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00:00:01 What is more important? 00:00:03 Finishing an assignment 00:00:04 or how we go about 00:00:06 carrying out the assignment? 00:00:08 Well, our text for today 00:00:09 uses the Day of Atonement 00:00:11 to illustrate that the way 00:00:13 Jesus went about living his life 00:00:15 was actually even more important 00:00:18 than that one act of salvation. 00:00:21 Now, why? 00:00:23 Well, that’s because the way Jesus lived his life 00:00:26 —carried out his ministry— addressed Satan’s challenge. 00:00:30 And Jesus proved that doing things Jehovah’s way 00:00:35 is the right way to live. 00:00:37 Thus, Jesus, by his life, upheld Jehovah’s sovereignty, 00:00:41 and that made his sacrifice acceptable to Jehovah. 00:00:46 So, what are some ways in which Jesus upheld, 00:00:49 or vindicated, Jehovah’s sovereignty? 00:00:52 And how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:00:55 Well, there are many things we could talk about today, 00:00:57 but let’s just consider three ways. 00:01:00 One is that Jesus worked on Jehovah’s initiatives, 00:01:05 not his own. 00:01:07 Now, as we know, Jesus could calm storms, 00:01:10 he could heal people, and he could feed people. 00:01:12 And so Jesus could have decided, ‘Well, yes, I’m going to preach, 00:01:16 ‘but I’m also going to focus my energies on helping people 00:01:20 —setting up relief activities, healing the sick, helping the poor.’ 00:01:25 Or when the people wanted to make Jesus king, 00:01:28 he could have decided, ‘Well, let me let them make me king, 00:01:33 and then I can address some of the problems of the day.’ 00:01:37 Jesus loved children, 00:01:40 and people loved the way Jesus taught. 00:01:42 So Jesus could have thought, ‘Well, I’m going to preach, 00:01:45 ‘but I’m going to focus my energy on setting up schools 00:01:48 so that I can teach young people to learn about Jehovah.’ 00:01:52 See, Jesus could have done all of those things. 00:01:55 But what did he do? 00:01:56 Well, let’s look at Luke chapter 4 00:01:59 and verse 43 and notice 00:02:01 what it quotes him saying in response to the crowds 00:02:03 wanting him to stay and help them. 00:02:05 Luke 4:43: “But he said to them: 00:02:10 “‘I must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, 00:02:14 because for this I was sent.’” 00:02:19 Jesus never lost sight of why he was there, what his assignment was. 00:02:24 He stayed focused, and he focused his energies 00:02:28 on what Jehovah wanted done. 00:02:30 Well, how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:02:34 Well, as we know, there are many things 00:02:36 that we could get involved in as an organization (good things) 00:02:39 —expanding our relief activities, 00:02:41 helping the poor, teaching, 00:02:44 setting up schools to teach other people, or many other initiatives. 00:02:48 And there’s nothing wrong with us 00:02:51 presenting a new idea or initiative to our oversight. 00:02:55 But what do we do once a decision is made? 00:02:57 Well, we follow the direction. 00:02:59 We throw ourselves into the initiatives given to us from our oversight. 00:03:04 See, we subject ourselves to what Jehovah wants his organization to do 00:03:09 and how he wants it done. 00:03:11 It’s not about what we think the organization should be doing. 00:03:14 It’s about what Jehovah wants done. 00:03:18 Let’s look at another example. 00:03:20 Jesus worked within the organizational structures 00:03:23 that Jehovah had in place or allowed to be in place. 00:03:27 Now, Jesus saw the hypocrisy, the corruption, 00:03:30 the inefficiencies of the Jewish arrangements that were there in place at the time. 00:03:35 Other arrangements, though not bad, 00:03:37 had served their purpose or were only temporary 00:03:40 —were soon to end. 00:03:42 What would Jesus do? 00:03:44 Well, remember the account as recorded at Matthew 8:4, 00:03:47 when he healed the man with leprosy. 00:03:49 What did he tell the man to do? 00:03:52 He said: “Go, show yourself to the priest.” 00:03:54 Now, Jesus knew the man was clean, 00:03:57 but yet he told him to follow the arrangement. 