“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus”-Acts 4:13.

Behold! what a change divine grace will work in a person, and in a very short a time. That same Peter, who, when Jesus was arrested, only followed Christ from a distance, and called down curses on himself and swore that he did not even know Him. This same Peter, is now to be found side by side with the loving John, boldly declaring that there is salvation in no other name except that of Jesus Christ, and preaching the resurrection of the dead, through the sacrifice of his dying Lord.

The Scribes and Pharisees soon discover the reason of his boldness. They correctly guessed that it rested not in his learning or his talents, for neither Peter nor John had been educated; they had been trained as fishermen; their education was a knowledge of the sea-of the fisherman's craft; they had no other skills; their boldness could not therefore spring from the self-sufficiency of knowledge, but from the Spirit of the living God.

Nor did they acquire their courage from their standing in society; for rank will confer a sort of dignity upon a man, and make him speak with a feigned authority, even when he has no talent or genius; but these men were, as it says in the original Greek text, idiotai, which would means “private men,” who stood in no official capacity; men without rank or standing. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unschooled and ordinary individuals, they marveled, and they came to a right conclusion as to the source of their power-they had been living with Jesus. Their conversation with the Prince of light and glory, and backed up, as they might have also known, by the influence of the Holy Spirit, without which even that eminently holy example of Christ would have been in vain, all this had made them bold for their Master's cause.

Oh! my brethren, it would be good if this proclamation, which was forced from the lips of enemies, could also be compelled by our own example. If we could live like Peter and John; if our lives were living epistles “known and read by everybody;” if, whenever we were seen, men would take note of us, that we had been with Jesus, it would be a wonderful thing for this world, and a blessed thing for us. It is concerning this that I am speaking to you this morning; and as God gives me grace, I will endeavor to stir up your minds by way of remembrance, and urge you also to imitate Jesus Christ, our heavenly pattern, that men may understand that you are disciples of the Holy Son of God.

This morning, I will first tell you what a Christian should be; secondly, I will tell you when he should be so; thirdly, why he should be so; and then fourthly how he can be so.

I. As God may help us then, first of all, we will speak of WHAT A BELIEVER SHOULD BE.

A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read various descriptions of the life of Christ, beautifully and eloquently written, and you have admired the talent of the persons who could write so well; but the best life of Christ is his living biography, written out in the words and actions of His people. If we, my brethren, were what we profess to be; if the Spirit of the Lord were in the heart of all his children, and if, instead of having an abundance of people who only go through the motions of Christianity, if instead, we were all true possessors of that vital grace, then I would tell you not only what we ought to be, but what we should be: we should be pictures of Christ, yes, such striking representations of Him that the world would not have to examine us for hours, and say, “Well, it seems somewhat of a likeness;” rather that they would, when they first looked at us, exclaim, “He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of Him; he is like Him; he has caught the very idea of the holy Man of Nazareth, and he expands it out into his very life and every day actions.”

In enlarging upon this point, it will be necessary to assume, that when we affirm that men should be such and such a thing, we refer to the people of God. We do not wish to speak to them in any legal way. We are not under the law, but under grace. Christians are required to keep all of God's commands; but the reason why they do so is not because the law is binding upon them, but rather, because the gospel constrains them; they believe, that having been redeemed by divine blood; having been purchased by Jesus Christ, they are more compelled to keep His commands, than they would have been if they were under the law; they hold themselves to be ten thousand times more in debt to God, than they could have been under the Mosaic Law. Not of force; not of compulsion; not through fear of the whip; not through legal bondage; but through pure, love and gratitude to God, they lay themselves out for His service, seeking to be "true Israelites, in whom there is nothing false."

I have made it a point, to declare what I did, to ensure that no one would think that I am preaching works as the way of salvation; I will yield to none of this, for I will always maintain-that we are saved by grace, and not by ourselves; but I must equally testify, that when a person is saved and filled with the grace of God, then good works will always be produced.

