Walking like Jesus walked

the statement I desire mercy not sacrifice is in the tanach. one of the minor prophets said it.
 
I was thinking of that, in reference that isn't about the offerings but the way they offered them and how they did the torah..its kinda along the lines of asking God to forgive you but not fprgiving others.God wants mercy as he knows that you will then ask him for it and then do so for the others.
 
Deborah13 said:
There are so many good answers here, I don't see much that I can add.

Matthew 9:12-13 - 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Sacrifices were something that they did under the Moses Law, but here I think He's saying, in place of that doing, He wants us to give what can only come from a repent (changed) heart, that truly serves Him as Lord. To give mercy as we have received mercy from Him.

Luke 5:12 - 12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Like Danus, it was the leper who stood out to me, or rather his response when he saw Jesus. He recognized Him as the Lord. He treated Him with the honor to give to a King, a Lord. But at the same time he dared to approach Jesus and ask Jesus to give him mercy. What was it about Jesus that this man saw, that he thought he could do that? I'm not sure, maybe I'll learn what that was in this study.
Click to expand...

I thought that this thread was a great topic and that there would be much that we could share with one another that would help each of us grow in Christ, but unfortunately, interest does not appear to be to high. It really makes me wonder if those who call themselves Christians are truly interested in Jesus and growing in Christ.

With that thought out of the way, I have been thinking on your statement: What was it about Jesus that this man saw, that he thought he could do that? And I can't help but reflecting on the following scripture.

Mat 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

The people were amazed and astonished at his doctrine, what he taught and how he taught, and the authority that he taught with. This in turn is contrasted to the way the scribes and pharisees taught. So what should be take from this? It had occurred to me years ago when reading the gospels and the words that Jesus spoke, was that he seldom taught the scriptures. In his ministry, he did not go about just quoting scriptures and teaching the Bible, that was how the scribes taught. Jesus taught spiritual matters in a way that the man of flesh could comprehend, he used parables and examples of natural things to paint a picture of the spirit, and of his kingdom.

Many may disagree, and there are some that might take offense, but I believe to walk as Jesus walked, we must be willing to lay down the Bible and begin listening to the Word of God instead. For your Faith in Christ to increase, then the Bible must decrease. If we are to grow in Faith, then we should begin demonstrating that faith by learning to express the Word of God in our own words from the understanding of our own hearts, and not just quoting the Bible thinking your saying something. Even the devil can quote the scripture. But if you can learn to speak from the heart as the spirit instructs you, then the measure of Christ in you will be reflected in your words, and as your Faith grows in Christ, so too will the authority and confidence of that which you speak. Galatians 3 talks about how the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, but after faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. The Bible can only bring us to Christ, but our expression of Faith comes from the Spirit that dwells in us, that is the light that the world will see; not our knowledge in quoting scripture.
 
actually jesus taught very much like the jews did. not the Pharisees. the parables are nothing new. read Ezekiel 31, that is a parable there and its a judgment and take notice of what jesus tell the apostles about isreal in matthew 24. the similiarities are too close to ignore
 
StoveBolts said:
Hi everyone!
I'm doing a study from Dann Spader from http://www.walkingasjesus.com and it's so exciting I just wanted to share it and get your comments!

The study guide is, "Walking as Jesus walked" and is patterned after this verse:

1 John 2:6 (NKJV)
He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

The word walked in the greek is a very interesting word and the NIV translates the verse like this:
Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

In a sense, Paul puts it this way:
Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

I'd like to explore this "Walking as Jesus walked" in the next several weeks.

Let's start off like this.
If you could see your world around you like Jesus sees the world, what would it change about you?
Also,
When you were younger, did you have somebody you looked up to? Somebody you admired?
Who was that person and why did you want to be like them?
Click to expand...
 
I think I'm a little behind from the beginning of this thread, but I'm going to answer the questions.
I think I would like myself more and others if I saw the world as Jesus does. I also think that I could talk to others easier and be able to share my opinions and thoughts.
Growing up, I looked up to my older brothers. They were my heroes and examples. They both have become strong men of God and leaders in the ministry. I regret that I let them down 25 years ago, and kept things from them. It wasn't because I didn't trust them -- I was scared and ashamed.
 
