A Day with Jesus

A Day with Jesus; nv 1/23/05 am

OS:  1 This morning in the next 20 – 30 minutes we will spend a day with Jesus. Our purpose is to learn something about what it means to be His disciple.

I.       Everybody seems to have their own ideas about what it means to be a disciple.

A.     An efficiency expert concluded a lecture with a note of caution: "You don't want to try these techniques at home." "Why not?" asked someone from the back of the audience. "I watched my wife's routine at breakfast for years," the expert explained. "She made lots of trips to the refrigerator, stove, table, and cabinets, often carrying just a single item at a time. 'Honey,' I suggested, 'Why don't you try carrying several things at once?' "The person in the audience asked, "Did it save time?" The expert replied, "Actually, yes. It used to take her 20 minutes to get breakfast ready. Now I do it in seven."

B.     Maybe because the subject is so big, and there are so many books available on the “Christian” book market in America.

You heard about the man who asked a mail-order company to send plans for a birdhouse. Instead of sending him the plans for a birdhouse, they sent him plans for a sailboat. He tried to put it together, but it just wouldn't work. He couldn't figure what kind of bird was going to live in this dumb birdhouse. So he wrote a letter and sent the parts back to the people. They wrote a letter of apology and added this post script: "If you think it was difficult for you, you should have seen the man who got your plans trying to sail a birdhouse."

C.     Let’s be sure to go by the right plans – the plan is Jesus Himself

D.     2 Here is an interesting cartoon. “Discipleship Training Kit”

II.    Let’s spend a day with Jesus and learn directly from Him some lessons for being His disciple.

A.     Text: Luke 4:31-44 (3-7)

TS] 8 What do we learn from Jesus on this very busy day in His life?

PQ: Lessons Learned

I.       9 Do what you can for someone else - to make another person’s life better.

A.     Throughout the text Jesus’ people business is going extremely well. Lives are changed for the better one after the other everywhere He goes.

                       1.       John 10:10, “I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” Eternal and Temporal

                       2.       Life is a lot better with Jesus in the here and now, as well as in the there and after.

B.     Helping someone else is the best way to feel good about you.

                       1.       Our human dignity, self-worth, and sense of being significant can only come through the service to others. Being a disciple of Jesus is good for you.

                        2.       A Preacher’s story - Several years ago, when I was ministering in a small rural community, we had extra food left over from our Christmas basket. I happened to think of a poor family who lived at the edge of town. I packed up the food and drove to their house. I am never sure how one goes about "doing charity" while preserving the dignity of those who receive the charity. When the woman, surrounded by her several children, answered the door, I thought of a subtle way to offer the food to her. I asked, "Do you know anyone who could use some extra food?"  "You bet," she said and got her coat, headed toward her car saying, "Follow me."  She took me to people who were poorer than she, people who desperately needed food. Even though she herself needed food, I remember clearly that there was absolutely no hesitation on her part. For some people, giving is second nature.

C.     There is always something we can do to help others.

                       1.       It may be the lady struggling with the groceries in the parking lot while trying to watch her three small children at the same time.

                       2.       It could be the neighbor who is no longer able to rake the leaves in their yard.

                       3.       The friend at work who’s marriage is on the rocks and needs some supportive encouragement.

                       4.       There are good deeds that are momentary in nature, and there are those we have long term influence with.

TS] One aspect of being a disciple of Jesus is simply helping, however you can, make the life of another person better.

