Sermon Title: Eternal Living Begins Today – Serve
Revelation 22:3-5 - Eden Restored
3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Every true believer of Jesus Christ will serve Him and reign with Him forever.
The Christian’s life must be ALL about life in the Kingdom of God – from now, unto eternity.
The Christian’s ultimate design and destiny is present and eternal divine service unto God; and thus, the Christian’s utter desire must be to serve God.
You believe yourself to be Christian – a child of our Heavenly Father, a disciple of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, an agent of the Holy Spirit.
And yet, are you clear about: Who do you serve?
Do you serve the devil?
Perhaps not.
Do you serve God? Not entirely sure?
Well then.
It is clear that you serve yourself.
Understand this well.
To be self-serving is to disinherit a Kingdom in which the foundational commandments that establish this eternal Kingdom is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
The ‘self-server’ has absolutely no place in the Kingdom of God.
Every doubt, struggle, challenge or crisis faced by the Christian is due to a relapse into the wicked nature to ‘self-serve’ – to put yourself before all else, especially God.
The only way out of this darkness is to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Christ (Ref: Luke 9:23); to embrace the Kingdom of God, and make room in your life to serve God.
“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6)
Are you thirsty for eternal life in the Kingdom of God?
Service unto God is a big part of that life.
“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” (Revelation 21:7)
Are you victorious? Do you feel victorious?
To be victorious is to live this present life in service unto Christ – by actually being in service with Christ.
With God, every day is ‘take your child to work’ day.
Are you willing to go to work with our Father in Heaven?
Revelation 22:3-5 makes it exceedingly clear.
In His Kingdom, “his servants will serve him... … And they will reign with him for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:3, 22:5))
For true believers whose lives belong entirely and utterly to Jesus Christ, eternal living has begun; and thus, for us, His Kingdom is already here!
The eternal state of the Righteous is to serve God and to reign with Christ for ever and ever – from the moment we give our lives to Him.
Consider the facts.
The righteous will share the glory of God in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity.
The righteous are the servants of God.
Just as our eternal life does not begin only when we die, but the moment we give our lives to Christ; our service unto God must begin today.
Are you humbled by God’s inheritance for you? Are you humbled by God’s present and eternal purpose for you?
To be truly Christian, is to live utterly for eternal life in God’s Kingdom – by serving God right now!
Your desire to enter God’s Kingdom must be congruent to your desire to serve Him today.
Remember that when believers come face to face with our Lord Jesus Christ after the rapture, we are judged based on our faithfulness in Christian service.
As a church family, let us keep our faith and hope solely and utterly in Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour and King by committing to God’s Kingdom together; a divine endeavor that prepares us for eternal life through serving God together, today.
If we profess to love our family and friends and desire for them to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we must work with the Lord towards His Coming Kingdom.
To set our lives for His Kingdom, we must yearn to serve Him in preparation of our eternal, glorious work of reigning with Him for all eternity.
This is a timeless and unchanging truth.
Service in the paradigm of God’s Kingdom is premised upon the fact that our eternal life in Christ has already begun! Not when we die and get to heaven, but right now.
Yes.
If eternal life begins today; it does mean that our eternal service unto God begins today.
Once again, the paradigm of God’s Kingdom – eternal living begins today - means that we need to plan our lives in preparation for eternity; and working with Christ - just as the disciples did after He ascended to the heavens - is a huge part of this plan. (Ref: Mark 16:20)
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them, but they will serve as priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)
To this, our Lord Jesus Christ guides us to understand that we are:
(1) Tasked to love and serve as Christ loved and served
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that.
Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who is at the table?
But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:24-27)
Indeed, like Christ, we must be the ones who serve.
How are you serving God today? How is your life lived in the service of Christ?
You might say to yourself that the work of God is vast; that you could serve anywhere.
Absolutely.
But to believe that you could serve anywhere oftentimes gets you serving nowhere.
You keep your options so open that you become closed to everything right in front of you.
We are a church. We are a spiritual family.
We belong to this church family.
There are opportunities to serve right where God has evidently placed you.
However, it takes commitment.
Everything purposeful, meaningful and significant in this life requires commitment.
Anything that is eternal requires an eternal commitment.
The Kingdom of God deserves our eternal commitment to be of service to King Jesus; of which, the first step is to serve right here within the church family.
Serve here.
I am constantly praying that you might step up and serve the church family in any capacity.
