CREATED TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST
Purpose #3 DISCIPLESHIP — 40 Days of Purpose
Philippians 2:5
Adapted from Outline by Rick Warren—Saddleback Church
INTRODUCTION:
In Shakespeare’s A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, the poor, foolish mortal characters come to the point of being unable to distinguish dreams from reality. Sleep, consciousness and magic flow freely into each other until none of those in the enchanted Grecian forest know for sure what was a dream and what was not.
We have all awakened from a dream that seemed so real our hearts were racing. Sometimes a dream is so happy and pleasant we wish we could go back to sleep to continue living in our dreamland. At other times we are like a child climbing in bed with his/her parents because our dreams cause such fear that we are desperate for comfort and peace.
The Bible tells us that God will sometimes give us dreams. Why? Well one reason is because God is a dreamer. God dreamed about you; before you were born, God imagined what your life could be like. God says, “I know the plans that I have for you . . . they are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 GW).
Until we discover God’s plan—His divine purpose for our lives—we will never see God’s dreams for our lives come true. Fortunately for us, God has not kept His dream for us a secret—God has let us in on His divine daring dream.
We have now crossed the half way point of our 40 days of purpose; today is day number 22 in our spiritual journey together. Through the last three weeks we have been learning the answer to the question, “What on earth am I here for?”
What is the first and greatest purpose for our lives? WORSHIP; you were planned for God’s pleasure. God wants us to learn to love Him back through everything we say and do. God does not want religious duty; He wants a loving relationship with us. God’s dream, His purpose for our lives is that we learn to know Him more each day and love Him for who He is. That’s what a relationship is all about.
Last week we looked at our second purpose for life which is FELLOWSHIP. You were formed for God’s family. God does not want us to live our lives isolated from others. God wants us to learn to love other believers in the church which is His family. It is only through loving relationships that we can become all God has planned for us to be; we need each other.
This morning we are going to discover the third purpose God put you on the planet. Look with me at Philippians 2:5 which is also our memory verse for this week.
• Philippians 2:5 (NIV)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
What does it mean to say, “your attitude should be the same as Jesus?” Well, what is your attitude? It’s simply the way you think. Therefore, the Bible is telling us that the way you and I think—and in turn the way we act should be just like Jesus.
God’s plan for your life has always been, to make you like Jesus Christ. This is God’s third purpose for your life.
• Romans 8:29 (MsgB)
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.
• (NLT) For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.
God wants us to learn to live our lives just like Jesus. God created man in His image, and His desire and plan has always been to make human being just like Himself.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I want to be perfectly clear. This does not mean you are going to be a god. You and I will never be a god. One of Satan’s first lies when he tempted Adam and Eve—a lie people still believe today is that you can become just like god.
God doesn’t want you to become a god; He wants you to become godly. He wants you to develop His character, the way He thinks, the way He acts, the way He feels—GOD WANTS YOU TO BECOME LIKE HIM. God wants you to have His values, His moral character. God wants to make you like Himself; we are to think and act like Jesus. And that’s God’s third plan for putting you on this planet, to make you like Jesus.
Let me summarize the first three purposes for you like this.
o Purpose #1—we are to worship God, that is we are to love our Heavenly Father, to love Jesus Christ, and to love the Holy Spirit.
o Purpose #2—we are to fellowship with other believers, that is we are to learn to love God’s family.
o Purpose #3—we are to become like Jesus, that is we should all have a family resemblance to our “big brother.”
Love God, love God’s family and have a family likeness. We are to be like Jesus; He loved God, loved others and showed us what God was really like.
We have a word for becoming like Christ; it’s DISCIPLESHIP. Discipleship is the process of spiritual growth to make us like Jesus.
• Ephesians 4:15 (MsgB)
God wants us to grow up . . . like Christ in everything.
You and I are to grow up—to become like Jesus. God’s will—His purpose for your life is that you grow in your faith—that’s discipleship.
o Babies are cute, but if babies stay babies, it’s tragic. Imagine what it would be like if babies never grew up—they never learned to sleep through the night; they always needed someone to feed them, and to change their dirty diapers; they never learned to talk or walk. Imagine if your children still depended on you for everything!
