Yeah.
All right.
Yeah.
Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to Faithful Worry Baptist Church.
It's great to see you all here for a ceremony of service.
Please have a seat and grab your emerald.
And open up those symbols.
Song number 143.
You can begin this morning's service by singing song number 143,
Lesson Assures.
Song 143.
Lesson Assures, Jesus is mine.
Oh, what a foretaste of how we've been fine.
Look here in Romans chapter 6. The Bible says in verse 16,
Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?
Look, we are going to yield ourselves to somebody.
Everyone likes to get this attitude in life that they're their own man.
That they're going to buck, you know, the system.
That they're going to throw off authority and nobody's going to tell me what to do.
You know, that spirit of rebellion, that spirit of, that unwillingness rather to not submit to good godly leadership in your life,
you know, that's only going to lead you to being led by somebody else.
You're not going to be your own man.
You're not going to be independent.
You're going to become the servant of sin.
Whoever you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey.
You're meaning you're going to yield to somebody.
The question is, who?
Whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness.
Keep something there in Romans.
Go over to Colossians chapter 3.
Colossians chapter 3.
When you get to Colossians 3 you're going to want to bookmark that too.
We're going to come back at the very end.
I know I've got you in a couple places right now.
I've got you in Numbers 31, Romans, and Colossians 3.
You're going to want to keep a bookmark in all of those places if you can.
Maybe you're quick, you can get there fast, and I refer to it, but just in case.
Look, we all, and here's the thing,
we all have areas in our life where we have to learn to submit to other people.
You know, one that comes to mind here, and it's laid out in Colossians 3,
it covers several roles, but what about in the home?
Is there, there ought to be structure in the home.
You look at some of these homes that are dysfunctional and broken up
and aren't getting anything done and everyone's kind of doing their own thing.
It's because there's no structure, there's no authority,
there's no chain of command.
This needs to be there in the home.
The Bible lays this out, and people wonder why they have such hard times in their marriage
and such hard times with their children,
and it just seems like, you know, in their home it's just a struggle,
it's just a battle, it's just a fight every day to get anything done
and to have that peaceful, godly home that they want.
Well, if you want that, there has to be some leadership,
and if there's going to be leadership, there has to be submission.
It has to be there.
It says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 18,
wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.
And notice there, it says submit yourselves.
Look, I can get up and preach it, I can get up and tell you what the Bible says,
your husband can insist upon it,
but until a wife decides for herself to submit to her husband,
you know what, then she's not going to be able to serve the way she ought to.
The Bible says, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as it is fit in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Notice also in the home, children, obey your parents.
Is there not a structure in the home?
Is there not authority in the home?
Yes, there is.
And because of that, there has to be submission.
Look, if you're going to serve, you have to submit to leadership.
In the home, what about on the job?
On the job.
Look there, verse 22 in Colossians chapter 3,
it says, servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh,
not with eye service.
So what is that obedience? It's a service, right?
Verse 24, knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the award of inheritance,
for ye serve the Lord Christ.
So what does it mean for a servant to obey his master or his boss
or his supervisor in all things according to the flesh?
What does that mean to obey them?
It means to serve them.
Look, if we're going to serve, we have to obey.
That is a form of submission.
We're obeying somebody else, we're being told what to do,
we're being sent here, we're being told to do this or that.
You know, it's in the home, it's in the job, it's at the church, folks.
You know, people have to rule in certain organizations for anything to get done.
If you would, go over to, keep something in Colossians 3, go to Romans chapter 16.
Romans chapter 16, I'll just very briefly touch on this idea of obeying leadership within the church.
It says in Hebrews 13, obey them that have the rule over you.
Paul obviously is writing to the Hebrews, he's writing an epistle that's to be read in all the churches,
and he's telling these people in these churches to obey them that have the rule over you.
Look, we ought to obey those that have the rule over us in the home,
we ought to obey those that have the rule over us on the job site,
and we ought to obey those that have the rule over us in the church.
You know, and I don't want to spend too much time on this point,
but in the church, that's where I've noticed that it's really on a volunteer basis if you're going to obey here.
Because obviously, what consequences are there going to be if you choose not to submit and obey?
There's really, I can't fire you, I can't dock your pay, I can't send you to the room, I sure can't spank you.
