Matthew 10:24-25 The disciple
is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord.
25 It is enough for the
disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord.
We will never be above the Lord Jesus Christ. He will always be our Lord. Yet it is His will that “the disciple be as his Master.” What does it mean for us to be as He is? In every way we are to become as He is. That is what the Body of Christ is becoming. We are to take on His nature, the divine nature of the Lord of glory. That is what it means to be born again – born with His divine nature. That doesn’t happen when you receive forgiveness for your sins and become a Christian. That is merely the open door to His life and nature, the access through which you may become as He is. Being born again is a process.
Being born again involves a two-fold process. There is the elimination of the humanistic self-life and the partaking of His divine nature. Both are worked by the Lord, but our initiative also has a part. It is not an automatic thing that happens without our involvement. First of all we understand that it is disciples who are given this opportunity to become as He is – The disciple is not above his Master…It is enough for the disciple to be as his Master. Also in Matthew 16:24-25, Then said Jesus unto His disciples (His disciples of today, too), if any man will come after Me (that is, become as I am), let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (This is our responsibility – deny self, take up the cross, and follow Him). For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. If you save your self-life from the work of the cross, you will lose the life you could have. If you are willing to lose your self-life, then you can become as He is. This is the process of being born again.
I Peter 4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.
We often talk about the work of the cross and how the Lord is coming forth within us and how it brings devastation to our soul-flesh nature, but when it happens it usually catches us off guard and we wonder what strange thing is happening to us. Regardless of how much you’ve studied about it in the Scriptures and regardless of how much revelation you have of it, you are found wondering what is going on in your life.
Revelation 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer.
In a real sense the life of each one of us is a world. The world of your life is unknown by many. In fact, there are depths of your life that even you do not know, but those depths will be touched when the Lord comes forth in your world. He is coming to be glorified in you (II Thessalonians 1:10), but He cannot be glorified in you as long as self is still on the throne of your heart. In order to establish His Kingdom in your life and His throne in your heart, He has to bring down everything within you that opposes His Lordship. Therefore, when He enters your world, He comes forth conquering and to conquer. It is then you’ll begin to understand what the Scripture means that says: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Revelation 6:12-14.
He brings down your world and establishes His world in you. There is a new heaven and a new earth for your first heaven and first earth are passed away and there is no more sea, no more confusion (Revelation 21:1). You have become the tabernacle of God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:4-5. Behold, He has made all things new and you have become as He is!
Copyright © 2003 by Henry DuBose