Make Room – Make Room to Serve

This podcast is presented to you by Pastor Jason and Liz Burns in Access Church in Lakeland and Bartow, Florida.

For more information, visit Access.tv.

Today we're going to continue the Make Room series.

I've enjoyed it so much.

There's been a few that I had to listen to twice because it was convicting.

It was challenging.

And today we're going to talk about making room for others, making room in your heart to serve.

It's a little bit of a challenge this morning, but I think you'll enjoy it.

So I want to tell you this to start off about myself.

I am a pastor's kid.

Any other pastor's kids in the room?

Yeah.

All right.

And we're still here at church.

So that's a miracle in and of itself.

I'm not only a pastor's kid, my grandfather was also a pastor.

Uh, and now we have a son going into ministry school, which we did not force upon him, by the way.

I think people think we like held him at gunpoint.

We're like, go into ministry, gonna keep the legacy.

I was the opposite.

I was like, be a dentist.

It's so stable, you know.

Um sure you have to look in people's mouths all day, but um, but no, it's it was fun growing up as a church kid.

I actually didn't have a bowl of lucky charms until I was 18 because we didn't believe in that.

Um, and I'm here to tell you, they are delicious.

Um when I had that first bowl though, I did pray over it because I wasn't sure what was going down in the spirit.

Um, I had been raised to believe they were evil, and uh we didn't have no devil's eggs and no devil's food cake.

We didn't does anybody else grow up like this?

Yeah, we did not do this.

We did not, we were pleading the blood.

I don't even theologically actually know what that means, but we were pleading the blood over these breakfast cereals.

And now as an adult, I'm like, I think the devil's more busy with other things.

But um, but I grew up as a church kid and I went to the kind of church service that was two and a half hours long.

I see y'all I see y'all getting up to use the restroom in this service, and I'm like, you're gonna be fine.

Growing up, I lived in the trenches.

My mom would pinch my leg if I talked or moved.

Um, and it was two and a half hours, and we were in pantyhose.

Okay, um, that's a testimony um that God has has delivered me from that.

But something happened in our church one day.

I was about 13, and um, I guess I don't know what happened, but I've come to find out my mom thought my dad had taken me home, and my dad thought my mom had taken me home, so I got left at church.

Um, and it was probably, you know, my fault.

Um, but it was kind of like this picture, yeah.

Like my mom was like, I thought you, have at her.

And my dad was like, Well, I thought you, have at her, and I don't know, maybe that was my sister.

She's like, we don't know where she is.

Um, and I if my parents are watching because they're the best and they're like my number one biggest fans, I love them.

But um, don't feel bad about that because scripture says that when Jesus was 12, his parents lost him.

And like, you lost me, kind of an unruly 13-year-old, they lost God.

So it's okay, y'all were doing your best, and I know I was a handful.

Um, but the reason I bring this up and that story is I think this is how we view serving.

I think we look at somebody and go, oh, I'm sure she'll take care of that need.

Or that's Pastor Jason's responsibility to go serve those people.

Or, you know what, Pastor Ida's got it with the kids, they don't need me.

And I think what we do is we look at serving and we get feel a tug in our heart between our convenience and our calling.

Our convenience and our calling.

And what I mean is sometimes it's inconvenient to serve.

Sometimes it's gonna cost you something.

But we know and we believe in serving, like we think it's good.

Um, we struggle though with apathy.

Apathy.

I read that we are in like a me pandemic, if you could call it that.

Uh, we are the most focused on me, um, my enjoyment, like me time, self-care.

Like, none of those things are bad, truly.

I love a good like girls' night or a trip to Disney with friends or a pedicure, whatever it is for you.

Um, but the problem is in a me-focused world, my world gets quite small.

I'm gonna talk to you today about serving, and this is a bonus, beautiful thing that I have noticed that happens in my life when I start to serve and live for others.

It's not that we serve because of this, but God is so gracious.

Um, I struggle with anxiety, maybe you do too.

