Meditate on who Jesus is and the strength He gives

Consider Christ
by Paul Chappel

1. Consider Christ
2. Consider His Presence
3. Consider His Deliverance
5. Consider His Omnipotence
6. Consider His Lordship
7. Consider His Holiness
8. Consider Forgiveness
9. Consider Power
10. Consider His Provision
11. Consider His Eternality
12. Consider His Suffering
13. Consider His Priority
14.

LESSON I:
CONSIDER CHRIST

• Every single day, we make choices – some small and some big.
• As we make our decisions, it can be easy to not put much thought into what we should do,
neglecting Jesus Christ and the wisdom He offers.
• This lesson endeavors to show our need to consider Christ all throughout each day.
• We must allow our love for him to guide us in every choice we make.

GOALS:

1. Learn to consider Christ in everything we do.

2. Have a better understanding of Christ’s character and purpose.
3. Understand how we can have spiritual victory through trials and temptations.

TEACHING OUTLINE:

I. Consider His POSITION

II. Consider His PATTERN
II. Consider His PASSION

Introduction

Hebrews 12:2-4
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and
faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

• Our minds are constantly considering choices, opportunities, people, events, responsibilities,
and more
• Voices from every direction call us to consider their message.
• They call us to consider – them space in our minds and a moment of our attention.

Illustration
• Any year that there is an election, we will hear dozens of candidates explain why we should
consider them in the coming election.
• They will ask us to consider their policies, past records, their running mates, and anything else
that could cause us to consider voting for them.
• Through all possible medium, they will do their very best to engage with us, asking us to
consider them.

“Vote for me, I am the right choice”

• While there are many worthy people and causes to consider, there is One who easily gets
crowded out of out everyday thought – the Lord Jesus.
• And yet, God’s word specifically calls us to “Consider Him”.

Hebrews 12:3 ( read)

• As we focus out thoughts on Christ, we’ll find renewed energy and joy in our Christian life.
• Throughout this series, we’ll specifically consider the attributes (characteristics) of Jesus as
well as His actions- who He is and what He has done for us.
• Just who is Jesus?

I. CONSIDER HIS POSITION

A. He is the Preeminent One

B. He is the Perfect One
1. His ways are perfect
2. His work is perfect

Hebrews 12:2 (read)

Illustration
• Leading up to the 2007 film the Ten Commandments, Kelton researched surveyed 1000 people
to discover how much Americans actually knows about the Ten Commandments.
• The survey also included questions not pertaining to the Ten Commandments but relating to the
American life.

Result of the Survey:

 • 80% knew that a Big Mac from McDonald had two all-beef patties, and 62% knew that it had
pickles.
• Only 34% knew that “Remember that sabbath day to keep it holy” is one of the Ten
Commandments.
• Less that 30% knew that one of the commandments was not to make any graven images.
• This study, which contained various other questions, concluded that Americans knows more
about fast food that the Ten Commandments.

• May we not allow our lives to be more consumed by the things of this world than by the truths
of the Word of God.

A. He is the Preeminent One

He is the one above all the others, and He is worthy of all consideration.

Hebrews 12:2-4
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;...
• The word “author” indicates that He is the originator of our faith.
• He is the First and the Last: the Alpha and Omega.

Revelations 1:8
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and
which is to come, the Almighty.
Acts 5:30-31
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:16-18
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions or principalities, or power all things were created by him, and
for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that all
things he might have the preeminence.

• A total of 256 different names for God throughout the Bible.

• All through the Bible, Jesus is lifted up as the preeminent one.
• May we all take time to consider that Jesus Christ is preeminent, and may we all allow Him to
be the preeminent one in our lives.

B. He is the Perfect One

• Not only is Christ the author, but also the finisher of our faith.
• He is the one who perfects or completes our faith.
• He is the one who will bring our faith to its completion at its fullest development.

He will be faithful to finish the work that He started in us.

Philippians 1:6
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:

• At that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit begins working in you to male you more like
Christ.
• This process is called sanctification.
• It is the process that perfects, or completes, your faith.
• Because God does this in your life, you ca n trust He Himself is perfect in all His ways and all
His works.

1. His ways are perfect.

• We may not always understand Christ’s ways as He works through us, but we can have the
confidence that He is doing it to perfects us.
• He will often use trials and testings to perfect us, and we may be tempted to doubt His love and
goodness.

When those times come, trust that the Finisher of your faith, Jesus Christ, knows what He’s doing.

Deutoronomy 32:4
4 He is the Rock, his works is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is he.

