A Heart Like Jesus | Week 3 | Pastor Mark Lehmann

Lifting up Jesus means changing the focus of life. Self naturally becomes the most important person, even when Jesus is named as Lord on Sunday. John the Baptist gives the right order: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” Jesus cannot be one priority among rivals throughout the week. He must be the center.

The grace of Jesus changes why believers live, work, wait, suffer, and speak. The woman who opened her door to Stanley Tam did not know that one conversation would help lead to a life that gave millions toward evangelism. God used one simple witness, one person planting, and then gave the increase. The call is not to manufacture results, but to stop treating everyday encounters as interruptions to personal plans.

Christ’s ambassadors carry an assignment. Paul does not reserve that calling for apostles, missionaries, or church leaders. God makes His appeal through ordinary believers who say, “Come back to God.” First Peter calls God’s people chosen, royal, holy, and possessed by Him so that they may declare the praises of the One who brought them out of darkness. Grace received but never shared has missed something of why grace was given.

The waiting room, the elevator, the office, the hospital, and the hard place can all become places of assignment. Delays can feel frustrating when life is treated as personal business, but God may have someone sitting nearby who needs prayer, hope, or a simple word about Jesus. The point is not perfection. The point is to recognize, sometimes fifteen seconds at a time, that God has placed His people where nobody else can reach.

Paul’s chains did not make him pray first for escape. Paul prayed for open doors and clarity to proclaim Christ. Al Rocca’s long faithfulness among coworkers became especially clear on September 11, when fear stripped away money, status, and false security. His question, “I’m going to heaven, who’s coming with me?” came from sixteen years of making Jesus known before the final crisis came.

Jesus says that when He is lifted up, He draws people to Himself. The cross shows that grace changes everything for eternity, and the call to lift Him up means making Him known with both life and lips. The wonderful grace of God is the assignment, and no excuse, fear, awkward moment, or difficult setting cancels it.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus must have no rivals [03:19] John the Baptist’s words cut against the habit of making life about self. Jesus is not meant to be important only in worship gatherings while comfort, plans, reputation, and fear rule the rest of the week. The call is for Christ to become visibly greater in ordinary decisions. A life centered on Jesus will eventually speak of Jesus. [03:19]
• 2. Ordinary encounters carry eternal weight [05:35] Stanley Tam’s story began with an unnamed woman at a wrong address. God often works through moments that seem small, inconvenient, or unplanned. Faithfulness does not require knowing the outcome before speaking. One planted seed can reach nations through God’s increase. [05:35]
• 3. Grace gives believers an assignment [11:58] God’s people are chosen and called out of darkness so they may declare His praises. Grace does not make believers passive recipients who simply wait for heaven. Grace makes them ambassadors through whom God appeals to others. The assignment is not to win arguments, but to make the wonderful grace of God known. [11:58]
• 4. Delays may be divine appointments [16:54] Frustration often rises when personal schedules become the main concern. God may use a delayed appointment, a waiting room, or an elevator to put someone directly in front of a believer. The interruption may reveal that the day was never really about personal business. Jesus can open a door in a few seconds that no amount of planning could create. [16:54]
• 5. Faithfulness prepares for urgent moments [23:58] Al Rocca’s courage on September 11 was not created in one terrifying moment. Sixteen years of steady witness, prayer, and difference prepared him to speak when everything else failed. Quiet faithfulness matters long before a crisis makes it visible. Jesus deserves to be lifted up now, before the last opportunity is gone.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:26] - Jesus Has No Rival
• [02:44] - He Must Increase
• [03:52] - Lifting Jesus Up With Life and Lips
• [04:32] - The Woman Who Reached Stanley Tam
• [07:30] - Planting, Watering, and God’s Increase
• [10:24] - Christ’s Ambassadors
• [11:58] - Called to Declare His Praises
• [14:39] - Finding God’s Assignment in Delays
• [20:15] - Paul’s Prayer From Prison
• [21:16] - Al Rocca’s Faithfulness at Work
• [23:58] - “I’m Going to Heaven, Who’s Coming?”
• [26:13] - Come Up Higher
• [28:50] - Finishing the Assigned Work

1. In John 3:30, what two changes does John the Baptist say must take place in the relationship between Jesus and himself? [03:19]
2. According to 2 Corinthians 5:20, what title does Paul give believers, and what appeal does God make through them? [10:10]
3. What identity words does 1 Peter 2:9 use for God’s people, and what purpose is connected to that identity? [11:58]
4. What opportunities came through the unexpected delays at the medical center, and how did those delays change the way they were viewed? [16:54]

1. What does it mean in practical terms for Jesus to “become greater” while a believer becomes “less”? How would that change the way a person thinks about comfort, schedule, reputation, and fear? [03:19]
2. If believers are Christ’s ambassadors, what does faithful representing look like when someone does not know all the answers or feels nervous about speaking? [11:05]
3. First Peter says God’s people are His possession “so that” they may declare His praises. Why is declaring what God has done a fitting response to grace rather than an optional extra for a few bold Christians? [12:30]
4. Paul prayed for opportunities and clarity while in chains rather than simply praying to escape. What does that reveal about how believers can view difficult workplaces, hardships, or unwanted situations? [20:43]

1. Where has self most often become Jesus’ rival in daily life lately—personal plans, comfort, finances, approval, entertainment, or something else? What would it look like for Jesus to be visibly greater in that area this week? [26:13]
2. Think about the places regularly visited each week: work, school, appointments, stores, gym, neighborhood, or family gatherings. Who might God have placed nearby for a conversation, encouragement, or prayer?
3. How does a person usually respond when delayed, interrupted, or inconvenienced? Could one upcoming delay be approached as a possible assignment from God rather than wasted time? [19:25]
4. What is one simple part of the story of Jesus’ grace in personal life that could be shared naturally with someone—not as an argument, but as an honest testimony of hope? [21:07]
5. Is there a specific person who has been on the heart—a coworker, neighbor, friend, or family member? What is one faithful next step that could be taken this week: praying for them, inviting them, asking how they are doing, or offering prayer?
6. Al Rocca’s courage in a crisis grew out of years of steady faithfulness. What small, consistent habits could help a believer become known as someone who loves Jesus before an urgent moment comes? [23:18]