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ReVision

A Word of Command

The Gospel is a Word to obey.

God’s Word to the World (6)

Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2.11

A message of fact, fear, and following
God’s Word to the world, as we have seen it thus far in Psalm 2, may be described as a message of fact, fear, and following. The fact is that something has happened in human history, and nothing is quite the way people think it is. A King has ascended an eternal throne, and He is advancing a true and full Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is not just religious-speak. This is not just future hope. This is now, and has been for nearly 2,000 years. And there’s plenty of evidence throughout history to support our announcement of this fact.

This fact is a call to fear the King Who rules with such world-changing power, because His wrath can suddenly flare up against those who oppose Him. But it’s also a message of following, following this King in love, since this invincible King invites us into the communion of His throne room, to enjoy His fellowship and share in His love forever.

All this is because of what this King has done to attain His lofty position – fulfilling the righteousness we lack, taking the judgment we deserve, breaking the bonds of fear and death, and opening the eyes of our heart to see through the lies and half-truths of our vain and raging world.

Jesus does not invite
We call on raging sinners – like we used to be (and sometimes, alas, still are) – to see this King, King Jesus, for Who He is, to understand what He has done and is doing, to embrace Him in fear and trembling, and to follow Him with rejoicing and love. That sounds like we are inviting people to make a choice, asking them to compare our offer with their preferred way of making sense out of their lives. They can choose Jesus, but if they want to choose some other ideal of the good life, some other hoped-for bounty and boon, some other less demanding and perhaps more lenient deity, well, then, that’s their choice. Have a nice day.

But that’s not the case. King Jesus, you see, does not invite. He commands. He is commanding all people everywhere to repent and believe the Good News (Acts 17.30, 31). And in His commands, the only choice He offers is whether the one so commanded will live or die.  

But what Jesus commands is completely in line with how people are by nature inclined. So again, we’re appealing to a receptor and chord in a person’s soul which, in the light of a King so loving and lovable, can make perfectly good sense to many who hear this Word from God to the world.

Follow and serve
For what Jesus commands of raging, vain sinners is that they should follow and serve Him. Now, as Bob Dylan reminded us some years back, “everybody serves something.” Everyone is a worshiper of some high ideal and hope; everyone’s everyday life is an altar of sacrifice to that ideal and hope; and every conscious activity we engage is designed to move us closer to realizing that ideal and hope. What we follow and serve may thus be only a figment of our imagination, and turn out to be but a vain hope. But follow and serve it we will, for this is how we have been created.

If we have managed to persuade someone of the reality of Christ’s Kingdom, the danger of trying to resist Him, and the altogether wonderful and glorious life that awaits those who embrace Him, becoming a devoted follower and servant of King Jesus will mark out the new course which, in redirected fear and love, the Spirit of God carves in a person’s soul.

Following and serving Jesus has two aspects to it, based on two different meanings of the Hebrew word, avad. Our English translations capture these different nuances, the New King James Version translating the word as serve, and the New American Standard Bible rendering it, worship. Both are correct. What Jesus commands of those who would enter His Kingdom, escape His wrath, and inhabit His love and joy, is that they follow Him as worshipers and servants. No longer will they worship and devote their lives to false deities, man-made religions, or worldviews constructed by the vain and raging imaginations of men. Now, as a daily journey of following Christ, they will learn to worship their King and discover what it means to serve Him in every area of their lives.

They are truly wise, Psalm 2 explains, who become worshipers of King Jesus and take up lives of service in His Name, submitting to His Word, advancing His Kingdom, embodying His love, and spreading the reality and the message of His rule in every situation and circumstance of their lives.

King Jesus commands the nations to cease following their foolish aspirations and serving their vain imaginations, and to begin following and serving Him. He does not invite, as though the pleasure of your company would be greatly appreciated. We add nothing to the joy and pleasure God knows completely in Himself alone. No, Jesus does not invite; He commands, and all who acknowledge His authority and appreciate His grace understand that what He commands is in their best interests.

And all those who refuse to bow to His commands will shortly discover that resistance to the rule of King Jesus is a deadly gambit.

Everybody follows and serves something. God’s message to the world is that the way of wisdom is to follow and serve Jesus Christ.

For reflection
1.  Jesus doesn’t invite; He commands. Discuss the implications of this for the way we present the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom to others:

2.  Why does it make sense that the words worship and serve derive from the same basic Hebrew word (also the word work)?

3.  Would you agree with the idea that everybody is following and serving someone or something? Why is this a good receptor or chord for presenting the Gospel?

Next steps – Conversations: Why do you suppose the words worshipand serveand work are connected in the same root word? In what ways are they similar? Does Romans 12.1, 2 help you in thinking about this? Is your worship a form of service to God? Is your service done as an expression of worship? Talk about these questions with some Christian friends.

T. M. Moore

Let us help you take God’s Word to your world. Our booklet, Joy to Your World!,shows why Jesus is the great Good News of Christmas. It’s the perfect stocking-stuffer for friends and coworkers. Order your copies by clicking here.

This week’s study is Part 9 of a series on The Word of God, and is available as a free download by clicking here.

The key to understanding the Bible is to see Jesus in all its parts, as centerpiece and fulfillment of God’s covenant and promises. Our workbook,
God’s Covenant, takes you through the entire Bible, following the development of themes related to God’s covenant, and consummated in Jesus Christ. Here’s an effective tool for helping you read the Bible through God’s eyes. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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