SAINTS BECOMING MORE LIKE JESUS

August 11, 2002 am

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

(Col 3:12)

It says we are holy and we are beloved.. already... and simply must put on some aspects to our lives because of it.

Notice how he states we ARE certain things, and then how we must therefore ACT CERTAIN WAYS.

I want to help us all understand this VERY IMPORTANT principle in the Bible.

How we become more Like Jesus.

And How we are already saints, though.

People usually think Saints are so much like Jesus that they never sin.

  • Special Christians.
  • But this is unbiblical.
  • Saints are simply everyone who is born again.
  • And saints start out sinning quite a bit.
  • So its not that we get saved to become saints.
  • We are saved and therefore are saints, who need to grow to become more like Jesus.
When we get saved we are placed into Jesus Christ.

  • We are branches and He is the vine.
  • And we actually have everything we will ever need to not sin.
  • However, we do not know that when we are first saved.
  • These things are the sort of things that we have to learn about.
  • They are the sort of things we must understand that we have so we can start changing the way we think about ourselves.
  • When you do not understand them, you automatically think low of yourself and never even try to live differently because you're convinced already you cannot.
  • You think you're the same as you always were for years.
  • But when you learn about the changes God made in your status with Him, you realize how different you are and you will then not expect to be defeated.
  • We are defeated before we even think to fight, because we think we are so low in status with God due to our behaviour.
  • But the truth is we are INFANTS WHO NEED TO GROW.
  • Imagine how frustrated an infant in its limited mind feels in trying to walk and cannot even walk.
Amber heard that our boys worked at my wife's place of work, and was upset she could not work merely because she was six years old.

  • How could you explain it to her?
  • Her thinking is limited.
  • But that is how it is with new Christians.
  • Their thinking is limited.
  • But we just have to learn to realize we've changed so much that we simply have to be taught who we are.
  • We may not get it at first, but its God's will that we learn this thought.
  • We may continue to think otherwise, but we must sincerely try to realize this.
  • People agree to this, but really do not think they don't know who they are.
  • But we don't!
  • We try all that we know, but the fact is there is something we do not know!
Think about Riding a bicycle.

  • You try everything you know, and you still cannot do it.
  • But then one day you realize something, and never have a problem again.
  • You never forget how to ride a bike.
As soon as you are saved you have this relationship with Jesus:

1) Crucified with Him:

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

(Rom 6:3)

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

(Rom 6:3-6)

2) Buried with Him:

Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

(Rom 6:4)

3) Resurrected with Him:

For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

(Rom 6:5)

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

(Rom 6:8)

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Rom 6:11)

4) Ascended with Him:

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

(Eph 2:6)

5) Alive with Him Since Resurrection:

For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Rom 6:10-11)

6) Are In His Power:

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

(Eph 1:19-20)

7) Are In His Inheritance:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

(Rom 8:16-17)

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

(Eph 1:11-12)

We can never earn these things.

  • They're our's as soon as we're born again.
Look what else we are when we're born again.

  • Too many think they have to earn these positions.
  • But we don't!
We are righteous and holy.

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

(Eph 4:24)

We are holy and beloved:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

(Col 3:12)

We are hidden with Christ in God:

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

(Col 3:3)

Christ is our life. That makes us expressions of His life!

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

(Col 3:4)

Sons of light and not darkness:

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

(1Th 5:5)

Partakers of Heavenly calling:

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

(Heb 3:1)

One of God's lively stones as part of Spiritual House:

Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

(1Pe 2:5)

Member of a chosen race, royal priesthood.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

(1Pe 2:9-10)

Alien to this world:

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

(1Pe 2:11)

Enemy of the devil:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

(1Pe 5:8)

I am a child of God and will be like Him when He comes:

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

(1Jo 3:1-2)

I am born of God and the devil cannot touch me:

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

(1Jo 5:18)

All of these things are what I am because of God's grace, not from me earning them:

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

(1Co 15:10)

You are special because you are born again and it's all God's doing, not your own.

