Based on WELCOME TO THE PLANET: WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?
Part 4: You Were Created to be Like Christ
By Doug Fields
Gladstone Baptist Church - 9/5/04
We we’re in Week 4 of our search for an answer to the question What on Earth am I here for? – how is everyone going with their memory verses? How about the daily bible readings? Are you keeping up with them? More importantly, have you learnt anything from them? If not – I challenge you to find something new in this next week’s readings – something you never thought of in that way before. How about the small groups? Who is enjoying being in a small group?
Memory Verse revision …
Remember back to the First week - we asked the question “What on earth am I here for? For we are God’s workmanship … Eph 2:10
Second week we learnt that we were created for God’s pleasure – “What is worship?” Love the Lord … Mark 12:30 God created us to have a relationship with him. He loves us so much and worship is our response to that love.
Last week we found that we were formed for God’s Family – “How do we fellowship?” So we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others - Romans 12:5 Everyone is wired up to want relationships and I said last week that we need both a vertical relationship with God and horizontal relationships with humans. When we come into relationship with God, we become his child – we become part of God’s family – The church. We are called to love, care and support each member of the family.
This week, we are looking at our third purpose in life. You’re created to be like Christ. I’ll be honest with you. Of the ones we talked about so far, this is the one that doesn’t seem to make too much sense initially. Do you know what my first thought is as I look around and think that “You’re created to be like Christ?” My mind goes to long hair and a beards. Some like Pastor Roger wouldn’t have to change much, but others of us would. Is that what it means created to be like Christ? I need to dress like Him or look like Him? Is that what we’re talking about? Because that raises the question about how close is close enough. I’ve got 2 photos here of Superman with a few slight changes – for all intents and purposes they look the same, but see if you can find the differences. I’ll give you 20 seconds to study this photo and then I’ll put up the other and let’s see if you can spot the differences.
If becoming like Superman was our objective, you’d probably say that this guy has got a long way to go, but is physical likeness what becoming like Jesus means? The answer to this is no! The Bible says in Genesis 1:26 “God said, ‘Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves.’” You and I are created in the image of God. This is what sets us apart from all other creations. We’re created in the image of God. We are intellectual. That means we can think, reason and solve problems. We’re also relational. We can give love and we can receive love. And unlike other species we are moral. We have a conscience that tells us the difference between right and wrong. We are created in the image of God.
The New Testament agrees Romans 8:29, “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.” Have you ever been told that you look like your Father or your Mother. You’ve got their smile, or their eyes or their laugh – some people have wicked laughs that I’m sure are hereditary. If you have children and people see bits of you in them, it makes you happy & proud. I think in the same way God gets a kick out of seeing His children bear His image. So one of our purposes is that we’re created to become like Christ.
What it DOESN’T mean to become like Christ
• It doesn’t mean that you become a GOD
Let me be absolutely clear on this. You will never become God or a god. I realize there are many religions that teach that, but that’s not what the Bible teaches. You were made in the image of God. One of the devil’s oldest lies is that we can become God. What did the devil say to Adam and Eve? “If you eat of this tree you will be like God.” No you won’t, because you were made in God’s image. It’s like this photo of me – It is an image of me. But it’s not me. It is a likeness, but not as good as lovable and fun as the real thing. God doesn’t want you to be a god – there can only be one God. But God wants you to be godly. And there is a difference.
• It doesn’t mean that you become a MINDLESS CLONE
Becoming like Christ doesn’t mean becoming a mindless clone. Some people have said, “If I become a Christian I have to dress this way, I have to act this way, I have to think this way, I have to do this, I’m just going to be a mindless clone of everybody else.” This whole idea of becoming like Christ doesn’t mean that you lose your personality. God created you to be unique. He doesn’t want to destroy it. Becoming like Christ is about transforming your character not your personality.
• It doesn’t mean that your life becomes EASIER
Becoming like Christ doesn’t mean that your life becomes easier. Some of you have heard this and this is not true. It’s a lie. Becoming like Christ doesn’t mean you’re going to have perfect health or a comfortable lifestyle or constant happiness or that your dreams are going to be fulfilled or you’re going to have instant relief from problems. Becoming like Christ doesn’t mean your life is going to be easier but your life will be better. It’ll be richer, it’ll be more rewarding. You’ll be able to live life to its fullest because you will be fulfilling your purpose.
