Walking Like Jesus Walked

CATLETTSBURG SOUTHSIDE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2012

MESSAGE

AM WORSHIP

“WALKING LIKE JESUS WALKED”

I John 2:1-6

READING OF SCRIPTURE

Stand with me as we read the text together this morning.

1 John 2:1-6- New King James Version (NKJV)

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

PRAYER

OPENING COMMENTS

It is amazing, how familiar we are with the first two verses of today’s text.

1 John 2:1-2

King James Version (KJV)

1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

We relate to those verses because everybody needs forgiveness.

We relate to the song “Mighty to Save, “Everyone needs compassion, Love that’s never failing;”

There is more to being a Christian than just having forgiveness of sins.

This morning we want to look at the verses following the promise of our sins forgiven.

What does it really mean to know Jesus?

TEXT

The verse that I want to take for a text this morning is verse 6. Look at it with me.

6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

John is saying whoever claims to live in Christ must walk as Jesus walked.

If I am commanded to walk like Jesus walked, then I need to know how He walked so I can imitate Him.

If I am commanded to walk like Jesus, then I need to know:

• What He wants?

• What His heart is?

• What His passion and will for my life is?

• How did He talk?

• How did He spend His time?

THE DISCIPLES WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW JESUS

For 3 ½ years the disciples spent their time following Jesus.

That was the call Jesus placed on their lives.

Matthew 4:19 Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

That may have sounded intriguing to Peter and Andrew because every time you met the disciples they had empty nets. Fishermen with empty nets starve to death. So, the idea of catching something probably interested them.

Matthew 9:9 Jesus said the same thing to Matthew, who was sitting at the tax office, “Follow Me.”

JESUS SAYS THE SAME THING TO US THIS MORNING

Jesus says the same thing to you and me this morning. Matthew 16:24 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

If the disciples were commanded to follow Jesus, what did they see Jesus do those 3 ½ years?

What do Jesus disciples learn as they watch and listen to Jesus?

What did they learn and see that we can put into our lives as we walk as Jesus walked?

#1-THEY LEARNED THAT JESUS SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH HIS FATHER

“Walking with Jesus requires I spend a lot of time talking with Jesus”

We have spoken a little bit the last few weeks about Jesus and His prayer life.

Jesus gave Himself to consistent and intensive amounts of time to be with His Father.

Luke 4:42 “At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place.”

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

That is an interesting verse, sometimes praying people are lonely people. In order to spend time with God you have to withdraw yourself from some of the business and activities.

Luke 6:12 Jesus spent the night in prayer.

Luke 21:37 During passion week Jesus went every night and stayed on the mountain called Olivet. It doesn’t say, but I think He probably spent that time in prayer.

We are told that when Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane that the disciples were used to Him going to that place.

Hal Perkins wrote in his book, “Walk With Me” “Jesus loved His Father and loved being with Him, even when it was costly to His physical needs, other relationships, and tasks. He only had 3 years to accomplish His mission, yet He set aside vast amounts of time to dialogue with His Father.” (Page 17)