Temptation Part II: What Tempts Us

There are many situations that temp us to sin against God. What are some situations you can think of that you have experiences being tempted?

1. Taking the easy way

   1. Matthew 7:13-14 Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction.

      1. So often the things that are easiest are most appealing. Sometimes the things that we should be doing take work so we are discouraged from doing so.

   2. Matthew 16:21-23 Jesus, while telling the disciples about his upcoming death, gives us an example of not taking the easy way even in life and death situations.

      1. Peter began to rebuke him

         1. Can you imagine rebuking Jesus? What was he thinking?

         2. We can imagine he was concerned for his friend. He didn't have a full grasp of the plan yet so he was being protective.

      2. Jesus exclaims to Peter "Get behind me Satan."  Is he saying that Peter was in a way the devil? Was he saying that he was maybe possessed? No the word Satanas is what is used here but it is derived from the original Hebrew word satan which simply means adversary or opponent.

2. The things of this world

   1. Matthew 18:7-9  Woe to the world for the things that cause people to stumble!

      1. Does anyone know what Woe means? A quick Google search shows that it means great sorrow or distress. Jesus is wishing sorrow and distress or general hardship for the world for the things that cause us (those who believe in him) to stumble. Jesus acknowledges that stumbling blocks will always be there and "must come" in fact but he also states Woe to those who bring them.

      2. Jesus shows us in verses 8-9 how serious he is about stumbling blocks by saying if any part of ourselves is causing us to stumble it is better to "cut it off\out" than to remain in sin.

         1. Here Jesus is using Hyperbole to show that  we need to deal with what is causing us to sin as drastically as possible. He doesn’t just mean to cut off physical parts of your body. It might be cutting off a relationship with someone that " you just can’t live without" or perhaps even cutting ties with parents or family members. He is telling us to make the hard decisions to better our lives in the long run.

         2. Do you agree that it is better to be maimed or crippled than to remain in sin?

      3. We just saw the actions we have been told to take on ourselves. I want to back up and read verse 6. Here Jesus has some even more drastic actions called for those who cause others(especially little children) to stumble.

3. Weakness of faith

   1. Luke 22:31-32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.

      1. Here at the last supper Jesus is telling Simon specifically but all the disciples could hear him that Satan wants to sift them like wheat? Who here has sifted anything before? (take sifter and sand with rocks?)

         1. Satan wants to shake them up a bit through temptation and see who falls through the holes into his trap.

      2. After telling him that Satan wants to sift them as wheat he then says that he has prayed specifically that he wont lose faith. Jesus knows that hard times in our lives might make us angry and doubtful but  we can't lose sight of what is most important.

      3. We can see in John 17:15-20 That Jesus prayed for protection from the enemy for his disciples but not only them but for everyone who hears their message

4. Pride in one's own strength

   1. Galatians 6:1 But watch yourselves , or you also may be tempted.

      1. Here we are instructed as those who live in the spirit to "restore" those who are caught in sin but to do it gently. The word restore here is the Greek Katartizo which means to mend (literally and figuratively), adjust,  complete thoroughly, make perfect etc.

         1. I just want you to see that he points out that we need to be gentle.

      2. But watch yourselves….You may think that you are past temptation or too strong to give in to it but things have a funny way of sneaking up you. The first step in giving in to temptation is to be around it. You may have to put yourself in tempting situations in order to help someone else. These situations call for the most self control and discipline to stay afloat yourself.

         1. To tell you a little about my personal history. I have had a history with being tempted by alcohol.   I need to be really careful about putting myself in situations where alcohol is involved which is pretty much everywhere. When I go out to things like company picnics or parties I need to be extra vigilant. Even if I have it in my head that I won't be tempted by a drink or I'll have one and then stop something happens like " the boss opened a tab and beers are free for the next two hours" that just makes the deal " too sweet to pass up." Knowing that things like that happen I have to sometimes stay home from an opportunity of free things and a good time because I know that I might be tempted and do things that I would regret. I have yet to go to a company Christmas party because of the reputation of free alcohol and I don't want to have the opportunity to make a bad decision so I stay home.

5. Persecution

   1. 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5 Paul is restating to the Thessalonians that the believers will be persecuted but that even through the persecution and trials we must keep faith .

      1. Acts 11:19-20 We can see here that through the persecution of the believers the gospel was spread out to the people. Both Jew and Greek.

6. Riches

   1. 1 Timothy 6:9 We just went over this a few weeks ago. Who has their notes from that lesson?

      1. V9 - Does this mean that it is wrong to own nice things or want to live comfortable lives? If not, what does this mean?

         1. That if the Lord blesses us with nice things we are to be content and satisfied and if the lord does not bless us with nice things we are still to be content and satisfied.

         2. We are not to make the accumulation of money or things or power a priority or allow those things to dictate how we live our lives.

         3. Greed is controlling and consuming and the only one that should be in control of our lives is our Lord Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

7. Evil desires

   1. James 1:14-15 We started off last week with James 1:13 which showed us that God will never tempt us to sin. Verses 14-15 shows that we are tempted by our own evil desires which then entice us to sin.

      1. In a footnote in my study Bible it calls our "Evil Desires" A person's innate desire to sin. This says that we have a natural desire or tendency towards sin? Why is that do you think? Is it maybe because the road to sin is a wide well groomed path full of all your friends?

      2. As we read on we see the consequences of giving in to our sinful desires is death

Apply:

1. What are ways to avoid being tempted?

2. The first way to avoid temptation is to know the things that can potentially lure you into sin. You don’t have to write them down if you don’t want to but what are some things that might tempt you?

3. Write down a prayer asking for protection from temptation.

Temptation Part I: Who Tempts Us

Temptation is a core theme in the Bible. But we can be tempted to do many things that aren't related to our faith like being tempted to eat cake for dinner but when the bible talks about temptation to what is it referring?

It's most basic definition, in biblical terms, is to be enticed to sin against God by allurement or seduction. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think about being tempted to sin against God?

Answer:

Put your answer here and hold that in your mind as we do our study.

Who Tempts Us?

1. James 1:13 The bible is super clear. God does not tempt us to sin!

   1. Also note that it says "let no one say when he is tempted,". So it is not an IF we are tempted but a WHEN. God knows that temptation is inevitable.

   2. So if God does not tempt us, who and/or what does?

2. Genesis 3:1-5 Satan tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit after God has made it clear that if she does she will die.

   1. What does the scripture say Eve was tempted by?

      1. Knowledge

      2. To be like God

   2. Why do you think Eve decided to disobey God even though she was told death would be a consequence.

      1. If she believed Satan that she would be like God she would also have to believe him when he tells her she will not die because God can't die.

      2. But maybe it's more simple than that. We humans are notorious for believing what we want to believe to justify our actions. We hear and see what we want when it suits us. God created us to be curious and want to learn. Whether you want to learn a new skill or learn the latest gossip we are wired to want to know more. Eve was no different and was tempted by the desire for knowledge like God.

         1. How many of you would like to have all knowledge about all things?

      3. Eve, the second human to inhabit the earth was just as easily tempted by knowledge and greatness as we are today.

3. 1 Chronicles 21:1 Satan moves David to number Israel. What does he mean here when he says "to number?" It just means to take a census of how many people lived in Israel.

