Well, this morning our text that we're going to be studying is found in 1 Peter chapter 4. You can go ahead and be turning in your Bibles to there. But I had mentioned about the church extension, and obviously since I am a part of that new work, I've been thinking a lot about the priorities of the church. To a certain extent, on a weekly basis, things at Lakeside here are really on autopilot. We've been doing the same things for a long time, and while as an elder board, we continually look at what can we do better, the reality is, if you come here long enough, you realize it's pretty much the same. We do the same things. But with the extension, as I think about it, there is no autopilot, because it's never existed before. So we've got to start from somewhere, and so as a result, we're thinking through and realizing we can't do everything at the church extension that we can do here on day one. Obviously, this is an established place with more space and all the other reasons that are obvious. But of course, we want to carry out the Great Commission from day one. We want to preach the word from day one. But it has caused me to think, what can we do and what do we not do? What are our highest priorities? What do we do from day one that's non-negotiable? Now, I've been thinking about these types of things personally because my role will change as I go to the new extension. And I've also been thinking about the role of every person. We've been having meetings and people come and I'm excited that people want to be a part of this. I'm thinking of what is their role? What will it be? And yet, as I've thought more and more about it, we're still a few months away from it actually starting, what I realized is the questions I'm asking about the church extension, really I can be asking myself about here. Because it's not okay to be on autopilot ever. Certainly we don't have to change the church service order every week. It's okay for the bulletin to look the same. But as believers, we have to come expecting to minister and serve every week. There is no autopilot for the children of God. And yet if we're honest, we can fall into patterns and lapse in our thinking. We need to make certain that we're constantly doing what God's called us to do, but life gets busy and it's easy to put things aside. So the new work is going to bring some exciting and new opportunities, but the reality is you have exciting opportunities every week right here. We can bring God glory by what we do. And so the question really becomes, are you maximizing your time here on Sunday? For all of us, are we focused on God's priorities or do we get sidetracked and we approach church without the right commitment? Every one of us that's joined the church, we've signed saying we're committed to this body. Are we filling the role that God has for us? I approach this not to throw rocks at you. I'm one of your pastors, but it's easy for me to get sidetracked on Sunday mornings. There's so many things going on and there's so many things that we have to do A lot of them start, before we even get out the door, did you wake up in time? Did you get ready in time? And then you want to come and listen, but there's things that are bothering you or you don't feel great. Or you got here and somebody was parked where you wanted to park and so you've got to walk farther away. And the bus wasn't quick enough and the golf cart wasn't there. And then you made it to the sanctuary and somebody's sitting in your seat, don't they know? Or maybe it was because somebody here has bothered you and they've offended you. And you're looking at them while they're singing, saying, how can they sing with a clear conscience when they've done what they did to me? Or maybe it was just because you didn't like the outfit, or the shirt wasn't ironed, or the hair's not sitting right, or I didn't get enough coffee and I'm hungry. The possibilities are endless. What keeps you from fulfilling when you're sitting here, when you're interacting with other believers, what God called you to do? And the biggest hindrance is what you see in the mirror. It's I, me. It's very easy for church to become, what do I want out of it? What do I get out of it? What's in it for me? More often than not, the issues become very personal. It's not what I wanted. It's not what I want to do. It's not how I feel. And on and on it goes. And rather than me looking for God's glory, we're just looking for our own comfort and self-interest. There's a warning in Philippians 2, 3, and 4. that should apply to all of us at all times, but it's very easy for us to forget. Peter says, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others. That's sort of a foreshadowing of the type of lesson we're going to learn from 1 Peter today. And so I want to, as we prepare to get into God's Word, I want to lovingly ask you to think carefully about how this applies to you. And let me ask you bluntly, did you come to church today with the right focus and mindset? Now I'm going to give a little context before we dive in. Our particular text this morning is going to be in 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 8 to 11. It's the last part of the scripture reading this morning. But obviously we're parachuting in and jumping into a text. And so I want to provide a little context before I develop the thoughts that I'm already laying out in your mind. I think everything in 1 Peter can be summed up as a call to holiness. These were believers who were living in difficult circumstances. Life was hard. There was sin all around them. They were not treated well. Quite often they had difficulties in their workplaces. They had difficulties in their home lives. They had government that was not always their friend. We can identify with all of these things. And yet Peter didn't allow anyone to use that as an excuse. In 1 Peter 1, verses 14 to 16, he said what I think is the theme of the entire book. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance. But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. Because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy. There's never an excuse for us not to be holy. It's hard work, but God gives us His Spirit. He gives us His Word. He gives us a new heart. We have the ability. We have to have the will. And our text this morning is really dealing with the same issues, just in a slightly different context. What does holiness look like when we interact with other believers? And that affects most of us primarily on Sunday. It really comes down to whether you're approaching your time in church, your encounters with other believers, with the right attitude and the right motives. So just as purely as a teaching tool, it's not divinely inspired, I've broken this text up into two parts, and it's two sets of questions to evaluate your readiness for church. I would encourage you to think about whether you were doing this this morning, but any week. Two sets of questions to evaluate your readiness for church, and the first set of questions is this. When you come here, are you seeking to love others, or are you here for yourself? Are you seeking to love others or are you here for yourself? Peter says this in verse 8. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. Verse 9, be hospitable to one another without complaint. Now I'm going to give you a preview. Verse 8 is something and verse 9 is an illustration of that something. But just for Setting the stage. There's a sense of urgency in this if you look back to verse 7 again It was part of our reading and a couple of years ago. I taught an entire message on that verse You can go back and look it up online But Peter said this the end of all things is near Therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer In other words Peter in the midst of everything. It was telling him about being holy as God is holy He was reminding them that Jesus is going to return. I When he says the end of all things is near, he's just talking about when Christ comes back for His church. Every day the return of Jesus is nearer. And when Peter was saying that, he's trying to get their attention. He wants them to think rightly. He wants them to be daily in prayer because the Lord may return today to take His church. Are you ready? That's Peter's point. And 2,000 years ago there was a sense of urgency, and today there's no less sense of urgency. Of course, it's easy for all of us to be lulled to sleep because Jesus didn't come back. Not yet. So we can have this wrong notion that things are just going to continue on forever, but it's very clear from God's Word that's not the case. At some point, Jesus will take His church from this earth. There will be a tribulation period. And it's coming soon. It's interesting what Peter said elsewhere, because there were people even in his day that were basically thinking, well, it just keeps going. It's not really urgent. 2 Peter 3, verses 8 and 9, he said this, but do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. In other words, the only reason the Lord hasn't returned, there's nothing that has to happen, the only reason he hasn't is because he wants people to be saved. He's given us an opportunity to preach the gospel. But don't let it lull you to sleep such that you think you have another 30 or 40 or 50 years. We might not have until this afternoon. In fact, in the Lord's timeline, we're really at the start of day three. It hasn't been that long. So verse 7 is just this call to urgency. Be ready. And yet he then begins to apply what being ready looks like in the context of believers interacting with other believers. And he says this in verse 8, above all. In other words, this is a paramount duty. There's a lot of things that he said to do, but above all, do this. Keep fervent in your love for one another. Again, anytime you see those phraseology of one another, it's talking about believers interacting with other believers. And it shouldn't be surprising that above all, love should be our priority when we gather with other believers on Sunday. In Matthew 22, verses 37-39, we have the two greatest commandments. And He said to them, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And certainly from Jesus teaching, our neighbor extends beyond the family of God, but certainly it includes the family of God. God is love and as his children, we should be exhibiting that love. And it's not optional. This isn't just something to pick from a list of maybe we'll do it or not. Jesus said this in John chapter 13 verses 34 and 35. