What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus Would Get Down To Earth
Matthew Chapter 1
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Matthew 1:1 through Matthew 1:25 (KJV)
1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham. 2Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and
his brethren; 3And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat
Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat
Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz
begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6And Jesse begat David the king; and
David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7And
Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; 8And Asa begat
Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9And Ozias begat
Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10And Ezekias begat
Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11And Josias begat
Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
12And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and
Salathiel begat Zorobabel; 13And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim;
and Eliakim begat Azor; 14And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim
begat Eliud; 15And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan
begat Jacob; 16And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born
Jesus, who is called Christ. 17So all the generations from Abraham to David are
fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are
fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are
fourteen generations.
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make
her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought
on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth
a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from
their sins. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the
angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not
till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
What would Jesus do? That sure is a catchy phrase, one which is heard over and
over today. People are buying everything from mugs to earrings with the letters
WWJD emblazoned on them. It appears to be a fad, driven by popular culture in
an effort to be more “religious”. I would say in an effort to be more
Christ-like, as that was undoubtedly the reason this fad began, but it would
seem that it has degenerated into something much less than this.
Many people today, like the Pharisees that Jesus encountered in His ministry
think that if you appear more religious than those around you, somehow that will
translate into favor with God. Yet like most things, if you try hard enough,
you can find something good in it. It does indeed seem as if the idea of What
Would Jesus Do has become over used, and perhaps even abused, but it also seems
to me that the concept is a valid one for us to explore.
What WOULD Jesus do when confronted with the technological advances of the 20th
Century? What WOULD Jesus do with the social decay in our nation? What WOULD
Jesus do with our drive for material gain? What WOULD Jesus do about the
homeless in our land? What WOULD Jesus do about the drug culture, about the
crime problems, about the internet? What WOULD he do?
Perhaps the reason we like to ask that question is that we really don’t know
what He would do. It’s easy on us to sit in our gilded cages parroting those
four word all the while bemoaning the fact that He didn’t have to cope with the
same problems we do today in 1999. We can reduce the question to a
philosophical or rhetorical question, thereby negating the need to answer it.
Maybe we should approach the question from a different angle. Rather than
asking ourselves What Would Jesus Do, we should ask ourselves, what DID Jesus
do, or even what did Jesus TELL US to do? These are questions that can be
answered and backed up with scripture. Perhaps approaching it in this fashion
would cause us to evaluate our lifestyles and make some changes.
This series will attempt to show us what Jesus would do, by showing us what he
did do. If we are going to attempt to live out our lives by trying to
understand what Jesus would do, we are going to have to spend time in His word
so we are able to know. We cannot simply speculate and expect that to be
sufficient.
Our text this morning seems oddly out of place in the middle of July with an
outside temperature rising close to 100 degrees. The passage of scripture we
looked at this morning would fit closer around Christmas. Yet, it seems
appropriate to begin this series with the very first actions our Lord would
take. These actions are not ones directed by Him, but put into place by God
because of our sinful nature. Today we will look at the first thing Jesus would
do.
Jesus would get down to earth. It’s deemed by many to be an asset to be down to
earth. I prefer associating with people I would call down to earth. You know
the kind of folks I am talking about, the ones who don’t let things bother them,
don’t require much in the way of maintenance. Those who know what they need,
and don’t agonize over the things that they cannot have. Well, Jesus got down
to earth.
Jesus Got Down To Earth To Fulfill Prophecy (vv 1-17)
It sure is easy for our eyes to glaze over, and our brain to go on autopilot
when the preacher begins to begat. We start to hear who begat who, and then
they begit (sic) someone else, and by the time we get to that point, our only
thought is how to begot outta (sic) there.
In this instance, though, it is necessary to at least glance at the genealogy so
we can understand part of the reason why Jesus came. He came because it was
prophesied that he would come.
For generations the children of Israel had been waiting for the Messiah. They
new of the promises that had been made, they knew that He would come from the
line of David. Jesus coming was widely anticipated.
Now, to be sure, you and I probably cannot emulate that facet of Jesus’
ministry. It will likely not ever be our lot to fulfill prophecy. Yet, to
understand what Jesus would do in our everyday situations, we must understand
what He did do, and the first thing He did, was to fulfill prophecy.
God had promised to perpetuate the line of Kind David, and in Christ He kept
that promise for eternity. God had promised to send a messiah, and in Christ He
kept that promise. Christ got down to earth to fulfill prophecy.
Jesus Got Down To Earth to Save us From Our Sins (vv. 18-21)
Jesus had a job to do, and he had to be sure it was done right. So, He came
down from heaven to do the job Himself. All of us have sinned, and all of us
are guilty, but what Jesus did was remove the penalties of that sin for us.
The wages of sin had already been determined, and what we would receive is
death. But the scripture goes on to tell us that the gift of God is eternal
life, and that gift is ours because Jesus got down to earth.
Many times people will wonder how we can talk about a loving God, a merciful
God, while at the same time preaching hell fire and damnation. The simple fact
is that our God is loving, and it is because of His love for us that we have the
opportunity to avoid damnation.
Sure, we are sinners. Sure, we violate God’s laws. Sure, we deserve
punishment. God, however, loved us enough to give us a second chance. He sent
Jesus to be the substitution for our sins. That shows us just how much He does
love us. God has no desire to see any of us fall into temptation, but we make
our own choices. Jesus got down to earth to save us from the consequences of
those choices. We can do no less than Christ by sharing with the world what He
came to earth to do.
Jesus Got Down To Earth To Be With Us (vv 22-25)
This is perhaps one of the greatest things that Jesus did do. He came to be
with us. The verse says that His name shall be called Immanuel, which means
“God With Us.” It’s always easier to go into the unknown when you know someone
else is with you. It’s easier to try something new when someone else is with
you. It’s easier to do the right thing when someone else is with you. Jesus
got down to earth to be with us. He was to be a reminder, indeed a reality,
that God is always with us, no matter where we are, or what we are doing.
When things get tough, we are not alone. There is a notable difference during a
crisis between those who have the Lord to lean on, and those who try to stand
alone. The saying says “No man is an island.” We all rely on each other, and
when we rely on the Lord it becomes that much easier.
We can emulate Jesus in this last action to a certain extent. We can get “down
to earth” and be with people. So ma
ny times we have separated ourselves from the world, and created an “us vs.
them” scenario. We must be with the people, and share their pain, share their
joy, and share our love with them.
It’s not easy to do what Jesus would do, and as we continue in this series of
sermons we will discover that many times what Jesus did, is not what we would
do. I challenge you to look at your life this morning, and yes, ask that
question, “What Would Jesus Do?”, but then follow is up by discovering what it
is that he actually DID do, and then learn what He has already told you to do.
Our journey is a long one, but the rewards make it profitable. As we walk
together, let’s attempt to truly live as Jesus would.
Contact revmims@claimthevictory.org
Copyright Ó 1999 Claim The Victory Ministries
South Peninsula Baptist Church
Daytona Beach, FL
