Victory and Vocation
Introduction:
In Jesus Christ, God the Father finally had a man on earth that fulfilled every aspect of the Divine plan for human beings. Jesus was not only perfectly God; He was perfectly man. Laying aside His own divinity, Jesus made Himself perfectly available to the Father through the Eternal Spirit and became the visible revelation of the invisible God; when the people saw Jesus, they saw God!
Even though the life of Christ demonstrates exactly the way God intended humans to live, Jesus did not come down here to set an example for us to follow, thereby making ourselves acceptable to God; He came down here to live the perfect life God intended for all humans and offers that perfect life to us in exchange for our defeated existence that we have called life. The idea that we can simply look at His life and decide what action is appropriate for us (WWJD) is one of Satan’s most effective deceptions. How can we know what Jesus would do in any given situation? The gospel accounts reveal a varied response in similar situations; the different ways Jesus healed blind people is a good example.
The life of Jesus was consistent in the only area that matters; He was totally dependent upon the Father to do the work through Him and in that respect alone, we are to imitate Christ.
Group Discussion:
Did Jesus have access to God in a different way or to a greater extent than believers today have?
Which of the following activities was the most spiritual?
What determines the spirituality of an activity?
If Jesus was perfect, why does the writer of Hebrews say He would be made perfect by suffering?
Was it the absence of sinning that made the life of Christ perfect?
How was Jesus able to accomplish all that He was commissioned to do?
What is eternal life?
What is the divine vocation of every believer?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before you in gratitude for the unspeakable gift of Your Son Jesus Christ who not only took away our sins, but brought us life! Give us the gifts of faith and surrender that we might live in the fullness of His resurrection and that as a church, we might always see Jesus as our life, our attitude, our goal and our strength. We ask this in His name, Amen.