Behold the Man  (Part 1)

Last week we talked about how Jesus is our great God; that Jesus is God.  Remember?  That was a long time ago, a whole week, and it's hard for me to remember all of your names in a whole week so I can forgive you if you forget everything we talked about last week.  Please remind me as you leave today if I stutter a bit, please offer your name to me to help me because I want to know you and I want to know your name.  So, last week we talked about how Jesus is our God, how He is a great God.  How He loves us, how He cares for us, how there's nothing He doesn't know and there's nothing he can't do.  And there's nothing He won't sacrifice for you.  He who gave His life for you, how shall He not also with Him give us all things.  Amen?  Alright.  
Today, I'd like to talk to you about Jesus as our example.  Am I the only person here who pretended to be something I wasn't when I was a child?  I grew up watching all kinds of television stuff.  Television was my babysitter - I do not recommend that.  But I wasn't a Christian; our family weren't Christians.  We really didn't have any standards when it came to what we watched on television and any of that kind of stuff.  Which I regret because even though you give your life to Jesus the memories can linger and you have to pray and you have to focus your mind and think about other things.  And if you've ever grown up like I did, you know what I'm talking about.  So don't give your children those scars.  
But when I was a child Superman was on TV.  And Superman was a fantastic, strong, leap a tall building in a single bound, fly faster than a bullet could fly.  Superman could do anything.  So I'd watch Superman and then I'd go into the cupboard and I'd find a towel and I'd stick that towel in the back of my neck, you know, fold it in there.  Then I'd run around the back yard like I was flying.  And I'd jump off the doghouse cause I'd fly for about a nanosecond or so.  Or perhaps you're a person who remembers watching Tanto, you know, the Loan Ranger.  And you said I'd like to be a plains hero.  You ever have a toy gun when you were a kid?  I had a toy gun and my father got me one of those and also got me one of these bouncy horses.  I can remember having that when I was a kid.  And my mother said that one time my cousin came to take me off that horse because he wanted to ride on that horse - he thought that looked really fantastic.  And she said I took my toy gun and I whacked him over the head with it.  I don't remember that; neither does my cousin.  He probably got amnesia from me whomping him on the head with the gun.
Once again, not good images, reproduced so easily in childhood.  It's just a little bit more difficult in adulthood.  Don't ever forget that.  Our example that we have, that we hold up to us, whatever we are beholding has a lasting impression upon you.  Don't ever doubt that.  Don't think that because you're now an adult that you can go unscathed from the influences of life.  The idols in your life, the heroes of your life, do influence you and determine your thoughts and thus determine your actions.  I've watched it happen to children and I've watched it happen to adults as well.  As a Pastor I can tell you that the way of life is littered with the wrecks of people.  I've seen those wrecks.  I'm like a paramedic sometimes.  I come along after a wreck.  Not always a physical wreck, sometimes a spiritual wreck.  And those people often had the idea that it didn't matter what they saw or who they listened to or where they went or who they were with.  You know, you think that those things are just for kids.  Where you going?  Who are you gonna go with?  When are you coming back?  How long are you gonna be away?  Things that we do as parents we think that that's just for kids.  It's not just for kids.  It's for all of us.
I'd like to recommend to you today the person who is my hero.  I've thought about this quite a bit.  This is the first time ever, in my adult life, that I've ever used the word Jesus and hero in the same sentence.  I've often talked about how Jesus is my best friend - and He is my best friend.  I don't know what I'd do without Jesus.  I just never thought of using the word hero and Jesus in the same sentence because sometimes heroes sort of sounds a little bit too superficial.  You know, we hear about all these superheroes - Spiderman, etc., etc., all that stuff.  So to say that Jesus is my hero somehow to me that almost brings Him down to a comic book level.  And so I've never used that word that way.  But I'm using it today because I want to convey to you this thought, that I believe from what the scripture teaches that every one of us needs somebody that we can look up to.  Somebody we can trust.  Somebody we can follow; someone we can admire; someone we can emulate.  We all need that.  God built that into us and I want to testify to you today that there is only one person who is worthy of that kind of devotion.  And that is Jesus Christ.  I ask you again what I asked you last week.  Is it okay to say Amen in this church?  Jesus is the only one who is worthy of our adoration.  He is the only one who is really able to be a hero to us.