   1. Who can tell me about this David guy? Who was he?

      1. King of all Israel - considered by many to be the greatest king in the bible

      2. Slew the giant Goliath when he was around 12-15 years old.

      3. Was a great military mind and lead Israel into many successful battles

      4. He unified Israel from many different tribes into one country under his leadership.

      5. He was an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

   2. Temptations can be as drastic a eating a fruit and allowing sin and death to enter the world. Other temptations can seem totally harmless like taking a count of all the people in your country. What harm could come from that? In fact harm did come from it.

      1. First, God wanted David to trust Him and not number his troops. If David believed God was in control and would deliver him in battle did it really matter if he went in with 200 or 2000 men?

         1. When God tells us to trust him and we don’t we are being disobedient. Not trusting God is a sin.

      2. Most importantly God told David not to. Does it matter why God says no or should you follow Him even when he doesn't explain Himself?

         1. To disobey God is a sin and David sinned when he took the census of his people. That is all the reason we need to not give into temptation, it’s a sin!

4. Job 1:6-12 Job is a righteous man who has had the protection of God. Satan believes that Job will turn against God if he loses Gods protection. But God knows Job will never turn away from Him and allows Satan to push Job past his limits but tells Satan he cannot hurt his body.

   1. Job is tempted to turn against God when Satan begins to bring devastating trials into his life.

      1. Evil done by people

         1. His oxen, donkeys and camels were stolen

         2. His servants were murdered

      2. Evil done by nature

         1. His sheep were burned by a fire from the sky.

         2. The servants tending the sheep were also killed by this fire

         3. All of Job's sons and daughters were killed when a wind blew down their house.

      3. Evil done by physical sickness

         1. Job is eventually afflicted with sores from head to toe after Satan comes back to God and claims that he will turn against God if he is made physically ill. God allows this but tells Satan not to kill him. Job 2:4-10

   2. Do you believe the saying that "God never gives you more than you can handle"?

   3. We know from James that God does not tempt us. But he does allow us to be tempted. Why do you think God allows Satan to put us through trials and tempt us to sin against God beyond what we can handle?

      1. God wants us to take our pains and weakness to Him and rely on Him to be our strength to get us through it.

      2. James 1:24 Temptation is a trial and trials produce strength, patience and faith.

      3. God has a plan we cannot understand. The temptation and trials we go through are part of this if we trust him. He will use our experience to mold us into the people he wants us to be and to accomplish His will.

   4. Satan comes to God and when God instructs him to not hurt Job, Satan has to obey God. Then when he came back God allowed Job to be afflicted with sores but commands Satan to not kill him.

      1. Ultimately, even though Satan tempts us God is in control. Even Satan has to obey Him! We can have faith and take courage from that fact.

5. Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was tempted by Satan with food when he had not eaten 40 days and 40 nights and tells Jesus he will give Him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him.

   1. Tempted here is Greek PEIRAZO which means to test for the purpose of ascertaining how someone will react.

   2. If Jesus experienced temptation is being tempted a sin? No, it is only giving into temptation that is sinful.

   3. Why do you think it was important for Jesus, the Son of God, to be susceptible to temptation? His experiences being tempted made him truly human so that he could relate to us on all levels. When you experience temptation, Jesus knows what you are going through.

   4. How does Jesus respond each time he is tempted? He quotes scripture! Even Jesus knew the power of the scriptures.

      1. Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13

      2. This should also be our response when faced with temptation; go to the scriptures and pray for God to give you strength and know that you are not alone because Jesus understands what you are going through.

APPLY:

1. When faced with temptation do you find yourself blaming God or turning away from him when things get hard? Why is this not a correct response to your experience?

2. When experiencing temptation what is the proper response?

3. What things do you tell yourself you believe to justify giving into temptation?

4. Write down a prayer asking God to give you the strength to resist temptations of all kinds even the ones that seem harmless and to help you have peace and grow your faith when life becomes more than you can handle.

Hope & Joy Part II: Joy

1.       Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

a.       Last week we talked about hope and how the things of this world can steal our hope away but that hope is a gift from God that we have already been given but just need to accept. We can also find joy despite the bad things that happen to us.

2.      Does anyone know the difference between happiness and Joy?

a.       James 1:2-4 2 Count it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance (patience). 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything

b.      Matthew 5:11-12 11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

                                       i.            Happiness is directly affected by the things around us so it is fleeting. It comes and goes depending on if things around you are good or bad. You are happy when things around you are good or when good things happen to you. A birthday party makes you happy. But happiness doesn’t make you a better person.

                                     ii.            Joy is not fleeting. Joy comes from your hope in Jesus and your faith in the promises of God. Joy is always with you even when things are bad. Joy is why you can feel positive and fulfilled even when there is no party and no money for presents. Joy is from God.

c.       Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

                                       i.            Having joy despite your trials will make you a stronger person. It matures you and builds you up and helps your faith grow.

                                     ii.            Having joy in the Lord can get you through any trial that life throws at you.

                                   iii.            God does not want you to be sad (grieve) he wants you to have joy in his love for you and will always provide for you.

3.      How do we receive joy?

a.       John 15:9-11  9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

                                       i.            For our joy to be complete we have to keep God's commands. But how does being obedient bring us love and joy? In the simplest terms, we can be joyful when we know that God is proud of us. We can be criticized and made fun of by our friends but if God is good with our actions and the person we are we can be joyful knowing that we are good and don’t need to please anyone but God.

b.      Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

                                       i.            We need to trust in God and know that His spirit lives within us and gives us the power to be joyful and overflow with hope despite the trials within us, our circumstances and the brokenness of the world around us.

APPLY

1.      When have you felt the joy of the Lord despite bad circumstances or the brokenness of the world?

a.       Moving to Colorado was a step of Faith for me. No one in my life was supportive of me moving to Denver with Christin. All of my friends, siblings, and even my parents were discouraging me and actively trying to get me to stay. At the same time Christin had broken her leg and we needed a new transmission in the Jeep so there went all the moving money. Despite all of the bad things that were happening in California we had Joy in the Lord and in knowing  that we were following God's command to leave that unhealthy and sinful life behind. Our venture in faith and joy worked out and it was all because of God. I found a job here within ten days of moving and Christin and I have both gained a stronger relationship with God and each other through our work in ministry. Now we are here teaching you guys all because we decided to follow Gods command and we find so much joy working with you kids.

2.      What steps could you take daily to find joy in the Lord.

a.       Pray

b.      Read your bible

c.       Service to others

d.      Trust in God

e.      Be obedient

3.      How do you think having the Joy of the Lord will change who you are and how you feel when circumstances try and steal your hope and joy away?

a.       Make you stronger

b.      Make things not hurt as bad

c.       Give you a reason to live and gives life meaning

d.      Reminds you that God is greater than all the bad things

e.      Want to help others find Jesus so they can have joy too

Hope & Joy Part I: Hope

 1.     Hopelessness affects us all in different ways. What are some things that cause you to lose hope?

a.      Hopelessness in a personal level, things within yourself. Believing that we are worthless

                                      i.            Believing that no one cares about us

                                    ii.            Believing that there is nothing we can do to better our situation

b.     Hopelessness based on our surroundings and influences.

                                      i.            Difficult family life

                                    ii.            Not having friends (or good friends)

                                  iii.            Conflict with others like being bullied at school.

c.      Hopelessness based on your world view

                                      i.            Our world is broken and terrible things are happening all the time.

