Jesus: The Perfect Man

(1) Jesus: The Perfect Man - Introduction

2009-11-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

(NOTE: This post is the first in a series on Jesus: The Perfect Man)

In 1976, at the Montreal Olympic Games, Nadia Comaneci received seven perfect tens. But was she perfect? Some would likely argue that no gymnast could ever perform perfectly. There had to be some minor error. But in this case, the judges didn’t see any errors. Of course, even perfection in most of the events would not make her a perfect gymnast in every respect. And of course even perfection in gymnastics does not come close to making her a perfect woman. We say it all the time, “No one’s perfect.” Ah, but we’re wrong.

We recognize Jesus as being perfect. Probably much of the time we are thinking of the truth that Jesus was sinless. This is true, and it certainly is a very important aspect of His perfection. But, there is so much more to Jesus, the perfect man that we will discover in this study.

In the last three studies, we have been focusing primarily on the deity of Jesus. In some ways, the title “Son of Man” forms a link between the deity of Jesus and the humanity of Jesus. As the Son of Man, Jesus is God who comes from Heaven, but He comes to earth to defeat evil and set up His kingdom. We will think more about the unique combination of deity and humanity in our next study, but in this study, we will focus exclusively on the nature of Jesus’ humanity and how He lived as a human. In order to fully appreciate Jesus’ humanity, when we focus on Jesus humanity, for a moment, for the most part, we lay aside the reality of His deity.

If we are going to talk about the humanity of Jesus, we need to talk about what it means to be human. Now that might seem like a really strange statement. After all, we all know what it means to be human; we are human for goodness sake! Well we may be human, but we are not human as God created us to be. We are fallen humans. So, the real question is, “What does it mean to be human as God created us to be?” What were humans like before sin.

Next (2) Created in the Image of God

(2) Created in the Image of God

2009-11-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

To understand what true humanity looks like, we need to think about what Adam and Eve were like when God created them, before the fall. For that, we turn to Genesis.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 8 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)

When God created man, He created him in His own image. Scripture does not say, “This is what it means to be created in the image of God . . .” But, based on the creation account, and some other scriptures, we can get a good idea. We can see that God created man to be able to understand Him and the rest of creation. God created man to relate to Him and each other. God created man to make decisions and choose Him over other things. So, the image of God would at least include the ability to think and understand. It would include emotion or feeling, and will or choice.

Adam and Eve were unique in every way compared to us, but still human. Their thinking was pure but incomplete. They still had to learn and discover new things. They did not have unlimited knowledge. Their emotions were not polluted by selfishness and self protection. Remember, Genesis tells us they were naked and unashamed?

Certainly a major aspect of the image of God in Adam and Eve was absolute moral purity. They had the ability to choose God and they did. They lived in perfect fellowship with God and in perfect obedience Before the fall, Adam and Eve had what we call unconfirmed or untested, positive holiness. They enjoyed intimate fellowship with God in this pre-fall state. It is hard to understand perfect humanity because all we know is fallen, sinful humanity.

We need to try to appreciate humanity in the absence of sin and then we can begin to understand the nature of Jesus’ humanity. His humanity would be totally untainted and unaffected by the effects of the fall. In His humanity, He would have possessed thinking that was pure but incomplete. He still had to learn and discover new things (Luke 2:52). Jesus clearly had emotions, but those emotions were not polluted by selfishness and self protection. He would have possessed absolute moral purity; unconfirmed or untested, positive holiness.

Next: (3) Jesus & The Limits of Humanity

(3) Jesus & The Limits of Humanity

2009-11-08T03:22:00.000-08:00

Like Adam and Eve, scripture tells us that Jesus lived under human limitations. We’ll look at a few of these more closely, but for now let’s just list them.

Jesus was born and grew, “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7 NET) “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.” (Luke 2:52 NLT)

Jesus got hungry and thirsty. “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry (Matthew 4:2 NAU)” “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."(John 19:28 NIV)

Jesus got tired and had to sleep, “Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. (John 4:6 NLT) “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38)

Jesus could not be in more than one place at a time. He traveled and moved about just like every other human being. And, Jesus lived within time and was constrained by time. “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. . . . Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. (John 11:17,21 NAU)

Jesus felt pain. Jesus died.

