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Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] So, Father, in the name of Jesus, we stand before you today as your sons and daughters, saying that we want you.
[00:00:23] Father, our posture is not of pride, but it's of humility.
[00:00:28] When we say, we want you and only you, nothing else matters but having you.
[00:00:39] So, father, even as we sing lyrics of songs, let us understand that they're not just words. They're not just. It's not just a melody, but it's our heart's cry and our heart's desire to know you, to want you, to have you.
[00:01:00] Without you, nothing else matters.
[00:01:05] So, Jesus, I pray that as I speak today, that it is not I who is speaking, but it's you who's speaking through me.
[00:01:13] Let nothing be seen, heard or felt of Joshua, but let it be the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:20] In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen.
[00:01:25] And amen.
[00:01:29] Amen. Well, I always want to give honor to the worship team.
[00:01:38] You guys are amazing. You are amazing. And it's just.
[00:01:49] It's really good when the atmosphere is already set, when we come into the auditorium, and it's because you guys have prepared and you've done the hard work in the secret time.
[00:02:03] You get here early and you set things up. You go through sound check, you work through all that type of stuff. And all the volunteers, I honor you for getting here early, setting things up, the kids, workers, and everyone.
[00:02:16] For those who are on the volunteer team that don't have the opportunity to serve today, I honor you for not serving today.
[00:02:26] You may be seated, but you have to understand, in serving the house, in serving the kingdom of God, if we are not healthy in our serving, it does no good for us or the people that we're trying to serve.
[00:02:45] So I honor you for opening your hearts and saying yes to the task that really is just living a life of Christ.
[00:02:57] Speaking of Christ, that's who I'm talking about. Today.
[00:03:04] I have a question for you, and this question is going to be repeatedly asked throughout today's message. So I want to hear how loud or you want to shout and cheer and say yes or no. Your silence will actually be the no for me. Or how, you know, how. You raise your hand to this question.
[00:03:25] And the question is, who wants to be more like Jesus?
[00:03:33] Oh, that was 100%, even the babies.
[00:03:40] So, yes. Now, today I have a privilege of bringing the message. And I tell you that Kelly mentioned it. It has been a challenging, to say the least week.
[00:03:56] And I've always known that any time that I serve or I'm rostered to serve or to do anything, it's almost like the enemy says, oh, no, I'm going to try to bring a little fox here or there to distract you or to stop you from doing that with joy or with a smile on your face. And it seems like this week he not only sent one fox, but he sent a whole den of foxes.
[00:04:27] And the reality is, as challenging as this week was, I was encouraged because I knew if the enemy was fighting this hard to keep me from standing before you today, that truly God has something that he wants to say through me that will help change your life as well as my own.
[00:04:51] So as I stand before you today, I'm not preaching to you.
[00:04:55] I am receiving.
[00:04:58] I'm going to say that again. I'm not preaching to you. I'm not teaching to you. I am receiving what heaven has for us all.
[00:05:09] With that being said, you all said that you want to be more like Jesus.
[00:05:14] So I'm going to break down what it means to be more like Jesus. First things first.
[00:05:23] We as believers recognize that our lives were nothing before we asked Christ to come into our lives.
[00:05:35] Now, everyone's journey to come to Christ is different.
[00:05:40] Some came to Christ at a youth camp. Some came at a young adult's camp. Some came at a believe it or not, you know, at sleepovers where someone was like, hey, I just want you to come to my house. And then, you know, they saw someone reading a Bible and praying in the other room, their parents. And then it was like, hey, what's going on there? I want to know more. And then others get saved just in random conversations at work or at school. However you got saved, it was because something happened in your life to where you came to an aha moment.
[00:06:15] I don't want to live this way anymore, and I want something different. And if you're telling me that this Jesus fella is better than what I currently have, I want to give him a shot.
[00:06:30] And sometimes people say yes to Jesus, not even knowing what they're really saying yes to.
[00:06:36] Well, what are we saying yes to? I'm glad that you asked, because to be more like Jesus, we have to have compassion.
