TEXT: John 12:12-19
INTRO: Perhaps you’ve’ seen a cap, or a T-shirt or a bracelet with the WWJD on it. Maybe you’ve owned something like that yourself. If so, you know the letters stand for “What Would Jesus Do?” and its meant to cause us to stop and consider that question when we’re faced with a decision about how to deal with a particular situation in our lives. But how will we really know the answer so we can live it out?
CONTEXT: The Triumphal Entry, where Jesus is entering Jerusalem for the last week of His earthly ministry.
I. WE DO WHATEVER POINTS TO JESUS AND HIS PURPOSE
A. READ 12-14, 17. Commentary: The festival was the Passover Feast. Jesus presented Himself in three ways: 1.)He came into town accepting the praise of people praising God
Ps. 118: 25, 26. “Hosanna!” : “Save us now.” “He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One.” A.In vss. 14-15, Zechariah 9:9, proclaimed the kind of Messiah He would be.” Horses for war; donkeys for peace. Jesus, at this time, was not coming to destroy the people, but to assure them of God’s love and willingness to forgive and accept.
B.Pointing others to Jesus should always be the basic foundation of your life and all your decisions.
II. KNOW THE SCRIPTURES TO KNOW THE HEART OF JESUS.
A. READ vs. 16. No one knew Jesus on earth any better than His immediate disciples (except maybe Mary). Yet, when they saw all this happening, they did not really understand its full implications. They realized Jesus had simply followed Scripture in announcing His purpose. He selected His path, His work, His service, by considering the prophecy Scripture set forth.
Matt. 4 and Lk. 4,: Jesus used Scripture alone to fight Satan. Deut. 8:3, “It is written: Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
B. If you are going to choose the way of Jesus in your life dealings, you must familiarize yourself with the word of God.
III. JESUS NEVER TURNED BACK FROM HIS CALLING TO SERVE.
A. READ vs. 19. Jesus would not give up on glorifying the Father by the giving of His life.
The Alamo; blitz of England during WWII.
B. Don’t misunderstand the point here. Sometimes, the better part of valor might be a temporary retreat. But, if we hold to the faith, nothing shall pluck us out of God’s hands. And when all is said and done, we will have done the will of the Lord concerning the matter we must face.
CONCLUSION
Those who have prepared themselves, not with a small purchase of jewelry or clothing, but with a commitment to always let their lives point to Jesus and His purpose, to commit to heart the truth of Scripture and to Scripture their hearts, and to set their ways by the power of the Holy Spirit to never give up to anything but the Lord Himself, then they WWJD will not be a mere question, but a clear direction which they will see accomplished.