Transformation through humble service is at the heart of today's discussion, as we dive into the interplay between our motivations and the approval of others. We explore how the carnal mind is oftentimes ensnared by the need for human affirmation, leading to a constant quest for validation. But what if we shifted our focus? Instead of seeking human approval, we could find freedom in serving Christ, where our identity is rooted not in public recognition but in our relationship with God. This episode invites us to reflect on the subtle yet powerful tension between pleasing others and genuinely serving, emphasizing that true greatness lies in humility and selflessness. Join us as we unpack this lesson. Transformation is a journey. As we delve into the intricate relationship between our mindset and our actions, we confront the age-old struggle of seeking approval from others versus finding our identity in Christ. We encourage you to assess whether your service is motivated by a desire for recognition or a genuine desire to please God. Through thought-provoking anecdotes and scriptural references, we unpack how the carnal mind is often occupied with questions of validation, while the spiritual mind seeks to glorify God through selfless acts. This episode reminds us that true transformation involves shedding the need for human approval and embracing a life of humble service, where our actions stem from an authentic faith rather than a desire for accolades. We draw parallels between the earthly definition of greatness—often tied to visibility and recognition—and the radical redefinition of greatness that Jesus presents.

Takeaways:

1. Transformation is an ongoing process that requires a change in mindset and focus on spiritual matters.
2. The struggle for approval can distort our service, transforming it from genuine to transactional in nature.
3. True service, motivated by a desire to please God, leads to a fulfilling life free from the need for human validation.
4. Living for God's approval liberates us from the anxieties of men-pleasing, allowing for sincere love and service to others.

Well, good day to you and welcome to our study.

Thanks for joining us in this study of transformation.

Transformation through humbly serving the Lord.

We're going to be just looking at some lessons in the next few weeks that deal with one's attitude.

We need to have the mind of Christ and to follow his lead.

And this takes place as we try to change the carnal mind to be that spiritual man that's walking after the Spirit, by the way, that's setting your mind on spiritual things.

It's not some kind of better felt than told subjective feeling that we just put our blind trust in and hopes that God is leading us because, you know, we want to do what we want to do.

And typically we find every reason and means available to do it.

And one of the things that I think is a very dangerous thing is to impose our will upon God and think that, well, you know, just like the false prophets who spoke, who lied because they said they spoke in the name of the Lord when they were only speaking the figment of their own imagination, Jeremiah says that they speak lies their falsehood in the name of God.

So we're not wanting that.

We're wanting to really transform, just like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

It takes time, it's an ongoing process, but it alters entirely who we are and why, through or by the renewing of our mind.

And there is a little battle that every believer faces, whether they recognize it or not.

It's not merely a battle against sin, though that's an obvious sense we could all agree on.

And it's not only temptation toward immorality or unbelief or living ungodly or worldly lives.

It's just a subtle struggle over who are we serving.

At the heart of that struggle is this whose approval am I living for?

And so these are questions that we can ask ourselves.

The carnal mind lives under the constant pressure of human approval.

Why?

Because the carnal mind is just living on this horizontal plane, as we've already illustrated before.

It just wants to be seen.

It wants affirmation.

It wants validation.

It wants appreciation and recognition.

And it asks quietly and sometimes quite loudly, do they notice me?

And if they don't, what can I do to make them notice me?

Do they appreciate what I do?

Am I being fairly treated?

These are the kinds of questions that the carnal mind is asking all the time.

But the spiritual mind asks a very different question altogether.

Is Christ pleased by my choices?

Transformation through humble service begins with the rejection of being A man pleaser.

This is a term used by Paul when he writes the Galatian letter.

Until that happens though, until we make that transition away from seeking to be approval of men, then service will always be very distorted.

It may look humble on the outside, but inwardly it'll be driven by self interest.

Paul addressed this issue directly in Galatians chapter 1 and verse 10.

In Galatians chapter 1, verse 10, he writes, for now I am seeking the approval of man or of God.

Or am I seeking or trying to please men?

Or man?

If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

That's a staggering statement.

But Paul doesn't say that men pleasing is a weakness or an immaturity.

He just simply saying it's incompatible with servanthood to Christ.

Do you get that point?

You see, a person can't serve two masters.

One will always dominate the other.

And so men pleasing is not kindness, it's not gentleness, it's not love.

Men pleasing is the attempt to secure your identity or your worth and maybe even your safety through the approval of others.

And because humans, you know, we seek approval and recognition, but that is so unstable.

And trying to live like that is quite exhausting.