[00:06:49] I love my family, my brothers and sisters, I love them. I'll take a bullet for them, a deadly bullet, because some people just take, like, a bullet on the arm or leg and they just go, ah, not a real bullet, but a rubber bullet. You know what I mean? But I. I love my family so much that I'll take a deadly bullet for them. That's how much I love them. But there are moments that they've done things to me to where I struggle showing compassion.
[00:07:25] I struggle showing compassion. It's almost like because I love them so much, there's an expectation, temptation that I have that they would never do anything to hurt my feelings, to make me upset, to make me cry, to hurt me. But the reality is they do it.
[00:07:51] The reality is that we have people in our lives that we see do things where we question, why would you do that?
[00:08:00] If you love me? Why would you do that? If you call me your brother, your sister, your friend, family, why would you do that?
[00:08:08] And although we love them, the compassion that we have for them wavers.
[00:08:18] How is that? Well, because we have that moment where they offended us. We then decide to remember that offense, hold on to that offense, and then the next time that they come into our area, our space, there's a wall that's built up.
[00:08:41] And when they come this time around is not to actually hurt you.
[00:08:45] It's because they are hurting.
[00:08:48] But because you have adopted the offense from the original hurt, you don't show compassion for their hurt. And you, as a believer, actually have the solution or the formula to relieve them from their pain.
[00:09:10] In the Bible, Jesus was brought the woman that was caught in adultery. And I love the Bible, and I love what the Bible says, and I love that you have to research about the culture in the context of the Bible. And it's funny that in this scripture where it talks about the woman that committed adultery, John eight, three and eleven, where was the man?
[00:09:37] How is it that the man was married as well, but the woman was the one that was brought forth to be stoned and to be killed?
[00:09:47] But Jesus looked at that and was like, you know what? There's no need for me to get into the context of all this. What I want to do is show compassion on my daughter, to let her know that the fault that she's done means nothing.
[00:10:06] It means nothing to me. I am the ruler of this thing. I can wash it away. I can correct it all. I look at the fact that he wrote in the sand, and as he was writing in the sand, he never said a word, but he wrote in the sand. And every accuser was removed upon their own will, not by force to be more like Jesus. Sometimes you don't have to say anything.
[00:10:37] Sometimes it's in your posture of knowing the truth and showing love and compassion that other people see the aura of Jesus.
[00:10:52] And in this moment, as this woman was brought for death, Jesus rode in the sand, and every accuser was gone. And then it was the question of where are your accusers? I don't know. They're gone.
[00:11:05] And he said, neither do I accuse you. Now go and sin no more.
[00:11:10] I love the fact that Jesus, who's a Christ, who's God fully God fully man, eats with tax collectors. Context. If you are an accountant or does finances and things of that sort, please know that we love you.
[00:11:28] But in that cultural time, tax collectors, people in finance, in that world, they were not liked, loved, or appreciated.
[00:11:38] But jesus showed compassion by saying, I'm going to go against the cultural belief and the cultural structure and go dine and be with the people that you deem evil.
[00:11:53] That's showing compassion.
[00:11:56] And finally showing compassion is when the outcasts, like the lepers, who could not be affiliated or associated with society.
[00:12:10] But Jesus was like, you know what?
[00:12:13] I'm going to heal you.
[00:12:16] And not only when I heal you, I want you to go show all of those people that threw you away and set you on the outside to show them that you, too belong.
[00:12:32] That's showing compassion.
[00:12:35] Does anyone have any issues with showing compassion?
[00:12:41] I'm telling you the reason why I'm asking these questions and the reason why I want you to raise your hand. Because to be more like Jesus, you have to be honest, you have to be truthful.
[00:12:52] And trust me, no one's got a video recorder here, so you ain't got to worry about it going up on social media. But the reality is, sometimes I struggle with showing compassion.
[00:13:06] But I say I want to be more like Jesus.
[00:13:10] To be more like Jesus, we have to operate in signs and wonders and miracles.
[00:13:22] Now, this is the part that a lot of us really love. This is the part where a lot of us are like, oh, yes, I want to be like Jesus. You know, I lay hands on this person and this and that, and then when the miraculous of the miracle happens, it's almost like, me. Me. Did you see what I did?