                                    ii.            It seems like the world just keeps getting worse and worse

2.     It is easy to be overwhelmed by all the bad things and to let them steal our hope away.

3.     Maybe you feel hopeless today. Maybe you are in a dark place and are overwhelmed by the situations you are facing and wondering if it will ever get better. You can have hope now, today. You don't have to wait to find hope. All you have to do is seek Jesus and find hope in his promises to us in the bible.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:

1.     We have already been given hope!

a.      1 Peter 1:3  3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

                                      i.            He has already given us hope when he died in our place so that we could go to heaven and have hope that we will one day be with him.

b.     2 Peter 1:3-4 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

                                      i.            We can be a part of God's plan for us.

                                    ii.            Escape all the horrible things that steal our hope away.

c.      Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

                                      i.            God's desire is to see you filled with hope and have a life filled with joy and a bright future.

d.     Isaiah 40:29-31  29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

                                      i.            God give us strength and power to overcome the things that steal away our hope.

                                    ii.            We do not have the strength on our own to do this.

2.     How do we accept the gift of hope?

a.      John 3: 16 We have to accept God into our hearts.

b.     Psalm 33 16-22 We have to put our faith in God and not other people or things because they will always fail us.

16 No king is saved by the size of his army;

    no warrior escapes by his great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;

    despite all its great strength it cannot save.

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,

    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

19 to deliver them from death

    and keep them alive in famine.

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;

    he is our help and our shield.

21 In him our hearts rejoice,

    for we trust in his holy name.

22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

    even as we put our hope in you.

c.      Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

                                      i.      2 Peter 1:3-4 Told us that we achieve a godly life through knowledge of God. We have to read the bible to gain that knowledge.

                                    ii.      Romans 12:12 tells us to be patient during the hard times and pray always. Take your hopeless to him so he can fill that emptiness with his love and joy.

Apply

1.     Have you accepted Jesus? Would you like to?

2.     Do you believe that God has already given us hope?

a.      You need to realize it is a free gift and we don’t have to try and earn it.

3.     In what ways can you accept that gift of hope?

a.      Believe that God will never fail us even when people do.

b.     Be patient and know that God is in control.

c.      Read the bible and pray and give our hopelessness to God

d.     Not rely on our own strength because we will also fail. Instead, rely on God to give us strength.

e.     KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOVED! GOD IS ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU AND SO ARE WE!

11 Jesus Style: The Ultimate Sacrifice

1 Corinthians 13:3

Scripture 1 - A rich man approaches Jesus and tells him that he already follows all God's commandments but wants to know what he needs to do to have eternal life.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

1.     We have already established Jesus had given up any possessions long ago. What are some other sacrifices that Jesus made?

a.      No home

b.     Family

c.      Gave up having his life to himself

2.     What do you think it means to be complete?

a.      Having the emptiness inside me filled

b.     Never feeling lonely

c.      Being content

d.     Feeling valuable and being happy with who you are

e.     Having joy that isn't affected by the world around you.

f.       Perfect

3.     Why would sacrificing our possessions make us perfect or complete?

a.      The Greek "Teleios" in this context is conveying the idea of goodness.

b.     It also means that it has reached its end, it is finished or reached its goal.

c.      What is the goal? To love others. And by giving up our possessions and giving them to the poor we have reached that goal.

4.     Christ reminds us that this world is temporary and that our sacrifice here will earn the treasure of eternal life in heaven if we follow him.

Scripture 2 -  This chapter is known as the love chapter.

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1.     The previous scripture says to sacrifice your possessions and you will get treasures in Heaven. But let's make sure we don’t misunderstand what Jesus is telling us.

2.     He is not saying that the act of giving up your possessions will get you into Heaven. What we do will never earn us our salvation.

3.     Here it is very clear. That you can give up all you own but if you don’t do it out of love, you will get nothing.

4.     Love is the ultimate and if we don’t act out of love our actions are worthless.

Scripture 3 -  Jesus is describing different types of leaders to the Pharisees.

John 10:17-18 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No one takes it from me but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.

1.     Jesus sacrificed a lot of things but his ultimate sacrifice was his life. We all know that he died so that we didn't have to but he had a choice.

2.     It is important to note that Jesus was not coerced or forced into any of this. He did it out of love and you cannot be forced to love.

3.     Love is always a choice.

4.     To choose to serve is to choose to love.

CLOSING

What things are you willing to sacrifice for? A place or places? A thing or things? A belief or a person? For what things would you stand and sacrifice for something even if it costs you your life? Our answer to that question ultimately determines the depth of our servanthood.

APPLY

1.     Many people in history have died so guarantee certain privileges for us. Are there any who come to mind whose deaths and sacrifice you are thankful for?

2.     Now I will ask again. What things are you willing to sacrifice for?

10 Jesus Style: Obedient

What is your definition of being obedient? How do you feel when you are required to be obedient? Do you think Jesus felt the same way? How do we find joy in being obedient like Jesus did?

Scripture 1 - Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the last supper.

John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this; love each other as I have loved you.

1.     Keep my commands - that just means being obedient.

2.     So he reminds us that he has led by example and been obedient to God because he wants us to also be obedient to God.

3.     What is his command that we should be obedient to? To love each other.

4.     Why does he want us to be obedient? So that we may find joy.

a.      How do we find joy in being obedient???

b.     When we act out of love for others rather than selfishness we will find joy.

c.      In other words, when we are not obedient it is because we are being selfish and only caring about what we want so being obedient is not fun because it is all about ME. BUT if we are not selfish and act out of love for others we will find joy because it is no longer about us.

5.     When we act out of love it will be easy to follow all of Jesus' other commands

a.      Servant

b.     Lead by example

c.      Being humble and honest

d.     Being like a child

e.     Being the least and last

f.       Not caring about our reputation

g.      All of these traits start with LOVE.

Scripture 2 - In Paul's letter to the Romans he says:

Romans 5: 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

1.     Paul is talking about how sin entered the world through one man, Adam.

2.     In return the world was saved by one man, Jesus.

3.     Our disobedience or our obedience has a great impact on those around us.

a.      When we choose to be disobedient to God we choose to not be an example of Jesus which can lead people away from him

b.     When we choose to be obedient the opposite apples. We are good examples of Jesus and his love and can lead people to him.

4.     How we treat others is the example the world is watching which is why it is so important to treat people with love.

Scripture 3 - Jesus is responding to the Jewish leaders who were persecuting him for performing works on the Sabbath and calling himself the Son of God.

John 5:19-20 I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

God is our Father just as he was Jesus' Father so let's reread that but put ourselves in the scripture:

"I tell you the truth, I can do nothing by myself; I can only do what I see my Father doing, because whatever my Father does I will also do. For my Father loves me and shows me all he does. Yes, he will show me even greater works than these, so that the world will be amazed."

1.     Any gifts and abilities we have are from God. But he also gives us ability and strength beyond ourselves to get through anything.

2.     Because our heavenly father loves us he will not keep secrets from us and he will show us everything about himself.

3.     If we obey Gods commands and follow Jesus' example to live out of love for others we will be filled with his joy and he will use us to do his great works here on earth.

4.     Our obedience and love will amaze and have an impact on the people we come in contact with.

Being obedient isn't just a one way street benefiting those in authority. Being obedient to Jesus and loving others will not just bring others joy it will also bring you joy. Remember that your acting out of love may be what brings someone to Jesus.

APPLY

1.     What are instances where you have done something for someone else out of love? Someone you know or maybe a stranger?

