Mimicry

Mimicry

INTRODUCTION – PLAYING DRESS UP

When we put a man on the throne, we get problems

I don’t want to emulate a copy, I want to emulate Jesus. When I line them up:

Colossians 2:9 — (NIV)
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

Colossians 1:15 — The New International Version (NIV)
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Jesus did not create us to just PRETEND! He can TRANSFORM!

Ephesians 4
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

2 Corinthians 3
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Colossians 3:10 ESV / 24 helpful votes
And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

• Got alone with God
  • Not for a checklist, but for PRESENCE!
• Anecdote: Date night and cell phones
  • One moment of true connection/communion is better than hours of distraction. The devil’s greatest weapon, distraction
  • Luke 5:16
    • But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
  • Mark 1:35
    • 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
  • Luke 6:12
    • 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
  • Matthew 6:6
    • But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
  • What is that BLESSING? – the very heart of the Father
• Just like Moses, when we are in the presence, we are changed. 
  • Exodus 34:29-35 CEB
    • Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two covenant tablets in his hand, Moses didn’t realize that the skin of his face shone brightly because he had been talking with God. 
  • Our “casual” nature in the NT, doesn’t make his glory, holiness and our reverence toward him less valuable. 
  • It is so much more than reading bible verse and reciting a prayer. It is speaking to the creator of the universe and aligning with his heart and character. 

• Roman Culture

• • • Pure, didn’t participate in evil, sin, he wasn’t Luke warm about it

• Religious Culture

• Healing on the Sabbath

• • • • Luke 13:10-17 NIV
        • 10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
        • 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
        • 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
        • 17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
      • He sees the HEART! He doesn’t care about PC, or meeting the expectations of religiosity. 

• Flipping Tables

• • • Matthew 21:12-17 (NLT)
      • Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.

• Matthew 3:16-17 New Living Translation (NLT)
  • After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

His faith was ACTIVE! He was filled with the HS, and operated in that power, instead of trying to look like a good Christian but operating in his own power

• When did we stop relecting the healing, demon-casting outer, courageous, minstering, preaching, and loving, Jesus?
  • If our greatest spiritual accomplishment is “staying cool,” or “avoiding sin” another day,  we haven’t even tasted the life of abundance and empowerment Jesus displayed for us to follow!

Sermon Questions

• Reflect on Ephesians 4:22-24. What old self or deceitful desires do you need to put off, and how can you actively put on the new self to be like God in true righteousness and holiness?
• Considering Jesus’ practice of withdrawing to pray (Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12), how can you incorporate more intentional, distraction-free time with God in your daily routine? What impact do you expect this will have on your relationship with God?
• In what ways might you be tempted to conform to cultural or religious expectations instead of following Jesus’ example of pure, active faith? How can you be more courageous in reflecting the healing, demon-casting, ministering, and loving nature of Jesus in your life?