Talk to me and I will pray along with you.
Let us serve the Lord, and head towards His Kingdom - together.
Recently, the Lord revealed a prophetic word to our church:
Every Nation, Every Tribe, Every Tongue.
God is positioning us to become a multi-national church - reaching out to every nation, every tribe and every tongue.
We must begin to examine and enquire within ourselves what we must each, and corporately, do – in order to fulfill this prophetic word for our church.
I believe that the Lord has positioned us for such a time as this.
May the Lord strengthen your commitment to serve Him, and give out of His abundant blessings bestowed upon you.
When we reopen, we will announce a new ministry basis and format for us to grow and serve in our Lord Jesus Christ, together as a church family.
Please keep me in prayer as I seek the Lord to flesh out this direction of ministry that He has laid upon my heart for the church.
There are sacred opportunities to serve the Lord in our church; and it starts with the mindset of being like Jesus – as “one who serves.” (Ref: Luke 22:27)
To serve the Lord is the only way to truly understand God’s Promises for us.
To serve the Lord is the only way to fully prepare for eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
You may think to yourself, “God has promised me something, but I have not seen the fulfillment of it today… “
Well, if you step up and serve him today, you will get your breakthrough.
It may not be how you think it ought to be, but you will get a breakthrough in your life regardless; and it will definitely be in the direction of His Kingdom inbreaking.
Look back in your life.
Doesn’t the promises of God seem more real and more frequently accomplished when you are actively serving Him?
Aren’t you closest to the Lord when you are actively serving Him?
Aren’t you at your most hopeful when you are actively serving Him?
(2) Those who serve Christ are those who stand with Him.
As a church, we must stand firm by Christ through it all.
Our Lord Jesus exhorts us in Luke 22:28-30:
28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here, Christ uses precise eschatological (End-times) language that reveals that we will accompany and reign with Christ if we stand firm by Him all the days of our lives on earth.
As a church, to stand firm by Christ is to make a habit of encouraging one another; to always call upon the Name of the Lord together.
We don’t need to understand the details of the circumstances, or the challenges; we just need to make time and effort to bring our lives before the Lord in corporate prayer and mission.
We read in Mark 16:15-18: “in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
To serve God the Father now and forevermore, we must serve Him TOGETHER with His Son, Jesus Christ – baptized in the Power of His Holy Spirit.
Ministry is never a solo endeavor; it is always in fellowship.
If we truly believe that eternal life has already begun for us, our eternal service unto God must begin right now - together.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Help me, O Lord, to look utterly to Your coming Kingdom, where I will serve You, and reign with You for ever and ever.
Make my life all about life in Your Kingdom from now, unto eternity.
I acknowledge that present and eternal service unto You is my ultimate design and destiny. Increase my faith in You, O Lord, and deepen my desire to serve You – working alongside You in preaching Your Gospel to a world in darkness.
Create in me a heart that yearns solely for You, Lord Jesus; and a mind that strives to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow You; that I may utterly embrace Your Kingdom, and give my life to serving You.
Make me thirsty for eternal life in Your Kingdom.
Grant me victory in my present life through Your Presence in my life – as I work alongside You in reaching the lost by Your Spirit’s Power.
May I live in service unto You – by being in service with You.
Even as I commit to Your Kingdom, I pray that our church family would embark on this divine endeavor of preparing for eternal life – through serving God together, every day.
Lord Jesus, thank You for empowering me to love and serve as You did; and for empowering me to stand with You.
Move me, Holy Spirit, that I may arise today in Christian service.
Guide me, that I may faithfully serve You through Christian ministry.
Just as You empowered the disciples to share Your love and message of Salvation, encourage, equip and empower me!
That in Your Name, we will drive out demons, speak in new tongues, be protected from the schemes of evil and heal the sick.
I declare:
Because I truly believe that - through Your Son, Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour - eternal life has already begun for me; my life of eternal service unto You must begin right now.
Create in me a heart belonging utterly to You; and resolved utterly to be Your light in the darkness. Help me cast away any doubt, and any unbelief, of the paradigm of Your Coming, Eternal Kingdom.
Lord, in faith, I declare that my eternal service unto You begins right now, because my eternal life – through You - has already begun.
Thank You for this immense and infinite blessing!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Revelation 22:3-5 - Eden Restored
3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever.
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Every true believer of Jesus Christ will serve Him and reign with Him forever.