God wants us to mature and develop, but growth is a process. Just like it takes years for a baby to grow to adulthood, DISCIPLESHIP IS A LIFELONG PROCESS. You and I are to become more like Jesus everyday.
Now unfortunately, a lot of people grow older but never grow up. None of us can come to Christ and then remain the same; that’s like a teenager still being fed from a bottle. We are to become more and more like Jesus—that’s the process of discipleship, growing up into spiritual maturity.
Wise parents will take an active roll in helping their children grow up and become mature adults; after all no parent wants a 165 pound baby to carry around. Likewise, God takes an active roll in helping us to grow spiritually. God is our loving Heavenly Father, and He has not abandoned His children to grow up on their own.
How does God help us grow spiritually? First, He uses the Bible; if you really want to grow you need to be fed—you have to get into this book and read it. The more of the Bible you know, the more you study it, memorize it, meditate upon it, and apply it to your life, the more you will be like Jesus.
Second we saw this week that God will also use people to help us grow. Through fellowship, through loving relationships we learn as much about ourselves as we do other people. I’ll never know I’m impatient until I have to wait for someone. We learn more about ourselves from each other.
We are going to by-pass the obvious and look at three unexpected tools of discipleship God uses to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus. God wants us to help us grow and mature in our faith, so He will use TROUBLE, TEMPTATION and TRESPASSES to help make us like Jesus.
Unfortunately when God uses these tools growth is not automatic. Trouble, temptation and trespasses will either make us bitter or better. These things will either separate us from God, or draw us to Him. They will reveal either a heart still bound to sin, or being made to be like Jesus.
• Romans 8:28 (NIV)
And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The Bible doesn’t say God will only use SOME THINGS, or even MOST THINGS. It says God will use ALL THINGS. When we love God we can have confidence that He will take even the most painful situation and use it to fulfill His purposes in our lives.
Do you love God? Has He called you to fulfill His purpose? Then God will use trouble—the pain caused by problems to make you more like Jesus. God will use temptation—the pain of sin’s persuasion to make us like Jesus. God will use trespasses—the pain of difficult people to make us like Jesus. God will use ALL THINGS good—to accomplish His purpose of making us more like Jesus, IF WE LET HIM. It’s your choice to either grow bitter or better.
1. GOD USES TROUBLE TO TEACH US TO TRUST HIM.
God wants to use the pain of our problems to draw us closer to Him. The first of the unexpected tools God uses to make us like Jesus is troubles, or what the Bible sometimes calls suffering or trials. God does not use troubles to hurt us; trials are designed to help us.
We all like it when things are going great in our life. It doesn’t require a lot of faith or character when life is smooth sailing on peaceful seas. But when blue skies turn grey and the waves begin to crash all around us it’s a different story. How should we respond when troubles come? Is it time to panic? Is it time to give up, or cry for help? The Bible says we should rejoice!
• Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)
[3] We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure. [4] And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.
God wants to use the troubles we face in life to build our character and faith. Often it is through the things we dislike in life that God will make us more like Him. God wants us to develop perseverance, character and hope.
God is concerned about the person you are; God is more interested in WHO YOU ARE than in WHAT YOU DO. God wants to develop your character, not your career, to make you more Christ-like not more comfortable. God says your primary goal in life is godly character and Christ-likeness—not your career or comfort.
When troubles, trials and problems come into your life—and they will—if you are asking, “Why me Lord” you are asking the wrong question! Instead of asking, “Why me Lord” you should ask, “What now Lord?” “What area of my life do you want to change; what do you want to do in my life to make me more like Jesus?” Don’t worry about the “Why” find out the “What.”
The cause of your problem isn’t important. It doesn’t matter if you caused the trouble, or someone else did—it doesn’t even matter if the devil is the cause of all your trials. EVERY PROBLEM HAS A PURPOSE. And what is that purpose? It’s to make me like Jesus Christ, to build character in my life.