I want to invite you to turn to John 19 and notice what it says in verse 5.  John 19:5 - Pilate uttered these words when Jesus came out, it says, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe and Pilate said to them behold the man!  He presented Jesus to His critics, to His scoffers.  He said behold the man.  Here is the man.  Last week we talked about how Jesus is God.  Today we're talking about how Jesus is the man.  You know the kids, the younger generations, they go you the man.  There's only one person worthy of that sentence.  That's Jesus.  Jesus is the man - in that vernacular.  There's only one person like Him.  Pilate said behold the man.  Today I want you to behold the man a little bit with me today.  
Turn to Matthew 1:18-22.  Hope you brought your Bibles.  Always bring your Bibles to church.  You know, I can't explain it.  I really don't know why, but when you open the Bible - I don't know how to explain it.  I know what happens, I just don't know how to explain it.  When you bring your Bible and you open your Bible and your read God's words something happens deep down inside.  Something changes inside here.  Something happens that creates more devotion to God.  Something happens that creates more holiness to God.  It is the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  It is a divine thing.  So as you bring your Bible week by week and we open God's word, I believe that the Holy Spirit will minister to you.
In Matthew 1:18, following through, it says, "Now the birth of Jesus was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her public example, was minded to put her away secretly.  But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit and she will bring forth a son and you shall call his name Jesus: for he will save his people from their sins.  So all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated God with us."
What an amazing - the Bible calls it a mystery.  We'll never fully understand it and we will be very careful how we talk about it today.  We will never fully understand.  How can you have 100% God and 100% man?  I don't understand that, do you?  The Bible calls it a mystery.  It simply says that Jesus is 100% God.  He is God through and through - we studied that last week.  There is nothing about Jesus that you can say He was not God.  He was 100% God.  He is 100% God.  He is also 100% man.  The Bible calls that a mystery.  We don't understand that and we can't explain it.  And you know there are people, because you can't explain something, they're ready to throw it out and say if you can't explain it; if you can't understand it - it must not be so.  
Well, that's like saying that because I don't understand women they don't exist!  I don't think we want to go that far do we?  And women can't say they understand men either.  How many times have I heard them say, I just don't understand that man.  And men get together and they go, I don't understand women.  Well, because we don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  There are lots of things we don't understand - that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.  Jesus is 100% man.  He was born into this world the same way that you and I are born into this world.  And I am totally, just totally amazed and completely at a loss for words when I think about the great creator God reducing himself to a single cell in Mary's womb.  She carried Him nine months you know.  He was a fetus and developed normally, just like every baby does.  Month by month by month.  Her womb grew and the boy developed inside her womb and she gave birth at nine months to a healthy baby boy.  Just like every mother does today.  Somebody once said how many chromosomes did Jesus have?  Did He have 23 pairs of chromosomes just like we do?  I don't know.  All I know is that He was born a man.  Mary gave birth to Him and He grew.
You know, there's scant mention of Jesus' life when He was a boy - very little mentioned.  It just says that the child grew and that the Spirit of God was upon Him.  You know, 30 years, think of that most all we know about Jesus is focused on 3 1/2 years of His life, but there were 30 years before that that He lived just like you and me.  He wasn't famous.  Nobody knew his name except the people in Nazareth.  Oh, yeah, that's Jesus son of Joseph - good boy, fine boy.  Works over in the carpenter shop, makes good furniture.  If you want a good builder go talk to Jesus.  He's a good man, a good worker.  He had a good reputation.  Grew up just like every child grows up, but in a bad place.
Some of you here have kids, you think, you know, here you are - Spokane is a small city compared to other American cities, but it's a city.  And some of you are greatly worried about your children and you feel trapped.  First of all, don't assume that all is lost.  The same God that helped Jesus develop a Godly character in the midst of corruption will help you.  And the same God who used Jesus to take His light to the people who needed it can use you in your children.  Don't assume you have to stay in the city either.  That's another subject.
But as Jesus grew we have very little reference to His life - very little reference.  Not much is said.  I think that's a wonderful thing because sometimes we think that He had all the advantages.  That He was so different from us that there was no way He could lose - that He had all the benefits.  No, Jesus grew up just like you and I.  In fact, I want you to turn to Hebrews 2, notice what it says, Hebrews 2:14.  It's a powerful thing.  This is just a powerful thought.  It has to me, to me it give tremendous encouragement.  Hebrews 2:14, "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in" - what?  What did He do?  "In the same; that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those"  - Amen! - "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."  If you're in bondage you've come to the right place because Jesus will set you free.
"For indeed he does not give aid to angels, but he does give aid to the seed of Abraham.  Therefore in all things" - in all things - "he had to be made like his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make satisfaction for the sins of the people.  For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to aid those who are tempted."
