The life of Jesus is our best example for overcoming. We can overcome if we follow the examples that Jesus left for us. Let’s look at a brief overview of the life of Jesus.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Jesus is the way we overcome.
Jesus’ earthly parents were Mary and Joseph. They were poor and didn’t have very much. At this time, the government decided that they should count everyone who lived in that area of the world. So, that meant that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. It took them a long time because they had to travel on horses or donkeys. This was a very hard and tiring trip for Mary. When they arrived in town, they discovered there was nowhere for them to stay. Every inn was full because so many people had travelled from far away. They had to sleep in a barn surrounded by animals, and this is where Jesus, our overcoming Savior, was born. Jesus wasn’t born in a palace or even a fancy hospital. By choosing to let His one and only Son be born in a barn, God showed us that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, He loves you!
As Jesus grew, He became filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. When He was 12 years old, His parents left him behind in Jerusalem for 3 days. They thought He was with family, but He was about His Father’s business. Mary and Joseph were worried about Him, but He was exactly where He needed to be—He was teaching people in the temple.
Later, there was a man by the name of John the Baptist. He was often telling people about a Savior who was coming. John taught the people that they needed to get rid of sin; they needed to ask forgiveness for their mistakes. People came to be baptized and wondered if John was the Savior for which they had been waiting. John told them he wasn’t that One. John baptized Jesus, too. When Jesus came up out of the water, the sky opened and the Holy Spirit came upon Him like a beautiful, white dove. A voice from heaven said,
“…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
Jesus set an example for us by being obedient to God when He was baptized.
We have all been tempted at some point of our lives. After Jesus was baptized, He went into the wilderness to pray. He stayed there a really long time and was very hungry. He was praying and listening to God and He had not eaten anything. This is when the devil began tempting Him. The devil told Jesus to turn the stones into bread and eat. Jesus didn’t listen to Satan. The devil tempted him two more times, but Jesus still didn’t listen. Each time Jesus remembered Scriptures and it helped Him resist the devil’s temptation. We all face temptations, but the best way to overcome them is through the Word of God.
One day, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. As He was walking around, He saw many boats with fishermen. He came upon one boat and stopped to watch them. There were two men who were brothers working. Their names were Simon and Andrew. Jesus told them to launch their boat out again into the deep water and drop their nets and they would be full. They decided to listen to Jesus. They caught so many fish they filled their boat, as well as the other boats around them. The people couldn’t believe what was happening. Jesus told them
“…Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).
A total of 12 men left everything they were doing and went with Jesus; they became His first 12 disciples. They followed in His footsteps and began learning from His teachings and actions. Jesus wants us to overcome by following Him and obeying what He has taught us, too.
Do you remember when Jesus and His disciples were having a meal called the Passover? Jesus knew that one of His disciples was going to betray Him that very night. Many people did not like Jesus and wanted to hurt Him or make Him go away. Jesus and His disciples ate their last supper together, and then Jesus chose to go into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. When Jesus was finished praying, He went back to where some of His disciples were, and He found them sleeping. He had asked them to keep watch for Him. He woke them and asked them to watch and pray. Sadly, they fell asleep two more times while Jesus was praying to God. After all of this, Judas came up to Jesus and kissed Him; this was his sign of betrayal. Jesus was sentenced to die a very painful death on the cross that He didn’t deserve. We have all sinned, but Jesus chose to give His life for us. He paid the price so that we can all choose to be overcomers if we follow Him.
After Jesus was crucified on the cross and died, He was placed in a tomb and a great stone was rolled over the entrance. On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. The stone was rolled away from the tomb and His body wasn’t there. Jesus had risen from the dead. He was raised back to life. Jesus paid the price for our sins and has the power over sin and death so that we can live forever with Him in heaven.
The life of Jesus is amazing!
Jesus was born. Jesus was obedient. Jesus never sinned. He had many followers. He calmed storms and He healed many people on many occasions. Above all this, He paid the price for our sins and came back from the dead. Jesus overcame everything. If we will listen and accept Him, we too will be victorious and overcome!
Take time to read the Scriptures which were referenced in this article with your family. Then, draw your own imaginative picture of Jesus the Overcomer and submit it to us at tcoghq@yahoo.com. We might feature your drawing in the next issue of The Arise Shine.
Luke 2:1-20
Luke 2:41-52
Matthew 3:1-17
Luke 4:1-13
Mark 1:16-20
John 20:1-23
