Jesus was not a wayside philosopher. He did not sit around and debate the state of the world. He didn’t engage in political banter for the sake of it. He wasn’t a baby kisser pining for office. Jesus was a doer. The tsunami impact of His life branded the world. How did He do it? He moved in God’s timing. He flowed with the Spirits direction. He left every disciple a reproducible model. What Jesus did you can do. How do we know? He told us so.
John 14:12
14 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
- Here are three things that Jesus did that you can do.
Jesus Focus Was the Kingdom of God
Matthew 4:17 (KJV)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
- After Jesus received the baptism of the Spirit and pushed Satan’s temptations aside, he left to go to Capernaum. He heard that John, His cousin, was in prison. (Matt. 4:12–15). This was a fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1–2.
Isa. 9:1–2 (KJV)
1 Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, When at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, Beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
QUESTION: Ask yourself, what light did the people of Capernaum see?
- They saw the light of the anointing that rested upon Jesus. They saw the life of God in Jesus. Light is the development of men (John 1:4).
- They also saw the light that came from His words (Ps.119: 130).
- Jesus message was a simple one. ‘Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
DEFINITION: ‘at hand’ – The word ‘at hand’ means come near or to approach.
- The kingdom approached in the person of Jesus. He is the king of the kingdom. His words are the words of the kingdom.
- Preaching the kingdom is what Jesus did. What He did, you can do.
QUESTION: How do you preach the kingdom?
- First, you live the kingdom.
- You embody the kingdom just as Jesus did.
- You accept the King as your king. You accept His commands as your commands.
- When He speaks, you bow your knee, you bow your heart and you say ‘Yes, Lord.’
- In one word, preaching the kingdom is Lordship.
- It means living like Jesus is your Lord. It is the very thing that you have to confess in order to gain entrance into the kingdom in the first place.
Romans 10:9 (ESV)
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
- Out of life lived by kingdom principles comes kingdom words. This is your conversation. You always want to talk the Word. At its purest, the man is the message and the message is the man. It’s that ‘out of the abundance of the heart’ thing Jesus mentioned.
Matthew 12:34
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks
Jesus Fulfilled God’s Complete Plan for His Life
- Jesus fulfilled the will of God.
1 John 3:8 (KJV)
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
- Do you take that for granted?
- What if He hadn’t? What if Jesus left something on the table?
- What would the landscape look like?
- How would you find God?
- How would you come to know Him if Jesus didn’t make the way?
- The life of one man impacts another in God’s economy. We are all tied together.
- Your life is about more than you.
- Your life’s purpose is interconnected with other lives.
- What you do or don’t do with your life impacts others.
- Bounce these questions off of your heart.
- How many can find comfort?
- How many can find the courage they need?
- How many can come to know God?
- How many can experience renewed hope?
- Whose marriage is still going strong?
- Because you found your place.
- It pays to go God’s way and walk in his plan.
- What Jesus did, you can do.
Jesus Healed the Sick
- Healing the sick consumed a major portion of Jesus ministry.
- Love moved him to heal.
- Compassion compelled him to restore the crippled.
- Nineteen individual cases of Jesus healing are recorded in the gospels.
- Nineteen over three and a half years doesn’t seem like much.
- Until you consider the nameless mega multitude who received deliverance.
- Healing people, kept Jesus busy.
Mark 6:31 (KJV)
31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
- Seeing the great need, Jesus assigned His disciples the same task.
Matthew 10:1 (KJV)
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
- Through franchising, Jesus multiplied the profit of health in people’s lives.
- The same love that compelled Jesus to heal can propel you.
- You can see a sick person the way Jesus saw them.
- Since, no scripture states Jesus ever took the healing mandate away from his disciples, you are free to believe him.
- You are free to lay your hands on the sick just as Jesus did.
- What Jesus did you can do.
Call to Action:
Dreamers never catch fish. Only doers reel them in. You have to put your pole in the water in order to have any chance. Step out on the lake then. Prove out the words of Jesus in your life. See for yourself if John 14:12 is true. Give Jesus your mouth to speak, and your hands to heal. Determine to walk in His will.
Question: What other things did Jesus do that we can do? Please your comments in the comment section below.