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Content type: Sermon Poem / Prayer Service / Tribute Incomplete Biography
Body: One day, a little girl is sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly notices that her mother has several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast to her brunette hair. She looks at her mother and inquisitively asks: “Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?” Her mother replied: “Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.” The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then asked: “Mumma, how come all of grandma’s hairs are white?” Most of us have seen the bracelets, and other items that have the four letters: WWJD—What Would Jesus Do? This saying has become a guiding principle for many Christians. The WWJD movement started in 1989 when the youth group at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, studied Charles Sheldon’s 1896 novel, In His Steps. In the novel, a group of church members try to allow every thought and action to be shaped by the question: “What would Jesus do?” Calvary’s youth group took Sheldon’s model to heart and made up colorful woven bracelets to wear as a tangible reminder of that powerful question. Soon people throughout their community were wearing the bracelets, and it mushroomed from there. By the late ’90s, the letters WWJD could be found on a multitude of books, T-shirts, and other Christian merchandise. To date millions of these bracelets have been sold. The message of WWJD should not be taken for granted. What we need to do is to stop wondering about it and start working on it. Charles Sheldon built his book: In His Steps on 1 Peter 2:21 which says of Jesus: For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21 (HCSB) So, it’s admirable and biblical to ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” in the decisions we face each day, but what I want to challenge us with today, is that we accept an even greater challenge. I challenge us to go beyond “What Would Jesus Do?” and commit to “DWJD”—Doing What Jesus Did! What did Jesus do? If we don’t know what Jesus did in his life, how can we expect to know what He would have us do in ours? With this in mind, let’s look at seven priorities that guided Jesus. 1. PRAYER Jesus demonstrated intimacy with God by seeking him continually in prayer. Forty-five times the gospels tell us that Jesus went alone to pray. Every aspect of his life and ministry was saturated with prayer. Mark 1 gives us a glimpse of Jesus early in his ministry: 35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. 36Simon and his companions went searching for Him. 37They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!” Mark 1:35-37 (HCSB) Jesus’ life was filled with people, needs, and opportunities. Jesus ministered around the clock. Still, he would make time to commune with the Father and concentrate on his purposes. He might sleep less or work less, but he would find time to pray. If we are going to Do What Jesus Did, we must make prayer a priority in our lives. This world is simply too tough a place for any of us to try and make it on our own. Not only that, if you want to be IN GOD’S WILL then you have to KNOW GOD’S WILL and that isn’t possible without spending quality time with Him in prayer. 2. ACCPETANCE Jesus demonstrated the love of God by accepting the castaways of society. This provoked great contempt from the religious establishment. But Jesus was much less squeamish than most about embracing the sinful and sickly, the unseemly and unimportant. Luke 5 offers a good example. Shortly after accepting Jesus’ invitation to follow him, Levi (later known as Matthew) held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. 30But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:30-32 (HCSB) On the social scale of the day, tax collectors were some of the most despised individuals around. In some ways they were even more hated than the Romans themselves because they were seen as traitors to the Nation, and traitors to God. An upstanding individual would not associate with them at all. But Jesus not only talked to Levi, but he also asked the man to become his disciple. If we want to Do What Jesus Did, then we are going to have to learn to be accepting of all kinds of people. Every person on this planet has value to the Lord and we need to begin treating those different from us with the kind of love and acceptance Jesus gave to those around Him. 3. COMPASSION Jesus was a healer of broken lives. By the power of God’s Spirit, Jesus provided for people’s physical and spiritual needs. He cast out demons, healed broken bodies, raised the dead, and forgave the sins of the guilt. Jesus proved that God’s power is sufficient to meet every need. And the Scriptures promise us that the same power works in and through our lives today. 35Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. Matt 9:35-36 (HCSB) I am by no means a miracle worker. But I do know miraculous things still happen. I’ve seen them happen in my life, my family’s life, and in the lives of many others. Broken hearts and broken bones both need mending, sometimes we forget that God can use the hurts in our physical life to bring healing to our spiritual life. Jesus operated on the assumption that we have a wonder-working God who delights in restoring lives that seem irrevocably shattered. Jesus saw the people around him as miracles waiting to happen. If we want to Do What Jesus Did, then we are going to have to be willing to involve ourselves in the lives of others. Compassion requires action—it means we will have to be willing to get close enough to people to truly understand what they are experiencing—and then be willing to experience it with them. Again: “Doing What Jesus Did” For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21 (HCSB) 4. Jesus was committed to TRUTH (He Confronted Hypocrisy) Jesus demonstrated the heart of God by standing against lifeless religion. He openly confronted religious hypocrisy, inciting great opposition that ultimately led to his execution. Jesus repeatedly rebuked religious people who buried the true heart of God in their manmade traditions. He cleansed the temple because people were using God’s house for their own gain. 5Then the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why don’t Your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders, instead of eating bread with ritually unclean hands?” 