Exodus (2)
Message Five
Christ as the Slave of God and the Believers as Slaves of God and Christ Jesus in the Church Life
Scripture Reading: Exo. 21:1-6; Phil. 2:7-8; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:24-27; Rom. 1:1; James 1:1; Gal. 5:13
I. The spirit of the ordinance in Exodus 21:1-6 is the spirit of a slave, the spirit of service and of sacrifice—Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1; Phil. 1:1; James 1:1:
A. A slave does not stand on his own rights; he knows only to serve and to sacrifice, not to care for his own interests—Matt. 20:28.
B. To be a slave is to have the spirit of sacrifice; a slave is always willing to care for others, to serve them, and to sacrifice himself for them—Phil. 2:17.
C. Love is the basis of a slave's service—Exo. 21:5; 2 Cor. 5:14; 12:15:
1. Love is the motive and the prerequisite for a slave's continual service.
2. The love of a slave is followed by obedience— John 14:31; Phil. 2:8.
II. The slave in Exodus 21:1-6 is a type of Christ as the Slave of God, who sacrificed Himself to serve God and God's people—Matt. 20:28; Eph. 5:2, 25:
A. The subject of the Gospel of Mark is Christ as the Slave of God, the Slave-Savior—10:45:
1. Mark's purpose is to provide a detailed record to show the beauty of the Lord Jesus as the Slave of God in His human virtues—5:34; 6:34; 8:23; 10:14-16.
2. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was a Slave who had no rights.
3. In His gospel service the Lord Jesus was a Slave not only to God but also to man—Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:24-27; Phil. 2:7; Acts 3:13.
4. Mark 10:45 reveals that, as the Slave of God, the Lord Jesus served sinners even with His life, His soul; by giving His life as a ransom for sinners, the Lord Jesus accomplished the eternal purpose of God, whom He served as a Slave.
5. As the Slave of God, the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, at the very time they were striving to be first, to take the position of a slave—vv. 35-45.
B. Although the Lord Jesus was equal with God and had the highest rank in the universe, He became a person on the lowest level of society; He not only became a man, but emptying Himself and humbling Himself, He became a Slave—Phil. 2:6-8:
1. Christ's work in His human living to build up the fashion of a man and take on the form of a slave was the foundation and background of His ministry—v. 8a.
2. The pattern presented in Philippians 2:5-8 is now the life within us; there is an urgent need among us to experience Christ as such a pattern.
3. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (v. 5); this is the mind that was in Christ when He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, and humbled Himself, being found in fashion as a man.
C. As the Slave of God, the Lord Jesus stood in the position of doing nothing on His own but acting only according to the word of the Father—Exo. 21:6; John 5:19, 30, 36; 6:38; 7:16; 8:26; 12:49; 17:4.
D. The New Testament reveals the threefold love of the Lord Jesus for the Father, the church, and the saints—Exo. 21:5; John 14:31; Eph. 5:25, 2; Gal. 2:20.
E. As the Slave of God, the Lord Jesus was obedient unto death; His death on the cross was an act of obedience—John 14:30-31; Phil. 2:8:
1. Because the Lord Jesus loved God the Father, He kept the Father's word not only as a Son but especially as a Slave— John 5:19; 12:48-50; 17:8, 14.
2. The Lord listened to God and did God's will by keeping His word— 4:34; 12:49; Psa. 40:6; Isa. 50:4-5.
III. The apostle Paul followed the Lord Jesus to be a slave— Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1; Acts 20:19:
A. Paul was such a slave by the serving and sacrificing life of Christ—Phil. 2:17.
B. As a slave of Christ and of God, Paul was willing to empty himself, humble himself, and sacrifice his rank, rights, and privileges—1 Cor. 9:19-23.
C. Paul had the spirit of a slave—Rom. 1:1, 9; 2 Cor. 1:12; 2:13; 10:1.
D. Paul had the love of a slave; he was a person who loved the church—5:14; 12:14-15; 11:28.
E. Paul had the obedience of a slave—Acts 9:6; 22:10; 26:19; Phil. 2:8, 12; 2 Cor. 2:9; 7:15; 10:6.
IV. If we would take Christ as our pattern and follow Paul's example, we must learn to be slaves and sacrifice everything for others—Gal. 5:13:
A. A slave knows only to serve and to sacrifice, not to care for his own interests—Luke 1:38.
B. We need to empty ourselves, humble ourselves, lower ourselves, not claim anything for ourselves, and sacrifice ourselves to serve others—1 Cor. 9:19-23.
C. We need to know the position of a slave—Exo. 21:6:
1. Our position as slaves of Christ should be at the doorpost.
2. The slave's ear was opened to listen to the master—Isa. 50:4-5.
3. Many Christians are serving God, but they do not stand by the doorpost, and their ear has not been bored through— Exo. 21:6:
a. They act on their own, not in accord with what they hear from the Master—Matt. 7:21-23.
b. They do many things according to their own concepts, desires, and intentions—Phil. 1:15-17.
V. A slave lives to the Lord, not to himself—2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 14:7-8:
A. In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Paul speaks of living to the Lord:
1. To live to the Lord is to take Him as the aim of our living; in everything we do, Christ should be our unique aim— Rom. 14:7-8.
2. To live to the Lord means that we are under the leading and constraint of the Lord to fulfill His demand, satisfy His desire, and accomplish His purpose—2 Tim. 1:9; 3:10.
3. To live to ourselves means that we are under our own control and direction and that we care for our own aims and goals.
4. To the Lord implies that we are the Lord's possession, that we already belong to Him; for the Lord implies that we are still our own and are according to our pleasure and convenience.
5. Living for the Lord implies that we and the Lord are still two; living to the Lord indicates that we are one with the Lord—1 Cor. 6:17.
B. Living to the Lord is based upon the fact that we are the Lord's; we belong to Him—Rom. 14:7-8:
1. We need to realize that the Lord bought us with the great price of His precious blood—1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19.
2. Now He is our Lord and Master, and we belong to Him.
3. All that we have, all that we do, and all that we are, are to Him; everything is wholly to Him, and now we should live to Him—Rom. 14:7-8.
VI. In the church life we all should be slaves—Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:7; 4:7, 12; 2 Pet. 1:1:
A. Only those who are willing to be slaves can remain permanently in the church life—Rom. 12:11.
B. The Lord Jesus taught us not to be above others but instead to place ourselves lower than others and be their slaves— John 13:1-5, 12-15.
C. In the church life there is no rank; we are all brothers, and we must all serve as slaves— James 1:1; Jude 1; Rev. 1:1; 6:11; 10:7; 11:18; 22:3, 6.
D. All who believe in Christ, belong to Him, and have His life of service and sacrifice should take Him as their pattern by learning to be slaves, loving God, the church, and God's people; with such a love as our motivation, we need to be slaves sacrificing and serving—Mark 10:42-45; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 5:2; Rom. 1:1.
E. In carrying out God's New Testament economy, we need to have the spirit of a slave, the love of a slave, and the obedience of a slave—Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 9:19.