[00:13:40] Did you see that? I laid hands on this person, and when I laid hands on this person, they fell out, and then when they got up, they were healed. Did you see?
[00:13:53] That's not like Jesus.
[00:13:56] Oh, you don't? Oh, I'm glad that you asked.
[00:14:01] Because when Jesus healed and cleansed those very lepers, his instruction to them was, go and tell no one who healed you.
[00:14:21] Don't put it on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or anything. Don't take a chisel and put it in the stones.
[00:14:32] Tell no one. Just go show that you've been changed.
[00:14:36] But why is it that we today, as believers, have a posture. And it's just a reality. This is the part of Jesus that we're okay with being like. We want to see signs and wonders, we want to see miracles. We want to be the vessel that the holy spirit uses. But is it for his glory or for our own?
[00:14:57] And sometimes we are guilty of one phase.
[00:15:04] Oh, you have crutches. Oh, you have a cough. Oh, you have cancer. Oh, you have what?
[00:15:11] Holy spirit works through me. I got the healing juice. I'm gonna lay hands. Boom, healed. Boom, healed. And then what happens is that there is this acknowledgement of, of, if you need healing, go to pastor Josh.
[00:15:30] If you need breakthrough, go to Pastor Josh.
[00:15:33] Because when Pastor Josh prayed for me, I'm telling you, something changed it Pastor Josh. And then all of a sudden, now in my introduction, it's not just, oh, my husband is preaching today and I love him. It becomes, oh, my husband Joshua has an anointing. I tell you, he is a walking miracle maker happer happening God. Because I tell you, when he lays his hands on people things, no, that's not being more like Christ.
[00:16:04] Being more like Christ is recognizing that we are vessels not to take any glory from him.
[00:16:12] Because the second option is we see people who are sick and we're so timid to actually pray for them because we don't want anything to come back to us. We actually stay quiet.
[00:16:28] But the Bible tells us that we are to pray and lay hands, heal the sick, raise the dead.
[00:16:43] I have prayed for people who have passed away.
[00:16:47] And when I pray for them, I don't pray saying, you know, when I pray for you, I'm just, when I pray, you're gonna rise up.
[00:17:00] It's father, I pray your will, your will be done in this moment. My faith, according to your will is that this person will live, not live in the next life, but live in this life. So bring them back to life. Give them breath in their lungs. Now I've seen my grandfather passed away and went into his room. He was gone. Pray for him. And it was one of those moments as a. I was 1617 years old and I literally said, you will live. You will breathe in the name of Jesus. And it wasn't a, you know, anything other than father, you do it. And my grandfather took this deep breath like a.
[00:17:45] And he lived for the next couple of hours, but in the next couple of hours, it allowed all of our family to actually come from where they were, to give a proper goodbye.
[00:17:58] Versus the scream that I was awakened by my grandmother who realized that her husband was not breathing. And he was dead and gone in the bed.
[00:18:10] Now, I take no glory for that because it hurt. It hurt, it hurt. But what happens is that that initiated my faith to where I can say, father, I can actually depend on you to do things that I can't do.
[00:18:27] Father, it encourages me that you have chosen to use me as a vessel to do miracles through.
[00:18:35] I take no credit for it.
[00:18:37] And the thing about it is, we measure what a miracle is. Is it a big miracle? Is it a medium sized miracle or is it a small miracle like it's going through maccas, I want the kids meal miracle, the medium sized miracle or the large miracle? And if you're in America, you have super size.
[00:18:59] But a miracle is a miracle.
[00:19:02] A miracle is a miracle. And we, as followers of Christ, are supposed to be vessels that miracles are funneled through because the Holy Spirit is funneling through us. But when those miracles happen, the posture should be, go and tell no one.
[00:19:21] Just show that there's a change.
[00:19:25] But you have to find the proper balance, the proper lifestyle to where it's not, hey, I'm a miracle operator, to where if you want breakthrough, come to me because it's me versus I don't want to do anything to make anyone look at me. So I'm not going to do anything. No, we have to be right there in the middle that says, I am a vessel that says yes to you, Father.
