Imitation or Innovation: What to do When There is Nothing Else to Do

Introduction:

Good Morning!  For those of you who do not know me, my name is Andy Beltz and I am a member here at LCC.  If you are visiting, we are thrilled to have you here.  We are excited about what is happening here.  Rick asked me about six months ago if I would like to speak and I appreciate the opportunity to share one of the most important lessons I have learned about being a Christian.  If you are visiting, Rick will be back and he is awesome. I appreciate him even more now that I have prepared this sermon.  I can’t understand how he brings it the way he does every single week!  While I will do my best this morning, I know imitating him will be impossible,  Imitation is part of what I will be talking about.   Please find your handouts, grab a pen/follow along on the powerpoint.  

Imitation actually became a learned habit for me at a very young age.  I imitated so many people!  At age four I imitated Superman by putting on my superman cape and climbing a tree and trying to fly.  I remember my bus driver having a tape deck in his bus.  He would play the Footloose soundtrack and I loved that song and Let’s Hear it for the Boy.  I remember thinking, “I am going to have a tape player in every car I own when I am older!”   My neighbor would imitate the Iron Sheik on me! Because I imitated shows like that, my Mom would get me bracelets like this: WWJD.  Of course I wanted to imitate Jesus!  There was Karate Kid (save the princess/the crane), Who didn’t want to be Like Mike!  Nolan Ryan, and then Orel Hershiser (one finger curve Breakaway magazine).  One of my big goals as a teenager was to play Division I baseball.  I walked on in the fall of my Freshman year at Bowling Green State University, but was given a speech that put things into perspective.  The head coach explained to me that my situation was basically like Rudy.  I admired Rudy, but with the primary goal to be a physical therapist, I did not care to imitate Rudy.

That was a turning point.  As an 18 year old boy, I could handle disappointment.  However,  school was crazy hard.  Competition to get into PT school was high.  They were admitting 20 out of 200 applicants.  I got a C on my first biology test which was basically unacceptable.   But after making the sacrifice to quit baseball and focus on school, I expected things to get better.  Unfortunately, it was within a very short time that I received a C on an English paper and that took me to my breaking point.  I couldn’t take it anymore.  So, I did what any other 18 year old. boy in the mid 90s at BGSU would have done.  I went back to my dorm room and watched Tommy Boy!  Usually the scene at the beginning where he looks for his grade on the wall  with all of his classmates to see if he is going to graduate, you know, “...D+  I’m going to graduate.  It’s not a grade they like to give out I will tell you that,”  would make me feel better.  But this time, it didn’t help.  I felt so much like a failure.  I felt like there was nothing else I could do.   I fell to the ground crying pounding my fists to the floor.  That is when my straight A roommate walked in.  I will never forget the look on his face.  Talk about awkward!  

You see, when we feel lost, trapped, or that we cannot win, it is then that handling the normal temptations of life can become even more tough.  What do we do when there is nothing else we can do?  We all have appetites that lead to feelings that lead to thoughts that lead to behaviors that make habits.  These appetites, when fed, will release dopamine that makes you feel good.  The more you feed them, the bigger they get. We have appetites for love, meaning, success, money, acceptance.  We can become addicted to not just substances, but we can become addicted to gossip, worry, grumbling, doubt, envy, anger and self-criticism!   In other words, these behaviors become habits-  unconscious events that our bodies seem to do naturally!! 

Indeed, as John Ortberg recently stated, "when appetites go untrained, they become our gods."   For example, what do you tend to think when you are: bored, sad, disappointed, frustrated, scared, lacking confidence, feeling attacked?  We like habits!  Habits are efficient and easy.  Will power is not the best way to train our habits.  When you are 18, will power works great when you come home from a weekend retreat or a week of camp. However, that usually only lasts a few days.  How well does willpower work when you are given bad news?  How well does WWJD work when you are exhausted, feel lost, not sure how things will work out?

Here is the main point of this morning.  This is what I really need you all to know!     

I. Imitation doesn’t work because we cannot manufacture the character of Christ.

A.                  Asking WWJD isn’t bad in itself, but it doesn’t change appetites or feelings.

a.                   Can you relate?

B.                  Did you ever fall prey to the “as soon as myth?”

 .                     I remember being 10 and thinking, “as soon as I am baptized, all these less desired thoughts, feelings, and behaviors will go away.”  

a.                   Did you ever think all your old temptations, behaviors, and habits would all get washed down the drain of the baptismal and you would be a perfect Christian...you just needed to add water?  Perhaps just like instant mashed potatoes...just add water! 

C.                  When we become Christians, there is good news and bad news.  The good news is , our identity is renewed, but our mind is not renewed.  

 .                     So what do you do when there is nothing else you can do? (Liam said, “I go fishing.”)

a.                   Perhaps, you can relate with the Israelites- Cycle of sin?

b.                  Perhaps you never dreamed life would end up like this.  Thought life would be better.  You have tried hard, joined the group, joined the plan, had some highs and lows, but you feel like you are pretty much right where you left off.

c.                   Maybe you hoped you would have more money by now, a bigger house, a better marriage, a marriage period, didn’t get into school you hoped, never imagined you would be alone, didn’t think you would have to put up with a certain illness, or maybe you imagined being “a better Christian” by now.

d.                  I mean, instead of “like Mike” it looks like you are being given the chance to be “like Rudy” and that is not the future you have always hoped for?

e.                   If you are real honest, you are sad, disillusioned, frustrated, sometimes you may not know what to do.  You may even think of giving up.

f.                    What do you do when there is nothing else you can do?  