00:04:00 At Galatians 4:4, it says that Jesus “was under law.” 00:04:05 We know that he observed the Sabbath. 00:04:07 Now, we know that Jehovah established the Sabbath 00:04:09 as a temporary arrangement 00:04:11 to teach people to take time to meditate on spiritual things. 00:04:16 Well, Jesus understood the principle behind the Sabbath. 00:04:18 He meditated on spiritual things every day, 00:04:21 and he knew it was soon going to end. 00:04:24 And yet he respected and followed the arrangement. 00:04:28 It’s interesting that regarding the Pharisees, 00:04:30 it records him saying at Matthew 23:3: 00:04:33 “All . . . they tell you, do and observe.” 00:04:36 He said to listen to the Pharisees, 00:04:38 even though they weren’t doing the right thing. 00:04:39 Why? 00:04:40 Because that was the arrangement. 00:04:43 See, Jesus worked within the arrangements that Jehovah had in place 00:04:47 or had not yet seen fit to change. 00:04:50 So how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:04:54 Well, even within the organization, 00:04:57 we may see functions, departments, processes 00:05:00 that personally we may perceive as inefficient 00:05:03 or complicated or out-of-date. 00:05:06 Well, Jehovah obviously has allowed these structures to be in place 00:05:10 or has not yet seen fit to change them. 00:05:14 So do we see how supporting them, 00:05:16 working with them, not working around these arrangements 00:05:19 is another way of us supporting Jehovah’s right to rule his way? 00:05:25 So let’s look at another example, the third. 00:05:27 Jesus understood the limits of his authority. 00:05:32 At Luke, excuse me, Matthew 11:27, 00:05:37 Jesus said: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” 00:05:42 “All things” 00:05:44 —and yet Jesus understood that his authority had boundaries. 00:05:49 Remember the account in Luke chapter 12, 00:05:52 where the man in the crowd said to Jesus: 00:05:55 “Teacher, tell my brother to divide [his] inheritance with me.” 00:05:58 What did Jesus do? 00:06:00 ‘OK, well, let’s talk about that.’ 00:06:02 No. 00:06:03 He said: “Man, who appointed me judge or arbitrator between you two?” 00:06:07 ‘Wait a minute. I thought you had all authority.’ 00:06:09 Or when the Phoenician woman came to Jesus 00:06:11 and asked him to heal her daughter. 00:06:14 What did Jesus say? 00:06:15 He said: “I was not sent to anyone 00:06:17 except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 00:06:21 Now, even though Jesus did help her, we see his words illustrate 00:06:24 that he understood that his authority had limits. 00:06:29 In fact, notice what he says as recorded at John 5:19. 00:06:35 John 5:19: 00:06:38 “Therefore, in response Jesus said to them: 00:06:41 “‘Most truly I say to you, 00:06:43 “‘the Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, 00:06:48 “‘but only what he sees the Father doing. 00:06:51 “‘For whatever things that One does, 00:06:53 these things the Son does also in like manner.’” 00:06:58 “The Son cannot do a single thing,” 00:07:01 but he has all authority. 00:07:04 So how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:07:08 Well, I know for me, the Governing Body provides a beautiful example of that. 00:07:12 Periodically, we will get a call in our department 00:07:16 from a Governing Body member 00:07:18 who maybe has observed something regarding one of our branch facilities 00:07:21 or has a suggestion or a concern. 00:07:24 And invariably, at the end of the call, the brother will say: 00:07:28 “Now, remember, this is just my opinion and observation. 00:07:32 “Please do not take this as direction. 00:07:34 “The members of the Publishing Committee may have a different perspective.” 00:07:38 Isn’t that beautiful? 00:07:40 Even the Governing Body members understand 00:07:42 that their authority has boundaries. 00:07:45 What a good example for us to follow! 00:07:48 As we know in the secular world, the more responsibility one has, 00:07:53 the more authority they have. 00:07:56 But isn’t it true that it’s exactly the opposite 00:07:58 within Jehovah’s organization? 00:08:00 The more responsibility we have, 00:08:03 the more checks and balances there are that limit our authority. 