Trust me, I have been caught in that struggle, recognizing ultimately that it is a waste of time and quite worthless.

Because the opinions of men change even from the same individual.

The opinions can change from one moment to another.

Their gratitude fades, their expectations may increase and their standards can shift.

And so to live for their approval is living on shifting sand.

This is why Paul speaks so decisively when he says, if I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ, you see.

In other words, Christ does not share his throne.

So when we serve in order to be noticed, we're not serving Christ.

When I say serve, I'm talking about in a religious sort of context, whatever that is to you, whether you're up preaching a sermon or singing a song or whatever it is that you're doing, when y' all come together and meet on the Lord's day, you know, that's.

If we're doing that to be noticed, we're not serving Christ, we're serving our image.

When we sacrifice so that others will admire us, the sacrifice becomes a transaction.

We give in and we do it in order to receive.

We give to receive, we perform to receive.

But true service never looks at that, never looks for anything in return.

True service gives without any leverage, without any expectation for anything in return.

Jesus exposed this tendency of man when he warned against practicing righteousness to be seen by others.

Do you remember this in Matthew 6, in verse 1, he begins that he didn't condemn righteous acts.

He condemned the motive behind those acts.

Men pleasing turns service into performance.

So that if you do a real good job, you'll get some recognition for it.

And it may come in various forms, but still you get recognition for it.

But transformation turns service into true worship.

True service that's motivated by a desire to please.

The Almighty.

Christ, of course, is the model of this.

He was so God centered, Father centered several times, especially in the book of the Gospel of John.

John really does accentuate that whatever Christ did, he did because the Father told him to do it.

I came not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me.

Statements like that throughout the Gospel of John.

And so to understand what it means to reject men pleasing, I think we have to look to Christ.

No one ever lived more perfectly for the glory of God.

And no one was more misunderstood, rejected and criticized by men than the God man himself.

Jesus said in John 5:41, I do not receive glory from men.

That statement alone dismantles our modern assumptions.

Jesus did not depend on human affirmation to sustain his mission.

His identity was rooted in his relationship with the father.

In John 7:18, I seek not my own glory, but the glory of him who sent me.

He didn't adjust his obedience based on public response either.

When crowds followed him, he didn't exploit their admiration.

When crowds abandoned him, he didn't alter his message.

He was anchored in one thing and one thing alone, and that was doing the will of the Father.

This is why men pleasing cannot coexist with transformation.

The cross itself is the ultimate rejection of human approval.

Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 53, verse 2 that the Messiah would have no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.

The world did not applaud Christ.

They crucified him instead.

And yet Scripture tells us that for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.

Hebrews 12 and verse 2.

What was that joy?

Well, it wasn't the praise of men.

It was obedience to the Father and the redemption of those he loved.

It was the joy of after the cross there would be a glorious resurrection and an entering into his glory as he ascends at God's right hand some days later, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

When our service mirrors that, when our service mirrors Jesus in his service, then it will often go unnoticed.

Sometimes it will be misunderstood.

Sometimes it will even be criticized.

But if our aim is to glorify our Father, we remain quite steady.

And that which motivates us gives us the greatest of esteem, which we want to talk about in the weeks ahead.

The bondage of men pleasing is quite obvious in Scripture.

It does hold us captive.

Men pleasing is subtle because it disguises itself as virtue.

It can look quite good, it can look very generous, it can look available, it can look like a sacrifice.

But inwardly it produces anxiety, resentment, fatigue.

It can be heart wrenching.

It is not a pleasant thing.

Why do you suppose that is?

Well, because the carnal mind always keeps score.

That's why it remembers.

It remembers who thanked us and who didn't.

It remembers who returned the favor and who didn't.

It remembers how much they gave or how much we gave and how little it was acknowledged and recognized.

The carnal mind is like that.

Eventually, service becomes transactional.

We give, but we expect.

And when expectations are not met, then what happens is bitterness sets in and begins to grow.

This is why Paul warns in Colossians 3:23, Whatever you do, work heartily as unto the Lord and not unto man.

See, that verse is not some sort of poetic encouragement.

It's spiritual protection.

When we work for the Lord, human response loses its controlling power.

Gratitude becomes a gift, not a requirement.

And so when we serve men, though for the sake of Christ, serving men for Christ can be liberating.

Serving Christ for the sake of men's approval is slavery.

Let me illustrate it.

Imagine a believer quietly serving for years.

They prepare meals, they're always giving to others.

Their home is always a place for brethren to come to feel at home, to just to relax and feel the security and the protection of other saints who love them and care for them, and who can share their spiritual thoughts and their struggles.