2.     When you have done something nice for someone out of love how does it make you feel?

3.     When you do something out of selfishness do you feel the same way?

4.     When have you found true joy and happiness in being obedient?

5.     Have you ever found true joy and happiness in being disobedient?

09 Jesus Style: Completely Human

Scripture 1 - If you remember we went through this verse last week but we are going to pull out two points that we didn’t talk about last week.

Philippians 2:5-8 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing (no reputation) by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

1.     Who being in very nature God. Last week we touched briefly on how this scripture tells us that Jesus is God. No ifs ands or buts.

a.       Essentially states He was God and had power the power of God within Him. Can you guys remember some of the things we said he could do as God?

                                      i.            Raise the Dead

                                    ii.            Part the seas

                                  iii.            Walk on water

2.     Being made in human likeness

a.      Was this just in appearance? Was he God or was he human?

                                      i.            He was both

b.     So this scripture says Jesus was fully God and fully man. If he was fully man, then he was just like me, a man ( or woman) with the same experiences and temptations.

c.      If you were here when we discussed how Jesus lived a humble life, can you recall some of the human experiences that Christ had?

Scripture 2- Let's go back through some of the human experiences that Jesus had

·        Luke 2 :7-And she brought forth her first Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room at the inn for them.

o   He was born in less than ideal conditions.

·        Matthew 8:20 - Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head

o   He was poor and had no material possessions.

·        Matthew 1:19-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make he a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wire for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

o   Had to deal with teasing, bullying and discrimination of being a bastard and for what people thought about his parents.

·        Isaiah 53:2 - He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him

o   He looked very common and didn't stand out in any way, an "average Joe".

·        John 11:35 - Jesus wept.

o   He had emotions that he had to deal with.

·        Matthew 4:1- Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

o   He faced temptations, The devil tempted him just like he does to us.

Scripture 3-  An unknown author writing to the Hebrew Christians and all followers of Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15- For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet he did not sin.

1.     Who is the high priest he is referring to? Jesus Christ

2.     This scripture is very clear. Because of his human experiences Jesus Christ can sympathize with our weakness and he understands what it feels like to be tempted just like us.

a.      Jesus doesn't just feel BAD for us He feels WITH US! He understands exactly what we are going through so when we feel:

                                      i.            Loneliness or

                                    ii.            Sadness or depression

                                  iii.            Discrimination or bullying

                                  iv.            Or any other feeling you will experience he also feels those things with you.

Closing

Knowing that Jesus had the same experiences and temptations as me frees me to be honest about my own humanity. It allows me to not try and hide my humanity in the presence of friends and not try to put on a mask of spirituality if it's not there. It allows me to learn to be honest about myself, to be free to be forgiven for my human failures and to forgive others for theirs. If Jesus Christ was human then it is okay for me to be human too.

APPLY

1.     It is truly difficult to think of Jesus as human; it seems to violate something in our minds to reduce him to our level, but human he was and that is the twelfth item in our traits of Jesus. What are some normal "human" activities that you have never thought that Jesus would do? Do you suppose he ever needed to have his laundry done?

2.     Think of some of your own temptations. In what ways can you imagine Jesus being tempted by the same things?

3.     How can recognizing your own humanity help you to forgive others.

08 Jesus Style: No Reputation

What kind of reputation do want to have? What things do people know you for? Maybe they know you for something you do. People know I am a photographer, or that Geoff is an electrician. Maybe you are known for your personality? Being goofy or smart?

Scripture 1 - Paul writes a letter to the Christians of Philippi.

Philippians 2:5-8 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing (no reputation) by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

1.     Attitude of mind? Why do you think he specifically said mind and not just attitude? This is an internal attitude not just an external one. This is who we should be not just how we should act.

2.     In very nature God. Essentially states He was God and had power the power of God within Him. What are some amazing things you can think of that God can do? Control the weather, shape the earth, the power to make life out of nothing.

3.     Jesus had all of these same powers but chose to not use them! But what if he had? Even word of the small miracles he performed got around. People knew who Jesus was. He could have used that selfishly and become powerful the way humans want to be powerful. Money or financial power, political power, influence over others to get them to do what they want but for their own gain.

4.     Instead it says he made himself nothing, he did not have a reputation the world would think was good.

So what reputation did He have??

Scripture 2 - Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee. A woman who lived a sinful life as a prostitute came to see Jesus. She brought perfume and intended to wash Jesus's feet. As she kneeled before him she began to cry. She wet His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, kissed them and put perfume on them.

Luke 7:39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is - that she is a sinner.

1.     Why do you think the Pharisee was saying this? A good Pharisee would never have let a woman of such a bad reputation touch him because he had an image of purity to uphold.

Scripture 3 - Jesus was teaching a large crowd by a lake. He found Levi in a tax collectors booth and tells Levi to follow him and they head to Levi's house for dinner.

Mark 2:15-16 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

1.     Why would being tax collector be so bad?

a.      Jewish people viewed them as traitors since they were taking Jewish money and giving it to Rome. The Jews viewed the Romans as invaders who had no right to be there.

b.     Tax collectors where not always honest, they would extort bribes and take more money than people owed for themselves.

c.      They were known to be brutal and use physical intimidation.

2.     Before he became a disciple Matthew was a tax collector.

3.     Instead of having a reputation for being handsome or rich or powerful which is what the world considers a good reputation what did Jesus have a reputation for?

a.      Hanging out with the sinners. The outcasts, the criminals, traitors, prostitutes, the poor, the diseased.

In Paul's letter to the church in Philippi he says to have the same attitude of mind that Christ Jesus had. Jesus understood that his life here on earth was temporary and that he was working toward God's eternal kingdom. Like Christ we do not need to hold on to anything that would guarantee our success in this world. Our reputations and possessions here on earth don't matter. The only reputation we should be have is one that reflects our relationship with Jesus Christ. People should know that we are Christians before they know anything else about us.

APPLY

1.     What are some ways you can create a reputation for being a Christian?

2.     What are some things that are important to your reputation that you could let go of?

3.     How do you think letting go of these things and instead being like Jesus, who did not care about reputation, can change your life for the better?

07 Jesus Style: Used No Force/Worldly Ambition

Used No Force

Scripture 1 - Jesus found himself surrounded by a large group of people looking to be healed of their illnesses. He warned them not to tell others about them. This was a fulfilment of a prophesy regarding God sending a servant to save his people (Isaiah 42:1-4)

Matthew 12:18-21 - Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will  not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.

1.     Jesus is repeating a prophesy spoken by the prophet Isaiah. In the bible prophesies were glimpses into the future that God gave to men he chose to announce them. So even though Jesus is repeating something Isaiah says, who is really speaking?

2.     What does he call Jesus? His Servant, whom he loves and delights in.

3.     Jesus will proclaim justice to the nations but he will not fight or argue with people. Jesus tells the truth and doesn’t get into debates with people.

4.     No one likes to be yelled at. Do we listen to those that yell and scream at us or do we ignore them? So Jesus doesn't yell and scream at us. Instead he always proclaims the truth with quietness and gentleness.

5.     He does not kick a man while he is down. He will not put out what little flame we have within ourselves. Instead he fans our little fires until they burn bright.

6.     If we put a gun to someone's head and force them to say the sinners prayer and ask Jesus into their hearts is it real? Jesus Christ always presents the truth of salvation with love and gentleness and lets us decide to love him back. He is never intimidating and does not use a person's weakness or guilt against them.

