SELF AWARENESS ROSS SMITH 111016
Have you ever stopped to contemplate the torment Jesus must have endured for the entirety of His life. He knew at a very young age what He was here for, at the age of twelve He was debating with the spiritual teachers in the Temple and was amazing them. (Luke 2:46-48)
“And all who heard Him were astonished and overwhelmed with bewildered wonder at His intelligence and understanding and His replies”.
Jesus “SELF AWARENESS” was not WHO HE WAS, but WHAT WAS HIS DESTINY, our challenge likewise is not “WHO WE ARE BUT WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR”, to know and appreciate our destiny.
But Jesus, when chastened by His worried parents in verse 49, He made an incisive and profound insight into what was obviously continuing to revolve in His mind. Although Joseph and Mary knew their son was a special child, they obviously had no concept of how deep and extensive was His daily contemplation, His “SELF AWARENESS”.
Verse 49 “And He said to them, HOW IS IT that you had to look for Me? Did you not see and know that IT IS NECESSARY [AS A DUTY] FOR ME TO BE IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE AND [OCCUPIED] ABOUT MY FATHER’S BUSINESS”.
Jesus knew what was required of Him from at least 12 years of age, if not earlier, and carried this awareness until He was 33, or at least another 21 years until the fulfilment of His commission, to face what He knew was inevitable. Jesus knew what He was here for, and so I ask myself, do I have any real appreciation of what “I AM HERE FOR?’
The only way I can even begin to understand is to reflect on my mental state when facing events that are either objectionable or odious to me. If I have a dental appointment for maybe a month down the track, my mind suddenly become cinematic, , I can visualise the clinic rooms, almost feel the slippery and shiny surface of the chair that will recline me for my treatment and pain, to anticipate what the dentist may have in mind to do to me, and so I generally try to avoid these “futuristic” events.
But Jesus knew for at least 21 years the “PROCESS” He was called upon to pass through and He never wavered. The closest He ever came to revealing how traumatic was His journey, when the hour of culmination approached was when He said in Matthew 26:39, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me”, for in verse 38 He had disclosed to His disciples how pressured He was.
Matthew 26:38 Then He said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me.
On numerous times Jesus intimated that He was on a mission that no one really knew about and certainly didn’t understand, and here are some of those instances.
On His way to Jerusalem Matthew 20:18-19 Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes; and they will sentence Him to death And deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and whipped and crucified, and He will be raised [to life] on the third day.
What an awareness of that which awaited Him in Jerusalem, a consciousness that was with Him every moment of the day
When Salome, the mother of James and John asked a favour Matthew 20:22 But Jesus replied, You do not realize what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink and to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized ?
No explanation of the trauma that awaited Him, but the nature of Salome and her sons was to be totally oblivious to Jesus destiny.
After establishing the communion with the disciples. Matthew 26:31-32 Then Jesus said to them, You will all be offended and stumble and fall away because of Me this night [distrusting and deserting Me], for it is written, I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up [to life again], I will go ahead of you to Galilee.
When His mother enquired about the wine at the feast John 2:4 Jesus said to her, [Dear] woman, what is that to you and to Me? [What do we have in common? Leave it to Me.] My time (hour to act) has not yet come
Jesus also endured vicious assaults against His person in the form of plots and slanders and all sorts of derogatory insults, all the while knowing that there was a complete lack of recognition of who and what the people were addressing, but they were a constant reminder of what He faced..
In Matthew 13:55 the people show total disregards for His character, they denigrate Him, “Is not this the carpenter’s son”? It is true he was reputed to be so, and there should be no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. Even in Old Testament times the Priests had to make sacrifice for the “Sins of ignorance an thoughtlessness”. (Hebrews 9:7)
Even when His whole commission was the redemption of mankind, those for whom He was to suffer and die, and to carry the anticipation of that even, John says in 1:11, “He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own–His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him”.
How devastating it is to us when we are sometimes not accepted in a group, or a committee, or even by one we thought was a friend, but those to who Jesus came “they who were His own” but they turned Him down to His face.