Next: (4) Jesus the Perfect Child

(4) Jesus the Perfect Child

2009-11-07T06:36:00.000-08:00

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in childhood. Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of Jesus, the eternal God stepping down into humanity is that He came as a baby. At Christmas time, we may refer to the miraculous birth of Jesus. But there is nothing in scripture to indicate that the actual birth of Jesus itself was miraculous in any way. The conception was an incredible miracle, but not the birth itself. Jesus was born to an ordinary woman through an ordinary birth. Pain, blood, and all that goes with a natural birth. He was completely helpless. He could not feed himself or take care of himself. He could not change his own diaper. He was just like every other baby. We don’t know a lot about Jesus’ childhood. But what we do know is pretty amazing.

The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (41)Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (42)And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; (43)and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, (44)but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. (45)When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. (46)Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. (47)And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. (48)When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." (49)And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (50)But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. (51)And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. (52)And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:40-52 NAU)

Now that might not seem all that incredible to you, but look at it closer. First of all, notice that Jesus grew, became strong, and increased in wisdom. This is essentially repeated in verse fifty-two. I know I said we would focus on the humanity of Jesus, but I can’t help but pause in wonder over this reality. The eternal Son of God in humanity, growing, learning, getting stronger, gaining wisdom! I can’t get my mind around that one very well.

Look again at verses forty-six and forty-seven. Jesus was sitting with the teachers. Listening intently, learning, asking questions . . . and teaching! So great was His understanding and His answers that they were amazed! What an incredible mind.

But now, for the real bombshell. Verse fifty-one says that Jesus, the eternal Son of God “continued in subjection” to His parents! This word “subjection” literally means to “put in rank under.” He was the most unique, miraculous person to ever live. He was a miracle child. He knew better than them – He was teaching the teachers! Yet He put Himself in rank under His common, ordinary, don’t-have-it-all-together parents. He submitted to them. He obeyed them. That’s what it looks like to be truly human.

Wow! Pretty amazing stuff, isn’t it? But let’s not just be amazed, let’s see if we can be changed by what we see in Jesus, the perfect human. My first observation is that perfect humanity includes weakness, dependance, growth, learning. Hey, perfect humanity even includes dirty diapers, and spit-ups.

Now why did I have to make that last statement? Because I believe we can over glamorize Jesus and perfect humanity. If we don’t recognize the real Jesus, we will miss the glory of the incarnation – the extent to which He stepped down when He became human. Also, this helps us realize that perfect humanity is not some utopian, sit under a tree eating grapes life. Let me take it a step further and remind you that the perfect man worked as a carpenter before He started His ministry. Adam and Eve worked before the fall.

We should also observe the brilliance of perfect humanity in contrast with fallen humanity. I may be wrong, but I doubt that Jesus was given a brain that was far beyond the brains of ordinary humans in ability. Based on the ordinary nature of the rest of His humanity, I suspect Jesus had fairly average mental ability at birth. But, His mind was totally pure and unpolluted by sin. I believe He was able to think more clearly and more accurately than anyone else because of the absence of sin, not because of a miraculous brain capacity. That’s why he could teach the great teachers at the age of twelve.

All our thinking is polluted by sin. Sin makes it so we can’t think strait. We have all kinds of sinful thoughts and attitudes that effect how we hear things and interpret them. Even when it comes to truth. Unless we are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Unless God, by His Spirit is guiding, even dictating our thoughts, they are polluted. The more we can bring every thought captive in obedience to Christ (1 Cor. 10:5) , and the more we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2), the more we will be able to think, learn, and understand truth and reality. The more truly human we become.

Next: (5) Jesus: Perfectly Holy

(5) Jesus: Perfectly Holy

2009-11-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in obedience to the Law of God without legalism. The Pharisees pursued perfection and missed it completely. Jesus pursued perfection and hit the mark perfectly. But as far as the Pharisees were concerned, Jesus did not keep the law perfectly. Why? Because they had established a very strict and narrow interpretation of the Law. And then, in addition to the Law God had given, they had their laws on how to keep God’s Law. That’s right, they had laws for the Law! Jesus rejected all this. Especially their proud, self-righteous attitude.

