Think, Act, Be like Jesus
Knowing God
Colossians 2:6-8
Introduction-
This morning we begin a new series Think, Act, Be like Jesus. It came to me as I read a book by the same title by Randy Frazee. So if this helps you, it is a combination of God’s Holy Spirit, God’s anointing, Randy Frazee, and my thoughts. End result is that God gets all the glory.
One of things that I see as a pastor is that we give out teachings, people agree that they need to make some changes but struggle being able to make those changes.
If I asked you do you want to be more like Jesus, I would hope that you would have a sincere yes an answer.
The difference of what is in our head and what is in our heart is the longest 12 inches known to man. Be able to get head knowledge down to the heart is the difference of weather you will live out your beliefs.
There are a lot of things we know we should or should not do in our heads, but stopping or putting into actions begins that struggle within us.
I think that is why people struggle coming to church on a consistent manner. College kids leave the nest and go off to school and all their fears are never settled and all those questions go unanswered.
You have to be able to address your fears and have your questions answered. Now this does not miraculously happen without your participation.
So what I hope happens is that you and I get honest about where we are with God and we will actively participate in a study of God’s Word that takes His Word from head knowledge to your heart and answers questions that you are diligently seeking answers for. Say Amen.
To Be like Jesus would be our virtues.
Virtues by definition Is our behavior of keeping high standards.
To be like Jesus would be to take His virtues and lives them in our lives, that is God’s design for our lives.
To think like Jesus- it is our beliefs.
To believe something is not enough, you must believe it as a way of life.
Act like Jesus is practices and disciplines such as Bible studies, engaging community, worship, prayer, and sharing our faith.
That is what we will be looking at in this series
Setting our standards and moral lives to the standard God desires of us and living it out in our beliefs, and producing disciplines that will keep us strong in our faith and accomplishing what God wants for us. Say amen, and let’s go!
Thinking like Jesus- just saying that makes me feel inadequate, how about you?
I have been a Christian for a long time, but I have a past, I have issues, I have shortcomings, I have kids and a family, I have weaknesses, I have an attitude. All these things keep me from thinking like Jesus, because all of these things show my imperfections.
Thinking like myself will never get me close to thinking like Jesus ( repeat )
God tells us that we need a renewed mind.
We cannot think like Jesus unless we have the mind of Christ, and the only way we can do that is let Jesus renew or change the way that we think.
Text- Colossians 2:6-8
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than in Christ.
As you journey in your Christian walk with the Lord, your goal is to allow God to renew or change your thinking about the truths of God.
The first truth to thinking like God is to know the God you claim as savior.
“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your life in him.”
Christ has saved us from the penalty of our sins,
He adopted us into the family of God because of what Christ has done for us.
We had to go from knowing about Jesus to Jesus being the center of our lives.
There is a big difference between knowing of Jesus and having a relationship with Jesus.
Randy Frazee says
“Every thought, action, and virtue produced from our renewed and redeemed mind and heart is born from and empowered by the presence of God. (That is a mouth full)
For us to have the correct belief in God we have to put God in His rightful place and we have to understand what Jesus has done for us.
God is the catalyst, you want more of God, you have to have a relationship with God.
To have a relationship with God you have to desire to be in the presence of God. In the presence of God, God makes changes to our lives, and empowers us to live a life that is not only abundantly full but also pleasing to God.
There are central truths to our faith and one of them is that we understand who God is and how much He desires a relationship with us.
2 Corinthians 13:14
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
God the Father sent God the Son to die for each of us for our sins, and Jesus sent God the Holy Spirit to empower our lives for service to Him.
Key questions we want answered who is God?
The Bible opens up with Genesis 1:1, the very first words from God to us. In the beginning God… everything revolves around God-creator, savior, master of the universe.
There are some questions we don’t have answers for- Where did God come from?
In the beginning before time as we know it, God was, God did, God created.
He does not have to explain anything.
How He came about, He is God and we are not. He owes no explanation.
Apostle Paul
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
The question is not is there a God?
We know that there is a God, we see it everyday in our lives as we look around.
We see there is a creator of all this and that we are without excuse.
Scripture makes it clear there will always be gods people choose to follow and serve.
God makes no apology that he is the God of Gods and there is no one higher and that nothing that we have was created by an alternate god.
Here is a statement of truth we have to take deep in our heart.
I believe the God of the Bible is the only true God- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
I don’t believe that is blind faith- I believe that is faith based upon the word of God and the anointing power of the Holy Spirit confirming it to our souls.
I don’t know about you but I don’t want to understand all about the God I serve, because I take strength and comfort knowing that my God knows more than I can even think or fathom.
You what a difference that would make in your life- just think how many struggles would go away if you realized you do not have to have all the answers.
You can take comfort that He is God and you are not.
You can rest easy knowing that He is in charge and in control.
You have a desire that goes beyond you own abilities and you actively want to follow his will for your life.
Once you put that in perspective, God is put in right perspective and that God loves you and wants to do what is best for you. He becomes your God and not one of many gods.
Once you believe the truth that there is only one God- once you believe that that one God wants to have a personal relationship with you- You will begin to live you belief. Amen.
You will live like God is near in your life.
Your will live like God can control your life and you are happy to let Him.
You will live a life that has meaning and a purpose because you know God is in it.
Listen as I close,
Once you know the God that you serve, you live instead of just existing!
Psalm 121
“He will not let your foot slip-he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.”
