Week Nine – Book Notes Beholding God and Our Christian Service
Introduction:
The story of Amy Carmichael is told and ends with this quote “Comrades, in this solemn fight, this awful conflict with awful powers, let us settle it as something that cannot be shaken. We are here to live holy, loving, lowly lives. We cannot do this unless we walk very, very close to our Lord Jesus. Anything that would hinder us from the closest walk that is possible to us, ‘til we see Him face to face, is not for us.”
This is the week we consider the impact of how we serve Him. Only by examining the life of Jesus can we deepen our understanding of the commitment that a servant of God makes to his Maker. And we will see how an ever-increasing understanding of God’s greatness has the potential to impact how we serve Him.
I Peter 4:11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Day One: The Unequaled Rule of God Who our Master is will determine how we serve Him.
What to the verses listed below tell up about God’s right to rule?
| Psalm 103:19 | 1 Timothy 6:15 | Psalm 24:1 |
| Colossians 1:16-17 | Romans 11:36 | Isaiah 40:23-24 |
| Daniel 7:13-14 | Psalm 93:1-2 |
Day Two: The Humility of God seen in the Service of the Son The best example of a servant life, built upon a full knowledge of the majesty of God, is the life of our Lord Jesus.
Philippians 2:1-11
A short break to look at Philippians 2 – it’s too important to miss the opportunity to review it.
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ” –
This is the first of four incentives that Paul uses to attempt to motivate the Philippian church towards humility and unity. By the way, the only time the coach gets up to prompt us on is when we are faced with a difficult challenge. In the case of getting a large group to work together, with these values, it is a tremendous challenge. In the case of the use of the word “If”, Paul assumes that this is true. Perhaps a better rendering of this word would be “Since “Since you have the support of being drawn closer to one another because you are united in Christ.” The blessing of being part of an encouraging body of believers.
“If there is any comfort from His love” –
Since you have been ministered to because of the love of Christ.
The blessing of the comforting love of Christ.
“If there is any fellowship with the Spirit”–
If believer have the Holy Spirit living within you.
The blessing of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.
“if any tenderness and compassion” (implied towards other)
The blessing of a nurturing Body of believers.
“Then make my joy complete”—Why would Paul only have partial joy without the following requests being followed? Because for Paul, he has joy when believers are obedient. This is how we would all be if we were able to have the mind of Christ. There is no jealousy, no envy. When he sees the Christian life being what God intended it to be. What is it that Paul would like to see?
- “by being like minded”– This doesn’t mean they would all have to think exactly alike. One writer wrote, “souls that beat together, in tune with Christ and each other”. But there is no indication that this means that we should all be carbon copies of one unless it is that we aim to imitate Christ in our lives. The idea of this passage isn’t that we all have the same mind, but we aim to have the same humble attitude. That attitude is to behave like Christ in terms of being willing to empty ourselves of our foolish pride and to have the same spirit that Paul will later explain was in Christ.
- “having the same love” –Once again, it’s not that we all have love like the Pastor, but that we have the love as love has been taught to us by Christ, who’s love took Him from the most wonderful place to the most awful place.
- “being one in spirit”—Is this the union that we all sense that we have because each believer has the Holy Spirit residing within them? Or is it the focus of the idea that we are to portray the same spirit that we saw presented through Christ, as He lived His life in humility while on this earth. There are times we forget what Jesus told us to learn from Him. Matt. 11:28-30. “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” There are a lot of people in the modern church that would rather learn how to do miracles than how to be gentle and humble of heart. There are a lot of people in the church that would rather memorize Bible verses than learn to gentle and humble of heart.
- “and being one in purpose”—If there is a battlefield in the churches today, most of the time the attackers and the attacked are both on the same side. We have forgotten the one purpose of the church. I can tell you this, if the church was left of the earth to glorify God, I personally think it could do that better in heaven. To worship God, well I think we’ll do that better in heaven. Just about everything we can do here, we will do better in heaven. However, there will be no evangelization in heaven. The church is designed to help equip us for the work of the ministry. What is the work of the ministry? It is to share the Lord. Are we all going to be great evangelists? Of course not. Are we all supposed to do what we can to provide the support for the church to do the work, absolutely.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” “but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.” – “Each of you should not look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.” — Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus –
Now comes the example of Christ.
