Servant to servants part 2: 6/2/13

Servant to servants part 2: 

Even being a servant to servants must come from God.  It is not something to glory in, no work that we do is anything to glory in. 

Gal 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

To glory means to boast or vaunt.  In our minds, without saying anything aloud, we can dwell on, “How much I have grown!  I did that difficult thing with humility.  How humble I have become!” 

The issue is not that we haven’t grown, or that we weren’t humble, or that we didn’t do that which was difficult for us that we felt we should do.  The issue is our focus.  Our focus and our joy, our glory and our rejoicing need to be in the Lord and in Him alone. 

As Brother Gyme has taught us of the perilous times, to focus on our self is to lose strength.

Php 3:1  Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

The word ‘safe’ here means, secure, firm, certain, sure

1) firm (that which can be relied on)

2) certain, true

3) suited to confirm

CONFIRM, v.t. [L., to make firm. See Firm.]

1. To make firm, or more firm; to add strength to; to strengthen; as, health is confirmed by exercise.

2. To fix more firmly; to settle or establish.

3. To make firm or certain; to give new assurance of truth or certainty; to put past doubt.

Rejoice in the Lord:

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Rejoice at all times.

Deu 12:18  But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

Rejoice in the Lord as you are doing anything. 

Whatever your hands find to do, do to the glory of the Lord.

1Ch 16:10  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

Those that seek the Lord, rejoice in the Lord and glory in His name.

Neh 8:10  Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

To rejoice in the Lord is our strength.  ‘Strength’ here means a fortified place and a defense.

1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold

1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold

1b) refuge (of God) (figuratively)

1c) human protection (figuratively)

To give all glory to the Lord and have Him be our rejoicing is an extremely safe place. 

Psa 5:11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psa 5:12  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Let those that put their trust in the Lord rejoice in the Lord.  Let all that love His name rejoice in Him. 

Psa 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Have the Lord as your delight. 

Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isa 12:3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

It is through having joy in the Lord that we receive water from the well of salvation.

Hab 3:17  Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Hab 3:18  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

When nothing is going the way I’d like, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

1Th 5:16  Rejoice evermore.

Rejoice in the Lord at all times and in all places.

Php 3:2  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Php 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Php 3:12  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Php 3:15  Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

Php 3:16  Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

Php 3:17  Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

Php 3:20  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Php 3:21  Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.