Sermon Central
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Jesus Died To Provide The Example For Us To Follow
Contributed by John Newbaker on Feb 15, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: His death provides the example for us to follow in four areas.
The Reason Jesus Came to Die
To Provide the Example for us to Follow
The way Jesus lived his life is the example of how we are to live our life.
The apostles understood this. John wrote, “Whoever claims to believe in him must live as Jesus lived." Do you believe in Jesus? Then you are to live as he lived. His life is the example we are to follow.
Jesus taught them, "The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his lord." Jesus tells us, “..the servant is to be like his lord… We are to be like him.
He set the example by which we are to love one another. He said, “love one another; as I have loved you."
He said, “I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." His life is the example we are to follow.
The Bible says we are to… "Imitate God in everything because we are his children." Paul wrote, “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God.”
Jesus gave himself an offering and sacrifice to God. The Reason Jesus Came to Die was To Provide us an Example to Follow.
His death provides the example for us to follow in four areas.
First, his death provides the example we are to follow in MARRIAGE.
Does this seem strange that his death is the example for us in marriage?
On the one hand you have Christ on the cross on the other hand a husband and wife in marriage. How does this compare? What’s the association between these two?
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5 Paul is comparing the r/ship of a husband and wife w/ Christ’s r/ship to the church.
He says here, Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
That phrase gave himself up is a reference to his death on the cross. Paul says, Jesus loving the church and dying for her is the example husbands are to use in loving their wives.
God’s design for marriage is such that the husband is to love his wife the way Christ loves his church and is seen in his giving himself up for her.
In our society, a ring tells us that a man is married. In the Bible, love is the distinguishing mark of a husband and the example by which he is to love his wife is the way Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Second, his death provides the example we are to follow in MINISTRY.
We all have a ministry. Ministry is simply helping others. You may not say you have a ministry. You may say, “this is what I do for the Lord”, or “this is what I do for the church.”
The word ministry simply means service. A service you do for others. Mt 20 Jesus said I came not to be served but to serve…
Christ is the example for us. Titus 2:14 [He] gave himself up for us to redeem … and purify for himself a people for his own poss-ession who are zealous for good works.
Underscore he died “to purify for himself a people . . . zealous for good works”. Good works is what we do for the Lord. It’s our service, our ministry.
Jesus mentioned our good works in Mat 5:16 when he said, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Our good works glorify our Father in heaven.
Jesus prayed just before he died, "Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. He spoke this, signifying what death he would glorify God."
His death was the good work that brought glory to God. Our good works are our service/ministry and they bring glory to God. Christ giving himself on the cross is the example for us.
We serve, just as he served us.
In Mat 25 Jesus said, "For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.":35-36
He just described us. We were hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and in prison. And Christ came to us and gave himself for us.
You may not teach a bible class or preach a sermon or lead in singing. You may not stand behind a podium or a pulpit, but as a believer you have a ministry.
