What Does It Mean To Be Christlike?

What Does It Mean To Be Christlike?

Feb. 2, 2003

PHP 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which

is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;

24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Eph. 4:22-24

Listen to this passage in The Message: “But you were taught to be made new in your

hearts, to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God -- made to be

truly good and holy.” Eph. 4:23-24

Max Lucado in his book, “Just Like Jesus” makes this statement at the beginning of his

book, and I thought it was powerful. Listen.

“God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way.

He wants you to be just like Jesus.”

This morning the Gospel Message is clear, it tells us that when we put our faith in Christ,

when we turn away from our sins and follow Jesus and become his disciple, there is

something Supernatural that happens within us, in our hearts that transforms our lives.

When we are saved we move from a state of Spiritual Death, to a glorious state of being

Alive in Christ through His Spirit. The Bible teaches us that the Very Spirit of Christ

takes residence in our lives and begins to teach us, begins to shape us, and helps us as we

walk in obedience to his leading.

This morning I want you to catch hold of the reality that Jesus Christ lives in you through

His Spirit if you are saved.

Have you ever thought about What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you?

What if for 24 hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in

your house, assumes your schedule? Your boss becomes his boss, your mother becomes

his mother, your pains becomes his pains? With one exception, nothing about your life

changes. Your health doesn’t change, Your circumstances don’t change, your schedule

isn’t altered. Your problems aren’t solved. Only one change occurs.

What if, for one day and one night, Jesus lives your life with His Heart?

Your heart gets the day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ. His priorities

govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.

Can you imagine? What would you be like? Do you think people would notice a

change? Your family -- would they see something new? Your co-workers -- would they

think someone else had been hired? What about your friends? Would they detect more

Joy? What about your enemies? Would they receive more mercy from Christ’s heart than

from yours?

What about YOU? How would you feel with God’s heart in you? Would your

stress level go down? What about your temper?

Would you sleep better? Would you still dread what your dreading? Better than that,

would you still do what your doing?

Think about your schedule, what you have planned, With Jesus taking over your heart,

would anything change?

Can you see what your life might look like with Jesus leading your life? That picture that

you see, with Jesus leading your life is what God wants....... The Word says we are to

“think and act like Christ Jesus.” Another passage says, “to be like God in true

righteousness and holiness”.

Friends, God’s plan for you is nothing short of a new heart. If you were a car, God would

want control of your engine. If you were a computer, God would claim the software and

the hard drive. If you were an airplane, he’d take his seat in the cockpit. But you are a

person, so God wants to change your heart.

Listen to the Word, “But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to

become a new person. That new person is made to be like God -- made to be truly

good and holy.” Eph. 4:23-24

God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He

wants you to be just like Jesus.

God’s love never ceases. Never. Though we spurn him. Ignore him. Reject him.

Despise him. Disobey him. He will not change. Our evil cannot diminish his love. Our

goodness cannot increase it. Our faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity

jeopardizes it. God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God’s love

never ceases

A famous author tells this story to describe God’s love for us.

When my daughter was just a toddler, I used to take her to a park not far from our