Four Weeks From Now: Will You Be Christlike?

Devotional

Day 1: When Jesus Speaks to Others, Listen for You

The text warns against misapplying Scripture by assuming every word is directly for us. Jesus’ harsh words about family betrayal and persecution were meant for disciples facing Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD, not modern believers. Yet the second half of Matthew’s discourse holds timeless truth. Like overhearing a parent’s private advice to an older sibling, we lean in to catch what applies to our story. The key is discerning which words carry eternal weight for all who follow Christ. [47:34]

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, ESV)

Reflection: When have you assumed a biblical warning was about your life, only to realize it addressed a different context? How might this change how you listen to Scripture’s specific invitations for you?

Day 2: Polishing Rusty Nails vs. Forging New Steel

Self-improvement culture promises to help us “find our authentic self,” but Jesus insists we need more than surface fixes. Like a golfer obsessing over swing mechanics while ignoring his warped clubface, we polish behaviors while leaving our sinful nature intact. True transformation isn’t optimizing the old self but being remade into Christ’s likeness—a process requiring surrender, not self-help. [50:29]

“Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires... be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been trying to “polish” a habit instead of asking Christ to reshape your fundamental desires? What makes surrendering control of this process difficult?

Day 3: The Clock on Your Wall of Eternity

Clay Ballard’s golf ad asked, “Four weeks from now, will you be better or the same?” Jesus reframes this urgency spiritually. Each day either draws us closer to Christ’s likeness or lets entropy rule. Like a tournament golfer practicing with the leaderboard in mind, believers live aware of eternity’s timeline. Our devotional choices today shape who we become before the ultimate scorecard—Christ’s judgment seat. [54:42]

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What intentional practice could you start today that would most clearly reflect Christ’s character in you four weeks from now?

Day 4: When Frustration Becomes a Mirror

Complaining reveals misplaced focus. Like a golfer cursing divots instead of adjusting his swing, our gripes about others often mirror our own spiritual misalignment. Jesus confronted hypocrisy not with snark but truth, redirecting attention to grace. Tracking how quickly criticism arises each morning exposes whether we’re centering on Christ’s work or our own unmet expectations. [56:27]

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” (Philippians 2:14-15, ESV)

Reflection: What recurring complaint might God be using to show you an area where He wants to transform your perspective?

Day 5: The Only Minute That Will Ever Matter

Final judgment reduces life to one clarifying moment—Christ either claims us or doesn’t. This truth liberates believers from fretting over temporal failures. Like a golfer who already secured the trophy, we play with freedom, not fear. Our mission becomes helping others prepare for their eternal “US Open moment” through shared grace. [58:18]

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20:12, ESV)

Reflection: How might living with awareness of Christ’s ultimate confession of your name before the Father change your interactions today?

Sermon Summary

Matthew’s missionary discourse puts one of those hard sayings of Jesus right in front of the church. The text first needs its context, because Jesus is not speaking every line straight across to every Christian in every age. The words about brother delivering brother to death and children rising up against parents belong especially to that first generation, the generation moving toward the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The second half opens out more broadly, to every believer who finds himself in a situation where he can speak the good news of the reign of Jesus.

The call into mission is not a to-do list. Jesus is not handing out tasks like, “Do this, do this, and do this.” Christ calls the whole person, because Christ wants the disciple to be like him. The goal is transformation, not religious busyness. The false idea in American Christianity says Christianity exists to help a person become “the best you you can be.” The sharper truth says the most authentic version of the human self is not impressive at all: “a poor miserable sinner.”

Self-improvement cannot reach deep enough. A person does not finally need fixing, but changing. Redemption and transformation go deeper than working on the self, because Jesus is making his people into what C.S. Lewis called “little Christs.” The golf illustration presses that point with a plain question: four weeks from now, the swing will either be straighter or it will not. Applied to discipleship, four weeks from now a Christian will be more like Jesus, the same, or less like him.

The question then becomes concrete. Prayer life, devotional life, and daily patterns all show whether transformation is being welcomed or resisted. Frustration reveals the heart quickly. Complaining, blaming, judging, and going negative show how easily the self becomes the center again. Jesus, by contrast, was focused on Peter after he fell, the man born blind, and the paralyzed man who needed forgiveness. His words were grace, love, encouragement, and truth.

Fear follows when the self takes center stage, because the world becomes a scary place when a person sits at the middle of it. Christ turns eyes back to God, where “not I but Christ in me” becomes freedom from fear. The final promise gives perspective: when Christ is confessed on earth, Christ will confess his people before the Father in heaven. The one moment that finally matters is that judgment, and Jesus’ righteousness is the only thing that makes that moment safe.

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Key Takeaways

1. Context keeps hard words honest Jesus’ hard sayings should not be flattened into one-size-fits-all commands. The text itself makes distinctions between words aimed at the first disciples in their immediate moment and words meant for believers across time. Careful reading protects both reverence for Scripture and peace for troubled consciences. [47:04]
2. Mission forms more than tasks The call into mission is not mainly a checklist of religious activity. Christ calls the whole person because his aim is likeness, not mere usefulness. A disciple is not simply sent to do things for Jesus, but is being shaped to become like Jesus. [48:46]
3. The self needs redemption, not polishing The “most authentic version” of the fallen self is not something beautiful waiting to be discovered. The honest confession is that the self, apart from God’s work, is a poor miserable sinner. Christianity does not offer a cleaner version of self-rule, but a real change through redemption. [50:07]
4. Frustration bends the soul inward Complaining, blaming, and judging are not small habits when they reveal who has become the center. Frustration often exposes the heart’s demand that life serve the self. Jesus shows another way by turning outward in grace, forgiveness, and love toward those who had fallen, suffered, or sinned. [55:36]
5. Christ’s confession steadies earthly witness The final judgment gives weight and perspective to every lesser concern. Earthly moments can feel huge, but only one moment finally matters: standing before the Maker. Christ’s promise to confess his people before the Father gives courage to confess him before others now.