They make clean spaces, they give time, they pray for others, and they're rarely acknowledged, often even overlooked.

Another believer serves occasionally, but because it's public, he draws all the affirmation and all the attention.

Now, when you want to measure greatness by carnal means, it's quite clear which one will be viewed great in the kingdom.

According to the world, greatness belongs to the one that's more visible.

But according to Christ, greatness belongs to the faithful.

Jesus said, your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:4.

That statement assumes something crucial.

Much of true service happens in secret, doesn't it?

And if our joy depends on recognition, then we're going to abandon service when recognition disappears.

We'll only do it when it can be seen.

But true service doesn't measure whether it's seen or not.

But if our joy is rooted in God's approval, then we'll serve steadily, quietly, yet joyfully.

There is great freedom in serving Christ and serving him alone.

Paul would explain it in Galatians 1, where we started this morning.

And these words are not restrictive, they're liberating.

When I no longer need to please men, then I'm free to love them sincerely.

I'm free to serve without calculation.

I'm free to obey God even when I'm misunderstood.

That's transforming.

This true service is not fueled by applause, then.

True service is fueled by allegiance.

Allegiance to Christ.

And when Christ is our master, men lose their power to define us.

When God's glory becomes our aim, human approval becomes secondary.

It's not important now, since we're talking about transformation.

And that transformation is through humble service.

If that's real, it'll always do something to our pride.

It'll always confront the need to be admired.

It'll always expose the hidden desire to be noticed and valued.

Because the carnal mind doesn't merely want to serve, it wants to be known for serving, see?

So it's one thing to do good works.

It's another thing to crave the reputation of being a good person.

And that craving is the soil where boasting grows.

So our second point that we want to note this morning is, is that in transforming, we would reject any desire to boast or glory, and that if any man glory, let him glory in the Lord.

Paul would say, it's one thing to do good works, as I say, but it's another thing to crave the reputation of being a good person and doing good things.

And that craving is the soil where boasting grows.

When the Bible speaks about boasting, it's not only talking about loud bragging.

Boasting can be very subtle.

It can be a spiritual sounding is what it is.

It can even hide under the language of humility.

We want to cast it in the best of light, our actions.

And of course, God knows the heart.

And we do too, if we're willing to examine it and to acknowledge it.

But oftentimes we want to hide it.

This is why Paul makes such a strong statement about it in First Corinthians 1, let the 1 who boasts boast in the Lord.

And then in chapter three, verse 21, he adds, so let no one boast in men or man.

That covers both directions.

No boasting in self, no boasting in Others?

Why?

Well, because all true glory belongs to God.

If we want transformation through humble service and following Christ and having his mind, then we have to let boasting die.

Not only the obvious kind, but the refined and the respectable kind as well.

Boasting exists because our hearts hunger for glory.

It wants significance.

It wants to feel important.

It wants to be seen.

And because the carnal mind is insecure about that, it tries to build identity on things that can be measured, which is performance and reputation.

It's all based on appearances.

Don't you see?

We've talked about this before.

It seeks recognition, and it wants fairness in comparisons with others in.

In order to get some kind of justification, some kind of recognition.

And that's why the carnal mind constantly asks questions like it's my turn, or who noticed me?

Or am I being treated fairly?

Or do people realize what I've done?

Now, those questions might sound normal, they might even sound reasonable, but they reveal something deeper, and that is a need for glory.

And that need becomes a trap.

Because if people are our mirror, then we will either become proud when they praise us or we become bitter when they overlook us.

You see?

But the spiritual mind, it's not affected by any of that.

It does something entirely different.

That kind of mind finds its identity in Christ.

And when identity is secure in him, the demand for recognition is of no value.

It begins to fade.

And this is why Paul connects boasting to a deeper issue.

And that's the issue of what it is we live for.

In Galatians 1:10.

I love the way he says this.

For am I now seeking the approval of men or of God, or am I trying to please man?

If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

You see men pleasing and boasting.

They live in the same house.

They feed each other.

Men pleasers crave approval, and boasting tries to secure it.

But Paul says the servant of Christ can't live that way.

One of the greatest observations that I have found out early in life, that's helped me tremendously.

I don't know that I've always applied it, but it wasn't because the knowledge of it wasn't there.

And that's greatness is quite a paradox.

The world measures it by one's position, power, and recognition of men.

The question is always who is rising?

You know, who's who, by its very nature suggests that there are certain appearances that we give to people who we think have become successful.

And that's usually based on who becomes visible and who's admired and what it is they're doing to get that approval.

