Story of Alfred Nobel
https://www.history.com/news/did-a-premature-obituary-inspire-the-nobel-prize
Alfred Nobel hacked his eulogy.

This series, Hacking Your Eulogy, is all about living a better life by contemplating your death.
What will the story of your life be?
What will people say about you when you die?
What do you hope they’ll say?
What impact will you have had on those closest to you?
What legacy do you wish to leave behind?

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Skulls

Today’s society often avoids contemplating death, considering it morbid or depressing. However, until the 20th century, remembering one’s own mortality was seen as an encouragement to lead a virtuous and meaningful life.

Contemplating Death is the great clarifier. Brings focus to life.

Thinking about your eulogy is a way of thinking about who you're becoming.

In thinking about our deaths, we will live differently.

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Being a servant is a central theme in Christianity.
Central way to have a meaningful life is to serve.
But we all know this isn't always easy.

Jesus has a genius way of teaching why.
Parable Luke 17:7-10

It's a tough parable to make sense of at first.

“What is the deal with Jesus? Has he never listened to Mr. Rogers? Doesn’t he know that we’re special? Does he think it’s motivating to reach us to think of ourselves as worthless? I guess it’s just one more proof, if we needed one, that Jesus never read a self-help book and never took a course in pastoral care. But even for Jesus, who can be pretty blunt, this section is a lulu.” (Vinson, Richard B. Luke. Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2008. “Hard Sayings” Luke 17 Commentary, p. 537-560)

Is Jesus setting up a thankless kingdom?
Is that what we’ve signed up for? Serving a cold hearted king?

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To make sense of the parable, think about the following:

Remember – Kingdom of God – what the world looks like under God’s reign.

King of the kingdom is Jesus. And Jesus is a servant.
He will speak of himself as a servant and he will serve his disciples.
Acts will also call him a servant. Acts 3:13
Philippians 2:7

Ultimately the greatest act of service ever was the cross.
Jesus says he came to serve not to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus wasn't on a short term servant kick here on earth. He came to reveal himself as a servant – as the God who serves – and to setup the kingdom of servants.
If you have a kingdom where the king is a servant…that’s the way of the kingdom.

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So, back to the passage, what’s going on here?

Here's a quick summary:
Stumbling Blocks and Warnings
Jesus, increase our faith! We need more faith!
Jesus says – with even a little faith, you can do amazing things.
What’s going to trip you up is when you start to think of yourselves as anything other than servants.

You will do amazing things, but you’ll never not be servants.

If you see servanthood as a part-time job or job from which you’ll one day retire then you’ve missed the vision of the kingdom Jesus provides through his life. He is the king who serves.
In the kingdom the king is a servant and so is everyone else
To not want to serve is to want out of the kingdom.

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Here’s the real challenge with serving.
Everyone is okay with serving sometimes.
No one wants to become a servant.

Jesus is teaching that there is no retirement from serving.
Parable of the farmer and his bigger barns (Luke 12:16-21). The enticement is to live a life that ultimately is for me.

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John 15:14-15
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Jesus isn't saying that we should no longer identify as servants or have been released from service. He's making a distinction between a servant who just blindly serves out of obligation and a friend who knows his master's business.
Servants obey orders, no questions asked.
Jesus says, I want you to know me.
He’ s not saying you don’t have to serve anymore. He’s saying now you’ll serve out of revelation and relationship, not just from obligation.

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Jesus wants us to come to see servanthood as beautiful.
Not as a chore.
As an identity to be embraced.
This is the way to life.
The way of the kingdom.
Some people won’t like the kingdom b/c you don’t like being a servant
Mark 9 & Mark 10:43 & Matthew 23 – greatest among you will be your servant – God is looking to exalt the humble.

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Think about what it means to be a servant in:
- friendships
- siblings
- neighbors
- workplace
- marriage
- parenting

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Becoming a servant is like a death. Like losing one way of living to find a better one.

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Next four weeks, invite you to meditate on your death.
Get a skull!
Go for a walk through a cemetery.
Greet other - Memento Mori - Remember Your Death

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When it’s all over, who will you have become? How will you be known? Story of your life?

In the scriptures we see over and over that Christians are happy to take on the identity of servant because it’s the identity of Jesus.
Look up:
Romans 1:1
Philippians 1:1
James 1:1
2 Peter 1:1
Colossians 1:7 & 4:7
Jude 1:1
Revelation 1:1

May you one day be known as a servant of king Jesus.
May Creekside be known as servants of king Jesus.