Living Sacrifically Part Two

Continued from last week.

Last time we looked at the three different areas of knowledge and the concept of Knowing Our Father.  Today we'll pick up from where we left off.

2. Knowing Our Purpose

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power…

Jesus knew He had been given all authority and all things were under His power.  He knew His purpose!

He has not strived for position; he has gained position through being obedient.

When was He obedient?

Philippians 2: 15-11: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,  taking the very nature of a servant,  being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Let’s just briefly look at some keywords here.  I don’t have time to dwell on them, but there are some amazing contrasts.

• Nothing : verse 7:

We’re told Jesus made Himself nothing!  But this is the One who created all things and by whom all things together by His very word (Col. 1:15-17).

• Servant: verse 7:

We’re told that Jesus did not take on the role of a servant, but the very nature of a servant.  In other words, He was not acting nor pretending, He becomes the ‘Suffering Servant’ of Isaiah 53

How often do we strive, but Jesus humbled Himself.

The promise of John 13:3 is found in Philippians 2 - God had placed all things under Jesus' authority.

When we realise that the things under our ministry have been placed there by God we will stop striving to gain more.  It is God who adds more.

• Humbled: verse 8

Nothing is beneath Jesus.  He washes the disciples’ feet in John 13.  This was the job of the lowest of the low.  This was not the role of the Saviour of the world, or was it! 

• Obedient: verse 8:

Jesus was obedient to death, even death on the cross.  The cross was an instrument of extreme torture and also for criminals.  But Jesus did not plead innocence, He did not call down angels from heaven, He was obedient through the pain of death to set us free.

Four words that are not popular in today’s comfortable culture of the western church:

Nothing – servant – humbled – obedient.

All I seem to hear nowadays is how God want us to be great, how he wants us to be victorious, how He wants us to be overcomers.  And you know that’s true. 

We see that there are other key words in Philippians 2 about this:

Verses 9-11: exalted – highest – above- name above every name.

But so much of our preaching in the west has focused on the promotion of the saints that we have forgotten that our purpose is not to seek our won greatness, but to sacrifice ourselves for God’s Glory!

We have forgotten that the crown always comes after the cross!  No cross, no crown.

The sacrificial life knows that the things given by God cannot be taken away by any man so therefore does not strive for more nor hold tightly to that which has been given by God.

You see if we understand our purpose we won’t strive for the exaltation but will be secure in sacrificing ourselves. 

We will desire to surrender our advantage for the benefit of others just as Jesus surrendered His advantage for the benefit of us!

This is why sacrifice is in our S.E.R.V.E acrostic for the church.  We must never forget that the church exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not yet in its ranks.

3. Knowing Our Destiny

…and that he had come from God and was returning to God.

Jesus knew where He'd come from and knew where He was going.  He knew he was about to die for the sins of the world but knew that the cross was not the destination. 

He knew that the cross was the transitional tool.  It was never going to be the end.

If we are secure in our faith then there will be no hesitation to sacrifice for others.  There can be no better way.  We do not seek martyrdom or the promise of virgins as some would do.  We seek no glory for ourselves.  We seek no desire for higher position in the Kingdom of God. 

We merely seek to serve.

Why?  Because we know our destiny!  We know that we are bound for better and higher things, if not in this life, then in the next.

John 12: 23-26: Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.

Jesus was speaking about His death and resurrection when referring to the seed that dies.  But there are also seasons in our lives when things seem to be fading away or coming to an end.  Yet some things need to die to produce a greater harvest in our lives. 

But note this:  26b: My Father will honour the one who serves me.

We know that our destination and our reward is not this side of heaven.  But did we know that Father God honours those who serve and sacrifice for Jesus?

It is the Father God who rewards the faithfulness and fruitfulness of the servants (Matt. 25:14-30)

Wrapping it Up:

In the next few weeks we will continue to unpack the idea of sacrificial living and will return to John 13.

But let us make a commitment to S.E.R.V.E. and to demonstrate that through being living sacrifices, surrendering our advantage for the sake of others.