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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Philip Milosavljevic

Do You Really Want to Be Like Jesus?

Luke, you have a great team here, brother.

Thank you so much, Christian, for inviting me this morning.

Friends, it's a privilege to stand before you here at Advent Hope.

I really believe, And I tell this to people regularly, I think we have 1 of the most impactful, mission-minded, young adult communities in Adventism here in North America founded in Advent Hope.

I trust the leadership that's here, and I'm really proud to say as a pastor that we are all thrilled for the kingdom vision that happens out of this place.

But this morning, I want to share with you 1 of the most destructive, disease-like, and infectious mindsets that can kill mission and vision.

And so this morning, my prayer is that you would really guard yourselves and thoughtfully think through your life this morning.

So before I go any further, I want to pray with you, and then we're going to dive into an exciting passage of Scripture that I can't wait to look into with you.

Jesus, amazing God, holy Father, this morning, Father, my prayer is that your people would be sanctified, purified, and truly look like the 1 they call themselves after.

Jesus, my prayer is that we would recognize that hell is a real place, that it is an existence that some will face and so is eternity with you.

And so Lord, my prayer is that you would teach us to have more compassion, have more eagerness to take risk for the gospel's sake.

Lord, my prayer is that this morning, you would change us into a greater likeness like the Father.

That we would sense and know that you are a God who is for us.

Father, my prayer is also that You would speak in spite of me.

This morning, I challenge you to think with me the role of what an actor is.

Actors are incredible people that many people will emulate.

When I was a young kid, I tried to act like my big brother.

And that was kind of dangerous when I'd get to a bully and I realized I wasn't as muscular as he was.

But you see, actors also can go a little bit too far.

In a famous film and a series of films on the work and life of Batman, there was 1 actor, Heath Ledger, who took his role to imitate so seriously, playing the villain, the Joker.

It's an evil role, really, in its fullest extent.

It was a role to play a villain who would capture the hero, but he would do anything he needed to capture him, living in the dark shadows of the sewage systems, having goons that were on his side.

And this actor, Heath Ledger, wanted to embody this role so deeply that he decided to live into the mindset of what he believed the joker would be like.

And so for several weeks and even months, he locked himself into a hotel room in preparation for this role.

He started to just think the thoughts of the Joker.

He started to play mind games with himself if he had to do evil things.

How would he live as if he was the Joker?

He played the role so well that he won awards for what he did.

The problem was the mindset didn't leave him.

When people read his diary of his moments as the Joker, they said that he wrote in such a way that he genuinely no longer believed himself to be Heath, but actually the Joker.

Some soon period time right after that, there were strange drawings in the room that he was in, sketches on the wall, and strange ideas in his journal, and a dead Heath Ledger on the ground.

His journal showed that he no longer believed himself to be Heath himself at all, but actually the joker.

It's a powerful place when you begin to imitate someone and you become like them.

In the passage this morning, Paul, in the book of Philippians, warns us of who we imitate.

But rather than warning us to imitate the world, he calls us to a different reality.

And here, beginning in verse 17, he says, brethren, join me in imitating me.

Now, if some of you are like, that's not a very humble thing to say, is it?

Hey, listen, bro, you could do good by just kind of looking, acting, being like me.

Sister, you've got a long ways to go, but if you want to get to a better place, check me out.

I know some guys are kind of sometimes saying, hey, ladies, check me out a little bit.

But here Paul, in a unique way, he calls the people there in Philippi a Roman outpost in Europe, which was the very first mission establishment there in the European continent that Paul had the great ability to establish a small community there of followers.

Beginning his work there was so successful that an actual small church and community was established.

And these small band of believers started to build up their faith.

And Paul wanting to speak words of encouragement to them while he himself was writing to them from prison, in chains.

We know that because in chapter 1 it repeats over and over that I am in chains and yet I suffer for Christ.

I am in chains and yet I do this for you.

And so here Paul tells them, hey listen, be like me.

I don't know how many people in prison could say, hey listen man, if you want to get somewhere in life, be like me.

If you want to be anyone of significance in this world, you need to be where I am, actually.

I remember visiting a young man in prison, and it was the most heartbreaking reality.

Here he was, completely remorseful of what he had done.

Completely in tears, shattered, embarrassed, embarrassed for his community, for his family, for his parents, for himself.

When he leaves prison, he will no longer be able to just go into any town just as himself.

And it's a horrible existence this young man has to live into.

But Paul on the contrary encourages people, no listen, you want to be like me.

Keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Paul tells them in chapter 1, the imitation that he's calling them to, or in chapter 2 rather, if you look at chapter 2 verses 5 through 8, Here you see this idea.

Let's look at it just briefly for a moment.

Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ, who though was in the form of God didn't count it as equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Jesus took a form of humanity, giving people the ability to see the living God in flesh.

And Paul now, he calls everyone to look at him because he is looking at God.

Paul right here, sorry, maybe we need to use a different 1, shall we?

Paul says, look to me, Paul, because I am looking to Christ, and there are others that you should follow, the us group, which includes Paul and the other apostles, And this is now, he's calling the church in Philippi, Philippi, named after the Prince Philip or the King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great.

And here he's telling these people in Philippi, listen, look to us who look to Paul, who looks to God.

But he's trying to tell them, listen, you have a lot of examples around you in this life.

Imitate me because my chains are for the sake and the glory of Christ.

Chapter 3, right here in the very beginning.

I write these things to you in no trouble to me, but it's safe for you.

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh, for we are the circumcision, who worship God in spirit and truth in the glory of Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Don't imitate those who are trying to take you away from the example of Jesus.

Don't look to them, don't waste your time with them.

Though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh, why would he have reason for confidence in the flesh?

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have even more.

Listen to this, now he begins his boasting a little bit.

He's kind of talking his smack talk here.

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Do You Really Want to Be Like Jesus?

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