The Character of Jesus
How Can Jesus Make A Difference - Part 1

John said:

For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together ... by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.

Acts 4:27-30 (NKJV)

Demons said:

Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy One of God!

Mark 1:23-24 (NKJV)

Peter said:

you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

Acts 3:14-15 (NKJV)

John said:

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

1 John 2:20 (NKJV)

Character is consolidated thought. Jesus' thinking was absolutely holy. You are not born with character, you make your own character. Jesus' character was fully active from eternity past through his human life on earth and forever.

What does it mean to have holy character?

1. I Will Not Defile (Corrupt) Myself

Creatures that crawl on the ground are detestable and not to be eaten. Don't eat creatures that crawl on the ground, whether on their belly or on all fours or on many feet - they are detestable. Don't make yourselves unclean or be defiled by them, because I am your God. Make yourselves holy for I am holy. Don't make yourselves ritually unclean by any creature that crawls on the ground. I am God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Be holy because I am holy.

Leviticus 11:41-45 (MSG)

The camp must be holy, for the LORD your God moves around in your camp to protect you and to defeat your enemies. He must not see any shameful thing among you, or he might turn away from you.

Deuteronomy 23:14 (NLT)

The one thing God is after is character. God does not supply you with character, God gives you the life of His Son and you can either ignore Him and refuse to obey Him or you can obey Him by bringing every thought and imagination into alignment with purity. Your responsibility is to keep your mind and thoughts pure as Jesus.

2. I Purposely Desire To Be Like Jesus

when Christ returns... we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who believe this will keep themselves pure, just as Christ is pure.

1 John 3:2-3 (NLT)

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

Hebrews 9:14 (NRSV)

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.

Hebrews 7:26 (NRSV)

You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.

1 John 3:5 (TEV)

Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (TEV)

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world,... Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.

John 8:12 (TEV)

Character must be sought after. It is never given. You must make Jesus' character yours.

HOW DID GOD DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER OF JESUS?

1. The holiness of Jesus is seen in his love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness

Hebrews 1:9 (NKJV)

Some people profess:

  1. To love righteousness and do not seem to hate evil
  2. To hate sin but they do not seem to love righteousness

2. The holiness of Jesus is seen in his words and deeds [He never sinned or spoke falsely; He always did what was pleasing to God and always spoke the things which pleased God.]

He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone.

1 Peter 2:21-22 (NLT)

Jesus said, "For I always do those things that are pleasing to him."

John 8:29 (NLT)

3. The holiness of Jesus is seen in constant and never-failing victory over temptation

The holiness of Jesus does not consist in doing nothing wrong, but in doing all that is right every time.

Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin!

Hebrews 4:15 (CEV)

4. The holiness of Jesus is seen in demanding absolute perfection of His disciples and refusing any compromise with evil

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (NASB77)

5. The holiness of Jesus is seen in a stern and scathing rebuke of sinners

How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you won't let others enter the Kingdom of Heaven, and you won't go in yourselves.

Matthew 23:13 (NLT)

But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV)

"I don't have a husband," she answered. Jesus replied, "You are right when you say you don't have a husband. You have been married to five men, and the man you live with now is not really your husband. You have told me the truth."

John 4:17-18 (TEV)

6. The holiness of Jesus is seen in His making the greatest sacrifice in His power to save others from the sin He hated and to the righteousness He loved

[Jesus] personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds!

1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

1 Peter 3:18 (NLT)

7. The holiness of Jesus will be seen in an awful, irrevocable punishment of those who refuse to be separated from their sin

But when the Son of Man comes in his splendor with all his angels with him, then he will take his seat on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men from each other like a shepherd separating sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left... Then he will say to those on his left, 'Out of my presence, cursed as you are, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!'

Matthew 25:31 (Phillips NT)

Jesus died to separate you, whom He loves, from sin which He hates. If you refuse this separation, He leaves them to your self-chosen partnership and the doom to follow.

Prayer:

God, I want the character of Jesus. I will strive to not defile myself, so that I may purposely desire to be like Jesus.