JESUS WAS NOT…

  • November 19th, 2010 | Johnny Bragg | 1 Comment |

    As we have been working through our series on Jesus, His Life and Ministry, we have covered much of what is…but today I want to challenge you with what Jesus was not. The Apostle Paul wrote that we are to be imitators of Christ. We can imitate Christ by what he was not, what he didn’t do, what he was not about. Let me give you five encouragements:

    1. Jesus was not shallow. He spoke with substance and authority. He used words that matter, that challenge, that have depth.

    2. Jesus was not petty. He chose to focus on what was critical, and seemed to pass over the petty comments of the Jews who followed him only to accuse.

    3. Jesus was not impatient. He stood silent at his own trial. He allowed the kids to come to him. He cooked breakfast for Peter. When I see the story of Jesus in the Gospels, I see patience regardless of circumstance.

    4. Jesus was not greedy. We live in an age where preachers demand your best, your finest, your first-fruits…that they may live in luxury. Jesus said of himself, that he did not even have a place to lay his head. See Matthew 8. Jesus was a giver, not a taker. Still is.

    5. Jesus was not a hippie. Hollywood has convinced us that he was a robe-wearing, campfire-sitting, kumbaya guy. His mission was not one of peace, but of division. See Matthew 10. When he said the only (ONLY!) way to the Father is through him, he drew a line in the sand of time…requiring each of us to decide to follow or not, to believe or doubt. Quite the opposite picture of how the world paints Christ.


One Response and Counting...

  • Joanna Tongue 11.19.2010

    This is some good preaching..I’m chewing on it for sure. Thanks!

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