Not Motivated by Worldly Ambition

Scripture 1 - Jesus is praying after he experiences many towns and people who want him to perform miracles but then do not believe in him and repent.  In his frustration he speaks to the crowd to try and make them understand why he is there.

Matthew 11:25-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

1.     First of all, what is a yoke? A wooden crosspiece that is fastened or hung over the neck of a person or animal to carry or pull a heavy burden.

2.     What are some things that might make you emotionally weary or weighed down? Jesus tells us that he will give us rest from those things.

3.     Not just that he will give you rest but that he will take your burden and replace it with his which is light. What if someone offered to carry your heavy backpack full of school books and in exchange you had to carry a feather for them? This is what Jesus does for us, unlike the world which will take advantage of us and use us for its own ends.

4.     Again he reminds us that he is gentle and humble in heart. Didn't we learn that being humble was the same as being honest with yourself and others. Here he reminds us that he is honest.

5.     Why does he do all these things for us? Simple, so that we will come to him, not be healed then be on our way like the people he performed miracles for but to come to him and stay and have a relationship with us.

6.     His only ambition is to save us from our sin. He is not motivated by statistics, bragging rights or trophies.

Scripture 2 - Philippians 2:3 and/or 2:6  added later

Closing Statement

Jesus came to save people - not use them. He refused to take advantage of others on his way to the cross. He never violates or is disrespectful of the freedom to choose because when we do choose to follow him he wants it to be real. This gentle spirit is also how we should approach each other and non-believers.

APPLY

1.     How do you feel when you are forced to do something you don't want to do? How did you react?

2.     What are some ways Christians might use force or manipulate someone for a "good" goal?

3.     How have you been tempted to use inappropriate methods to achieve your goals?

06 Jesus Style: As a Child/as the Younger

As a Child

Scripture 1 - People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them but the disciples were trying to stop them and shoo them away.

Mark 10:13 - When Jesus Saw this he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Observe/Interpret

1.     Jesus was indignant? The NKJV says "much displeased". Synonyms include outraged and angry.  Another instance where Christ was honest about his feelings.

2.     Jesus is talking to the adults in the room. From an adult perspective Christ tells us not to get in the way of any child who wants to go to Jesus. I see this as telling me to be a good example so as not to stumble you or give you reason to turn from Christ.

3.     From a child's perspective nothing should stop you from seeking out the Lord because the kingdom of God is yours. You may see adults sinning and messing up but that shouldn't keep you from Jesus because you can make your own decisions. What in your life could hinder you from seeking out Christ? Friends, habits, peer pressure, bad experiences?

4.     Like a child? How do children receive things?

a.      When you tell them something as the truth they accept it.

b.     When you give them a gift they get super excited.

5.     This is precisely the way Jesus requires s to accept the kingdom of God, with faith, believing and honest joy. When we do he will open his arms to us and bless us.

Scripture 2 - Again the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in heaven based on theological debates between Jewish teachers.

Matthew 18:2-4 - Therefore whoever takes a humble place, becoming like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

1.     Humble? What did we just learn about humility? Humility is being honest about yourself, about what you feel and about your sins.

2.     Jesus instructs us to humble ourselves like children. So what are children like?

a.      Children are not threatening. If we are to represent Jesus correctly, we must be no more threatening to the world as a child would be. Jesus was approached freely by everyone because he was not intimidating.

b.     Children are not good at deceiving. Being humble is being real and honest about how you feel. Children cannot hide how they feel. They are terrible liars. It isn't until we start becoming adults that we perfect the art of lying and deceiving.

c.      Children are innocent. Humility is honesty about our sins so God can forgive us. Once he forgives us we are in a state of innocence.

3.     It is these traits that Jesus sees as being worthy of his pride.

Taking As the Child a step further…As the Younger

Scripture 3 -  Luke recounts the another dispute amongst the disciples during the last supper about who would be the greatest in Heaven.

Luke 22:25-26 Jesus said to them "The Kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who exercise authority over them call themselves benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves."

Observe/Interpret

1.     Historically speaking being the younger son meant that you:

a.      received a smaller inheritance or no inheritance at all.

b.     The younger son had no authority amongst his family, socially or politically.

c.      Seats of importance were even passed down to the first born and a lot more was expected of them.

2.     What does it mean today to being the younger sibling?

a.      Hand me down cloths and toys

b.     Maybe has less stuff than the older sibling

c.      Always being shunned by your older sibling

d.     Being held to your older siblings standards

e.     Being known as so-and-so's younger brother or sister. Finding it difficult to have an identity of your own.

3.     But being the older sibling isn't easy. With all of the attention, inheritance and power it meant

a.      More responsibility

b.     Higher expectations

c.      More pressure

d.     Expected to grow up faster

4.     Benefits of being the younger sibling

a.      Living with less but has the freedom to be what and who they want

b.     Somebody to learn from

c.      Allowed to be a kid longer

5.     As we have learned Jesus owned only the cloths on his back. Why would Jesus want us to travel light and have so little? So we wouldn’t be greedy and we could have the flexibility and freedom to go wherever he wants to use us.

6.     So, being as the younger has its own joys. Though we are the disadvantaged ones, and perhaps the poorer ones, we are the free ones, and He who has "overcome the world" is on our team.

APPLY

1.     What do you consider to be positive and negative traits of a child?

2.     In what ways do see the positives traits we have learned about affect your life now and into adulthood?

3.     What is your birth position in your family and how do you think it has affected you?

4.     What privileges or things do you have that you would hate to give up?

5.     Have you ever packed too much for a journey and wished, as you carried your bag around, that you had packed less? What things in your life do you feel you could get rid of to "lighten" your burden and be more like Jesus?

05 Jesus Style: Humble (Humility Part II)

Let us recap last week's message about Christ's humble life and death:

Jesus - AKA Joshua, born in a barn, questionable parents, spotty ancestry, common name, misdirected announcement, unattractive looks, reared in a bad neighborhood, poor and owning nothing, surrounding himself with shady people and dying a shameful death.

Scripture 1

John 3:21 - Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he had done has be done through God.

Observe/Interpret

1.     Did Jesus ever try to hide who he was or where he came from even when it wasn’t something to be proud of or did he live by the truth and shine a light on every aspect of his life?

2.     Living by the truth of who we are is walking in the light and allowing that light to show everything about us and not hide anything.

3.     Living by the truth is not just being honest about who we are with others but being honest about who we are with ourselves and with God.

4.     That is a scary thought WHY? It makes us vulnerable.

5.     But if we are living in the light and living for Jesus then everyone will see that too and it will overpower anything bad that we do.

6.     But if we lie about the bad things then we lose credibility when we do tell the truth.

7.     Humility is simply seeing ourselves as we actually are, not higher nor lower

Scripture 2 - Jesus is called to the home of Lazarus by Martha and Mary. Lazarus has died and is surrounded by family friends including his two sisters. Everyone gathered is mourning his death.

John 11:35 - Jesus wept.

 Geoff’s Story:

1.     At an early age if I would get hurt and cry I was made fun of by my older siblings and friends.

2.     Many times I never went to the hospital when I should have because I wanted to be tough.

3.     I was never taught to process how I feel so when my feelings get overwhelming I ignore them instead of dealing with them.