Again, when I say that a believer should be a striking likeness and picture of Jesus, I do not suppose that any one Christian will perfectly exhibit all the features of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; yet, my brethren, the fact that perfection is beyond our reach, should not diminish the eagerness of our desire to attain it. The artist, when he paints, knows very well that he shall not be able to surpass that famous Greek artist Apelles; but that does not discourage him; he carefully uses his brush, that he may, at least in some humble measure, resemble the great master. Likewise the sculptor, though persuaded that he will not rival the celebrated Greek sculptor Praxiteles, he will still chip out the marble, and seek to fashion it to be as accurate to the model as possible. In the same way, the Christian; though he feels he never can mount to the heights of complete excellence, and perceives that he can never become, on earth, the exact image of Christ, still he holds it up before him as his goal, and measures his own deficiencies by the distance between himself and Jesus. This he will do; forgetting all he has attained, he will press forward, crying, Excelsior! Forward! Advance! going higher still, desiring to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ Jesus.

This is a virtue now-a-days called impudence, which is the quality of being offensively bold, but the grace is equally valuable by whatever name it may be called. I suppose if the Jewish leaders had given a definition of Peter and John, they would have called them impudent fellows.

Jesus Christ and His disciples were noted for their courage. “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Jesus Christ never bowed down to the rich, nor to the great and noble; He stood erect, a man before men-the prophet of the people; speaking out boldly and freely what He thought.

A perfect example of this is found in that mighty deed of His, when going to the city where He had lived and been brought up. Knowing that a prophet had no honor in his own country, the sacred scroll was put into His hands (He had only just begun His ministry), yet without tremor He unrolled the sacred volume, and what did he take for his text? Most men, coming to their own neighborhood, would have chosen a subject adapted to the desires of the people, in order to earn fame. But what doctrine did Jesus preach that morning? One which in our age is scorned and hated-the doctrine of election.

He opened the Scriptures, and began to read: “There were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed-only Naaman the Syrian."

Then he began to tell, how God saves whom He pleases, and rescues whom He chooses. Oh! how they gnashed their teeth at Him, dragged Him out, and would have thrown Him off the cliff. Don’t you admire his resolute courage? He saw their teeth gnashing; He knew their hearts were hot with hatred, while their mouths foamed with revenge and hostility; still He stood like the angel who shut the lions' mouths; He did not feared them; faithfully He proclaimed what He knew to be the truth of God, and still read on, despite them all. So, it was in all of His sermons and messages. If he saw a Scribe or a Pharisee in the congregation, He did not keep hold back any part of the truth, but pointing His finger, He said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” And when one of the experts in the law came, saying, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us;” He turned around and said “You experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”

Jesus preached and taught only honest truth; He never knew the fear of man; No one caused Him to tremble; He stood out among all of God's chosen ones, careless of man's esteem. My friends, be like Christ in this. If you are true servants of God, be like Jesus Christ, be bold for your master; never blush to admit that you are a Christian; your profession of faith will never disgrace you; be careful that you never disgrace your faith. Your love of Christ will never dishonor you; it may bring some temporary scorn from your friends, or slander from your enemies; but live on, and you shall live down their slander; live on, and you shall stand among the glorified, honored even by those who hissed at you, when Jesus shall come to be glorified by His angels, and admired by them that love Him. Be like Jesus, very bold for your God, so that when they shall see your boldness, they may say, “He has been with Jesus.”

Just as no one feature will give a portrait of a man; so the one virtue of boldness will never make you like Christ. There have been some who have been noble men, but have carried their courage to excess; they have thus been exaggerations of Christ, and not portraits of Him. We must mix with our boldness the loveliness of Jesus' disposition. Let courage be the brass, let love be the gold. Let us mix the two together; so we produce a rich metal, fit to be manufactured into the beautiful gate of the temple. Let your love and courage be mingled together. The Christian who is bold may indeed accomplish wonders. John Knox accomplished a lot, but he might have done more if he had had a little love. Luther was a conqueror-and we honor his name!-still, we who look upon him from a distance, think that if he had sometimes mixed a little mildness with it-if, while he had been resolute in action, he had also been gentle in manner, and spoken somewhat more mildly, he might have done even more good than he did.

