Category Archives: Ephesians

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 2)?
August 12, 2000 Sermon by DRW Passage Ephesians 5.1

The question we pose this week is the same as the one from last week: What Would Jesus Want You to Do? We have already seen that we must learn the Bible, listen to the Holy Spirit, lean on the resurrection power of God, and love Jesus. But, what will we look like when we do these things? What would our life be characterized by? If we begin to do the things that Jesus would want us to do, by following those four steps, what would we look like? We know that our life would be characterized by those characteristics that were consistently demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus Himself.

When people saw Him, they knew He was different. It wasn’t because He looked different (Isaiah says He was no different than any man in appearance); not because He was wealthy (the Gospels tell us that He relied on the gifts of those who followed Him); not because He had power (His power was withheld; He told the officials that He could send down legions of angels to destroy them and yet didn’t). What made Him different was that His message aligned with His life. He was what He preached, first and foremost. If we truly want to have an impact on the world around us, we need to portray those same things that Jesus did on a daily basis.

1.  What Jesus would do, I should do . . .

1.  He was gracious, I need to be too (Luke 4.22; John 1.14f, John 1.18f)

Jesus was grace personified. He came to explain the Father and His words were gracious, that is filled with grace. His number one priority in life was to allow people to experience that grace in salvation. Our lives need to have the number one priority of allowing people to experience the grace of God through our lives. God’s riches at Christ’s expense for our sake is a good definition of grace. This means displaying our personal relationship with God before others and to live a life that personifies forgiveness. For this is grace, the art of graciousness.

2.  He was angry, I need to be too

In a dramatic scene, Mark portrays Jesus “looking around with anger” at religious leaders (3:5). They were concerned only to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. When Jesus did, they immediately plotted to kill Him. But though Jesus was angry with these religious rulers, He was also “grieved by their hardness of heart.” While the cruelty of their callousness deserved His anger, the condition of their stony hearts caused Him grief.

Aristotle saw clearly that “anyone can become angry — that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way — that is not easy.” That is the challenge before us.

Jesus felt “indignant” (Mark 10:14) when His disciples did not allow mothers to bring their children to Him for his blessing. The disciples’ self-importance irritated Jesus. Jesus slapped them with stinging rebukes: “Let the children come to Me; stop preventing them.” Jesus then hugged the children, blessed them, and laid His hands on them (10:16). Jesus’ feeling of annoyance with the disciples quickly gave way to an outpouring of warm affection for the children.

In another instance, commercialism in the temple inflamed the zealous anger of Jesus and moved Him to a violent action. The words of the prophet were like fire in His bones: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa. 56:7). …Though the terrified merchants running from the crack of His whip saw only the destruction of business as usual, Jesus’ anger was motivated by “zeal for [God’s] house” (John 2:17, quoting Ps. 69:9).

Our anger is often sparked by a threat to our own self-interests and usually results in bitter hostility. We need to heed Paul’s warning: “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). The temple-cleansing story is too often used to justify incivility and unforgiving animosity. Paul knew of our propensity to legitimize our self-centeredness, and so his words on anger are full of warning. Anger is fire. When it burns destructively, it harms and destroys life. But the anger of Jesus kindles a flame within us that warms and restores life.

It is this passion for the holiness of God that must consume us in holy rage. To be angry like He was angry is to know the Word of God so deeply that we know what angers Him and we get involved with Him. What angers Him today in your life?

3.  He showed grief, I need to as-well

Think about the story we call Jesus’ “triumphal entry” (Luke 19:41-44). In Roman tradition, a triumphal procession showcased a victorious general riding in a gold-covered chariot pulled by powerful white horses. His army marched in resplendent array behind him. Wagons loaded with spoils and slaves attested to his power.

But Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey. A motley parade of peasants and children cheered Him on His way as their long-awaited king. And the emotion that best describes Jesus’ state as He rode was grief.

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem as He rode down the Mount of Olives into the city. His words describing the impending catastrophe were hyphenated by sobs. He wept, He wailed with grief over the coming desolation of Jerusalem.

Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Witnesses said, “See how He loved him” (John 11:36). When Jesus saw Mary weeping, “He was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (11:33). When He stepped near to the tomb of His friend, “again He was greatly disturbed” (11:38). When the word “disturbed” was used for animal sounds, it denoted the loud, angry snorting of horses. When used for human emotions, it emphasized the mixture of anguish and rage. Jesus wept. His groans welled up from the depths of His spirit, racked His body, shook the tombs, and echoed back from them. He raged against death, that terrible enemy that had attacked this, and every, family.

Likewise, Jesus was “troubled in spirit” when He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him (John 13:21). He grieved over this betrayal by His friend Judas. Jesus had lavishly given His love to Judas. He called Judas to be one of the inner circle with the Twelve, to be close to Him, and to participate in His work. He gave Judas the moneybag. He washed his feet. He gave Judas the place of honor next to Him at the table. He gave him the dipped bread, a sign of love. All the time He knew that Judas would betray Him. But still Jesus did not withdraw to protect Himself. He gave himself to Judas without measure, and so he set Himself up to suffer the pain of betrayal. When Judas led the temple troops to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus called him “friend.”

The Gospels portray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as one who is crushed by a heavy load of grief. He did not shrink from disclosing His deepest and darkest emotions to His disciples: “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). He begged them to stay awake and keep Him company, but they “slept because of sorrow.” His emotions were too heavy for them to bear. They escaped into sleep, leaving Jesus alone. “Terror-stricken and in terrible anguish” (Mark 14:33), Jesus agonized over the awful choice to endure or to escape the cross. As He wrestled in prayer, He was drenched in His own sweat “which ran like blood to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus’ familiarity with grief should give us pause. Too often we hear Americanized versions of the gospel that offer quick fixes, easy solutions, and suffering-free Christianity. We need the reminder that the man who knew God most intimately and fulfilled His will most completely was described by Isaiah as a “suffering servant”: “Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows” (53:4).

What is grieving you today? Your sins grieve Jesus, do they grieve you? Are you hurting over the loss of a loved one, have you grieved. Today, Karen isn’t here so I can tell the story of the year I grieved. JUDI.

Do you see others around you who are grieving? Are you ministering to their hurts or adding to them by passing them up? Think of someone who needs comfort, will you comfort them today? Write them a letter, call them, e-mail them. Let them know you care.

4.  He was joyful, I need to be too (Luke 10.21f)

While Jesus was a “Man of Sorrows,” Luke also paints a scene where Jesus “rejoiced very greatly in the Spirit” (Luke 10:21)—which implies more than cracking a smile. The occasion for this outburst was the return of the 70 from their successful mission. They had been given spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy and had liberated hostages. There was good reason to celebrate.

But Jesus cautions them, “Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (10:20). No matter how much power they exercised in their ministry, the ultimate source of their joy was to be rooted in their heavenly community: their names were written in heaven. Ministry is temporary. Life in the Kingdom is permanent. Then Jesus joyfully thanked the Father for opening the hearts of the disciples to see this and to enter into the fellowship of the Father and the Son (10:21-24).

On the evening of His execution, Jesus told His disciples that all He had revealed to them was so that “My joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11; 17:13). They should abide in His love as He always abides in the love of the Father (15:10), and they should be one as He and the Father are one (17:11). Here again joy is the mark of life within divine love relationships.

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, was also the Man of Joy. He obeyed the will of the Father and endured the cross by focusing on the joy set before Him—the joy of unshakable love relationships in heaven (Hebrews 12:2, 22).

What brings you joy? Not happiness, which is temporary, but lasting joy? Where did Jesus joy come from? It came from His relationship with the Father and His brothers. 1 John 1.1-4 reminds us that our joy comes from the same place: our relationship with God and our brothers.

How are you doing in those very important relationships? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your brother as yourself? This is your cause for joy. The way you can tell whether your relationship with God is good is if your relationships with people are good (1 John 4). If you want joy in your life, check your relationships with others. Are they godly?

5.  He was truthful, I need to be too (John 1.18; Ephesians 4.15; John 14.6)

This quality of Jesus often got Him into a lot of trouble. When He told the Pharisees the truth, they sought to kill Him. If you claim to be honest, claim to have integrity, you set yourself up to be shot at. Jimmy Carter once said, “I won’t lie to you”. A correspondent on the White House staff said that as soon as the president said that, a whole group of correspondents determined to prove that he lied. They weren’t interested in anything else. This is Jesus, and needs to be us.

