Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty.

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Of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters?

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Or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow capped mountain? I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God and fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Jesus said, if there's one thing I want you to know about me is that I didn't come to have you serve me. I came to serve you.

Is that not an incredible thought? I mean, over and over again in Scripture, Jesus talks about the importance, the premium he places on servanthood.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Putting others before ourselves isn't easy, but God wouldn't expect us to do anything He wouldn't also do Himself. In fact, Jesus is our ultimate model of servanthood and humility.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress teaches that being a disciple requires developing a servant's heart. But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 3

Thanks, David, and welcome to this Friday edition of Pathway to Victory. At the outset of today's program, a quick reminder that you're invited to join us for the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska. The dates are June 13, 2026. It's a seven-day luxurious tour to Alaska, departing from the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, and cruising north to explore the majestic beauty of the great frontier. In addition to world-class sightseeing, we'll also find refreshment by spending time in God's Word together. And we'll have moments of praise under the direction of Worship Leader Michael O'Brien. Be sure to reserve your spot now by going to ptv.org.

One more important word: Pathway to Victory has published an exclusive devotional book for this series. It's called *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. So often, our daily lives are filled with activities that keep us running from sun up to sundown, and we leave little margin for restoring our soul. This resource will help you declutter and simplify your life so that you can focus on what's truly most important.

When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of this inspirational devotional book called *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. We'll say more about this padded hardcover book later in the program, so be prepared to write down our contact information.

Right now, however, let's give our undivided attention to the truth of God's Word. Today's message is titled *Developing a Servant's Heart*.

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**Epitaphs.** You know the word; an epitaph is an attempt to reduce somebody's life into a sentence or two that will fit on a grave marker. And I came across recently some epitaphs that may or may not be legitimate, but they sound legitimate. Here's one: Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44. No less, no more. That's kind of fitting for those of you who are attorneys. You'll appreciate this: Sir John Strange. Here lies an honest lawyer, and that is strange. Another one: Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake. Stepped on the gas instead of the brake. Or my own favorite: Here. I told you I was sick.

What about you? Have you ever thought if you were able to write your own epitaph, what would it be? What accomplishment, what attribute would you want those you leave behind to remember you for? Now, that may seem a little ghoulish on a Sunday morning to be composing your own epitaph. So let's change the focus for a moment. Instead of writing your own epitaph, what if you were going to compose an epitaph for the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, a sentence that you think would best describe who he was and who he is? Perhaps King of Kings and Lord of Lords? That'd be a good one. Or the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, or for by him, through him, and for him, all things were created. Those are all epitaphs, by the way, that people actually wrote about Jesus Christ. They're found in the New Testament to describe Jesus.

But the epitaph we might write for Christ, I think, differs greatly from what Jesus would write if he were to compose his own epitaph. If he were to reduce to one sentence what he would want people to know about him, what would it be? Do you know? We actually have his epitaph in Scripture. It's what he said about himself that he wanted you and me to know. In Mark 10:45, he said, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." You know, when you think about those words, they take your breath away. If you really think about it, here is Jesus, who is equal to God, who before the world was created, was in heaven and being worshiped by all the heavenly beings. Here is Jesus, who will one day be worshiped by every being in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; people will be bowing down before him in heaven. Revelation 5:12 says, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

I mean, we are here to serve Christ, and yet what he wants to be remembered for is that he came to serve us. In fact, that Revelation 5:12 praise we will be giving to Jesus Christ will be for what he did on our behalf. Jesus said, if there's one thing I want you to know about me, it is that I didn't come to have you serve me. I came to serve you. Is that not an incredible thought? I mean, over and over again in Scripture, Jesus talks about the importance, the premium he places on servanthood. The same quality that he valued in his own life is the quality he wants in everyone who would be his disciple.

For example, in Matthew 20:25-27, Jesus called them to himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise their authority over them. But it is not so among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave." Or consider Matthew 23:11-12: "But the greatest among you shall be your servant, and whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." Or in Matthew 25, he predicts during a period of time we call the Great Tribulation. Then the righteous will answer Jesus saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or feed you or thirsty and give you drink?" And the King will answer and say to them, "Truly, I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers, even the least of them, you did it to me."

Jesus puts a priority on servanthood. But what does it mean to be a servant of other people? Simply put, servanthood means putting the needs of other people above your own needs. It means making meeting the needs of other people the priority in your life. Now, we read this passage from Matthew 25 about Jesus, and honestly, very few people we run into every day have as their greatest need a loaf of bread, a cup of water, or an article of clothing. But nevertheless, we run into people every day in our families, at our workplace, in our church, who have legitimate needs. And the greatest struggle we have many times is: Is meeting their need the priority in my life or meeting my own need?

