Introduction: A small boy and his sister were riding on the back of the new wooden horse given to them as a present. Suddenly the boy turned to his sister and said: "If one of us would get off there would be more room for me." (Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations)

One of the greatest challenges that we face as a Christian, is to grow from a self-centered individual into the likeness of Christ – by becoming selfless servant for Christ.  Our sin nature makes us like the little boy on the rocking horse, where we fail to seek what is best for everyone. In Isaiah 14:12-14, we see that Satan is not only the father of lies, but the father of selfishness too, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'” It was Satan who with the temptation in the garden, trapped Adam and Eve with the bait of selfishness – which to this day is still man’s Achilles heel.

But the Apostle Paul tells us in our passage of Scripture today, that another characteristic of being a Christian is that Christ has enabled us to overcome the selfish attitude of the old sin nature, so that we can serve one another in the newness of our walk with Christ.

Transition: In order to understand what true biblical service is, we must begin with. . .

I. The Foundation Of Service – Salvation (v.13a).

13a For you, brethren, have been called to liberty. . .

1. For a vertical relationship with Christ (John 8:36; Gal.1:6; 5:1).

A. Who freed us from the guilt of sin (Col.2:13).

- Colossians 2:13  When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, (NIV)

B. Who freed us from the penalty of sin (Rom.6:23).

- Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

C. Who freed us from the power of sin (Rom.6:6-7).

- Romans 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

D. Who freed us from the Law with its demands, threats and penalties (Rom.6:14; 7:6).

- Romans 6:14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. (NIV)

Transition: Now here is where the preacher begins to meddle, not only did Christ provide salvation and fellowship with Himself for all those who will put their trust in Him, but He also saved you. . .

2. For a horizontal relationship with Christ's family (Eph.1:5-7; Gal.4:5; Rom.8:15; 12:10).

A. Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

B. Galatians 4:5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

It is upon this foundation on which our service to one another is built upon.

Transition: This brings us to our next point. . .

II. The Freedom Of Service  – Selflessness (v.13b).

13b . . .only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh,

1. The essence of sin is self-will and self-service (Gal.5:19-21; Rom.16:17-18).

A. The word flesh speaks of our sinful attitudes, desires and behavior (the way in which we live for ourselves).

B. Just look at the fruit that self-centered person produces.

1) Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (NIV).

2) Romans 16:17-18 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

3) Did you notice what the fruit of selfishness produces?

2. Salvation does not make one free to sin, it makes us free to serve (Rom.6:6-7; 7:6).

Romans 7:6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

A. A true believer who loves Christ will not continue to live for self alone (1 John 1:6-7).

- 1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

B. A true believer who loves Christ will use their salvation in Christ to serve (Rom.6:13; Gal.5:22-25).

- Romans 6:13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (NIV).

Illustration: The crew in a 747 jet could sit at the end of the runway all day long, knowing that the plane is free to take off. They may have received clearance from the tower again and again. They also know that the power is available. But the plane will never get off the ground unless the jet engines are activated. The plane must be in a moving position.
    Just so with a Christian. I can know I am free in Christ. And I can accept that truth as a reality. But I will never live above this world's system without obeying God's Word. It is the truth applied that really sets me free.
    Nothing can compare with the freedom we experience when we walk in harmony with the Creator of the universe, conforming our lives to His will and desires. This does not mean we lose our individual personalities or our self-identity. Rather, we are free to become all that God created us to become. We are set free from ourselves—free to reach out, to give, to share—in short, we are free to serve God and one another (Getz).

Transition: Now we come to what must fuel our service to one another if it is going to be acceptable to God. . .

III. The Motive Of Service - Love (v.13c).

13b . . .but through love serve one another.

A. Christ's love towards us sets the example of the love we are to show others.

B. "Agape" love is a deep sacrificial love for the benefit of the one that it is shown (regardless of any response or worthiness of the individual).

Hudson Taylor looked at them thoughtfully for a moment and then said. "All of your motives are good, but I fear they will fail you in times of severe testing and tribulation—especially if you are confronted with the possibility of having to face death for your testimony. The only motive that will enable you to remain true is stated in 2 Corinthians 5:14. Christ’s love constraining you will keep you faithful in every situation." (Our Daily Bread)

1 John 4:10-11 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  If your motivation for serving or ministering in the church, doesn't come from a heart of love for God, so will your service wane when the novelty wears off.

Saint Augustine once said, "Christ is not valued at all unless he is valued above all."

Transition: There also has to be a. . .

2. Love of obeying God (John 14:23-24; 15:10; 1 John 5:2-3).

A. Another quality of a Christian who is walking with the Lord, is there is a love of God's Word and obeying it.

- 1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

A young man, who was struggling to let the Lord have His way in his life, knelt to pray. He had been advised to "Let God do the work for him." But as he was kneeling, he cried, "I want to let God have His way, but I can't."
    The day before he had cut out of pasteboard the letters "LET GOD" and tacked them on the wall. He rose from his knees and with a feeling of defeat and despair, he left the room and slammed the door with a bang, saying, 'I can’t LET GOD.' "
    On his return to his room, he was startled to note that the slam of the door had loosened the letter D on the word GOD, causing it to fall to the floor, and changing the motto to "LET GO."
      "I will, I will, Lord Jesus," he cried and threw himself on his knees at the side of his bed. " 'I will Let go,' and 'Let God,' " and he did. (Gospel for the Youth)

When you let go of your own selfish desires, God's Word will no longer be a burden to you, and our willingness to serve one another will not only be a desire, but it will be a joy too!

Transition: And this leads us to our last area of the motivation of love. . .

3. Love of our brothers and sisters in Christ (Eph.4:2; 5:2; Phile.1:7; 1 John 3:14-17).

A. The Apostle Paul wrote this about what serving one another in love does:

- Philemon 1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.

B. When we invest in one another the through giving of ourselves in service, it brings and builds our joy, comfort and love for one another.

- But when we withhold our service, it has the opposite effect upon others believers because it overburdens them with your share of the load (Gal.6:5).

Invitation:
1. When the kings of Siam wanted to ruin a man in their kingdom they would present him with a white elephant. The unfortunate man couldn't get rid of the elephant for it was "sacred," and it was a gift from the king—and then the expense of keeping the useless thing soon put him in the bread line. Beware of the "white elephants" the world has to give! (Christian Victory)

 Selfishness, is Satan's white elephant to the Christian.  The cost of keeping the white elephant of  "I, Me, Mine" in the end will rob us of our joy of the Lord in this life, and will rob us of our eternal blessings to come.  Can you truly afford to live only for yourself?

2. To the person who have never put their trust in Jesus Christ for Salvation, the cost of selfishness will cost them an eternity in hell.

    Is that really what you want?

That's not what God wants for you, and He has willingly made the most selfless act even given, and that was to offer up His Son to die in your place, for your sins.
Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.