What you copy is what you become. In “Copy That,” Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church challenges us, not to replicate what we see in culture, but to imitate the character of Christ.
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
NOTES
Don’t look for the gold, look forward to the Glory of God.
What do you want to be filled with? Fear? Depression? - All you have to do, is what you see the world doing, but if you want to be filled with joy unspeakable full of Glory in the Holy Ghost – you can’t do what the world does and get what THE WORD says.
People do what people see.
That that which you copy is that which you become. That which you believe is that which you become. – it is important that we are careful what we copy.
So, when he says, "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you…" There are a lot of words that were spoken to you and over you and about you that have to be uprooted before the word God spoke about you can be planted.
Even Moses… As holy as he was, as important as he was, as amazing as he was, Moses could only lead them so far. In the middle of this he gives them an instruction as he concludes his letter. He says, "Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith". Or in other words, copy that.
Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". Conform is something you can change. It's like an attitude or a posture. Transform is different. Transform is something that has to happen because of what's on the inside. Since you have Christ inside of you now…
So, what's in you has to come out, and that's why the writer of Hebrews says, "Remember the word of God that was spoken to you, and copy that in your heart. Copy that in your life".
How do you copy what you never saw? "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever". The Devil isn't very creative. God is a creator; the Devil is not. The Devil is so uncreative he only has three temptations. "The love of the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life".
The world worships talent. The world worships sensuality. But the weirdest thing about our culture right now is the way we worship youth. We don't remember our leaders who spoke the Word of God over us. They're irrelevant. They're not trendy. We'd rather go find somebody who hasn't even lived long enough that we can even know if they make it through their 20s. Do they even live to be 30? And we will copy that.
You need to spend more time remembering those who spoke the Word over you, because that's what Jesus did every time he was tempted, and that's what you copy. You fight the world with the Word. You fight the spirit of the world with the Word. So, every time the Devil said, "Do it," Jesus said, "It is written…"
All three things Jesus did to fight temptation, to fight hunger, to fight pride, to fight his senses, and to agree with the Spirit… All three things he said were already written in Scripture.
You know how the Enemy condemns you. "You're worthless. You're this. You're that". Then you start to believe that, and you copy that, and you identify yourself with that. You're a good person. Christ has made you new. You're a new creation in Christ. God made you that way. But if you have bad patterns… The pattern of this world and the renewing of your mind. There are always voices speaking over you and to you and about you. What are you going to copy?
I am not consulting with my Enemy for my life strategy. I'm not going to copy it. I'm not going to take these thoughts and just think them, because I know where they lead. The Enemy will take you back to what you saw all your life. Even as God is blessing you with something better, you will sink back down to the baseline of what you saw, because what you copy in your heart sets the direction of your life.
Discussion Questions:
1. Has God ever directed you to copy someone else? Who was it?
2. Have you ever found yourself worshiping the things of this world? What do/did you worship?
3. What example do you want to set for others?
4. What are ways we can put God first in our lives?
5. Do you find fulfillment in chasing God, or chasing the things of this world (Money, cars, fame, etc.)?
6. People do what people see. - Whether we know it or not, we can influence others just by the things we do and what others see us do. We lead by example *so we need to be careful about our choices and the example we set* Agree/Disagree? (Or what do you think that means?)
7. What was your biggest take away?
Read Mathew 4, 5 & 6.
Read Romans 12:2
"Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." It's a proverb so old, some say no one really knows where it came from anymore. – but the actual book of Provers 13:20 says: If you want to grow in wisdom, spend time with the wise. Walk with the wicked and you’ll eventually become just like them. (The Passion Translation) - Which is why it is important to be plugged in with a monthly growth group, a weekly home group and serving on a team – Church is not enough; those close interpersonal relationships can help us deal with life’s pressure and stress. Are you attending a home group or serving on an FV team? If not consider getting plugged in.
Further Study:
Watch: Be Careful What You Copy | Pastor Steven Furtick | Elevation Church - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YowL9QXxykWatch Denzel Washington’s “Put God First” speech: Put God First - Denzel Washington Motivational & Inspiring Commencement Speech - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxY_eJLBflk&t=212s