In my last church, I remember very well, it was about this time of the year, it was over spring break, that we had a lot of staff gone on vacation. And one day I received an email from one of the networks that carried our Pathway to Victory program. They were saying there needed to be a content change in the following week's program. And the staff member who was in charge of all of that was not around. He was on a much-deserved, much-needed vacation with his family. So I called him on my cell phone, and he answered the phone. I explained the situation that we needed to take care of this. And he said, "Well, Pastor, I am driving right now and I can't write down the information. Would you mind calling my assistant back at the church and allowing her to handle that?"

I wish I could have told you I said, "Oh, sure, let me serve you any way I can." That was not my first reaction. My first reaction was, "Who do you think you are? Who do you think works for whom here?" I mean, I didn't say it, but I thought it. "You're here to help me, not vice versa. I'm the teacher on this national program teaching about servanthood. You're the one who's supposed to be getting the message out." I mean, that was my first thought. But the truth is, the need he had that moment, the greatest need he had, was to spend time with his family.

Now, don't look at me that way. Well, I can't believe you did that, Pastor. I mean, every day you face the same dilemma as well. I mean, husbands, you face the dilemma: Are you going to put your wife's need for conversation after dinner above your own need to unwind, read a newspaper, or relax? Parents, are you willing to put your children's need for a quality education above your need for an early retirement? Wives, are you willing to put your husband's need for admiration above your need to correct him? I mean, we all face that choice, don't we? Are we going to put other people's needs above our own?

And by the way, this idea of servanthood, it doesn't come naturally. From the moment we draw our first breath, we are thinking, me, my, and mine. I mean, have you ever seen a little baby crying his heart out, hungry, looks up at his mother and says, "Oh, mom, pardon me for crying. I know you need some rest. You take a nap and feed me when it's convenient." Do you know of a baby like that or any one of the triplets like that, Julia? I haven't seen it yet. We had them all afternoon. They weren't like that when they were hungry; they wanted to be fed. That was the priority in their life. That's the way we're born. And we don't get better the older we get.

You know, one of the great myths people have is the older we get, the godlier we get. It doesn't work that way. Getting older doesn't mean you're going to become more godly. I know many churches right now—thank God, I mean literally, thank God our church isn't one of them—but many churches have become war zones because of battles between the senior adults and the young adults. Who's going to get their way in the church? No, we have to develop this idea of servanthood. We have to develop a heart that says, "I came not to be served, but to serve."

How do we do that? How do we develop that servant's heart? I remember a few years ago seeing an infomercial on television. I didn't watch much of it, but I watched a little bit of it. And it was about golfing. If you were willing to give the operator your credit card information for $99.95, she would send you a DVD that would show you how you could improve your golf swing. And they had an expert golfer on there. The idea was, you watch the DVD, you emulate what that golfer does, and you can become an expert golfer.

Well, the Apostle Paul wanted to help the church at Philippi. The Christians there not improve their swing, but improve their serve. He didn't have any DVDs to send to them, but he did have a great illustration of somebody that if you copy, you will learn how to develop a servant's heart. Turn over to Philippians chapter two for just a moment. You know, the church at Philippi had become a church in its own war zone. There were factions fighting division. The church at Philippi had become a Burger King, where everybody wanted to have it their way. And that's always the recipe for conflict in a church where everybody clings to his own rights.

What was the answer to that kind of division in the church? In a word, it was servanthood, putting the needs of other people above their own needs. Look at Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others." Well, gee, Paul, that sounds great, but exactly how do I do that?

Well, Paul gives us that illustration, that example, that if we will look at carefully and emulate in our own life, we can be a servant. And that illustration is Jesus himself. Look at verse 5: "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus." What attitude? The attitude of putting the needs of others above your own. Do what Jesus did, Paul says. And of course, what follows is one of the most beautiful passages in human literature. We call it the kenosis, the emptying of Jesus Christ. The great scholar F.B. Meyer says these verses that follow are inapproachable and unexampled majesty. In fact, these words were probably the foundation for one of the earliest hymns that were sung in the church.

And yet sometimes we get so lost in the beauty of the passage, we forget the teaching of the passage and what follows. Beginning in verse 6, all the way to the end of the chapter, are three essential ingredients for developing a servant's heart. Remember, Paul is saying, "I want you to do what Jesus did if you want to be a servant." What did Jesus do? What were the qualities that allowed him to become that servant?

First of all, Paul mentions humility. You'll never be a servant. You'll never put other people's needs above your own without humility. Now, I'm not talking about false humility. I used to have a seminary professor who described what happens in many churches at 12 o'clock after the morning service. He used to call it the glorification of the worm ceremony. He said in so many churches, at the end of the service, the pastor stands at the back of the sanctuary and the members file by one by one to shake the pastor's hands. The member will say, "Oh, Pastor, that was the greatest sermon I've ever heard." And the pastor will bow his head and say, "Oh, thank you, dear brother, dear sister. But I am nothing. I am just a lowly worm in God's eyes." The glorification of the worm. Neither person believes what he's saying at the time. It's false humility.

