How Do You Look? Series

Key: Imitation Is Everything

Pastor Ryan Akers

Part 1- How Do You Look?

Me- Brother-in-law Jeff bragging about how good of a skier he was and trying to give me all kinds of pointers since it was my first time. But when we got to the top of the mountain he tripped coming off lift and wiped out in front of everyone.

You- Have you tried to be something or someone that your not? We are mesmerized by celebrities. TV channels dedicated to them and following them. We get ideas of how to dress and what to wear and how to look from media. We go to extremes to be as close to the person we idolize and want to be like them. (Miami Ink, Guy wants to get tattoo of Kat on his leg)

MTV made- people want to be something they aren’t to fit in or to get the girl.

Quote movie lines and wear t-shirts that say vote for pedro. We spend hours looking at

ourselves in the mirror wishing we were skinnier or more muscular or prettier or could dance like so and so or sing like so and so.

Play video games for hours and watch endless movies so we can escape the world around us and for that short time be something or someone that we are not.

God wired us not to imitate the world but to imitate Christ. It is vital that we do imitate something but we have to imitate the right thing.

Imitation is everything. Becoming better something different than who you are right now is important. But we have to choose who we become. To desire to become like a celebrity or athlete is empty. It may help you feel better for a short time but in the end it leads to a life of lonliness. Its fun to be popular but once school ends nobody cares who you were. They only care about who you are now and as a believer in Christ we are to become like him a little more each and every day.

Its not about how do you look in your clothing or hair or makeup its about how do you look when it comes to taking on the character of Christ.

God- Eph. 5: 1-2

Imitation is everything

All of us are children to someone. All of us are created by God. From the very beginning of creation we were designed to be an imitation of God.

Gen. 1:26

All of us were created by God but not all of you can be a child of God. You become his child when you ask Christ into your heart.

Romans 12:1, Colossians 3:12- Clothe yourself with Christ Character not the world.

Col 3:5-8- put to death everything that you know because it is empty. You are now God’s child.

You- How do you look? Are you still trying to measure up to Dwane Wade and Kelly Clarkson? When it comes to life imitation is important, but it is who you imitate that matters. There is much more to life than imitating the next best athlete or singer. That is empty. Its when you imitate Christ that you become fully alive. That you realize that you are worth something. Every star will become yesterday’s news but when you imitate Christ that last for eternity.

Imitation is everything- Altar Call