Read Scripture Acts 11:19-26
I want us to think about that last sentence for a few minutes this morning. The Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Those who called themselves believers and considered themselves to be His disciples were referred to as Christians. Some scholars believe the term was first used as an insult or slur. In any respect it was used to distinguish the followers of Jesus Christ from other religious groups.
What does it mean to be a Christian? A little boy asked his father that question one day. The Father who had made a profession of faith as a child but had not been active in church since becoming an adult did his best to explain what it mean to be a Christian. After the father finished his explanation the little boy made a statement that cut his father to the core. The little boy looked at his father and said, “Dad I’ve never met a Christian have I?”
What does it mean to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ? That’s one of the questions I want to discuss this morning.
George Barna conducted a survey several years ago in which he asked people to use single words to describe Jesus. Here are a few of the words they used to describe Jesus. “Wise, Accepting, Compassionate, Gracious, Humble.”
Then Barna asked the same people to use single words to describe Christians. This time they responded with words like, “Critical, Exclusive, Self-Righeous, Narrow and repressive. More people today have a negative attitude toward Christianity than at any other time, except maybe during the First Century.
How many of you made a New Year’s resolution this year? Some of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions are, to lose weight, to exercise more, to quit smoking, to get out of debt, or to become better organized.
We’re three weeks into the New Year which is about how long most people end up sticking with the resolutions they made. As Christians I believe there is one Resolution that all of us should make and do our best to keep, and that is to become more like Christ.
Many people believe Michael Jordan was the best basketball player to ever play the game. In 1991 when Jordan’s popularity was at its highest, the sports drink Gatorade came out with a new advertising campaign aimed specifically at young people. The slogan was “I wanta be like Mike.” The commercial and slogan proved to be very successful and thousands of Americans especially young people began drinking Gatorade, not because they liked the taste, or because they wanted a healthy alternative to soft drinks, but simply because they wanted to be like Mike.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, I believe we should constantly be striving to become more like Christ. That’s the main thing I want you to get out of this message today. If someone asks you tomorrow what the sermon was about you can say, “it was about becoming more like Christ.” Now I know that is easier said than done.
It’s also something that doesn’t happen overnight. In fact it’s a lifelong process that the Apostle Paul referred to as “sanctification.”
Now Sanctification is a theological term that essentially means “to be ‘set aside’ or to be Holy just as God is Holy.” So our goal is to become more like Christ, but just how are we supposed to accomplish that goal. Well, the obvious answer is to allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts and actions rather than allowing our sinful nature to lead us into sin. Which is what the Apostle Paul was talking about in Galatians 5:16 when he said,
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Becoming like Christ is a lifelong process, so I want to share several things with you this morning that I believe we should all be doing in order to become more Christlike. First of all if we are going to be more like Christ we need to be…
I. MORE GOD-CENTERED AND LESS SELF-CENTERED.
I guess it’s just part of our human nature to be selfish and self-centered.
Illustration: Several years ago the Minnesota Crime Commission released a statement that backs up what the Bible teaches about our human nature. In its report it stated that “every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish, and self-centered. He wants what He wants when He wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toys, and so forth.” Those of you who are parents know it’s true. How many of you have ever had your toddler throw a fit in the line at the grocery store or Wal-Mart because you told them they couldn’t have a piece of candy or a particular toy they wanted. This study went on to say that “if permitted to continue in the self-centered world of his infancy, given free reign to his impulsive actions, to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up to be a criminal.”
The Devil knows how self-centered we are and He uses that to His advantage. Remember He convinced Adam and Eve that it would be better for them to eat the forbidden fruit, because then they would be like God.
It worked then, so the Devil tried to do the same thing to Jesus. When He tempted Jesus in the wilderness he appealed to His Human nature. He appealed to His hunger, His sense of pride, and His need for power. But Jesus didn’t give into those temptations. He knew and understood who He was and what purpose He was on here to fulfill.
Rick Warren hit the nail on the head in His book “The Purpose Driven Life.” The very first sentence of that profound book says, “IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU.” He’s right, IT’S NOT ABOUT US, IT’S ABOUT GOD. It shouldn’t be about what we want or don’t want it, it should always be about what God wants. That’s something that I have had to constantly remind myself during the last few weeks.
Of course Jesus lived a selfless and God-Centered life.
In Matthew 20:28 He said, “THE SON OF MAN DID NOT COME TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.”
