PIC: The Young Original band. All from Christian home schooled families. Just saying…. 1
“In this world we are like Jesus.”
– See: 1 John 4:13-18 New International Version
“as He is, so are we in this world.” Amplified Bible
What was Jesus like?
John wrote “as He is…” — that is what we are like. We do well to ask ourselves, “How am I like Jesus?
“How am I like Jesus?
Jesus was a special kind of person. He was born like you and I, in the flesh, but lived outside the box. He walked in accord with the Holy Spirit. Are you that special kind of person – reborn from above?
What you truly are
We can’t see what others are truly like inside their insides. Only God knows. But hopefully what you profess — is what you are!
See:
| Is this you?
A somewhat lengthy study of 1 Thessalonians 5 |
| What sort of person are you? |
Like No One Else
Jesus had a unique mission on earth – like no one ever: “…to be the Savior of the world.”
“the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
– Verse 14 of 1 John 4:13-18.
That was His mission. And so we have a mission on earth: “abide in God“. Jesus told us:
- “Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you.” (v4)
- “Vitally united and My message lives in your heart” (v7)
- “Bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.” (v8)
- “Keep My commandments and obey My teaching.” (v10)
What are we like?
A so-called Christian that is not like Jesus — has not been transformed, has not been truly reborn from above. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” As born again new creatures in Christ, we naturally “abide in God“. We naturally abide in the Vine.
v16 “the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him. 17 In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us“
Being like Jesus
Little by little, a life-long process perfects our love. We become more and more like Jesus.
I absolutely loved being the father of two young toddlers. I expected that they would act like big babies. So when they fell down, or made their diapers smell, or threw a tantrum… I was not surprised or disappointed in them. I would correct them when needed (and tried to never get angry!), but they knew I loved them.
They could not do anything to make me love them more, or fail in any way – to make me love them less. My love was unconditional.
The same is true of Father God, Savior Jesus, and Holy Spirit. God does not love us any less when we fall down, nor love us more when we please Him…. He is there for us.
Little by little we learn, we take our baby toddler steps. And all along the way He loves us.
See:
| About past sins and being forgiven now |
| Your “New Leaf” once you have repented |
| What God does to prepare you for Heaven |
Lets make a list of what Jesus was like. With this we should see what we are like, and what we are becoming.
What Jesus was like
Jesus was
Filled with the Spirit
“Now Jesus, full of [and in perfect communication with] the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness”.
– Luke 4:1
The Bible says if we are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we are not His. And throughout our living, we yield more and more to Him – inside our insides.
See:
Jesus
Followed Father God
“I have kept
My Father’s commandments
and
remain in His love.”
-v10 of John 15
Am I truly a follower? …of God? Or am I merely a “do whatever I want” type of fake follower? You trying to serve two masters – Jesus and some other?
21 The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” – John 14:21
Jesus kept commandments, “remained….” If I’m not like Jesus in THAT (“obedience”), then I’ve missed the point of it all. Nobody will be seen by Jesus as His follower on That Day – living in sin. I will be rejected by Jesus if I am not His follower.
See: | Following |
| Luke 10:27 (Also: Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30) |
| Practicing sin – not following Christ |
| Sinners, versus living in sin |
| Following the Jesus who was not God |
Jesus was
Meek and mild
“as a lamb led to the slaughter…” 2
Are we brash, overpowering others, aspiring to be better than the pack, a cut above? Jesus was meek and mild, not needing to impose anything on anyone. He was concerned for others and their interests.
Jesus was
Confident
“17 This is how love
is made complete among us
so that we will
have confidence
on the day of judgment:
In this world we are like Jesus.”
– Verse 17 of 1 John 4:13-18
I live with confidence because this world is not my home. I’ve been born again. Set free. I am a child of the King (John 1:12). I fear no evil – because Jesus wins in the end!
Jesus was
Full of “joy and delight”
“I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.” – John 15:11
The joy of Jesus was not “the fun in the sun”, ha-ha-ha party time spirit that “the world” works at being. His was a spirit of fulfilled contentment regardless of feelings and circumstances.
Jesus
Loved to the nth degree
There’s an old funny phrase: “It’s not easy, but somebody’s got to do it!” And in a similar vein, many of us are not easy to love, but… Jesus by His nature does love at all times, and so, we can love others also (and not under obligation) – by living by the Spirit!
See: | I can. I can stand strong |
| Are you known by your love? |
| Responding to insults and losses |
Agape love
The love of God constrains me – to love others “as He first loved me” (Galatians 2:20,John 17:26,John 14:21,John 15:9,John 17:23).
The love exemplified by Jesus, what we live-out… is not an emotion, not a touchy-feely …gushy thing. The love of God in us is an agape type of love.
Biblegateway Footnote:
John 13:34 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
“17 This is how love
is made complete among us
so that we will
have confidence
on the day of judgment:
In this world we are like Jesus.”
– Verse 17 of 1 John 4:13-18 * 3
This is love.
This is Jesus. This is a true follower: always loves, willingly sacrifices, willing to die for others, motivated by love – to serve outside ourselves, known by love and unselfish concern
— Revelation 1:5
— 1 John 3:16
— 1 Thessalonians 1:3
Everyone will know…unselfish concern for others
— John 13:35
Being like Jesus
Jesus is agape love. My question for us is: Am I agape love? Am I like Jesus in my love for others? That, Jesus said, characterizes us who follow Him (John 13:35).
Agape love
“…doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.”
– Source: Biblegateway Footnote for John 13:34.
“In this world we are like Jesus.”
New International Version
“as He is,
so are we
in this world.”
Amplified Bible
FOR MORE:
Being like Jesus is impossible. It’s being what nobody on earth can be… without being born again, born from above. You there?
______________
The Christian’s mission of love every day
What is agape love? | from GotQuestions.org
Rely on the Spirit of God in you
Doing one act of love at a time
Act in love towards all peoples
Being faithful, little by little
Your “New Leaf”…once you have repented
I live with confidence
I am not afraid of death
I cast aside fear. God is my refuge and strength
I do not allow sin to reign over me
I have exceedingly vibrant joy in my inner soul
Although I am not perfect, I have, growing in me…
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”
I converse with my Savior all throughout my day
I make it my aim to do everything I do – with all my might, and – for the glory of God
-Source: Never Again
The Chutzpah of Wannabe Christians
Jesus will reject many “Christians”
Will you be turned away by Jesus?
Accepting Jesus – Plus Some Other
The Great Water Down of Jesus’ Message to us all
You thought that I was just like you
Living the good life – with courage and confident hope
Getting born again …THIS is what happens in that moment when one accepts Christ as Lord.
Therefore
if anyone
is in Christ,
he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold,
new things have come.
– 2 Corinthians 5:17
Footnotes
- Young Original band,
with Musicians from Christian home schooled familiesSee: Multi-Instrumental Homeschool Band Goes Viral for Reviving the Classics With Heart-Melting Vocals | BY TIME | June 30, 2023
Young Original Band – YouTube links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzFZkKLOG9w,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzWce1bOWt4, and at the end of this video (28:00 minutes!), New American Youth Ballet Presents: The Young Original Band!, see a hidden interview about each musician: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXyiKbDmZ44.
- Acts 8:32 “Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: ‘Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.'”
- 1 John 4:13-18 Amplified Bible
13 By this we know [with confident assurance] that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given to us His [Holy] Spirit. 14 We [who were with Him in person] have seen and testify [as eye-witnesses] that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
15 Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.
17 In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment,
so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].
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