Part 2: Blueprints: Word of God, Surrender and Holy Spirit
Introduction to Part 2 of the Following Jesus Series
“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” Luke 9:23.
In Part I of Following Jesus we dealt with the question “What does following Jesus meant for the Original Disciples” In this study, we will answer the question “How can we, now, follow Jesus? Praise God! By grace, He left us the blueprints in the scriptures on how to follow Him.
The Admonition to follow Jesus as an Example
The encouragement to follow Jesus is everywhere in the Scripture. Jesus told the disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” Luke 9:23. “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15. “Whoever serves me must follow me.” John 12:26.
The encouragement continued after Jesus’s ascension. Christians are “called” to “follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). “Whoever claims to abide in Him…walk in like manner” 1 John 2:6. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” Phi. 2:5. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” Heb.12:2. “Therefore, be imitators of God …” Eph. 5:1-2. A Christian is required to Follow Jesus and if truly concerted will say with Paul “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” 1 Cor. 11:1. These are true followers of Jesus.
Blueprints in the Bible, featuring Matthew and Luke.
Since it is such a broad topic, we will base our study on the Gospel of Matthew and Luke.
1. Total Surrender –God with Us (Matt 1:23)
Immanuel, “God with us,” is a whole-packaged gift to humanity. God gave up Himself for the interest and salvation of humanity. According to Phi 2:5-11, Paul explains what it took the Son of God to become Immanuel,
“ 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Jesus even gave up His right to be alongside His Father with all its glory. This was not an afterthought but planned before God laid the foundation of the earth (Rev 13:8).
In this submission, He became a vulnerable baby, allowing John, a fallen man, to baptize Him (Matt 1:18-23; 3: 13-17). He experienced oppression, and affliction, and was led as a lamb to the slaughter, but accepted all in silence (Isa 53:78). Christ submitted to God even when sweating water and blood, “not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). He took the “appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phi 2:8). Even when He was dying He felt forsaken and separated by the weight of humanity’s Sin, yet He cried out “’ Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” and He breathed His last breath (Luke 23:46).
It took such a surrender to remain a Son of God and to fulfill His Father’s will. This is what He is asking of us. Read more about Surrender here.
2. A Life in the Holy Spirit
In Heaven, the time came for the Son of God to become the Son of Man. Mary soon conceived Him as a Jewish baby. Consider His incarnation process in Luke 1:35.
“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
The incarnation of Jesus was possible only through the life-giving and sustaining, power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus demonstrated that the ultimate blessing of Surrender is the gift of the Holy Spirit
At His baptism, two significant events took place. First He received the Holy Spirit. Then the Father declared “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3: 16, 17; Luke 3:21, 22). Jesus did not need baptism because His relationship with the Father was intact. He was not a sinner; He needed no repentance and forgiveness.
The baptism was a symbol of submission to the Father’s will, alluding to His death and resurrection, and secondly, an Example for His followers to follow. When a sinner completely surrenders to God He declares him/her not guilty, declares a son/daughter, and empowers them with the Holy Spirit. Read more on the Holy Spirit here
3. Personal Spirituality and Growth – Jesus preparing -praying and Fasting (Matt 41:-11)
After Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. Please read the passage, Matt 4:1-11, before reading further. What did Jesus do in the Wilderness? He was praying for the mission by prayer and fasting. There are some significant disciplines and strategies here that we often miss. This passage informs us of, not only the temptations of Jesus but also the strategies and tools Jesus used to confront and overcome Satan.
We discovered that Jesus surrendered to God, received the Holy Spirit, and was led by Him.
a. He was Praying and Fasting in the wilderness (Matt 4:2)
Then we find him fasting and praying, often associated with fasting, in the wilderness for 40 days and forty nights. This is where He has an unbroken channel of communication with His father, His mind, and Spirit focused in communion with God. This is not the only time He is praying, it is His custom or tradition (Luke 5:16; 23:39-44; cf: Matt 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12;
b. The Word of God (Matt 4:4)
In response to Satan’s first temptation, Jesus replied, “it is written” and that humans cannot live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God. He quoted this passage from Duet 8:3. It is clear that Jesus knew His scriptures well and was grounded in them. As early as the age of twelve, He was already well vested in the OT Scriptures and the Law. He amazed the teachers of the Law and the audience observing the discussions (Luke 2:46). By this, the word of God, He defeated the devil.
