Three things about Servanthood

1. Servanthood is the Key to Promotion

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Philippians 2:5-15

Verses 5 -7 tells us that this attitude must be in you just as it was in Jesus. This is the mind of Christ. Promotion doesn’t come by your actions. It starts with your attitude. Your attitude determines your altitude. People get promoted not just because of your skills or because of your excellent academic results. If you are going to reach the high office, it all starts with your attitude. This is the attitude and mindset of Jesus Christ who is our model, our example and our Saviour.

Look at verse 6 which says He make Himself of no representation, taking the form of a bond servant. The word ‘bond servant’ is a very strong word and almost a very bad word in our modern day’s context. ‘Bond servant’ means a slave in Greek. It is a servant that has bonded himself for life. A bond servant is not like any other servant. He is willing to serve anybody and everybody for life and at all time. Jesus, the mighty Saviour, said He is bonded to us to serve us for all eternity! What an amazing love!

Therefore, because of Jesus’ Servanthood, God has greatly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above all names where every knee must bow and every tongue confesses that He is the King and the Lord – verses 9-11. Today, one third of the world is praising and worshiping Jesus because He was the Servant of all. This is ultimate promotion and highly exalted. Servanthood is the key to your promotion.

In verses 12-15, the Bible says that if we are to obey Jesus and to do the same, God is going to walk powerfully in us. In verse 15, it is a promise that we will shine as light in the world when we are willing to serve God. If we are willing to serve God, it means we are willing to serve one another. God is going to take all our gifts, talents and ability to display it fully for the whole world to see for His glory. That is the promise. Servanthood is the key to promotion.

Examples:

1. Joseph is a great example of servanthood. He was a slave in Egypt and then he became the head of Portiphar’s household. Then he was threw into the prison and he became the Warden’s administrator. Finally, he became the Prime Minister of Egypt. His power was not in his situation. Our problem is not the situation. It is not the background. It is not the company you are with. It is not due to other people. Our problem is our attitude. It does not matter what environment God has planted you in, it is your attitude. The moment you are willing to serve, you will rise to the top. Joseph was willing to serve even non-believers. There are Christians who want to serve but they choose the environment and the people they want to serve.
2. Daniel is a good example of a servant who served in a non-believer’s environment. He was serving a king who put his people into exile. Any average person in Daniel’s shoes, will say that he will take revenge and make the life of the enemies difficult. But not Daniel. He was willing and able to serve. The Bible says in Daniel 1:4, he has the ability to serve the king who is outrightly cruel, immoral, wicked, adulterous, and a pagan. Hence, Daniel rose all the way to the very top of the civil service. It is not just for one administration but five kings for two empires. He began to head the Babylonian empire and the Persian kingdom. Daniel’s Servanthood ensured promotion from the Lord.

‘Servanthood is the Key to Authority’ be at the part 3.