Excellent replies and posts from everyone! Thanks for all the great replies!
I'm on vacation for the next few weeks and our internet is intermediate from home due to the storm that rocked through here last week. All the towers are out of alignment and the owner of the internet company has parts on order... I took me about 5 minutes just to get to this page..

So here it goes! We are going to focus on the Methods of Jesus now! Previously we looked at the message of Jesus, now we are going to look at his methods, so when you read the passages I put up, try to look at the Method's Jesus used.

1. John 1:14 (hint: What was Jesus' method of choosing to interact with us?)
2. John 1:37-39 (hint: How did Jesus relate to his first followers?)
3. John 2:1-3 (hint: Where did Jesus choose to do hsi first Miracle? Why do you think He made this choice?)
4. John 2:13-19 (hint: What was Jesus act during His first public Passover?)
5. John 3:22 (hint: What was Jesus' main priority?)
6. John 4:1-4 (hint: What did Jesus avoid? What didn't He avoid?)
7. John 7:1 (hint: What was Jesus intentional about at this stage of His ministry?)
8. John 8:49-59 (hint: How subtle was Jesus in His dealings with Jewish leaders?)
9. John 13:4-5 (hint: How did Jesus deal with His disciples?)
10. Matthew 11:29-30 verses / contrasted with Matthew 23:13-17 (hint: How does Jesus' tone differ between needy sinners and arrogant Pharisees?)

For deeper reflection:
1. What method(s) of Jesus do you feel were the most radical?
2. Which method(s) do you feel are missing in some ministries today?
3. Which method(s) of Jesus do you need ot develop in your own life? Why?
 
Yeah farouk, it's an excellent study! I really like the way this guy put it together. We have three more modules for chapter one and then we get to look directly at Jesus in chapter two. The whole study is just a good study! Glad your enjoying it!
 
5.1 John 3:22-24 (hint: Does John the Baptist follow Jesus Christ? Why?)
 
1. John 1:14 (hint: What was Jesus' method of choosing to interact with us?)
Jesus is God. God came to us in the flesh as a human, to interact with us as a human.

2. John 1:37-39 (hint: How did Jesus relate to his first followers?)
Not sure this verse gives enough insigt into the question, but I would say Jesus related to his followers as a man first. This is to say, He did not reveal himself as an all powerful God to them here to save the world. but rather in a more humbling way. In the verse John 1:37-39, we see an account of Simon and Andrew following Jesus. When we read the accounts in the other gospels we get a little more detail of the same account. In any case, it's clear that Simon (Peter) was convinced Jesus was the messiah, but Jesus did not specify himself as such in saying so.

3. John 2:1-3 (hint: Where did Jesus choose to do hsi first Miracle? Why do you think He made this choice?)
Ah, well this answer could be quite deep. It's arguably symbolic in many ways, but John 2:1-3 is an account of Jesus performing what I would say was His first "public" miracle. (turning water into wine at the wedding fest in Cana) So that's the location. Why there? why that miracle? We can only speculate, but we can say that this was the first public account, and we can speculate that it was time for Him to show more of who he was. The miracle made quite an impression on those present. It was also very prophetic; read Jeremiah 31:12, and Amos 9:14. That He did this at a wedding is also very symbolic. It shows where the blessings of God spring from, not just in terms of people being married, but of the Love and Joy inherent in Jesus' ministry, of God coming to the world, the reconciliation of God and man.

4. John 2:13-19 (hint: What was Jesus act during His first public Passover?)
He was righteously angry at the money changers who had set up shop in the temple. He overturned their tables and scattered their things to drive them out.