4.     All of these things have caused me to have a difficult time communicating with others and medical problems that could have possibly been avoided.

Observe/Interpret

1.     Here we have Jesus, a grown man, weeping.

2.     In contrast to cultural influences this is one of many occasions where Jesus showed his emotions without shame.

3.     He also openly expressed his anger, joy, grief, fear and compassions that moved him.

4.     Jesus spent no energy covering his life with a mask.

5.     Humility permits us to own our feels and to admit them.

Scripture 3 - Jesus

1 John 1:7 - But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.

1.     Have ever had a friend who consistently lies to you or other people? Could you trust what they were telling you? How difficult was it to be their friend?

2.     Jesus asks that we walk in the light just like Him.

3.     Just like we must be honest with our relationships with others He cannot be friends with us if we choose to lie to him or hide things from him.

4.     He cannot forgive our sins if we hide them from us. We must be honest about our sins and allow Jesus to forgive us.

5.     Humility is choosing to be real, to hide nothing and to be open.

APPLY

1.     Humility can be described as an "honesty & openness" principal. It would be difficult to do much teaching by example without humility or the willingness to be honestly seen by others.

a.      What is the image you try to uphold to others?

b.     What are the ways you go about upholding that image?

c.      How expensive and time consuming is it?

d.     How accurate is the image you want to portray?

2.     John 3:23 tells us to live by the truth and come into the light and 1 John 1:7 if we walk in the light and be honest with God about our sins we will be forgiven.

a.      In what areas have you been honest with God about your sin which have now changed for the better in your life.

3.     The right to privacy is constitutionally guaranteed in the United States. This is great for our society but has some real pitfalls in the body of Christ.

a.      What things about yourself do you not want your Christian friends to know?

b.     Take some time now to confess these things to the Lord and, if you can, share them with a trusted friend so that friend can pray for you.

c.      Also whatever fears of self-disclosure you have, ask the Lord to express his Grace to you and remove those fears.

04 Jesus Style: Humble (Humility Part I)

Born in a Barn and Raised in Nazareth

Luke 2: 4 & 7 - Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was the house and lineage of David. And she brought forth her first Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room at the inn for them.

1.     Who has a Nativity Scene in their house at Christmas or has seen one put up outside a church or house?

a.      Does it smell like manure?

b.     Are there animal droppings on the floor.

c.      Are there bits of chewed up food in the manger (feeding trough)?

d.     Are the animals grunting or bleating?

e.     Not very accurate then?

2.     Has anyone ever laid in a bed of straw. Its prickly and itchy and not comfortable

3.     There would have been no privacy and the inn employees would have needed to go in and out to care for the animals.

4.     Hospitals are sanitary, barns are not

5.     If this was your mother and father do you think they would have been embarrassed and ashamed of how you were brought into the world and that they could not provide you better?

6.     On top of that He was born in a city that boasted nothing special about it. It was so small some people would not have even heard of it.

If Bethlehem Weren't Bad Enough - Nathaniel meets Jesus of Nazareth

John 1:47 - Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

1.     It is possible that moral and religious reputation of Nazareth was so bad that it was hard for Nathaniel to believe that something good, let alone the Savior of the world, could come from there.

2.     Village rivalries were also culturally common. This may be a personal opinion of the little town of Nazareth rather than a wide spread opinion. Even today we make judgments upon a city or area with no intimate knowledge of its inhabitants.

a.      I have heard people refer the area around 6th and Federal as being "kinda ghetto" and dangerous. In my experience it's just an older part of town that has seen better days. Most of its inhabitants are minorities while the people who consider it a dangerous place are mostly white who have not spent any real time there. It does not compare to my experiences in LA where I grew up or Haiti which give the word ghetto a much more real meaning.

3.     Those of us born on "the wrong side of the tracks" cannot be intimidated by such a humble beginning.

Questionable Parentage

Matthew 1:19-20 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make he a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wire for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

1.     We believe in the Virgin birth now but not at the time of Christs birth.

2.     Jesus would have been called a bastard and grown up with the stigma of being born out of wedlock.

a.      This is still considered a bad thing by today's standards but back then it was much worse

b.     A bastard and his descendants to the 10th generation would have been excluded from the assembly of the Lord

c.      Would not have had the same rights and privileges as legitimate children.

d.     They would not be in line to inherit anything from their parents

e.     He would have been treated badly by friends, neighbors and religious leaders who believed Mary was crazy and He a product of sin.

3.     If a young girl of our own church would become pregnant and claim the father was the Holy Spirit we would call her crazy and we would scorn her. Mary was no different.

The Family Tree - David sees the woman Bathsheba and wants her for his wife but she is married to Uriah

2 Samuel 11:14-15 - Then, in the morning it was so that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand if Uriah. And he wrote in the letter saying set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retreat from him that he may be struck down and die.

1.     Everyone has that crazy cousin that always embarrasses them or that weird aunt that always brings the nasty vegetable filled Jell-O to family events.

2.     Jesus' family tree was far worse.

a.      His "Jewish Purity" that the Pharisees cared so much about was tainted by his ancestor Ruth the Moabite.

b.     As well as Rahab the Canaanite who was also a prostitute

c.      Jacob cheated his brother Esau out of his inheritance

d.     Judah was a womanizer

e.     Joseph was a "son of David" as our two previous scriptures indicate.

                                      i.            But David was an adulterer and murderer

                                    ii.            The son he had with Bathsheba, Solomon, who, in spite of his wisdom, had hundreds of wives and concubines and turned his heart away from God

3.     Anyone of us who has a less than picture perfect family could not be intimidated by Christ's family tree.

What's in a Name?

1.     So far everything about Jesus seems very common. But what about his name?

2.     What are some common names?/What are some that evoke power?

3.     Jesus is actually Greek for Joshua. I don’t know about everyone else but I personally have known at least a half dozen Joshua's in my lifetimes.

4.     Joshua is Christ's true Jewish name and even in his time it was a common name.

5.     Not exactly a name that would intimidate the common man?

Birth Announcement Jesus Style

Luke 2:15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

1.     Shepherds lived in the middle of nowhere with only their sheep to keep them company. They weren't exactly part of mainstream society and did not have the communication tools we have today. It would have taken them some time and effort to find another person let alone a lot of other persons to tell their story to.

2.     Shepherds also did not have the best reputations. They were considered unclean and rough and known for being thieves and sometimes even dangerous.

3.     Can you imagine the local gang banger running down the street yelling "Josh has been born, Josh has been born!"

4.     For those of us who have sorted pasts and things we are not proud of these guys are a good reminder of how Jesus can use even us.

Looks aren't Anything

 Isaiah 53:2 - He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

1.     How do you feel when you are around someone who is incredibly beautiful or handsome?

a.      Inadequate?

b.     Distracted?

c.      Ashamed?

d.     Jealous?

2.     Jesus was so common in his looks he was able to lose himself in crowds.

3.     His looks in no way separated him from the common, poor people he was sent to save.

4.     He would not instill any of these feelings or intimidate the people he was surrounded by.

Not a Penny to His Name

Matthew 8:20 - Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.

1.     Jesus never owned more than what he carried on his back

2.     Jesus consistently found himself identifying with those who had the least in life

3.     His decision to remain uninvolved with the world's goods freed him from the hidden agenda of jealousy

4.     He was thus able to direct all of his energy and sensitivity towards the real needs of the people he was ministering to

5.     He was able to act out of love alone.

6.     His life lacked worldly goods so that no one who found themselves poor or in need would be intimidated by him.

Everyone Has that Crazy Cousin - John the Baptist was in fact Jesus' cousin and was chosen by God to announce Jesus as the Savior to the world.

