OceanSide church of Christ

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Part of the series: LIVE LIKE JESUS
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I WANT TO LIVE LIKE JESUS (1)

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   After his conversion, Paul was constantly striving to live like his new Master.

1.     I Corinthians 11:1

 

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

 

2.    Philippians 1:21

 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

3.     Galatians 2:20

 

I am crucified with Christ:  nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:  and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself to me.

 

B.   This should be the yearning of every child of God.  Our hearts should be crying out, saying:  “I want to live like Jesus.”

 

C.   We have four gospel accounts that reveal how Jesus lived while He was on earth.  That involves 89 chapters and 3779 verses of instruction about the Life of Christ.

 

D.   Let’s look at a few areas of our Lord’s life and ask ourselves a question:  “Am I living like Jesus?”

 

I.          JESUS WAS ABOUT THE FATHER’S BUSINESS

 

A.   The only event we have recorded for us in Scripture that centers on the childhood of Jesus is when He was 12 years old.

1.     Joseph and Mary took their family to the Passover feast in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-42).

2.    When they left Jerusalem, Jesus tarried behind in the city (Luke 2:43).

3.     His parents found Him three days later in the temple area sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions (Luke 2:46).

4.    When they confronted Jesus about staying behind, this answer was forthcoming (Luke 2:49).

 

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me?  Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

 

a.    The temple contained the presence of God.

b.    The temple was the place where teachers of the law gathered to discuss the law and spiritual things.

c.    In essence, the temple was the place of the “Father’s business.”

d.    That is precisely where Jesus wanted to be.

 

B.   Today, the church is the temple of God.  It is the place of the “business” of God.

1.     The church is the temple (I Cor. 3:6).

 

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

 

2.    The church is the steward of God’s precious truth (I Tim. 3:15).

 

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

 

3.     It is within the church that God receives His glory (Eph. 3:21).

 

Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end.

 

C.   Two exhortations:

1.     If we are going to be about the Father’s business, we must be members of and diligent servants within the church.

2.    Jesus was only 12 years old when He desired to be about the Father’s busi-ness.  Young people, start early in the Lord’s service and don’t stop.  Desire to be like Jesus!

 

II.        JESUS WAS OBEDIENT TO THE HEAVENLY FATHER

 

A.   Jesus began His ministry in obedience and closed His ministry in obedience.  Sandwiched between the beginning and end was a life of obedience.

1.     Jesus opened His ministry by being baptized of John in the Jordan River.  This as an act of obedience to the Father.

a.    When Jesus came to John, John was hesitant.  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousnss (Matt. 3:15).

b.    Jesus needed to “fulfill all righteousness.”  Psalm 119:172 tells us:  …for all thy commandments are righteousness.

c.    Jesus obeyed His Father in His baptism, and the Father was well-pleased (Matt. 3:17).

 

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 

2.    Jesus’s death was also the Father’s will.  Jesus willingly submitted to it in the darkness of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).

 

Saying, Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:  nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.

 

3.     All of His life, Jesus always sought to do the Father’s will (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 8:29; 14:31; 15:10).

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

 

B.   If we are going to be like Jesus, we, too, must be obedient to the heavenly Father.

1.     This obedience is not:

a.    A start and stop obedience

b.    A partial obedience

c.    An obedience full of excuses and rationalizations and justifications

d.    A compartmentalized obedience

e.    An obedience filled with gripping and complaining

2.    James 4:7

 

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

 

III.      JESUS OVERCAME TEMPATION

 

A.   One of the fiercest battles of the ages was fought in a wilderness in the land of Palestine.

1.     The combatants?  Jesus and the devil

2.    What was at stake?  The souls of men

3.     Who was the victor?  Jesus Christ

 

B.   The account in found in Matthew 4:1-11

1.     The outline

 

i.             THE COMBATANTS (Matt. 4:1)

ii.            THE CONFRONTATION (Matt. 4:2-10)

iii.          THE COMFORT (Matt. 4:11).

 

2.    The measures of Satan

a.    Attacked in weakness (Matt. 4:2)

b.    Challenged the claims of Jesus (Matt. 4:3, 6)

c.    Used all the avenues of temptation (Matt. 4:3, 5-6, 8-9)

d.    Was unrelenting, one temptation after another

e.    Use the Scriptures in the process of temptation

3.     Jesus overcame the tempter.  He did so with the powerful Word of God.

a.    Quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, He said:  It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).

b.    Quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, He said:  It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matt. 4:7).

c.    Quoting from Deuteronomy 10:20, He said:  Get thee hence, Satan:  for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Matt. 4:10).

4.    There are several elements that we need to understand about Jesus’s use of the Word in fighting Satan’s temptations:

a.    He had a knowledge of the Word.

b.    He trusted the Word of God’s power.

c.    He was willing to call upon the Word of God.

d.    He desired to obey the Word.

 

C.   If we are going to be like Jesus, we must seek to overcome temptation by using the Word of God.

1.     Psalm 119:11

 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

 

2.    To be effective, we do not have to be divine.  We just need the traits of Jesus.

a.    We must have a knowledge of God’s Word.

b.    We must trust the power of God’s Word (Heb. 4:12).

c.    We must be willing to call upon the Scriptures.

d.    We must desire to be submissive to the Word of God.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   The day that I was preparing this lesson, I saw a statement on Facebook that read:  “I AM NOT ASHAMED TO BE LIKE JESUS.”

 

B.   I pray that we will not be ashamed to be like Jesus.  I hope that you have a deep desire within that cries out, saying:  “I want to be like Jesus.”