Services | Sunday at FPC | Sermons | Podcasts | Home

To Walk As He Did

Sermon by Mr. Dan Oedy — May 18, 2008
 

Download: To Walk As He Did as an MP3 file
(right click and save as)

Introduction
Well, here it is: my new printer, $29.95 … or so I thought!

Have you ever opened up one of those flyers that come in the news-paper, and it offers a great deal—almost unbelievable—something like $29.95 for a new printer?! And you get all excited and hop in the car, get to the store, find the right one, take it to the register, the clerk rings it up and says, “That will be $137.95…”

“Oh, no,” you say, “this is the one that is in the paper for $29.95…”

And she replies, “That is the price after the mail-in rebate…” and then hands you the mail-in rebate form—a mountain of paper, written in legalese. Doesn’t that just drive you crazy!!!

I mean, here you are: You heard all this great hype about this wonderful opportunity, and you got so excited to be a part of it, and then when you show up you find out it really isn’t anything like what you anticipated. In fact, the reality is quite disappointing compared to the hype.

I wonder how the world feels when they hear about this guy Jesus—how he lived, and loved and gave his life for the sins of humanity—and how he left a legacy for his followers to fulfill; and yet the followers of Jesus don’t live up to the hype. What does it communicate to non-believers when Christians fail to meet the standard set by our Lord and Savior?

I want to look at a short passage this morning, from the book of 1 John, which was written by the Apostle John, the beloved disciple and close companion of Jesus (some might say he was Christ’s “best friend” here on earth). Listen to these words of instruction John shares with fellow Christians:

But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5-7

WWJD?
You know, for about three years we were really good at asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” WWJD? And then something happened: It became too trendy, it became cliché, it was secularized, people uttered the words without pondering what they meant, other worldviews made spoofs that played off of the theme. Eventually, all of this led good, committed Christians to stop asking themselves, What would Jesus do? Maybe the fad just wore thin, but when you stop to think about it, that was a great question; maybe the best of all questions for Christians to ask; I am not so sure we should give it up so easily! What would Jesus do?

What if it wasn’t just a catchy slogan that sufficed in a pinch, but rather a thread of thought that was interwoven into the fabric of our consciousness? What if every impulse of our being begged the question, What would Jesus do?, in every instance of life? Well, this morning I want to spend some time with this verse from First John, especially with this point that John makes when he says: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did…”

Because this is really a fascinating covenantal statement that says, “Here is eternal life. Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, has offered it to you, and if you claim it, all you are asked to do is walk as Jesus walked, do what Jesus would have done, live as he would have lived…” Which, in order to do so, would mean we need to constantly ask ourselves, What would Jesus do?

I want to work with this a little bit, because I think the only way we can answer the question “What would Jesus do?” is to ask ourselves, What did Jesus do? So I want to look at three events in Jesus’ life, to see what he did, and then ask what his actions mean to us as we strive to walk in the ways of our master.

Human Struggle #1
Here is what I think is Human Struggle #1, as we seek to walk as He did: Humble Service. Let’s read what Jesus did, in John 13:1-5, 12-17.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.
      The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
      When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

I am sure most of you have heard along the way a powerful sermon on all the symbolism happening here, so we will not spend a lot of time with this, but rather do a quick review.

These guys walked everywhere. They shared the road with animals who were not house trained. Maybe they had sandals, maybe they didn’t. The environment was dry and dusty. And so, because of all of this, usually there was a servant at the door of the house who would wash the feet of people as they entered. This was a disgusting job! I don’t know about you, but I am not a feet guy. I don’t even want to touch someone else’s feet, let alone scrub all the dirt, dust and manure off of them!

But Jesus saw something that needed to be done—an opportunity to serve—and he did it. Actually, I think it might be interesting to look at this event for a moment and ask ourselves, What didn’t Jesus do?

Jesus didn’t look for the person who had the task of washing feet in their job description! He didn’t seek out the servant of the house and say, “Hey, we’re all here, no one was at the door to wash our feet, can somebody come give us a hand … take care of this for us…” He didn’t think to himself, Well I’ve been walking and teaching all day, my life is in danger, I will be crucified by the end of the week, I could really use a break; God should appoint someone else to wash the feet! He didn’t seek out the person who had a Doctorate in Podiatric Sanitization. And—this is interesting—he didn’t skip over Judas, who he knew was only hours away from betraying him, and handing him over to be crucified!

Rather, Jesus saw a way to serve, something that needed to be done, and he did it. So what does that mean for us? Well, let’s look around. What needs to be done here? Let me offer a few suggestions: Do you see anybody here in this room you don’t know? Anyone you don’t recognize? Good. Now you have job number one. Be a humble servant.