Let’s spend the rest of our time looking at … What it DOES take to become like Christ?
Here’s what it does mean. It does mean taking on his VALUES, ATTITUDES, and CHARACTER
There’s a key word in Philippians 2:5 I want you to circle, the word is “attitude.” “Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.” That’s what it means to become like Christ. His values, His attitude and His character.
Look at another verse in Ephesians 4. It’s an awesome verse, so let’s look it up in your bibles. Ephesians 4:22 out of the Message paraphrase, “Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. [That’s referring to the values and character you had before you knew Christ. It has to go] It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.” God reproducing His character in you. That’s what it means to become like Christ. That’s one of the reasons that we were created.
It’s really a combination of 3 things. Becoming like Christ is a combination of God’s part, your part and others.
1. I play a part…in becoming like Christ… There is a part for each one of us to play. I can firstly …
• Commit myself to GOD’S WAY
This is a choice you make. When Jesus was starting his ministry, he was walking around gathering some disciples. He came across Matthew sitting at his tax collectors booth by the side of the road and he says ‘Come, be my disciple.’” Just imagine. Fast forwarding the clock 2000 years later. You’re at school or work. You are on your lunch break and just sitting around relaxing. Jesus walks by. He says, “Hey! Come on, follow me. Come be my disciple.” What do you think you might do? You might laugh. You might blow Him off. Say, “Maybe Later Mate!” Something like that. But what did Matthew do? “Matthew got up and followed him.”
Two thousand years later Jesus is making that same offer to you and to me. Come! Be my disciple. Come! Be my follower. And we’ve got the same choice that Matthew faced. We can either commit to following God’s way or not.
I’ll be honest with you, sometimes God’s way is difficult. Sometimes it’s not always clear. It’s sometimes as crazy as the sign in this photo. “Caution: playground equipment may be hot.” There is snow on the playground equipment – it’s definitely not hot. The picture and the sign don’t seem to work together, but they do. There are times when that playground equipment is very hot so that sign is very important. It may not make sense right there, right then, but one day it will. That is a bit like what the Christian life is like that. I may not fully be able to make sense of it all, but that’s what faith is: “God, I’m going to trust you that you’re bigger than my little peanut mind. That when you say, “This is the way I ought to live my life. I’m going to trust because You’re bigger and grander and more powerful than I could ever be.” So in playing my part I can commit myself to God’s way.
• Change the way I THINK
We live in a world which is dominated by peer groups which set everything from the fashions we wear to the food we eat to the music we listen to. But Paul warns us in Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person [If you’ve got your bibles, underline this verse – it is a great verse] by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”
There are a lot of young people here tonight who have many decisions ahead of them. People often ask me, “How do I know God’s will for my life, what God wants me to do?” What does the Bible say? Change the way you think then you will know what God wants you to do. And then you will know how good and pleasing and perfect it really is. If you change the way you think, you begin to think not like those movers and shakers around you, but as God thinks. You begin to adopt his priorities and understand what is important to Him. I’ll give you some examples of changing the way you think …
How about when you’re at work or school and somebody puts another person down, they make fun of them because of something they’ve done or not done, or how they look. They begin to ridicule them and you used to join in and laugh at that. But when you allow God to change the way you think you realise that it’s not really that funny, but it is cruel and hurtful. You become more concerned with the other person’s feelings than about fitting in with the group. That’s an example of changing the way you think.
Do you want to become like Christ? You’ve got a part to play. First you’ve got to commit to God’s way. Then you’ve got to begin to change the way that you think. These are both decisions you need to make – this is our part. This is what is possible for us mere human beings, but it takes more than that to make us into people like Jesus Christ. There is a part that is impossible for you or I to achieve – that’s God’s part.
2. GOD plays a part… in me becoming like Christ
I didn’t put any subpoints here. You don’t need any subpoints. All you need to know is that God is the one that helps us become like Christ and without Him, it is impossible. 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him to reflect His glory even more.” Philippians 2, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him.”