Right? It's a volunteer basis if you want to submit.
And look, that's the way it is anywhere.
It's just here, you know, the consequences aren't as drastic, at least here on this earth.
It might be another story when you get there.
It goes on and says, submit yourselves unto such for life,
for they watch for your souls, as they that must have given account,
that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.
You know, not submitting here, not following leadership here in the church,
there might not be a lot of earthly consequences per se.
But when you get to heaven, you know, that's another story.
I don't want to spend a lot of time on that.
Phineas, we're looking at his service this morning and one of the first things that we notice is that
because he was somebody who wanted to serve, he had to learn to submit himself to leadership.
And we all have to do this, in the home, on the job, at the church.
And just broadly speaking, we have to submit ourselves to the Bible.
And we're all subject to this.
It says there in Romans chapter 16 verse 25,
Look, there's this revelation of the mystery that has been kept secret since the world began.
That secret is now made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets.
That's talking about the Bible, folks.
They saw through a glass darkly. We still in some things obviously still see through a glass darkly.
But there's a lot of things that the prophets of old that they desire to look into
that they couldn't quite understand that we have at our fingertips today in the scriptures.
Look, we all have to obey the things that have been revealed unto us in the Bible.
And again, I don't want to spend a lot of time on these points.
But I'm just showing us, look, how are we going to apply Phinehas' example of service to our lives?
Well, he served, that meant he had to what? Obey.
Which meant he had to submit to leadership.
And if we're going to serve, that's what we have to do.
Because service requires submission to leadership.
First, the other thing I want to point out, that before Phinehas became the high priest,
before he himself led, before he was a ruler, he was led by others.
And, you know, when those people led him, they didn't just say, you know,
go over to that playground and swing on a swing.
They didn't just tell him to just stay comfortable.
They didn't say, you know, this is going to be a cakewalk. No.
If you notice in the story, he submitted himself and where was he sent?
He was sent into war. He was sent into a battle.
It says there in Numbers chapter 31, again, keep something in Romans in Colossians 3,
but it says in Numbers 31, and Moses sent them to war.
He didn't send them to the playground. He didn't send them to the church picnic.
He didn't send them to, you know, some zoo somewhere.
He didn't send them out to have recreation.
Look, there's nothing wrong with those things.
That's not what we're called to do here.
That's not the purpose of our lives.
At least it ought not be to sit around and entertain ourselves and distract ourselves.
There's a battle to be fought.
And look, that's the purpose of the church house, not to just entertain people,
but to send you out to a battle, to send you out to war.
That's where Phinehas was sent, and that's what he submitted himself to.
Oh, I'll do anything you want, Moses. Just tell me where to go.
Okay, go to war. Well, not that.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was going to be,
I was actually going to have to go put some blood and sweat into this thing.
It says he sent them into war with the holy instruments and the trumpets to blow in his hand,
and they warred against the Midianites.
And I'm here to tell you this, and the reason we need to understand this about Phinehas' life,
we need to understand this aspect of his life when it comes to his service,
is that we also are sent to a war.
I mean, that's what Paul told Timothy over and over.
Again, keep something there. Go over to Ephesians chapter 6.
Ephesians chapter number 6.
He said, This charge I committed unto you son Timothy,
according to the prophecies which went before on thee,
that thou by them might walk a cakewalk,
that thou by them might just lay around and beat and do nothing.
No, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare.
That's what we're called to do, to war a good warfare.
He told Timothy, Endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
As what? As a soldier.
Well, what does a soldier do?
He knits. No, no, no, that's not what he does.
He goes fishing. No, that's not what a soldier does.
What does a soldier do? I'll tell you what a soldier does.
He fights. He gets into war.
Look, soldiers want to go to war.
No one gets enlisted in the army and learns how to lace up
and wear the uniform and operate a firearm going,
Well, I hope I don't have to use any of this.
A lot of times, they're itching to go.
And look, that's the way it ought to be.
You shouldn't enlist in an army if you don't want to fight.
Oh, I'm just here for the push-ups.
Ain't going to last long.
I'm just here for the chin-ups. No.
I'm just here to do all this, but I'm actually a conscientious objector.
But I'm not actually here to fight. Well, then you need to go do something else.
