Suffering Servant - Examine Yourself

In our last Aroma Moment, we focused our attention on the great suffering that our Servant and Saviour continues to endure. Some of those who claim to follow Him malign His name and misrepresent His nature. Although they may have an outward appearance of holiness and possess a deep knowledge of the Word, they remain unchanged internally, rejecting the One who can truly transform them.

 To make matters worse, they seek out followers to impose the heavy burden of dead religion upon, without offering any support to help carry it. They deny Jesus, the Cross, the Crucifixion, Death, Burial, and Resurrection—not merely through their words, but by the lack of fruit in their lives. Jesus was the pattern given to us by the Father, and through His example, we can be sure that, as believers, we are required to take the same road. This journey begins with conception and birth in Him, followed by growing in the stature and wisdom of God. Then, a baptism of separation from everything old and coming into all that is new.  This may be a one-time event in the water after coming to Christ, but it reflects a daily reality as we take up our cross and die to our old selves, committing to a life of separation from all that is old. If we claim to love Him, we need to take this seriously: “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). Taking up our cross means being willing to follow His example to the fullness of the crucifixion of everything old. In Luke 9:23, Jesus emphasizes that taking up our cross must be done daily!

So, what about these two verses? 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP [17] Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. Following the pattern of Christ, we can be sure of this: Galatians 2:19-20 AMP [19] For through the Law I died to the Law and its demands on me [because salvation is provided through the death and resurrection of Christ], so that I might [from now on] live to God. [20] I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

 Romans 4:3-5 ESV[3] For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” [4] Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5] And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

 A life lived by completely trusting in the One through whom salvation came—by death and resurrection—has put to death the belief in anything that we think can reconcile us to God apart from His Son. We cannot be reconciled to God through any means, works, or efforts other than His Son; this is the stumbling block. It is much easier to work for a reward because it gives us a sense of having earned it, which allows us to take pride in our accomplishments. This is why the law, even though it was impossible to obey fully, gave the Pharisees confidence; outwardly, they seemed to do all the right things. However, the law alone could never transform a heart from the inside.

 So, please explain I hear you say - Galatians 3:19-27 ESV [19] Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring (Christ) should come to whom the promise had been made (to Abraham), and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. [20] Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. [21] Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. [22] But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. [23] Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. [24] So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

 Romans 7:7-9 AMP [7] What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, if it had not been for the Law, I would not have recognized sin. For I would not have known [for example] about coveting [what belongs to another, and would have had no sense of guilt] if the Law had not [repeatedly] said, “You shall not covet.” [Ex 20:17; Deut 5:21] [8] But sin, finding an opportunity through the commandment [to express itself] produced in me every kind of coveting and selfish desire. For without the Law sin is dead [the recognition of sin is inactive]. [9] I was once alive without [knowledge of] the Law; but when the commandment came [and I understood its meaning], sin became alive and I died [since the Law sentenced me to death]. [Ps 73:22]

 The Law teaches us what sin is, acting as our guardian to prevent us from straying into sin. However, despite our best human efforts, it is impossible to overcome sin and its consequences on our own. This is why the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ was given. He overcame sin and its penalty and dwells within us, enabling us to put to death our sinful nature, and through His resurrection power, be transformed according to a brand-new nature—His nature. Remember that Paul said, "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me; and the life I now live, I live by faith, completely trusting and adhering to the Son of God."  

 Christ is our pattern, showing us how to depend wholeheartedly on another life. He relied on the life within Him—His Father—and lived according to the instructions and words given to Him by the Father. Through this pattern, we can be confident that, by the Holy Spirit, we too can live from the life of another that dwells within us—Christ Jesus.

 Are you beginning to understand that anything less than a life fully surrendered to Christ—depending on Him alone to produce anything righteous and pleasing to the Father—is an abomination to the faith we have embraced? We can never produce righteousness worthy of pleasing the Father; that is where true peace comes from. Our efforts are ultimately useless and futile; they are dead and pointless. Our joy comes from Christ in us, the hope of glory! It is Christ who works through us and speaks through us. The works we do in Him are not a result of our efforts but are dependent on Him carrying them out.

 If you have been exhausting yourself by doing everything you believe will please Him and it has become tiring, or even worse, if you rely on these actions to validate your right standing with Him, then take this scripture to heart and be encouraged. Matthew 11:28-30 AMP [28]  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. [29] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. [Jer 6:16] [30] For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.” Jesus is so kind; He invites us to follow and learn from Him, as He is our pattern and way.

Examine Yourselves 2 Corinthians 13:5 AMP [5] Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine (to see whether a thing is genuine or not. Prove and scrutinise), yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected (Unapproved, castaway, worthless) as counterfeit?

Do you live as one whose every moment is before God? Psalms 139:2-3, 7, 16-17, 23-24 AMP [2] You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do]; You understand my thought from afar. [Matt 9:4; John 2:24, 25] [3] You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

[7] Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?[16] Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape]. [17] How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! [Ps 40:5] [23] Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; [24] And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me,  And lead me in the everlasting way.

Do you seek Him who would search and test you? Do you know that He already knows what you will say before you even speak? He understands your thoughts and knows your ways. Nothing is hidden from Him. He sees all the hidden things we can hide from those around us. Do you desire for Him to lead you in the everlasting way?