[00:19:55] And because you are operating through me, it is nothing of myself that is seen, heard, or felt, but it's truly your holy spirit.
[00:20:05] And this person has come to me and revealed that they need prayer or a miracle or breakthrough in this situation. So use me, Father, as your hands and feet to go through to bring forth the change in this person's life, that's the posture that we should have. That's the posture that's more like Jesus.
[00:20:28] Does anyone want to be in that middle posture to where it's not about them, it's not about their glory, it's not about their name and fame, and it's not about a post. So you can get likes, okay, I'm going to keep going because I know sometimes, you know, when you preach too good, people get silent.
[00:20:51] To be more like Jesus, we have to embrace temptation.
[00:21:01] And when I say embrace temptation, I'm not saying fall into temptation.
[00:21:06] I'm saying embrace the reality that temptation will come.
[00:21:13] But Jesus gave us the ultimate example of how we are to resist temptation.
[00:21:23] When Satan came to him and said, you know, look at all of this, I can give you that I, Satan, Lucifer, I can give you that.
[00:21:38] You just got to kneel down, bow to me. You know what? Turn that rock into all these things that the enemy came to him. What did jesus do? He gave him scripture. Gave him the word to defeat the temptation that he knew was coming.
[00:21:58] He was not ignorant to the fact that temptation was coming.
[00:22:02] But he was well equipped and prepared for a solution to resist the temptation. Now, how did he do that? And when did that start? Yes, we talk about Jesus being fully God and fully man. And we talk about Jesus being perfect. But the reality is that Jesus came and lived on this earth for 33 years. For us to look at him as an example of how to live today.
[00:22:29] So at the age of twelve, some writers say twelve, some writers say 13. I guess he was right. In between of that birthday month, he was in the temple with the rabbis.
[00:22:44] Doing what? Learning, getting educated, getting equipped with the scripture. At the age of twelve, that's the first reference that we get that Jesus was actually doing something miraculous. Because even the rabbis looked and was like, we are amazed at your wisdom.
[00:23:08] At such a young age. Who are you? Where did you come from? Where is your mommy and daddy?
[00:23:17] And I love that sometimes we read that scripture and we don't recognize that Jesus was actually telling us that we are to study his word.
[00:23:30] We are to be just so hungry after his word. And I would also lean to tell you that although Jesus was twelve in the natural, that's when it started. His twelve year old in the natural.
[00:23:49] If we look at our spiritual life, because we are spiritual beings who have a natural flesh, when we come to Christ, the first thing that we should be doing is getting in his word.
[00:24:09] We should be getting in his word. So that when the temptations come, we will know what to say, how to say it. And saying it in the right context. To where the enemy has to flee, there is no problem that the word does not have a solution for. And the word was written gazillions, gazillions of gazillions of years ago. Because in the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God. So even before the scriptures were written down on passage paper, the word existed.
[00:24:45] And the word will forever be. So. If you want to be more like Christ, you have to realize that you will be tempted.
[00:24:56] You will.
[00:24:58] I'm tempted every day.
[00:25:01] I haven't said profanity since I was like twelve years old.
[00:25:05] And I go to work sometimes.
[00:25:08] And the experience that I have at work slightly tempts me to say some things that I shouldn't say, but what do I do? And I'm saying that in jest. I love my job, but sometimes it is challenging, but it's temptation. Just like that. It's temptation to where the things that you used to be a part of and actually participate in will come back to knock at your door. Because the enemy knows that you once struggled with that. So he will try to bring that back to you. Even though you have proclaimed victory over it because you've had a taste of it.
[00:25:49] The enemy will try to catch you in a weak moment.
[00:25:53] How so? Even in the scripture, when Satan came to tempt Jesus, he came at a moment after Jesus was on a 40 day fast. So in the natural, there would be weakness. And the things that Satan tempted him with would be like food and think, hey, you know what? Turn that rock into bread.
[00:26:17] Jesus, like man, should not live by bread alone.
[00:26:20] So I'm saying to you that you need to recognize the things that you have been set free from, the things that you have overcome and know that the enemy will bring those same things back to you, because that is what he does. He's not a creator.
[00:26:38] He just replicates and manipulates.