And I'm using that application and bringing it home to us to tell us,
Look, Paul told Timothy he was a soldier.
He said you're going to war on a good warfare.
It sounds to me like the Christian life is a fight.
And because of that, because we were involved in a battle,
we, like soldiers, are going to be sent by other people into that battle.
Those that will fight alongside us.
Those that will fight their own battles as well.
Those that have to lead the charge themselves.
But I'm here to tell you, we have to submit ourselves to those people.
I'm pretty sure that's the way it is in the army. Isn't that right?
It's a chain of command.
I'm sure they don't just let everybody do whatever they want.
We're sent to a war, and our war is a spiritual battle.
The Bible says there, where you are in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10,
it says, finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.
What's the need for strength? Why be strong?
Why do we need might and strength?
It's for the war.
Isn't that why the way he put the soldiers through the basic training?
To strengthen them?
He says, put on the whole armor of God that you'll be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,
for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Look, when we're standing against something, we're standing in opposition to it.
That's what it means to stand against something.
We are opposing something.
We are going up against something, spiritually speaking.
And that's exactly what we're doing when we're going out there and bringing the gospel to a lost and dying world.
We are going out there and we are confronting strongholds that Satan has set up.
And we are trying to deliver souls from the bonds of iniquity.
We're trying to get them out of hell.
That's what you're doing.
Look, that is a full frontal attack on Satan himself.
That's what it is.
Isn't that what he says there? To stand against the wiles of the devil, that we don't wrestle against the flesh and blood,
but what, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places?
You know, what's interesting about when Phinehas was sent out into this battle is he's not as described as having a weapon.
Now, we'll see that later, next week, that Phinehas was well acquainted with a javelin.
And he knew how to swing a sword and all that.
But it's interesting.
I don't know whether or not he went out there armed.
I would assume that he did.
He had a lot of other things he had going on though.
He had the holy instruments and he had the trumpet.
You know, but he's not described as having gone out there with a weapon.
You know, it's the same for us.
We're not called to a physical battle.
We're being armed with spiritual things, with holy instruments to go out and fight a spiritual battle.
It says there he was armed with what? The holy instruments and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
He was armed with those holy instruments.
Are you still there in Ephesians 6?
You know, it talks about verses 11, 10 through 12 there about the spiritual battle that we've been called to,
the armor that we have to put on.
But notice there in verse 14 it says,
Stand therefore, having your loins good about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness,
and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
You say, what's our holy instrument that we're going to carry into battle today?
It's this book right here.
It's this sword right here.
This is the holy instrument that we're going to take in to the spiritual battle and confront Satan.
And confront the principalities and the powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world.
It's with the word of God that we're going to do it.
Not with my logic, not with my reasoning, not with my clever, you know, apologetics.
It's with the word of God that we're going to accomplish these things.
By preaching the gospel.
Why? Because it's the word of God, according to Hebrews 4, that is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.
It is the word of God that is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.
It's the word of God that is going to cut through those hard-hearted individuals,
that's going to cut through all their objections and cut them to the heart and get them saved.
That's what we carry in to this battle.
That's the holy instrument that we carry.
And you know, it's interesting there, it says there in Numbers 31 verse 6,
that when he was sent, when Phinehas decided to submit himself to the man of God,
when he decided to submit himself and be sent into the battle,
that he was told to take only the holy instruments and what else?
And the trumpets. Plural.
He had more than one trumpet.
It makes you wonder, what does he need all these trumpets for?
One trumpet to sound this call, another trumpet to sound that call.
You know, we carry trumpets today.
We have multiple trumpets to blow.
Our voice, my friend, is that trumpet.
You know, don't expect to show up here and set some soul-witting time and be handed a physical trumpet.
We're not going out there to knock on people's doors and just play taps or something.
Do some jazz routines.
You know, it's our voice that is that trumpet.
Jesus said, what I tell you in the darkness, that speak ye in light,
and what you hear in the ear, that what? Preach ye upon the housetops.
That's what he told his disciples. That's what we're supposed to do.
We go out there in this spiritual battle with this holy instrument and with this trumpet right here,
and we get involved in the fight.
Preaching is that, preaching the gospel is that one trumpet.
If you would, go to Isaiah 58, Isaiah 58.
