How do I Become
Like Jesus?

See personal Bible Study Guide below, in the next section.

How important is it for you and I to become like Jesus?
To Walk as Jesus Walked?

• • Does it really matter that much?

  • Does God really care about that or expect it?

  • How will that affect my Eternal Future?

1 John 2:3-6 (KJV) 

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Can you see how tightly worded our walk with Jesus really is?
--As I see it, there is no wiggle room, for faking it.

This is where we need to pay careful attention:

Revelation 21:7-8 (KJV) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful [see The Fearful Hireling] and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Jesus' Message is meant to be simple: so even a young child can grasp it. It can be summarized in one sentence. There are two roads I have to choose from: 1) Leads me into Heaven, 2) Leads me into Hell.

Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV) 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Heaven is reserved for 1) he that overcometh, and 2) walks in the narrow way, that few accept, and many reject.

Believing = receiving the message; overcoming; walking in the narrow way, and ultimately inheriting all things the Father has prepared for you.

Unbelieving = rejecting the message, not overcoming, walking in the wide way, and ultimately, not inheriting all the things the Father has prepared for you.

This is the Pure, Clean, True, and Righteous
Heavenly Expectation embedded in our Salvation Message.

Do you see it? He that overcometh shall inherit all God's heavenly things... that is a condition/expectation: to overcome. 

I begin the journey on the wide road being covered in my Sin,
but I finish the journey on the narrow road being covered in His Righteousness. 

Can you see how that word overcometh, is being applied to the believer?

My Salvation is a living thing. It is constantly growing because living things grow.
It is constantly overcoming, because life has obstacles we must overcome.

It is constantly moving forward, because that's what roads require, until you reach your final destination. You keep walking.

Philippians 3:12-14 (KJV) 

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

When my physical body stops growing, that is when my body starts dying.

When my spiritual body stops growing, that is when it starts dying.

When my spiritual feet stop moving, that is when my spiritual life is over.

But until then, I still have more steps to take, more ground to cover, more life to enter into for the Glory, Honor, Joy, and Fellowhship that is waiting for me with My Heavenly Savior, Jesus Christ, the LORD of Heaven and Earth.

If I am abiding in Christ, I have an infinite ability to keep growing.

If I am not abiding in Christ, I will become stagnate, and begin to die.

What will be the spirit SIGN, of my spiritual DEATH?

Jesus clearly explains this in the Parable of the Vine Branches, in John 15.

Every branch on the vine in the vineyard is intended to grow and bear good fruit.

If a vine branch stops growing, it will get diseased and/or dried out and start dying. It will no longer produce any good fruit. It will suck precious resources away from the branches that do produce fruit. And it will endanger the healthy life of the vine. So that branch will be cut off the vine. 

It is the job of the vine dresser to remove dry, dead, dying, and diseased branches that don't grow and bear good fruit. Later on, they will be burned in the fire, so they don't make a mess in the vineyard, or possibly spread disease in the vineyard.

But every branch that is not diseased, and is securely fastened, and abiding in the vine, will bear good fruit in abundance. This is very pleasing to the Vinedresser. And such vine branches will be carefully protected, from bugs, diseases, and will be well watered.

That's just how good Vineyards manage their grape production.

The people in Jesus audience, fully understood these principles of Vineyard management. Jesus was speaking to an agricultural society. Therefore, they readily understood the message Jesus was teaching in a natural sense. All they needed to do was apply it's principles of Vineyard Management into the spiritual realm to get the whole meaning of Jesus message.

John 15:1-17 (KJV) 

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman [Vinedresser]. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it [prunes, or cuts off], that it may bring forth more fruit. 

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 

10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

• Significance to the Whole: This is the baseline blueprint for the entire biblical metaphor. Jesus establishes that the "vineyard" is a corporate nation (Israel) chosen to produce justice and righteousness, but they failed at their job. They fell asleep at the wheel. Worse than that, they killed the savior that came to save them. And they cast his dead body out of the vineyard.. 

In other words, if I choose to not overcome my sin (my lies, my temptations, my flesh and evil nature, and my worldly mindset, and my number one enemy = self), like the nation of Israel, which chose not to overcome their sin, but rather chose to give into it, to abide in it, and not to abide in Christ: I set myself up for failure in the Kingdom of God. 

As a result, I may end up choosing the Wide Road that leads to Destruction, by leaving the narrow road that leads to Life.

How can I know if I am doing this? 

By simply self-examining my own fruitfulness. I won't have to look very far. The signs will be evident, if I will just choose to look for them. 

Below is a simple list to follow, that will help. You will quickly notice that we are called not only to check our bad fruit, but also our good fruit.

As it has been said: living things grow. Dead things stop growing.
If you and I are alive, we are growing either in one direction or another.

