Can The World See Jesus In You?
LeRoy Barnes
Midland SDA Church
March 3, 2012
(For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29)
During the Christmas season, there is an event that takes place, which is televised, and intrigues me to point of watching it, from season to season. It is the midnight mass ceremony at the Vatican. I watched it again this year. I can’t help noticing the opulence, pomp, and pageantry of the entire affair. The alter boys marched in to perform their functions. The attending priests came next in all their regalia. Then came the Pope with his golden bejeweled staff, white robe, and headpiece. In years past the Pope, would generally walk in. However, so as not to exhaust him, they have now constructed a special wheeled device, so that four (4) attendants may wheel him in. What an awesome display. While the Pope and his attendants had facial expressions that were humble and pious, everything about their appearance and actions spoke volumes to the contrary. Many individuals in the audience seemed mesmerized by his entrance. It was almost as if he was a Rock Star coming onto the stage. They went to great lengths just to see him and receive his “blessing”. It becomes abundantly clear to me that all of this display is not meant to turn the minds of the people toward Christ. It was meant to turn the minds of the people towards themselves, their traditions, and their ceremonies. The Pope seemed so willing to oblige the people as they referred to him as the “Holy Father”. Curiously enough, pay attention to all this, one thought permeates my mind: What do people see when they look at me? If I call myself a Christian, then I am called to be one of His ambassadors here. Am I rightly representing Him?
And so the sermon for today is entitled: Can the world see Jesus in me?, and can the world see Jesus in You?
Let us Pray……….
As a young boy I recall my mother singing this hymn for worship. The words to the first verse and refrain go like this:
“Do we live so close to the Lord today,
Passing to and fro on life’s busy way,
That the world in us can a likeness see
To the Man of Calvary?
Can the world see Jesus in me?
Can the world see Jesus in you?
Does your love to Him ring true,
And you life and service, too?
Can the world see Jesus in you?”
I believe the greatest need in our world today, is for people to come to a knowledge of the Savior, and His saving grace. Brothers and sisters in the scheme of life, what else really matters? 1st Peter 3:10 & 11 Peter states: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent, the earth also and the works that are therin shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. What else really matters than accepting the Lord, Jesus Christ, as our Savior, and having a personal relationship with him? Men and women, boys and girls, everywhere, will in many instances, only come to this knowledge through you and me. I like how someone put it: In our ministry for Christ, we should be transparent so that others looking at us see Christ, and not us. In John 3:30 John the Baptist says: He must increase but I must decrease. And in John 12:32 Christ Himself said: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Well, if we want the world to see Jesus in us, then we must be determined to be like Jesus. It sounds simple enough, but many times we miss this point, and the ramifications that accompany it.
I’d like to share with you four (4) points on how we can be like Jesus. I’ll mention all four now and then we’ll take a look at each one.
1. We must develop mentally & physically as Jesus did.
2. We must study the Scriptures as Jesus did.
3. We must pray as Jesus did.
4. We must serve as Jesus did.
Point Number 1. We must develop mentally & physically as Jesus did. Luke 2:52 states: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” I like how the Everyday version of the Bible puts it: “Jesus became wiser and grew physically. People liked him and He pleased God.”
Let’s dwell on the mental aspect for a moment. Within each of us exists perhaps the greatest “computer” ever created: The human mind. Medical scientists tell me that every event that we experience, or have experienced in life, is stored in our brains. With our brains we learn, we think, we reason, we make choices and decisions, some good, and some maybe not so good. In addition to the things that we learn or acquire, God has put some built in functions into our computer/brains.
Just think if we had to concentrate on, or think about making our heart pump, or our blood flow, or our lungs breath. Fortunately, we don’t have to do that. These instructions are preprogrammed into this wonderful computer.
Now consider this. Millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions of dollars are spent every year on anti-virus software and firewalls, in an effort to protect our personal computers at home, and our computers on the job, from harmful and destructive programs. Why?, because these viruses can do bad things to the computers that they infect. They can destroy the hard drives, or make computers lose all their data. They can make computers crash and render them unusable.
