Jesus said, \u201cIf any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me\u201d (Luke 9:23).\u00a0 To deny oneself in today\u2019s culture might simply mean to practice a little self-control, perhaps to eat a little less, or to be more diligent with one\u2019s personal devotions.\u00a0 But this word (arneomai<\/i>) carries a much heavier responsibility than doing a little exercise.\u00a0 It means to renounce oneself (Tit. 2:12), to refuse oneself (Heb. 11:24), to disown, disclaim, and to even ignore oneself.\u00a0 This is a striking invitation by our Lord and one, I am sure, that the disciples were not expecting.\u00a0 A man didn\u2019t pick up a cross with a little self-control.\u00a0 No, he gave up his own life and walked to his death.\u00a0 And the disciples of the Lord are invited to take this cross daily and follow Jesus to the same place where He might go.<\/p>\n
We have learned that Jesus is our Lord, God in the flesh now exalted\u00a0 at the right hand of God.\u00a0 But have we learned that we are His slaves?\u00a0 Have we found out that the Christian life is one of complete surrender to Him and one of bearing a cross?\u00a0 This is not to discount all the joy and peace that comes from following Jesus.\u00a0 We talk about that all the time and it is true!\u00a0 But the reason we don\u2019t talk about this other part of the Christian life is because it is not as pleasant.\u00a0 Yet Jesus Himself said that if we are to follow Him at all, this service, this slavery of cross-bearing must be ours too.<\/p>\n
Some years ago British author and pastor, Handley Moule, in writing about our walk with God, gave three introductory facts that should be considered as we begin this difficult path.1<\/sup>\u00a0 The first he called Aims<\/i>.\u00a0 Since we are bought with a price and have surrendered completely to His will, we aim, or determine, to walk in complete obedience to Him.\u00a0 This must be our desire for Jesus commands it.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t ask us to give Him 50% of the day.\u00a0 We are to be perfect, as God in heaven is perfect!<\/p>\n The second he called Limits<\/i>.\u00a0 I will let Moule speak for himself:<\/p>\n I mean, of course, not limits on our aims, for there must be none, nor limits in divine grace itself, for there are none, but limits, however caused, in the actual attainment by us of Christian holiness.\u00a0 Here I hold, with absolute conviction, alike from the experience of the Church and from the infallible Word, that, in the mystery of things, there will be limits to the last, and very humbling limits, very real fallings short.\u00a0 To the last, it will be a Sinner that walks with God.2<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The third is Possibilities<\/i>.\u00a0 Though admitting that we are sinners and will sometimes fail, it is possible that we will not.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t have to commit that sin.\u00a0 It was not beyond our ability as a Christian to avoid it.\u00a0 We have an Advocate Who forgives but forgiveness always comes \u201cif\u201d we sin.\u00a0 \u201cMy little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not.\u00a0 And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous\u201d (1 John 2:1).<\/p>\n So with those reminders, let us go on to the plain truth, Jesus Christ is our absolute Lord and we are His absolute servants.\u00a0 We know that following Jesus brings joy and satisfaction to our already difficult lives.\u00a0 That joy comes out of obedience because He is sovereign over us and omniscient about our needs and true desires.\u00a0 To follow Him, then, whether we understand or not, is the best way for us to go.\u00a0 Yes, we know that.\u00a0 But, the \u201ceasiness\u201d still comes from a yoke, and the \u201clightness\u201d still comes from a burden.\u00a0 It is His yoke and His burden that we share being servants that are inseparably tied to Him.\u00a0 Where He goes we go.\u00a0 What He suffers we suffer.\u00a0 His cross is our cross.\u00a0 Paul still yearned for this identification in his later years, \u201cThat I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death\u201d (Phil. 3:10).<\/p>\n Therefore, let us reflect again on His right to be Lord over us and on our privilege to be His servants.\u00a0 We don\u2019t submit to this position because it will bring us glory.\u00a0 That is not what Jesus meant when He said, \u201cWhosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister\u201d (Mark 10:43), as if we submit to this servanthood so that He is obligated to exalt us.\u00a0 The servanthood itself is the greatness.\u00a0 The submission is the exaltation when Jesus is our Lord.<\/p>\n Jesus is our Lord<\/span><\/p>\n Richard Baxter is often credited with saying that we should take ten looks at the Savior for every one at ourselves.\u00a0 It is because Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up that he testified, \u201cWoe is me! for I am undone\u201d (Isa. 6:5).