Look, Phinehas carried multiple trumpets out in the battle.
He had more than one.
He was called to a spiritual battle. That's what he submitted himself to.
That was how he served through submission.
We do the same thing. We submit ourselves. We serve. We're sent out into that spiritual battle.
We take this holy instrument called the word of God, and we go out there with this trumpet called our voice,
and we preach the gospel.
You know, there's another trumpet that we have to blow.
And again, it's with this voice.
It's a different sound. It says in Isaiah 58, verse 1,
Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their sins.
You know, that's another trumpet that we have to blow.
Is when we show God's people their sins.
And you know, this probably isn't something you're going to do out there as much.
You know, maybe there'll be some young men that come up through the ranks in this church,
and one day will stand behind a pulpit and preach the word of God,
and this will be a little bit more applicable to them.
Maybe in your home you have to take the word of God and show your children,
show your wife, or whoever it might be, whoever's under your authority, their sins.
But this is definitely something that was told to Isaiah, a preacher,
and he was told what? To show my people their transgression.
You know, that's the job of the preacher, to get up and say, hey, thus saith the Lord.
And you know, if the shoe fits, wear it.
What I want us to really get out of this, on this point,
is that Phinehas was somebody who got involved.
Phinehas, we're looking at his service, that's what we're talking about tonight,
or this morning rather, and you know, before he was the high priest,
he allowed himself to be led by other people.
And it's the same way with us. We have to allow ourselves to be led by other people.
And if we develop this attitude of, well, no one's going to tell me what to do,
it's going to be a long, hard life.
If wives get that attitude and say, well, I'm not going to let any man tell me what to do,
it's going to be a long, hard marriage.
If kids say, well, I'm not going to let my parents tell me what to do,
life's going to be a long, hard life.
And then you eventually come around and say, oh yeah, they were right.
You know, if we go to the job with that attitude, so no one's going to tell me what to do,
you're not going to have a job very long.
And look, if we bring this attitude into the church house,
we're not going to get much accomplished.
I mean, there will be other people that will still get what we can get done
with those who are willing to submit, who are willing to get involved in the fight,
who are willing to pick up the holy instrument and go out there with the trumpets
and blow them and take on the devil and fight that battle.
We will get something done.
But you know what would really help is if everybody got involved.
Everybody.
You know, Phineas got involved and he said,
why would you send a guy out there with some holy instruments and a trumpet?
Well, I mean, I don't know that they still blow trumpets in the army,
but there was a time when, you know, they blew a trumpet.
You know, they'd fight these battles in the Civil War and other places.
Often, you know, you probably all see the movies and things like that.
There's a trumpet sounding.
I can't whistle the tune for you.
I don't know how it goes.
But you know, they blow this one, the calvary goes in, they blow that one,
they blow that one, the infantry goes in.
Sometimes they just have some guy out there with a drum.
You're going to go to fight, son.
Great, where's my weapon?
Oh, no weapon.
Here's a drum.
And what am I going to do with this?
I'll tell you what you're out there to do.
You're out there to boost morale.
To get people fired up.
You know, and that's what happens when you are a Phineas.
When you say, I'm going to submit, I'm going to serve, I'm going to get involved.
You know what?
It's going to boost the morale of the people around you.
Let me just make a statement here.
Your participation in this fight, like Phineas, increases the morale in this church.
When you get involved, when you fight, when you take up arms, when you go out there and help us,
it increases the morale in this church.
And by the way, not just mine.
Not just mine.
I'll be okay.
But you know, there's other people in this church whose morale is increased when you get involved.
When they see other people showing up at the soul winning time.
When they see other people showing up on Sunday night.
When they see other people showing up on Thursday night.
When they see other people here, they walk in and they are strengthened, established by the fact that
there's other people that are like them that are getting involved in the fight.
It increases morale.
And that being the case, let me say this.
The opposite is also true.
Your lack of participation decreases morale in this church.
When you say, soul winning is not for me.
The other services aren't for me.
I'm too busy. I got other things.
It's just not that important.
You know what? That decreases morale in this church.
I don't know what happened.
I know people get sick and people go away and things.
But I put those numbers in the bulletin for a reason.
The statistics.
So people hopefully can look at them and get an idea of which direction we're headed here.