6He answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. 7They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men. 8 Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men.” Mark 7:4-8 (HCSB) What Did Jesus do? He went on record against people who act in the name of God to hurt others. He stood up against those who claimed to be holy but were selfish in all that they did. We need to do the same. If Jesus spoke out in defense of the truth, then we need to “Do What Jesus Did” and be willing to take a stand for what is right. We must not become so focused on what we might see as the “evil” of the world, that we forget that it was the “religious” people who took the majority of Jesus’ criticism. If there is anything that the Church needs today it is Christians willing to hold one another accountable, to deal with our own hypocrisy before we try to deal with the problems of the world. 5. Jesus was committed to TEACHING Whether addressing curious crowds or the committed core, Jesus took advantage of every teachable moment. He was always helping people discover his Father. He lived and spoke the truth, a perfect expression of God’s character. Even though he was the incarnate Word, Jesus often directed people back to the written Word. Jesus often taught lifestyle principles through quotes from the Old Testament. He said of His ministry that He had come to “fulfill the law and the prophets.” Many do not consider themselves teachers. If we don’t stand in a pulpit on Sunday or lead a study during the week, you may be tempted to think this aspect of Jesus’ life doesn’t apply to you. That isn’t the case. We all teach, if not specifically through formal instruction, certainly through our conversations and through our example. Jesus taught when he talked one on one with Nicodemus and when he preached to thousands of people. His life shows us that teaching doesn’t demand an outline with three points that begin with the same letter. Teaching simply requires being so filled with God’s Word that it naturally overflows from our lives into the lives of those around us. That was James’ point in his letter when he said: 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 (NIV) Paul put it this way to Timothy: You should teach people whom you can trust the things you and many others have heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NCV) “Doing What Jesus Did” means being willing to make a difference in the lives of others through our witness, which includes both our words, and our works. 6. Jesus was committed to SERVANTHOOD Service marked Jesus’ life from start to finish. He served through sacrifice, putting the needs of others above his own. At the last supper, he put on a towel and washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:2-17). His life of service culminated at the cross, where the Son of Man died to pay our spiritual debt. Every Christian needs to have a way to express their relationship with Christ through service. Some leaders have used the expression: “Every Member a Minister” to describe this principle. When this becomes a reality, then we are really going to be “Doing What Jesus Did.” 7. Jesus was committed to EQUIPPING OTHERS Finally, Jesus demonstrated God’s character by equipping leaders who continued his mission and changed the world after his departure. He refused to let the ministry pressures of today stop him from identifying and investing in the leaders of tomorrow. From the beginning of His ministry Jesus began training and equipping a small group of followers who would be responsible for carrying on His work when He was gone. After His resurrection and ascension to heaven there were 120 people gathered in Jerusalem. After all the thousands of people who Jesus preached to, and touched with His love and kindness, 120 remained. But that 120 had been equipped by Jesus and His disciples to keep the fire alive. And because of the commitment of that 120 we are here today. According to Paul in Ephesians 4 the primary mission of a pastor should be the equipping of believers. That involves teaching, training, and modeling a Christ-focused life and ministry, and helping them identify and prepare for the mission God has designed for them. The problem is, many Christians are more interested in listening to the message than they are living out the mission. Many of us here today have been Christians for a lot of years, and yet we are not involved on a day-to-day basis of helping to fulfill Christ’s mission for His Church. That is not a new problem; it is one that the author of Hebrews addressed in the First Century: Hebrews 5:11-12 (NCV) 11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are so slow to understand. 12By now you should be teachers, but you need someone to teach you again the first lessons of God’s message. You still need the teaching that is like milk. You are not ready for solid food. Could it be that many Christians should be in the process of equipping others but are not because they’ve never allowed themselves to be equipped. Jesus took the time to equip others so that they in turn could share what they had learned with others. If we want to “Do What Jesus Did” then we need to move from learning about Jesus to living for Jesus daily. Conclusion: What does in mean to “Do What Jesus Did?” The seven characteristics that we have looked at should give us a clue. The fad of WWJD may have ended, but we need to hold on to DWJD, “Doing What Jesus Did” on a day to day basis. We need to be committed to: 1. Prayer 2. Acceptance 3. Compassion 4. Truth 5. Teaching 6. Servanthood 7. Equipping Conclusion: Are you living your life wondering “what would Jesus do” instead of being committed to “do what Jesus did?” Why not choose today to focus on DWJD instead of WWJD. Let’s make a commitment to Do What Jesus Did by living our lives like He lived His.
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