It’s okay to approach someone and say, “Good morning, my name is Dan, I don’t know if we’ve ever met…” You see, we are brothers and sisters in Christ; we are a family; family can be real with each other, we can be flawed, we can be open, we can let down our defenses, share our burdens and our joys…

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: last I heard, our membership here at First Presbyterian Church was around 1805 people and, if I understand correctly, about 650 of those have come in the last 3½ years! That is to say, most of us are new; and if we were to stand in the corner waiting for the “veterans” to come greet and welcome us and ask us to get involved, chances are they’re probably new, too!

So, instead, what if everyone in this room made it their goal to meet one person a week? Now this isn’t radical evangelism; I’m talking about people right here in this room! What if every Sunday each of you determined to meet one new person, and so every Sunday you just walked up to someone, whoever the Holy Spirit identifies, and said, “Hello, my name is Dan [you would say your own name]. I don’t think we’ve met. What do [or did you do] for a living? Hey, what are you most excited about right now? Anything you are stressed about? Can I pray for that this week? Okay, I am going to pray for you this week, nice to meet you!”

Could you imagine that?! Could you imagine the community that would blossom? The prayers that would be shared for each other? I’m going to move on, but first I want to leave you with this: I dare you to do it! I dare each of you to try it for one month!

Here’s another idea. Amanda Zaengle has been on our staff for about 8 months; she is fantastic! She has got energy and ideas, and an exciting vision for our children and family programs; but she can’t bring all of these to fruition on her own. She needs people to help—with Sunday school, family programs, Vacation Bible School… Could you be a part of the solution?

Sure, maybe you don’t have a degree in Early Elementary Education, or maybe it’s something you have never done, but I have never, never, ever, ever, ever met a child who asked me about my qualifications. Do you know what they will ask? Will you play with me? Do you like me? Do you want to be my friend? Can you say yes to those? Can you give two hours out of every six weeks? If so, give Amanda a call…

But let’s keep looking. What needs of the world speak to you? Where do you look and see something that needs to be done, people that need to be served? When Jesus saw a need, he responded with action; when you see a need, maybe it is the Holy Spirit guiding you in a way it hasn’t shown to anyone else here; maybe the Spirit is showing you your ministry! Ask yourself, What would Jesus do? Ask yourself, What did Jesus do? And once you have answered those two questions, you have your vision statement and your operation plan.

On Friday, January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy presented a profound inaugural address that has been quoted time and time again. JFK laid out a bold vision for what America could be, the position he envisioned the U.S. holding in the world; and he acknowledged that America would only achieve such a lofty goal if Americans were willing to adopt the motto: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

I think Christians need to begin asking themselves this question, in our context. I think we have a big job to do, and I think we can only get there if we adopt a similar motto: “Ask not what your Savior can do for you; ask what you can do for your Savior.”

You see, the primacy of what Christ has done for us has been done; we were reminded of it earlier, as we pondered and confessed our sin and received the assurance of forgiveness. Welcome to eternal life! Now we must begin to ask ourselves, How do we live in response to the gift of eternal life? I think our new life begins when we truly seek “to walk as he did.”

I hope we never lose sight of the fact that Jesus, our role model, and our example, the one who was active in the creation of the world, the one who paid the penalty for our sin, the one who rose in glory from the dead, the king of kings and lord of lords, He is the one who stopped, bent down, and scrubbed dirt, sweat and manure off the feet of his friends; the friends who sometimes drove him nuts because they just didn’t get it; the friends whom he loved, and even those who would deny and betray him. If our Lord can do that, is there anything—any job, any service, any role—that is beneath us?

Human Struggle #2
Human Struggle #2 is Willing Submission. Here’s what Jesus did.

Going a little farther, he [Jesus] fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:39

The cup Jesus talks about is his pending crucifixion. He asks for it to be taken from him, but he trumps his personal request with the phrase, “yet not as I will, but as you will…” Jesus is saying his primary goal is to fulfill God’s will for his life. And he offers his own request, but he doesn’t let that request go without emphasizing that his primary concern is God’s will.

So what didn’t Jesus do? He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t say, “Father if you give me two more years on earth, and if you let me win the lotto next week, and if I can meet a nice girl, then I will give my life…” He didn’t put limits on his faithfulness (“Okay, Father, I will wash feet, and I will preach and teach, and I will visit the sick, but I’m not sure I am cut out for the cross”). He didn’t second guess his calling when he knew the will of our Father. He didn’t talk himself out of the direction his heart strings were leading him. He willingly submitted to the will of the Father.

And don’t miss for a minute that we are talking about his life; and there is a rather painful process of death at stake here! This isn’t submitting the decision about how to spend his economic stimulus check, or how to spend a free afternoon, or whether or not to support this candidate or that one. This is his life!