So brethren, while we too are bold, let us always imitate the loving Jesus. The child comes to him; He takes him on His knee, and says, “"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” A widow has just lost her only son; Jesus weeps at the funeral, and with a word, restores life to the dead man. He sees a paralytic, a leper, or a bed-ridden man; He speaks, they rise, and are healed. He lived for others, not for Himself. His constant labors were without any motive, except the good of those who lived in the world. And we all know the mighty sacrifice He made, when He humble Himself by laying down His life for man-when on the cross, trembling with agony, and hanging in the shame and suffering of crucifixion, He submitted to death for our sakes, that we might be saved.

Observe that love is summed up in Christ! He was one mighty pillar of benevolence. As God is love, so Christ is love. Oh, you Christians, you be loving also. Let you love and your generosity beam out on all men. Do not say, “keep warm and well fed,” but “give food and comfort to all.” If you cannot imitate unlock the prison doors-if you cannot visit that sad house of misery, yet each in your proper sphere, speak kind words, do kind actions; live out Christ again in the kindness of your life. If there is one virtue which most commends Christians, it is that of kindness; it is to love the people of God, to love the church, to love the world, to love everyone. But oh how many Crab-tree Christians are found in our churches, who have mixed such a vast amount of vinegar, and such a tremendous quantity of rudeness in their dispositions, that they can scarcely speak one good word to you: they think it is impossible to defend Christianity except by passionate agitation; they cannot speak for their dishonored Master without being angry with their opponent; and if anything is wrong, whether it be in the home, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive it to be their duty to set their faces like flint, and to defy everybody. They are like isolated icebergs, no one cares to go near them. They float about on the sea of forgetfulness, until at last they are melted and gone; and though, they were saved souls, and we will be happy to meet them in heaven, we are precious glad to get rid of them from the earth. They were always so disagreeable in their disposition, that we would rather live an eternity with them in heaven than five minutes on earth. Do not be like them, my brethren. Imitate Christ in you loving spirits; speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, “He has been with Jesus.”

While we will not cringe or bow (far from it; we are those who are free because the truth makes free; we walk through this world equal to everyone, inferior to none) yet we would endeavor to be like Christ, continually humble. Oh, you proud Christian (for though it is a paradox, there are some Christians who are full of pride), if you are a Christian, I beg you to look at your Master, look at Him talking to the children, bending from the majesty of His divinity to speak to mankind on earth, living among the peasants of Galilee, and then-yes, we see a depth of condescension that is unparalleled-God washing His disciples' feet, and wiping them with the towel after supper. This is your Master, whom you profess to worship; this is your Lord, whom you adore. And you, some of you who count yourselves Christians, cannot speak to a person who is not dressed in the same kind of clothing as yourselves, or who do not have exactly as much money per year as you have.

In England, it is true that a gold coin will not speak to a shilling, and a shilling will not notice a sixpence, and a sixpence will sneer at a penny. But it should not be so with Christians. We ought to forget social class, position and rank, when we come into Christ's church. Remember, Christian, who your Master was-a man of the poor. He lived with them; He ate with them. And will you walk with lofty heads and stiff necks, looking with hateful contempt upon your inferior fellowmen? What are you? The meanest of all, because your deceit and adornments make you proud. You are a pitiful, despicable soul! How small you look in God's sight! Christ was humble; He stooped to do anything which might serve others. He had no pride; He was a humble man, a friend of prostitutes, drunkards, and sinners of all kind, living and walking with them. So, Christian, be like thy Master-one who can stoop; yes, be one who considers others better than himself, and counts it his honor to sit with the poorest of Christ's people, and says, “If my name is written in the obscurest part of the book of life, it is enough for me, so unworthy am I of His notice!” Be like Christ in His humility.