Because it's important.
There was a time this summer when I went to make that bulletin and it said on Sunday night it was like 19.
I think there was even recently a number lower than that.
And I remember after the service hanging around with a brother and he said,
What's wrong? Something's not right. You seem like you're upset.
I said, it's nothing.
And a little while went by.
I said, okay, I'll tell you what's wrong.
I'm really discouraged by the fact that how few people bother coming here other than Sunday morning.
And look, I'm grateful for everybody that shows up on Sunday morning.
I understand some people, they just can't make it. Whatever.
I'm talking to people that can make it and just choose not to be here.
It got to me a little bit.
But I'm used to it.
I told this brother, I said, you know what really bothers me about it?
Is how I know it's affecting everybody else in this church.
How it's affecting all the other people that I'm preaching to on a Sunday night and a Thursday night.
When there's people that could be here, that should be here, and they're not.
Why? Because it makes me feel all sad? No, because it decreases the morale in this church.
Like we're just down here playing church.
Like we're just trying this. Like we're just going to see how this goes.
Look, I didn't come down here and start a church to fail.
I didn't come down here to just try this out.
I'm committed. I'm going. I'm going into that fight.
I'm going to fight that battle. I'm going to blow that trumpet.
I'm going to take this holy instrument and I'm going to go with you or without you.
All I'm saying is, you know, we could use some more Phineases.
People who want to serve. People who are willing to submit.
Everyone likes to think about Phineas as that high priest that, you know, having that position.
Having that clout. Having that authority.
And look, somebody has to do it, but it all starts with service.
Long before Phineas ever became the high priest, you know where he was?
He was out there in that battlefield with all of his fellow soldiers.
With those holy instruments. With those trumpets. Getting involved.
Now, you know, I want to close the latter half of this sermon by looking at not just his service before he was high priest,
but also here in closing, as the high priest. And this will go quickly.
It says, and if you would, go over to 1 Chronicles chapter 9.
1 Chronicles chapter 9. Keep a bookmark everywhere I told you to keep a bookmark so far.
I can't even keep track of it anymore. But go to 1 Chronicles chapter 9.
We know from Judges 20 that Phineas eventually became the high priest and said,
Phineas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it. That it being the Ark of the Covenant in those days.
And that was in the days of the Civil War with Benjamin at the end of Book of Judges 20, if you know it.
You know, as a Phineas, in order to serve, you know, we all have to become followers.
We all have to choose to serve. We have to submit to others.
But also, in order to serve, in order for things to work well, we also have to be leaders, don't we?
Look, people need somebody to submit to. If someone's willing to say, hey, I'm willing to submit,
I'm willing to obey, I'm willing to go where I'm told, I'm willing to do what I'm supposed to do,
I'm willing to do all that. That means somebody has to be there to send them.
Somebody has to be that leader to which those people can submit to.
And that's what Phineas eventually became. If you look there in 1 Chronicles 9, that's where I had you go,
in verse 17 where he starts this list of the different Levites that served.
It says there, the porters were Shalom and Aqob and Talman and Hymen and their brethren.
Shalom was the chief who whitherto waited in the king's gate eastward.
They were porters in the companies of the children of Levi.
And Shalom, the son of Korah, the son of Abiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren of the house of his father,
the Korathites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gate of the tabernacle,
and their fathers, being over the host of the Lord, were keepers of the entry.
So he's describing all these different men that fulfilled all these different roles in the house of God.
Some were porters, some were keepers of this gate of the tabernacle, some were keepers of the gate at the entry.
But notice it said, and Phineas the son of Elieazar, verse 20, was ruler over them.
And time passed, and the Lord was with him.
Obviously, you know, Phineas was a ruler after he served and became the high priest.
And he had that position after he served.
But even while he served, notice there were other men that stood below him.
There was people that he ruled over, the Bible says.
And what did those people do? What were their roles?
They were the keepers of the gate, they were there for the work of the service,
they kept the gate of the tabernacle, they kept the gate of the entry.
You know, we have, so to speak, someone who's ruling over this church, and it's me.
And I know ultimately it's Christ, I'm ruling in his stead.
And I know Pastor Anderson has veto power over anything that goes on in this church, I get that.