Jesus had a fallen, physical body just like you and me.  Now, wait a minute, I didn't say Jesus was fallen.  Jesus came in a human body just like you and me.  After 4,000 years of sin and its degenerative power, Jesus came with a body just like you and I have.  What does that mean?  How does that give us encouragement?  Well, it means that He got tired.  Jesus knew what it felt like to be tired.  Remember, He sat by the well - He sat on the curb of Jacobs well because He was tired and hungry and thirsty.  Jesus knows what it feels like to be tired and worn out.  He sat there on the curb and said I'm too tired.  You guys go on in and get the food and come back.  Jesus, no doubt, caught a cold in His life.  Maybe He even had the flu.  The Bible doesn't say, but He had a human body just like ours.  I'm sure He must have hit his thumb in the carpenter's shop on more than one occasion.  And probably stubbed His toe on the rocks.  Jesus had scars I'm sure on His body, here and there, from His childhood.  He knew what if felt like to be tired and He knew what it felt like sick.  He knew what it felt like to hurt physically.  When He was on the cross, let me tell ya, He knew what it felt like to hurt.  He had a human body just like you and just like me.
And that means that He received temptations through the same kinds of interface that you and I do.  Jesus never sinned, but He had every probability, every possibility of committing a sin.  Because He came into this world just like you and I, and He had to face temptation just like you and I.  And let this be an encouragement, especially to the young people present here today, that just because you are tempted that doesn't mean that you have sinned.  The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in all points just like we are.
Turn to Chapter 4 and notice what it says.  Hebrews 4:14-16, "Seeing then we have a great high priest who is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, le us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet" - What? - "without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  
Jesus was tempted in every way that you are tempted.  He heard cursing in His day.  He was tempted to use curse words.  Jesus was surrounded by lust in His day.  Jesus was tempted to lust after women.  Jesus was tempted to eat something He shouldn't eat, to go places He shouldn't go, to do things He shouldn't do, and to think thoughts He shouldn't think.  Jesus was tempted to do all those things.  To be tempted is not - does not mean that you have sinned.  To feel the desire to do something does not mean that you have sinned.  Now, to go on with it in your mind or to carry it out in your body, then it would become sin.  And Jesus did not cross that line.  He did not carry out the thoughts that were presented to Him, either in His mind or in His body, and in that - Praise, God - in that, He is different from you and me.  He did not do the things that we have done.  He did not commit sin, but He was tempted in all points just like we are.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 5:21, speaking of Jesus it says, that God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.  Now, you know, I want to point out something to you, not only does Jesus know what it feels like to be tempted - just like you know - not only does Jesus know how you feel when you're tempted, Jesus was tempted beyond you and me.  
You know, think about this, have you ever been tempted to prove that you're God?  No?  No temptation there for me.  You know, if somebody took me up to the pinnacle of a temple and said hey throw yourself off here and prove you're God.  I'd say you got the wrong guy.  It's not me.  If somebody took you up to a mountain top and said if you will worship me - that was the devil, of course - if you will worship me, it says there in Matthew 4, I will give you all the kingdoms of the world.  You'll be the world ruler of the whole world.  You ever been tempted to do that?  No?  Neither have I.  Wow, what a temptation.  
And you've never been tempted to make bread out of stone, have you?  I'll never forget when that first came up, I was sitting in a theology class at Walla-Walla College and our teacher, John Dibdall who is now the President of Walla-Walla College, was talking about Jesus and how he was tempted.  And I remember he dwelled on that particular point and talked about how Jesus was tempted beyond anything that you and I will ever be tempted to do.  And of course you get a bunch of theology students together and everybody's gotta make their comments, so comments are going back and forth, back and forth, you know, like this about all these things.  Finally, one guy raises his hand, his name is Jim, raised his had.  Dr. Dibdall called on him and he says I've never been tempted to make bread out of stones, but my wife is tempted to make stone out of bread.  And it reminded me of the time when my wife went to work at a hospital in Corvallis, we were just newly married, and I thought I would surprise her and make bread.  I thought it can't be that hard, you know, just follow the recipe, right?  So, I got out all the ingredients and I got out the book and I started going through all this stuff and I'm still to this day I'm sure I did exactly what it said, but you know what those things came out - those things could have been weapons in a catapult.  They were as hard as rock and when she came home I showed her anyway and she just laughed, you know.  Well, she taught me how to bake bread so I can bake bread these days.  In fact, haven't done it for a while but I enjoy baking bread.  