The Christian’s life must be ALL about life in the Kingdom of God – from now, unto eternity.
The Christian’s ultimate design and destiny is present and eternal divine service unto God; and thus, the Christian’s utter desire must be to serve God.
You believe yourself to be Christian – a child of our Heavenly Father, a disciple of Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, an agent of the Holy Spirit.
And yet, are you clear about: Who do you serve?
Do you serve the devil?
Perhaps not.
Do you serve God? Not entirely sure?
Well then.
It is clear that you serve yourself.
Understand this well.
To be self-serving is to disinherit a Kingdom in which the foundational commandments that establish this eternal Kingdom is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-38)
The ‘self-server’ has absolutely no place in the Kingdom of God.
Every doubt, struggle, challenge or crisis faced by the Christian is due to a relapse into the wicked nature to ‘self-serve’ – to put yourself before all else, especially God.
The only way out of this darkness is to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Christ (Ref: Luke 9:23); to embrace the Kingdom of God, and make room in your life to serve God.
“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” (Revelation 21:6)
Are you thirsty for eternal life in the Kingdom of God?
Service unto God is a big part of that life.
“Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” (Revelation 21:7)
Are you victorious? Do you feel victorious?
To be victorious is to live this present life in service unto Christ – by actually being in service with Christ.
With God, every day is ‘take your child to work’ day.
Are you willing to go to work with our Father in Heaven?
Revelation 22:3-5 makes it exceedingly clear.
In His Kingdom, “his servants will serve him... … And they will reign with him for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:3, 22:5))
For true believers whose lives belong entirely and utterly to Jesus Christ, eternal living has begun; and thus, for us, His Kingdom is already here!
The eternal state of the Righteous is to serve God and to reign with Christ for ever and ever – from the moment we give our lives to Him.
Consider the facts.
The righteous will share the glory of God in the new heaven and the new earth for eternity.
The righteous are the servants of God.
Just as our eternal life does not begin only when we die, but the moment we give our lives to Christ; our service unto God must begin today.
Are you humbled by God’s inheritance for you? Are you humbled by God’s present and eternal purpose for you?
To be truly Christian, is to live utterly for eternal life in God’s Kingdom – by serving God right now!
Your desire to enter God’s Kingdom must be congruent to your desire to serve Him today.
Remember that when believers come face to face with our Lord Jesus Christ after the rapture, we are judged based on our faithfulness in Christian service.
As a church family, let us keep our faith and hope solely and utterly in Jesus Christ, our Lord, Saviour and King by committing to God’s Kingdom together; a divine endeavor that prepares us for eternal life through serving God together, today.
If we profess to love our family and friends and desire for them to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we must work with the Lord towards His Coming Kingdom.
To set our lives for His Kingdom, we must yearn to serve Him in preparation of our eternal, glorious work of reigning with Him for all eternity.
This is a timeless and unchanging truth.
Service in the paradigm of God’s Kingdom is premised upon the fact that our eternal life in Christ has already begun! Not when we die and get to heaven, but right now.
Yes.
If eternal life begins today; it does mean that our eternal service unto God begins today.
Once again, the paradigm of God’s Kingdom – eternal living begins today - means that we need to plan our lives in preparation for eternity; and working with Christ - just as the disciples did after He ascended to the heavens - is a huge part of this plan. (Ref: Mark 16:20)
“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection.
The second death has no power over them, but they will serve as priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)
To this, our Lord Jesus Christ guides us to understand that we are:
(1) Tasked to love and serve as Christ loved and served
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that.
Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves?
Is it not the one who is at the table?
But I am among you as one who serves. (Luke 22:24-27)
Indeed, like Christ, we must be the ones who serve.
How are you serving God today? How is your life lived in the service of Christ?
You might say to yourself that the work of God is vast; that you could serve anywhere.
Absolutely.
But to believe that you could serve anywhere oftentimes gets you serving nowhere.
You keep your options so open that you become closed to everything right in front of you.
We are a church. We are a spiritual family.
We belong to this church family.
There are opportunities to serve right where God has evidently placed you.
However, it takes commitment.
Everything purposeful, meaningful and significant in this life requires commitment.
Anything that is eternal requires an eternal commitment.
The Kingdom of God deserves our eternal commitment to be of service to King Jesus; of which, the first step is to serve right here within the church family.
Serve here.
