What does it mean to be like Jesus?

1 John 2:6 says we are to walk as Jesus walked

Romans says we are to be conformed to his image

Well, I’m born again, doesn’t that do the trick?

No. 

Just like a baby is born naturally and you can see some of its features favor his parents,  but it’s not grown yet and its features haven’t fully developed, so are we when we are born again. 

There are family resemblances, but there’s lots of growth and maturity that must happen in us before we truly resemble Jesus. 

But consider this:

 from the moment Jesus was born in that little sheepfold, every step he took was aimed straight for Calvary. 

When his parents cheered as he learned to crawl, he was crawling towards those crisscrossed beams. 

When Mary marveled as he learned to walk, he was walking towards a hill he’d carry a cross up one day. 

As he learned to talk, it was so he could teach thousands one day. 

When he worked in Joseph’s building business, it was so he could learn how to take the raw materials of a messed up life and make something beautiful and useful out of it. 

When childhood friends and family made fun of him, it was so he could learn to accept later rejections. 

The scripture says he learned obedience by his suffering (Hebrews 5:8)

Why?

Because Jesus was born to die! And Calvary was the ultimate act of obedience!

We were born again to die. (Johnny 12:24)

And in that death he wants us to bear much fruit!

And scripture says his goal for us is to conform us to his image! Romans 12:1-2

How?

Share his mission- he came to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Jesus came to die- we are to die to ourselves 

We want our comfort zones, Jesus wants to send us out as sheep among wolves (mt 10:16). That’s not comfortable. That’s not even a safe space. 

We want the best of things because we’re a kings kid and we deserve it. Yet, Jesus himself said he didn’t have a place of his own to lay his head. He didn’t ride a horse or in a chariot. He walked among the dung of other people’s horses as he traveled the roads to save mens souls. 

And here’s the warning if we want to be like him:

Jesus gained many scars in the process of completing his mission

• disciples left him when the teachings got tough
• Family didn’t accept who he was till after he died (except Mary)
• Religious leaders mocked, debated, plotted and prayed against him, and eventually had him killed and mocked him while he was in anguish 
• One of his closest friends denied he even knew him during his suffering- another betrayed him
• Isaiah says his visage was marred more than any man. In several places he wasn’t recognized because of this - after his resurrection (Mary at the tomb didn’t recognize him from his appearance. She only knew him by his voice. The apostles on the road to emmaus didn’t recognize him until he broke the bread). Jesus scars were so deep from his ordeal that Thomas was able to put his hand inside of Jesus side and fingers in his hands. 
• The pain was gone, but the scars were there. The resurrection healed the wounds but left the scars. 

If we are to be like him, we must pray like him. Through that we must take his mission as our own. 

Philippians 2:5

And we do this knowing that it’s going to hurt. Friends will deny and betray us. Family will reject us. Religious leaders will reject, ridicule, and try to destroy us. 

Jesus went through what we would consider to be hell on earth. 

But at the end of his mission on earth, Jesus was changed, glorified, and received up into glory-with his scars. And a church -his bride- was in the birth canal awaiting his spirit to birth it 10 days later. 

If we will let him complete his mission through us, 

• we will be unrecognizable to those who once knew us best, thank God!
• We will be changed from the inside out. 
• But the lives he used us to touch will be forever changed too.
• And we, like Jesus, will be received up into glory! and we will hear him say “well done.”

It’ll be worth it all one day!

No more tears! No more trials! No more suffering and struggling! 

But the best part of it is we’ll be with him forever!

Isn’t that worth the price of admission?

The scripture says that he did all that he did-endured all that he suffered- in order to gain “the prize that was set before him.”

That needs to be our attitude! 

Whatever I must suffer, however many heartaches I gain, whoever betrays me, 

Roman’s 8:18

He didn’t say the glory that shall be revealed TO us. 

Oh no!

He said for the glory that SHALL BE revealed IN us!

Christ in me the hope of GLORY!

The glory cloud is God’s manifested presence! 

One day, if we suffer and let him use our circumstances, struggles, betrayals, and trials- let him use our wounds to conform us into his image!

Then HE will be manifested in our ministries, our lives, and IN us!

Isn’t that worth dying for?