(2) Jesus desires us to follow in His footsteps.
-Because we choose to follow Him.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
-Because we love and know Him personally.
John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”
(3) He wants our footsteps to be a path from someone who needs direction.
-With each step we take we establish a pathway for someone to follow.
Proverbs 4:25-27 “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.”
-Each step we take influences those who come after us.
Isaiah 58:11, 12 “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.”
-Our footsteps are directed by the Lord and we are glad.
Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”
(4) Why are footsteps of a righteous man so important?
2 Peter 2:9 “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished…”
a. Because no temptation or trial that can overtake you is new. These things have been in existence even in previous generations.
-Temptation is initiated by the world around us-1 John 2:15-17
-Temptation is rooted in the desires of man’s nature-James 1:13-15
- Temptation is a struggle between man and Satan-1 Peter 5:8
-Temptation’s after effects are not confined to one place, or to one moment in time, or even to one person, but stretch out throughout much space and time and affect many people-Galatians 6:7, 8
It is no sin to be tempted. A temptation becomes sin full-blown when we give in and pursue after it. The temptations that we face are no different than what others before us faced and just like them we must decide for ourselves whether to yield to them or not.
b. Others have faced the same situations you face and have overcome them and set the example for you to follow.
-Our God will never let us down.
Lamentations 3:22-24 “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”
-Our God will never let us be pushed past our limit.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
a. You will not be tempted above your limit without God making a way of escape from it.
b. You will find strength in Jesus in areas that you don’t think you have within you when you are pushed to your limits of endurance.
c. Your ability to resist evil increases every time you humble yourself before the Lord.
-Our God will always be there to help us come through it.
Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
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