I notice in my life that when I'm focused on anxiety, I'm really just focused on me.

Because it's my world, my stress, the things that are scaring me.

When I get out of myself and I serve someone else, it moves my whole perspective, my world gets bigger.

And as a side effect, my anxiety gets smaller because I realize the world is really big and there's more out there than just me, just my problems.

We're in this me-focused culture, this me epidemic.

But meanwhile, this is what Jesus says.

If you want to be a disciple, he says, Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

How do we reconcile the message of Jesus saying, deny yourself with a world that's like me, me, me, look out for number one.

You gotta have your own back because nobody else will.

And most of us, I think we want to serve God.

We want to do things, but we kind of guard our time, our resources very closely, don't we?

We're like, well, I would serve, but you know, that that would cost me time.

Did you know that this beautiful worship team gets here on Sunday mornings at 6 30 a.m.?

Yeah, give it up for them.

Um, I don't think my prayer life is ever as strong than when I'm up for worship.

Because do you know how dark it is at 6 30 a.m.

walking from ABC Liquor?

Sorry to give them a shout out.

I don't know.

I've been told they sell beverages.

I wouldn't know.

But you park over there if you're in T-Maxis and you're walking in, it's pitch black at 6.30 a.m.

You're praying to make it to worship.

Like you are just like, Lord, be with me.

Um, but that costs them something, right?

Because they could be sleeping in on a Sunday morning.

Or it it costs you something to say, I'm gonna serve with kids because you go, well, then I can't sit and do the things I want to do.

And yet God is calling us and saying, if you want to be my disciple, you have to deny yourself.

You know, I think one of the greatest tests of if I'm doing good with serving or selflessness, see how this sentence hits you.

Um, hey friend, I'm moving Saturday.

Could you help me move?

Just saying that, I got so nauseous.

The thing is, nobody really wants to help anybody move.

And the the main thing they offer you in exchange is pizza.

And I'm like, but friend, I don't want to help you move, and I could buy a pizza like on my own.

You know what I'm saying?

So, like, I would buy the boxes, I would pay for tape, but I don't really want to help you move.

It's like that kind of a thing.

It's a real uh test of our selflessness.

Um, but what if the decision God's asking you to do right now?

What if the calling he's asking you for?

What if the making room for others wasn't just about you?

What if someone else's breakthrough is waiting on your obedience?

What do I mean by that?

Um, I mean a lot of you will disqualify yourself from being a group leader, but we need group leaders.

And what if you said, Oh, I'm not a group leader, I'm not this and that, no one's gonna show up anyway, it was just one person.

Can I flip your mind on that?

What if that one person's life was forever changed because you showed up as a group leader?

It made the difference of eternity, it changed generations.

Would that change the way you felt about maybe leading a group?

Would you maybe stop disqualifying yourself that way?

What if your yes to serving is the very thing that God's gonna use to change someone's life?

So Jesus in the Bible has this amazing moment where he kind of addresses all of this serving, inconvenience, all these things.

He's talking uh in the book of Luke, and he's he's talking to these uh group of religious leaders, and one of these religious leaders says to him, Okay, what do I have to do to get eternal life?

What do I have to do to get eternal life?

And so Jesus says, Well, you you know the commandments, you've got to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, your strength.

And second is you have to love your neighbor as yourself, right?

And so this man, he's kind of trying to test Jesus, and he says, Well, okay, who's my neighbor then?

Who is my neighbor?

And it's really interesting to me that he says that because to me it shows a lot about his heart.

To me, he's saying, What's the least amount I could do to still get eternal life?

It's like if you've ever volunteered in a youth group and they're like, any questions?

And they're like, How far is too far?

We're like, ma'am, you are asking the wrong questions, okay?

If that's a question, you're missing it.

And that's kind of what this religious leader does.

He's like, Okay, you're saying serve my neighbor, but like who's my neighbor?

Basically, who do I have to?

Who do I have to serve?