This may surprise you, but Jesus faced troubles, trials and problems in His life. His greatest personal trial came on the night before He was crucified. Jesus knew betrayal and the cross was before Him. Look with me how the Bible says Jesus handled His this night of trial and difficulty.
• Mark 14:32-36 (MsgB)
[32] They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." [33] He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. [34] He told them, "I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me."
Now don’t miss this; Jesus had friends with Him. Jesus didn’t face His problems alone. You and I shouldn’t try to go through hardship by ourselves either. That’s why the second purpose of your life is fellowship—we need to be in loving relationships with other believers to help us make it through times of trouble. You need to be apart of a small group where you can be real with people who love you. WE NEED EACH OTHER!
• [35] Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: [36] "Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?"
Jesus also took His trial to His Heavenly Father, but notice Jesus didn’t ask God to just make Him comfortable—to take the problem away. Jesus was honest with God, but He trusted the Father to do what was best. The NIV says Jesus prayed, “Father . . . everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
God could take all your problems away; it’s not too hard for God to make your life comfortable. But that’s not God’s goal; it’s not His will for your life. God wants to make you like Jesus, and sometimes that requires going through troubles, trials and difficulties.
God wants us to learn to trust Him. We need to learn to pray like Jesus. “Father God, You could take this problem away; Lord it hurts! I don’t understand, but I’m not asking you to make me comfortable, just do your work in me; not my will, but yours. Father, make me to be like Jesus.”
It’s okay to be honest with God, to tell Him about how your problems make you feel—to express your sorrow, your disappointment—even your anger. But in the end God wants you to simply trust Him to do what is best for you—not what is convenient or comfortable, but what will make you Christ-like.
If you are going to learn to trust God through your troubles and hardships let me share a couple of things that will help you. Number one, keep a spiritual journal. If you are like me, you have a paper memory—I remember best what is written down. God directed Moses to do this as the nation of Israel spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness.
• Numbers 33:2 (NLT)
At the Lord’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress.
A spiritual journal is not a “Dear Diary, I went to the grocery store today and I saw a really handsome man.” A diary is a written record of the events in your life. A spiritual journal is about the lessons and insights learned in your life. Very few people will care about what you did today10 years from now—probably not even you. But the lessons you learn each day is something worth looking back on and passing on to your family.
I’ve asked Chrysta to come share for a moment about what a spiritual journal has meant to her. Chrysta:
Not only will a spiritual journal help you learn to trust God through your troubles, but secondly remember to focus on the reward. Keep your eyes on heaven—the best is yet to come.
• 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)
Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Can you view your troubles as light and momentary? Paul says, “You know what? What we’re going through isn’t going to last forever. What we’re going through now is light and temporary; the best is yet to come!” I like the way the Message Bible put it: “These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times and the lavish celebration prepared for us.”
When you find yourself going through hard times—and we all go through them—don’t focus on the problem. Look ahead to the reward that God has prepared for you. The reward will motivate you to keep on keeping on!
The first unexpected tool God uses to make us just like Jesus is troubles. Our trials and difficulties teach us to trust God.
2. GOD USES TEMPTATION TO TEACH US TO OBEY HIM.
The second surprising way that God works in our lives to make us more like Jesus is through temptations. God uses our temptations to teach us to obey Him.
Let me underscore one important point: GOD DOES NOT TEMPT US TO SIN, THE DEVIL DOES. Temptations are situations designed by Satan intended to harm us and lead us into sin. Notice what the Bible says:
• James 1:13-15 (NIV)
[13] When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; [14] but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. [15] Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Temptation never originates from God; where does temptation begin? OUR OWN EVIL DESIRE is the starting place. Satan would have no ability to entice us to sin if our we did not desire to do our own thing and please ourselves.
God uses temptation to teach us obedience; temptation is a test to see how much we have grown to become like Jesus. Let me put it to you this way: YOU DON’T HAVE TO GIVE INTO TEMPTATION, YOU CAN SAY NO AND CHOOSE TO OBEY GOD.
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Notice three things about temptation:
1. Temptation is common to all of us; in other words, we all face the same things in life. No one has ever surprised me with an original temptation that I or others have not also faced.
