And as the earthly ministry of the One who was, and of a certainty still is, one hundred percent human and one hundred percent divine begins to unfold in the Scripture, Biblical truth teaches the world the following about the "...Son of the living God": "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." (Mathew 20:27-28).
Subsequently, Jesus was driven into the wilderness (or desert) and empowered by the Holy Ghost, wherein He was tempted (tested) over the course of 40 days. Satan, the tempter, threw everything but the kitchen sink at Him, so to speak, but He was not to be deterred. Be assured that this was not an act of "surrender", but rather the demonstration of Jesus' low estate and supremacy on full display, and in that order.
Upon the termination of the tempter's efforts to cause the Savior of the world to stumble, the ministry of Jesus proceeded in full force and effect and in the power of the Spirit! He then returned to Galilee to initiate His teaching ministry. Speaking with unparalleled authority, the following words were implanted into the hearts and minds of His audience. They were literally engulfed by the words they heard: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him." (Luke 4:18-20).
My beloved brethren, we as Christian folk must be steadfast in remembrance of the reality of the universal guilt of humankind because of sin, and the great grace that's available exclusively through and in Christ Jesus. It is given freely and lovingly! And by definition sin is lawlessness, as the Bible teaches: "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." (Romans 3:19-20, 1 John 3:4-5).
At this juncture, and in today's message, it's absolutely necessary that we not permit our focus to be scattered. And why? Well, first and foremost to understand that Jesus is not subject to "surrender" to anyone, anywhere, at anytime under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). No exceptions. Neither is the "Son of the Living God" (Matthew 16:16) subject to the law, because it is simply inapplicable. Otherwise, the perspective of Jesus would be earth-bound. As followers of Christ, I urge you to ponder this truth, my beloved. This affords us the opportunity peruse the Word of God in order to stimulate our spiritual appetites. The Word says it like this: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63).
With sincere hearts that reflect one's pressing towards the mark for the prize of the imperishable Kingdom, let us volitionally, joyfully, thankfully, faithfully and obediently SURRENDER...
BOW OUR HEADS: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"
(Philippians 2:5-10).
RAISE OUR HANDS: "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." (Psalm 24:4-5).
WALK IN LOWLINESS OF HEART: "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." (John 13:3-5).
TRUE FREEDOM is secured by SURRENDERING to Christ: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. " (2 Corinthians 3:17, Romans 12:1-2). The implication here is the submission or dedication to the Lord's will. And this, my beloved, is the essence of SERVITUDE. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "servitude" as: "The state of being a slave, or under the complete control of someone more powerful."
As we all know; that is, all who have come to the knowledge of the truth (John 14:6), what we are alluding to is the notion of exclusivity. The apostle Peter makes abundantly clear by boldly announcing this to the Jewish leaders of that time. In other words, those self-righteous religious folk. Of course, it's no secret that even in today's world, such an attitude of a false sense of superiority still exists: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Needless to say, and putting it mildly, this served as a point of contention or conflict.
Even in today's society, those of us who take the unpopular, unacceptable and in some sense dangerous position of proclaiming the truth of the name of Jesus will similarly be subject to ridicule and/or persecution in some circles. Be advised that this will become more and more of a reality, when we consider the state of this fallen and thus sinful world today. What this represents is true bondage. To counter this culture, we must utilize the power we have been infused with by the Spirit of Christ, or the Holy Ghost. This is where true LIBERTY, which is representative of an immutable commitment to holy living and total SURRENDER to our coming and conquering King, Jesus Christ. His second coming is certain and imminent. "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (1 Peter 1:15-17, Galatians 2:20).
It stands to reason that the Holy Scripture reveres Him, and justifiably so: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6).
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