## [57:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[45:51] - A Hard Saying of Jesus
[46:20] - Reading Matthew in Context
[47:04] - Words for the First Disciples
[48:04] - Speaking the Good News of Jesus
[48:46] - Mission Is Not a To-Do List
[49:10] - The Problem With Self-Improvement
[50:07] - Poor Miserable Sinners Need Redemption
[50:44] - Being Made Into Little Christs
[51:09] - The Golf Lesson Illustration
[54:12] - Four Weeks From Now
[54:57] - Prayer, Devotion, and Transformation
[55:36] - Complaining, Blaming, and Judging
[57:06] - Do Not Fear
[57:33] - Christ Confesses His People in Heaven

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Matthew 10:21-22 (ESV): “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Observation Questions

In Matthew 10:21-22, Jesus speaks about family division and persecution. According to the sermon, why is it important to recognize the specific audience and historical context of these verses? [47:04]
The sermon contrasts “self-improvement” with “transformation.” What example was given to illustrate the difference between merely “fixing” ourselves and being changed into “little Christs”? [50:44]
How does the sermon connect daily habits like prayer, devotion, or complaining to the idea of spiritual growth or stagnation? [54:57]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus’ words about family betrayal in Matthew 10:21-22 cause confusion if taken out of their original context? How does understanding the historical setting (e.g., the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD) clarify their meaning?
The sermon argues that frustration often leads to complaining, blaming, or judging. Why do these behaviors reveal a heart that has “become the center again”? [55:36]
How does the promise that Jesus will confess his people before the Father (Matthew 10:32) provide courage for believers facing fear or hesitation in their witness? [57:33]

Application Questions

The sermon asks, “Four weeks from now, will you be more like Jesus, the same, or less like Him?” What specific daily habit (e.g., prayer, Scripture reading, serving others) could you intentionally practice over the next month to welcome transformation? [54:12]
When have you recently noticed yourself complaining, blaming others, or judging? What might that frustration reveal about where your heart is centered? [55:36]
The phrase “not I but Christ in me” (Galatians 2:20) was referenced as freedom from fear. What situation in your life feels “scary” because you’re focusing on yourself, and how could shifting your focus to Christ change your perspective? [57:06]
Jesus prioritized grace and forgiveness for those who failed or suffered (e.g., Peter, the paralyzed man). Who in your life needs encouragement or grace this week, and what practical step could you take to reflect Christ’s love to them?

Sermon Clips

52s

“Those were his words. The most authentic version. And that that phrase, I don't know why, jumped out at me a little bit because I thought to myself, what is the most authentic version of myself? What's the truest version of me? And we just said it this morning, I am a poor miserable sinner. That's what's true about me. Everything else, unless it comes from God, is a little bit made up. I'm trying to cover something up. I've heard people say that, I just need time to work on me. And I have to bite my tongue from saying why. At the end of the day, you can do as much work as you want. You're still going to be a poor, miserable sinner. We don't need fixing. We need changing. We need redemption. We need to be transformed. And that's what Jesus wants to do.”

60s

“And one last word of encouragement, Jesus concludes at least this part of the text, he has a little bit more where he's talking to us with this promise. When we confess him on earth, he will confess us in heaven. A lot of times we can get frustrated because we get too caught up in the things in this world and we get so caught up in the moments that we think that matter but they really don't matter at all. They're not that important in the grand scheme of things. This might help put things in perspective. There's one minute in your life that matters. Matters. There's one moment that really counts and that's when you stand before your maker his judgment upon you. And it goes one of two ways. If Jesus is with you, his righteousness is yours. If he's not, then it goes the other way. That's the moment that matters.”

63s

“Was Jesus ever focused on Jesus? He was focused on Peter lifting him up after he fell down. He was focused on the man who was born blind and told the reason that he was blind is because he was born in sin. He was focused on the paralyzed man and he knew what he really needed and that was forgiveness. And so he said to them, take heart. Your sins are forgiven. He was focused on grace, focused on love. That's what it means to be transformed into his likeness. And you'll notice what happens there. After he talks about this, then he immediately says, do not fear. You know why? Because when we get focused on ourselves, that's kind of where we end up. The world gets the world's a scary place when you're the center of it. But keeping your eyes on God and knowing that he is the one who makes these things happen. Right? The song we just sang, not I but Christ in me. That then takes away that fear in this world.”

45s

“Four weeks from now, it's gonna be one thing or the other. What are you doing today? And thinking about this verse that's been on my mind for the last two weeks, because really, this is kinda like been a three part sermon series for PJ and me talking about what it means to be in mission with Jesus, in relationship with Jesus. And so I just threw that verse in there that we were talking about and I applied it to myself. It says, Jay, four weeks from now, you're either gonna be more like Jesus, the same, or less. Four weeks from now, which one are you gonna be? And the only question is, what are you doing today to make it happen?”

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Four Weeks From Now: Will You Be Christlike?

Devotional

Day 1: When Jesus Speaks to Others, Listen for You

Day 2: Polishing Rusty Nails vs. Forging New Steel

Day 3: The Clock on Your Wall of Eternity

Day 4: When Frustration Becomes a Mirror

Day 5: The Only Minute That Will Ever Matter

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Four Weeks From Now: Will You Be Christlike?

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