Worthiness
Revelation 5: 11- 12: And I beheld and heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousand of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Worthiness: most Christian men think they’re unworthy. When you call a man a “man of God” most men will look away because they don’t feel worthy. Men struggle to find a clear conscious, to validate their progress in this journey of life. The perfection that we have in Christ is a spiritual perfection, perfected by the righteous payment of Jesus Christ on our behalf. However, our culture validates us not by who we are and whose we are, but by our works and our accomplishments. The concept of the self made man is an “American ideal.” In contrast, God knows that in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. We are all broken, struggling with sin. We all miss the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In order to be reconciled back to God, we must be broken of our pride. Pride lifts up self to validate itself. Pride is the essence of sin. Jesus Christ came to set pride in stark contrast to humility before almighty God. When Lazarus died, God gave Jesus an opportunity to teach his disciples an important lesson about humility… to allow God to work in us to will and to do of his good pleasure… to show his power in our weakness.
When we face life’s desperate situations, God says, “if the outcome is not what you desire, will you still love and worship me?” Until we make peace with the reality that not my will, but thine be done, we cannot receive reconciliation unto fellowship and communion with him. God’s not here to serve me, rather, we’re here to serve him.
When Jesus announced that he came to Lazarus’ house to work God’s will, Lazarus’ sister said, “he’s been dead four days and he stinketh.” When we speak about Christ and him crucified, it is onto those who perish the stench of death unto death, but unto those that believe, it is the sweet smelling fragrance of life unto life. In order to walk by faith and not by sight, we must humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Humility allows God to work his will in our lives. Jesus came to make us free. He came to allow us to be free in Christ, to act not through the motive of guilt and shame, but to live shamelessly in service for our Lord.
Men often feel that they don’t live up to their parents’ expectations. They feel unworthy as they look at the accomplishments of others whom they view as successful. The root cause of these deep seated feelings of inadequacy is the adversary’s accusations that we don’t measure up. The point of repentance is when we realize that God loves us despite our failures in the flesh. We have been made righteous in God’s sight through the sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Worthiness is not based on our performance, but rather in the spirit we received when we were redeemed through his redemptive work… For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me. Therefore, we have been made worthy by grace alone through faith alone. Like Lazareth, we who were dead have been made alive through the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unworthy was I of I the grace that he gave, Unworthy to hold to his hand,
But he made me worthy, and now by his grace his mercy has made me his own.
Therefore, how shall we who were dead in trespasses and sins continue therein? We have been set free froom the bondage of sin. We have been made worthy by him who knew no sin that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ made us worthy… he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
May God richly bless you.
Your Brother in Christ,
Michael