"WHERE DO I SIGN UP?"
Written and preached by David P. Nolte



JOHN 21:12-22

If someone were to offer an absolutely free opportunity to have an "Alice" (you know, the nanny, maid, chief cook and bottle washer and general factotum of the Brady family) ... well, if someone were to offer a free "Alice" to the first 10 who put their name on a list, many would say, "Wow! Where do I sign up?" Many would think it out of this world to have someone serve them like that. You know what? Jesus would never sign that list! If someone were to say, "The first 10 to put their name on a list will be pressed into difficult, tedious, thankless service" Jesus' name would head the list. But not many others would respond, "Wow! Where do I sign up?" Jesus would sign up to do the service, but never to be served. Charles Swindoll said, "When Jesus took the time to explain His reason for coming among us, He was simple and direct: to serve and to give. Not to be served. Not to grab the spotlight in the center ring. Not to make a name or attract attention or become successful, or famous or powerful, or idolized. No, quite frankly, that stuff turned Him off." This is Labor Day weekend; the time when we remember those men and women of our land who toil and sweat, who work and labor, who help and contribute and serve.  This is a time to be motivated to labor in service for Jesus Christ.  Let's look to Peter and see if we can learn some lessons about working for Jesus; about serving Him and His church. Let's be those who sign up for duty to His sheep.
  1. PETER WAS TOLD TO SERVE THOUGH HE HAD FAILED MISERABLY:
    1. It's easy to boast that while others fail and falter we will hold true and steadfast! Peter made that boast: He insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." Mark 14:31 (NIV). What a crock of baloney! What a pile of poppycock! In just hours he denied Jesus 3 times! He failed miserably here!
    2. But Jesus underscores that it is not failure to fail! We can recover from abysmal dereliction, we can be reinstated after horrendous delinquency in duty. Our shortcomings do not disqualify us once and for all.
      1. Consider David whose lapse into immorality and murder did not write his final chapter.
      2. Consider Jonah whose rebellious flight caused him to become a fish's lunch and later to be vomited onto the beach, but God used him anyhow.
      3. Consider John Mark who failed on his first missionary journey but was later greatly useful to Paul.
    3. There is no justification or excuse to go on failing and to just leave it at that; that would be failure indeed. But there is motive to try again for the one who loves us most does not hold our failures against us without recourse. Note Paul's experience in that: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service; even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. And yet I was shown mercy, because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NASB).
    4. A man dreamed that Jesus told him to take a sledgehammer and beat on a huge rock. He did so.  Blow after blow fell on that rock. His hands hurt, his back ached and he was wet with sweat.  But after a long time, the rock showed no signs of cracking. The man continued for awhile, then said, "I quit! This rock will never split! I've failed!" Jesus said, "Take up your hammer, son; you have not failed; I didn't tell you to split the rock, I told you to beat on it." Many times when we don't see what we think is success, we consider that we have failed and want to quit; Jesus sees it differently if we have tried. He doesn't demand success; He demands faithfulness. But even when we actually fail, we can still be used in service for Jesus.
  1. PETER WAS TOLD TO SHOW HIS LOVE FOR JESUS BY SERVING THE CHURCH:
    1. Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me?"  In a literal translation, Peter professed, "I have a warm friendship for You!"  Jesus said, "Tend My Lambs."  Jesus asked a second time, "Do you love Me?"  and Peter replied, "You know that I have a warm friendship for You."  Jesus said, "Shepherd My sheep."  Jesus then asked, "Do you have a warm friendship for Me?"  Peter responded in the affirmative.  Jesus said, "Tend My sheep."  In other words, "You say you have a warm friendship for Me; prove that by taking care of My flock, the church."
    2. Jesus leaves no doubt or ambiguity about the connection between serving His flock, the church, and serving and loving Him. Listen to this:
      1. "'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:35-40 (NASB).
      2. Paul wrote saying that the help given him by the Philippian church was actually acceptable as an offering to God, "But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God." Philippians 4:18 (NASB).
      3. We read further, "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." Hebrews 13:16 (NIV).
    3. Jesus gave a short catalogue of those services done to others which are indeed a service to Him. To serve others in His Name is to serve Him. To love Him is to serve Him as we serve His flock, the church. None of us can meet every need or satisfy every demand or fulfill every request. Nor should we! It would be impossible and unwise to do so! But John Wesley was right: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can!"
    4. Hsu Chu is a good example here. He was a Chinese Christian. He came from a wealthy and influential family. Hsu Chu entered the China Inland Mission Hospital to be trained as a nurse. One day he was asked to perform the menial task of shining the shoes of some patients. He refused, saying, "This is not a job for a gentleman and a scholar!" The superintendent of the hospital kindly took Hsu Chu into his office and himself cleaned and shined those shoes. Then he read the passage in John 13 where Jesus said, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." Humbled, Hsu Chu never refused to serve Christ as he learned to serve others.
  1. PETER WAS TOLD TO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE SERVICE OF OTHERS:
    1. Jesus said, "Follow Me!" Peter looked at another disciple and asked, "Lord, what about this man?" In other words, "What's he supposed to do?" Jesus said, "Not your problem. Don't worry about him. You just follow Me!"
    2. When we are called to duty, looking to see what others are doing or not doing is a mistake! It is the wrong focus!  Each servant answers only to his master, not to another servant!
      1. To worry about what others are supposed to do is not our affair, to begin with.
      2. To worry about what others are supposed to do interferes with our getting the job done!
        1. "I'm not serving if so-and-so over there doesn't get busy!"
        2. "He's not doing anything and I am!  I'm quitting until he starts working!"
      3. To worry about what others are supposed to do creates an unhealthy spirit of comparison.
        1. "I always do all the work! I do 10 times as much as others!"
        2. "I do a lot better work than those guys do!"
        3. "My job is a lot more difficult and demanding than that fellow's work - it isn't fair!"
    3. Jesus says, "Don't waste time looking around wondering what the other fellow is going to do; just follow Me! Do what I ask you to do! Obey Me!"
    4. Two oxen were yoked together for plowing. To the great frustration of the farmer, neither ox was doing anything. If he could have understood the mooing going on between the two, he'd have heard them saying, "You pull first!" "I'm not pulling until you do!" "You first!" "No, you first!" "I'm standing here until you move!" "You're gonna stand there a long time, then, 'cuz I'm not moving until you move first!" Guess what: as long as one was worried about the service of the other, neither served! The field didn't get plowed, and the farmer was perplexed.

When you stop to think about it, there is no greater calling than to serve Jesus. There is no greater privilege than being trusted by Jesus to serve Him. He has placed in the hands of those who love Him the care of His flock, the church. Sure, you've let Him down in the past. But in the present He says, "Follow Me!" Sure, you're weak and ineffective, but He's not through with you yet! Sure, you can't profess a perfect love for Him, but He'll take your imperfect, immature affection if you'll just serve Him. This is a day of decision. For some to follow Jesus for the first time. For some to take a more serious stand in serving Him. For some to renew their covenant to serve Him. Don't worry about what the fellow next to you will do. Don't let their hesitation stop you; don't let their attitude intimidate you. Follow Jesus. Commit your life to Him. Be a laborer for Him. He asks, "Do you love Me? Serve Me by serving my flock!" Show your love by obedience. Follow where He leads; go where He sends, do what He commands. Ask the question, "Where do I sign up?"  Be ready for service!  Sing and mean it, "I will serve Thee because I love Thee!"

Illustrations original or from unknown sources


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