2. God is faithful; God will not let temptation destroy you. God knows your heart; He knows you are inclined to want to sin. But God won’t let Satan bring a temptation your way that will crush you. God is faithful!
3. Temptation comes with an exit; God wants you to pass the test. God wants to use temptation to prove you—to show how you have become like Jesus through obedience.
Does it surprise you to know that Jesus was tempted by the devil too? Jesus never sinned, but He faced temptations. After Jesus was baptized He went through an intense 40-day period of temptation out in the desert.
• Matthew 4:1 (NIV)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Guess what, if Jesus faced temptations, then you and I are going to face temptations, too. In fact, the fact that He faced temptations reminds us of three simple truths about temptation to help us to get through it.
First, it is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted but He never sinned. Sin is to yield to the temptation. Martin Luther used to say, “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”
Second, you will never outgrow temptation. I wish I could tell you that someday you will reach a point in your life when either you are so spiritual or so old that you won’t be tempted anymore. The Bible says after the devil was done tempting Jesus in the wilderness “he left Him until an opportune time” (see: Luke 4:13). Satan is looking for an opportunity to attack us; he is a master strategist waiting for the best chance to get us to fall into sin.
• 1 Corinthians 10:12 (MsgB)
Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence.
Third, temptation is a choice. Jesus experience in the wilderness shows us that every temptation gives us the opportunity to do what is right. We can choose to obey God—to do good instead of evil! Three times Satan tried to persuade Jesus to sin, and each time Jesus overcame the temptation with the Word of God and remained obedient to God.
We can likewise choose to obey God. You see temptation always tests whether you love God above all other things. When you’re tempted your love for God is being tested. When I’m tempted by money or things, it’s really a test to find out what do I love most in my life: God or money? Are you tempted by pleasure, by sexual immorality? You fill in the blanks. What ever temptation you face will uncover who or what you love the most.
How can you deal with temptation, so that God does His work in your life to make you more like Jesus? First, to overcome temptations of life we all face, focus on good thoughts.
• Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Temptation always has the same starting place; it captures your attention. When temptation gets your attention, you begin to play with it in your imagination and thoughts. If you continue to give your attention and thoughts to temptation, you will be overcome by it. Sin is at your door and it is about to destroy you.
Some of you think, “Well, I’m a multi-task person. I can think of many different things at once.” While that may help you get more done at work, I’ll tell you two thoughts that cannot stay at the same time in your mind. You cannot keep the thought of succumbing to a temptation and the thought of obeying God at the same time in your mind. Once you turn your thoughts and focus on something positive, good, right, true, those things that God would have us think about, then all of a sudden you’ve pushed out the temptation.
Let me give you just a tip about temptation. When you’re tempted, don’t “resist it.” Why? The problem is you are still thinking about the temptation. More often than not when you are resisting temptation you are playing a spiritual game of tug-of-war with the devil. Don’t resist, drop the rope and leave the devil to play tug-of-war all alone!
I know the Bible says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Unfortunately, what we mean by “resist” and what the Bible means are two different things. For us resist most often means defy, oppose, defend against a foe, or to refuse to give in.
When an individual resists arrest, they are fighting against the police officer. The Bible does not want you to pick a fight with the devil. When you resist the devil, you refuse the temptation by saying “no” and then walk away—think about something else!
The second thing you can do to help overcome temptation is get a spiritual partner. I know none of us like to talk about our temptations, but one of the ways to defeat them is to be open about them, to bring them out into the light. Sin thrives in the dark, but dies when it is exposed to the light.
• John 3:20-21 (NIV)
[20] Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
Get a spiritual partner and turn the light of God’s word on each other’s lives. The more you walk in the light with a friend, the more you will overcome temptation.
God uses unexpected tools to make us just like Jesus. He uses troubles teach us to trust Him; God uses temptation to teach us obedience and finally:
3. GOD USES TRESPASESS TO TEACH US TO FORGIVE.
Perhaps you are wondering, “What in the world are trespasses?” Trespasses are situations when other people hurt us; whether you are hurt intentionally or unintentionally by someone that’s a trespass. God wants to use these trespasses to teach us to forgive. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” I like how the New Living Translations puts this part of the Lord’s Prayer:
• Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
Trespasses are the sins committed against us; that’s why this is the tough one. It’s one thing to handle trouble and it’s another thing to handle temptation. But the most difficult tool God uses in our lives to make us like Christ is trespasses.
