And there are also
many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I
suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be
written. Amen John 21:25
Having completed
our study of the story of David and Goliath, I’ve spent the past couple of
weeks in prayer to see where to go next. I’ve asked God what He’d have me do,
and I felt that He’s led me to do the study on Encounters with Jesus. It seems
that with all the stuff in the world today we need to get back to Who it is we
serve. We need to go back to the Source and see Him for who He is, not just who
we want Him to be, but actually the Jesus scripture reveals Him to be.
Nothing reveals who we are more than how
we rub up against others. So who was this Jesus? The words Jesus spoke and the actions He took
have changed the world. When we think that this historical figure, who was not
a king born in a castle, nor a landowner, nor a revolutionary that overthrew a
government, somehow has changed the course of history, then there has to be
power there. For three short years he walked the arid lands of Judea, a
district of the Roman Empire, that had no great claim to fame or value yet has
been a hotly debated territory for millennia. He was no great threat to Rome,
and lead no armed insurrection against the Emperor, yet He suffered the death
of a rebel, and his followers have been under persecution ever since, and still
the movement and the message continues to grow in the hearts and minds of
millions.
“I speak not by
commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of
others.” 2 Cor. 8:8 The old adage says you know a man by the company he keeps.
Moreover, the way we treat people says a lot about our character and defines
us. The words said over us at our
funeral usually have to do with what we did to others, not how often we flossed
our teeth or how fashionable we were. In
fact our clothing is usually donated to charity or the relative we never wanted
to lend it to ends up owning it. It’s crazy how material possessions will
divide people the people you love when you would have wanted them to be
together after you die. These people who just said such nice things about you
are now ready to throw blows to get the necklace you didn’t even like. Yet
Jesus’ death and resurrection can bring people who don’t know each other, and
barely speak the same language together.
It’s not just the
way we behave with the people closest to us, it’s also how we act as a church
that doesn’t reflect our Lord. Recently I went to a rally, a prayer rally for
our country, with political overtones. I wasn’t thrilled that I had to go. As I
was sitting there beside a young man who works for a political party he said to
me that it was sad to see a crowd of thousands gathered to see an itinerant
preacher lead a rally and call upon them to become active when this young man
can’t even get a few volunteers out in their own neighborhood to do a voter
registration drive or walk for a candidate to solicit votes. They were there
for the show, but when it comes down to the work they don’t want to put the
time and effort in. They’ll armchair quarterback, and speak out at the water
cooler at work, but when it actually requires some shoe leather they’re ghosts.
Sometimes it’s easier and quicker to write a check than to get our hands dirty.
Well, Church, it’s time to get dirty!
“Not
everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but
he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and
done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matt.
7:21-23
So
Jesus expects us to do more than just do stuff. He expects us to be the stuff.
Yet, what is the stuff He expects us to be?
“Therefore
if there is any consolation in
Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself. Let each of you
look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking
the form of a bondservant, and coming
in the likeness of men. 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. Phil. 2:1-8
Jesus
said it best. His message was one of love. He did it all for love, God’s love
for us.
“As
the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If
you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My
Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have
spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You
are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call
you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made
known to you. You
did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit, and that your fruit should
remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command
you, that you love one another. John 15:9-17
Next week we will begin to see this love in action as
we examine Jesus interactions with others. We will look at His miracles, His
conversations, and His relationships with the people who encountered Him. We
will see what happens when God sets His foot on Earth in order to become the
propitiation for our sins. Hold on, and pray. This is going to be an
undertaking of Biblical proportions.
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