Part 1 - King Jesus

Introduction

Jesus Christ is the ultimate man. He is the One every believing man wants to emulate. We are bombarded daily with images and impressions and attitudes from society's popularized men, but none of them are worthy to loose Jesus' sandal strap.

There is no athlete or actor or businessman or celebrity worthy of our emulation. Only Jesus, the perfect man, should capture our attention and affections. He is our perfect example.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate man.

Two Ditches

Unfortunately, however, many Christian men have fallen into one of two ditches when thinking about Jesus as the perfect man. On one side, believing men will often fake Christlikeness in public while flailing in private. Our words, actions, and demeanor will have an appearance of godliness, but without any personal power. On the other side, believing men will often give up on any attempt at Christlikeness, believing Jesus is an unattainable goal. And, though we know we will only be glorified when we see him face-to-face, many men erroneously believe there is no chance they can be like him today.

But there is hope. Though we should not fake Christlikeness, we also should not give up on it either, for Christlikeness is the goal of the Holy Spirit within you.

Key Scripture: "And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:18, NLT)

What this means is that the power of the entire Godhead is aimed at transforming you and me into the image of Christ. He makes us more and more like him. As we walk with God, we are changed into his glorious image. So Christlikeness isn't something we fake, nor is it an impossible goal, but it is something the Father is working in us by his Spirit.

In other words, as much as Christlikeness is your mission, it is more so God's mission.

Key Point: Whatever Jesus is like is what the Spirit tries to produce in us.

What Is Jesus Like?

Now, this leads to a question. If Christlikeness is our aim -- and also God's aim -- what was Christ like? If the character and nature of Jesus are what God is trying to produce in us, what do that character and nature look like?

To answer that question, we will think of three roles Jesus filled. In recent years, attention has been given to the king, prophet, and priest roles within ancient Israel. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of all three. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the greatest prophet who ever lived; the Word made flesh. And He is our great high priest, and he intercedes for us today.

With this in mind, we can consider how He might want to work in us. His role as king, how could it influence us today? His role as prophet, how does it impact us? His priestly service, do we copy it? In other words, Jesus is the perfect king, prophet, and priest. The Spirit wants to infuse Jesus' life into ours, so we will grow in all three areas.

Remember, "Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). He has something for you. He longs to transform you.

So let's set our sights upon Jesus: specifically, upon two elements under each heading. Jesus as King, two things. Jesus as Prophet, two things. Jesus as Priest, two things. This is not exhaustive. But I believe the Spirit wants to infuse these six attributes into us as God's men.

King Jesus

Revelation 19:16 (ESV)—16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus is supreme. He is the highest. He is to have the preeminence in all things. There is never a room he walks into where he is not the greatest. He is always supreme.

Additionally, he knows this. He is not insecure or uncertain of the incredible position that is his. He gets it. The night he was betrayed, he knew. "Knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going back to God," he then washed the disciples' feet (John 13:3). Full of that knowledge, he humbled Himself and served his men.

Be Humble

He is supreme, yet he humbled himself and served. This is the kind of King we have in Him -- the servant of all.

So the man of God will humble himself. God has put people in your life. Your aim isn't self-promotion, to climb the ladder of success, but service. Climb the ladder of service, and God will bring you his version of success.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 4:10, ESV)

"The greatest among you will be the servant of all," Jesus said (see Mark 10:41-45). We lower ourselves as Jesus lowered Himself.

Who has God given you responsibility for? Lower yourself for them. We aren't the King of Kings. We're not even the king of our living rooms.

If the King of Kings lowered himself for his people, we must lower ourselves for our people. Our community needs us to humble ourselves for them. Our families. Our wives. Our children. Our friends. Our churches. We must lower ourselves like Christ.

In Philippians, Paul dropped one of the most theologically rich principles on the Philippian church. It almost appears accidental. He wanted them to love and serve one another with humility. So he told them to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5):

"who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6–8, ESV)

Jesus "emptied himself" -- that's the theological bombshell scholars have tripped themselves up over ever since. The God-King, the eternally pre-existent sovereign who upholds the universe by the word of his power, emptied himself. He took the form of a servant. And he humbled himself to the death of the cross. Let us follow his humble example.

Be a Leader

But, as King, Jesus led his disciples and leads his church today. During his life, he called people to follow him. He asked fishermen to set down their nets and let him make them into fishers of men. He demanded their entire lives. And much of the New Testament is concerned with connection to Jesus' leadership right now.

Now, we do not have little kingdoms to lead. We are not sovereigns in whatever environment our Lord has placed us. We do not ask for people to leave all and follow after us. Not at all. But his kingly nature can become part of our daily experience as we lead as Christ would have us lead.

We must first lead ourselves. We have bodies and minds and hearts that must be submitted to Christ. We must use our feet to get to the church gathering, use our hands to serve others, and use our eyes and ears and mouths for that which glorifies God. We must lead ourselves.

As Paul said, "This is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you knows how to control his own body" (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4a). That is self-leadership. And as Christlikeness increases, so will our ability to lead our own lives toward a certain destination. Jesus was always working toward the cross and the establishment of the church. Everything he did had a goal. And Christ's man, as he becomes more like his Lord, will increasingly demonstrate intentionality when it comes to his finances, time, and relationships.

We must also lead in our workplaces. God designed us to fill the earth and subdue it. He made a garden for us to tend and keep. He made us to work. Work became harder because of sin, but it is still one of the best ways for us to love our neighbor and serve our God. In our workplaces, even if we aren't in positions of leadership, we can lead by example, attitude, and effort.

Those of us who are married or have children are called to lead in our families. The exemplary believer -- elders -- are called to manage their households well (1 Timothy 3:4). This is not the Bible's way of saying no one else has to lead their families well -- only the pastors -- but is the Bible's way of elevating a goal or standard for all of us to strive for and emulate. Pastors should manage their homes well, rather than punting all the details of family priorities, child development, and finances to their wives. We must lead in our homes. Be involved.

And we must lead in our churches and communities. There are people to serve, ministries to engage in, and problems to solve. Teams need coaches. New believers need mentors. Children need guidance. Let us lead and serve well.

In the book of Judges, during a particularly dark time in Israel's history, it was time for Israel to go to war. A man named Barak was approached. He wouldn't go into battle unless Deborah, the prophetess, went with him. He should have been willing to obey and go without her -- begrudgingly, she went. And God gave them victory.

After winning, they sang a new song. It began this way: "That the leaders took the lead in Israel!" (Judges 5:2). Israel had leaders. But it was a blessing when they led. It is possible to have the position and do nothing with it. Lead. Get after it. Go!