So to answer this man's question, Jesus sets up this whole story.

We're gonna start reading here in Luke 10, 30, and it says, in reply to this religious leader, Jesus said, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers.

They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

Now, a priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

So uh the priest saw the need.

He saw the man who had been robbed was beat.

And this wasn't ignorance, this was awareness without action.

How many of us have done that?

We watch the videos we put up of of the missions trips, or you you'll hear us go, hey, we could use more people in in second service doing these things.

And you're like, Yeah, that's good.

I'm so sad.

I feel bad for them.

Okay, anyway, what are we having for lunch?

You know, you move on from the need.

Without action, awareness means nothing.

We do this, we do the Spider-Man, we assume it's someone else's job.

Well, surely someone else is gonna take care of that need.

Uh surely, my friend, I'll do that.

Well, there's more talented, there's better equipped people than me who can meet that need.

So we just point at them and assume they'll take care of it.

And the priest, like, he might have had good reasons.

He might have been concerned about ceremonial uncleanness, he might have been on his way to do a priest thing.

How many people realize you could be so busy doing the things of God that you actually miss obeying God?

It's not enough for something to be good.

You have to be obedient to what God is actually asking you.

Or the priest may have thought, oh, someone else will someone else will get him.

But here's the truth, friend.

Good intentions don't heal broken people.

Only obedience does.

Our good intentions don't mean a real lot when the sum total is added up.

It's the thoughts and prayers mentality, right?

But our obedience can change lives.

You can love God deeply and still miss serving Him practically.

Like, what if we shouted at people and said, God loves you, you gotta be saved, and then they left and they had no food?

Well, they would be hungry, right?

And that's not something they did.

What if you're like, oh, the hygiene drive, like someone else will fill that?

What's a hygiene drive gonna do to save a person?

Let me offer you this.

What if someone says, I really had a need for this?

I heard Access Church met that need.

Access church is a church that is a church of God.

God thought fit to meet this need.

Maybe I should give God a try.

What if that was the start of their story?

You just don't know what God could do through your obedience to serve Him.

So, where might be calling God be calling you to pause, unlike the priest who just kind of kept going and say, like, oh, there was that need, I walked by.

God was tugging on my heart and I did nothing about it.

What have you seen and noticed that maybe no one else did?

We talk all the time about how, as pastors, one of the biggest questions we get is like, what's God's will for my life?

I don't specifically know God's will for your life, but I do know this.

Pay attention to what breaks your heart.

Because there's a very good chance God weaved that inside of you.

There's something you notice that someone else doesn't notice.

For me, I get more pumped up.

I never feel more filled with purpose than when I'm at known conference and we're praying over women and we're seeing women find freedom.

Like that's just that does it for me.

That's my favorite thing.

I love because I've struggled in the emotional issues and mental health.

I love seeing women find freedom in Christ in that way.

Some of you may go, like, known is just a women's event, but maybe you really notice the homeless.

Or maybe your heart breaks for missions, or maybe you're upset about the education system.

Like, what is it that breaks your heart?

God's will is not a trick, he's not dangling it like a carrot.

Sometimes it's simple.

Just lean into what breaks your heart, and you'll realize what God wants to do in your life.

But it's not enough to see it, you have to do it, right?

So the story goes on and says, So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, well, he passed by on the other side of the road.

So the Levite got even closer to the man.

He started out on the same side and literally had to go walk around him.

And a Levite in scripture would have been the tribe of Israel that was the priests.

They were the religious elite.

He came close enough to see the need, but not close enough to engage it.

Like he didn't want to get his hands dirty.

This is our temptation for a lot of us as believers.

We can get close enough to notice pain.

We can get close enough to feel like a twinge of concern, a little guilt maybe, but not close enough to get involved.

And the Levite, he actually teaches us something kind of sobering, which is that being near suffering doesn't automatically make us servants.

Just being near something doesn't mean we're filling it.

Actually, further than that, I'd say compassion requires more than awareness, it requires action.

