Do What Jesus Did

Is it possible to actually be like Jesus? Can we reflect the character of the Father, to love like He does and exercise patient kindness to those who do not deserve it? Jesus was a constant example of goodness and mercy and grace. He regularly blessed people. He healed the sick. He spoke words of truth. He ate in people’s homes. He listened to people’s stories and moved toward them with compassion.

Illustration: How God changed my heart towards Timmy. Reflection of Jesus.

God invites us to be with Him. And then as we spend time with Him we become like Him. And when we become like Jesus, we do what Jesus did.

That day with Timmy was a moment in my life where I was truly like Jesus, where I as the Scripture says, “put on Christ.” And, as the Scripture says, we must continue to put on Christ (Romans 13:14). It is something that we have to work towards daily as followers of Jesus learning to be led by the Spirit of God.

Doing the works of Jesus is more than just doing what He did, it is also revealing who He is.

Doing the works of Jesus is more than just doing works in His name. It is doing the works He did, in the way He did them. Doing the works of Jesus is revealing who He is.

John 14:8–17 NKJV

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus was preeminently concerned with revealing the Father (John 17:25-26). And when Philip asks to see the Father, Jesus responds that he has seen the Father in Him. The evidence of the Father’s presence was the words and the works. In other words, Jesus spoke the things that He heard the Father saying (He said this in John 5:26-30), and Jesus did the things He saw the Father doing ( which He said in John 5:19).

What Were the Works of Jesus?

Acts 10:38 NKJV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Hebrews 2:3–4 NKJV

3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?

As we mentioned earlier, Jesus came to reveal the Father. He came preaching the good news of God’s kingdom and declaring a new type of relationship between God and man. He also went about doing good, healing the sick, casting out demons, and doing signs and wonders.

Jesus was kind and compassionate. He was social and engaging. He cared about people and they knew it.

At times He would spend hours praying for the sick. At other times He would teach the ways of God to the people. He went to church. He ate with family and friends.

All of these things were focused on bringing glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

How did Jesus do the works (how do we?)

Illustration: My wife has an incredible ability to watch someone do something creative and then do it herself. I’ve seen her watch people do something on YouTube and within minutes do the same thing. She had the idea of what she wanted to do, but once she saw it done it clicked and she was able to do it.

How did Jesus do the works of the Father? If we can observe the way that He did things then we can do the same.

The Source of Power: The Holy Spirit

Illustration: Toaster Oven, unplugged. Still “ticking” but not actually warming the bread.

John 14:10 NKJV

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Mark 16:20 NKJV

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Jesus declared that it was the Father who dwelled in Him who did the works. When the disciples went out the Bible says that the Lord was working with them and confirming it in their works.

John 14:12 NKJV

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Jesus said that we will do greater works. The reason why - because He went to the Father. Why was this important for us? Because when Jesus went to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit, the Helper, to us (cf. John 16:7). This Holy Spirit was going to be in us and with us (John 14:7). And, the disciples were instructed to wait until they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit because when that happened they would receive power (Acts 1:8).

This speaks to the two ways that the Holy Spirit manifests His work in our lives. He works in power with us through spiritual gifts and fruit in us through godly character.

To do what Jesus did, we need to receive the Holy Spirit and respond to His leading. He will not only enable us to become like Jesus but He will empower us to do the works Jesus did.

Through Prayer

John 14:12–13 NKJV

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus connected the works that He did with a promise: when we pray Jesus gives us what we need so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

From Jesus to the Apostles to the early church prayer was the catalyst that brought God’s kingdom to earth.

Jesus did miracles and then retreated to pray.

The Apostles emphasized the need to spend time in the Word and prayer.

The church prayed and miracles took place—prison doors were open, the gospel spread, dreams and visions released.

If we want to do the works of Jesus, we need to be people of prayer. We need to practice God’s presence through prayer.

Illustration: Radio waves + tuner.

Prayer sensitizes us to the voice and direction of the Spirit. It releases God’s power to act in the Earth. We need to pray.

Illustration: Maybe Smith Wigglesworth if time allows.

Through Keeping His Commandments

John 14:15–17 NKJV

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

The last way that we enter into doing what Jesus did is to do what He told us to do. Notice that immediately after He says that our love is proven by our obedience to His commandments He says that He would pray to the Father so that the Holy Spirit would come.

When the Holy Spirit comes and dwells within us He begins to change our character. He develops the fruit of the Spirit within us—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The character of Jesus in a person is one of the most compelling testimonies of the goodness of God.

What did Jesus say that His disciples would be known by? Their love for one another (John 13:35).

The character of God is worked in us as we keep the commandments of Jesus. When we live according to His ways, the Holy Spirit helps us to become brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Illustration: Holy Neuroplasticity

Over time, the more we do the things that the Lord commanded the more our lives will prosper. This obedience to the ways of the Lord leads to the blessed life that He promised to us.

Conclusion

God is a personal God. He wants us to be with Him. To demonstrate that, He came to us.

Christians are identifiable because they are like Jesus. The more that we spend time with Jesus the more we become like Him. This affects our whole lives.

The marks of being like Jesus are doing the works that Jesus did.

In order to do the works that Jesus did, we need the Holy Spirit.

Having a thriving prayer life causes us to be sensitive to the voice and leading of the Spirit.

And as we keep the commandments of the Lord we also enter into His works and demonstrate the kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus did what He did because He loved the Father and wanted to bring glory to Him. Let us be like Jesus and do the works that He did to bring glory to God.