Whom and How Shall We Serve?
Rev. Dr. David M. Oliver
First United Methodist Church
Massillon, Ohio
November 8, 2026
Text: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Matthew 25:31-46
Opening Prayer: Almighty God, whose Word is authority and power and whose way is love, grant unto us clear minds, understanding hearts, and willing spirits so that we may wisely appropriate your Word of Truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
In 1979, Bob Dylan wrote and sang a song titled, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It was the published as both a single and the opening track on the album Slow Train Coming. Here are a few of the lyrics:
You may be a construction worker, working on a home
You might be living in a mansion, you might live in a dome
You may own guns and you may even own tanks
You may be somebody’s landlord, you may even own banks
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
(Serve somebody)
Yes, you’re gonna have to serve somebody
(Serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
(Serve somebody)
You may be a preacher preaching spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be working in a barber shop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody’s mistress, you may be somebody’s heir
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Yes, you’re gonna have to serve somebody
(Serve somebody)
Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
(Serve somebody)
When I first heard this song, I was struck by its poignancy and truth. All of us serve somebody. Consciously or unconsciously, intentionally or unintentionally we are going to serve somebody.
The real question is not if we are going to serve someone or something. The questions is whom and how shall we serve. This is title of today’s message.
The Scriptures we read this morning address the question of whom and how we shall serve. The context of the Joshua passage is that the Israelites had conquered much of the land of Canaan. God had led them into the Promised Land and done many mighty miracles on their behalf.
Last week we discussed the miracle the Hebrews experienced when they crossed the Jordan at flood stage and God caused the Jordan to divide so that the people could cross on dry ground just as they had when they crossed the Red Sea after they left Egypt (Exodus 14).
Joshua addressed the Hebrews about whom they would serve. He reminded them that God had enabled them to drive out their enemies. They had entered the land which God had promised their ancestors Abraham and Sarah centuries before. This was a land of blessing, a land of plenty, a land flowing with milk and honey, a good, prosperous, and fruitful land.
If you wish to complete the sermon listening guide please take it out of your bulletin at this time.
Joshua warned the people the danger of becoming complacent now that they inhabited this beautiful land. He understood that the people of God had an important choice to make. He understood how easily they might be tempted to rely on themselves now that they were no longer in battle. He knew that they might become distracted and begin to serve, honor, and worship other gods in the land, particularly the gods of Baal and Asherah which the former inhabitants of the land had worshipped. Joshua warned that if they did this, they would fall away from the God of their ancestors and bring judgment upon themselves.
Joshua said to all the people gathered, “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River (meaning the Jordan River), and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day who you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, and the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15).
The people of God had a crucially important decision to make. They could choose to go back to their old ways, their old patterns of living, their old gods, or they could decide to serve Yahweh, the God of all creation, the true and living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua.
The choice they faced was a critical one. Moses had given them God’s Commandments which he had received from God on Mt. Sinai some fifty years earlier. These commandments open with the words, “I am the Lord you God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.” The second commandment builds on the first, “You shall not make for yourself any graven image, . . . you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (Exodus 20:1-7).
We see from this passage that it matters to God whom and how we shall serve. Whom, how, and what we serve is never neutral. It matters to God and therefore it should matter to us who claim to be followers of God.
God gave these Commandments to the Hebrews because they were essential for a life of faithfulness, gratitude, and fidelity. They were to be conscious choices about the practices, priorities, and behaviors necessary to love and honor God. These choices were significant with both immediate and eternal implications.
Joshua told the people that they had a choice. They could go back to their old ways of worshipping, honoring, and sacrificing to many gods or they could choose to put away the gods of their fathers and worship God alone who had done countless miracles on their behalf.
Joshua made it clear that he and his house would serve Yahweh. His message was simple yet powerful, “we will worship and serve God alone.”
The people affirmed that they wanted to serve God just as Joshua did. He then had them enter into a covenant with Joshua and with God.
Covenant making was and is serious. Covenant making and covenant keeping came with clear benefits. Covenant breaking came with clear consequences. The people made a covenant with God to put away the gods they had worshipped in Egypt and in foreign lands. They choose to serve and worship exclusively the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel, the God of Moses and Zipporah, and the God of Joshua.
If you’ve read the Old Testament, you know that what they intended in entering into covenant with God, they did not fulfill. They fell short. They sinned. It brought terrible consequences for individuals, families, and for their nation.
We face similar choices today. It may not be as simple or clear as Bob Dylan suggests, that we either serve the devil or the lord, but he is correct that we inevitably serve somebody.
In our day, those who don’t worship God may worship themselves. They do so by prioritizing what they see as good, comfortable, and beneficial to themselves. The primary lens and value of their lives is found in what gives them meaning, pleasure, and a sense of success. This may be making money, having influential friends, going fun places, exploring myriad ways of entertaining themselves, or wielding power, influence and control, etc. All we have to do is listen to or view some of the popular social media influencers of our day and pleasing oneself seems to be priority one.
Jesus suggested a very different set of priorities for the people of God. Jesus taught us to put the needs of others before ourselves. We see this in the passage we read from Matthew 25. Listen once again to what he says. As you listen, focus on a word or phrase that stands out to you. Let God speak to you through this teaching.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’
I won’t read the rest of the passage. You can do that on your own. However, I want to remind us all that this passage demonstrates that what we do and what we neglect to do carries with it blessings or curses, benefits or consequences.
We return now to the question, whom shall we serve? Will it be ourselves, something else, or will it be Jesus and those whom Jesus instructs us to prioritize? The other question is how shall we serve? What attitudes and behaviors should characterize our service?
The answer to how we shall serve is rather simple to say and challenging to do. We are to serve others with the love of God. We are to ask God to give us the power of the Holy Spirit to pass on to others what God has given us…grace, acceptance, understanding, compassion, a willingness to listen, patience, and kindness. You get the picture. Give what you have already received from Jesus. This is the best way to demonstrate that our faith is authentic. It’s the most powerful way of showing others that we have been transformed and that we want to bless them in the ways we have been blessed.
If you have been here in the last five years, you know that as a church we have sought to prioritize the people and things Jesus prioritized. We are seeking to take Jesus’ teaching seriously. We are putting his priorities into practice. We are seeking to be biblical. God is not finished with us and neither are we finished with God, God’s people, or God’s priorities. We are engaged in the ongoing, glorious life of faith filled with love for God, for others, and for ourselves.
In closing, there are three questions that I invite each of us to consider in the coming days:
“What difference is your faith having in your own life?”
“How would your life be different if you did not have faith?”
“What difference is your faith having in the lives of those whom Jesus prioritized?”
Let us pray. Almighty God, we ask for the grace to serve and honor you and others with our lips and with our lives. We want your help in choosing you fully, to make you our first love and the supreme priority of our lives. We pray that you will help us to glorify and honor you. Send your Holy Spirit upon us, O God. Fill us. Refine us. Consume, sever, remove, and destroy the false gods who seek to lure us away from your vision, values, and priorities. Give us a consuming passion for you, even as you gave to Joshua. Help us to be transformed by your grace and favor and to be agents of transformation in one another’s lives and those of our community. We bless you, Lord, for all you are doing in us and through us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
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