Take for example the Sabbath. Jesus blew the Pharisee’s interpretation of the Law and their application of the Law right out of the water. He did things they thought were sinful to do on the Sabbath. And how did He explain this outrageous behavior? He told the Pharisees, "The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27 NET). The New Living Translation really captures what Jesus was saying. "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

But by means of ever so many minute and often absurd requirements, vexing and burdensome restrictions – including the one that forbade men to still their hunger by picking heads of grain on that day – the rabbis were changing the sabbath into a cruel tyrant, and man into that tyrant’s slave . . . as if God’s intention had indeed been to make “man for the sabbath,” instead of “the sabbath for man.” – William Hendriksen

So, what was the difference between Jesus’ view of the Law and the view of the Pharisee’s? The answer to that question is really quite simple. It is a matter of focus on the heart and being led by the Holy Spirit in applying the laws of God to life. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for focusing on stringent, external conformity to a list of rules and missing the matters of the heart. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for dictating to others how they should live out the Law rather than allowing God to show them.

God’s design for man is not just being unfeeling robots who just do the right thing. God’s design for man is for man to enjoy relationship with Him. This is a matter of affections, values, and desires. It is a matter of the heart. You don’t become a perfect human by trying to do everything perfect, you do it by knowing, loving and pursuing the delighting in the one who is perfect.

And isn’t that exactly what Jesus said His life was all about? “I am doing just what the Father commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father.( John 14:31 NET)” Jesus didn’t live His life focused on a list of rules. He lived His life focused on a relationship. He didn’t spend His life looking over His shoulder to make sure He hadn’t broken any laws. He spent His life looking up to His Father and living in intimate fellowship with Him.

So how do we live to be the humans God created us to be? We don’t do it by trying to do all the right things and not do the wrong things. We don’t do it by focusing on all the rules man makes to tell us if we measure up. We grow to be all God created us to be by pursuing Him. Hearing His Word. Knowing Him. Loving Him. Living in fellowship with Him. If this is what is in our hearts, all the rest will fall into place. Do you want to be perfectly human? Then pour your life into pursuing Him! Pour your passion into relationship with Him.

Next: (6) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless

(6) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 1

2009-11-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in facing temptation. I heard Charles Stanley once say that the most intense temptation comes at the moment just before you give in. What he was saying is that the more you resist, the more intense the temptation until you give in. He didn’t take into account God providing victory or the temptation being removed but he makes a valid point. When temptation is right in your face, it just get’s harder and harder to resist.

Satan got right up in the face of Jesus! This would be an intense attack, a fierce battle. From Jesus’ temptation, we can learn a lot about what it looks like to be perfectly human. We start with the critical step to victory that Jesus took before the battle even got started.

Luke tells us that “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness. (4:1 NAU)” This is important. First, Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” This means that Jesus was under the control of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did whatever the Holy Spirit directed Him to do. Second, note that Jesus was continually “led around by the Spirit.” This is the literal Greek here. Step by step, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

We must not miss the significance of this. When Luke tells us about Jesus victoriously facing temptation, he begins by making a big deal about the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life. How did Jesus, the perfect human walk in victory over temptation? By living under the control of the Holy Spirit. By being led by the Holy Spirit in everything He did, step by step. That is where we will find victory too. The more we are controlled by and led by the Holy Spirit in every decision no matter how insignificant it may seem, the more we will have victory over sin. Whenever we are walking in step with the Spirit, we will not sin.

Next: (7) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 2

(7) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 2

2009-11-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

Jesus' temptation begins. “And the tempter came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” “But He answered and said, "It is written, 'man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:3-4)

If we are really going to understand these temptations, we need to look at the context of the verses Jesus recites in response ot Satan. In response to this verse temptation, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy eight.

"You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness . . .. "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. (Deut. 8:2-3 NAU)

This temptation was a test of Jesus’ desires. Who’s desires would He live to satisfy? Satan attempts to appeal to Jesus at the point of a seemingly legitimate desire for food and physical well being. In an off-handed way, Satan is suggesting, “God is holding out on you! Your life will be better if you have some food. God is not giving you what you need physically. You need to make sure you are comfortable, taken care of!” And doesn’t Satan say these same things to us, tempting us to focus our desire on physical things and personal comfort?

