1 John 2:6 - THE ULTIMATE ROLE MODEL

1 JOHN 2:6, JOHN 15:1-8

THE ULTIMATE ROLE MODEL

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "One thing which contributed to make Caesar's soldiers invincible was their seeing him always take his share in danger and never desire any exemption from labor and fatigue. We have a far higher incentive in the war for truth and goodness when we consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against himself." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Henrietta Mears said:

Love when you expect no love in return.

Do good without expecting thanks.

Lend when you do not hope for a return.

This will make us act like the sons and daughters of the Most High. Henrietta Mears in Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story. Christianity Today, Vol. 35, no. 6.

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Jimmy Carter said, "God trusts us to make the best use of the time we have, to try to live like Jesus and to make our lives meaningful and beneficial to others no matter where we are." Rosalynn Carter, quoting Jimmy Carter, Marriage Partnership, Vol. 5, no. 1.

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have had role models, those whom we have patterned our lives after.

Some of our role models were not necessarily chosen by us, but because of their influence in our lives we patterned our lives after them. Most of us have turned out to be a lot like our parents in some ways. I believe that's because they became our role models.

Other role models have been chosen by us. I have often talked to you about my former pastor, my mentor, Pastor George Headley. In many ways my ministry has been patterned after him. Dottie and I had friends in our church in New Jersey, Ed and Janet Apgar, who were role models for us in raising teenagers. They had sons a few years older than us, and we learned from them.

It is valuable to have good role models. It is also valuable to be a good role model. The Bible is loaded with role models for us to follow. This morning I want us to consider the ultimate role model, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

James Rowe wrote,

Earthly pleasures vainly call me; I would be like Jesus;
Nothing worldly shall enthrall me; I would be like Jesus.

He has broken every fetter, I would be like Jesus;

That my soul may serve Him better, I would be like Jesus.

All the way from earth to glory, I would be like Jesus;
Telling over and over the story, I would be like Jesus.

That in heaven He may meet me, I would be like Jesus;

That His words “Well done” may greet me, I would be like Jesus.

Be like Jesus, this my song, In the home and in the throng;
Be like Jesus, all day long! I would be like Jesus. James Rowe, Benton D. Achley, I Would Be Like Jesus, ©1940 by the Rodeheaver Company

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

To be like Jesus is a great and admirable goal, and it is a Biblical Command. Not only does 1 John 2:6 tell us to be like Jesus, but Jesus told us to be like Jesus!

Luke 6:40 - The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

Luke 9:23 - And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

If we will truly follow Jesus, we will be like Him.

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

To be like Jesus is a tremendous goal, a wonderful goal, and a Biblical goal. But we have a problem! We can't do it! Jesus was God in the flesh we are not. Jesus is sinless, we are not. Jesus is perfect, we are not.

Many a person has tried to be like Jesus and has failed miserably!

Perhaps even you have made a sincere effort to be like in Jesus in one way or in many ways and have found it to be near impossible.

I would like to share with you this morning how it is possible for you to obey this verse.

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Please turn to John 15:1-8.

Our goal is to be like the ultimate role model, The Lord Jesus Christ. We want to walk as He walked, as 1 John 2:6 tells us to.

This passage gives us an idea of how to do it successfully.

We want to see:

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

THE PRUNING FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 2-3

THE PROCESS FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 4,5,7

THE PRODUCE FROM WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vs. 8

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

Please look at the last phrase in John 15:5

It says, for without me ye can do nothing.

The topic in this passage is fruit bearing. And Jesus is telling his disciples that apart from Him we are totally unable to do anything truly productive. …for without me ye can do nothing.

This is of course is true for getting to Heaven.

Jesus did for you what you couldn't do for yourself: atone for your sins.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Now, not only do you need Jesus to save you, you need Jesus to empower you to walk as he walked. You couldn't live right before coming to Jesus for forgiveness and you can't live right now unless the Lord Jesus gives you the power to do so.

John 15:1 - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

A vine is a living organism. A vine is rooted in the ground. The vine is the source of life and power for the branches. It is the sap in the vine that gives life and fruit to the branches.

David DeWitt - "In Hampton Court near London, there is a grapevine under glass; it is about 1,000 years old and has but one root which is at least two feet thick. Some of the branches are 200 feet long. Because of skillful cutting and pruning, the vine produces several tons of grapes each year. Even though some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they bear much fruit because they are joined to the vine and allow the life of the vine to flow through them.

