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Purpose of the study: To help seeker build convictions like Jesus in certain characters as he desire to be like Jesus.
1. Conviction about His mission
Mark 1:35-39
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,
37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."
39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
He got up early to pray and even though later everyone was looking for Him, Jesus response was "Let us go somewhere else" Jesus was focus on His mission. Even on the cross He was looking for a way to seek and save the lost. As a disciples we must be active and focus on our purpose of seeking and saving the lost.
2. Conviction about family
Mark 3:20-21, 31-35
20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.
21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
31 Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.
32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
33 "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
Matthew 10:34-39
34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Jesus' family reacted to the point of calling him "out of His mind" and yet He stayed focused on His spiritual family and was clear about His priorities and although we see His family very upset at that point yet later we find because of His conviction they also became disciples and followed Him (Acts 1)
Put God first. Keep priorities right.
3. Conviction against Criticism.
Mark 5:21-24, 34-43
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.
22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet
23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."
24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"
36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."
40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").
42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
He went out of His way to help and visit Jairus's house and we find that how he was insulted. They laughed at Him. But He stayed focused and didn't allow criticism to stop him to do what is right. People will laugh on us and make fun of our priorities and activates, let's have an attitude like Jesus of ignore and doing what is right.
4. Conviction about Sin.
Mark 11:11, 15-18
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves,
16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Nothing hurts God more than our sins. He expressed His heart by revealing the kind of conviction we should have towards our sins. Willing to even cut it off but never compromising.
5. Conviction about Lostness.
Luke 18:9-14
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Through this parable Jesus' helped us to understand that how we need to be clear about our standing before God and not live in self-righteousness like Pharisee of that time. Do we see how we are lost and need God's grace in our lives. We must remember that we were once lost but Jesus found us.
Ephesians 2:1
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.
Challenge :
Today we have seen how Jesus is truly a man of conviction. To be a Christian is not just to come to meeting or shared faith or give tithe but to live like Jesus with convictions.
Do something purely out of conviction.
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