We are called to grow. To mature. To progress. To run our race with endurance. To do battle and overcome our obstacles, and our enemies, which are primarily spiritual enemies. We are called to plant, water, and harvest, good fruit. To prune, cut off, and burn up deadwood, diseased branches, and anything that would defile, or deny Jesus in our testimony before men.

Galatians 5:19-26 (KJV) 

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

If we find anything on the list that is bad in our life, it will produce bad fruit. Therefore, the command of Jesus is to cut it off. 

Jesus said, if your hand causes you to sin cut it off. It's more profitable to enter the kingdom of heaven with one hand, then to enter into the kingdom of hell with both hands. He says the same for our eye, and our foot. If our eye causes us to sin, or our feet cause us to run into sin, it's better that we pluck out one eye, or chop off one foot, than to have both eyes, and both feet walking the broad road that leads to destruction. That is exactly how serious Jesus is about my preparing myself for my entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

That heavenly robe of fine linen, pure and white, is radiant, so bright and shiny with the righteousness of God, in every fiber of the robe. It has no shadow of darkness on it, no stain, no wrinkle, no blemish. That was the robe that the man in the wedding feast rejected. (Mt. 22) When the master of the feast realized him, and realized that he had rejected the righteousness of Christ, he was no longer welcome in the wedding feast, and he was cast out, into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Therefore, it is our fruitfulness, that will be our security, and help us examine exactly what fruits we need to purge, prune, or cut off. And what fruits we need to honor, treasure, empower, exult, and produce.

That's how we can know: who is truly abiding in the Vine, and who is not?-- by the fruit being produced.

Matthew 7:17  (KJV) 

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

The gospel clearly teaches that you will know a good branch (an alive one), a good tree, a good man (confessing Jesus before men), and a true disciple (keeping the commandments of Jesus, out of love, honor and respect for Him)  by the good fruit his life reproduces. 

And likewise, you will know a bad branch (a dead or dying one), a bad tree, a bad man (who will deny Jesus before men), and a false disciple (who is choosing not to learn, nor to keep the commandments of Jesus) by the bad/corrupt fruit his life reproduces.

The proof of my inheriting the Kingdom is my new overcoming nature, desire, and mindset--to bring honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving to God, for all the provision he has provided for me to overcome all that is against me, and against the kingdom of God. 

The receipts are given: fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerors, idolaters, & Liars.

I believe that those who will be welcomed to enter through the gates of Heaven will know Jesus, and be like him. 1) They will know Him, and 2) He will know them. Both those points are critical to our understanding of our 1) Salvation Message, and 2) Our Heavenly Invitation.

Am I like Jesus?

• • Do I talk like Jesus?

  • Do I walk like Jesus?

  • Is Everyone in Heaven is going to be Like Jesus?

They will be Born Again.

1. 1. Their Hearts will be cleansed from Sin.

   2. Their Minds will be renewed.

   3. Their Desires will be to bring honor to His Name.

   4. Their entire Lives will be Transformed.

No One will walk into Heaven who is unclean, unrenewed, still desiring to persevere in their sin, instead of persevering in their new life of holiness. No one untransformed will be wearing His Robe of Righteousness, and have oil in their lamp, full of the Oil of God.

As you likely do know: repentance is a daily action, just like taking up our cross daily and following him, is a daily action. 

Repentance is not something you do once in your lifetime, at a church altar call, at the beginning of your walk with Jesus. 

For most everyone, we must confess our sins to Jesus on a daily basis, that's an everyday part of our walk, asking for forgiveness and help to overcome every sin and trespass that we may encounter in any one single day. There's no shame in repenting.

There is shame and not repenting. Or in continuing to abide in a sin, the same sin, we keep doing that's getting into a spirit of rebellion, and that's not a good thing. There is a danger of a thing called the "reprobate" mind. See Romans chapter 1. Once we fall into that category or somewhat doomed. That means we've hardened our heart so far that we are not able to even desire repentance.

Means we just throw in the towel and give it to sand completely. We let our addiction run our life. Whether that addiction is greed, lust, pride, position, anger, jealousy, revenge, whatever our sinful hierarchy is producing in us, if we don't stop fighting it it will take over our lives.

Jesus says that the end result of a man who doesn't repent from his sense as worse, soft than the beginning. I'll just take that as a bad thing to allow oneself to get into.

If you have truly begun this Journey with your WHOLE HEART, you are truly in for a wild ride, something even far beyond those extreme sports acheivements you see from time to time on the Big Screen, skate boarders, bicyclers, motorcycle extremistes. They are amazing. But your journey in Christ walking in step with Him is far far far more amazing that you can even imagine.

Keep to the Course. Run the Race. Win the Prize.

Heaven is your Reward!

Shalom,

TPD