"The same is true of the true vine –Jesus Christ. The vitality of our spiritual lives depends entirely on our connection with the vine. The question you must answer is this: are you connected with Christ enough to produce good spiritual fruit?" David DeWitt, "Remaining In Christ" http://www.sermoncentral.com/sercentral/sermon.asp?SermonID=35013&ContributorID=3397

Christ is the vine, the source of power for the Christian.

We are not the source of power. We are not vine, we are branches. Branches only prosper as they abide in the vine.

The Apostle Paul knew that Christians need to be aware of just how much power was available for Christians.

In Ephesians 1:19-23 Paul prayed that the Ephesians would know:

Ephesians 1:19-23 - And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, [20] Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, [21] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: [22] And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, [23] Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

By the way, I'm praying that same prayer for you and me.

My friend, if Jesus Christ is this powerful, and He is, we have all the power that we need to walk as He walked. That power is found in the vine!

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

THE PRUNING FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 2-3

When I was younger my father would prune a tree that sat next to our house. Believe me, when he was done, it looked liked he killed the thing. He seemed to be brutal in the removal of branches. But guess what! The tree always grew back and thrived. The pruning was necessary!

God the Father is the husbandman or vinedresser. His goal is for the branches that are in the vine to bear fruit. He does the pruning of dead branches, but he also prunes branches that already bearing fruit. Why does he do that? So they will even be more productive.

As Warren Wiersbe pointed out, sometimes God will remove what is good and even what is better in order to produce what is best. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, ©1989 by Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, Page 356

How does God go about pruning us?

First of all there is the pruning of discipline.

Hebrews 12:5-6 - And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: [6] For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

God also prunes us through trials.

James 1:2-4 - My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; [3] Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. [4] But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

God also prunes through his word.

John 15:3 - Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

God's Word is designed to cleanse us as we respond accordingly.

Psalm 119:11 - Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

How often do you wash? How often do you clean your teeth?

Probably more often than you allow the reading, preaching, and meditation upon God's Word to cleanse your life! What a shame!

In order for us to walk as Jesus walked, we must be willing to allow God the husbandmen to prune us! We must learn from His pruning process.

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

THE PRUNING FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 2-3

THE PROCESS FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 4,5,7

Walking as Jesus walked is a process. It usually does not happen over night. I would like to suggest to you that there are at least three elements involved in this process.

· SURRENDER

John 15:4-5 - 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.

This is the time of year when elementary schools used to have "field days". There were all sorts of races and athletic competitions. One of the big events of field day was the tug of war. Two teams would pull on a rope to see which team was going to out pull the other team.

All too often our Christian experience resembles a tug of war.

The Lord Jesus is pulling in one direction, and saying, "Come this way, my child." On the other hand we pull away saying, "But I want to go this way instead!"

That my friend is not being like Jesus, that's resisting Jesus. When we abide in the Lord Jesus, we are surrendered to staying attached to Him! That means, wherever He is going, we are going, whatever He wants we want, and whatever He is doing, we are doing.

Doing His will is the most important thing in the world because we are abiding, remaining attached to Him. We are surrendered! Bear in mind that we are talking about fruit bearing here, not the security of the believer.

John 15:10 - 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.

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

The first element of abiding is surrender.

· SCRIPTURE

John 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

God's Word is key in the abiding process.

The more God's Word abides in me through reading, memorizing, meditating, and attentively listening to the preaching of God's Word, the more productive we will be. Two Old Testament Scriptures describe it best.

Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Psalm 1:2-3 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The first element for walking as He walked is surrender.

The second element for walking as He walked is Scripture.

· SUPPLICATION

John 15:7 - If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Prayer is a key part of walking as He walked!

The more we are surrendered to Christ, and the more we are saturated in Scripture, the more will we see our prayers answered.

There is a process for walking as He walked. The process includes surrender, Scripture and supplication.

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

THE PRUNING FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 2-3

THE PROCESS FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 4,5,7

THE PRODUCE FROM WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vs. 8

When we think of produce, we think of fruits and vegetables.

God is in the produce business. He's a fruit grower!

John 15:8 - Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

So what kind of fruit do we produce when we walk as He walked?

· FRUIT OF SOULS

John 4:35-36 - Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

· FRUIT OF HOLINESS

Romans 6:22 - But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

· FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

· FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

James 3:18 - And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

· FRUIT OF OUR LIPS

Hebrews 13:15 - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

The ultimate role model is our Lord Jesus Christ!

1 John 2:6 - He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

THE POWER FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 5, 1

THE PRUNING FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 2-3

THE PROCESS FOR WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vss. 4,5,7

THE PRODUCE FROM WALKING AS HE WALKED - Vs. 8

How much of a role model is Jesus in your life?

Do you know Jesus as your Savior?