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. The identifying characteristic of any gathering of God's children should be that everybody else can look and say, wow, they love each other. Peter learned it at Jesus' feet. He's just sharing what Jesus Himself taught. And He says, keep fervent in your love for one another. Fervent means that there's effort involved. has the idea of muscles being trained and strained and stretched so that they can do more and they can do more. It's not about emotion or how you feel. It's about action and how you live. It requires constant effort and every believer is supposed to be exerting this effort every time we interact with other believers. One another. Again, we're supposed to be salt and light in the world. We're supposed to go into all the world to make disciples. We're supposed to be preaching the gospel. But there's an interesting phraseology. We're supposed to treat other believers even better than anyone else. Galatians 6.10 says this, So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. And it's not new for Peter in the beginning of First Peter in verse 22, he said something similar. He said, since you have an obedience to the truth, purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart. It's this effort again of energy in action, not just feelings and stirring up something, but how you live and your priorities and what your purpose is. And it's not surprising since Jesus taught it that is found throughout the New Testament. Romans 12, 10. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. Romans 13, 8. Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 1 John 3, 23. This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as He commanded us. It really can't be stressed enough. We have to have a hard attitude that says, I'm going to love other Christians and I'm gonna work at it. How do you live? How do you act? How do you speak? And I'm gonna clue you in on something that you already know. We're not always the most lovable bunch. We're sinners. We can be a quirky and annoying and needy And we can be inconsiderate and unflattering and thoughtless and selfish, but none of that matters. We're a part of the family of God. We're going to be together for all eternity. We should start learning to love each other now. And it's interesting because if a church is doing this, I believe the implications of what Peter's about to say, a lot of the problems in churches go away. He says, above all, keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. And it's a principle we should think about carefully. Of course, it's not the only reason we love. He's just talking about this as an aspect of it. Why do we love? Because God told us to. But one of the aspects is if we're loving one another, as God's told us to do, if we're fervently loving one another, then that love will cover the multitude of sins. And it's talking about sins within the body of Christ. Now understand, he's not saying that your sins go away if you love one another. Our sins are taken care of by the blood of Jesus and that alone. And he's not saying that there no longer is sin in the body of Christ, although if we were living holy as God is holy, it'd be a lot less. What he's talking about is how we react to the sin of others around us. He's not saying we're transported to fantasy land and sin goes away. The sins are real, but love changes how we view those sins and how we deal with those sins. Peter is saying that if you love other believers fervently, with effort, with the kind of love that God has given you, then their sins are not going to bother you nearly as much. Love will help us cover the sins of others. I'm going to be a little practical. But let me tell you, if we're working hard at loving others, we will not seek to embarrass and humiliate other people because of their sins. Rather, we'll do our best to help them move forward in repentance and faith. Sadly, how we're supposed to deal with sin as it's laid out very clearly in Scripture is quite often not how we deal with it in life. And listen carefully to what I'm going to try and say, and I pray the Lord will help make it understandable. Here's the reality. If you're in church, and you are, you'll deal with sin because we're sinners. We don't want to be like Paul. The things that we want to do, we don't do. The things that we don't want to do, we do. So how are you going to interact with those believers around you who are doing that? Here's far too often what believers do. And I'm not telling stories on Lakeside. I've been a believer since 1993. It's happened in every church I've been a part of. So I don't think I'm talking a foreign language to you. But you're here at church, you're going about your business, and another believer in the church sins. Perhaps they sin against you. Makes you frustrated, makes you a little bit angry. So I tell a couple of other people about my frustration and anger. Because we're close, we're brothers and sisters. Let me tell you what so-and-so did for the umpteenth time. Can you believe them? If we're more spiritual, we phrase it as a prayer request. Pray for that sinner who keeps sinning. But we start talking to people, and guess what happens? I'll tell you a secret. Everybody has somebody that's a better friend with them than they are with you, so they tell them. Boy, did you hear what so-and-so did? They were upset. And then 10 people have heard about it, and 15 people have heard about it. It's a true story. I remember being at a church, and hearing somebody talk about what they heard from somebody that went to a completely different church about sin in our church. How can that be? It's gossip. And then, inevitably, when a chain of gossip is going around because somebody's telling you about somebody, somebody eventually will