Jesus was honest with the rich young ruler, the Pharisees, the Samaritan woman, and many others in the Gospels. Even though this might have estranged them, He spoke the truth. It was more important to have integrity, to be truthful, than to be accepted with dishonesty. Even though He was rejected by many and accepted by few, He felt it necessary to always speak the truth in love, to wrap His words in grace.

How do you speak to your friends? Are you always truthful? What about with your parents? Your boss? Your teachers? Do these people trust you? Do they say that your word is as good as gold? I remember watching Kung Fu: The Legend Continues where Kane was asked if he was lying by someone who didn’t know him. The person asked him, “How can I believe you?” His response was, “I never lie.” That needs to be our response as-well. No matter the circumstances, we always bear a truthful witness. When we lie, we are letting others and God know that we don’t trust God. Tell the truth.

6.  He was flexible, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14-we must realize that we meet the needs of people in different ways. As the old saying goes, “Different strokes for different folks.” Or as Paul said, “I become all things to all men that I might win some to the Lord. To the Jew, I am a Jew; to the Greek, a Greek.”

Jesus confronted the Pharisees; admonished James and John; comforted Timothy (2 Timothy 1.7); and prayed for Peter.

We must admonish the unruly; encouraged those of little faith; and support the weak. This is being flexible. How do you fare? When dealing with your brother or sister, do you treat them as if they were older, younger? Do you treat you friends, family, co-workers, etc., as they need to be treated? That is, you don’t treat a 28 year-old as if he were a 12 year-old. And you don’t treat an 8th grader as if he held a degree in engineering. How you treat people is important, but how you change to meet their needs is even more important. That is the art of being flexible.

7.  He was patient, I need to be too

1 Thessalonians 5.14 reminds us to be patient with all men. Jesus was patient with the sleeping disciples. He gave them a gentle admonition. Jesus is very patient with us because He loves us. God is waiting for people to come to know Him as Saviour; His love waits. Love motivates patience.

There is a story of a mother who took her six-year-old boy into a doctor’s crowded waiting room. As they waited their turn, he began to ask her all kinds of questions. In half an hour he managed to cover almost every subject known to humanity. To the wonder of all the others sitting in the room, his mother answered each question carefully and patiently.

Inevitably, he got around to God. As the other people listened to his relentless “how’s” and “why’s,” it was plain to see by the expressions on their faces that they wondered: “How does she stand it?” But when she answered her son’s next question, she answered theirs too. “Why,” he asked, “doesn’t God ever get tired and just stop?” “Because,” she replied after a moment’s thought, “God is love; and love never gets tired.”

How patient are we toward people? I dare say, not as patient as we should be. Our love for God determines our love for people and our patience towards them.

If we are truly patient with people we will build a hopeful future for them. Jesus was being asked many questions during the last supper. He could have tired. But He continued answering questions. In John 14 we see why. He wanted to give them a hope that tomorrow will still be there, and He will be with them in the Holy Spirit. Do we provide people with hope? We do when we show them patience.

8.  He was empowering, I need to be too

Jesus enabled the 70 to evangelize, the 12 to change the world. And He empowers us to do mighty works today through the power of the Spirit who dwells in us. The Holy Spirit is our ally. He produces in us conviction, regeneration, and transformation. He is the agent of change in our lives. He enables us to do what we previously were incapable of doing.

At one time a group of men were attempting to raise an obelisk in Egypt to its base, and the work was under the supervision of a very exact and careful engineer. They had raised the great mass of granite to within a few inches of the level of the base and then were unable to lift it further. They could not get it up to the level of the pedestal by their utmost efforts. But there was a secret in nature that they did not know. There was a sailor there who knew all about it. He shouted, “Wet the ropes!” As they did so, the ropes began to groan, and strain, and shrink, and the great mass rose, and rose, till it came to the level of the base, and they could push it over and establish it firmly on its pedestal. It was a little secret, but it was an effectual one. The men had pulled at the cordage and strained away at it, but the obelisk was in mid-air, and there it hung until the cry came to wet the ropes. The instant you let the Holy Spirit saturate your soul, the Lord Jesus Christ brings into it all His infinite forces of love and power. One touch of God will do all that your tugging and struggling could not do.

