Gtcotr/ss010619
Happy 2019! Each turn of the new year gives us another opportunity to make some decisions and take some steps to better ourselves in both the eyes of God and in the eyes of others. The most important thing in life is how we look to God. However, it is also important for us to consider how we might appear to others. In the book of Proverbs King Solomon said we can find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. He also said:
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1
Luke consolidated his description of the early life of Jesus by saying:
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:52
One day we will all stand before God and He won’t be as interested in what we intended to do near as much as what we did. And, one day, when we no longer have a chance to re-write history, someone else will tell otherswho did not know us all about us. We cannot control where our story ends but we can reasonably determine how we are going to look when it ends.
It is God’s desire today to challenge us to consider how we want to end up being remembered and He has sent me this morning to encourage each one to take somesteps towards Building a Better You. Without further ado, let’s read from our text today which comes from:
Matthew 16 NKJV
13 ¶ When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
• Well, it really depended on who you asked.
o The religious Pharisees who felt threatened by Jesus called Him:
▪ Blasphemous
▪ Gluttonous
▪ Drunkard
o The jealous crowd argued that Jesus:
▪ Consorted with sinners
▪ Was a tax evader
▪ Ungodly
▪ A Law breaker
▪ Demon possessed
▪ Delusional
o But ask those whom He ministered to, fed, healed and saved; they imagined Jesus to besomeone special. Perhaps:
▪ John the Baptist, raised from the dead
▪ Elijah, the prophet who was to come before the Messiah
▪ Jeremiah returned in spirit
Jesus however seemed more directly interested in whoHis disciples thought He was: “But who do you say that I am?”, Jesus asked.
Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Notice that Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, yetPeter saw Him as the Son of God.
What people thought of Jesus didn’t change who Jesus was, but He knew He needed to accurately portray an earthly image of a loving Heavenly Father is He was going to win anyone for God.
What people think about you may not change who you are, however, your witness and the fruit of your life will be affected by how you appear to others. If we do not represent a loving Jesus, we not be successful in winning others to Him.
Everyone saw what Jesus did, but Peter saw who Jesuswas.
Jesus was different. Not that He looked different, for the scriptures said that no one would notice the Messiah from His outward physical appearance. Jesus was different inside and different and deliberate with both His words and His actions. It seemed Jesus wasn’t just trying to build something, rather He was on a mission to show how wonderful God really is. He came to destroy the slanderous image of God which the devil had cast in the hearts and minds of men. Only the devil would paint the picture of an unloving, uncaring, vengeful God. Jesus came to correct that image.
If you were to have observed Jesus in His humanity, inHis daily life, what do you think you’d have noticedabout Him? If you watched and listened to Him, not as Savior of the world but as a man … a man who was tempted in every manner just as are we, yet He remained without sin … What do you think you’d think and say about Him?
There are three things I note most about the man Jesus:
1. Jesus was loving and kind
o It was His nature … He took time for others
o He spent a great portion of His time with the poor and needy, the sick and afflicted, the hungry and the hurting, and with sinners and publicans.
o Jesus loved people and interacted with them no matter who they were.
o From kings to prostitutes, from the demon possessed to the High Priest, from the Roman centurion to the thief on the cross, Jesus took time for others … He took time to hear their story and not just to tell His.
2. Jesus was a giver
a. A disciple named Judas Iscariot travelled with Jesus and was in charge of the ministry money bag. When Judas left the last supper on his way to betray Jesus, the other disciplesassumed that Judas was only going out to give money to the poor.
b. Jesus had the supernatural ability to turn water into wine and to multiply food. He could command fish to swim into the fisherman’s nets. Yet, even with unlimited power to gatherwealth and multiply resources, Jesus never did anything, nor did He ask anyone else to do anything just for Him.
c. He had no house, He had no boat and He had no bank account. Yet Jesus met the physical needs of 10’s of thousands.
d. When I look at Jesus the man, I can clearly see He was a giver
3. Jesus was willing to suffer and die for what He believed
a. He suffered shame
b. He suffered loss
c. He suffered hunger
d. He suffered injustice
e. He suffered betrayal
f. He suffered humiliation
g. He suffered a beating
h. He suffered death
i. Even death on a cross, crucified between two criminals
ii. He was forsaken and rejected by others
iii. Yet He endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him … He looked beyond the price He paid to the souls He saved.
i. All this He suffered without complaint
j. Jesus was committed to God’s agenda and notto His own, … and it showed.
How about you? What can we say about you? You won’t be remembered for your intentions but rather for what you say and what you do. Perhaps today you might consider becoming more like Christ.
• More loving and kind as you take more time for others.
• Perhaps reconsider how much you have and how much you give.
• Find a cause you would die for and attach your life to it without complaint.
If you will do these things, you will Build a Better You and you will gain favor with both God and man.
Jesus said it this way:
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
I challenge you to take advantage of this new year and begin Building A Better You today.
Altar, Offering and Close