[00:26:43] So a lot of times we say, oh, well, I can't be tempted with that, and I can't be tempted with that. But what the enemy does is he takes a temptation that you've already fell short of once before, repackage it in a blue paper wrapping instead of a red, and it presents it this way and you go, oh, that's not the same.
[00:27:02] Because when I was doing that back then it was in red wrapping, but now it's in blue. So this must be. And then all of a sudden you're back into an old way of thinking, old way of living.
[00:27:14] But if you understand and pray for discernment and know that the presenter of the temptation is actually who you must resist, then the temptations become like feathers. They come like, it's just like the breeze.
[00:27:30] So for me, I don't posture myself. Of what have I overcome?
[00:27:37] What has God brought me from?
[00:27:40] What has, you know, the Lord saved me from?
[00:27:44] What I posture is, who has the Lord delivered me from?
[00:27:51] Who has he saved me from?
[00:27:55] And that's the enemy. That's Satan. So everything that comes from Satan is bad. So therefore, when the presenter comes, I recognize that as Satan.
[00:28:06] So it's Satan. The blood of Jesus is against you, not pornography, not lying, not stealing.
[00:28:19] But it's Satan. The blood of Jesus is against you because Satan is the presenter of the temptation.
[00:28:29] And if we rebuke Satan, then every temptation that comes from him must flee as well. But it comes from us knowing the word of God. Does that make sense to anyone today? I hope that it's working for you.
[00:28:43] I'm almost finished, but, you know, I just want to know, does anyone in here want to be more like Jesus?
[00:28:51] Mm.
[00:28:53] Either. The shoulder muscles got tired.
[00:28:57] I didn't see as many hands go. The enthusiasm kind of lowered a little bit. That's all right.
[00:29:05] I'm going to challenge you today. But it's not a challenge to break you down, but it's actually a challenge to build you up.
[00:29:12] It's a challenge to help you understand that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.
[00:29:18] It's a challenge to help you know that the more that we're like Jesus, the more that people will come to Jesus.
[00:29:31] The more people will come to Jesus if we who already know Jesus are more like Jesus, because we are the example that they see.
[00:29:41] Now, this next one is very challenging. The last two, for us to be more like Jesus, we have to die.
[00:29:53] We have to die.
[00:29:57] Now, what does this have to do with anything?
[00:30:00] I'll tell you, I'm so glad that you asked. It's recorded. It's proof that you did ask the question, Jesus was crucified.
[00:30:10] And the thing about Jesus crucifixion, we look at this and we go, yep, uh huh. Yep. He did that for me. He did that so that we can be saved. He did that so that we can have eternal life. He did that so that, you know, everything that we did in our past is now washed by his blood and we're covered. And I will say to you, yes, 100%, you are correct.
[00:30:34] But he also did that to show us that we have to die to our flesh daily.
[00:30:42] Because when Jesus was beaten and he was bruised and he was just torn and then crucified, now, the reality is we're not going to all go through that type.
[00:30:59] But there are moments where we have to recognize that the crucifixion of Christ was Christ, giving us an example of how we will have to have a fleshly death so that we can have a spiritual life.
[00:31:15] We have to die to the things that we are seeking after the things that, you know, it's just like, oh, my identity is in my job. My identity is in the position that I serve at church. My identity is in my money. My identity is in my family. My identity is in my task. My identity should be in Christ.
[00:31:43] In Christ, Jesus died a physical death. So that we could have life more abundantly in the natural, but life eternally in the spiritual.
[00:31:59] And sometimes we want to hold on to the things of this natural world to where it actually keeps us from resembling who Christ is.
[00:32:09] So I love Kai, and Kai doesn't even know that I was getting ready to use him as an example every time.
[00:32:24] Kai is a very gifted, gifted, gifted when I tell you, gifted in things, in areas that a lot of us don't even know that he's gifted in.
[00:32:38] But one of the biggest gifts that Kai has is that he has a heart to give and to blessed.
[00:32:48] Right now, the flesh in me, and I'm. I'm being very vulnerable, transparent, even. I'm telling you the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God.