And Jesus realizes this is what life is all about! Because Jesus has been on the other side, and he knows eternity, and he realizes that once you have been given eternal life, you can put every meaningless thing we cherish on this side out there and say, “Here I am, Lord, send me!” You can wholeheartedly say, “Not my will, Father, but yours,” and that is a very hard thing to do.

Later in his inaugural speech, after admitting the goals he set out are lofty, JFK goes on to say that accomplishing such lofty goals is going to take time:

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days; nor in the life of this Administration; nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

I would offer the same sentiment to comfort you. Submission is a lofty goal; it takes a lot of work. Even after you have submitted your mind to the overarching theme of submission, you have to continue to daily, hourly, by the minute submit your moments, submit your thoughts, submit your instincts, submit your reactions to the will of God. In other words; it might not be something you will master in the first hundred days, maybe not in the first thousand, nor even perhaps in your lifetime on this planet … but let us begin!

Let us set the lofty goal and let us give it our best effort. If Jesus can offer his life, can we at least start with the little things?

Human Struggle #3
If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by what Jesus did and by the example he set for us, let me share with you what I think was the secret to Jesus’ success. It just happens to be Human Struggle #3: Constant Communication. What I mean by that is Jesus prayed and Jesus knew the writings of the prophets, and when he was being squeezed by the world around him he used those two tools to guide his thoughts and actions. Just look at an outline of John, chapter 17, when Jesus is at the boiling point of the controversy surrounding him, and what does he do? He goes off and prays.

My little girl is 18 months old, and she and her brother argue about who gets to pray at dinner (we have to work on that) so, needless to say, we usually have two dinner prayers. I must confess she actually “boycotts” her brother’s prayers, in that she closes her eyes, but continues to eat while he prays (as if to say, “I am not listening to this; this doesn’t count”)—but when she finally gets her turn, she folds her hands, closes her eyes, bows her head, and says: “Thank Jesus. Amen.”

It is really cute, but that’s not what we’re striving for; that’s not the goal for our prayer life, not the kind of prayer we see in John 17. Jesus pours himself out: a whole chapter’s worth, about everything that is troubling him. The outline reads like this: five verses of Jesus praying for himself and for his own strength; 13 verses of Jesus praying for his disciples, for their well-being and their mission; and six verses of Jesus praying for you. Did you hear that? Six verses of Jesus praying for you, and all other believers who will come in his name!

Jesus goes off and prays when he needs it, he offers his whole mind, and commits it to diligent and powerful prayer. And Jesus knows the scriptures, the writings and thoughts of the holy ones who have gone before him. He uses that knowledge not to belittle, or trump, or to look smart, but to guide and direct his thoughts and his reactions. Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness and he quotes the Psalms; Jesus is talking about his purpose and he quotes Micah; Jesus is teaching in parables and he quotes Deuteronomy, Jeremiah and Ezekiel; Jesus is cursed by others and he quotes Malachi and Isaiah; Jesus is adorned in praise that he knows will quickly turn to betrayal and he remembers the words of Zechariah; Jesus foretells of his betrayal by using the words of the Psalms. The list could go on.

Jesus was versed in the holy writings, and he called upon this knowledge when he was challenged. If we are going to be serious about being more like Christ, we, too, have to know the scriptures before we can let them guide us.

This summer I am going to be reading the Bible, cover to cover, and I am going to do it in 90 days. I invite you to join me. Now I recognize that some people prefer to really dig into Bible passages and take time to digest everything, but it’s important to remember that the Bible is more than a moral compass or ethical crib notes. It is a great story—of a God who created, loved, set boundaries, was betrayed but continued to love, redeemed those who betrayed him, continues to be challenged and persecuted, and gives final victory to all who serve in his name.

If you really want to walk as Jesus did, you have to know the whole story, see how it all fits together, the amazing plan our Father has set in motion. And I challenge each of you to set that goal for yourself.

Conclusion
Everyone here in this room, every Christian in every sanctuary, in every corner of the world, is trying to be more Christlike. I hope you know it is a lofty goal. I hope you know that when you fail you are forgiven, but that should never diminish our effort!

Do you ever play poker? The whole point of poker is to completely mislead people, to fully conceal where you stand. So if I had to illustrate the opposite of Christ’s purpose, I would use poker strategy as the illustration … because Jesus’ whole purpose was to reveal exactly who he was and exactly where he stood; to use his every thought, word, deed, and action to express the love of his heavenly father to others. And John tells us this morning: “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did...”

Jesus revealed himself through his humble service, his willingness to love others even when it was difficult to do so; through his willing submission, the fact that he never lost sight of his primary purpose to glorify God; and through his constant communication, by letting prayer and scripture guide his thoughts and actions.

Being like Christ is a lofty goal. Maybe on some days here in the reality of 2008 it seems almost impossible. But just because the goal is a lofty one, let us never quit trying to walk as he did.