\u00a0 John fell on his face as dead when he saw the Lord in His resurrected glory that Sunday morning on the Isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:17).\u00a0 We of course see Him through eyes of faith rather than sight, believing all that the Scripture pictures of Him.\u00a0 Here are seven titles given to Jesus as our Lord.<\/p>\n Lord<\/span> (kurios<\/i>).\u00a0 This is the most common term for Jesus in the New Testament appearing hundreds of times.\u00a0 The primary meaning is that He is supreme above all else.\u00a0 First, to claim to be Lord in the New Testament meant that He was Jehovah, the I AM, of the Old Testament.\u00a0 \u201cHoly, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty\u201d (Rev. 4:8).\u00a0 This is a prerequisite for salvation under the gospel, \u201cThat if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus\u201d (Rom. 10:9).\u00a0 \u201cNo man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost\u201d (1 Cor. 12:3).\u00a0 Second to that is that Jesus is the Lord of our lives as believers, \u201cI therefore, the prisoner of the Lord\u201d (Eph. 4:1).<\/p>\n Because Jesus is Lord, He has sovereign right over any part of His creation.\u00a0 He can create and He can destroy.\u00a0 He can relinquish the sinner to eternal fire, He can welcome the saint to eternal rest.\u00a0 He can say to His servant, go, and he will go, or come, and he will come.\u00a0 The only choice is to obey or disobey.<\/p>\n Master<\/span> (epistat<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s<\/i>).\u00a0 The root of this word (ephist<\/i>\u0113<\/i>mi<\/i>) means to stand by or, more specifically, to stand over.\u00a0 It appears only six times and each time in the book of Luke.\u00a0 Two times it is in the context of fishing.\u00a0 When the seas were raging they cried, \u201cMaster, Master, we perish,\u201d yet when Jesus commanded the wind and waves to stop, they confessed, \u201cwhat manner of man is this! For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him\u201d (Luke 8:24-25).\u00a0 On the mount of transfiguration Peter had to confess, \u201cMaster, it is good for us to be here\u201d (Luke 9:33).\u00a0 What person who calls himself a servant could disobey One Who has such power in life and in death and in creation itself?<\/p>\n Potentate<\/span> (dunast<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s<\/i>).\u00a0 Dunamis <\/i>is \u201cdynamite\u201d power and the dunast<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s <\/i>is the One with the power.\u00a0 It is used only once of the Lord, \u201cWhich in his times he will show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords\u201d (1 Tim. 6:15).\u00a0 In other uses, Mary said, \u201cHe hath put down the mighty <\/i>from their seats\u201d (Luke 1:52).\u00a0 The Ethiopian eunuch was said to be \u201cof great authority<\/i>\u201d (Acts 8:27).\u00a0 Our Lord is the Authority, the Mighty Power in our lives, the Potentate above all other masters.<\/p>\n King<\/span> (basileus<\/i>).\u00a0 The title of king appears often in the New Testament because of the various kings who appear there.\u00a0 Jesus was proclaimed by Herod and Pilate to be \u201cThe King of the Jews\u201d (Matt. 2:2; 27:37).\u00a0 Paul called Jesus the \u201cKing eternal\u201d (1 Tim. 1:17).\u00a0 John recorded that He is \u201cKing of saints\u201d (Rev. 15:3) and King of kings (17:14).\u00a0 Jesus will be King of His kingdom when it comes to earth, but He is our King even now individually as we are His realm in which He rules.<\/p>\n Despot<\/span> (despot<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s<\/i>).\u00a0 We include this word though it is not so translated in English.\u00a0 It connotes a master especially of slaves.\u00a0 It is used ten times in the New Testament, five times translated \u201cLord\u201d and five times translated as \u201cMaster.\u201d\u00a0 It can be used of human masters over slaves (1 Tim. 6:1-2) but is also used of Christ as Lord (Rev. 6:10) and Master.\u00a0 So in 2 Tim. 2:21 we can read, we should be \u201csanctified and meet for the Despot\u2019s <\/i>use.\u201d\u00a0 English dictionaries equate Despot with Autocrat, someone with absolute power and authority.\u00a0 No wonder Paul instructed young Timothy, \u201cIf a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master\u2019s (despot\u2019s) use, and prepared unto every good work\u201d (2 Tim. 2:21).\u00a0 We are clay vessels in His hand to be used in whatever way He pleases.<\/p>\n Teacher<\/span> (didaskalos<\/i>).\u00a0 This is a common word used in various forms for teaching and instructing, and the noun form is often \u201cMaster\u201d or \u201cTeacher.\u201d\u00a0 When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus after His resurrection she called Him, \u201cRabboni, which is to say, Master\u201d (John 20:6).