Now if we are this diligent in protecting our man-made computers from such damage, shouldn’t we be much more diligent in protecting our computer/brains from bad programming. Yes, I should think so. Remember the saying, “Junk in, junk out.” Well we can’t expect to put junk in here (point to head), and expect good things to come out. In Phillipians 4:8, Paul states this: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Remember now, we are talking about how to be like Jesus, so that the world can see Jesus in us. Jesus did these things and we ought to also.
Please note that in the text it does not say whatsoever things are religious, think only on these things. God wants us to be well-rounded individuals and there are many secular things and activities that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and virtuous. Every movie or television program we watch doesn’t have to be about the Bible, but certainly we should steer clear of programming that is filled with sex and violence. Every song that we listen to doesn’t have to be Sacred or Gospel music, but certainly they should be uplifting. Every book that we read does not have to be religious in nature, but certainly we should stay away from pornography, and literature that has no socially redeeming value.
Here is a simple little test we can all use to help us make our decisions about the things we do in life. When we pick up a book, lets ask ourselves, “Would Jesus read this with us? When we go to rent a video, lets ask ourselves, “Would Jesus look at this with us? When we buy our CDs, lets ask ourselves, “Would Jesus listen to this? I think that if we are sincere and honest with ourselves, we will know the answer to these questions, and we will know what to do. We must guard the avenues to our soul, meaning we need to be aware of all of our sensory inputs: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling, and protect our CPU’s from bad or corrupt data.
Now lets dwell on the physical aspect for a moment. I mention the physical development with mental development because the two are inseparable. The relation that exists between the mind and the body is intimate. When one is affected the other sympathizes. Just like with our brains, if we want to develop whole bodies we must put good things into them.
Here is an acronym to keep in mind; “NEW START” also known as the Eight (8) laws of health. Each of the letters in NEW START stands for a law.
N is for Nutrition - Eat the right kind of food, and in the proper amounts.
E is for Exercise - Try to get some exercise in your daily activities. Walking is good.
W is for Water - Drink plenty of it to flush impurities out of your system.
S is for Sunshine - Get some from time to time.
T is for Temperance - We should be temperate in all things.
A is for Air - Try to get some fresh air.
R is for Rest - Try to get an adequate amount of sleep so your body can repair itself.
And last but not least.
T is for Trust in Devine Power - We all need to trust in God for our healing and well-being.
In 1st Corinthians 6:19, 20 Paul says: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are Gods.
Remember now, I’m still talking about being like Jesus so that the world can see Jesus in us. Jesus developed mentally and physically, as God would have Him to, and as His parents directed Him to.
Point Number 2. We must study the scriptures as Jesus did. From a very young age Jesus was a very diligent student of the Holy Scriptures, his earthly parents Mary & Joseph taught him so.
Think about this, when Jesus came to this earth in human form, he came as we all do; as a baby. He did not come as a fully developed human. He did not have the foreknowledge of who He was, or what His purpose was. He learned this as a result of His studies of the Bible. Imagine if you will, Jesus as a small boy studying the scriptures. He reads the prophetic writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. He reads about the Messiah who is to come. He looks at Himself and the circumstances of his life, the time and place of his birth, and he comes to the realization: Hey this is Me.
Jesus discovered God’s will and purpose for His life as a result of His diligent study of the bible. So we also, if want to be like Jesus, so that the world can see Jesus in us, we will study the scriptures to find out God’s will and purpose for our lives.
II Timothy 2:15 says: “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
It is interesting to note that after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. He went there to contemplate His mission and His work. Satan went there as well, thinking that this might be an opportunity to approach Him. But as Satan met Jesus with temptation, Jesus responded to every temptation with an “It is written”, or “Thus saith the Lord”.
Now I don’t think that Jesus had His scrolls, or His books, or His Palm Pilot or PDA with Him at the time. He committed these scriptures to memory. We should do the same. We should study our Bibles daily. Recently, I was studying with a group of CMU students, at out Friday night Bible Study, and I stated to them the importance of reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis. I told them that just as we consume food every day to maintain our physical bodies, we need to consume the Word of God daily, to maintain our spiritual health.
Now I know that we all have busy schedules, and it is hard to find the time to do all the things that we must do each day. But let me show you a way that may work for you in order to get in your Bible study.
All of us have a preset time that we wake up in the morning in order to get ready for school, or to work, or whatever else that we do. Most of us also have a set time that we go to bed each night. For the most part, we stick to our routine, because we all have to get in a certain amount of sleep to function properly.
