Allen Jackson - You've Gotta Serve Somebody - Part 1
Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 1 that God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness through His precious promises, enabling us to participate in the divine nature and escape worldly corruption—but we must choose to believe and appropriate them, ultimately deciding whom we will serve, as Joshua declared.
God’s Plan Goes Beyond Just Heaven
I’ve been inviting you to imagine that God has a plan for your life that extends beyond just going to heaven or a plan solely for your eternity. God’s plan for you is inseparable from understanding, appropriating, and believing His promises. Those promises won’t chase you down; you’ll have to believe them. If you can imagine these things, then you’re willing to live as part of God’s people—those who believe His promises and embrace His plan, not just people who sit in churches, own Bibles, or live morally.
At the end of the day, all of us want to be involved in God’s plan, I hope, by believing His promises and living as His people.
Everything You Need—Already Given!
In this session, I borrowed a line from Bob Dylan—I don’t do that often: «You gotta serve somebody.» But I want to start in 2 Peter chapter 1, the passage that has really informed this whole series. Peter, the fisherman Jesus recruited, said, «His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.» That’s an amazing statement: God has given us everything we need to be godly.
I don’t know about you, but a lot of days I don’t feel like that—I think He must have left something out. Do you wake up every morning thinking, «Oh, I want to be godly?» Let me ask differently: How many of you live with somebody you’re certain does not wake up every morning thinking, «Oh, I want to be godly»?
The Power of God’s Precious Promises
Yet Scripture says He has given us everything we need «through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. And through these He has given us His very great and precious promises.» It’s in the perfect tense—already done, nothing to add, a fait accompli—so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
God’s promises aren’t bolt-on ideas or optional add-ons. If you don’t believe and appropriate them, you will not escape the evil desires and corruption of this age. We either believe God and begin to live out what He says is possible for His followers, or we will be overwhelmed by the world’s corruption. Those are the options.
Your Inheritance: God’s Promises
In simplest terms, God’s provision is in His promises, and those promises are our inheritance. Many of you have heard us talk about the Jewish people’s inheritance—that strip of land at the end of the Mediterranean. For the rest of us, God hasn’t given land, but a life defined by His promises.
In the Old Testament, Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land. In the New Testament, Jesus leads His people into the land of God’s promises through His redemptive work.
Just as Abraham’s descendants had to occupy their inherited land, you and I must occupy God’s promises—we have to appropriate them.
God Keeps His Covenant—No Matter What
I hope it’s clear that God will keep His covenant. «Covenant» is the Bible’s most binding word—stronger than «promise, ” which can feel transitory depending on circumstances. God’s covenants are the most unbreakable agreements He makes with humans.
In Deuteronomy 6, God tells Israel through Moses: „When the Lord your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.“
The Danger of Forgetting the Lord
That generation didn’t enter the land—they died in the desert because they thought it too difficult, even after seeing it was everything God said. God swore they would die in the wilderness, and they wandered until that generation was gone.
But God warned them ahead: When you enjoy blessings you didn’t create—opportunities beyond what you prepared—be careful not to forget the Lord. That’s an accurate picture of our lives today. We have blessings, freedoms, and opportunities we didn’t fully earn—we stand on others’ sacrifices. I’m not saying you haven’t worked hard or sacrificed, but there’s a real danger: We must be careful not to forget the Lord who delivered us from darkness.
If not for His sovereign intervention, we wouldn’t have what we have today. God keeps His word—with blessings and with judgment.
Joshua’s Famous Challenge: Choose Today!
In Joshua 24, near the end of his life, after leading former slaves into the Promised Land and conquering Jericho and beyond, Joshua gives final instructions: „If serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.“
We’ve all seen that verse on plaques and cards. Joshua wasn’t just talking theory—he watched an entire generation die because they refused to serve the Lord. This was personal: His peers, the ones who remembered Egypt’s brick pits, were gone (except Caleb). He knew the cost of not choosing to serve God.
You Gotta Serve Somebody—Seriously
We’ve separated faith from serving. Scripture doesn’t support making faith only about eternity. Being God’s people means serving Him. Whatever gets your time, attention, effort, and resources is what you truly worship.
We don’t bow to wooden idols anymore, so we think idolatry isn’t possible—but whatever has primary claim on our focus is what we worship. Joshua forced the choice: Whom will you serve?
Every generation must choose for itself. The greatest gift parents can give children is momentum to choose serving the Lord—it’s the only thing that will carry them through.
Rewards for Faithful Servants? Yes!
The Bible promises rewards for wise and faithful servants. There’s a principle: For every action, an equal and opposite reaction—reflecting God’s character. If God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), there are also consequences for refusing to serve Him—because if you don’t serve the Lord, you serve something else.
In Matthew 24, Jesus’ parable: „Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master puts in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.“
The reward? Greater responsibility, greater trust—real assignments of eternal significance. This isn’t just for preachers; you can be a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker and be a wise, faithful servant—or a preacher and be unfaithful. It’s a personal choice, not professional.
Endure Now—Reign Later!
2 Timothy 2: „If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him.“ There’s more ahead than just „making the cut.“ In Christ’s coming millennial reign, faithful servants will reign with Him—active roles bringing God’s will on earth as in heaven.
An exalted place in God’s kingdom is to be His servant—a celebrated position.
Bible Heroes Who Owned the Title: Servant
Paul commends Phoebe as a servant of the church (Romans 16). Paul and Timothy introduce themselves as servants of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1). Jesus took the very nature of a servant (Philippians 2). Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s house (Hebrews 3). James, Peter, and John all identify as servants.
Even the revelation of the end times was given to God’s servant John. That’s a powerful list: Jesus, Paul, Moses, James, Peter, John—all servants.
Jesus’ Shocking Example on His Worst Night
On the night of the Last Supper—Passover, full of emotion—after announcing betrayal, identifying Judas, and warning of coming suffering, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. He served them at the lowest moment. Peter objected, but Jesus insisted: If I don’t wash you, you have no part with Me.
We’ve ritualized foot-washing (and that’s fine), but Jesus modeled something deeper: Serve people, even in crisis. People matter to God—so we serve God by serving people, not just the ones we like. It’s not abstract; it’s making time, praying instead of cursing, loving the difficult.
The Honor of Serving the Great King
In the 21st century, I’m delighted to be called a servant of Christ—and I invite you to that privilege. Early in life I was embarrassed—going to Oral Roberts University, then into ministry in a small, unusual church. People asked, „What do you do?“ and I stumbled.
But under pressure, God changed my heart. I realized the greatest honor of my life is serving the Lord. That shift came long before any external change. Today, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.