Thank you for taking the time to read this week's posting of the Weekend Sermon. I hope that everyone is having a very good week, and I am thankful for the opportunity that the Lord has given to me to post these messages.
This has been a good week in writing, and I thank the Lord for that. I've had two job interviews this week, and I am hoping and praying that something will come from one of them. Please pray that the Lord's will will be done in this matter.
I thank you for your prayers regarding the storms in my area. So far, everything has been OK. I thank the Lord for that. There is still a chance for some bad storms today, so please continue to pray that there won't be any problems.
The people in California are having a terrible time with the fires out there. Please pray that these fires will be brought under control, and pray for the safety of the people who live out there. Pray for the safety of those fighting the fires.
Let's remember to pray for those in Portugal and Spain who are facing fires as well. Pray that all will be safe and that these fires will be put out fast.
Please remember to pray for those in Indonesia who are recovering from the earthquake. The people in Puerto Rico still need our prayers as well.
There is much conflict in the world, so we must pray for peace. Let us think of and pray for Syria, Yemen and South Sudan this week.
For our prayer focus countries, let us pray for those in the nations of Chad and Cambodia. Pray that many will come to know about the love of Jesus.
For the past several weeks, we have been studying a series on who is Jesus. Today, we will continue with that series, and I have about two or three more messages in that series.
Our focus today will be on the fact that Jesus is our example. As believers in Jesus Christ, we rightly focus on the fact that Jesus came into this world to give His life in order to save us from our sins. However, Jesus also had another purpose in coming to this earth. He came to provide an example for us as to how we are supposed to live in this world.
In the book of Hebrews chapter 12, it tells us that we are supposed to look unto Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Being a Christian means that we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and we follow Him as our master.
Jesus came to this earth, and He lived on this earth for about 33 years or so. During that time, He interacted with a number of different people, and the Bible records many different encounters that Jesus had with people throughout His life.
Jesus lived a life that was without sin. The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every manner just like we are, but He was without sin. Because He lived a sinless life, He could be the one who paid the penalty for our sins, and He could bear our sins on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
To be a Christian means that we are supposed to ask what Jesus would do in the situations that we find ourselves in in this life. We have a record in the Bible of what Jesus did, and this provides us with a wealth of information on what we should do in this world. We also have the teachings of Jesus to guide us and help us to know the way in which we should behave.
In I John 2:6 it tells us that we who say that we are in Christ should act like it. The verse says, "The one who says that he abides in Him, ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." In other words, the one who would be a follower of Jesus Christ must look to the example of Jesus Christ and imitate Him.
The Bible speaks about Jesus being our example in at least a couple of different places. When Jesus was in the Upper Room with His disciples, He washed His disciples feet. In John 13:15, Jesus says that this is an example that He had set for them. Jesus was presenting the example of being humble and having an attitude of service. Jesus said that this was an example of how we are to behave in this world. We must have a humble heart, and we must serve others instead of seeking to be served by others.
I Peter 2:20-22 speaks to the fact that Jesus suffered for us. In his life and through His sufferings, this passage says that Jesus set an example for us, and we should seek to follow in His steps.
There are so many ways in which Jesus provides us with examples for living that there is no possible way that I could go over them in this message. However, I want to look at just a couple of ways that Jesus provided us with an example to follow as we live in this world.
First of all, Jesus provides us with the example that we should be people who are filled with compassion for others. Jesus certainly demonstrated that He cared for others. The Bible says that Jesus healed all those who were afflicted. He healed the sick and cast out demons. He was always there to help meet people's needs. Jesus fed the hungry as well.
The Bible records in some locations that Jesus was moved with compassion for people. He felt love and compassion for those who grieved such as the woman in Nain who lost her son. When Jesus saw this woman's grief, He was moved with compassion, and He raised her son to new life.
Jesus always did what He could to help others. There is no place in the Bible where Jesus refused to help someone who came to Him. He loved all. He brought a message of hope from His heart of love and compassion to those who had been rejected by the establishment.
Just as Jesus cared and demonstrated His compassion in service to others, we too must follow His example and seek to help others. We do this by telling others about the salvation that Jesus brings, and we do this by helping people when they are hurt in body, mind and spirit. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the sick. We do this because we are doing what Jesus did, and we are doing what He would have us to do.
Jesus also provides us with an example of forgiving others. Jesus was despised and rejected by the religious leaders and the authorities in His day. They hated Him, and they saw to it that He was crucified. Even while Jesus was on the cross, He asked the Father to forgive His persecutors. Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Because of the great forgiveness demonstrated by Jesus, we are to be those who forgive those who trespass against us. We have been forgiven of so much, we ought also to forgive others like Jesus did.
I hope that you will read and study the life and ministry of Jesus diligently so that you might be able to know what He did on this earth. In this way, we will know how to live in this world. We should also always go to Jesus in prayer, and we should ask Him to show us what we should do so that we might honor and glorify Him.
Next week, we will continue with our series about Jesus. On Monday, I will post the verses, and on Wednesday, I will post the next chapter in the book about my friend. May God bless you all. Amen.
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