This is what Jesus has done for us. Are we doing this for other people. I am not saying that we become the Holy Spirit for them. But that we enable them to trust the Spirit, that we free them to trust the Word of God by our trust, that we trust the Spirit’s power and direction so that it is contagious and others will want what we have.

9.  He was humble, I need to be too

Although He is the Creator of the universe, He became a creation. Although He deserves to be praised and worshiped by all living creatures, He served those around Him even to the point of washing their feet.

How are we doing here? Are there things you won’t do because you feel it is below you to do them? Did Jesus? No. Are there people you won’t talk to because they don’t fit in with your kind? Did Jesus? No.

10.     He was cooperative, I need to be too

Jesus had the 12 disciples helping Him. Today, He has us as His ambassadors to this world. We need to be cooperative with His people and with His Spirit so we can accomplish great things here in Southern California.

During World War II, over China and Burma, the Flying Tigers of General Claire Chennault were out-numbered—in the air, on the ground, and in planes, pilots, and parts. Yet they destroyed 217 enemy planes and probably 43 more, according to James Wilson in his book “The Principles of War.” Chennault had 20 operational P-40s and this remarkable record was accomplished in 31 encounters. His losses were six pilots and 16 planes.

Throughout the campaign, Chennault used a strategy that the enemy apparently never discovered. His men flew in pairs firmly committed to each other. Even when out-numbered 10 to one, Chennault never sent up 10 planes to the enemy’s 100. He sent up five pairs of two; each pair went after one enemy plane at a time. His two aircraft always out-numbered the enemy’s one.

Chennault was using the principle of concentration. Before, his pilots engaged in individual dogfights which as sport were superb, he said, but as war were all wrong.

We are at war against the prince of the power of the air—Satan, the deceiver, who can still be overcome by those who use cooperation and other sound principles found in God’s Word. Jesus used cooperation when He sent out the disciples in pairs.

Who are you in ministry with? Who do you have to confide in? Who do you know will support you? Who do you know that will back you up and help you out?

11.     He was prayerful, I need to be too

One of the survival tactics of Jesus was prayer. Whenever a decision came, He prayed. Whenever a need arose, He prayed. Whenever He was hurting, He prayed. Whenever He was thankful, He prayed. This is why Paul tells us to pray without ceasing.

Why don’t we pray? There are at least five reasons we don’t pray, according to Richard Halverson:

1.  Unbelief.

1.  We don’t think it really works.

2.  It’s just something you have to endure in church.

2.  Indifference.

1.  We don’t pray until a problem is huge because we think we can handle it.

3.  Priorities.

1.  Other things are more important to us and we think it will work itself out.

4.  It is hard work to focus on God and give Him our daily life and all it entails.

5.  We are focused on this world.

1.  We limit our goals to what we expect here and now.

2.  The things of God do not mean much to us because they deal with something other than the here and now in our minds.

We are called to be like Jesus in prayer. He prayed as if His life depended on it, do we?

12.     He was goal oriented, I need to be too

Jesus was seeking change in the lives of people. Whenever He met someone, their lives changed. Simon became Peter; the Samaritan woman turned her life around; Martha quit being busy and sought Jesus; the rich young ruler refused to change. He was asking each of these to consider what they live for. If it wasn’t eternal, He asked them to change their goals.

What do you have to live for? Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that “Hope without an object cannot live.” If you have ever lost the focus of life, you understand hopelessness. Perhaps you have invested much into your job, marriage, or the struggles of life; and then you saw it all destroyed. The object of your hope is gone, and you feel dead and aimless.

Psychologist William Marston asked 3,000 people this question: “What do you have to live for?”

94 percent responded that they were merely enduring their lives, hoping someday that things would get better. This is something that we need change. This world is living for a hopeless end. The Christian has an endless hope. How can we live our lives in such a way as to offer life changing, goal oriented hope?

I like what Thoreau said: In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore . . . they had better aim at something high.

I believe this is important for us today. As people are looking for something to live for, we can offer them something mediocre or something great, depending upon what we are aiming at. I am aiming at becoming Christ-like. What are you aiming for? If it is anything less it will produce anxiety and hopelessness in the long run. If we achieve our goals, we have no purpose for living; if we don’t, we are left hopeless. The good news of the gospel is that the goal of becoming Christ-like is attainable when we reach Heaven. But, I can see the progress down here too. What changes do you need to make in order to be more like Him?