So might I continue, dear brethren, speaking of the various characteristics of Christ Jesus; but you can think of them as well as I can, therefore I shall not do so. It is easy for you to sit down and paint Jesus Christ, for you have Him drawn out here in His word. I find that time would fail me if I were to give you an entire likeness of Jesus; but let me say, imitate him in his holiness. Was He zealous for His master? So you should be too. Did Jesus always go about doing good. Then do not waste time-it is too precious. Was Jesus self-denying, never looking to His own interest? Then you also must deny self. Was He devout? So also should be fervent in your prayers. Did Jesus obey His Father's will? So also you must submit yourselves to Him. Was He patient? So you also must learn to endure. And best of all, like the best picture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies as He did; and let those sublime words of you Master, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” always ring in your ears. When you are provoke to revenge; when hot anger starts, control it at once, and do not let it not dash forward with you headlong. Remember, anger is temporary insanity. Forgive as you hope to be forgiven. Heap coals of fire on the head of your enemy by your kindness to him. Remember, doing good for evil, is god-like. Be god-like, then; and in all ways, and by all means, so live that your enemies may say, “He has been with Jesus.”

There is an idea in the world that persons ought to be very religious on a Sunday, but it does not matter what they are on Monday. How many holy preachers are there on a Sunday, who are very unholy preachers during the rest of the week! How many are there who come up to church with a solemn appearance, who join in the singing and profess to pray, yet who in reality have no part in the matter, but who are “full of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity!” This is true of some of you who are present here today.

When should a Christian, then, be like Jesus Christ? Is there a time when he may strip off his uniform-when the warrior may unbuckle his armor, and become like other men? Oh! no; at all times and in every place let the Christian be what he professes to be. I remember talking some time ago with a person who said, “I do not like visitors who come to my house and introduce religion; I think we ought to have religion on Sunday, when we go to church, but not in the living room.” I suggested to the individual that we would need to purchase a great number of beds, if there should be no religion except in church. “How is that?” was the question. “Why,” I replied, “we would need to have beds placed in all our places of worship, for surely we need religion to die with, and consequently, every one would want to die in church.” Yes, we all need the comforts of God in our last days; but how can we expect to enjoy them unless we obey the precepts of Christianity during life? My brethren, let me say, be like Christ at all times.

1. Imitate Him in public.

Most of us live publicly; many of us are called to work before our fellowmen every day. We are watched; our words are listened too; our lives are examined-and often taken apart in pieces. The eagle-eyed, vigilant world observes everything we do, and sharp critics come after us. Let us live the life of Christ in public. Let us take care that we exhibit our Master, and not ourselves-so that we can say, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Be careful that you carry this into the church too, you who are church-members. Be like Christ in the church. How many are there of you like Diotrephes, seeking pre-eminence? How many are trying to have some dignity and power over their fellow Christians, instead of remembering that it is the fundamental rule of all our churches, that all men are equal-all are brethren, and should be treated as such. Carry out the spirit of Christ, then, in your churches, wherever you are; let your fellow members say to you, “He has been with Jesus.”

2. But, most of all, be careful to have Christianity in your homes.

A Christian home is the best proof of true devotion. It is not my church, it is my home-it is not my minister, it is my family-who can best judge me; it is the child, the wife, the friend, that can most clearly discern my real character. A good man will improve his household. Rowland Hill once said, he would not believe a man to be a true Christian if his wife, his children, and even the dog and cat, were not better off because of him. That is being a true Christian. If your household is not the better because of your Christianity-if men cannot say, “This is a better house than others,” then do not be deceived-you do not have the grace of God. If you happened to have a servant in your house, and they left you employment, Let them never say, “Well, this is a strange sort of a religious family; there was no prayer in the morning, and there was no prayer at night, I was kept at home all day Sunday. Once every couple of weeks, perhaps, I was allowed to go out in the afternoon, when there was nowhere to go where I could hear a gospel sermon. My master and mistress went to a place where of course they heard the blessed gospel of God-that was all for them; as for me, I might be able to find an overworked assistant pastor in the afternoon.” Surely, Christian men will not act in that way. No! Carry out your godliness in your family. Let everyone say that you have practical Christianity. Let it be known and read in the house, as well as in the world. Take care of your character there; for what we are at home, we really are. Our life outside the home is often nothing but the actor's part of a great scene, but at home the mask is removed, and men are what they seem. Be careful how you live at home.

