Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

INTRODUCTION
The previous parts of this series established the internal foundation and the outward expression of Christlike character. Now, Jesus brings you to attitudes that require profound surrender, unwavering trust, and enduring faithfulness. These final five laws are not merely ethical instructions, but marks of spiritual adulthood.

Jesus confronts the anxieties that dominate humanity, the desire for retaliation, the instinct for self-preservation, and the natural pull toward comfort and control. He calls you to trust God the Father completely, to lay down your rights, to deny yourself, to give generously, and to lead by serving.

These attitudes reflect the life Jesus emphasized in its fullest form, a life shaped by the cross and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is here that you discover what it truly means to follow Jesus into the depths of discipleship, where His character becomes your own, and His mission becomes your calling.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16:24-27)

THE LAW OF TRUST OVER ANXIETY
Jesus taught that anxiety reveals misplaced trust. God the Father feeds the birds and clothes the flowers, and if He does this, how much more will He care for someone like you made in His image?

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

Hand your fears over to God on a daily basis. Don’t focus on tomorrow’s uncertainties, but on being obedient to the teaching of Jesus today. Think about the Son of God’s faithfulness throughout history and rest in the fact that He is unchanging.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

THE LAW OF NON-RETALIATION
Jesus forbade retaliation because the Kingdom of God breaks the cycle of violence by offering mercy where others demand vengeance.

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:38-39)

Refuse to strike back at those who hurt you. Pray for those who wound you and trust God to judge them righteously. Revenge only magnifies the hurt, hate, anger, bitterness, and wrath that builds up in your soul. God’s grace disarms the negativity and gives you peace in the midst of the storm.

THE LAW OF SELF-DENIAL
Discipleship demands surrender. Jesus calls you to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow Him entirely.

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

This means that you yield your preferences to God’s purposes. Embrace sacrifice joyfully. See the cross as gain, not as loss. Self-denial frees you to walk in abundant life promised by Jesus.

THE LAW OF COMPASSIONATE GENEROSITY
Jesus taught radical generosity and emphasized a willingness to give that mirrors the character of God the Father. True giving is measured by compassion, not by amount.

“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” (Luke 6:30)

Give without expecting repayment. Practice spontaneous kindness. Let the Holy Spirit loosen your grip on possessions because generosity is reflected in how God the Father gave God the Son to be a payment for your sins.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

THE LAW OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Jesus contrasted worldly leadership with kingdom leadership. He came “as one that serves,” establishing the pattern for His disciples.

“But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” (Luke 22:26-27)

Lead by example, not demand. Elevate others rather than yourself. Let the Holy Spirit form a desire to serve in you. Servant leadership is the signature of Christlike maturity.

AMBASSADORS
We are called to serve as ambassadors, reflecting the Kingdom of God to which we belong. An ambassador does not create policy; he simply represents and carries out the will of the one who sends him. As citizens of heaven, we do not invent our own standards, but display and uphold the values of the kingdom we represent.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

CONCLUSION
The Holy Spirit did not indwell people prior to the day of Pentecost and this is why Jesus could not demand His followers obey the attitude laws – it was impossible because this is only achievable through the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Kingdom of God came into existence with the resurrection of Jesus. More is demanded from New Testament believers, but sadly, few are baptized in the Holy Spirit.

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39)

As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, do not declare your love for Jesus unless you are also willing to obey Him.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

The final five attitude laws (trust over anxiety, non-retaliation, self-denial, compassionate generosity, and servant leadership) describe the advanced stages of kingdom maturity. These attitudes require deep surrender and steady reliance on the Holy Spirit. They will stretch you beyond self-preservation, self-promotion, and self-interest, and call you to a life modeled after Jesus.

The Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus. He is the Creator, the Lawgiver, and the Redeemer of mankind. Jesus is the doorway to eternal life, and the key that grants access to the Father.

This is the life shaped by the cross of Jesus where you implicitly trust God the Father in every circumstance, lay down your rights, give freely, and lead by serving. These attitudes are not for the casual believer. They mark those who have been shaped by Jesus and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We see the fullness of what Jesus intended; a person who reflects His character, and represents His kingdom with power and grace.

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)