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.
One again, let me say that following Jesus is discipleship – is not about rules and regulations-- ---and dos and don’ts and list keeping. But first we must be right on the inside and that will have a lot to do with what our outside does. Let me say right here, that we as Christians do mess up from time to time, we’re not perfect yet, if there was to be no mistakes ever made there would not be erasers on pencils, we all sin in one way or another. Even the great Apostle Paul said two times in Romans 7: that it was sin that dwelt in him. But still we’re to strive to be more Christ like.
It’s not necessary to have a Hugh amount of Bible knowledge to be His disciple, but we do want to grow in the things of God, and the best way to do that is to feed on His Word.
~~ He wants us to be transformed. That is to become more and more like Jesus from the inside out. ~~ Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. What does that mean? Paul is urging the believer not to fashion his life and conduct by those around him, even those in the church. The Holy Spirit is working from within, transforming his life by “renewing” the mind. We are therefore not to have our lives governed by the thought patterns and dictates of this evil world system. The only possible way for the believer not to be fashioned after this world is to be transformed in mind.
He don’t want us to stay the same, we want our Christian walk & life to be better at the end of this year than it is today. How many times have we said or done something that we wish we had not done? I would think many times.
I’m sorry to have to say that there are some Christians that are not the most humble people in the world, and I’m sure all of us could think of a few that are like that. There’s Christians that are faithful to Church and some even hold positions in their church but are nothing short of just out right hateful many times. Their not good ambassador’s of King Jesus. An Ambassador is a representative of their country and King. Some are Critical, Harsh, Judgmental and frankly just hard to get along with. And some of the ladies ought to be telephone operators as they’re constantly on the phone gossiping, and there are some men about as bad.
And before every body turns their radio off let me say, there’s deacons that think their rulers of the church, they seem to think the Pastor has no right to do any thing unless their first ask about some matter, but according to Acts 6: their actually servants of the church, their to see to the business of the church at the approval of the Pastor, their not to be dictators to the Pastor. The Church body is to vote on major decisions in the church, not a hand full of self appointed Pharisees.
This is not following Jesus. In fact its sowing discord among the brethren. I once read that there are 12 people at all times watching an individual Christian. We’ve all heard the old saying, “that a bad apple ruins the whole bushel.”
And this creates a credibility problem for all Christians. We have lost lots of credibility with people outside the faith because of things unbecoming to a Christian. What they often see is that some Christian’s lives have not really and truly changed much at all. Wonder what maybe a visitor that might come and visit a Sunday school class one day thinks when it seems that that main subject is what such and such ball team did last week or the big deer that was almost harvested, are maybe a new recipe that was tried. Sunday school is to be just that, a place to learn the things of God.
This is not being very Christ-like is it dear heart?
The best way to know how Jesus would act and think and feel, is to study His life recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
~~What does Christ-likeness revile? Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: [self control] against such there is no law.
That’s what Jesus is like. Are we like Jesus?
I Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things
That’s what Jesus is like. Are we like Jesus? He’s still saying, “Follow Me” today.
What’s it going to take for us to be more like Christ?
We look in the mirror of the Word of God. James 1: 19-25 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, [ABUNDANCE in wickedness]and receive with meekness the engrafted [implanted]word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: [mirror] 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, [word] and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
It’s sort of like having in our possession a real good exercise machine and some how think that because we have it in our possession that our mussels are just going to pop right up, but if we don’t eat right and use the machine regularly nothing will happen.
The same thing is true spiritually. We have in our possession Gods word,[our bible] but if we don’t feed on it right and follow the directions in it, nothing much is going to happen.
When we just stop and think about it Five years from now, we’ll be the same person we are today accept maybe for our relationships, experiences, and practices.
It’s like doing the same things over an over while expecting a different result. If we want to be more like Jesus we can’t be satisfied with our level of Christ-likeness, so maybe we need to change our feeding habit. that is feeding on His word and being able to digest it.
Have you ever noticed two little puppies at some time are another, after awhile many times one will try and eat more than the other and the result will be that it grows much faster and stronger. The more we feed on Gods word the stronger we become. If we’ll grow in the things of God the more we’ll become more Christ like.
The Lord Jesus in John 21: invited His children to “come and dine” and He is still inviting His children today to come and dine. He said in Rev.3: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Some times God uses problems to make us more like Jesus. Problems many times are but stepping-stones to better our relation ship with Him, not all the time but often. Many times we bring bad things into our lives by sowing bad seed that may not produce fruit until many years.
You know there’s no such thing in our Christian life such as bad luck, well in no ones life really.
Romans 8:28 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
One day, we are going to a place where there will be no painful experiences. But until then we’re going to have troubles here. And many times God uses our pain to make us more like Jesus.
Some time we can’t have Christ-like joy until we’re in a situation that is joyless... and some way or another we find ourselves still smiling. We can’t say we have Christ-like self-control until we’re in a circumstance where the hair stands up on the back of our neck and our face has turned a bright red, but you’re still calm.
If we’re to be more Christ like, we need to see Him as our pattern.
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things,
Ephesians 6: 10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