Trespasses are not good things; these are evil things. God is not the author of evil; God is not causing these things to happen to you. God hates sin. But He didn’t even protect His own Son from the hurt of personal trespass. Jesus was misunderstood and hurt; He was judged and abused. Yet God used the inhumanity of man towards Jesus to teach us how to forgive. On the cross Jesus Christ not only carried our sins, He also endured enormous abuse from the people who were right there.
• Matthew 27:39-44 (NIV)
Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads [40] and saying, “. . . Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” [41] In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him . . . [43] “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ’I am the Son of God.’” [44] In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
How did Jesus respond to those who crucified Him?
• Luke 23:34 (NIV)
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
What did Jesus do? What was His response to trespasses? He yielded His right to get even. He absorbed the hurt. He put up with the pain. He responded to evil with good.
If we are going to grow up spiritually and become like Jesus, we are going to have to learn the same thing. All of us will be hurt at sometime in our lives. This is not heaven. This is a fallen world. Everybody sins. You hurt other people. Other people hurt you. We hurt each other intentionally and unintentionally. You’re going to be hurt often in life. And if you’re going to become like Christ, you have to learn to forgive.
How can we learn to take trespasses and forgive? Here are two ways you can forgive the people who hurt you.
First, remember God has forgiven us. When you are hurt rather than focusing on the person who hurt you begin to thank God for His forgiveness. As we are aware of God’s forgiveness we are then in a better position to forgive others.
• Ephesians 4:32 (MsgB)
Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
None of us deserved to be forgiven. We are not better than other people. God has forgiven us because He loves us. We need to let His love fill our hearts and forgive as He has forgiven us.
Second, when others trespass against us remember God is still in control. While those who hurt you may mean it for evil, God will use it for good in your life. Remember, God works ALL THINGS FOR THE GOOD.
o Do you remember Joseph? Betrayed by his own brothers; sold into slavery. To cover up the sin against their brother, they told their father they found Joseph’s coat torn and bloody; “He must have been eaten by a wild animal.” (And you thought you came from a dysfunctional family!) And yet God had a plan in it all—and when it was all said and done some 30 years later Joseph understood God’s plan. He told His brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20 (NIV).
God is still in control. You may not see what God is doing yet, but trust Him. God will accomplish His purposes even through the hurt other people cause in our lives.
A 17-year-old Southern-California girl with loving Christian parents grew up attending church. On the surface everything seemed to be fine. Until one day her secret was revealed. Her neighbor across the street had been sexually abusing her for years. The tragic story all came out when she was called to testify in court after this neighbor was caught for the rape of another woman and sent to prision. As all these events unfolded she sent a letter to her pastor in which she wrote the following: “Pastor Rick, by allowing God to take control and lift the burden of my hurt from my heart, God gave me strength. Today I can truthfully say that because of the trials I’ve faced, I’ve been made stronger. Recently I read a book called Where is God When It Hurts? and there was a sentence that I’ve found to be true. It says this, “Faith in God offers no assurance against tragedy, but in every case suffering offers an opportunity for us to display God’s work.”
Will you and I have that kind of maturity to deal with the sins of others in our lives? When people trespass against us—intentionally or unintentionally—will we remember God can us it as an opportunity to display His grace through our lives?
Unexpected tools to make us to be like Jesus. God uses troubles to teach us to trust Him. The Lord will use temptation to teach us to obey Him. And God will use trespasses to teach us to forgive.
What on earth are you here for? God’s third prupose for your life is to make you like Jesus. That’s discipleship.
Discipleship is a process, but God won’t leave the work He has started in you unfinished. He will complete it.
• Philippians 1:6 (GW)
I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion.
[song: He Who Began A Good Work In You]
Closing Prayer and Invitation