But he has appointed me and said, you go down there and lead that church,
and whatever choices you make, you get to live with them. His words.
And he's given us a lot of liberty, and I'm thankful for that.
And I try not to, you know, cumber him too much with what's going on down here.
I just don't see the need, not that we have a lot of problems. I'm grateful for that.
But you know, I might be ruling over the church, but there's still a need for people in this church to fill leadership positions.
And I'm just laying some groundwork, because this is probably going to be a whole other series to come in the next few months.
But we need people, you know, as I'm beginning to get a vision for this church,
what I'm realizing is that there's a need for people to be leaders underneath my leadership.
You know, just because you submit, just because you're going to fulfill a role underneath somebody else,
doesn't mean that that's not a leadership position. It's a chain of command.
There's the porters, there's the work of the service, there's the keepers of the gate,
there's the keepers of the entry. And all I'm saying is this,
is that all successful ministries that I've seen, you know, in the new IFB, outside of the new IFB,
all successful ministries that I've seen have had need of leaders.
Yes, there's been one man who's in charge, the pastor's been there to oversee everything
and make sure the church is headed in the direction, but you know what?
He delegates a lot of responsibilities to other people.
And again, I don't want to over-develop this point because it's a whole other series that needs to be preached,
and will be preached shortly. But that's what we need in this church.
We need more people who are willing to be affinities and say,
hey, I'll serve in whatever capacity, and if I'm exalted into some place of leadership,
I'll take that on as well.
And all I'm trying to get across this morning, in light of maybe the series that's to come,
is the fact that if you're going to lead in this church, if you're going to be somebody who rules,
you have to first learn to be somebody who follows.
And there's so many examples of this in scripture.
All these great leaders were at one time followers.
I mean, think about Moses.
Moses was a great leader.
You know, there was a time when he just followed some sheep around.
There was a time when he was under the tutelage of, you know, some Egyptians.
He didn't just come on the scene and, you know, get rescued out of that, you know, the river and just take over.
He had to be taught, he had to be trained, he had to learn, he had to submit himself to other people.
And then eventually, after he worked for his father-in-law for 40 years,
then he was taken and made into a leader.
After he did a lot of menial tasks, after he did a lot of hard work,
without any recognition, without anybody noticing, just to get by.
Then he became that great leader.
You know, another great leader I think about that has an example like this is Joshua.
He leads the children of Israel into the Promised Land,
takes over for Moses, fills his shoes,
and goes in there and just conquers the Promised Land,
casts out the heathen and divides the inheritance amongst the children of Israel.
What a great role that he fulfilled. What a great leader Joshua was.
But, you know, we should know from scripture that long before he ever fulfilled that role,
he was known as a servant.
It says in Exodus 33, verse 11,
And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
And he turned again into camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun,
a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
That's what Joshua, you know, there would have been a time in Joshua's life
when people would have said, who's that guy? He said, oh, that's Moses' servant.
Everyone wants to just jump forward and be,
oh, that's the guy that led us into the Promised Land.
That's the guy, that great general, that great leader that took us into victory
and defeated all these kings and saw miracles and did all these great things.
And look, we all should want that. That's a good thing to have.
But there was a time in his life when he was what? Moses' servant.
Nothing more, nothing less. Just Moses' servant.
Another great leader that I think of, and hopefully I'm not stealing my thunder
from 2 Kings 3, was Elisha.
Elisha was, we'll see in the coming weeks, who did great miracles.
Powerful man of God, anointed of the Lord,
asked that he would be anointed with a double spirit,
or a double portion of Elijah's spirit, and got it.
Great powerful man of God, great preacher.
But when he first comes on the scene, and it says in 2 Kings chapter 3,
when Jehoshaphat is asking if there's another prophet of the Lord
that they may inquire, one of the kings of Israel answered and said,
Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, this mighty man of God.
This great powerful preacher.
He said, no, here is Elisha the son of Shaphat,
which poured waters on the hands of Elijah.
Long before he ever became that great powerful preacher,
he was just serving an obscurity, just pouring water on Elijah's hands.
People would have looked at him and said, who's that guy?
That's the guy that pours water on Elisha's hands.
You say, that sounds like a pretty humiliating position.
A grown man pouring water on the hands of another grown man.