[00:33:02] The flesh in me looks at some of the things that Kai does, and I have found myself going, man, I want to be in a position to where I can do some of the things that Kai is doing.
[00:33:20] I want to be in a position where I can go and sow this amount of money to this person and bless this person and always have a cheerful heart and bring coffees to this person without them even knowing that a coffee was going to come and, you know, serve it. And, like, the flesh of me goes, Mandy, there are thoughts where I'm like, well, you know, I understand Kai's not married, and I understand he hasn't found his wife yet, and I understand he doesn't have kids, and, you know, and he's, like, the most eligible bachelor around town. But the flesh in me does this comparison thing, and it compares what I see Kai doing versus what I'm able to do versus celebrating what Kai is doing and embracing what I'm called to do.
[00:34:16] And so I have to die to the flesh of comparing myself to Kai.
[00:34:24] I have to die to the flesh of comparing myself to the blessings that he was led to do because the Holy Spirit unction him to do it and embrace what the Holy Spirit has called me to do, because the reality is Ky and I are two different people.
[00:34:47] He has hair on his head. I don't.
[00:34:51] I can grow a beard. He can't.
[00:34:59] But when we're more like Jesus, we die to the fleshly comparison of what someone else is doing. And we say, I die to that flesh so that I can live a spiritual life and be an example for the people that I am supposed to encounter, because Kai goes places that I will never go to. He meets people that I will never meet, and I will go places that Kai will never go to. And I will meet people that Kai will never meet. But if my flesh is continually thinking about what Kai is doing, I'll never be able to do what the father is asking me to do.
[00:35:35] So to be more like Jesus is actually to have a life where we die to the shortcomings of our flesh.
[00:35:45] Every day should be a day where we die more.
[00:35:49] And as our flesh passes away more and more, our spirit man should rise up.
[00:35:55] Is anyone willing to die that fleshly death?
[00:35:59] Cause I'm telling you, if you're not, it's gonna make every element and aspect of you being more like Jesus more challenging.
[00:36:10] And the last challenge or reality of being more like Jesus is probably the hardest one. To be more like Jesus, you have to be a forgiver.
[00:36:21] I could have dropped the mic right then, but I don't want to pay for the money that it would take to replace the mic. Yeah.
[00:36:33] So, Kai, here's the thing.
[00:36:45] Probably the most challenging, the most challenging part about being more like Jesus is forgiving.
[00:37:07] It's forgiving because in our lives, there are things that happen to us before we even know who Christ is.
[00:37:18] And we hold those things and we blame the people that are the source of those things, not recognizing that it's the enemy that is actually the source.
[00:37:30] But then when we come to know who Christ is and we accept him as lord and savior, we still hold on to the things that those individuals did.
[00:37:41] And it's like, oh, yeah, we love them, but I don't forgive you for that.
[00:37:47] Oh, yeah, I still will deal with you, and I'll still have chats, and we'll still go out and have tea and lunch and everything else, but I don't trust you the way that I know that I probably should because you hurt me back here. So I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you. I can't forgive you. I've been guilty of the I can't forgive you.
[00:38:14] And a lot of you have no idea of some of the things that I've gone through in my young life.
[00:38:26] I'm 43. I'm not that young, but I'm still young. Black don't crack.
[00:38:33] But in my life, not to go down a list of all of the bad things or all of the challenges that I faced, because we all have had challenges. We all have had challenges. So it's actually pointless for me to listen everything or even 2% of some of the things that I've gone through, but just know that some of the things that I've gone through were personal, where it came from my family and friends and loved ones, and then other things that I have had to overcome. And I, and, you know, seek counseling and prayer and healing was from individuals that represented the church.
[00:39:35] And see, I don't.
[00:39:37] I'm not one of those believers who says, the church did this to me, the church did this to me, and the church did that to me, because even before, I always recognize that it was the person that did this to me.
[00:39:57] So some of us, we get caught up in this. The church hurt, and the church did this, and the church did that. In reality, it's just an individual that is supposed to be representing the church, but they are not the definition of the church.
[00:40:13] So when they do the offense and they do the hurt, I quickly had to say, that's not God's church.
