Sermon Central
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Created To Be Like Christ Series
Contributed by Rick Duncan on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: God is more interested in who you are than He is in what you do. We define ourselves by our jobs, our homes, our wealth, our education, our friends. But these are secondary issues. When you die, you won’t take your career to heaven; but you will take y
I Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT, ESV, NIV)
That’s what Jesus is like. Are you like Jesus?
Compassionate. Kind. Humble. Gentle. Patient. Forbearing. Forgiving. Loving. Peaceful. Thankful.
Colossians 2:12-14 (NASB)
That’s what Jesus is like. Are you like Jesus? Are you there yet?
I’m not. Not by a long shot. It’s tempting to think that after all these years of trying to follow Christ and failing to follow Him, Jesus would be ready to give up on me and say, “I’m tired of your act, Duncan.” The good news is that just as He said “Follow Me” to me years ago when I was a little guy, He’s still saying “Follow Me” today. And He says it to you. He hasn’t given up on me. And He hasn’t given up on you.
So, what’s it going to take for us to be more like Christ? To get more love and joy and peace and gentleness going in our lives? To follow His more closely? To fulfill this purpose of discipleship?
First, we look in the mirror to see what we are really like. That’s point “A.” And then we clearly see where we want to go. That’s point “B.” Third, we find and follow a strategy to get from “A” to “B.”
When he was in college, our son, Alan, started seeing “Bowflex” commercials. Part of the genius of “Bowflex” commercials are those before and after shots. This is what you look like before the “Bowflex.” This is what you look like after the “Bowflex.”
Just because you buy a Bowflex, doesn’t mean that your body will change. You’ve got to eat right and do your reps.
The same thing is true spiritually. I say, “I see who I am and what I’m like. I’m not like Jesus yet. I see who He is and what He is like. I want to follow Him. I want to be like Him. I want to be a disciple. So, I’m going to do some exercising. I’ll do my reps – my repetitions.”
One of the prayers I pray for my kids is this: “Lord, please give Alan, Ryan, and Evan the relationships, the experiences, and the practices they will need to be the men of God that you want them to be.”
Think about it. Five years from now, you will be the same person you are today except for your relationships, experiences, and practices.
Some one said that a definition of insanity is continuing to do the same things over an over while expecting a different result. If you aren’t as much like Jesus as you’d like to be (and I hope that none of us are satisfied with our level of Christ-likeness), then you can’t just keep doing the same things you’ve been doing! That’s insanity! You’ve got to change. You’ve got to add some reps.
What we need are the right REPs.
To become more and more like Jesus,
I will follow Him…
1. … in my relationships.
What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
II Timothy 2:2 (ESV)
Paul disciples Timothy.
Timothy disciples faithful followers
Faithful followers disciple others.
Who’s my Paul?
Who’s my Timothy?
Brother John story…
To become more and more like Jesus,
I will follow Him in my relationships.
2. … in my experiences.
God uses every single experience we have to disciple us. But the types of experiences God uses that I want to mention today are painful experiences. Every problem in your life has a purpose. Like a sculptor, God seeks chip away everything in our lives that keeps us from looking like Jesus. God uses problems to make you like Jesus.