And then in the Garden of Gethsemane as the weight of the world came crashing down on him, He submitted to God’s will by saying, “YET NOT MY WILL, BUT YOUR WILL BE DONE.”
Let’s face it, most of us spend far too much time thinking about ourselves. Perhaps we need to remember a few things about the Lord’s Prayer.
“You cannot say the Lord’s Prayer and even once say “I”
“You cannot pray the Lord’s Prayer and even once say “My”
“Nor can you pray the Lord’s Prayer and not pray for another.”
“For when you ask for daily bread, you must include your brother.
“For other are included in each and every plea.
“From the beginning to the end, it does not once say ‘Me.”
Therefore as Christians we should follow His example and be less concerned about ourselves and more concerned about pleasing God and doing His will.
Secondly, if we are going to be more like Christ we need to be…
II. LESS PRIDEFUL AND MORE HUMBLE.
St. Augustine once said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels.”
I would change that by saying, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men acceptable before God.”
Paul W. Powell, the former President of the Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention once said…
“Pride is so subtle that if we aren’t careful we’ll be proud of our humility.” He went on to say when this happens “our goodness becomes our badness and our virtues become our vices.”
Illustration: One day a pastor had been working all morning on his sermon when His computer crashed and he lost it all. He went upstairs and told his wife, and she was amazed at how well he was taking it. She said, “It’s amazing how calm you are and how happy you seem even though you’ve lost a lot of work.” Then she bragged on him and told him what a wonderful attitude he had.
After she left the room the pastor began thinking about what she had said, and decided that his wife was right. That he did have a good attitude about it. Instead of ranting and raving about losing all of that work, he just accepted it and moved on. He thought to himself, “That’s how a mature Christian should respond, because that’s how Jesus would have responded.”
When their children got home from school they did something that upset their mother and she lost her temper. Later in the evening he did something that upset his wife and she got mad again. The pastor thought to himself, “you know I’ve got a great attitude, but my wife’s attitude stinks, why can’t she just roll with the punches like I do.” So being the Spiritual leader of the household he felt compelled to lecture his wife about her rotten attitude.
Do you see how the devil can use our pride against us? That morning the pastor had responded in a very Christ-like way when the computer crashed and he lost all that work. But by nightfall he had become a Pharisee. That’s what makes pride so dangerous to those of us who are Christians. Spiritually speaking, there are few things more lethal than Pride.
A. Even though He was the Son of God, Jesus never allowed Pride to get the best of Him, instead He always practiced Humility.
In the Second chapter of Philippians the Apostle Paul was referring to this when he said, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ, who being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
B. Jesus often emphasized the importance of Humility and Servanthood to His disciples.
On one occasion He told them, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12 (NIV)
On another occasion Jesus told them, “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.” Matthew 20:27
Jesus demonstrated this spiritual truth to His disciples in a very practical way by taking on the role of a servant and washing their feet before they celebrated the Passover together in the Upper Room.
As Christians we should also practice humility. We must be willing to serve others just as Jesus did, and remember that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Next, if we are going to be more like Christ we need to be…
III. LESS INSENSITIVE AND MORE COMPASSIONATE
We find a good example of the difference between Jesus and the majority of people in a situation that took place as Jesus and His Disciples were leaving the city of Jericho. A blind man named “Bartimaeus” was sitting along the side of the road and when he found out that Jesus was coming by He began shouting, “Son of David have mercy on me.” According to the Bible, many of the people who were traveling along the road “rebuked him and told him to be quiet.” But the more they told Bartimaeus to be quiet, the louder he shouted. When Jesus heard Bartimaeus shouting he stopped and told someone to bring Bartimaeus to Him. Then Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “what is it that you want me to do for You.” Bartimaeus responded by saying, I want to see. Jesus then told Bartimaeus to go, ‘that his faith had healed him.’
The bystanders didn’t care about Bartimaeus or about the fact that He was blind they just wanted him to be quiet.
On the other hand, Jesus not only cared about Bartimaeus but he had compassion on him by healing him and giving him the gift of sight.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is also a good illustration of the fact that most people today are like the Priest and the Levite, who passed by on the other side of the road rather than stopping to help the man who had been robbed, beaten, and left to die on the side of the road. Even though both were very religious people they refused to show compassion to someone who was obviously in need. On the other hand, the Samaritan showed compassion on the man, by cleaning and bandaging his wounds and taking him to an inn and paying the innkeeper not only for the room but to take care of the man’s needs.
