Download - Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life; Section 22

You Were Created To Become Like Christ

Purpose 3Sections 22-28 (pages 169-223)

Thursday 21 October 2010

“Let your roots grow down into Christ and draw up nourishment from Him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth.”

Col. 2:7


Created to become like ChristSection 22 (pages 171-178)


“God knew what He was doing from the beginning. He decided from the outset to

shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His

son….We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him.”

Rom. 8:29


You were created to become like

Christ.


We were created from the very beginning to become like Christ.

God announced this intention at Creation: “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.’” Gen. 1:26

Only humans are made in God’s image - although we don’t know all this means we do know that like God we are;


Spiritual beings, our spirits are immortal

Intellectual - think, reason, solve problems

Relational - we can give and receive love

Morally conscious - able to discern right from wrong, making us accountable to God

Every person is made in God’s image - but this has been distorted by sin, Jesus came on a mission to restore this full image.


In fact Jesus is the image of God;

2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Heb 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.


That said you never become God or a ‘god’, but we should take on the values, attitudes and character of God - becoming like him.

Eph 4:21-24 TM

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything...connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.


God is looking for his character to be formed in you - this is not replacing your personality which is unique and special to you - but is the character found in the Beatitudes or the fruit of the Spirit, or as seen in 1 Peter 1:5-8.


3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.


8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds


22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.


5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,


Difficulties enable us to grow - which we call character. Abundant life does not mean comfort and ease - God is not there to act like a genie in a lamp - life is about Him, not you!

Time on earth strengthens your character for heaven


God’s Spirit working in you

Holy Spirit produces Christlike character in you.

2 Cor 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.


The process of becoming more like Jesus is called sanctification. It is done through the power of the Holy Spirit (in cooperation with you)

Php 2:13

The Holy Spirit is not all about power and miracles, he inhabits you, and we choose to walk in response to his prompting, we then receive faith, power love etc. to act in accordance with this leading. You need to ask!


We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work

HS releases power the moment we take a step of faith:

Joshua and the flooded Jordan - waters receded only after the leaders stepped into the river.


“God waits for you to act first. Don’t wait to feel powerful or confident. Move ahead in your weakness. Doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings. This is how you cooperate with the HS, and it is how your character develops”

Rick Warren, PDL, page 175

What do you think?


In the Bible spiritual growth is likened to a seed, building a building or a child growing up - all of which require activity and development.

Spiritual growth requires effort - salvation doesn’t. E.g.

Lk 13:24, Rom 14:19, Eph 4:3, 2 Tim 2:15, Heb 4:11, 12:14, 2 Pet. 1:5 etc.


We have 3 responsibilities in becoming like Christ - Eph 4:22-24,

1. Choose to let go of the old ways

2. Let the Spirit change your thinking - also Rom. 12:2

3. ‘Put on’ the character of Christ by developing godly habits


God uses his Word, people and circumstances to mold us

These develop our character;

Word provides truth, People provide support, Circumstances provide the environment

If you study the Word regularly, connect with other believers, learn to trust God in difficult circumstances - you will become more like Christ


Bible and prayer are obvious - sometimes we neglect the fact that God loves to use people to change do his work in us.

[We have mentioned previously how important fellowship is in the Christian life.]

You cannot grow into Christlikeness in isolation - you need to be around other people.


Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth

Not instant - a slow , gradual progressive development which will take the rest of your life.

Eph 4:13 NLT

13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.


The process will only be complete when we see Christ, 1 Jn 3:2,

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

This 15-year-old aged cheddar

costs $50/450g


“More confusion in the Christian life comes from ignoring the

simple truth that God is far more interested in building your character than anything

else...what God cares about most is that whatever you do, you do in a Christlike manner”



God is more interested in what we are rather than what we do - human beings not doings

Rom 12:2 TM

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.


“...many believers have abandoned living for God’s great

purposes and settled for personal fulfillment and

emotional stability. That is narcissism, not discipleship”



Point to Ponder:

I was created to become like Christ


Verse to remember:

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.2 Cor 3:18


Question to consider:

In what are of my life do I need to ask for the Spirit’s power to be like Christ today?


Download - Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life; Section 22

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