The world assumes greatness is proven by, you know, how many people serve you, how many people look up to you, and that's, you know, our hero images come from this.

He said, whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.

Now this is one of the most radical statements ever spoken.

Jesus didn't merely adjust the words and try to take part of the world's idea of greatness, he overturned it completely.

Transformation in Christ redefines greatness.

Greatness is no longer about being served.

It's not about your status in life, it's about what you're doing to serve others.

Greatness is no longer about elevation, it's about humility.

It's no longer about being praised.

It's about submitting to the will of God.

If that's true, then boasting becomes foolish.

Because boasting is built on the world's definition of greatness.

Boasting assumes that recognition is worth pursuing.

You see, Jesus says the path to greatness is the path downward.

He didn't just teach this, he lived it.

You see in John 13, when Jesus began to take a towel and girded it, and went and got a basin of water and began to wash the disciples feet.

This was after he arose from supper.

And what a dramatic illustration to impress upon them.

This was the lowest role in the house.

Foot washing was the task of a slave.

And after he did it, he said, if I, then your teacher, your Lord and master, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet.

And then he said, if you know these things, blessed, this is a beautiful Greek word, blessed are you when you do them.

It's almost as if he would say, I believe it was Zodiates who said, oh the blessedness of the meek.

And this is the idea here, you're blessed.

Oh, the blessedness when you do them doesn't have anything to do with what you know, it's what you're doing.

And that's when true fulfillment, contentment, satisfaction, spiritually, that's when it begins to hit you.

That's when you begin to understand what Jesus is teaching here.

He connects it to obedience, not admiration, action.

Not what you reputed to be, but what you're doing, servanthood.

And that's where transformation happens.

You see, when truth turns into a towel and a basin of water, then the Point the Lord is making is if the Lord of glory could take the lowest place, how can we crave the highest?

If Christ embraced humility, how can we insist on great recognition and approval of men?

Jesus said, the greatest must become servant of all, even a slave.

And he used the strongest word possible.

A slave in the ancient world had no rights, no privileges.

They had no personal agenda.

Their entire lives was wrapped up in the approval of their master, and they did not want the disapproval of their master.

That was on their mind.

Paul embraced this identity with no apology.

When he begins a lot of his Letters, like Romans 1:1, Paul a servant of Christ Jesus.

This is the word doulos.

It's the household bondservant, one who belongs to another.

Now, it doesn't necessarily mean that they all took, you know, kind of menial tasks.

Some of these servants were household managers, but they were still doulas, they were still slaves.

And to be a slave of Christ means that I no longer belong to myself.

My choices are his choices, and they belong to him.

My future belongs to Him.

My possessions belong to him.

Even my reputation belongs to him.

And that is exactly why boasting must die.

The there's no place for it.

You see, a slave, because he does not boast in himself.

A slave does not promote himself.

A slave doesn't measure his worth by public recognition.

He belongs to his master, and his life is spent doing the Master's will.

The world says, stand up for your rights and you need to feel good about yourself.

And they go out trying to force that to make it happen.

Protect your reputation, demand your rights, demand your recognition.

And Jesus says, whoever would save his life will lose it.

And whoever loses his life for my sake will find it true.

Greatness, friends, isn't self assertion, it's total surrender.

Paul warned in 1 Corinthians 3:21.

And it's, I think, especially important to note this passage when he says, so let no one boast in men.

That means it is possible to reject boasting in self, but still boast in others.

And that happens when we attach our identity to human figures and churches and personalities or certain leaders that we elevate, boy, not quite as far as God, but real close, perhaps even maybe elevating movements.

And then we'll use that association as a source of status.

The Corinthian Church was doing that.

Some said, I follow Paul.

Others said, I follow Apollos.

And others said, I follow Cephas.

And Paul says, the whole thing is carnal.

It shifts glory away from God and on demand and the moment we say, my group is the best group, my teacher's the best teacher, my preacher's the best preacher, my side of the right is the right side, we're flirting with boasting in men.

Paul destroys this logic.

These men are not masters.

They're my servants.

And that's why he says earlier, in First Corinthians 3, 5, what then is Apollos?

What is Paul?

Servants.

There's that word again.

Doulos.

Slaves through whom you believed.

Servants aren't trophies.

Servants are not objects of glory.

Servants are instruments.

And so the spiritual mind refuses to build identity on man.

It refuses to boast in their associations.

It glories only in the Lord.

Well, I thank you for listening this morning.

I trust you have a very good day and a pleasant week until we come back again and continue our series on transformation.