Like the Good Samaritan, Jesus was always willing to help those in need. Too many times the only time we help anyone is when it is convenient for us to do so. If it fits into our busy schedule then we might have some compassion on them. Jesus on the other hand was never too busy or preoccupied that He couldn’t take a few minutes to help someone in need. He was filled with compassion and He still has compassion on the needy today. As Christians we need to follow His example by showing compassion on those who are in need.
Brother James Bryan, a Presbyterian minister in Birmingham, Alabama knew this. There were a lot of preachers who could preach better sermons from the pulpit, but none could match the sermons that Brother Bryan preached with his life. Like Jesus, Brother Bryan was known for his compassion and his willingness to help those in need. One day during the Spring of the year he was driving his horse and buggy through the Alabama Countryside, when He saw a farmer standing in the field with a dejected look on his face. The farmer needed to be breaking his field, and preparing to plant his crop, but the only horse the man owned had died. So, when Brother Bryan found out what was bothering the man he unhitched his horse, gave it to the farmer and walked home.
John Donne was right when he said, “OF ALL THE COMMENTARIES ON THE SCRIPTURES GOOD EXAMPLES ARE THE BEST.” As Christians we need to follow Jesus’ example of having compassion on people and helping those who are in need.
Next, if we are going to be more like Christ we need to be…
IV. LESS INTOLERANT AND MORE FORGIVING
Again the Bible gives us some good examples of the difference between our attitudes and those of Christ.
In the 18th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus told a parable that stresses the importance of forgiving one another. A servant had borrowed a large amount of money from his master. But when it came time for him to repay the loan he didn’t have the money. He begged and pleaded his case and asked the Master to have mercy on him. The Master was a good man with a big heart so he forgave the man’s debt. The servant later ran into one of his fellow servants who owed him some money. The first servant demanded that the second servant pay him back immediately. The second servant begged for mercy and promised to pay him back if he would just give him a little more time. The first servant refused to give the man any additional time and had him thrown in prison because he was not able to pay his debt.
When word got back to the Master of what the first servant had done, he called him in and essentially said. “I can’t believe this. I forgave your debt, and yet you refused to have mercy on your fellow servant. Consequently, I am going to treat you the same way you treated him, I’m going to send you to prison until you can pay me back.”
After telling this parable, Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35 (NIV)
This is essentially the same thing Jesus had taught his Disciples in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins.”
A Methodist Pastor named Walter Everett understood the importance of forgiving those who sin against you. When Michael Carlucci was convicted of manslaughter for shooting Everett’s son, the bereaved father set an example that challenges all of us who claim to be Christians. Walter stood up in court during the sentencing faze of the trial and forgave Michael of killing his son. Everett later said he forgave Michael because people, ‘would not be able to understand why Jesus came and what Jesus is all about unless we as Christians are willing to forgive.” And that wasn’t just rhetoric. Michael Carlucci became a believer while he was in prison, and after he when he got released he wanted to get married. So he went to Walter Everett and asked him to perform the ceremony. Which He agreed to do. That’s the kind of forgiveness that the Lord wants us to practice.
Finally, if we are going to be more like Christ,
V. WE NEED TO BE LESS HATEFUL AND MORE LOVING.
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:43-44
Of course Jesus backed those words up with action when he prayed from the cross and asked God to forgive those who were crucifying him.
Jesus commanded us to love one another and said that other people will know that we are His disciples by the love we have for one another.
But unfortunately most of us find it easier to love God than we do to love one another. The Apostle John warned us about this in 1 John 2:9-11 when He said,
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.”
As Christians we should do our best to follow the example that Jesus set for us in loving everyone, including our enemies.
Conclusion: Jesus set the example for His Disciples and for us some 2000 years ago. One of the things I think we sometimes forget is that we should never compare ourselves to one another. Christ and Christ alone should be our standard. The Apostle Paul knew this, and told the believers in the church at Corinth to follow His example as He followed the example of Christ. As Christians we are the Lord’s representatives on earth. Therefore it is vitally important for us to continue to strive to become more like Him in every way. So my challenge to you this morning is to Be Like Christ. Focus on God not on yourself. Practice Humility. Show compassion to those in need. Forgive those who trespass against you. And above all Love one another, just as He loved us.