grab a pastor and say, deal with it. There's sin. It happens all the time. It happens here. It's happened at every church I've been a part of. If I'm honest, I'm sure I've been guilty of it at some point in my Christian life. Can I tell you that in any situation like that, not a single person is acting with love. They're not covering over sins, they're broadcasting sins so that other people will think negatively of a fellow believer. Gossip has occurred, the word is out, and even if that person genuinely repents, it'll take them years to ever recover their reputation because they've been gossiped about. It's the exact opposite of what Peter's saying. Love covers a multitude of sins. If we're loving correctly, even if somebody sins against us, our goal is not to get them back or to make sure everybody else knows what a jerk they are. Our goal is for them to repent and ask for forgiveness. If you don't approach sinning believers with an attitude of forgiveness, you're in trouble. Matthew 6, 14 and 15 says this, For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Matthew 18, 21-22, Then Peter came and said to Him, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. The point is simply this, If we're loving other believers, our attitude is not we want them to pay for their sins. It's amazing how many times we want somebody else to suffer in ways that God didn't make us suffer. And we don't wait until they're better to start working on our heart of forgiveness. Romans 5.8, but God demonstrates His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If our heart attitude is fervently loving one another and caring for one another and wanting what's best for even that sinning brother or sister, we may even notice that we have a log in our own eyes. I won't read it, but Matthew 7, 3-5 is a strong warning about hypocrisy. I see your sin, I ignore my own. Proverbs 10, 12 says this, hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions. How sad that far too often in church, we act as though we have hatred rather than love. Speaking of love, Pastor Steve recently taught on this on Sunday night from 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Speaking of love, Paul taught the Corinthians that love does not act unbecomingly, verse 5. It does not seek its own. It does not provoke. It does not take into account a wrong suffered. It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. So there are times if you're loving fervently another believer when you can just let it go. You can see that it's not malicious. It's not intentional. Maybe they were short with you. Maybe they weren't as kind as they can be. Maybe you can just, Lord, I forgive them. I'm going to move on and I'm not going to raise the issue. But maybe it's something more significant and you need to deal with it. The way to deal with it is not to reach out to your four best friends and ask them what to do. The way to deal with it is to look what Jesus said in Matthew 18 verse 15. This is fervent love. If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you've won your brother. That's how love dresses things. Not by gossiping and spreading stories, but by trying to help the sinning brother or sister repent quietly so that there's fellowship and restoration. If we operate in love, there'll be very few issues in the body of Christ. Colossians 3.14, beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. A church where each individual is fervently loving. Every other individual is a unified church. It's a church of peace. It's where problems are addressed biblically, not with gossip and hatred and distention, but with kindness and compassion. I will add a word of caution because I'm talking so much about love and forgiveness and covering over sins, and those are important. And everything I've said, I believe with all my heart. But the fact that we are willing to forgive and that we're fervently loving one another doesn't mean that there are not sometimes serious consequences for sin. Forgiveness restores fellowship, but it doesn't always negate consequences. Certain sins are crimes and the police need to be called to deal with it. Certain sins may require restitution if something's been taken. Certain sins may require tangible actions that are unpleasant and uncomfortable, but they are deeds keeping with repentance. Certain sins may have domino effects that even if you've been loved fervently and even if you've been forgiven, they can result in long-term pain and heartache and suffering. Sometimes God is merciful. Praise the Lord. And we don't feel the full weight of our sin. But sometimes, even with God's mercy and forgiveness and love, we reap what we sow. And it may hurt. But that shouldn't come from us. Forgiveness and love for even a sinning brother or sister is supposed to be the attitudes of our heart. If you're loving another believer, then you should be rejoicing to see them, even if they've caused you pain. You won't be driven on Sunday morning with hoping the worst for someone, but you'll want the best for them. I don't do as many quotes as some, but I read a quote by Wayne Grudem in his commentary dealing with this verse that I thought summed up everything Peter was trying to tell us. He says this, where love abounds in a fellowship of Christians, many small offenses and even some large ones are readily overlooked and forgotten. But where love is lacking, every word is viewed with suspicion. Every action is liable to misunderstanding and conflicts abound to Satan's perverse delight. May God allow us to be a church where love abounds. And it starts with us individually, preparing in our hearts before we ever leave the home that we're going to love people today, maybe through a word, maybe through an action, maybe through sacrificing so that they can be blessed. Now Peter continues, and he gives a tangible illustration of what loving fervently looks like in verse 9. It may not seem like it's connected, but it's exactly connected. He says in verse 9, be hospitable to one another without complaint. