WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

by: Bill Bratt, Portsmouth, Ohio
Email: info@icogsfg.org
Years ago at a spokesman's club meeting in West Union, Ohio, one of the speakers gave a speech in which he used a 4 x 6 card with the letters W.W.J.D. on it. I don't remember anything of which he talked about except what the letters stood for.
What could W.W.J.D. stand for? I suppose it could stand for: World Wide Juvenile Delinquents.
I would like to encourage you to put a card with W.W.J.D. on it and to put it on the mirror in your bathroom, then when you would look at it, it would remind you of what W.W.J.D. stands for.
What does W.W.J.D. stand for? It stands for: What Would Jesus Do!

TODAY, LET'S LOOK AT THREE (3) POINTS TO DETERMINE: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Through out life we will run into trials and tests.
When we do we need to ask What Would Jesus Do? By applying this concept this will help us in overcoming.

POINT #1 JESUS WOULD KEEP THE 10 COMMANDMENTS!

John 15:10 says: "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
Jesus would keep the 4th commandment: Remember the Sabbath. Jesus would also keep the annual sabbaths which are part of the Sabbath commandment: If the question came up: Should we attend the Feast of Tabernacles? We could ask the question: W.W.J.D.? or What Would Jesus Do?
The answer to this question is: YES, Jesus would attend the Feast of Tabernacles, that example is in John, Chapter 7.
John 7:1-14 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. {2} Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. {3} His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. {4} "For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world." {5} For even His brothers did not believe in Him. {6} Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. {7} "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. {8} "You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come." {9} When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. {10} But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. {11} Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?" {12} And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people." {13} However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. {14} Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.

HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION:
At the office where you work, the boss tells you that he would like for you to work on Saturday.
You quickly ask yourself the question: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? Jesus kept the commandments.
John 15:10 says: "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
God commands us to Remember the Weekly Sabbath in Exodus 20.
Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. {9} Six days you shall labor and do all your work, {10} but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. {11} For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

You tell your boss: NO.

POINT #2: JESUS WOULD EXHIBIT THE FRUITS OF GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION:
If you were in a restaurant and the waitor came to your table and spilled a pitcher of water all over you.
What would you do? Would you scream at him: You CLUTZ, don't you know how to carry a pitcher of water? OR: Would you ask yourself: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
Jesus has God's holy spirit unlimited, therefore He would have complete control of the situation.
He would exhibit the love, patience, kindness and self-control that would be required.
Jesus would probably say something like: "Well, acidents do happen, don't they".

One of the fruits of the God's Spirit is JOY. Let's focus on JOY.
God's Feast of Tabernacles is a time of rejoicing.
Question: At the feast should you be a PARTY JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN.
Are you a party animal?
Do you like to party hearty?
Should you stay up to the wee hours of the night partying?
Then going to church services the next day and sleeping during services.
Let's ask the question: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
John 10:10 says: (last part) " I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
During the Feast of Tabernacles we do have life more abundantly spending 10% of our income over about 2% of the year. (divide 365 days by 8 days). That is a 5:1 ratio.
At Feast of Tabernacles time we hear the following verse several times:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is the whole duty of man.
The words Fear God could be: Reverence God.
Jesus would reverence God by being alert during chruch services.
He would Put God First.
This is why we are at the Feast of Tabernacles.
Jesus would party-hearty but with balance always Putting God First.

Point #3: JESUS WOULD SET THE RIGHT EXAMPLE.

2 Corinthians 5:20 says: Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
At the Feast of Tabernacles, it's like we are walking up and down in the streets of God's Government.
The feast sites are places where God has placed his name.

HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION:
You are in a restaurant with your family and a couple of friends. You notice a group of people entering the restuarant and especially one particular individual in the group. He is overly loud and beligerant.
He complains about his food and tells the waiter to take it back to the kitchen 3 times.
He is insensitive, insults the waiter, family and friends.
He leaves a mess of food on the floor at his table and he leaves a penny tip.
We observe all this, and ask the waiter: Who is this guy?
The waiter says that he is the Ambassador to foreign country.
What would be our reaction? We would probably think: This guy is an ambassador! A government dignitary! If he's a representative of his country, then remind me never to visit his country.
QUESTION: How do people view us when we are out in public?
We are Ambassadors and Representatives of God's government.
What Would Jesus Do?
Jesus would be: polite - courteous - friendly - patient (especially in a crowed restaurant) leave a decent tip, the going rate is 15%. He always sets a perfect example.
We must set a good example in public.
In a sense we are witnessing to the world that there is a better way of life.
What else Would Jesus Do at the Feast of Tabernacles?
He would SERVE. He would be like a minister: preaching, healing the sick and comforting those with problems.
He would also be doing the little things, like:

IN CONCLUSION:

If we ask: What Would Jesus Do?
We need to think about these 3 areas:
  1. Jesus would keep the 10 commandments.
  2. Jesus would exhibit the fruits of God's Holy Spirit.
  3. Jesus would set the right example.
Applying these principles will help us to overcome in our trials and tests and to go on to perfection.


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