Psalm 18:30-32
30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in
him.
31 For who is God save the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

• Take a moment to consider how comforting it is that Christ’s ways are perfect.
• We can find comfort during the most difficult times when we consider the fact that all His ways
are perfect.
• He is perfect in His ways, and He is perfect in His work.

2. His work is perfect.

“Christ had already run this race of faith and conquered for us! He is the Authors (Pioneer, Trailblazer)
and Finisher of our faith; He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
What He starts, He finishes;
he can see us through to victory”
by Warren Wiersbe

Ephesians 4:13
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the On of God, unto a perfect
man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
Ephesians 5:17
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
 • The Lord Jesus Christ is working to bring His will into your life.
• He will continue to work in you until your race is finished, and you are with Him in glory.
• In His position as the preeminent, perfect one, He has the power and authority to do this work
in you.

II. CONSIDER HIS PATTERN:

• Heb. 12:2 “endured the cross, despising the shame”.
• From the beginning of Christ’s ministry, we see that he lived a pattern of walking in victory –
over temptation and over trials, or suffering.

A. HIS VICTORY OVER TEMPTATION

• Many of us at some point have set some type of spiritual goal.
• The devil knows this, so the minute you set spiritual goals, he will begin fighting you.
• You need to look to Jesus and His pattern of victory when the devil fights.
• Even in a time of severe temptation, Jesus Christ certainly saw the joy that was before him.
• He had a goal!
• Between the start of His earthly ministry and the completion of redemption, He had to endure
temptation.
• From the day you became a Christ in Heaven, you also must endure seasons of Jesus Christ,
you will have victory.

In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus not only demonstrated that He could not sin, but He also showed that He
is the pattern for our endurance of and resistance to temptations.

• If Satan had the audacity to come against the holy Son of God, endeavoring to cause Jesus
Christ to worship Him, Satan will fight you!
• We must follow the pattern of Jesus Christ if we are going to have victory over Satan.
• There are three (3) things Jesus did as He overcame the temptation of Satan.

1. Jesus was led by the Spirit.

Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

As Jesus was under the direction of the Spirit of God, we must be led by the Spirit as we make every
decision, including the day-to-day ones.

Galatians 5:16 This i say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

• If we are to consider Christ, we must be led by the Spirit.

• The Spirit will always direct you to the will of Christ, and He will always cause you to consider
what Christ would have you to do.

2. Jesus prayed and fasted.

Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.

• Without question, as 100% humanity, Jesus’s physical body was weak.

• Jesus Christ was full of the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, praying and fasting.
Illustration
• One day, a pastor announced to his family that he was going to fast and pray.
• Ginny, his five-year-old daughter, he had recently learned that fating meant not eating.
• When she heard her father’s announcement, she shouted, “No! You’ll die you fast!”
• Her father calmly tried to explain that many men and women fasted in Biblical times.
• Ginny thought about that for a minute. Then, with a tone or warning, she noted, “And they all
died.”
Matthew 17:19-21
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily i say unto you, If ye have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall
remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

• There are certain answer to prayer that only come when we come to the Lord earnestly praying,
“Lord, more than I want this, I want you.”
• The root of fasting is the hunger for God. It is homesickness for God.
• It is saying, “More than anything, I want to be close to you.”

3. Jesus quoted Scripture.

Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command
that these stones be made bread.
• As satan tempted Jesus, Jesus quoted the Word of God back to satan.
• There is no victory over sin without the power of the Sword of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
• The Bible makes it clear that the way to spiritual victory is through hiding the Word of God in
your heart so it is ready to use as a weapon against temptation
Psalm 119:9-11
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

• Anytime you’re faced with temptations, consider Christ – remember His victory – and. Like
Him, use Scripture to defeat the temptation.
• Find verses that are specific to temptations that your regularly face.
• Write them out on a card or make them the home screen on your phone.
• Carry them with you in your pocket, or purse, or car, or anything you will have with you
throughout the day.

B. HIS VICTORY OVER TRIALS

• Hebrews 12:3 He endured such contradiction of sinners against himself.”
• There are times when the process of enduring is the very work of God that purifies our faith.
• God may be allowing a trial in your life to strengthen you and bring you to maturity.

James 1:2-4
 2 My brethen, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let ye may perfects and entire, wanting nothing.

• God wants us to endure as Jesus endured.

• If you quit when you are in the middle of trials, you’re going to miss the lesson God is trying to
teach you.
• Let patience have its complete work by letting God do His work in you.
• Consider Christ’s pattern as you are tempted and as you endure trials.
• It will lead you to victory.