GYC Great Lakes 2011

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GYC Great Lakes

Dwayne Turner

Service or Stardom: To Which Have We Been Called?

The seminar that we're going to be looking at now is entitled service or stardom to which have we been called?

Have we been called to service or have we been called to be stars?

We're looking now at Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 11 if there be any, therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercy, fulfill ye my joy.

This is what the Lord loves, what he wants.

That ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of 1 accord, of 1 mind.

Let nothing be done through strife or, what does that say everyone?

Vain glory which means glory coming to yourself right?

But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

In other words we ought to take on the mind of Christ.

The way Christ conducted himself when he was on the earth was the pattern.

Who being, look at this now, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation.

In other words it would not be robbery for Jesus to be equal with God because Jesus is equal with God isn't that right?

But now we're talking about Jesus when he came to this earth.

And of course he is still fully God and fully man at this point right?

But at the same time it is speaking primarily now about the position that he took when he was on the face of this earth, making himself now subject to God, even though he is equal to God, right?

Now let me just stop for a second and just remind you.

Who being in the form of God, thought it not be robbery to be equal with God.

He is God and he comes to this earth and he remains God, but he's also Man, this is something that's so hard to understand, but it is a fact Okay, look at this next part.

He made himself of no reputation think about that for a minute God The Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit make up the Godhead.

God the Son took on the form of a man and now makes himself of no reputation, you're talking about a major step, and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the what?

Likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he did what?

Obedient unto death even the death of the cross.

So God, Jesus stepped down out of the ivory palaces of heaven itself.

This beautiful perfect place came down to the sin-cursed earth and said I'm going to take on the form of a man, humble myself, and make myself subject to God, though he's God himself.

If he can do that, I mean really do we have any business taking center stage?

Because at our best The Bible says our highest righteousness is his filthy rags.

At our best we are in sin sick and in need of a Savior.

Even if we've overcome all sin we still are in need of a Savior or we will fall back into sin.

He goes on to say wherefore God also have highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and of things heaven and things in earth and things under the earth but now the question is when?

So when the Bible says every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess, that is in the future, Isn't that right?

Now this text is basically highlighting the place that Jesus took when he was on the earth and it from that standpoint it is saying in the end every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Now at any point that you talk about Jesus he's still Lord, you follow?

But this what this essentially is saying is that down the road the whole world will have to admit that he is God even if they don't follow him.

In the end of the millennium that's right.

But you know now something I want to explain, tell you why I'm saying this because you know when the Bible says it starts talking you know the Beatitudes right in Matthew 5 and then eventually it starts talking about blessed are ye when men shall revile you shall persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake then it goes on to say rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you you've read this before as well great is your reward in heaven down the road we will be exalted but in order to get to that place we must humble ourselves now just as Jesus did Jesus took this humble position the role not of a star but the role of a servant.

In Isaiah 53 verses 2 and 3 it says for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground he hath no form or comeliness And when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Now by the way that is not talking about when the Lord comes.

That's talking about when Jesus comes to this earth the first time.

And we hid as it were our faces from him.

That's when he came to the earth the first time.

Why was he a man of sorrow created with grief?

His life was a standing rebuke to Israel.

In fact Israel was on it, let me just say this, Israel was on a path that was dangerous leading up to the time of Christ.

They said listen we want to get out from under the Roman yoke of oppression.

We're tired of being subjected to the Roman authorities.

Because they were so bent on worldly greatness, the time that Jesus came to this earth came and it went.

And it was, it was, what is the word I'm looking for, it was uneventful.

I mean in fact the only ones who really appreciated it were a few non-Adventists, the wise men, isn't that right?

And also these shepherds, but the wise men came because they were studying the prophecies.

That's what the white said and they studied by day because they couldn't see the star and then at night they recited the prophecies.

So they kept studying the word all the way up to the time in which Jesus came to this earth.

Following that star, wasn't a star, it was a constellation of angels that looked like a star, right?

But they kept following it until finally they met Jesus.

So, Jesus when he came, he had no form of comeliness And we saw him but there was no beauty that we should desire in him.

A man of sorrows, acquainted with griefs.

He went through all of these things when he was on the face of the earth.

I want to say again, it's because he stood for righteousness.

Now there is a place that all of us will find ourselves in if we stand for the right.

Standing for the right will bring the same reaction by the general populace that it had with Jesus.

When you stand for the right, it's a rebuke against those who are not standing for the right.

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Service or Stardom: To Which Have We Been Called?

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