You know, you never find Jesus making any of those false humility statements. That's not what humility is. It's not saying you're nothing, that you have nothing good about you, that you have nothing to honor God with. I think about Romans 12:3. Paul says, "Let every man not think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but think so as to have sound judgment as God allotted to each a measure of faith." And then he launches into a description of spiritual gifts. You know, people go to one of two extremes. Christians do. They say, "Oh, I am God's gift to the church. What could the church ever do without me?" And the other is, "I'm just a lowly worm. How could I ever do anything of any consequence?" Neither is the right assessment of yourself. Instead, Paul says, "Think soberly about yourself. God has given you certain gifts. He's given you certain hindrances, but you can use those for the glory of God."

We're not talking about false humility when we're talking about becoming a servant. Think about Jesus again. He never said, "I am a worm." He said, "I am God's equal. I and the Father are one. He who has seen me has seen the Father." Remember what he said to the Apostle Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane after the soldiers came to arrest Jesus and Peter took out the sword and cut that guy's ear off. Jesus said, "Peter, thanks for the thought, but that's really not necessary." In fact, in Matthew 26:53, he said, "Peter, do you not think that I cannot appeal to my Father and that he will at once put at my disposal more than 12 legions of angels?"

Do you know how many angels that is? A legion was 6,000 Roman soldiers, so 12 legions would be 72,000 angels. Jesus said, "Like that, I could have 72,000 angels here." Remember, it was only one angel. Only one angel took out 186,000 Assyrian soldiers. So that's a lot of angel power Jesus had at his disposal. He said, "Peter, just like that, I could call all of these angels." Now, at first, that may sound kind of braggadocious to us. Jesus, kind of take it down a few notches here. Sounds like the rich kid who's about to be beat up by the school bully who says, "Oh, before you do that, you better think who my daddy is." But that's not what's going on here. Jesus wasn't bragging. He was simply stating a fact. He had equal authority to God the Father.

But humility meant he was willing to let go of that authority in order to meet the greatest need that you and I have. And that's what he says in verses 5 and 6 of Philippians 2. Paul said, "Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who although he existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God a thing to be clung to, grasped, held onto." And that leads to the second component of servanthood: humility. Secondly, sacrifice.

Many of you know the name Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in California. Rick has had all kinds of success. He's written the best-selling nonfiction book of all time, *The Purpose Driven Life*. He's achieved a certain level of wealth, a certain level of influence that few people experience. But I'll never forget what he said to a group of us one time. He said, "God gives each of us either affluence or influence for one reason: to build God's kingdom, not our kingdom." Isn't that a great thought? God gives every person either affluence or influence in order to build his kingdom, not our kingdom. And he's lived by that.

And that's exactly the same attitude Jesus had. Jesus had everything. He was equal with God, but he was willing to let go of those things in order to meet the greatest need you and I have. Look at verses 6 to 8 again in Philippians 2: "Who, although he existed in the form of God, didn't regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

That's important to understand. What is it that Jesus emptied himself of? He didn't empty himself of his godliness, his godlike qualities. I can't give up being 5 foot 8 inches tall or having brown eyes. That's who I am. I can't give those things up. In the same way, Jesus could not give up being the Son of God, his omniscience, his omnipotence. What he gave up was his rights. He gave up his divine rights and privileges as the Son of God.

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Well, it's been a powerful week of studies in God's word addressing this all-important subject on spiritual growth. We're calling this series Seven Marks of a Disciple. And in a moment, David will explain how you can receive the CD and DVD recordings of these messages.

You know, just one year ago, God was quietly working behind the scenes at Pathway to Victory to expand our ministry's influence in ways we never dreamed possible. And today we're thanking God for achieving success on his terms and through his people. For example, he opened the doors for an amazing radio presence in state prisons. He also opened the doors on new radio stations that agreed to broadcast Pathway to Victory. And he's given us the opportunity to launch a Spanish version of our telecast. And he's done so much more.

This exponential growth for Pathway to Victory has occurred for two primary reasons. First and foremost, God orchestrated His will, plain and simple. And second, God has used men and women just like you to provide the resources needed. In fact, if you have given to Pathway to Victory, you were an instrument in his plan. Your gifts have been multiplied many times over as God has expanded our coverage to all points on the globe.

Well, today we want to thank you by providing a one-of-a-kind devotional book called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. This padded hardcover book contains brief inspirational chapters. But each time you pick it up, this brand new devotional will infuse your heart with spiritual encouragement, and a copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Here's David with all the details.

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When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, we'll say thanks by sending you a copy of the brand new devotional book by Dr. Robert Jeffress called *Encouragement for the Heart*. Call 866-999-2965 or, even easier, go to ptv.org. When your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll send you the Encouragement Resource set containing the new devotional, six Clutter Free Prayer Cards, the *Clutter Free Christianity* Book and Life Application Guide, and the *7 Marks of a Disciple* message series on DVD, video, and MP3 format audio discs.

One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. If you'd rather write to us, here's that address: PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins, hoping you have a great weekend. Be sure to join us again next week when Dr. Jeffress continues his series called *Seven Marks of a Disciple* right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.