That sounds kind of humiliating. Yeah, it is.
That's why it requires humility to serve.
That's why it requires humility to submit to somebody else,
and say, I'll serve under you.
You know, another great example of somebody who submitted himself is Jesus.
You know, we think of Jesus, and rightly so,
we think of him as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and praise God he is.
We think of him as the one who's going to come and rule and reign with a rod of iron,
and praise God he is.
But you know, there was a time in Jesus' life when he served in obscurity.
Go to Philippians chapter 2.
Philippians chapter number 2.
I'll begin reading in verse 4, it says in Philippians chapter 2 verse 4,
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Doesn't that sound like service to you?
You know, that's part of being service, you know, being a servant is not being selfish,
not just always being focused on yourself.
Not always just thinking about what's in it for me, what can I get out of it.
You know, I have yet to have anyone go soul winning and say,
you know, boy I get so much out of this.
You know, anyone who's out there soul winning for the right reasons is out there for other people.
They have a burden for the lost.
See, what compels people to show up on a Sunday morning, on a Sunday afternoon,
in the middle of a weeknight, on a Thursday night,
to go out and spend time knocking on doors and trying to invite people to church and preach.
What in the world would compel people to do something like that?
Because they don't think about just themselves, they also concern themselves with the things of others.
With the fact that there are lost souls that need to be saved.
That's what compels people.
He said, Let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus,
who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
That's what we're talking about.
You can't say that about anybody else but Jesus.
That he's equal with God.
Because he is God.
But notice verse 7, but he what?
Made himself of no reputation.
And took upon him what?
The form of a servant.
And he's our example.
You say, well I just can't submit to that preacher.
I can't just, I can't serve in that ministry under that guy.
And look, I get it, you know, maybe you don't like me, I don't know.
I can hardly stand to look at my own shadow, let alone my reflection.
I understand it, my personality maybe just doesn't meld with yours.
But you know what, you can still serve God.
You can still serve the Lord.
You can still go out and serve him, even under this ministry.
He said he took upon him the form of a servant and was made a likeness of men.
And being found in fashion as a man what? He humbled himself.
You know, he said, why is it that some people just never serve?
Why is it that they just never get involved?
Why is it that they just never take it to the next step?
Why is it that they never reach that next level?
Why does it just seem like they're just never going to be all the way in?
Because they would have to humble themselves.
Because they would have to put the things of others in front of their own things, their own needs.
We'd have to start saying, maybe I'm not as important as I think.
Maybe there's a greater cause out there that is more important than, you know, my purposes in life.
What I want out of life.
He humbled himself. He took upon him the form of a servant.
Now verse 9.
Wherefore?
What's the wherefore there for?
What's it doing there?
Where did it come from?
It's because of the fact that he took upon himself the form of a servant.
Because he humbled himself.
Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him.
You know, I don't mean to sound disrespectful or anything like that.
God exalted Christ not because he was some puffed up, arrogant jerk.
And look, I know that's beyond him.
That he cannot sin.
He didn't exalt him because he was just self-centered and self-serving.
He exalted him highly because of the fact that he humbled himself and became obedient even unto the death of the cross.
And took upon himself the form of a servant.
That's why, wherefore, God hath exalted him.
And given him a name which is above every name.
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things on earth and under the earth.
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord the glory of the Father.
I mean you can't get any higher folks.
You can't be exalted any higher than that and no one else will be.
That's for him alone.
But the example that he showed us in his service is that of submission.
Of being a servant.
Of being humble.
You know Phinehas fulfilled this role.
This is another aspect of his life, his character is that he was somebody who served.
We could think of him as the high priest and he was the high priest.
But long before that he was one who served.
He was one who submitted himself.
He was one that humbled himself.
Because service requires submission.
Service requires humility.
You know why it's so important that that lesson is learned too?
Because if you're just automatically made a ruler without having to do any kind of service.
Without ever having to have humbled yourself.
You're going to be full of pride.
That's why one of the qualifications for the bishop in 1 Timothy 3 is not a novice.
Meaning not new and there's nothing wrong with being new.
Everyone starts out new.
But he's saying the guy who's going to lead, the guy who's going to be in charge, the one who's going to rule cannot be a novice.
Even of the deacons.