In Ephesians 6:17 Paul points say of the armor of God to withstand the devil and his powers of darkness is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the World of God.” Jesus rebuked Satan with the words, “it is written. The Word of God was His first resort. It is another significant example of how He gave prominence to the word of God.
c. Faith or presumption – shall not tempt the Lord ( Matt 4:3, 6)
The Devil does not give up. He comes with the second temptation, simply to get Him to doubt His Father. See the indicators; “If you are the Son of God,” “turn the stones into bread,” and “throw yourself down” (Matt 4:3, 6). At Jesus’ baptism, Jesus heard His Father declaring, “This is My Son”. His current condition and sound did not seem to conform to the statement.
Image His physical condition, after forty days and nights of fasting as a human being. He was out in the wilderness alone, he must be Hungry or thirsty. Satan comes at this time suggesting, Jesus look at his condition and surrounding. However, Jesus did not waver. He knew who He was and where he came from. Despite the external condition, he knew and believed His Father’s declaration at His baptism, and He was in the Spirit communing with the Father.
d. Worship (Matt 4:10)
The Final temptation was about worship. The true intention of Satan came out when he said, “Worship me” and I will give everything you are here for free. However, Jesus knew the road and the cup He must drink to fulfill God’s will, by obedience and faithfulness even to death.
“You shall worship the Lord your God and He only shall you worship” (Matt 4:10). Satan left Him at that instant. Worshiping God is cooperative and it is also personal. Jesus would often go to the temple to worship on Sabbath, which was also one of His customs (Luke 4:16-21). God also ad it in the Ten Commandments that “they shall have no other gods before Him” (Ex 20:1-7).
4. Missions -Mission and people-centered (Matt 4:12-25)
Finally, at the end of the chapter, Jesus is now ready to call His disciples and start preaching about repentance and the Kingdom of God. Jesus was now ready for Mission. He prepared Himself through Baptism, by infilling of the Holy Spirit and being with His father in the wilderness. It was time to begin His mission; preaching and serving, and ultimately the death on the Roman cross. He invited the twelve to come and do likewise; to come to Him, be with Him, and to go for Him, but with Him (Mark 3:13-15). Thus, Jesus taught them about Himself and His values for three and a half years.
Just before His ascension, He commissioned them to “Go and make Disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:18-29). What He had started the disciples had to continue. But first, they wait for Jesus’ promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus at Jorden. The disciples prayed, confessed, broke bread, read the word of God, and the Holy Spirit came just as Jesus promised.
The book of Acts records the mighty acts of the Holy Spirit and these mere men were on fire for God. Amazingly, and by providence, there is no proper conclusion to the book of Acts. It is no coincidence but rather suggests that it has to be continued and it is in the hands of Christians today.
Conclusion
It is significant to know that “Following Jesus’ example doesn’t mean we are to be perfect exactly like Him. We can never because he was the Son of God and is Divine. But we are Perfect and complete in Him, only in Him we are declared, treated, and made righteous as we grow in Christ each day.
So We have seen so far that Jesus kept these practices as a lifestyle, a continuous and conscious daily commitment. He remained surrendered, baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit, fasted and prayed, immersed Himself in the word of God, had unshakable faith, always worshiping God, and committed to the mission assigned to Him. By doing so, He never tripped in any of the devil’s wiles. He overcame and ultimately defeated Him on the Cross not by worshiping him but by Worshiping God and by doing God’s will. This, Jesus’s life and examples, are our Blueprints in following Him. We have Jesus the presence of the Holy Spirit with Us “I will be with you till the end of the age.”
