PT-2 "Servant" (Acts 3:13a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/3/2017 7:20 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  PT-2 Servant

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  Acts 3:13a

            Message of the verse: “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant”

            In our last SD we looked at a passage from the end of Isaiah 52 and all of 53 that spoke of our Lord Jesus Christ as being the suffering Messiah and servant, and today I promised we would look at some more verses that speak of Jesus as our Messiah who is also identified as being the servant.

            In the book of Matthew he identifies Jesus as the Servant of Isaiah’s prophecy found in Matthew 12:18-21 as he quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4 and applies it to our Lord:

“18 “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL is WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE SHALL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES. 19 “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. 20  "A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. 21 “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."”

John MacArthur writes:  Jesus said Himself, ‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve’ (Matt. 20:28).  In John 6:38 He said, ‘I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.’  In John 8:28 He added, ‘I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.’  John 13:1-7 gives a beautiful example of our Lord’s humble service:

“1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter."”

            “When His suffering was over, God ‘glorified’ Jesus, exalting Him to the position of honor at His right hand (Acts 2:33; 5:31; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 7:26).

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The example that Jesus gave to me is something that only by the grace of God will I be able to follow, that is being a servant, suffering and then receive His glory as John writes about in the 17^th chapter of his gospel.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord will bless my efforts for my Sunday school class this morning.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “By striking the rock” (Exodus 17:6).

Today’s Bible question:  “In what place was there a door opened for Paul?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/3/2017 7:38 AM