13.     He was peaceful, I need to be too

Although Jesus did lash out in holy anger at times, for the most part He was a very peaceful man. When times were tough, He was at peace. When they were trying to frame Him in the courts, He was peaceful. He found His rest in God (Isaiah 30.15).

We need to know that God is in control. Then we shall have peace. If we truly want to live a peaceful life, we must know that God is in control of everything.

14.     He was forgiving, I need to be too (Luke 23.34)

When Jesus was on the cross, He asked the Father to forgive the people who crucified Him. When Jesus was asked how many times should we forgive someone, He answered cryptically. We know He told Peter, 70 times 7. This doesn’t mean 490 times. It may not even imply an infinite amount of times. The book of Daniel tells us that Jesus will come back to establish His throne at the end of 70 times 7 weeks. Could Jesus be telling us to forgive until He returns, when no forgiveness will be necessary?

What happens when we don’t forgive? When somebody’s done me wrong, my gut instinct is to lash back, to let the anger burn, to plot revenge. Often, forgiveness is the last thing on my mind. But then I start to get these weird feelings. I get tense. Upset. Mad.

When I don’t forgive, those feelings get even uglier, going through a typical progression. When I don’t forgive, I often feel…

*   judgmental (“You’re a jerk!”)

*   hateful (“I despise you!”)

*   guilty (“I feel bad about the way I reacted.”)

*   unforgiven (“If I don’t forgive you, do I deserve God’s forgiveness?”)

There’s a reason, of course, that my thoughts progress to the point of feeling unforgiven:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

When I don’t forgive others, I’m essentially saying, “You’re a sinner, and I’m not.” But God can’t forgive me until I admit that I, like everyone else, have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and that I need his forgiveness.

When I do choose to forgive, I go through a whole new set of feelings, feelings that free me, alleviate my stress, and generally make me more fun to be around. Feelings that, pretty much, are just the opposite of the ones I’ve already described.

When I forgive, I feel:

*   non-judgmental

*   merciful

*   guilt-free

*   forgiven

Those are good things. But they’re not the only reasons to forgive. The main reason is this: God tells us to forgive.

Forgiveness is healing—not only for me, but also for those I forgive. When I choose to forgive, relationships can be restored—not only between me and others, but between me and God, too.

Now, forgiveness isn’t easy. Sometimes, it seems downright impossible—and without God’s help, it would be. God never said forgiveness would be easy. Do you think it was easy for Jesus, His hands and feet nailed to the cross, to forgive the people who so mercilessly carried out such a cruel execution (See Luke 23:34.)?

It’s not easy for us to forgive others either—even though the “trespasses against us” that we experience almost every day are pretty insignificant compared to Jesus death.

But forgiveness is the right thing to do. Not only because it brings the nice, warm feelings of freedom and joy, but because God wants us to do it. And that’s reason enough to forgive.

Who do you need to forgive today? Who do you need to seek forgiveness from?

15.     He was loving, I need to be too

Love permeated, guided, and empowered the spectrum of Jesus’ emotions. He felt compassion, was angry, grieved, and rejoiced because He loved. Love is an unshakable commitment of the will. Love transcends feelings and keeps on going when feelings falter or vanish. But love also involves and expresses emotions.

Jesus loved with strong desire. He told His friends, “I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The combination of the verb “desire” and the noun “desire” doubles the intensity in Jesus’ expression of His deep longing to be with His friends.

When a wealthy young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked how he could inherit eternal life, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21). As soon as He saw him, affection welled up in His heart for him, just as sometimes when you meet someone, you get a strong feeling that this person could be your best friend.

His love led Him to suffer and die. Jesus pointed to His sacrificial death as the ultimate measure of His love. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He asks His friends to live up to that standard of love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you…. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12, 14). To live by that standard of love requires much more than emotions. It calls for total commitment to give up your life for someone else and to trust in the power of God to keep that commitment. But loving as Jesus loves also includes emotions—intense, diverse, deep emotions. His kind of love will arouse emotions of compassion, anger, grief, and joy.

