We Don’t Have To, We Get To: Serving The Lord Jesus Christ Is A Joyful Privilege For People Who Have Been Redeemed By His Blood And Given A Place In The Work Of His Gospel Ministry

There is a world of difference between waking up thinking, “I have to serve the Lord,” and waking up realizing, “I get to serve the Lord!” Remember who Jesus Christ is, what He paid to redeem you, and where you would be without His mercy. Then consider that He has given you a place in His work. We get to open the King James Bible and teach its truths. We get to carry the gospel into a prison cell, put a Bible into an outstretched hand, support a missionary, and tell a lost sinner how to be saved. What a privilege! Paul remembered what he had been before his salvation, and he thanked Christ for allowing him to preach the gospel. Paul considered it an honour to “spend and be spent” for Jesus Christ, do you?

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” 1 Timothy 1:12 (KJB)

Serving the Lord Jesus Christ will cost you something. There will be long hours, personal sacrifice, opposition, and days when your body is tired and the results are hard to see. Paul knew all of that, yet he rejoiced in his service because he understood its value. Think about that prisoner reaching through the bars for a Bible you help send him. Through your willing participation, he can receive the words that tell him how to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Jesus Christ. Think about the child learning the Scriptures, the missionary preaching in a distant village, and the discouraged believer strengthened by a faithful teacher. These are opportunities worth giving ourselves to. We get to spend our brief time on this earth doing work with eternal value, and the Lord has promised that our labour here matters. You have free will, you have liberty, you don’t have to serve the Lord…but you get to.

The Bible Believers Sunday Service: We Get To

We Get To

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;” 1 Timothy 1:12 (KJB)

The central truth: Christian service is a privilege that God has given to people He has redeemed. We get to spend our lives serving the Lord Jesus Christ, and our attitude should reflect the value of that opportunity.

“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2 (KJB)

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13,14 (KJB)

Paul thanked Christ for putting him into the ministry, when He could have just killed him on the spot. Paul absolutely deserved that, but God… Remembering where the Lord had brought him from filled him with gratitude for what the Lord now allowed him to do. That same gratitude can change how we approach preaching, teaching, giving, praying, witnessing, and the ordinary work that keeps a ministry going. So much of our regular, everyday life is about our attitude, and our Christian life even more so. (illustration about getting movie job because of good attitude)

I. We Get To Serve The One Who Loved Us And Died For Us

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 (KJB)

Truth: The love of Christ gives Christian service its motive. Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, and our redeemed lives now have a purpose beyond pleasing ourselves. We serve because we belong to Him and are grateful for what He has done. Service does not purchase salvation. It gives the saved person an opportunity to express love for the Saviour. Every act of obedience becomes an opportunity to honour the One who died for us and rose again.

Application: Before thinking about the demands of the work, remember the cross. Think about what Christ has forgiven, what He has delivered you from, and the eternal life He has given you. Gratitude grows when we remember the cost of our redemption.

II. We Get To Give Back What God Has Already Given Us

“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” 1 Chronicles 29:14 (KJB)

“And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.” Exodus 35:21 (KJB)

Truth: David and Moses recognized that both their resources and their opportunity to give came from God. His question expresses humble amazement: who were they to enjoy such a privilege? Our strength, abilities, possessions, and opportunities are gifts entrusted to us. Serving the Lord allows us to put those gifts to their intended use. Even the ability to participate in His work is something for which we can thank Him.

“His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 15:21 (KJB)

Application: Consider what God has placed in your hands. You may have the ability to teach, encourage, organize, repair, give, or put a Bible into someone’s hands. Begin with what you have, and thank the Lord for the opportunity to use it. When you do that, God will quite often give you more and more to do.

III. We Get To Find Delight In Doing His Will

“I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8 (KJB)

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” John 4:34 (KJB)

Truth: These passages connect obedience with delight and satisfaction. The Lord Jesus Christ described doing His Father’s will as His nourishment. His work had purpose, and He delighted in fulfilling it. Christian service includes responsibility, discipline, and effort. A grateful heart can find joy in those responsibilities because they give us opportunities to please the Lord.

“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3 (KJB)

Application: Stay in the Bible as you serve. Let fellowship with the Lord nourish your work. When your heart grows weary, return to His words and remember why the work matters.

IV. We Get To Serve The Lord In Ordinary Tasks

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23–24 (KJB)

Truth: Paul reminded servants that their work was done as unto Christ. That gives dignity and eternal purpose to ordinary responsibilities. The Lord sees the heart behind work that other people may scarcely notice. Packing Bibles, cleaning the church, setting up chairs, answering a ministry request, or preparing a lesson can all be done heartily unto the Lord. The size of the audience does not determine the value of faithful service.

“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8 (KJB)

Application: Bring the same care to an unnoticed task that you would bring to a public assignment. Remember who you are serving when appreciation is scarce. His knowledge of your labour gives you a reason to do it well.

V. We Get To Give With A Cheerful Heart

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (KJB)

Truth: In teaching about giving, Paul emphasized the giver’s heart. God loves cheerful giving. Willing participation brings joy to the person giving and honours the Lord receiving it. That same willingness belongs in our broader service. We can approach opportunities with the grateful recognition that God has allowed us to contribute something useful to His work.

“And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.” Luke 21:1-4 (KJB)

Application: Give thoughtfully and willingly. When supporting a Bible shipment, a missionary, or a local outreach, consider the people who may hear the gospel through that gift. Let the purpose of the giving stir gratitude and joy.

VI. We Get To Rejoice Even When Service Costs Us Something

“Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.” Philippians 2:17 (KJB)

Truth: Paul could speak of sacrifice and rejoicing in the same sentence. His joy did not depend on an easy assignment. He valued the spiritual benefit of his service enough to rejoice even at personal cost. Christian service may involve inconvenience, expense, opposition, or fatigue. A weary servant can still be grateful to belong to Christ. Joy is sustained by remembering the Lord and the people our service helps.

“And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.” 2 Samuel 24:24,25 (KJB)

Application: When the work becomes difficult, remember its purpose. Think of the prisoner receiving a Bible, the child hearing the gospel, or the believer being strengthened. Take needed rest, then continue with your eyes on Christ.

VII. We Get To Spend Our Lives On Work That Has Eternal Value

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJB)

“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:22-24 (KJB)

Truth: Paul closes his great chapter on resurrection by encouraging believers to abound in the Lord’s work. The risen Christ gives us a future, and our labour in Him has lasting value.

We may never see every result of our service during this life. Frank Jenner laboured for 40 years and didn’t see any results until right before he died. A Bible or a gospel tract continues speaking long after it leaves our hands. A faithful witness can bear fruit years later. The Lord knows what our obedience accomplishes.

Application: Continue faithfully even when results are slow or hidden. Let God’s promise strengthen you: your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Closing Challenge

Consider the way you speak about serving the Lord. Your words help shape your own attitude and teach the people around you how to regard His work. Let them hear your gratitude for the privilege God has given you.

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13 (KJB)

We get to open His Book. We get to preach His gospel. We get to put Bibles into people’s hands. We get to spend our lives serving the Lord Jesus Christ!

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