\u00a0 John keeps the Aramaic equivalent but translates didaskalos <\/i>for us as \u201cMaster.\u201d\u00a0 Rabboni is also Rabbi, a term used often by the disciples for Jesus.<\/p>\n Jesus said to the disciples, and yet to all of us, \u201cYe call me Master (didaskalos<\/i>) and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am\u201d (John 13:13).\u00a0 Paul said, \u201cBut ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught (the verb didask<\/i>\u014d<\/i>) by him, as the truth is in Jesus\u201d (Eph. 4:20-21).\u00a0 We call Jesus our Teacher because we sit at His feet\u00a0 as pupils and servants and learn.<\/p>\n Owner<\/span> (\u201cA Son over His own house\u201d <\/i>Heb. 3:6).\u00a0 In the previous verse Moses is described as a servant (therap<\/i>\u014d<\/i>n<\/i>, a resident servant) in the house but the house itself belongs to Jesus.\u00a0 We will see in the next section that we are both household and resident servants to Christ Who owns us and the whole house besides.\u00a0 In fact, \u201cWhose house we are\u201d verse six continues.\u00a0 That is, all believers are resident servants as members of His body, the church.\u00a0 \u201cFor every house is built by some man; but he that built all things is God\u201d (Heb. 3:4).\u00a0 Jesus said that He would \u201cbuild\u201d His church (Matt. 16:18) and we have become part of it by faith in Him.\u00a0 As we gather together in our local churches, we therefore ought to know how to behave ourselves \u201cin the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth\u201d (1 Tim. 3:16).<\/p>\n There are many other descriptions of Jesus that portray Him as our Friend, High Priest, Author and Finisher, and more, as I listed in the last article.\u00a0 I have listed these seven because they uniquely describe Jesus as One Who has absolute authority over servants.\u00a0 We may have come to Him first as Savior but then we found that we owe Him our souls, our lives, our all.\u00a0 It is a grateful obligation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cO to grace how great a debtor daily I\u2019m constrained to be! Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.\u201d<\/p>\n We are His Slaves<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus our Lord, Master, and King has told us to deny ourselves.\u00a0 We may desire such obedience but how is it accomplished in this sinful person that I am?\u00a0 To \u201cdeny,\u201d as we have seen, means to ignore oneself, to give up our rights and acquiesce to His commands.\u00a0 To do this we must understand our position as mere servants.\u00a0 Here are seven titles the New Testament gives us as His followers in this regard.<\/p>\n Bond slave\u00a0<\/span> (doulos<\/i>).\u00a0 This is the most common word for slave, usually translated \u201cservant,\u201d appearing over 150 times in the New Testament.\u00a0 Of all the words for slave, this denotes the lowest kind, one who gives up all rights to the will of another.\u00a0 \u201cFor when you were the servants <\/i>of sin, ye were free from righteousness. . . But now being made free from sin, and become servants <\/i>to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life\u201d (Rom. 6:20, 22).\u00a0 In this sense even the creation itself is \u201cin bondage\u201d (douleias<\/i>) of corruption (Rom. 8:21), unable to be delivered until the curse is lifted.\u00a0 In these verses Paul makes it clear that we are either a servant to the flesh or to Christ.\u00a0 If to Christ, He has sovereign right over us.<\/p>\n Prisoner<\/span> (desmos<\/i>).\u00a0 This description, though used far fewer times, is very graphic.\u00a0 It means one who is literally in bonds.\u00a0 The root de<\/i>\u014d<\/i> means a band or chain.\u00a0 After Paul was captured in Jerusalem and delivered to the Roman guards, the centurion said to the chief captain, \u201cPaul the prisoner (desmos<\/i>) called me unto him\u201d (Acts 23:18).\u00a0 Paul had become a \u201ccustodia militaris,\u201d one in military custody.\u00a0 He was chained to a centurion who took him all the way to Rome.\u00a0 While there, he wrote an epistle to the Ephesians as, \u201cPaul the prisoner <\/i>(desmos<\/i>) of Jesus Christ\u201d (Eph. 3:1).\u00a0 Later, in the prison, he asked Timothy not to be ashamed of Jesus Christ, \u201cnor of me his prisoner<\/i>\u201d (2 Tim. 1:8).\u00a0 The writer of Hebrews asked that the church pray for \u201cthem that are in bonds<\/i>\u201d (Heb. 13:3).\u00a0 Thousands, if not millions, of Christians have found themselves chained prisoners for Jesus\u2019 sake.\u00a0 In any case, the believer should see himself captured and chained to the Lord Jesus and under His custody for life.<\/p>\n Under-rower<\/span> (hup<\/i>\u0113<\/i>ret<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s<\/i>).\u00a0 A fairly common word appearing over 20 times is this word usually translated \u201cminister.