Rev. Charles S. Mims

The Holy Bible, King James Version

Matthew 1:1 through Matthew 1:25 (KJV)
¹The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. ²Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; ³And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; ⁴And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; ⁵And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; ⁶And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; ⁷And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; ⁸And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; ⁹And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; ¹⁰And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; ¹¹And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: ¹²And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; ¹³And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; ¹⁴And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; ¹⁵And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; ¹⁶And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. ¹⁷So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. ²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: ²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

What would Jesus do? That sure is a catchy phrase, one which is heard over and over today. People are buying everything from mugs to earrings with the letters WWJD emblazoned on them. It appears to be a fad, driven by popular culture in an effort to be more “religious”. I would say in an effort to be more Christ-like, as that was undoubtedly the reason this fad began, but it would seem that it has degenerated into something much less than this.

Many people today, like the Pharisees that Jesus encountered in His ministry think that if you appear more religious than those around you, somehow that will translate into favor with God. Yet like most things, if you try hard enough, you can find something good in it. It does indeed seem as if the idea of What Would Jesus Do has become over used, and perhaps even abused, but it also seems to me that the concept is a valid one for us to explore.

What WOULD Jesus do when confronted with the technological advances of the 20^th Century? What WOULD Jesus do with the social decay in our nation? What WOULD Jesus do with our drive for material gain? What WOULD Jesus do about the homeless in our land? What WOULD Jesus do about the drug culture, about the crime problems, about the internet? What WOULD he do?

Perhaps the reason we like to ask that question is that we really don’t know what He would do. It’s easy on us to sit in our gilded cages parroting those four word all the while bemoaning the fact that He didn’t have to cope with the same problems we do today in 1999. We can reduce the question to a philosophical or rhetorical question, thereby negating the need to answer it.

Maybe we should approach the question from a different angle. Rather than asking ourselves What Would Jesus Do, we should ask ourselves, what DID Jesus do, or even what did Jesus TELL US to do? These are questions that can be answered and backed up with scripture. Perhaps approaching it in this fashion would cause us to evaluate our lifestyles and make some changes.

This series will attempt to show us what Jesus would do, by showing us what he did do. If we are going to attempt to live out our lives by trying to understand what Jesus would do, we are going to have to spend time in His word so we are able to know. We cannot simply speculate and expect that to be sufficient.

Our text this morning seems oddly out of place in the middle of July with an outside temperature rising close to 100 degrees. The passage of scripture we looked at this morning would fit closer around Christmas. Yet, it seems appropriate to begin this series with the very first actions our Lord would take. These actions are not ones directed by Him, but put into place by God because of our sinful nature. Today we will look at the first thing Jesus would do.

Jesus would get down to earth. It’s deemed by many to be an asset to be down to earth. I prefer associating with people I would call down to earth. You know the kind of folks I am talking about, the ones who don’t let things bother them, don’t require much in the way of maintenance. Those who know what they need, and don’t agonize over the things that they cannot have. Well, Jesus got down to earth.

Jesus Got Down To Earth To Fulfill Prophecy (vv 1-17)

It sure is easy for our eyes to glaze over, and our brain to go on autopilot when the preacher begins to begat. We start to hear who begat who, and then they begit (sic) someone else, and by the time we get to that point, our only thought is how to begot outta (sic) there.

In this instance, though, it is necessary to at least glance at the genealogy so we can understand part of the reason why Jesus came. He came because it was prophesied that he would come.

For generations the children of Israel had been waiting for the Messiah. They new of the promises that had been made, they knew that He would come from the line of David. Jesus coming was widely anticipated.

Now, to be sure, you and I probably cannot emulate that facet of Jesus’ ministry. It will likely not ever be our lot to fulfill prophecy. Yet, to understand what Jesus would do in our everyday situations, we must understand what He did do, and the first thing He did, was to fulfill prophecy.

God had promised to perpetuate the line of Kind David, and in Christ He kept that promise for eternity. God had promised to send a messiah, and in Christ He kept that promise. Christ got down to earth to fulfill prophecy.

Jesus Got Down To Earth to Save us From Our Sins (vv. 18-21)

Jesus had a job to do, and he had to be sure it was done right. So, He came down from heaven to do the job Himself. All of us have sinned, and all of us are guilty, but what Jesus did was remove the penalties of that sin for us. The wages of sin had already been determined, and what we would receive is death. But the scripture goes on to tell us that the gift of God is eternal life, and that gift is ours because Jesus got down to earth.

Many times people will wonder how we can talk about a loving God, a merciful God, while at the same time preaching hell fire and damnation. The simple fact is that our God is loving, and it is because of His love for us that we have the opportunity to avoid damnation.

Sure, we are sinners. Sure, we violate God’s laws. Sure, we deserve punishment. God, however, loved us enough to give us a second chance. He sent Jesus to be the substitution for our sins. That shows us just how much He does love us. God has no desire to see any of us fall into temptation, but we make our own choices. Jesus got down to earth to save us from the consequences of those choices. We can do no less than Christ by sharing with the world what He came to earth to do.

Jesus Got Down To Earth To Be With Us (vv 22-25)

This is perhaps one of the greatest things that Jesus did do. He came to be with us. The verse says that His name shall be called Immanuel, which means “God With Us.” It’s always easier to go into the unknown when you know someone else is with you. It’s easier to try something new when someone else is with you. It’s easier to do the right thing when someone else is with you. Jesus got down to earth to be with us. He was to be a reminder, indeed a reality, that God is always with us, no matter where we are, or what we are doing.

When things get tough, we are not alone. There is a notable difference during a crisis between those who have the Lord to lean on, and those who try to stand alone. The saying says “No man is an island.” We all rely on each other, and when we rely on the Lord it becomes that much easier.

We can emulate Jesus in this last action to a certain extent. We can get “down to earth” and be with people. So ma

ny times we have separated ourselves from the world, and created an “us vs. them” scenario. We must be with the people, and share their pain, share their joy, and share our love with them.

It’s not easy to do what Jesus would do, and as we continue in this series of sermons we will discover that many times what Jesus did, is not what we would do. I challenge you to look at your life this morning, and yes, ask that question, “What Would Jesus Do?”, but then follow is up by discovering what it is that he actually DID do, and then learn what He has already told you to do.

Our journey is a long one, but the rewards make it profitable. As we walk together, let’s attempt to truly live as Jesus would.

Contact revmims@claimthevictory.org

South Peninsula Baptist Church

Daytona Beach, FL