True compassion is action.

True compassion isn't saying, I see that and that's really sad.

I feel so bad about that.

Oh well, what can I do?

And I get it, like our world is crazy.

It is hard.

Sometimes I think we get compassion fatigue, and that's okay.

God's not asking you to like change the whole world.

He's asking you to say yes to the thing he put in front of you.

That's all you have to do is give give God your next yes.

But I think for some of us, we've confused spiritual knowledge with actual obedience.

What I mean is that you know a lot about scripture and you've gained knowledge.

Like I said, I'm a church kid, I went to Christian school.

Memorizing scripture as a kid was like a grade for me because I had Bible class, but that doesn't amount to anything until it gets from here to here, and then actually eventually to here into my actions, right?

Because that doesn't mean anything.

So many Christians are far more knowledgeable than they are, obedient.

They want to learn the word, they want to argue with me and Jason about the word, but then they have no fruit in their life about actual obedience, actual effort that they're doing to change something because it's easier to stand on the sidelines and criticize with your knowledge.

It's harder to put your money where your mouth is.

Right?

Serving, I'm here to tell you, is rarely gonna happen when it's convenient.

I I'm not trying to scare anyone away from serving.

That's like the opposite of what I want to do, but it is going to cost you something.

There's times when I'm like, this fits into what I'm doing.

Like I love to do this.

And then there's times when I'm like, wow, this was not on the table.

I wanted a Saturday to myself.

I didn't want to go help my friend.

I didn't want to go on a trip this summer.

I wanted to go on a family vacation instead.

I could have used that money for a cruise, right?

I didn't want to give because we were living great on 100%.

So I didn't want to tithe.

Friend, I'd rather live with less that God has blessed and live in obedience than to keep it all for myself and realize I'm stealing from God.

It's the same way with our serving.

So serving says, oh, I'll okay, I'll adjust, I'll sacrifice, I'll give, and I'll trust God with the cost.

So this is what happens now, next in the story.

But a Samaritan, we talked about Samaritans in scripture before.

If you were at Known Conference, we talked about the woman at the well.

She was a Samaritan woman.

There was a great rift of social status between Samaritans and Jews.

So the Samaritan, as he traveled, he came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

So the Samaritan had like every excuse not to stop.

Socially, it was from the wrong background, you know?

He had no obligation, and helping would cost him time and money.

But he stopped.

He touched wounds.

He used his resources and he changed his plans.

This friends is what Christ's like love looks like.

It's love that interrupts, love that sacrifices, and love that acts.

If it's been a while and you've been a Christian for a minute and it hasn't really cost you anything, or you haven't been like uncomfortable in a while, there's probably something going on there in your heart.

Does it mean that maybe you've gotten cozy making Christianity about you?

And you've forgotten that our mission, our call is to go into the world and make disciples.

Christ-like love makes us do things that step us out of our way.

And here's the principle you're either gonna make an effort or you're gonna make an excuse, but you'll make one.

You'll make one.

And what is it gonna be with God?

The Samaritan, he made the effort.

So what would change for you if every day you said, Man, somebody could be waiting on my obedience to what God is asking of me today?

So the story goes on, and the Samaritan, he goes back the next day.

He doesn't just see the need, throw the guy in the inn, right?

He actually goes back, he goes back the next day, he takes out two deneri, which one deneri was like a day's wage.

So this this cost him, this is a stranger he's caring for.

And this this cost him something, even just like practically.

He gave them to the innkeeper.

I like that the story doesn't end with the Samaritan, it ends with the innkeeper.

Because the innkeeper didn't create the problem, but he helped the wounded man, he sustained him, and that uh makes me think that some people are gonna be called to start the work, and other people are gonna be called to sustain the work.

Like Jason and I started the church, right?

Great.

It takes so many people every week to sustain this beautiful call of God.

And I pray that this church far outlives us.

This isn't our church in our name, this is God's church.

