Ye Became Followers and Examples

Driving home: This word follower is a weak translation. It's literally imitator, even more literally, mimic. In fact, the Greek word is the word from which we get our English word, mimic.

Explains that an imitation must closely approximate the original, illustrating the precision required in spiritual imitation.

Now what is an imitator? What does it mean to imitate something? Well an imitator is one who closely observes a fixed pattern. A voice, speech, action, or of a certain substance, and studiously attempts to duplicate it. When you speak of imitation vanilla flavor, you expect it to taste like the real vanilla bean. If it tastes like cinnamon, they've missed it. It's a poor imitation. Imitation vanilla flavor is supposed to so closely approximate the true thing that you won't know the difference.

7:08 - 7:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This word follower is a weak translation. It's literally imitator, even more literally, mimic. In fact, the Greek word is the word from which we get our English word, mimic.

Recalls singers who could mimic popular artists like Bing Crosby and Vaughn Monroe, demonstrating the skill of close imitation.

And when you talk of an imitation mink, why they take that rabbit's fur and they dye it and try to imitate it. And try to cut it and fix it so that to the untrained eye it looks just like a mink. Now if it looks like a fox, they've missed it. An imitation mink that looks like a fox, they've missed the boat. You see, imitation has this connotation of here's the fixed standard, the ideal, and then you're trying as closely as possible to approximate that ideal. When you hear someone imitate a singer. I remember back when I was a kid, I used to listen to was it Ted Mack's talent show? Is that what...

7:43 - 8:18 Read in full sermon

Driving home: How often, when faced with inconsistent Christian profession, has this little cliché sort of been a general blanket to cover all forms of ills and lacks in the professing people of God? Well, God doesn't expect us or ask…

Describes his son unconsciously imitating his walk, illustrating how humans are naturally imitative creatures, even subconsciously.

Well, the principle is this. Man, as a creature, is an imitative creature. You take our children. Long before they know how to consciously say, Well, If so and so is doing something this way, and I want to do it like them, they pick up our characteristics.

11:40 - 11:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Study the biographical sections of Scripture to learn how eminent servants of God acted and reacted, and pray for grace to imitate them.

A Caesar wept upon reading about Alexander's conquests, realizing his own paltry accomplishments, which stirred him to greater zeal. This illustrates how reading about great figures can expose one's own shortcomings and inspire greater effort.

If you want to make an imitation mink you've got to study what a real mink is. If you're going to imitate somebody's voice you've got to listen again and again until you know all the things that make Bing Crosby's voice different from Vaughn Monroe's voice. If you're going to imitate somebody's voice you've got to listen again and again until you know all the things that make Bing Crosby's voice different from Vaughn Monroe's voice. if they all sound the same to you won't be able to imitate with any distinction so our responsibility is to watch the eminent servants of Christ in the scripture a...

24:01 - 25:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Read Christian biography to be stirred to greater zeal and to see your own shortcomings in comparison to godly models.

The biography of David Brainerd kindled a passion in Henry Martyn, leading him to missionary service in India. This illustrates the profound impact of Christian biography on inspiring zeal and dedication.

and I have but one great victory to my name you see as he looked at the example of a true conqueror a man aggressive in his zeal to conquer he saw something of his own paltry accomplishments he thought he was pretty good in his own eyes until he held himself up to a model of a true conqueror and then he saw by comparison his own failure and it stirred him to greater zeal in his task now that's what happens in the reading of Christian biography literally whole nations have felt the impact of a 300 page book called the life and diary of David Brainerd it's when Henry Martin came near to the heat...

25:29 - 26:57 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not savingly joined to Christ, your first step is not to imitate, but to receive the word of salvation with repentance and faith.

Compares becoming an example to creating a mold from an object (like a head of Abraham Lincoln) that can then reproduce more copies. This illustrates how one who conforms to a pattern can then become a pattern for others.

of the Lord and of his servants well we must hurry on to the next phrase and touch on it briefly he became not only imitators but he says in verse 7 so that ye became ensamples that's just an old English way of saying example and ye became examples to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia now what's this word example mean well it's an interesting word the verb form of it means to strike so that it's the mark left by a blow when Christ said to Thomas look at the prince in my hand that's the word he used the marks left by the blow of the nails now Paul says you became examples could I use ...

32:51 - 34:20 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not savingly joined to Christ, your first step is not to imitate, but to receive the word of salvation with repentance and faith.

Recounts his suspicion of churches or movements that boast of being a 'showcase for Christianity,' illustrating the danger of pride when consciously trying to be an example rather than letting it be a byproduct of following Christ.

in this passage we are the example you are to imitate us and as you imitated us you became an example that others began to imitate and began to mimic now there are negative examples 1 Corinthians 10.6 speaks of the children of Israel and their idolatry and their immorality and says these things happen unto them by way of an example an example to shun but this is speaking about in a positive way as Paul says in Philippians 3.17 mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example now may I give a word of caution I'm always suspicious when I hear of a Christian or a church that says or a movemen...

35:50 - 37:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Fathers, consider if you would want your daughter to be married to a man who treats her the way you treat your wife.

A man struggling in ministry had a mother who loved him too much to make him do things he disliked, illustrating the negative impact of a poor parental example on a child's character and future service.

to face a difficult situation and press right through you know what the problem was he had a mother that apparently just loved him so much she couldn't stand to see her dear son do things he didn't like to do and make him do it even if he got mad and pouted and snorted and fussed and fumed and spit fire well I'm glad I had a mother who did and if I spit fire then I got something for the fire I spit are you an example of a mother let me ask you a question fathers would you like your daughter to grow up and be married to a man that will treat her the way you treat your wife would you like that w...

41:43 - 43:12 Read in full sermon