Sometimes we want insurance against the heartbreaks of love. The way of Stoic “apathy” seems safer than the emotional traumas that inevitably accompany the way of loving as Jesus loved. But hardening ourselves against the pains of love kills the capacity to love. As C. S. Lewis warns us in THE FOUR LOVES: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus’ emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus’ emotions are like a mountain river, cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy water or feeble trickling. Jesus invites us to come to Him and drink. Whoever is thirsty and believes in Him will have the river of His life flowing out from the innermost being (John 7:37-38). We are not to be merely spellbound by what we see in the emotional Jesus; we are to be unbound by His Spirit so that His life becomes our life, His emotions our emotions, to be “transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory.”

As we follow the four “L’s” from last week (learn, listen, lean, and love), these will things that we have spoken on today will become parts of our lives. Some will come more easily than others; some will require work on our part; but the good news is that God will develop them in our lives as we submit to Him.

Father,

The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant “emotional” colors. Jesus felt COMPASSION; he was ANGRY, INDIGNANT, and CONSUMED WITH ZEAL; he was TROUBLED, GREATLY DISTRESSED, VERY SORROWFUL, DEPRESSED, DEEPLY MOVED, and GRIEVED; He SIGHED; He WEPT and SOBBED; He GROANED; He was IN AGONY; He was SURPRISED and AMAZED; He REJOICED VERY GREATLY and was FULL OF JOY; He GREATLY DESIRED, and He LOVED.

In our quest to be like Jesus we often overlook the emotions that characterized His life. We know, Father, that Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human and made in the Your image. His emotions reflect the Your image without any deficiency or distortion. When we compare our own emotional lives to His, we become aware of our need for a transformation of our emotions so that we can be fully human, as He was.

Help us to do this. Help us to recognize our need to be more like Jesus. Look over the incomplete list before you. Ask God to take one of them and help you become more like Jesus this week in that area. Make a commitment to Him to do what Jesus would want you to do.

Father, we commit our lives to You. Help us to be more like You.

Amen.


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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 1)?

What would Jesus Want You to Do (part 1)?
August 05, 2000 Sermon by DRW Passage Ephesians

 

Question Yes No                                                                                Maybe(only 2)
1.  hang out with people who treat others badly
2.  hug a stranger who has AIDS
3.  cheat on a test to get a passing grade
4.  help a relative die who has a terminal illness
5.  stay at a party where people are drinking
6.  copy answers from a friend’s homework
7.  keep the money when the cashier gives you too much change
8.  smoke a cigarette
9.  lie to your parents
10.      speed to make it to school on time
11.      maintain sexual purity
12.      spread rumors about someone who hurt you
13.      lie for a friend to an authority figure
14.      be the first to talk to the new person in school
15.      date someone who doesn’t believe in God
16.      sneak out after curfew

Directions for chart:

Read off each statement, have the people place a check mark in the appropriate box. Let them know they can only have two maybe’s. Have them “take a stand” on an issue. Yes, they would do that or no, they would not. Only allow two maybes per person. The goal is for them to make a decision.

The trick about this is not telling them what you plan to do after you go through the entire list. After you read off the last item, you repeat the list with a different question. It’s no longer “what would you do,” but instead it is “what would Jesus want you to do?” At this point they will place a X to signify their answer. If it is the same, they can make their check into an X.

What did you notice about the marks you made? Were they the same in both cases or do you realize that you have to change a few things in your life to match the title of the sermon? This is why we ask this important question:

I.  What would Jesus Want You to Do?

A. A significant and answerable question because it is a

1.  Call to imitation (Ephesians 5.1)

The apostle Paul made this very commitment. He resolved to live his life for Jesus, no matter the cost or consequences. In Ephesians 5.1 he wrote, “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.” The word for “followers” is μιμηταὶ. The word means to imitate and describes a mimic, an actor. True Christians are imitators of Christ. In Acts 11.26, it says the followers of Christ were “first called Christians at Antioch” because their lives, actions, values, and attitudes reminded unbelievers of Jesus Christ! He was their purpose for living. Paul thought he knew God until he met Jesus Christ. Jesus came to this earth to reveal God and redeem man. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, confessed Him as Lord and Savior, and became a mimic, an imitator, a follower of Jesus!