This is also a test of dependance. This temptation of Jesus centered around an issue long since settled, and undisputably proved, that man may live without bread, as Israel in the wilderness lived forty years on manna but man cannot truly live without God. It is true, God usually provides through usual means; but he can, if he please, make use of other means to keep men alive. Jesus was being led by the Spirit of God. He believed God would provide everything He needed and He was determined to trust the Father.

This is a temptation to live life pursuing physical and temporal satisfaction rather than living exclusively to fulfill God’s will. This is a temptation to take our physical well-being into our own hands even to the point of violating God’s Word to take care of ourselves. It is the sin of failing to trust God to take care of me no matter how desperate my situation appears.

If it is God’s will for me to live, no lack of physical provision can snuff out my life. If it is God’s will for me to die, no abundance of physical provision will keep me alive. Read that again. Believe it! God determines life and provision for life. No matter how hard we work to get for ourselves, the reality is if God wants to take it away or withhold it, it is out of our control. We can work our fingers to the bone to get what we WANT, or we can obey God and trust Him to provide what we NEED. It is better to be hungry in the will of God than satisfied out of the will of God.

What do we learn from Jesus first temptation about how to live as a perfect human. It teaches us that perfect humans submit their desires to the will of God and His choice in how He chooses to provide. Even the perfect human must depend on God to provide rather than taking ir upon oneself to make it happen.

Next: (8) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 3

(8) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 3

2009-11-03T22:32:00.000-08:00

Jesus’ second temptation is a test of demands.

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning you'; 'on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matthew 4:5-7)

In His response to Satan, Jesus quotes from Deut. 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.” Here, Moses is reminding the people of a time when they complained about not having water. They were questioning whether God was really leading them and taking care of them. Moses says that “they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?" (Exodus 17:7)”

The context of Jesus’ response refers to the time when the Israelites had tested God at Massah by refusing to accept that God was among them until He performed a sign for them. They were demanding that God prove His presence and provision in the way they wanted in order to trust Him and follow Him.

Satan is trying to raise doubt, “Is God really with you? Are you sure? What proof do you have? Hey, if God is really with you, let Him prove Himself? Jump, if He’s with you, He’ll keep His promise and won’t let you get hurt.”

The temptation here is to demand that God provide for us as we desire to prove His care in the present. It is the temptation to put conditions on our trusting God for the future by demanding that He do something we desire to prove Himself. It is a demonstration of a lack of faith. It leads to the sin of unbelief.

To be perfectly human is to trust God even when we can’t see Him. When it looks like He’s abandoned you, you keep trusting and obeying Him. The perfect human will not say, “God if you’re real, prove yourself by doing . . .” This in itself is a statement of unbelief.

Next: (9) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 4

(9) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 4

2009-11-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Satan now pulls out the big guns. The third temptation Satan threw at Jesus is a temptation to take detours toward the will of God. It is a temptation to go for the crown without the cross.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:8-10)

Jesus’ response is from Deuteronomy six. Moses is preparing the people to go into the promised land.

"Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:10-15)

Satan tempts Jesus to take the easy way out and get what was promised by the Father without taking the path of self-denial and suffering. Satan offers an easy way to get what is really a counterfeit of what God promises. Satan tempts Jesus to worship him in order to achieve greatness. The context of Jesus’ answer shows that finding our delight outside of God is a very real danger.

Jesus is determined to be obedient to the Father, no matter how much it hurts. Jesus, the perfect human is not going to do things to get worship and praise for himself. He is living His life to direct all praise to the Father. He’ll let the Father take care of the rest.

The temptation here is to take the easy way out and get what was promised by the Father without taking the path of self-denial and suffering. It is a temptation to become distracted from worshiping God by finding our delight in things that feed our desires. It is an appeal to do things to get recognition and praise for ourselves.

This is not the portrait of the perfect human. The perfect human is obedient to God and doesn’t take the easy way out that leads to sin, just to avoid difficulty. The perfect human directs all worship to God.

Temptation is most intense when it is prolonged – the longer you resist temptation, the more intense it becomes – Jesus never gave in! The perfect man gained victory over temptation through reliance on the Holy Spirit and firm belief and commitment to the principles of Scripture. Jesus is our example, demonstrating for us how we too can have victory over even the most intense temptation.