[00:40:24] That's an individual who made a decision not to be like Christ.
[00:40:33] Once I recognize that, I then have to go on a journey to say, and because I recognize that it's the person and not my father's church, I have to forgive that person, and I have to forgive the offense, and I have to let it go from the spirit of unforgiveness.
[00:40:59] See, a lot of times we verbally say that we have forgiven, but when the situation is talked about or was brought back up, there's an unease within our spirit, within our hearts, and sometimes we even get emotional.
[00:41:15] That emotion that we felt years ago comes back on us instantly because of the mention of the offense.
[00:41:24] And I would encourage you right now that if that is you at the end of this sermon, I want to pray for you because you have to let it go.
[00:41:35] You have to let it go.
[00:41:38] To be more like Jesus means that we have to forgive Jesus while being beaten, while being spat on, while being where his beard is being torn out, where he's being lashed with a whip, with items that pulls his flesh off, gets on the cross, and while on the cross, he says, forgive them, Father, for they know not what they are doing.
[00:42:16] Forgive them, Father.
[00:42:19] Forgive them for every lash that I took.
[00:42:23] Forgive them for everything that they said. Forgive them for every punch, every kick.
[00:42:29] Forgive them for every nail that was pierced through my hands and feet.
[00:42:38] And to be more like Christ, sometimes we have to forgive people because we recognize that we were forgiveness when we recognize that we are believers today because we were forgiven. How dare you hold on forgiveness to someone else? How dare I?
[00:43:06] How dare we?
[00:43:09] How dare we hold unforgiveness when we would not be here today if it was not for that very thing, forgiveness.
[00:43:21] Where is the reference of that in the Bible? I'm glad you asked, because on that same cross there were two people that were being crucified with Jesus.
[00:43:33] Luke 23 39 through 43, says one of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, are you not the Christ save yourself and us?
[00:43:50] But the other rebuked him, saying, do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed, justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.
[00:44:12] And he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.
[00:44:20] And Jesus said to him, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
[00:44:29] Now, the reality of that is that one thief had a level of pride and had a level of entitlement.
[00:44:38] Had a level of, hey, since you're this Christ guy, you're this Jesus guy, why don't you save me and yourself save all of us? Why don't you show your miraculous glory? It was actually a mock, but I love how the other thief, the other criminal said, hold on. Do you not recognize that what we have done deserves death, but what he has done deserves life?
[00:45:12] And then that criminal took the posture of just saying, please have mercy on me when you ascend to your father.
[00:45:24] And that's the way that we should be every single time.
[00:45:31] We need to recognize that although we think we are perfect, we are not.
[00:45:40] And the only reason why our destination is in heaven is because Jesus took the posture with us the same way that he took the posture with that criminal.
[00:45:52] Because the things that we have done deserves death.
[00:45:59] But he took the death on our behalf so that we can have life and life eternal, not just in heaven, but even have life here on earth. Sometimes we forget that Jesus partied and we think that being a Christian means that we just have to be this dull.
[00:46:21] Woe is me chando ha ye bade ta ta basha.
[00:46:26] I am praying in tongues, and I am in the spirit all the time because I'm a Christian. I will not laugh. I will not go have fun. I will not go to someone's house and have communion and break bread.
[00:46:41] That's not. Jesus was like, we had a party.
[00:46:45] Okay, Mary. Jesus, can you turn it? It's not my time. All right, look, let's make some wine.
[00:46:53] Party it up. We're going to make the best wine.
[00:46:57] Hey, disciples, go take this room. We're going to go up here. Like, we have to understand that to be more like, jesus is not taking a fraction of the Bible here. But excluding all of this.
[00:47:12] Oh, I'm going to take this part of the Bible where it talks about Jesus walking on water. I want to be a walking on water Jesus person, but we don't want to be a called Lazarus out of the grave person.
[00:47:25] When we say that we want to be more like Jesus, we have to embody all that Jesus went through.
[00:47:35] And anytime that we have a doubt of who Jesus is and what he did and how he handled it, we can just go back to the word because it's there.
[00:47:48] And I would say to you all, when you are struggling with the process of being more like Jesus, the best way to get through is to say Jesus, take over.