00:08:07 And to me, that is a beautiful arrangement that Jehovah has set in place, 00:08:11 and that ensures that it is impossible 00:08:14 for one man to rise up 00:08:16 and take control of the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization. 00:08:19 It’s not possible. 00:08:21 It is clear that Jehovah is taking the lead through his Son, Jesus. 00:08:25 And, see, the point is that when we understand 00:08:28 our place in the arrangement, 00:08:30 we uphold Jehovah’s authority 00:08:33 and his right to rule his way. 00:08:36 Now, we contrast all of that with Satan 00:08:39 who promotes independence and doing his own thing. 00:08:42 He sets up rival and competing organizational arrangements 00:08:46 and has no idea of the limits of his authority. 00:08:50 So, really, it drives home the point at Luke 9:23. 00:08:55 Let’s read that together. 00:08:58 Luke 9:23: 00:09:04 “Then he went on to say to all: 00:09:06 “‘If anyone wants to come after me, 00:09:09 “‘let him disown himself 00:09:11 “‘and pick up his torture stake day after day 00:09:14 and keep following me.’” 00:09:17 See, when we choose to follow Christ, 00:09:19 when we chose to follow Jesus, we said, 00:09:22 “We are going to put our will in the background, 00:09:24 and we’re going to submit to Jehovah’s will.” 00:09:28 So in summary, Jesus’ example shows us 00:09:31 that it’s not just finishing an assignment that’s important 00:09:34 but also how we go about doing that assignment. 00:09:38 So the question for today is, 00:09:40 Does the way I am accomplishing my assignments 00:09:44 demonstrate that I support Jehovah’s sovereignty? 00:09:50 So as we contemplate Jesus’ death and ransom, 00:09:52 may we also think about his example, 00:09:54 even in just these three ways we’ve discussed. 00:09:56 And may we be resolved to imitate Jesus 00:09:59 by (1) working on the things Jehovah wants done, 00:10:04 (2) using the arrangements that he has put in place, 00:10:08 and (3) working within the limits of our own authority. 00:10:11 And in this way, we too will demonstrate that we believe 00:10:15 that doing things Jehovah’s way is the right way to live.
00:00:01 What is more important? 00:00:03 Finishing an assignment 00:00:04 or how we go about 00:00:06 carrying out the assignment? 00:00:08 Well, our text for today 00:00:09 uses the Day of Atonement 00:00:11 to illustrate that the way 00:00:13 Jesus went about living his life 00:00:15 was actually even more important 00:00:18 than that one act of salvation. 00:00:21 Now, why? 00:00:23 Well, that’s because the way Jesus lived his life 00:00:26 —carried out his ministry— addressed Satan’s challenge. 00:00:30 And Jesus proved that doing things Jehovah’s way 00:00:35 is the right way to live. 00:00:37 Thus, Jesus, by his life, upheld Jehovah’s sovereignty, 00:00:41 and that made his sacrifice acceptable to Jehovah. 00:00:46 So, what are some ways in which Jesus upheld, 00:00:49 or vindicated, Jehovah’s sovereignty? 00:00:52 And how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:00:55 Well, there are many things we could talk about today, 00:00:57 but let’s just consider three ways. 00:01:00 One is that Jesus worked on Jehovah’s initiatives, 00:01:05 not his own. 00:01:07 Now, as we know, Jesus could calm storms, 00:01:10 he could heal people, and he could feed people. 00:01:12 And so Jesus could have decided, ‘Well, yes, I’m going to preach, 00:01:16 ‘but I’m also going to focus my energies on helping people 00:01:20 —setting up relief activities, healing the sick, helping the poor.’ 00:01:25 Or when the people wanted to make Jesus king, 00:01:28 he could have decided, ‘Well, let me let them make me king, 00:01:33 and then I can address some of the problems of the day.’ 00:01:37 Jesus loved children, 00:01:40 and people loved the way Jesus taught. 00:01:42 So Jesus could have thought, ‘Well, I’m going to preach, 00:01:45 ‘but I’m going to focus my energy on setting up schools 00:01:48 so that I can teach young people to learn about Jehovah.’ 00:01:52 See, Jesus could have done all of those things. 