The apostle Paul voices his commitment in Philippians 3.7-14. Paul says, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not say that I have laid hold of it yet: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Here we can see that Paul had a passion for Jesus Christ. He wanted to be identified with Him, please Him, and live for Him. However, Paul also knew to do so was not easy. He had his own struggles in following Jesus. He surely would tell us that doing what Jesus would do, requires preparation. Here are four steps from Paul’s life, to consider as we make our own commitment to imitate Christ.

a.  Step One: LEARN the Scriptures for they speak of Christ, they include the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. In Philippians 3.10, Paul expressed the desire to know the Savior. He said, “That I may know Him.” How can we aspire to do what Jesus would do in every situation no matter what the cost or consequences, if we do not know Jesus?

They say that when you have been married for twenty five years, you begin to know what a spouse will say, think, respond, and feel about most everything! How does this happen? We get to know a person by spending time with that person, entering into the life of that person!

It’s the same with Jesus Christ. We must become disciples of Jesus, if we are going to do what He would do in each and every situation. A disciple is a student, a pupil. To know Jesus we must search the Scriptures, study the life of Jesus, the words of Jesus, the desire of Jesus, what made Him happy, what made Him sad, what made Him mad. It is more than putting on a shirt or bracelet. It is putting on a life!

1)  Came to meet people’s needs

a)  Luke 4.18-19; Isaiah 61

b) Bind the broken hearted

2)  Came to be a man for the valley

a)  Luke 9.37

b) Transfigurationneed to bo back down; Meet needs of people

3)  Came to be a servant

a)  Mark 10.45

b) John 13 (esp 12f)

c)  Stand along side of

b. Step Two: LISTEN to the Spirit of Christ within. Jesus speaks to His followers, not just through the written Word, but through His indwelling Spirit. The voice of the Holy Spirit, is also called the Spirit of Christ, because He always confirms the will of God and of Christ (John 14, 16).

Just as we tune in on a certain frequency to hear our favorite radio station, we must tune in on the voice of God, the Spirit of Christ within. Those who truly seek the Lord, His will, His way, will find Him!

1)  Prepared well for His valley engagements

a)  Luke 2.40ff-Listening/learning among the teachers

b) A process to prepare Him well for the valley (Hind’s Feet on High Places)

c)  Hebrews 10.24-25-We are a people of the assembly where we learn to be prepared

c.  Step Three: LEAN upon the supernatural, spiritual resurrection power of Christ. Paul wanted not only to know more of the person, Jesus Christ, but he wanted to know more of the power of the resurrected Christ. In Philippians 3.10 he says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”

We do not possess the necessary power to face the opposition and live for Jesus. The power must come from the Holy Spirit of God within our hearts! Notice these verses. In 2 Corinthians 4.7 Paul says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Then in Romans 8.11-14 Paul says, “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” We must remain connected to the power source of God’s Spirit!

1)  Placed Himself totally under His Father’s authority

a)  Hebrews 10.7-God-man in the valley for His Father

b) John 7.17

(1)     We have come as ambassadors of God, with His message, under His authority, proclaiming His love, grace, and word.

(2)     With authority, not as an authoritarian.

c)  Humble

d) Accountable

(1)     Not My will but Yours be done.

e) Direction

(1)     As He sought He healed

(2)     His intent to do His will (we are intended and created to do His will)

f)  Commitment

2)  Committed Himself completely to obeying God’s Word and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

a)  God said it, I believe it, and that settles it (Billy Graham)

b) Luke 4.1ff

(1)     In the desert He was led and greatly tempted but overcame

(2)     “It is written”

c)  Ecclesiastes 12.9-11

(1)     Dependence on Him

(2)     Pray for guidance.

(3)     Take the Word of God and match it to the situation.

(4)     Powerful allies-the Word of God and the Spirit of God

d) 1 Kings 3

(1)     “Perspiring over the biblical text to find the verse that will meet the need of the hurting, the bruised, the broken.

d. Step Four: LOVE the Savior, Jesus Christ more than anything. Paul was willing to suffer to know Christ and follow Him. In Philippians 3.10 he concludes, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.” Jesus said to be His disciples, His followers, we must “deny ourselves.” Sin is selfish, it is preoccupied with pleasing self, loving self over God and others. Self is our greatest obstacle to overcome, if we are to be like Christ.

Conclusion of WWJYD-part 1

Someone once wrote with sarcasm: “I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb not a new birth. I want about a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I’d like to buy $3 worth of God, please.” How much of God do we want? How closely do we want to follow in Christ’s steps?

