Theme: Receive the Lord’s Servant
Text: 2 Kings 4:8-17; Rom. 6:1-11; Matt. 10:37-42
A simple definition of a servant is someone who serves another person or group of people. The best example of a servant is Jesus Christ whose sole aim for coming into the world was “not to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many”. Jesus Christ by His life of servant leadership has given His followers an example to follow. He actually demands this from His followers, as His example does not serve any purpose whatsoever if it is only studied, discussed or analysed. It has to be put into practice till it finally becomes a way of life and Christ is manifested. Ironically what Jesus Christ expects from His followers is what followers of the devil are accomplishing. They are living the life of the devil and becoming totally evil as he is as being evil is much easier than being good. They are the terrorists who are prepared to die to cause pain, suffering and death as in the recent London bombings. They are the drug dealers who go to great lengths to carry out their illegal activities without caring about the harm their victims suffer. Servants of the Lord, on the other hand, are expected to live the life of Christ, to do what He wants and to be who He wants them to be. Unlike the servants of the devil who cause suffering and death, servants of the Lord are to bring blessings of joy, health and life. They are able to do this because as full participants of the life of Christ His presence and power works within and through them and to receive the Lord’s servant is to receive the Lord Himself.
We can always recognise the servants of the Lord by their character and behaviour. They behave like Christ and therefore Christ can be seen in them. Their lives are filled with love, the love of God, and they demonstrate this love by their actions. Love is one aspect of life that really marks out the follower of Christ because God is love. No one can give what he does not have and the person who has no love cannot love and cannot be the Lord’s servant. It is only because the Lord’s servant loves the Lord unconditionally that he can also love as Christ has loved him. The Lord’s servant also behaves like Christ by living a life of submission and obedience to God. Jesus Christ was totally obedient to His Father and never did anything that was not the Father’s Will. The world will definitely take notice of the Lord’s servants when they live a life of complete obedience to Christ. This of course would mean, in the words of Christ, crucifying their personal goals, ambitions and desires for the sake of Christ.
The Lord’s servant can only behave like Christ when he believes that Jesus Christ is Saviour and Lord and enters into an intimate relationship with Him. This will enable him live the sort of life that will impress the world and lead them to Christ. This life is not following a set of laws or a set of beliefs; neither is it following our thoughts or emotions. This life is to be united with Christ and trusting Him with your life. This intimate relationship with Christ can be likened to a marriage where two people are to become one. Just as the married couple are often unaware of what they are getting into, where life would lead them or how they would change so it is with an intimate relationship with Christ. The most important thing is committing themselves to each other no matter what happens, whether in "Sickness or health, or for better for worse". Again just as in marriage we cannot afford to remain where we started in our relationship so also we cannot afford to remain where we started in our relationship with Christ. Our relationship should be characterised and evidenced by growth. And just as it is with every relationship there will be times of boredom and frustration that will threaten to destroy the relationship. We can avoid such times by focusing on Christ, on His commitment to the relationship and on His interest in us. We should also not forget to avoid every form of evil and base our motivations and decisions on the will of God and not on our own desires. In our relationship with God what He wants is far more important than what we want. Christ wants His servants to live His life. This is only possible when we have an intimate relationship with Him and the only way to achieve this is to be born into His family. If you are not living the life of Christ you need to be born into His family. You need to repent of your sins and confess Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord
The Lord’s servant does not only behave like Christ but he cannot help but talk about Him because his heart is filled with Christ and as the Scriptures declare, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. Christ has entrusted His servants with the good news that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sin and they are compelled to share it. They cannot keep such good news to themselves, as the people need to hear it and know why Jesus died. They need to know that our evil desires, our bondage to sin, and our love for sin died with Him and was buried with Him. The people need to know that Jesus was raised from the dead that they might live a new life, a life that has been freed from the power and penalty of sin and thereby from sin’s control. They need to know that because of Christ’s death and resurrection they can have eternal life and thereby be freed from the fear death.
The good news about Christ changes and transforms lives and every one should hear it. The Lord’s servants, because of their relationship with God, are the bearers of the good news. Their character and behaviour, by portraying Christ, is enough to get the attention of people. As God’s servants they have been blessed with the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit and those who receive them share in their blessing. The Lord’s servant’s message has always been the same. It is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and that He has paid the penalty of sin with His life, has risen from the dead and is alive and that He is able to change lives. This is the experience of every born again believer and was the experience of a middle aged woman who had suffered greatly from migraine for fifteen years. One Sunday as she passed by a Church she decided to enter, something she had not done since her childhood. During the service she was saved and left the Church with a happy smile on her face. The following week she was there again and cried throughout the service. The minister called her and wanted to know the reason for her tears. She told him how she had suffered grievously from migraine for fifteen years and how she had been saved the previous Sunday. She also told him of how she had been burdened when she returned home to talk to her father who she had not seen or spoken to for fifteen years. She had done so and all their differences had been resolved and then she had gone to bed. She had woken up the next morning without any migraine the first time in fifteen years and she had not experienced any since and that was the reason for her tears. Only Jesus Christ can change lives. The transformation of a person’s life through the Word of God is a witness to an unbelieving world that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The Lord’s servants have a great blessing to share as many people today are dying without being saved.
The Lord’s servants are God’s anointed and the anointing is there to bless those they minister to in the name of the Lord. They are anointed to discern and meet the needs of those who welcome them. As they live the life of Christ and speak about Him, they are able to meet man’s greatest need, the need for forgiveness and salvation and the need to live a new life, the sort of life that glorifies Christ. It is natural to be thankful and show appreciation when a need has been met. And since to receive the Lord’s servant is to receive the Lord Himself, to show appreciation to the servant is to show appreciation to the Lord who is really responsible for meeting the need. This way both parties are blessed.
Just as some people rejected Christ and others welcomed him so also will be the experience of the servant. But those who welcome the Lord’s servant will always receive a blessing. This was the case of the Shunammite woman in the time of the prophet Elisha. When the woman realised that Elisha was the Lord’s servant she prepared a room for him to use whenever he was in the area. She did this out of kindness and because she sensed a need and not for any selfish motives. But in welcoming the Lord’s servant the Shunammite woman was welcoming the Lord and her kindness was rewarded far beyond her wildest dreams when her need was met and she and her husband were rewarded with a son. This had appeared impossible as the husband was old and the woman could not even believe what she heard the prophet say. I can just imagine this woman returning home reflecting on the words of the prophet and expecting to find her old husband who could hardly walk dozing in a chair only to find a completely changed man full of energy running around the house and ready to father a child. She blessed the Lord’s servant and received the Lord’s blessing. How sensitive are you to the Lord’s servants who come into your life and home? How sensitive are you to the Lord’s servants who teach and preach God’s Word? We need to find out and meet their special needs and what we do for them we will be doing for the Lord.
The greatest compliment any godly father can receive is to hear that his child behaves just like he does. In the same way the Lord is pleased with His servants when they behave like Him. We do not need to be rich to be able to offer something to the Lord’s servant. It could even be a glass of cold water when it is done with love and compassion. This may seem to be something small but to a thirsty man on a hot day it is something great. God notices every act of kindness and is impressed by it because it reflects His behaviour and character. God has blessed His servants and they are to be a blessing to others. When we receive His servants and accept their message we share in their blessings. The choice is left to us. We can either reject Christ or receive Him. Let us make the right decision today and be assured of eternal life to the praise and glory of God. Amen!