5. John 3:22 (hint: What was Jesus' main priority?)
In this verse spending time with his disciples and baptizing them.

6. John 4:1-4 (hint: What did Jesus avoid? What didn't He avoid?)
Interesting question for this verse. We could say He avoided hanging out with the Pharisees, trying to baptize them LOL. He did not avoid common people. (sinners) He avoided those who thought themselves righteous and he did not avoid those who knew they where not righteous. (those who knew they where sinners)

7. John 7:1 (hint: What was Jesus intentional about at this stage of His ministry?)
His intent was to avoid the Jewish leaders

8. John 8:49-59 (hint: How subtle was Jesus in His dealings with Jewish leaders?)
:biggrin2 I love this passage. Subtle? Jesus was not very subtle to the Jewish leaders here. He was quite direct. But, they (the Jewish leaders) already had stones in their hands (metaphorically) for Jesus, even though the scripture says they picked them up. I liken this passage to arguing with modern day atheist. Notice how the Pharisees would counter Jesus any way they could. Jesus did engage them. there where things He needed to tell them, and He did. Again He was humble. He put Himself second, and God first, yet the Jewish leaders saw it differently. Jesus was Humble.

9. John 13:4-5 (hint: How did Jesus deal with His disciples?)
Again, humble as an obedient servant

10. Matthew 11:29-30 verses / contrasted with Matthew 23:13-17 (hint: How does Jesus' tone differ between needy sinners and arrogant Pharisees?)
Jesus confronts the the self righteous and welcomes the sinner. Interestingly, the self righteous, even today, confront the sinner. The self righteous do not hang out with or have much to do with the sinner.

This question and insight is extremely important in our understanding of Jesus, the Christian life and ourselves. I often refer to myself as a sinner. By that I do not mean a willful sinner in the sense that I want to sin, or choose to sin, NO; but I am a sinner by nature. I repent from that in that I do not want to sin.

Our knowing this is very very important to knowing Christ, not just the character of Jesus, but who Jesus is in relation to who we are. Are we righteous? The Pharisees and Jewish leaders of Jesus' day thought they where. In fact no other man was more righteous then them. They followed the law to the "T" compared to everyone else, but yet they where the most unrighteous in their own hearts. They missed Jesus. :sad

I often wonder who is missing Jesus today, is it the drunk on the street, or the man who wares the religiouse label pointing to the drunk on the street? (drunk being any sinner) We can not know we need Jesus if we don't know we need Jesus, and for the self righteous, this is more of a problem than the sinner.

Today we have a new type of self righteous, who wear not just a religiouse label, but a NO GOD label. Two types of sinners who do not know they are in fact sinners, the religious and the nonreligious. Two types of modern Pharisees who would Stone Jesus in a heart beat if He showed up today like He did when He first came to us.
 
StoveBolts said:
Excellent replies and posts from everyone! Thanks for all the great replies!
I'm on vacation for the next few weeks and our internet is intermediate from home due to the storm that rocked through here last week. All the towers are out of alignment and the owner of the internet company has parts on order... I took me about 5 minutes just to get to this page..

So here it goes! We are going to focus on the Methods of Jesus now! Previously we looked at the message of Jesus, now we are going to look at his methods, so when you read the passages I put up, try to look at the Method's Jesus used.

1. John 1:14 (hint: What was Jesus' method of choosing to interact with us?)
2. John 1:37-39 (hint: How did Jesus relate to his first followers?)
3. John 2:1-3 (hint: Where did Jesus choose to do hsi first Miracle? Why do you think He made this choice?)
4. John 2:13-19 (hint: What was Jesus act during His first public Passover?)
5. John 3:22 (hint: What was Jesus' main priority?)
6. John 4:1-4 (hint: What did Jesus avoid? What didn't He avoid?)
7. John 7:1 (hint: What was Jesus intentional about at this stage of His ministry?)
8. John 8:49-59 (hint: How subtle was Jesus in His dealings with Jewish leaders?)
9. John 13:4-5 (hint: How did Jesus deal with His disciples?)
10. Matthew 11:29-30 verses / contrasted with Matthew 23:13-17 (hint: How does Jesus' tone differ between needy sinners and arrogant Pharisees?)

For deeper reflection:
1. What method(s) of Jesus do you feel were the most radical?
2. Which method(s) do you feel are missing in some ministries today?
3. Which method(s) of Jesus do you need ot develop in your own life? Why?
Click to expand...