I am constantly praying that you might step up and serve the church family in any capacity.
Talk to me and I will pray along with you.
Let us serve the Lord, and head towards His Kingdom - together.
Recently, the Lord revealed a prophetic word to our church:
Every Nation, Every Tribe, Every Tongue.
God is positioning us to become a multi-national church - reaching out to every nation, every tribe and every tongue.
We must begin to examine and enquire within ourselves what we must each, and corporately, do – in order to fulfill this prophetic word for our church.
I believe that the Lord has positioned us for such a time as this.
May the Lord strengthen your commitment to serve Him, and give out of His abundant blessings bestowed upon you.
When we reopen, we will announce a new ministry basis and format for us to grow and serve in our Lord Jesus Christ, together as a church family.
Please keep me in prayer as I seek the Lord to flesh out this direction of ministry that He has laid upon my heart for the church.
There are sacred opportunities to serve the Lord in our church; and it starts with the mindset of being like Jesus – as “one who serves.” (Ref: Luke 22:27)
To serve the Lord is the only way to truly understand God’s Promises for us.
To serve the Lord is the only way to fully prepare for eternal life in God’s Kingdom.
You may think to yourself, “God has promised me something, but I have not seen the fulfillment of it today… “
Well, if you step up and serve him today, you will get your breakthrough.
It may not be how you think it ought to be, but you will get a breakthrough in your life regardless; and it will definitely be in the direction of His Kingdom inbreaking.
Look back in your life.
Doesn’t the promises of God seem more real and more frequently accomplished when you are actively serving Him?
Aren’t you closest to the Lord when you are actively serving Him?
Aren’t you at your most hopeful when you are actively serving Him?
(2) Those who serve Christ are those who stand with Him.
As a church, we must stand firm by Christ through it all.
Our Lord Jesus exhorts us in Luke 22:28-30:
28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here, Christ uses precise eschatological (End-times) language that reveals that we will accompany and reign with Christ if we stand firm by Him all the days of our lives on earth.
As a church, to stand firm by Christ is to make a habit of encouraging one another; to always call upon the Name of the Lord together.
We don’t need to understand the details of the circumstances, or the challenges; we just need to make time and effort to bring our lives before the Lord in corporate prayer and mission.
We read in Mark 16:15-18: “in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
To serve God the Father now and forevermore, we must serve Him TOGETHER with His Son, Jesus Christ – baptized in the Power of His Holy Spirit.
Ministry is never a solo endeavor; it is always in fellowship.
If we truly believe that eternal life has already begun for us, our eternal service unto God must begin right now - together.
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Help me, O Lord, to look utterly to Your coming Kingdom, where I will serve You, and reign with You for ever and ever.
Make my life all about life in Your Kingdom from now, unto eternity.
I acknowledge that present and eternal service unto You is my ultimate design and destiny. Increase my faith in You, O Lord, and deepen my desire to serve You – working alongside You in preaching Your Gospel to a world in darkness.
Create in me a heart that yearns solely for You, Lord Jesus; and a mind that strives to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow You; that I may utterly embrace Your Kingdom, and give my life to serving You.
Make me thirsty for eternal life in Your Kingdom.
Grant me victory in my present life through Your Presence in my life – as I work alongside You in reaching the lost by Your Spirit’s Power.
May I live in service unto You – by being in service with You.
Even as I commit to Your Kingdom, I pray that our church family would embark on this divine endeavor of preparing for eternal life – through serving God together, every day.
Lord Jesus, thank You for empowering me to love and serve as You did; and for empowering me to stand with You.
Move me, Holy Spirit, that I may arise today in Christian service.
Guide me, that I may faithfully serve You through Christian ministry.
Just as You empowered the disciples to share Your love and message of Salvation, encourage, equip and empower me!
That in Your Name, we will drive out demons, speak in new tongues, be protected from the schemes of evil and heal the sick.
I declare:
Because I truly believe that - through Your Son, Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour - eternal life has already begun for me; my life of eternal service unto You must begin right now.
Create in me a heart belonging utterly to You; and resolved utterly to be Your light in the darkness. Help me cast away any doubt, and any unbelief, of the paradigm of Your Coming, Eternal Kingdom.
Lord, in faith, I declare that my eternal service unto You begins right now, because my eternal life – through You - has already begun.
Thank You for this immense and infinite blessing!
I thank You and pray all these in the Name of our King, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.