Putting on Christ series: Lesson 11

Putting On Christ go directly to point 21 go directly to point 22

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”

In the first 10 Lessons we discussed the first 20 elements of Christ’s character.

Today we will discuss Points 21 and 22 of Christ’s character; elements that we must have if we are to be like Him.

There is a story about a high level corporate executive that sought out the advice of a very successful efficiency expert.

The corporate executive challenged the expert by stating to him, “Give me one good idea that insure my success and I will give you a check for what I think the idea is worth”.

The expert came back to the executive with a little 3x5 card with some simple instructions. They read:

1. Write down 5 things you want to get done today.
2. Work on the first one until it is done.

The executive looked at the card, looked at the expert, sat down at his desk and promptly wrote out a check to the expert in the amount of $25,000.

Maybe the expert knew something about Jesus Christ:

Point 21: Christ took one step at a time.

The temptation to have everything done all at once and perfectly often leads to procrastination, inactivity or outright paralysis.

This is constantly a problem at the Web Site Office. There is more to do than we have time for. We have had to adopt what Christ did a long time ago and take one step at a time.

We have talked a lot about the Principle of Process and how everything in God’s Plan is a process. Much of what you see in the Bible is process.

Notice a couple of scriptures:

James 1:14-16
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Note: Sin is a process that proceeds one step at a time.

2 Peter 1:4-10
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Note: We have two “step by step” situations going on here.

1) The adding of Godly principles to our character….one at a time.

2) Giving diligence to make our calling and election sure. Notice that it says that “if you do these things”, “you shall never fall”.

Let us look at Christ taking one step at a time:

Matthew 11:1
1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

Matthew 4:23-25
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Mark 1:38
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.

Remember the 12 Elements of Prayer that we just went through during the Spring Feast. Clearly we cannot absorb everyone of those in one day or one week. We make them a part of our prayer life, one element at a time.

So be like Christ and take everything one step at a time.

Point 22 Christ Trained His Replacements

There is a story of an executive director who had ruled a huge organization for nearly 12 years, largely through smoke and mirrors.

He was incompetent.

He was final found out and released from the corporation but the problem was, it wasn’t just his incompetence that had to be corrected.
He had multiplied himself by hiring people who were far less qualified, and hence less of a threat to him in every part of the organization.

That incompetence worked like a cancer and affected every department and nearly caused the demise of the entire corporation.

Jesus Christ is not like that. Like a good CEO, He was eager and intent upon hiring people he felt that could replace him.

Notice the book of John, chapter 14 beginning in verse 12…

John 14:12-13
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Take a look at this whole series of sermonettes and split sermons. They have all been about putting on Christ…..being just like Him. We are His ambassadors and disciples on this planet.

Remember what we said about the Rabbi (teacher) and disciple relationship.

The goal of the relationship is that the disciple would become just like the Rabbi.

Christ is just the opposite of that incompetent executive we talked about. He wants us to be just like Him. Notice what He said to His father when He prayed about us just before He died…

John 17:9-11
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.

John 17:16-23
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Clearly, we can see that Jesus is the perfect CEO of God’s organization. He has and is training us to be just like Him.

He is doing with us what He did with the Apostles; He trained His replacements.

Back then He was leaving the Apostles so He trained them as His replacements and we are their replacements. And we, through God’s Work are bringing in and training still further replacements to be just like Christ.

All that have been called so far have been His replacements until He gets back. God the Father is very proud of the work Christ has done with us.

So, there you are….two more very important elements of Christ that we must have if we are to be like Him.

Continue to study these elements and pray to God that Christ be manifested in you.

Be just like Christ.

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