today is another Christian celebrity.” There are many vying to be celebrities; however, the need is for servants.

Thank God for the opportunity to serve our loving Master, Jesus.