But it takes people to sustain that.

Not everyone rescues, but everyone can serve.

And the innkeeper teaches us you don't have to be the hero to be faithful.

You just have to say yes.

So maybe a question for you is where has God asked you to serve and sustain something that's already in existence?

I think everybody hears a message like this, and sometimes the temptation is to be like, I better go start a ministry.

Maybe, but friend, maybe God's just calling you to come alongside some amazing works that are already in play and support them.

I can't think of a single ministry in our town that's like, no, we're good on volunteers.

Send them back, you know?

That's not a thing.

There's some beautiful things in place.

What if God's just asking you, come alongside them, help them, be it financially, be it with your time?

Like maybe you need to go read to kids at Parker Street.

Maybe you need to go serve at Lighthouse.

Maybe there's things in our community you need to do.

At the end of this story, Jesus comes back to the man who had asked him, Who's my neighbor?

He tells him this story of the Samaritan, and this is what he says.

He says, Go and do likewise.

Who's my neighbor?

He says, Oh, here's a story.

Go and do likewise.

Go and do likewise.

He's saying, Don't think about it.

Do it.

This is how you gain eternal life.

This is who your neighbor is.

The one that's inconvenient.

Sometimes with serving, I'll love y'all, but I'll be like, hey, we need some help and kids.

Can you serve?

And you're like, let me pray about it.

Okay.

Sure.

But also, like, God's already spoken, friend.

God has already said, go and do likewise.

More than that, look at Jesus' own life.

This is Jesus, the Son of God, and it says, just as the Son of Man, that's Jesus.

He didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Okay, he is Jesus.

If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

Yeah?

He didn't even come.

Like a lot of his people thought when he'd come, he'd set up a kingdom.

No, he set up footwashing, serving, touching the wounds, going to the least.

And he tells us, go and do likewise.

I want you to leave today with a practical, okay?

For some of you, I think you may be hearing this, like, she's just wanting people to serve at Access.

I I do want you to serve at Access.

Like, sure.

That's not the only point of this message, though.

Some of you are called to do things that we don't even know about, but you know exactly what I'm talking about as soon as I started speaking.

And we do need help here at the church.

Sometimes I think you think, like, oh, they're good.

They we walked in, I was greeted, so surely they're fine.

Friends, in the last two years, we've started two more locations, which sent out hundreds of our top helpers.

T Max, as we call them.

We do have needs.

We have specific needs in the next gen right now.

Some of y'all are like, oh, I don't I don't really want to, you know, be with kids, that's not my thing.

I actually think every person should spend a season serving the next gen.

Nothing opens your eyes more than that.

Some of y'all were some bad teenagers, and it's time to let God redeem that.

Like, do as I say, not as I do, right?

Yeah.

Can I tell you a personal story?

Um, when I was like 10 years old, church kid, really like a lot.

Like you think this is a lot, but imagine it at 10, you know.

Um, my kid's pastor, his name is Pastor Chris.

He came up to me, called me Peaches, don't ask, and he said, Peaches, I think you're a minister.

10 years old?

Me like running around the church.

How in the world did he picture?

Like, how would he see that?

Because I want you to come serve with the kids.

Okay.

Guys, I fell in love with ministry.

Watching and getting to pray with children, leading them in worship, seeing them turn their lives over to God.

It was everything.

The next year, 11 years old at a kids' camp, I felt God call me into ministry.

Now, you may not get called into full-time ministry, but what I'm telling you is God has so much more He can do through you, but He does need your obedience.

He does need your yes.

For some of you, that may be leading a group.

Maybe serving it, maybe saying yes when you normally say no.

We um we have to make room for others.

For some of you, the whole point of today may be looking at your life and going, My schedule's so full of me.

And I'm tired of it.

I get so tired of myself.

Anyone else?

My own problems, my own anxieties, my own.

It's so much me.

I've told this story before, but my mom, you know, was a pastor's kid as well.

She said, I was depressed.