3. Yet again, my brethren, before I leave this point, imitate Jesus in secret.

When no eye sees you except the eye of God, when darkness covers you, when you are shut up from the observation of humanity, even then be like Jesus Christ. Remember His fervent love, His secret devotion-how, after preaching all day long, He stole away in the midnight shades to cry for help from His God. Remember how His entire life was constantly sustained by fresh inspirations of the Holy Spirit, derived by prayer. Take care of your secret life; let it be such that you will not be ashamed to have it exposed at the last great day. Your inner life is written in the book of God, and it shall one day be open before you. If the entire life of some of you were known, it would be no life at all; it would be a death. Yes, even of some true Christians we may say it is hardly a life at all. It is a dragging on of an existence-one quick prayer a day-one breathing, just enough to keep their souls alive, but no more.

O, my brethren, strive to be more like Jesus Christ. These are times when we need more secret prayer. I have been filled with great fear all this week. I do not know whether it is true; but when I feel such a thing I like to tell it to those of you who belong to my own church and congregation. I am concerned that you have ceased to pray as earnestly as you once did. I remember your earnest groans and petitions-how you would assemble together in multitudes, and cry out to God to help his servant. Do you still pray in private? Have you forgotten me? Have you ceased to cry out to God? Oh! my friends, with all the pleas that a man can use, let me plead with you. Remember who I am, and what I am-a child, having a small amount of education, learning, ability and talent; and here am I called upon week after week, to preach to this crowd of people. Won’t you still plead for me, my beloved? Hasn’t God been pleased to hear your prayers ten thousand times? And will you now stop praying, when a mighty revival is taking place in many churches? Will you now stop your petitions? Oh! no; go to your houses, fall upon your knees, cry aloud to God to enable you still to hold up your hands like Moses on the hill, that Joshua below may fight and overcome the Amalekites. Now is the time for victory; shall we lose it? This is the high tide that will float us over the sand-bar; now let us put out the oars; let us pull by earnest prayer, crying for God the Spirit to fill the sails with His mighty winds! You who love God, in every church and every true denomination, wrestle for your ministers; pray for them; asking God to pour out His Spirit? What is the reason why we are to be denied Revivals? Why not this hour, as one mighty gathering, we fall down before Him and beg Him, for His Son's sake, to revive his faltering church? Then all would men discern that we are truly the disciples of Christ.

III. But now, thirdly, WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS IMITATE CHRIST?

1. The answer comes very naturally and easily, Christians should be like Christ, first, for their own sakes.

For the sake of their honesty, let them not be found liars before God and men. If they wish to be kept from sin and preserved from going astray, let them imitate Jesus. For their own happiness' sake, if they want to enjoy holy and happy communion with Jesus; if they would be lifted up above the cares and troubles of this world, let them imitate Jesus Christ. Oh! my brethren, there is nothing that can be such an advantage to you, like the imitation of Jesus-it will prosper you, and assist you, and make you rapidly walk towards heaven, so keep your head upwards towards the sky, and your eyes radiant with glory. It is when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you are enabled to walk with Jesus in His very footsteps, and tread in his ways, you are most happy and you are most known to be the sons of God. For your own sake, my brethren, I say, be like Christ.

2. Next, for religion's sake, strive to imitate Jesus.

Oh! poor Christianity, you have been painfully shot at by cruel foes, but you have not been wounded one-half as much by them as by your friends. None have hurt you, O, Christianity, so much as those who profess to be Christians. Who have made these wounds in your fair hand of godliness? I say, the professor of Christianity has done this, who has not lived up to his profession; the man who with pretences enters the fold, being nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Such men, injure the gospel more than others; more than the laughing atheist, more than the sneering critic. These men profess to love our cause, but actually hurt it by his actions which contradicts his love. Christian, do you love our cause? Is the name of the dear Redeemer precious to you? Do you want to see the kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ? Do you wish to see the proud man humbled and the mighty humiliated? Do you long for the souls of perishing sinners, and are you desirous to win them, and save their souls from the everlasting burning? Would you prevent their fall into the regions of the damned? Does your heart yearn over your fellowman? Do you long to see them forgiven? Then be consistent with your Christianity.

