Christ Likeness

1.Pet.2:21 Created to be Like Christ 2-16-08

God the Father has always known who would be saved and who would not be saved, and because He is God, He knew before the foundation of the world the exact number of saints to make up the Lord Jesus Church, and I believe that when that number is met that He will call out the True Church to be with Him.

The church has been building toward that number ever since it was born on the day of Pentecost, and that’s been over 2000 years now and as for me it would seem like it’s bound to be about filled. It may be closer than we realize. 2 Peter 3: 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. And Hosea 6: 2 After two days {2000 years} will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. The 3rd day being the 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ. Hosea was not talking about the church he was talking about Israel.

We’re talking about being created to be like Christ Jesus.

Our text verse says in 1st Pet. 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: so it’s His desire that we would be as much like Jesus as we can be. And one day it will fully come to pass. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

He want us to be as much like His Son as we can be even now, Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son,

Any one can be saved that will answer His call. Matthew 22: 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

To be like Jesus means that we try and think and act and care and feel the way Jesus thinks and acts and cares and feels. And that’s what God desires for our lives. Christ-likeness.

God is more interested in who we are than He is in what we do. But most folks define themselves by their jobs, their homes, their wealth, some by their education and friends.

But these are only secondary issues, because when we die, we won’t take our career to heaven; but we may very well take our character. Are we becoming more and more like Jesus?

When we understand that its God intent on making us more and more like Jesus, then our life will start to make more sense. God is far more interested in our character than in any of these earthly stations in our life, and the process that He uses to make us more like Jesus is called discipleship.

~~God’s purpose for us is discipleship and He wants us to produce disciples for Him, His great commission is found in Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

A disciple is a follower of Jesus, not a follower of a set of rules and regulations, not living a life of dos and don’ts. We’ve not been invited to a religion. We’ve been invited to a relationship with Him.

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 8:22, Jesus says to a man making excuses, “Follow Me.” In Matthew 9:9, Jesus says to Matthew, “Follow Me.” In John 1:43 Jesus says to Philip, “Follow Me.” And then at the end of His time on this earth in John 21:19 He says again to Peter, “Follow Me.”

As Christians, we want to be living a life of following Jesus. Again in out text- I Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

You know what dear heart? When we find ourselves standing at the judgment seat of Christ, I’m sure we’ll wish that we had live a more consecrated life for Him, as we’re standing before Him then and the record book of our life is opened, I’m sure that most of us will be ashamed of our selves. I’m certain I will be. There will be nothing that we can do about it then, and there will be no talking back with excuses. 2nd John 2: 8Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. It’s wonderful that we can never lose our salvation, but we certainly can lose our rewards that we could have had, if we had lived a more Christ like life.