00:01:55 But what did he do? 00:01:56 Well, let’s look at Luke chapter 4 00:01:59 and verse 43 and notice 00:02:01 what it quotes him saying in response to the crowds 00:02:03 wanting him to stay and help them. 00:02:05 Luke 4:43: “But he said to them: 00:02:10 “‘I must also declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to other cities, 00:02:14 because for this I was sent.’” 00:02:19 Jesus never lost sight of why he was there, what his assignment was. 00:02:24 He stayed focused, and he focused his energies 00:02:28 on what Jehovah wanted done. 00:02:30 Well, how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:02:34 Well, as we know, there are many things 00:02:36 that we could get involved in as an organization (good things) 00:02:39 —expanding our relief activities, 00:02:41 helping the poor, teaching, 00:02:44 setting up schools to teach other people, or many other initiatives. 00:02:48 And there’s nothing wrong with us 00:02:51 presenting a new idea or initiative to our oversight. 00:02:55 But what do we do once a decision is made? 00:02:57 Well, we follow the direction. 00:02:59 We throw ourselves into the initiatives given to us from our oversight. 00:03:04 See, we subject ourselves to what Jehovah wants his organization to do 00:03:09 and how he wants it done. 00:03:11 It’s not about what we think the organization should be doing. 00:03:14 It’s about what Jehovah wants done. 00:03:18 Let’s look at another example. 00:03:20 Jesus worked within the organizational structures 00:03:23 that Jehovah had in place or allowed to be in place. 00:03:27 Now, Jesus saw the hypocrisy, the corruption, 00:03:30 the inefficiencies of the Jewish arrangements that were there in place at the time. 00:03:35 Other arrangements, though not bad, 00:03:37 had served their purpose or were only temporary 00:03:40 —were soon to end. 00:03:42 What would Jesus do? 00:03:44 Well, remember the account as recorded at Matthew 8:4, 00:03:47 when he healed the man with leprosy. 00:03:49 What did he tell the man to do? 00:03:52 He said: “Go, show yourself to the priest.” 00:03:54 Now, Jesus knew the man was clean, 00:03:57 but yet he told him to follow the arrangement. 00:04:00 At Galatians 4:4, it says that Jesus “was under law.” 00:04:05 We know that he observed the Sabbath. 00:04:07 Now, we know that Jehovah established the Sabbath 00:04:09 as a temporary arrangement 00:04:11 to teach people to take time to meditate on spiritual things. 00:04:16 Well, Jesus understood the principle behind the Sabbath. 00:04:18 He meditated on spiritual things every day, 00:04:21 and he knew it was soon going to end. 00:04:24 And yet he respected and followed the arrangement. 00:04:28 It’s interesting that regarding the Pharisees, 00:04:30 it records him saying at Matthew 23:3: 00:04:33 “All . . . they tell you, do and observe.” 00:04:36 He said to listen to the Pharisees, 00:04:38 even though they weren’t doing the right thing. 00:04:39 Why? 00:04:40 Because that was the arrangement. 00:04:43 See, Jesus worked within the arrangements that Jehovah had in place 00:04:47 or had not yet seen fit to change. 00:04:50 So how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:04:54 Well, even within the organization, 00:04:57 we may see functions, departments, processes 00:05:00 that personally we may perceive as inefficient 00:05:03 or complicated or out-of-date. 00:05:06 Well, Jehovah obviously has allowed these structures to be in place 00:05:10 or has not yet seen fit to change them. 00:05:14 So do we see how supporting them, 00:05:16 working with them, not working around these arrangements 00:05:19 is another way of us supporting Jehovah’s right to rule his way? 00:05:25 So let’s look at another example, the third. 00:05:27 Jesus understood the limits of his authority. 00:05:32 At Luke, excuse me, Matthew 11:27, 00:05:37 Jesus said: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father.” 00:05:42 “All things” 00:05:44 —and yet Jesus understood that his authority had boundaries. 00:05:49 Remember the account in Luke chapter 12, 00:05:52 where the man in the crowd said to Jesus: 00:05:55 “Teacher, tell my brother to divide [his] inheritance with me.” 00:05:58 What did Jesus do? 00:06:00 ‘OK, well, let’s talk about that.’ 00:06:02 No. 00:06:03 He said: “Man, who appointed me judge or arbitrator between you two?” 00:06:07 ‘Wait a minute. I thought you had all authority.’ 