1. Jesus came as a man, who walked graciously and truth in His words and deeds.
2. He asked one simply question, What do you seek? We seek you. He says, then come, no more questions asked just come.
3. Third day, resurrection. Jesus and His disciples are invited to the Wedding feast of the bride. He is the one who provides the best wine, from jars used for Jewish cleansing rites. A picture of the old (on the outside) and the new (on the inside).
4. He fulfilled the prophetic scripture that spoke of Him, Psalm 69:9, and prophesied of His own death and resurrection. It was a witness to the Jews as to who He was, the Messiah.
5. John the Baptist was there baptizing. When were the apostles baptized?
6. He avoided the Jewish Pharisees. He did not avoid going through Samaria, where the people were of mixed marriages, Jew and Gentile. They were despised by the Jews and I think considered pagans.
7. Staying away from the Jews that wanted to kill Him, until the set time for Him to go back to Judea.
8. He was straight forward about who they were, but was pretty subtle about who He was until He said, "I AM".
9. Because Jesus knew who He was and the power the Father had given Him, He provided grace and mercy to His disciples.
He washed the dust from their feet, symbolically removing the unbelief/sin of walking in this world. He does the same for us.
"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."
10. He told sinners that He was meek (strong (victorious) in the face of affliction, compassionate, gentle) and lowly (humble). That they could trust Him and find rest in Him. His yoke would bring them into the Kingdom. Jesus was very stern with the Pharisees, with His authority He just, told them off. They were filled with pride and deceit. They had added to God's law, they burdened the people with more than they could bear, things which they did not do themselves, preventing the people from entering into the Kingdom.

1. When He speaks to the Pharisees, with the authority given to Him by the Father. They and all those who heard Him, had to have known that what He said was in the OT. That He was fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah. In truth of His words, He was reaching out to them and all who heard, to turn and believe.
2. Learning of God's goodness.
Rom_2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
2Th_1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
3. Jesus gave everything no matter the method used. I need to learn to give everything, without fear.
 
Very gold posts Deborah13 and Danus

reba, Charlotte L Claudya or anyone else i missed, were waiting!

Unfortunately my home internet is down and its too hard from my phone...

Good stuff everyone! Ohhh, and mine answers are much simpler lol!
 
Joh 1:14
God, our Creator left glory to become man to feel what we feel to be as one of us.

Joh 1:37 -39
He offered hospitality the feed the body and soul..

Joh 2:1 -3
Guess cause His mom told Him too is not the correct answer. :)
We see the 'new wine' we see marriage "Christ & the Bride" brings to mind the importiance of marriage the way marriage SHOULD be

Joh 2:13 -19
Psa 69:8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
Psa 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
I see a cleaning of the old temple by an angry God. He cleared out the books and CDs all that stuff. Making way for the New Tell them He is what they seek and yet they wont see.

Joh 3:22 .
Jesus had just laid out His death on the Cross His reason for being. The man side of Jesus , went for rest in the country a little laid back time while still ministering. one of those working vacations...

Joh 4:1 -4 He avoided the dreaded church people . and went to the ugly Samaritans. to a woman a whore.. Where she learned of Living Water..:sohappy
Joh 7:1 Keeping His time line..

Joh 8:49 - 59 Subtle? He told them He was God. He was not shy about it. Then like magic He walked out :)
John 13:4-5 Jesus the servant the teacher
Matt 11:29-30 23:13-17 Jesus sure dont like know it alls
 
Ha! Sure love your style reba ! Great answers!
I didn't really go into any long explanations on each verse. I just kinda kept is short.

1. John 1:14 (hint: What was Jesus' method of choosing to interact with us?)
To become a man and live among us

2. John 1:37-39 (hint: How did Jesus relate to his first followers?)
He asked them, "What do you want" - What are you looking for?

3. John 2:1-3 (hint: Where did Jesus choose to do hsi first Miracle? Why do you think He made this choice?)
Cana in Galilee. Because his Mother brought it to his attention.