Now lets try this. Try waking up ½ to 1 hour earlier than you normally do, and go to sleep ½ to hour than you normally do on the previous night. Don’t worry about staying up late to watch CNN news. The same news they broadcast at 9:00, will be the same news they broadcast at 10:00 and 11:00. Watch it earlier then go to bed earlier. You will then be able to get up earlier for your personal Bible study. I guarantee if you do this, you will gain newfound spiritual insights. You will discover God’s will and purpose for your life and in this, you will be like Jesus. Remember, if we are to be like Jesus, then we must study the scriptures earnestly, then the world will see Jesus in us.
Point Number 3. We must pray as Jesus prayed. No other life in human history was ever so crowded with labor and responsibility as was the life of Jesus, yet how often he was found in prayer. How constant was His communion with God. In Mark 1:35 it states: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” In Luke 5:15, 16 it says: “…Great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And He withdrew himself in the wilderness, and prayed.” And Luke 6: 12 says: And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
Now if Jesus, who is the Son of God, found it necessary to devote much time to prayer, then what about us. We should be just as diligent about our prayer life. Heavens limitless resources are available to us if only we would pray for them. From the Pen of Inspiration, comes this point about prayer: “It is not always necessary to bow upon your knees in order to pray. Cultivate the habit of talking with the Savior when you are alone, when you are walking, and when you are busy with your daily labor. Let the heart be continually uplifted in silent petition for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. Let every breath be a prayer.”
Now let me share with you something that will help you have a powerful, and effective prayer life. Practice the art of Intercessory Prayer. By this I mean, pray more for the wants and needs of others, and less for your wants and needs. Matthew 6:8 says: “..for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Pray also for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and less for material things. And pray for God’s will to be done in your life. If you pray like this, God will supply all your needs.
Where will you find the time to pray like this? No problem. Remember that ½ hour to 1 hour block of time in the morning we carved out to devote to scripture study. Lets take one quarter of that time and devote it to prayer.
Remember, if we pray like Jesus prayed, then we will be like Jesus, and the world will be able to see Jesus in us.
Point Number 4, and my last point. We must serve as Jesus served.
Jesus’ whole life was a life devoted to service for the benefit of others. As a child he lightened His mother’s burden by cheerfully assisting her in her chores. As a young man he learned the trade of carpentry under His father’s tutelage, and assisted His father in the work. The furniture that he made benefited others. In His earthly ministry, He met people’s mental, physical, and spiritual needs, and He forgave them of their sins. As our High Priest, He intercedes on our behalf before the heavenly Father.
Christ, as our example, left us a legacy of service. He left us this legacy to teach us the principles on which the Kingdom of God is based: Love for our fellow man as evidenced by our service to others. In Matthew 25: 34-40 Jesus Himself says this: “Then shall the King say to the people on his right, Come, my Father has given you his blessing. Receive the kingdom God has prepared for you since the world was made. I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me. Then the good people will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you? Then the King will answer, I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.”
You see, we need to be like the people on the right, the sheep, and not the goats. These people did not do these things not for fame, or fortune, or recognition. They did them out of hearts filled with genuine love for their fellowmen.
If we want to be like Jesus so that the world can see Jesus in us then we will serve others as He did.
In closing, Christ has called us all; young and old, small and great, to be ambassadors for him. Every one of us has a sphere of influence. Within this sphere, those in whom we come in contact with are affected. No man, woman, boy, or girl is an island.
Christ admonishes us to follow His example. Why do we need to do this? Because people in Midland, and Saginaw, and Mount Pleasant, and Carrollton, and Bridgeport, and Detroit, and Chicago, and New York, London, Paris, in Johannesburg, and Sydney, an Jerusalem, and Cairo, and Palestine, people in Africa, and Asia, and Europe and Arabia, people all around the world need to come to knowledge of the Savior and of His saving Grace.
The only Jesus that many, men and women, boys and girls will come to know is the Jesus in you and the Jesus in me.
“Can the world see Jesus in me?
Can the world see Jesus in you?
Does your love to Him ring true,
And your life and service, too?
Can the world see Jesus in you?
Let us bow heads for prayer……….