Who, being in very nature God –literally, this means “existing in the form of God”. The tense of this verb implies that Jesus didn’t previously exist in the form of God, but that His continual existence continued to be in the form of God. He did not all of a sudden, quit being in the form of God. He was, and continued to be the very nature of God. This verse tells us the very essence of Christ was the form of God. Who He really was deep down inside was God. However, He did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. The idea of this portion of the verse is that although Jesus was on that level of being in very nature God, He did not consider it something which He would refuse to give up (if it was demanded of Him, as it was—implied)
But He made Himself nothing –as the New American states, He emptied Himself. He willingly set aside something. What? The answer comes in the following verses. Taking on the form of a servant – This is an addition to what He was by nature, which was God. He adds to that nature of God by taking on the form of a servant by becoming like a human, although notice that He was different. He was “like” a human, but He was different because He didn’t come into His humanity in the same manner as every other human. He came without the help of a human male. He couldn’t dismiss that He was God, instead He set aside all the rights and privileges that were inherent to having the nature of God, and picked up the role or position of servant.
And being found in appearance like a man – although He was truly God, He took the next step. Each step is by Christ’s own choice. He didn’t have to descend, and yet He did. He willingly takes the necessary act of humility because of what, His relationship with the Father. He humbled Himself — the only way that Christ was going to be humbled was if He willingly did it because there wasn’t anyone who could force Him to do it. He willingly humbled Himself because it was the Father’s plan for Him to do so. Could He have refused, yes and no. He could have because He is God and yet He couldn’t have because He is God. As God, He has freewill but as God, He lives by a higher standard of being that is defined by who He is. This standard, that defines who He is, is what permits Him to do what He does. Turn to John 13: Knowing that, He does this.
He became obedient to death, even death on a cross.—Was Jesus committed to God the Father’s program. He was, and He took it all the way to the cross. This was not a death by firing squad, which is hours of emotional pain and over in a one final loud ending. This was the death on the cross, you had the pain of the cross, and you had the public humiliation and you a long, drawn-out, slow death. There never was any other plan for Jesus than to take this plan, His death on the cross, to the very end.
Therefore God highly exalted Him to the Highest place.—Here we have one interesting aspect of what I like to call the economy of God. In God’s bank, when you make a deposit, you get a return. Some might call this the Law of the Harvest. Jesus humbled Himself to please God, therefore God is pleased to exalt Jesus. The pattern in God’s program seems to be, someone does something for God, and God does something for them. However, before you think that this is the prosperity gospel, know this: Jesus got His rewards in by please the Father. As Hebrews says, “Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
”Gave Him a name which is above every Name—most likely, this is a title, such as Lord. In the Bible, you don’t usually separate what a person is from their name. If they are a deceiver, then their name will reflect that aspect of their character. If they are the Father of a nation, then their name will reflect that. This is why God would often change the name of person when they are promised to come into something different, to signify that He has changed the person. With the case of Christ, it’s not that Jesus changed but rather that God’s decision to exalt Him changed how other people will relate to Him in the future.
Why would God give Jesus such a name? So that, at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every shall bow, and every tongue confess. There is a purpose for God giving Jesus such a high name, so that the things that God values would be valued by all creation. Some people might say, Who is God that He should determine what is of value? People who think such thoughts have no concept of who God is or what He has done. Personally, this is why I think modern science is possessed with the effort to prove that creation was anything but a Divine God. If they can account for the order of our world in another way, they don’t have to be confronted by the One who made all this. They believe they won’t have face up to the fact that they are ignoring the One most worthy of our adoration. There are even scientists who wrestle with the entire evolution theory, knowing on one hand that it’s just a theory, but not being willing to accept what all the facts are leading them to. Some intelligent force was behind the order we know in the universe today. They are afraid to name it. The Bible names it clearly, and we will all one day value what He values. For some, it will be too late. They will have made their choice before they worship. Others, the true believers, will rejoice to finally have everything set in its proper place, with Jesus at the head of everything. This is not the salvation of every one, but rather the acknowledgment of every one regarding the true nature of Jesus Christ.
What will they all be saying that day? Jesus Christ is Lord. Simple to say, profound in depth. What is the purpose for this declaration? To the glory of God the Father. Anytime God’s plan comes together, it brings glory to the Father. That is the way things are. This entire sequence of things would serve as a brilliant reminder to the Philippians. First and foremost, is the attitude of humility in the heart of Christ. This is what Paul wants to declare as clearly as anything in this portion of the book. But beyond the character that we should all have, is the principle that when Christ demonstrated this character He Was Victorious. Paul is telling the church there that although this might not seem the way to win the battle, this is the path that Jesus took, and God honored Him above all names. Now, you know more about what God values, therefore have courage and follow Christ’s example. Strive to be One Spirit by the means of demonstrating the humility of Christ in your dealings on this earth.