00:06:09 Or when the Phoenician woman came to Jesus 00:06:11 and asked him to heal her daughter. 00:06:14 What did Jesus say? 00:06:15 He said: “I was not sent to anyone 00:06:17 except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 00:06:21 Now, even though Jesus did help her, we see his words illustrate 00:06:24 that he understood that his authority had limits. 00:06:29 In fact, notice what he says as recorded at John 5:19. 00:06:35 John 5:19: 00:06:38 “Therefore, in response Jesus said to them: 00:06:41 “‘Most truly I say to you, 00:06:43 “‘the Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, 00:06:48 “‘but only what he sees the Father doing. 00:06:51 “‘For whatever things that One does, 00:06:53 these things the Son does also in like manner.’” 00:06:58 “The Son cannot do a single thing,” 00:07:01 but he has all authority. 00:07:04 So how can we imitate Jesus in our assignments? 00:07:08 Well, I know for me, the Governing Body provides a beautiful example of that. 00:07:12 Periodically, we will get a call in our department 00:07:16 from a Governing Body member 00:07:18 who maybe has observed something regarding one of our branch facilities 00:07:21 or has a suggestion or a concern. 00:07:24 And invariably, at the end of the call, the brother will say: 00:07:28 “Now, remember, this is just my opinion and observation. 00:07:32 “Please do not take this as direction. 00:07:34 “The members of the Publishing Committee may have a different perspective.” 00:07:38 Isn’t that beautiful? 00:07:40 Even the Governing Body members understand 00:07:42 that their authority has boundaries. 00:07:45 What a good example for us to follow! 00:07:48 As we know in the secular world, the more responsibility one has, 00:07:53 the more authority they have. 00:07:56 But isn’t it true that it’s exactly the opposite 00:07:58 within Jehovah’s organization? 00:08:00 The more responsibility we have, 00:08:03 the more checks and balances there are that limit our authority. 00:08:07 And to me, that is a beautiful arrangement that Jehovah has set in place, 00:08:11 and that ensures that it is impossible 00:08:14 for one man to rise up 00:08:16 and take control of the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization. 00:08:19 It’s not possible. 00:08:21 It is clear that Jehovah is taking the lead through his Son, Jesus. 00:08:25 And, see, the point is that when we understand 00:08:28 our place in the arrangement, 00:08:30 we uphold Jehovah’s authority 00:08:33 and his right to rule his way. 00:08:36 Now, we contrast all of that with Satan 00:08:39 who promotes independence and doing his own thing. 00:08:42 He sets up rival and competing organizational arrangements 00:08:46 and has no idea of the limits of his authority. 00:08:50 So, really, it drives home the point at Luke 9:23. 00:08:55 Let’s read that together. 00:08:58 Luke 9:23: 00:09:04 “Then he went on to say to all: 00:09:06 “‘If anyone wants to come after me, 00:09:09 “‘let him disown himself 00:09:11 “‘and pick up his torture stake day after day 00:09:14 and keep following me.’” 00:09:17 See, when we choose to follow Christ, 00:09:19 when we chose to follow Jesus, we said, 00:09:22 “We are going to put our will in the background, 00:09:24 and we’re going to submit to Jehovah’s will.” 00:09:28 So in summary, Jesus’ example shows us 00:09:31 that it’s not just finishing an assignment that’s important 00:09:34 but also how we go about doing that assignment. 00:09:38 So the question for today is, 00:09:40 Does the way I am accomplishing my assignments 00:09:44 demonstrate that I support Jehovah’s sovereignty? 00:09:50 So as we contemplate Jesus’ death and ransom, 00:09:52 may we also think about his example, 00:09:54 even in just these three ways we’ve discussed. 00:09:56 And may we be resolved to imitate Jesus 00:09:59 by (1) working on the things Jehovah wants done, 00:10:04 (2) using the arrangements that he has put in place, 00:10:08 and (3) working within the limits of our own authority. 00:10:11 And in this way, we too will demonstrate that we believe 00:10:15 that doing things Jehovah’s way is the right way to live.