I would call my mom and say, Mom, I'm depressed, pray with me.

Her mom would pray with her.

Call her back the next day, mom, I'm depressed, pray with me.

Her mom would pray with her.

Finally, her mom would say, You need to stop calling me, you need to go out and serve somebody.

She was like, Whoa, savage, you know.

But there's a principle there.

We get so focused on self, and Jesus says, deny yourself.

When we serve others, it opens up a whole new world of what God can do through you.

Can I give you a sweet example?

Um, we have in Access Kids, I'm mentioning that a lot just because, hey, there is a need there right now.

We want you there.

We actually need strong men who will show some young boys how to be a man, by the way.

That's a word.

I didn't say that in the first service.

But uh the way Pastor Ida has set up Access Kids, it's so beautiful.

Every week they have a consistent small group, okay?

So they get to know their small group leader, and that person cheers for them and all that.

Well, we had a uh my son, Joey, he was a Access small group leader for many years.

And one year he had um a little boy in his group made his T ball championship, which is big stuff, okay?

And they interviewed the little boy and they said, Um, you know what?

Who is someone in your life that you admire?

And he said, Joey Burns, my small group leader.

I was like, we told Joey that, and we're all just like, What?

It's like, man, Joey's like, I didn't even think those kids were listening half the Sundays, you know?

And that's okay because you consistently showed up for a child, they really will notice, they really will realize you can be trusted.

You have no idea what children are going through today.

Our youth, forget it.

And it's hard.

And yet, when you give God your yes and you make room for others, you have no idea what's in store, not just through you, for you.

And you could get over living in a me focus, giving your life and doing like Jesus says, and denying yourself.

So let me give you a couple practical things you could do today, okay?

I am talking about this, I am gonna tell you how you can get involved here because we need you.

But also, I just want you to say yes to God, whatever that is in front of you.

If that's here and you're like, I want to serve, do this before you leave.

Take the connection card that's in the seat in front of you, write your name and say, I want to serve.

We're going to reach out to you this week.

We need you.

We're not like you, you've got it, you've got it.

We do.

We need you.

We're waiting on your yes.

Somebody's waiting on your yes.

Let's not be like the priest, like the Levite who saw the need, recognized the need, but then said, Oh, that's too bad.

Kept walking.

Let's give God our yes and see what he does.

Will you do this with me, friends?

Let's stand up all over this place together.

We're gonna pray.

With your heads bowed and your eyes closed, Lord, we're giving you our yes today.

Some of us are being asked right now in this moment, this is a holy moment, to make room for others.

We've been so full of ourselves, so full of our own schedule, so full of our own desires that we've forgotten that true joy is in denying ourselves and following you.

God, I'm praying for moments of courage right now for people who are being spoke to right now.

Some are called to ministry right now in the name of Jesus, but God, some are just being called right now to sustain something that's already in place, to serve in a way, to come alongside, even if it's one.

But God to give you their yes right now in the name of Jesus.

In the name of Jesus.

And while we're still praying, our heads are still bowed, our eyes are still closed, no one's looking around.

There's some in this room today who the message spoke to you, but you don't even know if you have a relationship with Jesus to begin with.

Maybe you committed your life to God a long time ago and it's been a while, and you're like, Lord, it's time for me to restart this today.

Today, with no one looking around, this is your moment.

If you would like to pray to receive Christ or to rededicate your life to Christ with no one looking, just lift your hand up right now.

Yes, I see your hand.

Yep, I see your hand.

Yep.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We're all gonna pray this together out loud after me because no one prays alone here, and we got your back.

Everybody together, say, dear God, thank you for your son Jesus, thank you for his sacrifice to die on the cross for me.

Today I give you my life.

Use me for your service.

I make you the head of my life.

Thank you for forgiveness.

From this day on, I'll live for you.

Thank you for eternity with you.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Friends, all across this room, people not only rededicated their lives to God, they gave him their yes for serving.

Come on, let's celebrate.