You start living like these things are true.

  • These are the types of things that cause you to be more confident when you know them.
  • And believe it or not, this is the key to growing.
  • Purifying yourself means you start to live according to what you now have as a hope because of what you ARE!
Some folks work for God for years, but not because they are called.

  • They work because they are DRIVEN.
  • People think they have to earn God's approval through works, so they think the greatest work is to be a minister.
One man was in a bus with others that went off the road and into the water.

  • Under water he saw a man reaching towards the open window to escape.
  • He pulled the man away and escaped himself.
  • The other man never made it out.
  • The man felt so guilty before God that he tried to earn his forgiveness by becoming a minister.
  • He was not called but DRIVEN.
God calls us to be ministers.

  • But more than that, we should never think we have to earn forgiveness.
  • Forgiveness is part of GRACE.
You have to set it in your hearts to LEARN about these things in good shape now that you are saved.

  • If you have been saved 40 years and never learned these things, then start now!
We are CONDITIONED to think about God as mean due to the fact that we were His enemies before salvation.

  • And we tend to continue thinking this way and feel so inferior and lowly as Christians, as though guilty all the time.
  • Despite the fact that we tend to do things as we always did them before we were saved, due to being conditioned to think that way, and therefore do those sort of things, WE ARE STILL NEW CREATURES.
  • We just have to align our thinking up, and correct these misconceptions that still linger, to suit the state of being that God made us when He saved us.
  • So much happened when he saved us!
We have a new master.

We have a change in our natures.

Are you not bothered when you sin, when you never used to be bothered before you were saved?

  • The very fact that you are BOTHERED proves you are saved.
  • When people come to me wondering if their mistakes of sins means they are now lost, I always tell them that the very fact that they are BOTHERED enough to cry and come to me proves they are saved still!
  • People are not turned reprobate if they are still bothered by their sins.
  • Reprobates no longer are bothered any more with sins.
You have been given a new nature, and that nature GROWS by you feeding it the WORD.

  • And believing that word.
  • Otherwise you starve it and you never overcome anything your entire christian life.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Rom 6:11)

We do not reckon the above truth to be so in order to make it so.

  • This means we are to reckon it to be so because it really is so.
  • But we so often are unaware of that.
You cannot become something the Bible says through trying with all your might.

  • You've got it all upsidedown.
  • You must realize you already are the way the Bible says you are, once saved, and simply try to live like they're already so.
  • There is a big difference between trying to make yourself become righteous, and realizing you are righteous and living accordingly.
It's like blinking your eyes.

  • This will occur automatically.
  • But if we think we should blink because we need to wash our eyes with moisture through blinking, and then proceed to make ourselves blink every few seconds, we will actually damage our eyes.
  • But when you realize God made us so that we will automatically blink, then based upon that knowledge, you go about living as though that is true.
  • And lo and behold, you find yourself blinking automatically.
  • Its sort of the same way with being an new creature.
  • The efforts to try to blink actually hinder you from doing it the way God intended.
  • Similarly, your efforts to try to become righteous hinder you from doing so.
Simply believe you are righteous in Christ, and live like it is true.

  • You will be more confident in yourself, and you will find its a lot easier to pray.
  • You will certainly worship more freely.
  • You will be more free to present yourself as a Christian for work in the church and even talking to sinners who want to know how to be saved.
  • And all of this will feed you as you do them, and you will find you start overcoming sins you never could before!
So all those ideas that "Christians don't do the things you do," that make you feel unsaved, are false.

  • Christians who are spiritually young will sin.
  • Saints will sin.
  • But saints can grow and become more Like Jesus in the way they live BY FEEDING THEIR NEW CREATUREHOOD WITH THE TRUTHS OF WHAT THE WORD SAYS WE ARE, AND THEN LEARNING TO LIVE AS THOUGH THESE FACTS ARE TRUE.