Mark 1: 4 & 6 - And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.

1.     God could have chosen someone of noble birth, someone with political or social influence, someone who had money and power

2.     Instead he used a raving, rough-hewn man who dressed inappropriately for a minister and ate bugs.

3.     To top it off he closed his services by doing a most undignified thing - dunking in water those who were brave enough to respond.

His Motley Crew

NIV 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 - Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards,; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

1.     John the Baptist wasn’t the only outlier Jesus chose to associate himself with.

2.     Jesus again chose to surround himself with outcasts and outliers when he chose his disciples.

3.     He had a Zealot and a Roman tax collector.

a.      A Zealot was member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.

b.     As a tax collector, Matthew, would have been collecting money from the Jews to pay Rome.

4.     Fishermen that had rough hands and probably didn't smell all that great.

5.     These were not men of eloquence and charisma.

6.     Jesus sees people far differently than we do and patiently calls the best from him.

7.     With friends like His it would be easy for those of us that lack the qualities that the world looks for to fit in with Jesus' crowd.

The Way He Died

1 Corinthians 2:2 For I resolve to know nothing while I was with you except Joshua Messiah and him lethally injected.

1.     His name was Joshua and by today's standards being crucified was the equivalent of getting the death penalty here and dying by lethal injection. In fact, it is considered to be more humane in comparison.

2.     When you look at it that way it doesn't seem to have the same romanticism as saying Jesus Crucified

3.     What if someone said "Neighbor, my best friend just died in the electric chair for you. If you will believe this and take up your electric chair and follow him, you will be saved."  It probably would not have the same effect that Jesus' crucifixion story has.

4.     But just like dying by lethal injection or the electric chair would have been a shameful death so was being crucified.

5.     This was not a death worthy of medals of honor rather it was the death of a common criminal.

6.     How better to reach criminals and sinners like us than to die a sinners death.

Let us recap:

Jesus - AKA Joshua, born in a barn, questionable parents, spotty ancestry, common name, misdirected announcement, unattractive looks, reared in a bad neighborhood, poor and owning nothing, surrounding himself with shady people and dying a shameful death.

Apply:

1.     This lesson has described Jesus' humility in how he lived his life. What comes to your mind when you hear the word humble?

2.     In what way do you most relate to how Jesus lived his life?

3.     In what way can you make a change in your life to live more humbly like Jesus did?

03 Jesus Style: Example

Scripture 1

Matthew 23:1-11 Matthew is recounting his eye witness story of Jesus speaking to the a crowd and his disciples.

Observe/Interpret

1.     The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat and must be obeyed

a.      Pharisee is derived from an Aramaic Word meaning separated. They were spiritual leader that focused on the Law of Moses.

b.     Moses Seat was the most prominent seat in some ancient synagogues.

c.      Here it identifies them as being in a place of spiritual power and therefore should be obeyed.

2.     They were hypocrites and told people to obey the laws of Moses but did not obey them themselves.

3.     They burdened the people with laws and rules and told them what to do but were not willing to help others.

a.      This is reflective of Matthew and Mark describing how the leaders lorded their power over people.

d.     (all of v 5 -7) They are show offs and looking for attention and praise

a.      PHYLACTERIES See Photo

b.     They were hypocrites but looked to receive praise for how they acted in front of people but not who they really were when no one is looking.

c.      Integrity: they had none

d.     Liars who's lies were used to control people for their own benefit and glory

e.     V 8-10 BUT we should not wish to take Christ's place as spiritual leaders, teachers and fathers because we should all be looking to Christ to be our spiritual leader, teacher and father.

a.      We should not want people to look to us but for us to point people to Jesus.

b.     Luke 6:40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

f.       Again Christ reminds us that that those who serve are the greatest among us

Scripture 2

1 Timothy 4:12 Paul is talking to Timothy who had joined Paul on his second missionary journey.

Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Observe/Interpret

1.     People are wrong to discount your relationship with God because you are young. But you are just as capable of being a good example of Christ and a good witness to people as any adult.

2.     Your relationship with God is no less real or relevant just because you are young.

3.     BUT this only applies if you are an example of Christ and not of the world.

Apply 

1.     How much have you learned spiritually by seeing examples you don’t want to follow and how much by seeing the proper example?

2.     In what area of growth are you now struggling where you need a good example to follow.

3.     Paul gives Timothy a list of ways to be an example. How can you use these in your life?

4.     Who are the people whose lives might be affected by your example?

5.     What do you think are the strongest areas you can lead or teach by example?

02 Jesus Style: Not Lording Over It...

Scripture 1

Matthew 20:26 (Last study of Servant was Marks telling) Matthew recounts the same story of the Apostles arguing about who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give up his life as a ransom for many.

Observe/Interpret

Switch gears just a little, lets focus on who Jesus is talking to a little more. What does it mean that both Mark & Matthew both tell this story?

1.     Rulers lord their authority over the Gentiles (non-Jews)

a.      Felt that they were inferior

b.     They were not allowed to worship in the same space as the Jews

c.      Jewish law did not allow Jews to charge interest on money lent to other Jews but said nothing about charging interest to Gentiles - double standard

d.     Not allowed to inter-marry

2.     Not so with YOU

a.      Disciples

b.     Founders of the church

c.      Writers of the bible

d.     The first missionaries sent by God

e.     Looked to as spiritual leaders

3.     The disciples needs to be servants and slaves to be first in the Kingdom

a.      How he meant for leaders to serve. Ephesians 4:12 God gave leaders (pastors, teachers, prophets) to the people for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

b.     Christ put no pressure on the masses to submit to the leader, instead he puts pressure on the leaders to be slaves of all.

4.     Matthew 20:26 Christ did not come to BE SERVED but to SERVE even unto death.

a.      John 3:16 God loved his people so much he sent his Son to die

b.     Christ then loved us so much he was obedient and sacrificed Himself.

c.      So if we want to be like Christ we must also be lovers of people.

d.     The love and servanthood of Christ is what leads people to Him, not manipulation, coercion or force.

Scripture 2

Acts 15:1 & 9 Luke, a disciple of Jesus, is writing to Theophilus and recounting a story of a conversation that Paul, Barnabus and Peter had with some Pharisees, Jewish spiritual leaders, regarding Gods judgment of the Gentiles. 

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."

So God who knows the heart acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

1.     The Jews are trying to force the Gentiles to follow rituals and customs they claimed were required in order to be saved

a.      The Jews are lording over their "spiritual" authority over the Gentiles.

b.     1 Peter 5:3 Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

2.     God knows our hearts

a.      This is how he judges us

3.     Acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit

a.      Recognized them as his children

b.     Recognized their salvation as being real

c.      The Holy Spirit is the third part of God after Jesus Christ. It is the part of God that empowers us to do his will and allows him to communicate with us.

d.     The Holy Spirit is the part of God that resides in us after we are saved. It is what makes our salvation real.

