There is so much to be learned from Jesus’ example! Jesus gave up everything by leaving Heaven to come down to earth to set the example for us and what an example it was! What did God want us to see in his behavior? He wanted us to see how we could live a pleasing and holy life unto Him! We are to look at the example Jesus set for us and we are to understand, and we are to integrate what we see into our own lives. But we cannot copy him. There is a difference! We are supposed to allow the example He set in the way He lived his life, to teach us how to live ours. We are supposed to allow the example He set, to become a part of our lives. He came to this earth as a human being to die for us on the cross, but before that, he showed us how-to walk-in obedience, so we could please God! Plus, he showed us just how important obedience is!

“During Yeshua’s life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions, crying aloud and shedding tears, to the One who had the power to deliver him from death; and he was heard because of his godliness. Even though he was the Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings. And after he had been brought to the goal, he became the source of eternal deliverance to all who obey him. 1since he had been pro-claimed by God as a cohen gadol to be compared with Malki Tzedek.”
Hebrews 5:7-10
(CJB)

We must be willing to learn and become obedient to God just as Jesus had to!

And, when we do - we will be ready to go forth into our calling carrying with us the level of power and authority needed!

“And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your (our) obedience is complete.” II Corinthians 10:6 (NIV)

“And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your (our) obedience is fulfilled.” II Corinthians 10:6 (KJV)

“And when you (we) have become completely obedient, then you (we) will be ready to punish every act of disobedience.” II Corinthians 10:6 (CJB)

Jesus set the example of how to walk radically saved! How did he do that? By walking in total obedience! By doing nothing on his own! By saying nothing unless God told Him what to say and how to say it! In so doing, Jesus walked in an incomprehensible holiness! And that incomprehensible holiness was God in the form of a man!

So, what is the bottom line? This! People are always saying, ‘I can't figure out what to do!’ Well, they are NOT supposed to be figuring out what they are supposed to be doing. They are supposed to be asking God what to do, what to say and how to say it!

The best part is that Jesus demonstrated to us that we can deal with and handle anything, if we are willing to take the time to listen and obey the Father - as has been stated throughout the lessons that appear on this web site! We as the children of God, have the right to hear God’s voice and then make the choice to obey. The two go hand in hand and that is the only thing that will allow us to walk in this evil and corrupt world in freedom. That is what Jesus did. He set the example and we are to follow it.

Jesus even experienced the feelings that accompany your friends letting you down. As we look at these verses, pay attention also to the fact that our Savior was in great distress regarding what was about to happen to Him. These are the emotions of a human being.

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Seabed along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."

“Going a little farther, he 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. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So, he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. (NIV) Matthew 26:36-45

I want to point out a few things, when we look at pictures of the Savior on the cross we need to understand that there has not been a picture painted or drawn that has projected the truth of what really happened on the cross. You could hardly recognize Him, they beat him and they grabbed His beard and pulled it out of His face.

“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”  Isaiah 50:6 (NIV)

They put a crown of thorns on His head, they did not just place it there, they drove it in to his head. His face was covered with blood. We all know that a head wound bleeds terribly hard. They stripped Him of all His clothing and put a robe on Him. When He was hung on the cross the robe came off because history tells us this is the way the Romans did it. Everything was done to someone to cause them to suffer the most emotional and the most physical pain possible! Let me point out right here that Jesus endured sexual abuse, and shame! Why? Because He hung naked on the

cross! It would take a great deal of time to go into the process of Roman crucifixion. The Roman soldiers who were given this type of assignment were trained to create pain,  they had it down to a science!

“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.”

These are just a few of the situations to show you the humanness of our Lord and Savior as He walked this Earth. He walked it in confidence, He walked in boldness, He walked in the power of the Almighty God, because He humbled himself in order to take direction and obey from his Father He did not walk around carrying a Bible – because there weren’t any! There was a Torah, but they were few. Jesus walked in constant communication with the Father, He spent time with Him and He got His direction for each day. There are several scriptures that tell us that He went away by Himself to pray.

“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone . . .” (NIV) Matthew 14:23

Everything that He did glorified His Father - everything!

“So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (NIV) John 8:28

“For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” John 12:49 (NIV)

We are supposed to walk as Jesus did! We can you know. Because, Jesus came and showed us by His example.

Jesus set the example of how to walk radically saved! How did he do it? By walking in total obedience! By doing nothing on his own! By saying nothing unless God told him what to say and how to say it!

“For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So, whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."  John 12:49-50 (NIV)

I repeat: “In so doing Jesus walked in an incomprehensible holiness and that holiness was God in the form of a man!”

We must learn to hear the voice of God, we must! Why? If we don’t, we will not have any idea on how to run our own lives! If we do know how to run our lives, then why we are so miserable much of the time? Why do we make mistakes? Jesus set the example: I repeat: He spent time with his Father! He learned to hear the voice of his Father, and He received specific direction in regards of what to do and how to do it! So, why should we not follow the Master’s example?

Jesus did not have access to anything from God the Father that we do not have access to. God would not have given Him the opportunity to attain anything higher on this Earth than He would allow us to attain. That is not the kind of God that we serve. In fact, Jesus told us that we would do greater things than He did, because He was returning to Father and the Holy Spirit would come.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father.”
(NIV) John 14:12

One last scripture to show that Jesus did indeed lay down His Deity: After His work was completed, He ask the Father to return to Him the “glory” He had before!

“I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (NIV) John 17:4-5

One more thing: Because of Jesus’ walk on this earth obeying God in every way, speaking only what He was told to say, and saying what He was told to say in the manner He was told to say it! All the while never telling his Father no, I won’t do that, nor saying I can’t do that! He was always willing to obey from his heart! He wanted to PLEASE His Father! Jesus set the example for us in every conceivable way possible!

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. John 4:4 (NIV)

Jesus also set the example of WORKING WITH GOD! He was a CO-WORKER with God in every endeavor while on earth because He listened and obeyed! He didn’t try to figure things out for himself!

We are to work with God as God workers! (I Corinthians 3:9; II Corinthians 6:1; I Thessalonians 3:2) These scriptures tell us we are to be co-workers. Jesus was successful in his calling because he OBEYED God and listen to the instructions God had for him! Yes, he talked to his son just as he wants to talk to us and tell us how to succeed!

Important: Jesus also did not allow his emotions to get in the way of what his Father wanted him to do! The scriptures you have read tells us of Jesus becoming overwhelmed with sorrow. One scripture tells us he even fell with his face to the ground asking God to not allow him to have to go to the cross! He was venting to God! However, he also said to his Father while venting, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:36-45 (NIV)

Whatever was asked of him (Jesus) by His Father He accomplished it! That is why he could say while hanging on the cross: “IT IS FINISHED!”

(sw-h)

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