Have you left your first love? Who/what interfered and got in the way? Revelation 2:4 AMP [4] But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].  Galatians 5:7 AMP [7] You were running [the race] well; who has interfered and prevented you from obeying the truth?

Is Christ your passion and purpose? Think back to the moment you were first saved. Are you still as zealous and desperate for Him as you were then? Were you running the race with discipline and passion? If not, what has gotten in the way of your devotion and obedience to the Lord? Paul was addressing a false doctrine in the passage from Galatians. A teaching that circumcision was required for salvation. He was brutally honest about the consequences of this. He went on to say Galatians 5:4 AMP [4] You have been severed from Christ, if you seek to be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] through the Law; you have fallen from grace [for you have lost your grasp on God’s unmerited favour and blessing]. If we seek to be justified by what we do, we sever ourselves from Christ. In our Western Christian culture, we may not preach circumcision, but we do emphasise "doing" for Jesus. Larger churches require more volunteers to keep everything running smoothly. As a result, there is increasing pressure to keep people happy and continue contributing financially; otherwise, there is a risk of losing resources or facilities. This leads to a religious environment promoting a works-based faith, which is dangerous. Is what you “do” for Jesus getting in the way of just being with Him? Waiting on Him? Loving Him in the quiet and private places where no one sees or knows? Has something gotten between you and that first love you had for Him, and now your walk feels like a chore and a burden? Perhaps a false belief has crept in on you and is severing you from the very One you once devoted your life to in simplicity.

Do you love and obey God's Word? Is what Jesus says of higher value than seeking another sermon or doing another work for Him?  John 14:15 AMP [15]  “If you [really] love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. John 14:23 AMP [23] Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. John 14:17 AMP[17] the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.

 This passage is truly remarkable. It provides profound insights into the relationship we have with the Triune God, who comes to dwell within us. Jesus doesn’t stop at just Him and the Father coming to dwell in us; He then goes on to assure us that the Holy Spirit will continually be in us also. And this is the only work He requires of us to do: John 6:29 AMP [29] Jesus answered, “This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”  So, if we believe in the One whom the Father sent and rely on Him, trust him, and adhere to Him, then we will also desire to obey Him, right? We have everything we need in Christ, and far more we could ever think or imagine when we grasp that the Triune God has made us their dwelling place.

 Is your heart’s desire to obey the Lord, your God, and only do what He instructs you, or have you gotten so distracted by doing everything you think will please Him? He simply says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands”. Mark 12:28-31 AMP [28] Then one of the scribes [an expert in Mosaic Law] came up and listened to them arguing [with one another], and noticing that Jesus answered them well, asked Him, “Which commandment is first and most important of all?” [Matt 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-28] [29] Jesus answered, “The first and most important one is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; [30] and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.’ [Deut 6:4, 5] [31] This is the second: ‘You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” [Lev 19:18]

 I truly believe that all is fulfilled if we seek the Lord to obey these two commandments. Don’t you agree? We often attempt to approach things out of the prescribed order. We cannot genuinely love our neighbour as ourselves unless we first love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  We have an idea of what love is only through the lens of what we have been taught in this world, but God is love (1 John 4:8). Until we come to the One who is love and seek Him with all our heart, we will have only a superficial love toward those around us.

 Are you still walking in darkness but profess to be in the Light? 1 John 1:5-10 NET [5]  Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. [6]  If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. [7]  But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. [8]  If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9]  But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. [10]  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

Do you say you have communion, relationship, and intimacy with the Lord, yet continue to devote yourself as a companion, or occupy yourself with sinful deeds and do not repent or confess them? Then, the Word of God is clear: we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. This is serious! Remember, we just read in Psalm 139 that He sees everything; we are ever before His eyes. He knows the deep, hidden things and sees all sinful deeds. He is faithful and will forgive our sins when we repent and turn from them. We cannot profess to know and love Him and remain in sin, believing He is ok with it.  Romans 6:16 NET [16]  Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? These examinations seem quite weighty, but as the law was a guardian unto us, these are also alike. They guard us from straying away from wholehearted devotion to the Holy One, seeking His Holiness to be perfected in us. They protect us and hold us accountable.

Let Him wash you today. The Word of God offers numerous ways for us to examine ourselves daily. Our greatest downfall is that we often don’t turn to it as frequently as we should. Making the pursuit of the Lord our top priority—realising that our lives depend on it—is essential for accurately examining ourselves. While we might allow others to examine us, even those examinations  should be measured against the Word of God. That does not mean we disregard and dishonour those charged with looking after our spiritual walk. Paul, in his letters to the churches, did not hesitate to confront unholy behaviour, and it was his responsibility to do so. If we believe that every part of the body matters and that the spiritual health of even one part is detrimental to the whole body's health, then we should be concerned when our brothers and sisters live contrary to the Word of God. Galatians 6:1 ESV [1] Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. We must be mindful that if we are willing to correct another, we must not be hypocritical in our judgments. When we want to scrutinise others, we must be willing to be scrutinised ourselves.  

In my walk, I have had many corrections, and I have no doubt that many more will come. Hebrews 12:11 ESV [11] For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. I cannot say that they were pleasant at all, but they were necessary, and I am grateful for them.

Considering the Suffering Servant, this subject makes our momentary examinations and disciplines seem so light, but He is worthy of a spotless Bride, and He will have her. We get an opportunity each day to be more purified by His precious Word that continues to wash and renew us.