Jesus was tempted way beyond, way beyond, anything that you and I will ever experience in this life, yet without sin.  You know how encouraging that is to me?  To know that Jesus was tempted just like me, to know that He knows how I feel.  Do you know how encouraging - let me explain.  Our oldest boy got into some trouble and that's as far as I'll go, there's no need to say anymore.  He got into some trouble and I was feeling devastated.  I was feelingly absolutely devastated.  We had done so much together.  We had laughed together, played together, gone places together, done things together.  I tried to be everything to him as a father that my father never was to me and maybe that was a little bit of a mistake, I don't know.  But I tried to be everything to him that a dad could be.  I loved him so much as he grew up.  He was my little buddy.  And to this day, he remembers that, that he was my little buddy.  And now he has a little buddy, our first grandchild born in September.  
Well, when he got into trouble it just broke my heart, just completely.  I never would have ever thought that he would have gotten into trouble like that.  Just broke my heart and I felt embarrassed.  I was ashamed, but I tried not to let it show but I felt it inside.  I'll never forget how our conference president at the time, a man that I deeply respected, because I had known him personally and I knew the depth of his spirituality.  I'll never forget when he called me up and he said to me I heard about your boy.  Yeah, I said.  And he said, you know, I want to tell you something.  He said when I was his age this is what I did and he told me what he did, which I won't repeat ever, to anybody.  But he told me what he did.  He said, you know I got into trouble and he told me how bad the trouble was and what happened to him and all this stuff that happened.  And he said, you know, he said, but later I gave my life to God and that Jesus completely changed his life.  He said I understand how you feel too.  And then he told me about his own boys who got into trouble.
You know, someone once said - some wise person once said that friendship starts when one person says to the other person, what you too?  I thought I was the only one.  Jesus is our friend.  He has suffered temptation just like you and I have suffered temptation.  He knows what it feels like and He doesn't stand above you today with condemnation and criticism and hatred and ugliness.  He has His arms wide open.  I love Southern Gospel, certain types of Southern Gospel music - that's a broad term to say you like Southern Gospel music cause, whoa, that takes in a lot of stuff.  I don't like it all but I like some of it and here's one that I received from my childhood that goes like this and if you know it - by the way there's always one rule that I have when I preach, wherever I go and that is that when I sing you can sing with me.  In fact, I prefer it because that way if I make a mistake you won't know it cause you're singing too.  But as we sing to the Lord, it's a beautiful thing and the song goes like this:
"The chimes of time ring out the news, another day is through.
Someone slipped and fell.  Was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength, your courage to renew.
Do not be disheartened for I bring hope to you.
It is no secret what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open He'll pardon you.
For it is no secret what God can do."
Those words are so true.  With arms wide open He'll pardon you.  Whatever your sins or mistakes have been Jesus understands because He's been tempted in the same way.  He feels it just like you.  He knows what it's all about and He loves you.  He doesn't hold it against you and He asks you to come to Him and receive Him.  Well I want us to pray right now.  The time has gone and I will finish the rest of this next week, but it's hot and it's uncomfortable and that seems to me to be a good spot to quit.  And so I'd like you to stand with me as we pray.  Would you do that?
Father, we are grateful that You did not detach Yourself from us.  That You are not an impersonal God who doesn't know or doesn't care, but that You do care.  You understand, You know, You feel it through the human body of Jesus.  Lord, we're a needy people.  We have great needs.  Some of us have physical needs, Lord.  We're worried about our jobs.  Some of need Sabbath off - it's hard, Lord.  We need Your help.  Some of us, Lord, are sick.  We don't feel very good.  We need You.  Some of us, Lord, the spiritual fire is just a flicker and we're worried it will blow out.  We need the rekindling of Your Holy Spirit.  Some of us, Lord, are worried about our kids.  We don't know what to do, or what to say.  We ask You to take them into Your hands and that You would do what needs to be done to save their soul.  Some of us, Lord, are wanting very much to be used by You, to make a difference in the world.  We need You to direct us and show us how.  So we come with a lot of different needs, Lord, a lot of baggage in some cases, but we all have one thing in common - we're all sinners and we know there's only one place and that's at the cross.  So we come to the cross today, Lord, together on the same ground, laying our burdens there at Your feet.  We know that You understand.  You went through it and You came out of it a victorious conqueror, so we know that Your blood that You shed for us on Calvary is sufficient not only to forgive our sins but to heal our wounds and to set us free from sin.  Oh Lord, we come to You with our great need and we ask You to be the answer.  Be the answer, Lord, to every situation and every heart today.  This is our prayer in Jesus name, Amen.