“Wow!” That was the response I have heard most often from folks who were present last night for the first evening of our spring lecture series. This weekend we are spending some time learning about “Becoming More Like Jesus” and last night Dan Winkler kicked us off by “Taking a Look Into the Heart of Jesus.” But last Sunday morning I took some time and previewed our theme for the weekend regarding the mentality behind what it takes to become more like Jesus and I wanted to share some of those thoughts with you today.
Simply put, our reality is that there is no greater leader we could follow, no greater will to which we could submit, no greater body of which to be a part, and no greater life that we could emulate than that of Jesus. After all, He is the “Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And isn’t it significant that after 2,000 years of history that He remains one of the most popular and controversial figures of all time? But when it comes to becoming more like Him, as Jesus discussed in Mark 8:34-38, it isn’t quite as easy as one might assume. It’s going to cost us something. It demands something of us.
Becoming more like Jesus demands a reciprocation. “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s the same shall save it” (vs. 34-35). The cross stands as the central figure of Bible history. Prior to the cross man was hopelessly lost in sin. Since the cross we have hope because redemption is available. But on the cross Jesus demonstrated the lengths to which He was willing to go to lead us. But to what lengths are we willing to go to follow? To the same degree. We must be willing to reciprocate the love and devotion that Christ showed to us right back to Him. Which means that to become more like Jesus demands a reciprocation
.
Becoming more like Jesus demands a realization. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lost his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (vs. 36-37). Sometimes in emphasizing the sacrifice of Jesus at His death we forget to emphasize the sacrifice Jesus made in His own birth. Please remember that before His birth that Jesus was in heaven. The perfect home, free from sin, sorrow, and shame. And yet He was willing to temporarily sacrifice His residence in heaven by putting on flesh and coming to dwell among sinful men where He would eventually die. Philippians 2:5-8 speak of how Jesus gave absolutely everything to bless us. We must realize that to become more like Him it will cost us everything as well. We cannot live as the world and of the world and still maintain a close relationship with God. We must sacrifice as well. That means to become more like Jesus demands a realization.
Becoming more like Jesus demands a redirection. “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (vs. 38). When we live lives of sin we show the direction of our affection. Does sin not display a betrayal of God? And does that sin not cause us to lose our souls? That which we love the most will ultimately claim us in eternity. If it be God then God will claim us (Matt. 10:32). If it be sin then sin will claim us (Matt. 10:33). It is a simple matter of allegiance. To whom are we going to be loyal? If we are Christians our loyalty has shifted from sin and self to the Savior. And that means that becoming more like Jesus demands a redirection.
This is exactly what we are talking about this weekend during the 35th annual Phillips Street Lectures. If you can make it to Dyersburg at some point during the weekend please come and see us. If you can’t please know that each lesson is being live-streamed at our website (www.phillipsstreetcoc.com) and will also be archived there for future viewing. May God bless us all as we seek to become more like Jesus.
-Andy Brewer