Let these also first be proved and then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless.
You know why that's there?
Because you have to go through a season of serving, of humility, of submission before you get these positions.
Because ruling requires a lack of pride.
Say why?
Why does serving come before ruling?
Because it teaches you humility.
Because it'll deal with that pride.
Because when you rule, you can't be ruling out of pride.
The ruler who's going to get up and rule and just be self-serving, he's just going to destroy whatever he's seeing over.
Be it a church, any organization, any place of business, even in a home.
If dad goes in there and it's all about me all the time, just everything I can get at it and doesn't think about other people, the people that are under him, it's going to destroy that home.
That's why it says wives submit yourselves under your own husbands.
But then it says husbands what?
Love your wives.
That's why husbands are told to honor their wives as the weaker vessel.
That's why serving must come before ruling.
That's why following must come before leading.
Did I have you keep something in Colossians?
Go to Colossians 3 and we're done.
Colossians chapter 3.
It says there in Colossians 3 verse 23,
Whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.
Say, well I don't know if I can submit to my husband.
Well, submit to the Lord.
Well, I don't know if I can submit to my boss.
Well, submit to the Lord.
He's the one that told you, he's the one that said that you should submit to your master.
Let's talk about your boss.
That servants would obey their masters.
I don't know if I can serve.
I don't know if I can obey.
I don't know if I can get under the rulership of my parents.
Okay.
Then submit yourself to the Lord.
Look, if we would all just make that our goal.
Just let me submit to God.
Whatever God wants.
It all would just fall right in line, wouldn't it?
If everyone just said I'm just going to submit to the Lord.
We'd all just fall right in line.
Right where we ought to be.
I don't know if I can serve in that ministry.
I don't know if I can serve under that man.
Okay.
Maybe you don't like my face, but you know what?
Go ahead and submit to the Lord anyway.
And serve him.
And let me tell you something.
Let me just say this in closing.
Don't come here in this church and try to get involved in the ministry for me.
I don't know if anybody's doing that.
I have a hard time imagining anybody wanting to do that.
But that's out there.
People get involved in ministries because they want the recognition of the pastor.
Oh, I came out here and moved all this way to serve you.
Well, you came for the wrong reason, bud.
Don't know what else to tell you.
Don't come serve here for me.
And I'm not saying we can't use your help.
It's not appreciated. Look, I appreciate it.
Any help that we get.
I already talked about that. It boosts the morale, all of that.
But if you're going to submit, if you're going to serve, make sure you're doing it as to the Lord.
Why? Verse 24 at the end there.
For you serve the Lord Christ.
You serve the Lord Christ.
Just keep that in mind when you go to serve.
I mean, that's probably, I have to imagine what Phineas was thinking.
You think he had any questions about who it was he was ultimately serving out on that battlefield against the Midianites?
When he was out there with his holy instruments?
When he was out there blowing the trumpets?
I'm doing this for Moses.
No, he knew full well that what he was doing was in the service of God.
And that's why he was able to submit to a man.
That's why he was able to submit to leadership.
Because he knew ultimately he was serving the Lord.
So whether we, as Phineas, we serve or we rule, whether we follow or whether we lead,
we have to understand that it's all done for the Lord and not for man.
Let's go ahead and pray.
Dear Lord, again, thank you for the opportunity that we have to serve you in this life.
Lord, I pray it help us to do it in whatever capacity we can fill, Lord.
Whether it's as wives or children, whether it's as soul winners or preachers,
or to whatever capacity, whatever opportunity we have to serve you,
Lord, I pray it help us to seize it and to make full proof of our ministry.
We ask these things in Christ's name, Amen.
Alright, we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go.
That's Psalm 191 in my heart.
It brings a melody.
Psalm 191.
But of the song that Jesus gave me
It was sang from heaven above
There never was a sweeter melody
There's a melody above
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody
With heaven's harmony
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody above
I love the Christ to die on Calvary
For he washed my sins away
He put within my heart a melody
And I know there's a place to stay
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody
With heaven's harmony
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody above
To be my endless saint in glory
With the angels I will sing
To be a song with glorious harmony
And the voice of heaven ring
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody
With heaven's harmony
In my heart there is a melody
There is a melody above
There is a melody
electronic music plays