Do we want enough of God that we stop using our money, resources and time selfishly, and start using them to help others and build the kingdom of God?

Do we want enough of God that we develop a ravenous hunger for the Word and let all other priorities fall behind it?

Do we want enough of God that we become passionate about prayer instead of speaking to God in thoughtless, trite phrases when we want something?

Do we want enough of God that we give ourselves as humble servants to others?

Do we want enough of God that we learn to forgive those who hurt us, forgo bitterness, give up resentment, and if possible, make peace with our enemies?

Do we want enough of God that we develop His compassion and love for the most unlovely, that we lay aside our pharisaical, condescending attitudes and love all men with the passionate love of Christ?

How much do we want to follow “in His steps?” How serious are we about doing what Jesus would do? How much of God do we want? Three dollars?… Discipleship is far more than a What Would Jesus Do wristband. Jesus said in Luke 14.33 “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

 

Here are some questions to consider when answering WWJWYD?

1.  Would Jesus be saved? He IS salvation. Acts 4.12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

2.  Would Jesus be baptized? Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist to “fulfill all righteousness.”

3.  Would Jesus Join our Church? It was Jesus who said, “I will build my church.” Jesus established His church. He’s the head of the church.

4.  Would Jesus go out of His way for you or for someone else? He went to the cross for you and me.

5.  Would Jesus come to Sunday school or Wednesday night Bible Study? His habit was to worship .

6.  Would Jesus bring his friends to church? Jesus was the “friend of sinners.”

 

I realize what is going on in your minds right about now. You are thinking that there is a huge gap between doing what you are currently doing and doing what Jesus would want you to do. And do you know what that gap is? It’s called life. You leave here. It’s your job. It’s your parents. It’s piano practice. It’s school. It’s your boss with a last minute assignment. It’s your teacher with a Summer assignment. It’s paying the bills. It’s having to fix the computer after it has broke for the third time. It’s an argument with your sister. It’s life. And we meander through this life. And we get back to church the next Sunday and there’s the preacher telling us again that we need to be obedient and committed. And he just doesn’t understand all the things we have to do. I’m lucky if I get back here to get a little more of that presence of Christ.

So what are we to do with this gap? With this thing called life that sits in between the presence of Christ and our obedience to him? Well, what if we took the question what would Jesus want me to do? What if we took that question and instead of trying to fit it into our life or tag it onto the end of our life what if we put it at the beginning of our life right after the presence of Christ. What if after we left here that became the question that preceded everything we did? What if obedience came right after presence? And then life came after that?

Well, that’s not practical, you might say. And I would say yes. That would inform everything I do, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean having to rearrange my whole life, you might say. And I would say yes. That would mean a whole new set of priorities, you might say. And I would say yeah, you’’re probably right.

Well I don’t know that I can do that. And that’s the real point, isn’t it? When the preacher calls for obedience we’re just not sure we can do it. And do you know what? We can’t. We don’t have it within us to be obedient. But here’s the good news. The Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit does have it within Him to be obedient. The Holy Spirit has it within Him to cause us to be obedient. And maybe the way by which we would avail ourselves to the Spirit is to simply commit ourselves to the daily and the hourly asking of the question. What would Jesus want us to do? What would Jesus do? And ask the Spirit to take over from there. It might just change things for you and me. they might wonder what we’re up to. They might just start calling us that obedient and committed church.

Is there something that is keeping you from doing what Jesus would want you to do? Can I pray for you? Write it out on the registration card. Would you like to talk with me about ways you can incorporate this into your life, to evaluate your life, so you can be freed from the worries of this life and be free to do what Jesus would want you to do? Please let me know on the registration card.

Let’s pray:

Father, here Your children gather to seek You, to know You better and to do Your will in this world. Some have come today seeking You, others have come out of habit, I pray that You have touched each person’s heart to desire to do Your will.

You know, people, the first step in doing what Jesus would do is to be saved. If you desire this, please raise your hand now and then write on your registration card that you have made that decision.

Speak to our Father today and ask Him to help you as you travel through life to be committed to Him. Ask Him for boldness to overcome the fear of failure, the fear of peers, the fear of letting go. He will. Father, help us to lead the obedient committed life You have created for us and have always intended for us to live.

Amen.


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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By David R Williamson. ©2012 Teach for God Ministries. Website: www.teach4god.com