Created to Become Like Christ Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Everybody needs a purpose and that s why we are doing a series of messages entitled Living 2019 With a Purpose. In this series we are looking at God s purposes for your life. We have seen that the first purpose is to get to know and love God. We have also seen that the next purpose is that you are formed for God s family. Today we look at the third purpose that God put you on this planet for, and we read it for you in our text, and that is to become like Christ. Now God s plan has always been to make you like Jesus Christ. His plan from the very beginning has been to make human beings like Himself. Now, don t get me wrong, let me be clear, He is not saying you are going to be a god. That is the trick that Satan played on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When the Bible says that God wants us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, He is saying He wants you to develop Christlike character, the way He thinks, the way He acts, the way He feels, His values, His moral character. That s God s third plan for putting you on this planet, to make you like Jesus. Look at Ephesians 4:15, But, (you) speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ. God wants us to grow up and be like Christ in everything. Now what does it mean when the Bible says to grow up? It means to become mature in our walk with God. It means learning to walk by faith and not by sight. It means that we are no longer blown about by every wind of doctrine. It means that we learn the meaning of commitment. It means that our life is a reflection 1
of Christ, the Son of the Living God. Therefore, the Bible teaches that it is God s will for you to grow up. You know, babies are cute, but if babies stay babies, it is tragic. God wants us to mature and develop, and what does spiritual maturity look like? Just take a long look at Jesus Christ. Now unfortunately a lot of people grow older but never grow up. So put this in your mental notebook: My third purpose in life is to become like Christ. God put you on this planet to become like Jesus. In Colossians 1:15 the Bible gives us a model of what He wants us to grow up like, (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Now the Christian life is a process. It doesn t just happen overnight. It s not like one day all the sudden ZAP you re just like Jesus. Now don t misunderstand what I am saying right here being saved is not a process. It is instantaneous the moment you ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you. But the Christian life is a process, and this process is called discipleship, and it takes an entire lifetime. It is going to take the rest of your life for God to build character in you, the character qualities of Jesus Christ. Now today we are going to look at How does God do it? How does God help me grow spiritually? How does God make me like Jesus Christ? Well, there are a couple ways we know right-off-the-bat. We know He uses the Bible. It takes truth to transform us. If you really want to grow up spiritually, you have got to get into this Book. Now the other thing God uses is He uses people, and that s why last week we talked about fellowship, that when we learn from each other we grow and we develop. And the more you get with other Christians, the more spiritually mature you are going to become as you grow because you are spending time with them. God never intended for you to be a lone ranger Christian. Therefore, God uses the Bible and fellowship to develop Christian character, but He uses other things to. 2
And today we are going to look at two of the things that you may have not thought God uses, but He does. First of all, God uses difficulty to conform us to the image of Jesus. Look with me once more at our text in Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Now what is His purpose for my life? The answer is given in verse 29, to be conformed to the image of his Son Now we need to be careful right here, because when the Bible uses the term all things, it is not necessarily just talking about problems. I realize that most preachers use this scripture with such things as sickness, death, financial ruin, etc. but that is not what the Bible is saying here. I have do doubt God wants to use blessings, miracles and wealth for your good. Although it is true the Bible has given us this warning in 2 Timothy 3:1, This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. The word translated perilous is the word difficult. The Bible says, in the last days there will be very difficult times. But we have this promise given to us in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 3
God s blessings can be associated with protection and happiness. God's blessings protect us, and helps guide us to the path of happiness and righteousness. Look at some of the promises God has give to us. Philippians 4:19 makes this promise, My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. James 1:17 says, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. Isaiah 41:10 says, So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. John 1:16 says, Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. The 23 Psalm reminds us, The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. When you are going through this life, remember the reward. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. In eternity God is going to reward your character development. Secondly, God uses temptations to conform us to the image of Jesus. In other words, God uses our temptations to teach us to obey Him. This is seen very clearly in James 1:13-14, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust. Temptations are situations designed by Satan and they are intended to hurt us. And when I choose for God rather than choosing for Satan, Satan s plan is ruined and I start to 4
grow in my life. And choices are needed to develop character in our lives. It is important to remember that regardless of who you are you will never outgrow temptation. You never get to a point in your life where you become so spiritual or so old, that you are not tempted anymore. Each of us is tempted throughout all of our lives. But it is also important to remember that when Jesus was tempted, He taught us in His experience that every temptation is an opportunity to do good, and to make the right choice. Listen, every temptation is a stepping-stone toward being more like Jesus in our everyday living. Therefore, it is imperative that we are honest with ourselves when we face temptation. Now here is the point - Temptation always tests whether you love God more than the temptation. That is the base of what is happening when you are tempted. Temptation is always a test of what do I love the most in my life. When I am tempted by money, the temptation is simply, Do I love and honor God more than my desire for money in my life? When I am tempted by a wrong relationship, the temptation is simply, Do I love and honor God more than the lust and desire that I have for this other person? And the list goes on, but each of the temptations are the same, Who do I love more? God or that temptation that has come into my life? And with every temptation comes a choice! I must choose how I am going to live my life as a child of the living God! Will my life be one of character or will my life be one of compromise? The choices that I make will determine my eternal character! Last of all, God uses the pull of our flesh to teach us to forgive. Now this is the tough one. It is one thing to deal with blessings, and it is another thing to deal with temptation. But the most difficult tool that God uses to conform us to the image of Christ is our own sinfulness. Jesus taught us to prayer in this manner, And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. The 5
word translated trespassed against us carries with it the idea of on purpose. Jesus is talking about those people who intended to hurt you. He put it this way in Matthew 5:44, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you. I want you to listen very, very carefully to what I am going to say right here - bearing the hurt of other people without retaliation is, without a doubt, the most important and the most difficult step in becoming like Jesus Christ because it often involves being misunderstood, being criticized, being judged, being hurt physically or emotionally or verbally, it may involve abuse. Now let me be real clear these are not good things. These are evil things, and God is not the author of evil. But He uses our own sinfulness to teach us a valuable lesson about honesty and character. The Bible says this in Ephesians 4:30-32, And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ sake hath forgive you. Child of God, if you are going to grow up spiritually and if you are going to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, then you are going to have to learn this truth. This is not heaven. This is a fallen world. Everybody sins. We hurt other people. Other people hurt us. We hurt each other intentionally and unintentionally. You are going to be hurt often in life. And if you are going to become like Christ, you have got to learn to forgive. I am not saying that they deserve to be forgiven, I am simply telling you what the Bible says. Listen, God will never ask you to forgive anybody more than he has already forgiven you. But the choice is up to you! No one else can chose for you! If you have never been saved, why not come today? 6
Everyone please stand for prayer. Father, I want to grow in character. I want to become who You made me to be. I want to become more like Jesus in the way I think and the way I feel and the way I act. Teach me to forgive others as much as You have forgiven me. In Jesus name. Amen. 7