II.    10 Treat people with compassion

A.     Vs. 40, He laid His hands on each and every one of them and healed them.

                       1.       In the text of Luke “each and every one” is placed in an unmistakably position of emphasis.

                       2.       We all know the impact of touch for the sick. But listen to this story

                        3.       When Aaron Barg was three months old, a hernia left him in almost constant pain. Finding a surgeon who could repair the hernia was easy, say his parents, Steve and Susan Barg. But finding an anesthesiologist was almost impossible. With a rare genetic disorder called Trisomy 13, Aaron was born with a weakened heart and lungs and an undeveloped brain, and he was deaf and legally blind. Doctors told the Bargs that Aaron would most likely die within a year. If he survived beyond that time frame, his life would have little quality—he'd never speak, walk, or feed himself. For most anesthesiologists, the risk was too high. They felt any operation could kill Aaron. Getting the medical community to regard Aaron as a person worth saving was a challenge. Susan Barg remembers that doctors didn't refer to him by name, but only "baby Barg." Though doctors commonly refer to even healthy babies this way, she found it symbolic of their attitude toward Aaron. "He has a name," she would insist. "Please use it."  During a medical visit, Barg asked an anesthesiologist if he would like to hold Aaron. He did so for a full hour, and only then did he agree to assist in an operation. Since then, the anesthesiologist has helped in several more operations for Aaron. "He holds Aaron, and he becomes a human being," Barg says. "Not a statistic, not a piece of medical research on a piece of paper—but a human being with a name who responds to touch and cuddling and love." Now 13, Aaron is a handsome boy with blond hair and a face that lights up when someone he knows comes by. Bend down by his wheelchair and he'll pull your face close to his, stare deeply into your eyes, and stroke your face. Though he can't speak, his eyes and hands tell you that he knows you are there. And he has far exceeded all expectations—he can move his wheelchair, feed himself, and even communicate using five hand signals.

                       4.       A touch of compassion often affects the way you feel about someone you are trying to help.

                       5.       Extend compassion to make another person happy, Extend compassion to make you happy.

B.     When our son, Tory, was just a small boy, we were coming home from Sunday school and church, and I asked him what he had learned that morning. He told me they had heard the story of the Good Samaritan. He proceeded to give me a blow-by-blow description of what had taken place. When he was all through, I said, "Son, what was the spiritual lesson of the story?" It was obvious I had taken him by surprise, and he thought for a minute and said, "That story teaches that whenever I'm in trouble, you've got to help me."

                       1.       Some tend to take all the many passages in the bible about compassion and turn them around to be talking about how everyone else is supposed to be treating them.

                       2.       Seen on a church sign: We Care About You Sundays 10 a.m. Only

C.     If we are a church (assembly) of disciples of Christ we’ll be a church of compassion on those who are struggling.

                       1.       It’s interesting that it appears that Jesus continued healing until the last one was healed.

                       2.       Long day – Compassion demanded it.

TS] Lesson’s on Discipleship – Help others out of compassion for them. Jesus was able to do this because…

III.   11 Keep a close connection with the Father

A.     Mark is more explicit and states that Jesus got up early in the morning before anyone else to spend time with the Father alone in prayer.

                       1.       I could understand Jesus cutting things off at 9:00 p.m. and simply saying, “It’s been a long day…”

                       2.       If you are struggling with compassion for others don’t leave today thinking I’ve just got to work harder at seeing things from others point of view. Leave today thinking I’ve got to spend more time with the Father.

B.     Without time with the Father you will lose your perspective and your sense of mission.

                       1.       Notice what Jesus said when they found Him the next morning. We’ve established His great compassion so desire to help others in Capernaum is understood – “I must go proclaim the good news of the Kingdom to other places, which is why I was sent.”

C.     We fail to realize much too often that our relationship with others is contingent upon our relationship with God.

                       1.       If your marriage is on the rocks a good place to begin is with the Father.

                       2.       If you struggle with being too critical of others, and lack compassion on people less fortunate than yourself you need to spend time with the Father.

                       3.       If you tend to want to hang on to the way things are as a church, rather than reach out to new people you need to spend time with the Father.

                       4.       A good disciple of Jesus will always stay mission focused! Simply because a good disciple of Jesus spends ample time with the Father.

                       5.       John 15, I am the vine and you are the branches … remain in Me and you will bear fruit… Galatians 5:20 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control.

LC: 12 Being a good disciple of Jesus depends on your spiritual strength which comes primarily from time with the Father. Your compassion and service to others; your significance, self-worth, and over-all well-being depends on your spiritual strength.

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