Putting on Christ - Lesson Six
Putting On Christ
go directly to
point 11
go directly to
point 12
In this series we are expanding on one simple directive from God. It is found in
Romans 13 and verse 14
“Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ”
Now in the first five lessons, we discussed the first ten elements of
Christ’s character. They were: (Listed in today’s Bulletin)
1. Christ had a mission and He stuck to it.
2. Jesus kept in constant contact with His Father.
3. He believed in Himself.
4. Christ had internal anchors.
5. He guarded His energy.
6. Christ did the difficult things.
7. He said thank you.
8. He did not waste his time judging others.
9. He Had a passionate commitment to the cause.
10. He felt a sense of destiny.
Today we will discuss Points 11 and 12 of Christ’s character; elements that we
must have if we are to be like Him.
Point 11: He Saw
Them as His Greatest Accomplishment
In John 17, Christ says, “It is in them I am
glorified.” Christ is stating to the Father that we, His called out ones are his
greatest accomplishment.
John 17 is Christ’s final summary to God before His death. His summary did not
read:
Dear Father in Heaven:
I have completed my task here by doing the following:
1) Raising the dead. The daughter of Jairus…Matthew 9
Lazarus….John 11
2) Turning water into wine. John 2
3) Multiplying the loaves and fishes. Matthew 14; Mark
8
4) Healing the sick, the blind, the lame, the deaf. All through the gospels.
He did not say, “I’ve left construction of the temple in capable hands and it
should be finished by May.”
Nor did He say, “I’ve doubled the number of your recruits here and you will note
offerings are up in three locations.”
Instead, he listed His people as His greatest accomplishment. Let us read that
final summary to the Father.
John 17:4-11
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest
me to do.
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I
had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have
received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me; for they are thine.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,
that they may be one, as we are.
It is clear from this that we, the first fruits of God, are His greatest
accomplishment. Now how does one take this element of Christ and make it a part
of our character? Look at what Christ says in the first verse of this summary to
the Father…
John 17:1
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the
hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
We become like Christ by doing the same thing He did….asking the Father for
power and glory.
2 Cor 13:4 says…
For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.
For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God
toward you.
Point 12: He Knew
That Nobody Wins Until We All Do
There is a true story about a young man set to run in a one hundred meter race
in the Special Olympics. He had trained for months and months. Then came the day
of the race. When the gun finally sounded, he leaped out in front of the rest
but his excitement got the best of him and he stumbled and fell to the ground.
The other racers, each as eager as he was to compete in this great event,
nevertheless stopped running their own race and turned back to help him. The
crowd came to their feet as his competitors lovingly lifted him up and then
walked arm in arm across the finish line together. These fine people were making
that statement that, “Nobody Wins Until We All Do”. Christ feels the same way.
Turn over to Luke 15:and beginning in verse 4
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not
leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost,
until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours,
saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
Luke 15:8-24
8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not
light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours
together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.
10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repenteth.
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he
began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him
into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did
eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's
have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have
sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off,
his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy
sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on
him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And
they began to be merry.
God has given us example after example of His concern that we ALL WIN!! I will
conclude this point with this great promise…
Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
There we are, we have added two more elements of the character of Christ to our
notebooks and to our lives. Let us continue to study these elements and as we
say with each of these sermonettes…
Put on Christ