15 BUT WHEN JESUS KNEW IT, HE WITHDREW FROM THERE. AND GREAT MULTITUDES FOLLOWED HIM, AND HE HEALED THEM ALL.
16 YET HE WARNED THEM NOT TO MAKE HIM KNOWN,
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
18 “BEHOLD! MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN, MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL PLEASED! I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE WILL DECLARE JUSTICE TO THE GENTILES.
19 HE WILL NOT QUARREL NOR CRY OUT, NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS.
20 A BRUISED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK, AND SMOKING FLAX HE WILL NOT QUENCH, TILL HE SENDS FORTH JUSTICE TO VICTORY;
21 AND IN HIS NAME GENTILES WILL TRUST." "
Matthew 12:15-21 (NKJV)
One of the signs through which you would get to know that a believer or a minister is not yet truly or thoroughly broken—be made flexible or tempered or dealt with by God—is being vainglorious, showy and boastful. When such is trying to ascribe the glory of whatever is being done in his or her life and ministry to the self (Isaiah 42:8).
When Jesus withdrew from the pharisees and the scribes who were plotting to kill Him, multitudes followed Him and He healed them all (Matthew 12:15). But he did something amazing which some who professed to be following Him today are not doing. What did He do? "YET HE WARNED THEM NOT TO MAKE HIM KNOWN" (Matthew 12:16 NKJV).
Jesus would not want to be made known. He would not want to boast or brag about His work. But contrarily, we have seen so-called believers or ministers with a little result, which such would want to boast and would not want to identify with the lowly again.
Some so-called ministers are nearly being turned to God. And, most especially the people around some of them are not helping the matter. The people around them want to do more than what they are asked or instructed to do, all because of doing eye service. Unlike Jesus Who would not want to be announced or made known, there are ministers who are showy and wanted to be made known because of the little result they are having in their ministries (Matthew 15:16).
If you did allow too much noise on whatever you are being used to do by God, the noise might be the thing that would quench God's fire in your life and ministry. Some ministers and ministries are already made silenced because of their noises, plus the fact that the glory of their works are not given to God, but the self (Isaiah 42:8; Acts 12:21-23). What a minister should strenuously avoid is the sharing of the glory of whatever is being done in his or her ministry with God (Isaiah 42:8). Avoid vaingloriousness completely.
The Scripture in Matthew 12:18-21, quoted from Isaiah, which was being fulfilled by Christ Jesus, stresses that:
a. The Spirit of God would be on the Servant, the Anointed One or Messiah, and He will declare justice to the gentiles (Matthew 12:18).
b. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets (Matthew 12:19). In other words, He will not be excessively boastful, showy or flamboyant.
c. It was said of Him that He will not break a bruised reed and will not quench or extinguish smouldering wick or flax. In other words, those who are weak or not strong would not be killed, and would not desist until He sends justice to victory—until He establishes victory. That is He will do this until there is justice everywhere (Matthew 12:20).
d. The gentiles will trust in His name, because through Him they will be reconciled to God—All the nations will trust him to save them (Isaiah 12:21; Acts 4:12; 2 Corinthians 5:19,21).
Contrarily, there are many believers and ministers who are not like the Christ Who was described above in the Book of Isaiah and Matthew. There are ministers who are boastful, who wanted to be honoured and worshipped like God. Although, any number of such showy ministers would have not been genuinely of God, because a genuine minister of God would not ascribe the glory of his or her work to the self—they know that If they did, they will wither in no time (Acts 12:21-23).
Imitate Christ Jesus in humility and meekness:
5 LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS, 6 WHO, BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD, DID NOT CONSIDER IT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL WITH GOD, 7 BUT MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION, TAKING THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT, AND COMING IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN. 8 And BEING FOUND IN APPEARANCE AS A MAN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME OBEDIENT TO THE POINT OF DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS. 9 THEREFORE GOD ALSO HAS HIGHLY EXALTED HIM AND GIVEN HIM THE NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME, 10 THAT AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, OF THOSE IN HEAVEN, AND OF THOSE ON EARTH, AND OF THOSE UNDER THE EARTH, 11 AND THAT EVERY TONGUE SHOULD CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER" (Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV).
A believer or minister can only be lifted to higher honour through humility and that is found in the life of Christ Jesus—the reason why His name is highly exalted above every other name (Philippians 2:9-11). Therefore, emulate Him: "HUMBLE YOURSELVES IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP (James 4:10 NKJV)
Peace.
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