“The King Who Serves, the Servant Who Reigns” Part 2

"The King Who Serves, the Servant Who Reigns"   

Part 2

     God must work in the hearts and lives of His trusting children in Christ for the holy purpose of forming His humility in us.  We obey the command to "humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord" as the response to His faithful determination to deliver us from our natural pride unto His supernaturally wrought character of servitude.  He works in several different ways.

   First, He reveals the truth to us in the pages of Scripture.  The Bible records the sad chronicle of human pride, beginning in Adam and Eve.  We see the bent of our flesh toward self affirmation, adoration, and acclamation.  We see the consequences thereof.  We see God's working in both Old Testament and New to form humility in those who trust Him.  Most importantly, we see the Lord Jesus taking upon Himself our humanity for the blessed purpose of exemplifying humility, and then by His death, resurrection, and ascension, revealing His character in us.  The King who serves and the Servant who reigns comes to live within us for the sublime purpose of making us like Himself.  "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me.  For I am meek and lowly in heart.  And ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

    Our response to the Truth of Scripture in salvation and subsequent fellowship with God leads to His active working in us to reveal the meekness and lowliness of Christ.  Certainly this involves blessing as our Heavenly Father overwhelms us with goodness we know to be undeserved.  However, challenge also awaits us as God works to humble us.  He must orchestrate and allow difficulty in countless forms and measures in order to humble us.  Pain, loss, and difficulty all serve to remind us of our nature as completely dependent supplicants of One infinitely greater than ourselves.  Our reading of Scripture requires the accompanying action of the God of Scripture in order to progressively form the Christ of Scripture in us.  As mentioned in the previous message, humility does not come naturally, but rather supernaturally.  Both blessing and buffeting must meet us along the path of righteousness if we are to humble ourselves in response to God's working to humble us.  As the Apostle Paul taught the Philippians, we "work out" that which God "works in" (Philippians 2:12-13).

   We do well to remember this holy process of humility in both our blessings and our buffetings.  Our Father works faithfully in both aspects of our lives to progressively reveal the humility of Christ in us.  This helps to explain His continually wondrous generosity, and His frequently challenging way in our lives.  We require both, and our Father administers both as He supernaturally works to accomplish a purpose in us that could never happen naturally.  

"We are His workmanship."

(Ephesians 2:10)

"Put on therefore, as the elect of God… humbleness of mind, meekness."

(Colossians 3:10)

Weekly Memory Verse

    And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

(Luke 2:10-11)