II.  (Why we need to know) Instead of imitating,  Jesus has a better way- to remain.- John 15:5 (3 translations)

A.                  Remain means abide, stay joined, stay close,        persevere, be faithful.

a.                   Jesus knew life would be different for us.  He knew we could not manufacture his character in ourselves.  

b.                  As we remain, Christ’s character is produced in us through Him.  

B.                  Remaining changes the way you think.  Remaining is not imitating.

 .                     What is the difference between remaining and imitating? Two slides.

a.                   Jesus says, “I know you keep losing to that appetite, but stay close.  I know you lost a loved one, but persevere, I know you think your dreams aren’t going to come true, but just hang on!  If you are faithful, if you know me, if you really stick with me through thick and thin, you will bear fruit.  If you don’t give up when things are hard, if you don’t lose focus on me when you are distracted, you will bear fruit.   In other words, just think about hanging on.  Think about persevering in me.  Don’t think about imitating me.  Think about staying close.  In the old testament it was about following commands. Back in the day, we wanted you to imitate.  Now we want you to keep it relational. 

C.                  Big question: Are you trying to be like Jesus (WWJD) or are you trying to associate with Jesus (remaining)  Are you an imitator or an associator?  I want to be clear, trying to imitate Jesus is ok as long as you do it for the purpose of association.

III. (What need to do)  Focus on growing your relationship with Jesus- on association not imitation.  

A.                  Repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38)

a.                  Repent= Change the way you think

i.Steven Covey subway story.

b.                  Right thinking over time with God’s help- Changed life

c.                   Be transformed by renewing your mind (Roman 12:1-2)

B.                  Clothe self with Christ (Romans 13:14) and have faith He can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

C.                  Hold to His teaching (John 8:31)

D.                 Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:19) (Faith without deeds is dead)

E.                  Find right cocktail of spiritual disciplines (praying, memorizing, mantras- He can do immeasurably more, to know your love that surpasses knowledge, I can’t, but He can, open the eyes of my heart, with God all things are possible, etc, praise/worship, small group time, counseling, sermons/podcasts, serving, listening to inspirational music, memorization, etc.   

 .                     Use these tools to train spiritually.  Ask, are you trying or training?

a.                   Feelings lie.  Don’t wait until you feel like it.  Think the way you want to feel and eventually you will feel the way you think.

b.                  Check your daily routines.  May help to combine physical training.

 .Untrained appetites become our Gods.

F.                  We must become innovators instead of imitators.  

G.                  Jesus will manufacture His character through us.

 .                     He is the vine and we are the branch.  Jesus knew the branch did not produce fruit.  It was the vine that produced the fruit through the branch.  We can’t produce fruit apart from him. 

a.                   We cannot manufacture the character of Christ.  We must let Christ produce His character through us.  We can’t copy the vine.  Focus not on becoming, but on abiding.  Learn to stay close. 

b.                  Production of His character in us will be unconscious.

 .Share unconscious vs. conscious walking/balance.

IV. (Why we need to do it?) He will do greater things through his Holy Spirit (John 14:12)

A.                  Our church is a launchpad.  We are innovators for our changing world.

a.                   If our church were to cease to exist, would anyone other than us notice? (Faith without deeds is dead).

b.                  Community needs us

i.CNN, Washington Post, and USA Today

c.                   We get distracted (Zoo story)- Little boy was told to stay close, but got distracted and got lost.  

d.                  Imagine if we stay close! (pictures of dog owners)

B.                  We are the glove and He is the hand.

 .                     What if I could somehow put Michael Jordan on?  If I could clothe myself with Michael Jordan?  What if Michael Jordan could come live inside you and somehow transform you into him?  

a.                   Exchanged life is when we say, “less of me and more of you.  I can’t, but He can.”   Not by might, nor by power, but by your spirits (Zech 4:6).

b.                  Romans 13:4.  We clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 .Instead of being jealous, I was happy for them

i.Instead of wanting the newest I actually gave more

ii.Instead of getting mad, I understood

iii.Instead of being anxious, I was at peace.

C.                  Imitation is something we do.  Innovation is something He does through us.

 .                     In summary, as long as the branch remains on the vine, the branch doesn’t have to think about producing fruit.  It just does.  Imitation is something we do.  Association allows Him to do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine through us.  We can’t, but He can.  Instead of imitators, He makes us innovators.

a.                  Today, if you are kicking the tires of Christianity, we invite you to take the first step of association.  Perhaps you haven’t been sure whether or not you could do all the right things.  You are worried you will never be good enough to be a Christian.  Good news, it was never about you imitating anyone.  It is about you hanging with Jesus.  Staying close.  Knowing Him.  Then, don’t worry, he will produce His character inside you with time.