It is totally impossible to follow God in our own power. By ourselves we will never match up. So God gives us his spirit and the desire to obey Him and then the power to do what pleases Him. It is by his power, working in us that we become like Christ.
Some of you are here and you’ve never committed yourself to God’s way. Let me tell you something about God. God loves you so much that He is a passionate pursurer of you. He’s after you. He wants to work in you to make you all that he created you to be. He didn’t create you to take up space. He created you to be like Christ and currently we are all fairly poor reflections. But God is working behind the scenes to try to make you see there is a better way.
For those of you who have said yes to Him and you’ve invited Him into your life to be the Lord of your life, now He’s not working behind the scenes, He’s working within you. The Bible says the Spirit of God works within you. God is working within you. So we play a part (doing what is possible) and God plays a part (what is impossible). And then finally…
3. “OTHERS” play a part… in me becoming like Christ
Notice how I put others in quotes. I want you to know that it’s more than just people that make you like Christ. It’s things like circumstances also - other things. If I’m going to become like Christ I need to take a route, a path, a journey. How do I know what that path is?
• God’s Word provides the TRUTH
God’s Word provides the truth of how to become like Christ. Look what the Bible says about the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.” The Bible is God’s voice. If the only time you’re hearing God’s voice is when you come to church and you hear the Bible taught to you, you’re out of range of God’s voice six other days of the week.
There are so many voices in this world shouting at you telling you what to do and how to live. You turn on the TV – boom! There’s a voice. You go to school – boom! There’s a voice. Everywhere you go there’s these voices telling us how to live. Most of them don’t lead to life – most are very confusing.
I remember going to my little brother’s soccer matches as a kid – He’s 3 years younger than me. I started playing soccer when I was about 6 or 7 years old and nothing like this happened when I played, but when my brother started playing and I went along – I found it totally amazing. Guys if you want to go on a fun date: take some lounge chairs, some hot chocolate and go find a 5, 6, 7-year-old soccer game. It’s mass chaos. Half the time you watch the kids. Half the time you watch the parents. Here’s what happens. Parents are standing on the sideline yelling. They’re all screaming: Kick the ball! Kick the ball! Go for it! Kick the ball! Run! Run! And these voices are coming from both sides echoing around the field and these poor kids are trying to listen to their parents, the coach and the ref all at the same time. And they are trying to kick the silly ball! I mean these kids are standing right on the ball. It doesn’t matter which direction – they are just trying to kick the ball. Another funny thing - They travel in packs. The ball spirts out of the pack and the whole group moves as one after the ball. I mean everyone – even the two goal keepers. They know they’re supposed to kick the ball – they surely don’t need all the advice. It’s not like some kid stops and goes, “Kick the ball? I thought I was supposed to pet a puppy. Thank you mom.” There’s all these voices echoing around and it gets so confusing. That’s what life is like every day for us. You’re always hearing voices coming from all sorts of directions about what is right and what is wrong and how to live and where to go and what to do with your life and what your aims should be. But if we want to find the truth, we need to look at God’s word – it has a clear path for us to follow.
• God’s people provide the SUPPORT
This shouldn’t surprise you either … we talked a bit about it last week. You don’t do life alone. If you want to become like Christ you’ve got to rub shoulders with people who are on the same path and walk in the same direction. That’s why we encourage you to get involved in a small group with people who are like-minded and want to do the same thing. Paul writing to the Romans says … Romans 1:11-12 “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” If we are serious about becoming like Christ, here’s what we have to do. I’ve got to find some other people who want to be like Christ too – people that are doing their part. - I do my part, God does his part, the Bible sets the direction, others come alongside and encourage.
And here’s the last thing I want you to hear. Becoming like Christ is a long process … It doesn’t happen overnight. Turn with me to Philippians 1:6, “I am sure that God who began the good work within you will continue His work until it’s finally finished on the day when Jesus Christ comes back again.” God who began the good work will continue it. God will continue to do that work for the rest of your lives.
It’s a lifelong journey of becoming like Christ. You do your part. God does His part. His word sets the course. Other people go along for the ride and help you. That’s our third purpose why you and I are here which the Bible teaches - to become like Christ.
Let’s pray together.