4.     Just as he did to US

a.      Us being the Jews

b.     The Gentiles received the same Holy Spirit as the Jews did

5.     Sees no difference between the Jews and the Gentiles

a.      We are all equal in Jesus's eyes

b.     It is not Christ's nature to show favoritism or to be prejudice towards others

6.     Purifying their hearts by faith.

a.      Salvation is equal opportunity

b.     Salvation is based on our faith not who we are

c.      The Gentiles salvation could not be given to them by the Pharisees based on their standards.

d.     The treatment of the Gentiles by Jewish rulers (here the Pharisees) went against the nature of Christ

Scripture 3

Galatians 3:26 Paul the Apostle is writing the Church of Galatia who were also trying to force the Gentiles to adhere to Jewish Customs in order obtain salvation.

For you are all the children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

1.     YOU in this instance is the believer in Jesus Christ

2.     Salvation is the adoption by God into his family so that we are his children

3.     In Gods new order we are all members of the family of God before we are anything else.

4.     This is the only way God identifies us even if we aren't saved

5.     We should also see each person as a child of God first and treat them as such

Apply

1.     Would we dare try to manipulate or act superior to one of Gods children?

2.     To teach submission would a Godly leader force a person to serve him or her?

3.     What would happen if we all treated each other like Jesus did and our leaders lived as examples to us?

4.     How has submission to spiritual authority in your life brought you growth?

5.     Who's authority do you respect and why?

6.     When you are in charge (or if you could be in charge) how would you describe your leadership?

01 Jesus Style: Intro/Servant

If you asked anyone, especially non-believers, who Jesus Christ was what would they say about Him?

1.     born of a virgin,

2.     was the son of God,

3.     he worked miracles like turning water to wine or walking on water,

4.     he died on the cross for our sins,

5.     rose three days later

6.     and all so we could go to heaven.

So why is it important for Christians to understand who Jesus Christ was beyond this common knowledge?

So who was he beyond the "fact sheet"? Who was he as a human being and a man?

Why is this information valuable?

1.     It is having an example for how to live a day to day life

2.     More than that who we should be within ourselves, not just in the outside.

3.     There isn’t always an easy answer to life's everyday problems:

a.      New or young Christian and just learning what bible says

b.     Bad at memorizing scripture but good at understanding concepts

c.      Being taught one way growing up and differentiating between what you are taught and the bible actually says.

1.     Mormons believe in  pre-existence

2.     Questioned if that was biblical

3.     Researched it and found contradicting scripture

4.     But wasn’t totally convinced

5.     Compared to what you know about the nature of Jesus Christ

a.      He is a loving God

b.     He desires  us to be with him more than anything

c.      Then would such a God send us away from heaven

d.     To live on earth where the is pain, suffering and death

e.     And risk us not returning to him

f.       Like a parent throwing their child into the middle of the ocean in hopes that they will swim to shore safely?

g.      That is not a loving God.

h.     Scripture + Nature of Christ = Pre-existence is not biblical.

Jesus had a style all his own. What some people refer to as the "nature of Christ". This is going to be our topic over the next few weeks.

Scripture 1

Mark 10:42-45 - Jesus Speaking to the disciples as they argued about who was going to be greatest in the kingdom

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give up his life as a ransom for many.

Observe/Interpret

1.     Rulers were lording their status over the Gentiles.

a.      The rulers had racial prejudice against the Gentiles and were treating them unfairly and taking advantage of them.

b.     History shows that the Jewish teachers would often use the Gentiles as negative examples.

2.     Jesus states that the disciples should not be treating the Gentiles that way

a.      As a Christian you should be different and not do what everyone else is doing even if they are in power.

3.     Instead they should be servants

a.      When the rulers were about their power, Christians should be about empowering others

b.     Jesus' teaching challenged the social hierarchy and violated expectations for honor in ancient society.

4.     Calls himself the Son of Man

a.      While he was the Son of God he was also human, he was one of us

b.     Luke 22:27 - For who is greater he who sits at the table or he who serves, is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as one who serves.

5.     He came to serve

a.      The Son of Man was expected to reign as an earthly king would reign instead he came as a servant for the glory of his heavenly kingdom and people didn't understand that. Daniel 7:13-14

                                         i.            Side note: They did not understand the nature of Christ, which is what we are studying. If they did they would not have been confused. Another example of why knowing who Christ was is important.

b.     If our magnificent God came to earth as a servant what do our socials positions, wealth, accomplishments matter compared to being a servant. In comparison who are we to expect recognition?

6.     And died for all of us.

a.      Speaking about his own death.

b.     The greatest type of service, giving one's life for another and he did it not just for his family or closest friends but for people who would deny him and hate him.

Scripture 2

Galatians 5:13 Paul one Jesus' disciples writes a letter to the Galatians

For you brethren have been called to liberty only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh but through love, serve one another.

Observe/Interpret

1.     Speaking to them as brothers

a.      Christ makes us family

b.     The church is the body of Christ and we are one in Him

2.     They have been given freedom and free will

a.      God has given us the choice to follow him

b.     If we were compelled to love Him it wouldn't be real love

c.      The down side is that people would not choose him

3.     Even though you have freedom it shouldn't be used to indulge in sinful things

a.      Freedom and free will is a gift from the Lord

b.     We shouldn't squander it but do his will with that gift

4.     Service is facilitated by love

a.      Love is a catalyst that makes true service possible

b.     Without love any form of service is a lie, it's not really service if you don’t mean it

Scripture 3

John 13: 5-8 Jesus Christ and his apostles gather for what would be their last meal together before Jesus' crucifixion. Jesus gets up from the meal and gathers a towel around his waist and begins to wash their feet…

He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?". Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

Observe/Interpret:

1.     Washing feet

a.      A little service compared to sacrificing His is life but also not a little service in His eyes. All true service is equally great.

b.     It also shows that there is nothing too small for his attention.

2.     Simon Peter is not just asking but he is exclaiming in surprise.

a.      This would have been a servants job to wash their dirty, sweaty, stinky feet.

b.     Again Jesus challenged social hierarchy and violated expectations for honor in ancient society.

3.     Jesus understands that Peter is confused but he assures him that it is for a reason that he will understand but Peter doesn’t accept that.

a.      This points to Christ's Godly omnipotence or all knowingness when he assures Peter that he will understand in the future.

b.     Peters response is one of doubt and stubbornness.

c.      We are Peter

4.     Jesus insists that it is vital for Peter to allow him to wash his feet or there will be consequences.

a.      Jesus knew that he was about to die and that his death would cleans our sins.

b.     His insistence on "washing" Peter was a representation of his dying for our salvation and that if Peter did not allow him to "wash" him with his blood that Peter would not receive salvation.

c.      Allowing God to wash us is accepting his Gift of salvation and eternal live with Him.

Apply:

1.     Look to Christ as an example for not just how to act on the outside, but who to be on the inside and how to be a true servant.

2.     Do not act like you are better than others instead be there to help others

3.     Be willing to do both great service for others as well as little service which can sometimes be harder.

4.     We should not be picky about what kind of service we are willing to do.

5.     We should not do service to bring attention to ourselves.

6.     Recognize that your free will is a gift from God that we should be thankful for and should be used to glorify Him.

7.     Do all service with love otherwise it is empty and instead of Him blessing your service he will despise it.

8.     Nothing was beneath Jesus Christ so nothing should be beneath us

9.     When Jesus assures us that something is going to happen like he did with Peter, we should trust him and not doubt or be stubborn.

a.      When God tells us that he has it all under control we should say OK!

10. Accept the gifts that Christ gives us and let him wash us clean!