\u201d\u00a0 It originally meant a ship\u2019s slave who rowed from under the deck but later was used generally for an attendant or minister.\u00a0 In a few places it is translated \u201cofficer\u201d for the one who kept the prison (Acts 5:22).\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201cif my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants <\/i>fight\u201d (John 18:36).\u00a0 Luke describes young John Mark as Paul\u2019s and Barnabas\u2019 minister<\/i> (Acts 13:5).<\/p>\n In the beginning of the Scottish Reformation John Knox was taken prisoner at St. Andrews and was forced to row on a French galley ship for 18 months.\u00a0 He too knew what it meant to be Christ\u2019s under-rower<\/i>.\u00a0 Paul said to the Corinthians, \u201cLet a man so account of us, as the ministers <\/i>of Christ\u201d (1 Cor. 4:1).<\/p>\n House servant<\/span> (oiket<\/i>\u0113<\/i>s<\/i>).\u00a0 This word for servant is only used four times in the New Testament and means a household servant.\u00a0 Cornelius \u201ccalled two of his household servants<\/i>\u201d (Acts 10:7).\u00a0 Peter used this word to admonish some servants<\/i> to be \u201csubject to their own masters\u201d (1 Pet. 2:18).\u00a0 But Jesus most graphically declared, \u201cNo servant <\/i>can serve two masters\u201d (Luke 16:13).\u00a0 The believer is one who lives in the Lord\u2019s house and waits on Him continually.<\/p>\n Resident servant<\/span>\u00a0 (therap<\/i>\u014d<\/i>n<\/i>).\u00a0 Coming from the root word for healing, this is an attendant or nurse who lives in the residence.\u00a0 As was noted, Moses is described with this word in Hebrews 3:5.\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201cWho then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household<\/i>, to give them meat in due season?\u201d (Matt. 24:45).<\/p>\n Child servant<\/span> (pais<\/i>).\u00a0 This is usually translated \u201cservant\u201d but carries the idea of a younger and inferior servant.\u00a0 This is the root for pedia and pediatrics.\u00a0 David is described with this term (Luke 1:54, 69; Acts 4:25) and Matthew uses this term to describe Jesus from Isaiah\u2019s prophecy (Matt. 12:18).\u00a0 We are often described as \u201cchildren\u201d of our heavenly Father.<\/p>\n Deacon servant<\/span> (diakonos<\/i>).\u00a0 We usually identify this word with the office of deacon and rightfully so for he is a servant of the church.\u00a0 This word is often used to describe believers in general who are servants of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Pheobe was a servant <\/i>of the church (Rom. 16:1); Paul was \u201cmade a minister<\/i>\u201d (Col. 1:23); Timothy was \u201ca minister <\/i>of God\u201d (1 Thes. 3:2); and \u201cwho then is Paul and who is Apollos but ministers<\/i>\u201d (1 Cor. 3:5).\u00a0 Jesus said, \u201cwhosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister <\/i>(diakonos<\/i>)\u201d (Matt. 20:26).\u00a0 In this sense we are all \u201cdeacons\u201d in that we serve the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n And So . . .<\/b><\/p>\n When we realize that Jesus \u201cWho, being in the form of God . . . made himself of no reputation [i.e., He emptied Himself] and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men\u201d (Phil. 2:6, 7), how can we do less who are described in so many ways as His servants?\u00a0 As believers in Him we have given up our personal rights to His will.\u00a0 According to these descriptions we are His slaves.<\/p>\n This cannot sound very inviting to a lost person who has no personal relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 But once a person has entered into that relationship and knows the Lord in a personal way, yielding to His will becomes not only easy but delightful.<\/p>\n As Handley Moule wrote years ago,<\/p>\n It is no unconditional thing.\u00a0 Right or left, the highway of holiness has its edge, its limit, its sine qua non.\u00a0 On the one hand, the Lord, and childlike trust in Him and in His words.\u00a0 On the other hand, among other things, but supreme among them, self-denial and the daily cross.3<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yet Jesus said, \u201cCome unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u00a0 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.\u00a0 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light\u201d (Matt. 11:28-30).<\/p>\n Notes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jesus said, \u201cIf any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me\u201d (Luke 9:23).\u00a0 To deny oneself in today\u2019s culture might simply mean to practice a little self-control, perhaps to eat a little less, or to be more diligent with one\u2019s personal devotions.\u00a0 But this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[167,182],"class_list":["post-7340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-christian-living-cross-discipleship","tag-ministry-leadership"],"yoast_head":"\n\n