[00:48:06] The best way to be more like Jesus is letting go of your control, letting go of your will, letting go of the reality that you think that you know best.
[00:48:26] And in those moments, if you want to be more like Jesus, you say, Father, I decrease.
[00:48:34] I don't know how to solve this. I don't know how to figure this out. I don't even know what I'm doing, but I know you do.
[00:48:44] So I give it to you. I want to be more like you. So in this moment, help me to be more like you.
[00:48:54] So as the worship team comes back, I do want to pray for the individuals that have struggled with being more like Jesus.
[00:49:10] And I know that it's a crazy altar call because we all have struggled to be more like Jesus.
[00:49:19] And like I told you at the beginning, I'm not preaching or teaching to you. I'm receiving with you because I'm here because I want to be more like Jesus.
[00:49:32] And there are moments that I face on a daily basis where I have to remind myself that I have to show compassion.
[00:49:41] I have to remind myself that there will be trials and temptations and challenges that I have to persevere through and just push through and sometimes encourage myself because there is no one outside of myself that will encourage me. So I have to tap into the intimate relationship that I have with the father and just say, be here, Father.
[00:50:09] There are times where I have to forgive.
[00:50:14] I have to forgive for people doing things directly to me or doing things that affect the people around me.
[00:50:24] So if that's you this morning and you just want us to pray with you, that's the whole point. We're partnering our faith with yours, we're partnering our faith with yours, and we just want to pray with you that each day from this moment forward, you will live a life that's more like Jesus.
[00:50:50] I actually desire that. I am so much like Jesus, every day, more and more every day, that strangers will start to approach and say, what are you about? Who are you?
[00:51:06] Why are you different? There's something different about it. That's how much I want to be transformed to be more like Jesus. Because when Jesus went places, people knew that there was a difference. There was something about him that they either questioned because they were intrigued and curious, or they heard of the signs and wonders and the miracles they did. And they were like, I want to be a part of that.
[00:51:33] Or because the enemy had them so confused and bound that they wanted to try to kill.
[00:51:42] And the reality is, as believers, as followers of Christ, his word tells us that our lives are supposed to be the same.
[00:51:50] We're supposed to be his hands and feet.
[00:51:53] We're supposed to be vessels that his spirit is operating through, that when people see us, when people hear us speak, we don't even have to say, Jesus. Jesus, Jesus. We don't have to say God the father. They will actually see Jesus through our actions. They will hear Jesus through our words.
[00:52:12] And then there will be moments where they will say, what must I do to be saved?
[00:52:20] So, Father, we thank you for today.
[00:52:24] We thank you that we want to be more like you and father. Although it may be challenging at times, that is a reality.
[00:52:35] But let us remember that we can always go back to your word. We can go back to the example that you wrote at the beginning of time, before time even existed. Because your word exists with you. It's outside of time.
[00:52:52] So let your word be branded on our hearts. But we have to seek time with you, Father. We have to have time with you, Father. Father, for us to be more like you, we have to know you.
[00:53:06] And so, Father, we want to know more of you right now.
[00:53:11] And as we go back into worship, Lord God, I pray in the name of Jesus that any individual that has heard this message today, that there will be a level of conviction, there will be a level of searching themselves.
[00:53:30] Even as I search myself, I pray that you will reveal the areas where I am not like you, so that I can let those areas come to your feet, to your altar, and let them go.
[00:53:48] Father, it's nothing for us to be a part of the in crowd.
[00:53:57] We are to be peculiar people. We are to be somewhat outsiders because we are in a world that is lost.
[00:54:08] But, Father, you are sending us out in that world to be more like you, so that those that are lost can be found. Those that do not know who you are, Jesus, they will call upon your name.
[00:54:21] So right now. We thank you, Father.
[00:54:25] And if there's anyone here that does not know Jesus as their lord and savior, they don't know what it's like to be like him. But they want to go on that journey.
[00:54:38] I'd ask as well for you to come down and we'll pray with you. We'll lead you in a prayer that will start you on the journey of being more like Jesus.
[00:54:51] So, Father, we thank you.
[00:54:53] Have your way.