Walk before God in the land of the living. Behave as an elect man should do. Remember what kind of people we ought to be-we must be people of holy conversation and godliness. This is the best way to convert the world; yes, such conduct would do more than even the efforts of missionary agencies, excellent as they are. Just let men see that our conduct is superior to others, then they will believe there is something in our Christianity; but, if they see that our life is contrary to what we profess, what will they say? “These Christian people are no better than others! Why should we join them?” And they are right in what they say. It is but common-sense judgment. Oh! my friends, if you love Christianity for her own sake, be consistent, and walk in the love of God. Follow Christ Jesus.

3. Then, to put it in the strongest form I can, let me say, for Christ's sake, endeavor to be like Him.

Oh! If I could only bring the dying Jesus here, and let Him speak to you! My own tongue is tied this morning, but I would make His blood, His scars, and His wounds speak. Jesus would stand here, show you His hands this morning, and say, “My friends, look at Me! these hands were pierced for you; and look here at my side. It was opened as the fountain of your salvation. See my feet; there entered the cruel nails. Each of these bones were dislocated for your sake. These eyes gushed with torrents of tears. This head was crowned with thorns. These cheeks were hit with fists; this beard was plucked out; My body became the center and focus of agony. I hung quivering in the burning sun; and all for you, my people. And will you not love Me now? I beg you to be like me. Is there any fault in Me? Oh! no. You believe that I am fairer than ten thousand, and altogether lovely. Have I ever injured you? Rather haven’t I done everything for your salvation? And do I not sit at my Father's throne, and even now intercede on your behalf? If you love me,”-Christian, listen to these words; let the sweet syllables ring forever in your ears, like the prolonged sounding of silver-toned bells-“if you love Me, if you love Me, keep my commandments.” Oh, Christian, let that “if” be put to you this morning. “If you love Me.” Glorious Redeemer! is it an “if” at all? You precious, bleeding Lamb, can there be an “if?” What, when I see Your blood gushing from You; is it an “if?” Yes, I weep to say it is an “if.” Often times my thoughts make it “if,” and often my words make it “if.” But yet I think my soul feels it is not “if.”

Oh, Christian, can you say, “Yes, I love You, I know that I love You. Lord, “Lord, you know all things; You know that I love You.” “Well, then,” says Jesus, looking down with a glance of affectionate admiration, “since you love Me, keep my commandments.” O beloved, what mightier reason can I give than this? It is the argument of love and affection. Be like Christ, since gratitude demands obedience; then the world will know that you have been with Jesus.

IV. Ah! then you wept; and I perceive you felt the force of pity, and some of you are asking, “HOW CAN I IMITATE CHRIST?”

It is my business, then, before you depart, to tell you how you can become transformed into the image of Christ.

1. In the first place, then, my beloved friends, in answer to your question, let me say, you must know Christ as your Redeemer before you can follow Him as your example.

Much is said about the example of Jesus, and we scarcely find a man now who does not believe that our Lord was an excellent and holy man, much to be admired. But as excellent as His example was, it would be impossible to imitate it, had He not also been our sacrifice. Do you this morning know that His blood was shed for you? Can you join with me in this verse-

“O the sweet wonders of that cross,
Where God the Savior loved and died;
Her noblest life my spirit draws
From His dear wounds and bleeding side.”

Go away with this one thought, my brethren, that you can test yourselves by Christ. If you are like Christ, you are of Christ, and shall be with Christ. If you are unlike Him, you have no part in the great inheritance. May this poor sermon help to fan the floor and reveal the chaff; yes, may it lead many of you to seek to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, to the praise of His grace. To him be all honor given! Amen.

A copy of this sermon, Preached by Tony Capoccia, is available on Audio Tape Cassette or CD at www.gospelgems.com