There is another telling example when Jesus was with His disciples, a time I am sure He cherished because at least they had some affinity with Him, even in their ignorance. How poignant that He should try and educate them into what He knew was an unavoidable experience, and how compassionate to alert them so they could be ready for it.
Mar 8:31-33 And HE BEGAN TO TEACH THEM that the Son of Man must of necessity suffer many things and be tested and disapproved and rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be put to death, and after three days rise again [from death]. And He said this freely (frankly, plainly, and explicitly, MAKING IT UNMISTAKABLE). (There is absolutely no ambiguity in Jesus teaching, either then or now, He make is “UNMISTAKABLE .. comments mine)And Peter took Him by the hand and led Him aside and then [facing Him] began to rebuke Him. (The audacious Peter at his best .. comments mine) But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For YOU DO NOT HAVE A MIND INTENT ON PROMOTING WHAT GOD WILLS, but what pleases men [you are not on God’s side, but that of men].
Here we have one of the Lord’s closest friends and disciples being upbraided because having made the situation patently clear, in fact “UNMISTAKABLE”, Peter still doesn’t get it, his mind was not focused on what Jesus had just told them, he had another agenda.
I would suggest that we have also been similarly educated in what is required of us, “unambiguously”, in terms that are clear and concise, and we too frequently fail to grasp the significance of what Gods Word is saying to us because our “agenda” does not properly represent what is the object of our life.
In John 2:4 Jesus notes “My hour is not yet come”, as well as in John, 7:6-8, 8:20, He knew of plots against Him, John 5:13-16, In John 12:23 Then He knew His hour had come, and I find in almost incomprehensible for Jesus to be so calm as in:-
John 18:4 Then Jesus, KNOWING ALL THAT WAS ABOUT TO BEFALL HIM, went out to them and said, Whom are you seeking? [Whom do you want?]
All His life Jesus knew the purpose and outcome of what He was to be and do, His destiny, He came with the understanding that there was only suffering and rejection, pain and anguish, contempt and hate, bitterness and disappointment, and Mark sums it up so concisely when he penned so briefly, but oh so profoundly:-
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man came not to have service rendered to Him, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for (instead of) many.
So the question now is posed to us, DO WE HAVE ANY REAL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR, THE ROUTE WE ARE TO TRAVERSE, THE EXPERIENCES WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING, OR ARE WE BLISSFULLY UNAWARE, IGNORANT AND DISOBEDIENT BECAUSE WE DO NOT KNOW OUR TRUE DESTINY IN GOD.
Ephesians 5:10 And TRY TO LEARN [IN YOUR EXPERIENCE] what is pleasing to the Lord [let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him].
James 1:23-24 For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and PROMPTLY FORGETS WHAT HE WAS LIKE.
Pauls instructions to the Ephesians was that they should not only “LEARN” but also “LIVE” the truth that had been imparted to them, they should have an awareness of their purpose, and it came through experience and application.
Hebrews 5:9 And, [HIS (Jesus) COMPLETED EXPERIENCE] making Him perfectly [equipped], He became the Author and Source of eternal salvation to all those who give heed and obey Him
Are we facing any experiences that are intended to produce in us a result that is intended to “Perfectly equip”, to “let our lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to Him”, are we sufficiently “self aware” that our lives are not our own but have been “purchased” and therefore our expectations before God have similar implications as Jesus life, He came to do the Fathers will, and if we own Jesus as Lord, then we are similarly committed.
Whilst the following verses are ones we are completely familiar with in their theory, they identify that theory is not enough, it has to be by “AWARENESS, EXPERIENCE AND DEMONSTRATION”
1 Corinthians 6:19 DO YOU NOT KNOW (are you not sufficiently self aware? .. comments mine) that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN,
1 Corinthians 7:23 YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE [purchased with a preciousness and paid for by Christ]; then do not yield yourselves up to become [in your own estimation] slaves to men [BUT CONSIDER YOURSELVES SLAVES TO CHRIST].