Next: (10) Jesus: Perfect Priorities

(10) Perfect Priorities

2009-11-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in his priorities & values. Jesus had some seriously focused priorities and values. So much so that He forgot about eating because He was involved in ministry! When Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men plus women and children it was because the disciples came to Him in the middle of ministry and told Him they needed food. When He fed the four thousand, they had gone three days without food. This was not because Jesus was some super human who didn’t need food. He explained this to the disciples, “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." (John 4:31-32 NAU). William MacDonald comments, “The Lord Jesus had found food and support in winning worshipers to His Father. Compared to this joy, physical nourishment was of little importance to Him.”

That’s what it looks like to be perfectly human! You are so passionate about serving the purposes of God that you forget to eat. Your values and priorities are focused with laser-like precision on the values and priorities of advancing God’s kingdom.

Want to be perfectly human? Stop living like the average human! Stop getting distracted and diverted to living for anything other than the kingdom of God. Get focused on Christ. Remember how Paul expressed it? “One thing I do!” “For me to live is Christ.” “Christ who is your life.”

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-3 NIV)

If we are going to be like Christ; if we are going to become perfectly human, we need to be freed from our bondage to our earthly, temporal, and inconsequential values until all that remains is what God values. While we may have temporal affections such as the love of family and friends, in these affections, we must value what God values, pursue what God values, promote what God values. May all our priorities be purified by the one ultimate and governing priority of perfect humanity, the demonstration and declaration of the glory of God. Everything in life must contribute to this one grand purpose of all creation. This is what it looks like to get your priorities in order. This is Jesus, up close and personal.

Next: (11) Jesus: Pain & Perfection

(11) Jesus: Pain & Perfection

2009-10-31T22:35:00.000-07:00

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in facing problems and mistreatment. Jesus endured unkindness, insults, false accusations, rejection, betrayal and desertion. And what makes all this so incredible is who treated Jesus this way. Just before Jesus went to the cross, He faced a barrage of mistreatment. The disciples fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying for Him. Judas betrayed Him with a kiss of all things. His other friends ran from Him. His close friend Peter denied knowing Him, even when Jesus was looking right at him. The religious leaders who were supposed to be leading the people to worship God were calling for His death. The government which should protect its citizens from injustice brutally beat Him. And then, He went to the cross to die for them. He died to pay the price for these sins! And He cried our, “Father, forgive them!”

How did He do it? “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23 ESV). Jesus surrendered His will to the will of the Father. Jesus had unwavering trust in the Father’s plan. This doesn’t mean it was easy. Jesus was in emotional agony in the garden and physical agony on the cross. But, He chose to surrender His will, His comfort. He chose to put His life in the hands of the One who always does right. He chose to trust.

There it is, the key to honoring the glory of God in the face of the most horrible circumstances, even betrayal. This is what it takes to be the human God created you to be – entrust yourself to the one who does right. It takes an unwavering surrender to God’s plan for your life even when it hurts and a firm grip on the sovereignty of God.

You don’t try to retaliate and get even. You don’t fight back. You don’t get angry, resentful, or bitter. You don’t even threaten them with the judgement of God even though they may deserve it. You follow Jesus’ example of perfect humanity, let God take care of it, and trust God to do it right in His way and perfect timing. This is what it looks like to be perfectly human. This is Jesus, up close and personal. Do you want to be truly human?

Next: (12) Jesus: Perfectly Human - Conclusion

(12) Jesus: Perfectly Human - Conclusion

2009-10-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

What if Jesus were to walk in your shoes for one day? What if He were to face your temptations, your disappointments, the hurts you've experienced. What if He were to face the discouraging ministry you're involved in? What if He were faced with the heart-wrenching challenges before you?

Maybe you've felt at times like no one understands your troubles, sorrows, your life struggles? Maybe right now you wish Jesus would walk in your shoes for a day so He could really understand your struggles.

The truth is, Jesus did walk in your shoes. Jesus does understand your temptations, your disappointment in ministry, the way people have hurt you, the difficult situations you have to face. In fact, Jesus faced more trouble, more sorrows and struggles, and greater ministry challenges than you ever will. And He has showed you how to be perfectly human.