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. And in this context, he's just showing a tangible expression of love that can be shown to other believers. And in this context, particularly the societal context, this had a very important meaning. The idea of opening up your home and sharing with a stranger who happens to be a brother or sister in Christ. In the time of the writing of this letter, hospitality was a matter of life and death quite often for believers. Unlike today, where you can go and get an Airbnb or rent a hotel room, quite often in that day, traveling was dangerous. And not only that, there weren't really reputable places where you could stay. Quite often, the places that would lease out space, rent a room, were disreputable, consumed with drunkenness and debauchery, and it was not safe. For a Christian either fleeing persecution or just going from one place to another, or for a missionary or pastor trying to share the gospel, traveling could be a matter of life and death. Imagine if you're traveling with your family and you're tired and you need a place to stay and you pull up in the one hotel you see, the motel parking lot, and immediately you notice that there are prostitutes all over. And then you see people using drugs and selling drugs. And you see people stumbling around in drunkenness with weapons on them. And you see people breaking into parked vehicles and prying open windows. I'm going to suspect that most of us would keep driving. We'll sleep in our car if we have to. Well, in this timeline, what believers did was look for other believers. That was their only hope of having a place that was safe, that could provide lodging. Being hospitable was how believers filled the gap for other believers. It's what allowed the gospel to spread. It's what allowed believers to safely move from place to place. Quite often, scholars would tell us they would take a letter from their home church, maybe from lakeside on lakeside letterhead that says, I'm a believer, please be merciful to me. In fact, that duty was so important that the qualifications for elder require a believer to be hospitable. I won't read it, but 1 Timothy 3, 2 has that account, hospitable. Likewise, and again, I'm not going to read it, but there's a specific standard for widows to be taken care of by the church. The list you can find in 1 Timothy 5, 9, and 10, but it includes showing hospitality to strangers. So the idea is that we're showing love even when it costs us something. We're sacrificially going out of our way to help care for other believers. I think Jesus illustrates exactly what being hospitable would look like. In Matthew chapter 25, verse 35 to 40, it says this, For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? And when did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? The king will answer and say to them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me." That's fervent love. And a manifestation of that is just going out of your way to meet the needs of other believers. And even though we now have a lot of safe places to stay in our current culture, that doesn't mean that this duty of hospitality goes away. We still have an obligation before the Lord to be hospitable to one another. And there are opportunities here at Lakeside. You may not have the opportunity to welcome a stranger into your house, but we've had times where a missionary needed a place to stay. Did you volunteer? Maybe someone just needs a ride, you can provide it. Maybe someone doesn't have a car, you can loan them your car. Maybe somebody needs a meal, and there's a lot of that at Lakeside. And praise the Lord, I commend our church. We rally and we provide those meals. The point is this, the private co-application, the opportunities for you to be hospitable are endless, but you've got to look for them. That's the whole point. You come to church looking for those kind of opportunities, or do you hope that somebody else will take care of it when the form's passed around? It's interesting, Peter adds one caveat. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. It's inconvenient to be hospitable. If you've ever had somebody at your house, it's a challenge. You lose some of your privacy. Maybe they're not as neat as you are. Maybe the bathroom's cluttered or clogged up when you want to be in the bathroom. The reality is though, as believers, this is part of fervent love. When we have the privilege of caring for one another, and ministering to one another, and sacrificing for one another. We sometimes have that opportunity on Sunday. So all of this is really just the first step of evaluating. Are you coming to church for the right reason? Are you ready for church? Are you seeking to love others? Or are you here just for yourself? That leads to the second set of questions to evaluate your readiness for church. The second set of questions is this, do you plan to serve or do you expect to be served? Do you plan to serve or do you expect to be served? We're gonna see this in verses 10 and 11, but beginning in verse 10, Peter says this, as each one has received a special gift, employed in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, Verse 11, in part, whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God. Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. Now what Peter's doing is combining these two, but it's really the exact same idea. And it has to do with what are you here for? Why are you gathering with other believers? And let me encourage you, this is not an academic study. This is a personal study for each one of us. And I say it's for each one of us because Peter says this in verse 10, it's just the beginning clause, as each one has received a special gift. As each one has received a special gift is actually a very profound statement. It means that every one of us, if you know Jesus Christ, you have a gift to offer other believers. The context is talking about spiritual gifts. supernatural empowering of the Holy Spirit, whereby God decides for each one of his children what gifts to give for the purposes of serving other believers. And every believer has at least one spiritual gift. There's nobody that's left out. First Corinthians 12, 4 to 7, and again, Pastor Steve, been teaching through 1 Corinthians. If you weren't here for those, go back and listen. You can learn about spiritual gifts in a great way. But 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4-7 says this, Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things and all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. In other words, every one of us, because we're all a part of the body of Christ, has been given at least one spiritual gift, sometimes more than one, so that we can build up the body of Christ. Which means that every one of us should come to church with an attitude saying, how can I serve today? Peter's very clear. We're not giving these gifts to sit on a shelf as each one has received a special gift. Employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. God's given you this gift not for you to shine it up and polish it and put it on your shelf. That's my gift. It's not a trophy. It's a tool that God gives you to serve and you must serve. Employed in serving one another is not even to benefit yourself. It's for other people. It's one of the reasons why we gather together as a church. Hebrews 10, 24, and 25 says this, and it's this picture of mutual care and why church is so essential for every believer. Hebrews 10, 24, and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Verse 25, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day drawing near. In other words, as believers, we need each other. We need to be here But the body's only working if everyone is serving. Far too many Christians come to church because they want something. In fact, people often pick churches like they're picking a social club. Well, I like that. What's that for me? Oh, that's good for my kids. I want this activity or that event for me to enjoy. This is what I want. Now don't misunderstand what I'm saying. Of course, we get great benefits out of coming here. The benefits of encouragement and being stimulated to love and good deeds, those are Hebrews. That's what we get. We get encouragement from the Word of God. We get equipped for the work of service from the Word of God. There are many blessings we have from being here. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is if it's all about you, you've missed the point. Your primary motivation can't be what's in it for me. Your primary goal should be, how can I serve today? What can I do to get involved? God has given me certain abilities or certain desires. How can I use them? And you won't stop until you do. We're to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God. God's mercifully given us these gifts to use to serve others. We're going to give an account one day. We have to take it seriously. When you get ready for church, and when you think through your week, you need to be asking God to show you, how can I use my gifts to serve other people? It's interesting, and I've used this illustration. There's an aspect of Lakeside where it's like a buffet every Sunday. We come and Pastor Steve is just unfolding the Word of God, and we're able to eat from the Word of God, and it's just incredible. It is a bountiful buffet. And we come to grow. We come to learn. Those aren't bad things. But if you just take that analogy a little farther out, somebody's got to clean the tables. Somebody's got to prepare the chairs. Somebody's got to put out the silverware. There's enough work for everyone to be using their gifts. Is that your priority? Not everything is prominent. Not everything gets recognized. but that doesn't minimize the value of using your gifts, whatever they are, to serve others, even if it's the most demeaning and humbling thing. I've often been drawn to a particular event in Jesus' life. I'm gonna read a portion of After It Occurred, but it had to do with when Jesus washed the disciples' feet. I struggle to comprehend how hard that would have been for me, because I don't like people's feet. And they didn't have Nikes, they were wearing sandals and dirty feet and onions and blisters and all the other stuff. And yet Jesus