Jesus' very words astounded and amazed all who met Him. They had the power to change history, and they STILL have the power to change OUR lives. They call us to live for God and to love others. They call us to be light for the world, to love not ONLY our neighbors but also our ENEMIES. Jesus asks us to forgive and show mercy - even to the person who doesn't deserve our mercy (sort of like US . . . WE don't deserve God's mercy). He calls us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick and those who are incarcerated. His Sermon on the Mount provides us with an ethic for how we are to live our lives. His parables illustrate what life in the Kingdom of God is meant to be like.
Just think about the earliest followers of Jesus. They were not called "Christians" but were called followers of "the way." Jesus, by His words and witness, provided the way, the path and the mark. Today, so many of the things we take for granted about how life ought to be were the very things He taught. I always remind people who "don't believe in God" that without God we wouldn't have any of the laws / rules / life skills we have today and earth would be like the "wild, wild west." So - whether they "believe" in God or not - they are the recipient of all HE created. He doesn't deny them of His creation, just because they don't believe in Him.
Jesus called people to take up their crosses, to deny themselves, and to follow Him (Luke 9:23). He taught that to be truly great was to be a servant (John 13:15-16). He called to His followers to "do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31) and to "love one another" (John 13:34). It's not just that Jesus DIED to save you and me from our sins. He LIVED to show us what it means to be human. He LIVED to teach us who God is. And He LIVED to call us to a different way of life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).
PRAISE GOD! For He knew He had to send "His only begotten Son" to live among us to show us "the way."