1 John2:3 AND THIS IS HOW WE MAY DISCERN [DAILY, BY EXPERIENCE] that we are coming to know Him [to perceive, recognize, understand, and become better acquainted with Him]: if we keep (bear in mind, observe, practice) His teachings (precepts, commandments).
Our “SELF AWARENESS” has to replicate the characteristics that Jesus exemplified, not the self awareness that the world promotes, for that is foreign to the injunctions of scripture. It is not “WHO” we are so much as “WHAT” we are, “WHAT IS OUR REAL DESTINY IN CHRIST”.
The worlds approach to “SELF AWARENESS” is “to listen to yourself, take note of what things are going on in your mind” etc. EMOTIONAL STATES are intensified by self-awareness, however, some people seek to increase their self-awareness through these outlets. This sort of introspection only serves to elevate or denigrate ourselves and consists of a mind that is not sanctified..
That’s why the church today so often concentrates on “FEELINGS” RATHER THAT “DEALINGS”. The flashing lights, the loud music, the “mood lighting”, serve to contradict what Fathers expectations are.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I am fearful that somehow or other I may come and find you not as I desire to find you, and that you may find me too not as you want to find me–that perhaps there may be factions (quarreling), jealousy, temper (wrath, intrigues, rivalry, divided loyalties), selfishness, whispering, gossip, arrogance (self-assertion), and disorder among you.
Colossians 3:2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.
Oh that we could be so obedient in our appreciation and application of the Word that the same evidence would swamp the church today as it was in 2 Chronicles after the priests and the congregation had conducted service.
2 Chronicles 5:14 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE HOUSE OF GOD.
People are more likely to align their behaviour with their standards when made self-aware. People will be negatively affected if they don’t live up to their personal standards. But even more destructive can be those who devalue or delude themselves, or value others above themselves. The standard and the gauge must always be the Word of God, not our feelings, or sensations, not what other people tell us, but a conscientious response to the demands of God’s Word that will see us though to “OUR DESTINY”.
2 Corinthians 10:12 Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, THEY ARE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING AND BEHAVE UNWISELY.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. (To those who know and pursue their destiny in Christ .. comments mine)
This verse in Corinthians is suggesting, not very subtly, that those who engage in inappropriate self evaluation, using unreliable measurements or dimensions, are seriously immature, but more than that, out of order, whilst Romans sets the parameters whereby we should never condemn ourselves if we are truly identifying with Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:6 (B) you may learn [to think of men IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCRIPTURE and] not to go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up and inflated with pride and boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another.
Corinthians again counsels us to see what scripture says about our position in Christ, and recognise and rejoice in what Jesus made us, not what we think we have achieved. It has to be “IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCRIPTURE”, the only reliable blueprint and pattern that we can trust and aspire to.
Romans 12:3 For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.
And here is what Paul said to the Ephesians, and while not giving any room for self congratulation or an inflated ego, assures us that we have been made very special. And made special because we have a route established that assures us, neither boasting or denigrating ourselves, but walking just like He planned.
Ephesians 2:10 FOR WE ARE GOD’S [OWN] HANDIWORK (HIS WORKMANSHIP), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
We should not be discouraged if we feel that we haven’t made it yet, we are going through a “PROCESS” so that we can make “PROGRESS, and again scripture aids us in arriving at the correct perspective.
Philippians 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to FULL COMPLETION in you.
Do we understand what “FULL COMPLETION” means, it must become more than a theory that proposes an unreachable destiny, a hope that while it resonates is not yet realised, only because we still see ourselves from a “SELF AWARENESS” perspective and not as God intended or indeed as He views us. Jesus knew His destiny, WE MUST UNDERSTAND AND APPROPRIATE AND DEMONSTRATE WHAT WE ARE IN CHRIST BY OUR UNRELENTING AMBITION AND PURSUIT OF OUR DESTINY.
Colossians 2:10 (A) And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–and reach full spiritual stature
SELAH
oOo
Ross Smith 