got down and took the most menial task in the room and washed their feet. He even washed Judah's feet, who He knew was going to betray Him. John 13, 12-15 says this, So when he had washed their feet and taken his garments and reclined at the table again, he said to them, do you know what I've done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you're right, for so I am. Verse 14, if I then, Lord and teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Let me assure you, there's plenty of work to do. We don't literally wash feet at Lakeside, but there are a lot of tasks that have to be done. The point is, do you have that heart of Jesus that you're willing to do whatever it takes, even if you don't get any recognition or pat on the back? Changing diapers, or serving veggie straws to toddlers, or cleaning up when somebody spills coffee, those are good acts of service with a heart attitude that wants to serve, I've got the whole quotation, but I'll just read one part of it. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus in verses 42 to 45, the disciples were arguing with each other, but what always sticks with me in verse 45, for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. How can we gathering on Sunday be any different? Please examine your heart. The church hasn't been put here by God for you to be a consumer who's catered to. You're supposed to be serving others, not waiting for other people to take care of you. Well, I didn't like that, or I didn't like this, or that's not my... It doesn't matter. If you're part of this fellowship, use your gifts. Serve. God's given you those gifts. In verse 11 is really just practical application of this. As he's talking here, he really divides up gifts into two categories. One is where you're speaking, you're serving through speaking. The other is where you're just doing works of service. They're both serving the body of Christ, they're just in different ways. And he says this in verse 11, whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God. Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. In other words, he's just talking about if you have spiritual gifts that involve you speaking, then do it in the fear of the Lord. As though you're speaking for the Lord. You're His representative this morning. Speak that way. If you're teaching the little kids, or you're teaching a Sunday school class, or you're just offering encouragement, or you're praying for someone, do it as though you're God's representative because you are. Likewise, if you're serving Do it realizing that I'm serving because God's given me the ability. God's given me the equipment. God's given me the desire. I'm using His strength to bless His children. Again, it's just recognizing that even the mundane things we do, or even the important things we do, they're all being done under the umbrella of a holy God. It's all about Jesus. So let me just encourage you. as you think about your interactions with other believers. Getting ready for Bible study or something else, make sure you're ready. It's interesting because Peter closes this section with a doxology, which is a perfect way for us to close. He's really saying, why are we doing all this? Why are we loving? Why are we speaking? Why are we serving? Why are we doing all of these things? He says, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. As clearly and as lovingly as I can say it, each one of us, including me, has to recognize when we come to church, it's not about me. It's about bringing praise and glory to God. to show each other and a watching world that Jesus is worthy of all honor and all praise forever and ever. Amen. That's the simplest and most profound thing you can do to get ready is realize it's all about the glory of God. Please join me in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. Lord, even as I'm preaching and exhorting, I recognize how far I fall short of your standards. Lord, I pray that you'll forgive us where we fall short. Lord, I pray that you'll strengthen us. And I pray, Lord, that we would love one another fervently at Lakeside, that a stranger walking in would immediately recognize these people are Jesus' disciples. I can see it because of their love for one another. And Lord, I pray that Lakeside would never again be lacking a volunteer for any ministry because everyone here isn't coming just to be served and fed and what's in it for me, but that our people want to use their gifts for Your glory to serve one another, sacrificially. Lord, I pray that You will receive the glory for everything we do. Along those lines, Lord, You receive glory when sinners repent and believe. hearing this, who may not have any ability to do any of these things because they're still in their sin. Lord, I pray that You would open their eyes, that they would see that they truly are sinners before a holy God and that one day they will stand before You and they'll give an account. And yet, Lord, I also pray that You'll show them mercy so that their eyes will be opened, they'll see Jesus, and they'll recognize that if they place their faith in Him, They'll believe in Him that He died in their place on the cross. They can have forgiveness of sins. Lord, we love you. For all of our shortcomings, we thank you so much that you love us. And we pray, Lord, that the next time we have opportunity to be with other believers, we'll be ready. We ask this all in Jesus' name for His glory. Amen.