Pastor told me last night, “You preach tomorrow.” Awesome. I’m down. But tomorrow? I asked how long he wanted me to preach for. “hour. 15 minutes. Thirty minutes. You decide.”
Looking back at last week’s service, Pastor preached for a good 45 minutes. I hoped that wasn’t what he was expecting of me. But if it was, I was going to be ready.
I don’t know what preparation looks like for an American pastor’s Sunday service. If he or she takes a week to prepare or if the sermon is only written and rehearsed a few days before church. I was guessing the former rather than the latter, but I didn’t have the luxury of a week-long warning. So, after he told me I would be preaching the next day, I went to the church and prepared.
If the group of people who attended last week was similar to the congregation this week, I knew that we would have many believers who wanted to be encouraged and fed. I had a few thoughts about what to preach, but decided that God knew better than I, so I went to him in prayer. I feel like he really led me to the verses that were the best for the people. I wanted to encourage them, but I also wanted to challenge them.
I felt like it was applicable to my life as well, and it might be to yours too. So, I wanted to share with you what I preached to the congregation this morning. I wrote it out word for word before I preached, so I’m just copying it down here for you too. Let me warn you, it’s kind of long.
Live Like Jesus
Hi! Thank you for being here this morning. My name is Sam, and I am so excited to be here with you today. I came to Nepal from America for one reason. I have been given hope and freedom. I want to share that with you today.
I learned about Jesus when I was very young. My parents brought me to church and I learned about God’s love. I trusted in Jesus, but still wanted to live for myself. I was struggling with what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus. I had heard about what Jesus did to set me free, how he died for me and you; and I had accepted that sacrifice. Jesus paid the ultimate price for me. For my salvation. For you. For your salvation. Still, I was living as though I were somehow better than God and that he said didn’t matter. Even though the Bible said not to life, I lied. Even though it said not to steal, I stole. Even though it said not to get drunk on alcohol, I went out and drank alcohol every night. I made many bad decisions. I made many mistakes. Jesus knows about every bad choice that I made and he loves me anyway. Every mistake we have made, will ever make, he paid for it as he hung on the cross. He loves you so much that he was willing to die for you. The creator of the universe. How amazing is that? We are now in relationship with God. We only have to repent and believe.
When Jesus started his ministry, he told the good news about the Kingdom of God coming near. He also told people to repent and believe. This is something that is still a struggle for me, even today. Forgiveness. Turn with me to John chapter 8. Here, the church leaders bring a woman to Jesus who was caught in the act of adultery. The law said that she should be stoned, but the officials ask Jesus what to do. Let’s read the next part together. In verse 7, Jesus says, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you, “Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Here we see the perfect picture of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. This woman was guilty and deserved to die. But Jesus forgave her. No matter what you have done in your past, what you are doing right now, or even what you will do, Jesus forgives you. He asks you to repent. Tell him about your mistakes. He knows anyway! Why not be honest with him? Tell him you’re sorry, and decide not to live in a life of sin any longer. As soon as we ask for forgiveness, the Bible says that he will remove that sin from us, as far as the East is from the West. Isn’t that amazing?
After Jesus preached this, he went out to call his first disciples. In Luke chapter 5, verses 10 and 11, Jesus calls James and John to follow him. Verse 11 says that they left everything to follow him. Everything. Think of your job. Your possessions. Your family.Everything. That was what James and John left. This is the life that Jesus is calling us to today. Now, don’t get me wrong. This may look different for some people. Some of you may be doing ministry right where you are: in your home or at your job. To you, I ask: Have you abandoned all of your sinful past? All of your idols and selfish desires? Before Jesus was in my life, I was walking in the ways of the world. I wanted to do my own thing and live for myself. The life that Jesus called me to and is calling you to is completely opposite of our old, selfish life. He calls us to abandonment. He is calling us to do a complete 180 and turn from the old life into the new.
When I was younger, WWJD bracelets were really popular in America. The purpose was to wear them and when you were caught in a difficult situation, you were supposed to remember what your bracelet meant. What Would Jesus Do? I wore my bracelet for a while, and tried to always ask Jesus what he would do if he were in my shoes. It was a good reminder, but something even better to question is How Would Jesus Live? If we are called to follow Jesus, we should long to live in the likeness of Jesus. You might say, “That’s impossible; Jesus is perfect.” I would respond by saying, “Yes, you’re correct. He was perfect and we can never be perfect like Jesus, but we can imitate qualities of Jesus. Here are some qualities that you can start working on today.
First, Jesus was a servant. Back in Bible times, peoples’ feet got really dirty. Covered in dust and anything else they might have walked through during their day. When they got to someone’s house, they would remove their shoes, and the servants of the house would wash their feet. This was the lowest job. And this is how Jesus showed love to his disciples. Jesus served them by washing their feet. He set an example of being a servant. Here in Sarlahi, I have seen many people resemble Jesus’ servant hood. My teammates have washed my dishes when they didn’t have to. Pastor and his wife have served my team by cooking us delicious meals and taking care of us when we have been sick. There have been many examples here in Nepal of our neighbors and people around us being servants. I want to challenge you today to live like Jesus and serve the people around you. Put their needs ahead of yours.
A second quality of Jesus that we should try to pursue is that of generosity. Jesus was so generous with his time and even his life. He gave us everything and he was left with nothing. We are called to live life sacrificially. If we want to follow Jesus with our whole heart and life, we need to be generous with the things he has given us. It shows that we trust him and that we love other people. I challenge you today to live more generously. With you time. With your talents. And with your things.
If we are truly following Jesus with our whole heart, our life will show it. Jesus told the parable of the sower in Luke chapter 8. Let’s read it together starting in verse 5. A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. Jesus explains this parable saying that the seed is the word of God. Verse 12 continues by saying Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in time of testing, they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. We are called to bear fruit. With the knowledge that we have of Jesus and the trust that we hold in our hearts, we are told to share the message. We should live in such a way that people can tell that we are different. They should be able to tell that you are following Jesus. Not just with your words, but by the way you live. Let us pray.
So, this is what I preached this morning. I hope that something in it struck you. I hope that you are moved to be more like Jesus. I pray that this encourages you in your walk and that you are able to live more like Jesus today.
