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.
Mark 10:45
The arch-enemy of our race, the devil, prefers not to come out in the open. If the Lord had not forced him to the confrontation in the desert, he would have remained hidden. He does not present himself to us as a devil. If he did, we would resist him. His appeal to us is far more subtle. He presents to our view options that seem to be beneficial to us. The option of having our eyes opened, becoming like God, and knowing good and evil was attractive to Adam and Eve. In their choice to eat the forbidden fruit, however, a new kingdom was formed on planet earth, the kingdom of self. This kingdom has been present since that time. We are born into that kingdom and it influences every part of our lives. This was the kingdom that Satan initiated in his own existence when he declared the following desire. “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:14)
Kingdoms in Conflict is the title of a book written by Charles Colson. All of these kingdoms are related to self. Everyone has their own private kingdom where self reigns, and it is in conflict with everyone else’s kingdom. The kingdom of self is present in presidents and paupers, the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the young and the old alike. There is no tribe, tongue or culture in which we do not witness the rule of self. It is seen most visibly in wars and acts of evil. It is present in interpersonal relationships causing anger, bitterness and marital unfaithfulness. The more subtle forms are characterized by pride, envy, stinginess and lack of concern for others.
When we are born again into the Kingdom of God, Christ is imputed to us as righteousness and imparted to us as our holiness. There remains, however, the day by day appropriation of His life. The old patterns of living for self still need, by faith, to be dealt with by the cross. The kingdom of self may still show up in subtle ways among Christ followers. It may manifest itself in substituting spiritual objectives for material ones. They appear on the surface to be beneficial, but the focus is still on self. Some are inclined to move about from church to church, in search of the one who gives the best sermons in town. Others participate in the services only when it is convenient to do so. If our children’s little league has a game on Sunday (They are deliberated scheduled then!) we choose to go to the little league game instead. Many parishioners, getting used to the on-line service, have not returned to the pews once Covid has lessened. There is a persistent mindset in the minds of some in the church which has the viewpoint of “what is best for me.” They want the best preachers, the best teachers and their favorite music! This is partially defended by calling it “fulfillment” and “being blessed.“ The focus, however, is on our encouragement, our knowledge, our satisfaction and our entertainment. In all of this, however, the focus is on our own self being served. In contrast to this, we see the life of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve.
We see the service of Christ most clearly in the following passage. “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! (Philippians 2:5-8) G. Campbell Morgan related that the essence of His attitude was love, His consciousness was joy, and the expression of His love was self sacrifice. The Lord spoke on numerous occasions instructing His followers to do for others what He had done for them. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:15-17) “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)
As followers of Christ, we were never designed to be reservoirs, but rather channels through which His grace and life would flow. A reservoir exists for itself. It allows inflow but no outflow. It is of no use to anyone downstream. Its waters are stagnant and of no use. In John 7:38, the Lord did not say that “Whoever believes in me will be a lake or reservoir!”. He said “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” These streams are meant for others! Our lives are measured not by what they contain, but by what they dispense. We should read it through, pray it in, live it out and pass it on. If we are not a channel, then we are a bottle neck of obstruction to His grace.
In his book, My Utmost For His Highest, Oswald Chambers has these comments in regard to John 7:38. “Jesus did not say—‘he that believeth in Me shall realize the blessing of the fulness of God,’ but—‘he that believeth in Me out of him shall escape everything he receives.’ Our Lord’s teaching is always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts. It is not that God makes us beautiful rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us, and we cannot measure that at all. ‘He that believeth in Me out of him shall flow rivers of living water’—hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. It is time now to break the life, to cease craving for satisfaction, and to spill the thing out. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?”
In Christ, Richard Spann