2 Corinthians 4:5; Your Servants For Jesus’ Sake
2 Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
The Apostle Paul and his co-workers understood well the Lordship of Christ in their lives. The distinction of this Master-servant is very clear to them. Recall he was struck blind by Jesus. He understood well his place in God’s economy. He understood the motions of pride as Scripture recorded of Lucifer, the archangel’s fall.
Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! howart thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Ezekiel 28:15-18 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Their work in the preaching of the gospel was to point men to find their all-sufficiency in Jesus Christ. And their role is to accomplish the will of their Master and receive their reward in eternity for faithful service. Indeed, we have been gloriously saved by the grace of God. We are sinners through and through and therefore without any bargaining chip with God. We are wholly at God’s disposal. This is the understanding we must have in order to have the right attitude for service. It is to repay the debt of sin that Christ has borne on our behalf so that we can enjoy our heavenly inheritance. May the Lord help us to run and finish our course on earth for His honour and glory. Amen.