4. John 2:13-19 (hint: What was Jesus act during His first public Passover?)
He was consumed with zeal and turned over the merchant tables of those who were exploiting the temple for their own gain.

5. John 3:22 (hint: What was Jesus' main priority?)
To spend time with them (disciples) and to baptize them.

6. John 4:1-4 (hint: What did Jesus avoid? What didn't He avoid?)
The Pharisees in Judea. He did not avoid the Jews rivals (Samaritans). Religious elite / Sinners

7. John 7:1 (hint: What was Jesus intentional about at this stage of His ministry?)
Staying away from the religious elites who were trying to kill him / stop his teachings.

8. John 8:49-59 (hint: How subtle was Jesus in His dealings with Jewish leaders?)
He was very direct and told the truth.

9. John 13:4-5 (hint: How did Jesus deal with His disciples?)
He showed them His love by serving them and teaching them how to serve one another.

10. Matthew 11:29-30 verses / contrasted with Matthew 23:13-17 (hint: How does Jesus' tone differ between needy sinners and arrogant Pharisees?)
He teaches the sinner that his ways are easy and he does not put a burden upon them. He exposes the burdens the religious elite imposes upon sinners.

For deeper reflection:
1. What method(s) of Jesus do you feel were the most radical?
Spending time with sinners and rebuking the religious elite

2. Which method(s) do you feel are missing in some ministries today?
Reaching out to the lost. The ones that are living in open sin not knowing any

3. Which method(s) of Jesus do you need ot develop in your own life? Why?
 
The Model of Jesus
I'm going to try and summarize page 23.
We've looked at the message of Jesus and methods of Jesus. If we only look at the message, then we are more concerned about having the right answers and saying the right things. (I see this a lot on this forum) and if we only look at the methods, then we become fixated on doing things the right way. (I remember when our church was this way...) If we are to walk as Jesus walked, then we need to look at the very model of Jesus life.
Looking at the life of Jesus is more about looking at Jesus as a human being. (don't worry guys, the next chapter gets into the diety of Jesus so please resist trying to defend the diety of Jesus, it's coming). The patter of Jesus life is the example of what it's like to be fully human.

Walking as Jesus walked said:
the patter of Jesus' life is the example of what it means to be fully human. This is the heart of the challenge of 1 John 2:6. When Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us, He told us to look hard at how He lived His life and to follow that pattern. The operative word in 1 John 2:6 become the word "as". Looking close at Christ in his humanity causes us to look at our humanity and to examine it in light of Jesus' example. Walking as Jesus walked becomes our focus.
Click to expand...

The model of Jesus:

1. As was noted before, Philippians 2:5 (NCV) says that we are to "think and act like Jesus." How does this verse challenge us to look beyond the message and method of Jesus?

2. Read the following passages. How do they challenge us to look beyond Jesus' message and method, and call us to imitate the very example of His life?

A. John 6:57

B. John 13:15

C. John 13:34

D. John 14:12

E. John 15:10

F. John 17:18 and 20:21

G. 1 Peter 2:21

H. 1 John 2:6

For deeper reflection:

1. Which of the above statments do you find the most challenging? Why?

2. Do you find it hard to believe that you could think and act like Jesus? Explain your answer.

3. If you study only the message of Jesus, is it possible to miss the true meaning of his life? How?
 
When I look at John 1 I see the fulfillment of a promise, because in the days of Moses the people were frightened by the cloud that descended upon the mountain, and they would not hear the Word of God (Deut 18:15). Jesus is the fulfillment of that word being made flesh, so that men might understand and take to the Word of God in their hearts because it came not in the image of a consuming fire, but came rather in the image of a man; That leads to something else the book of John say's about the man Jesus.

Consider these verses:

John 2:23-25 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

John 5:41 I receive not honour from men.

John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

It appears to me that Jesus made every attempt to keep the people from worshiping him as a man and making him their king after the flesh. Jesus often said to believe on him who sent me, and to worship God the Father. Jesus was a man made in the image of God, yet he was careful not to let the people worship him as a man or receive honor from them. What does that say about how we should view and worship Christ? As the image of a man after the flesh, or after the Spirit?
 
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