Ye Became Followers and Examples

Introduction: The Thessalonians' Effectual Call and Its Results

0:03 After a departure of some two and a half months from the book of 1 Thessalonians, during which time we considered some of the basic teaching of the word of God relative to the local church, its government, its ordinances, its message, its methods, we return today to our studies in 1 Thessalonians. So I would invite you to turn with me to Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica, and we will resume our studies in verses 6 and 7. Now in order to just, as it were, refresh our minds concerning that which we've already considered from this epistle, you remember the founding of this church is set forth in Acts chapter 17, when in a very short time, possibly just a period of three weeks or a little bit longer, a company of believers was called out by the grace of God and assembled as a church, and in its infancy Paul had to leave that church, and knowing that persecution not only attended him while he was there, but attended the people of God after he left, he's very anxious about the state of this young church, and word comes to him from Timothy that all is well,

1:22 that the work of God is flourishing at Thessalonica, and in his mingled attitude of joy, and he says, and yet fatherly anxiety for this church, he writes this letter. Having considered thus far the general introduction, and then what we might really call the beginning verses in this paragraph of praise, we have seen where Paul commends this church for the three cardinal virtues manifested in them, in verse 3, remembering without ceasing, your work of faith, your labor of love, and patience of hope, these things mentioned in verse, Corinthians 13, now abideth these three, faith, hope, and love, and these things were manifested in the church, and increasing, and Paul delights and rejoices in this. Then he stated in verse 4 that he also rejoiced because not only of something he remembered, these virtues, but because of something he knew, knowing, brethren, beloved of God, your election, and he was confident that they were the peculiar objects of the redemptive love of God, that they were the choice. He was chosen of God, and then he tells us in verse 5 why he's convinced they were beloved of God, and elect,

2:36 for he says in verse 5, our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. In other words, he was confident of their election because of their effectual call. The gospel came not just as a lot of religious mumbo-jumbo, it came as a powerful word from heaven that laid hold of them and transformed, and so as Paul saw the working of God in the effectual call of God, he was confident then of their election of God. Then this produced many very practical results, and we are considering those things now in verses 6 and 7.

3:17 And in our last study, we looked at the last part of verse 6, which we called one of the first results of the effectual call of God. They received. They received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. Whenever the gospel comes in power, the indication that it comes in power is that men receive that word.

3:42 And the word for receive here is the strong word. It means to receive with a glad abandonment, to receive and to retain with joy and with tenacity. So the effectual call of God comes to light when men embrace the word, as the word of the living God, as their own word of salvation, or as the word of their own salvation. Now that in turn will always produce some wonderful things.

4:09 The gospel comes in power, men receive it, well then what happens? Well, having received it, Paul says there were two wonderful effects from this spirit-wrought reception of the word. The first part of verse 6, And ye became followers of us and of the Lord. Verse 7, So that ye were, better translated, so that ye became and samples or examples to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia.

4:40 Notice the connection now. Verse 5 says the gospel came in power. They received that word, even though it meant affliction and opposition. They welcomed that word because the spirit of God had effectually worked in their hearts.

4:55 Now, having welcomed the word, a spirit. Wrought reception of the word had two blessed effects. He became followers. Verse 7, He became examples.

The First Effect: Becoming Followers (Imitators)

5:07 So our study this morning will be on the theme, The two inevitable effects of a spirit wrought reception of the word. Are you receiving the word? Have you received the word? Oh, you say, yes, I have.

5:22 Well, if so, these two inevitable effects will be true of you. If we, as a church have received the word. If we are receiving the word in all the richness of that biblical meaning of receive, then these effects will be true of us and should be increasingly true of us the more of the word we receive as it comes to us in the Holy Spirit. Very simple. Ye became followers, verse 6. Ye became examples, verse 7. And so you not only have the theme, but you have the outline that we're going to follow this morning. First of all then, ye became followers. Now what does this word follow mean? And again sometimes I wonder what the translators were thinking when they translated the way they did. Sometimes it's obvious that the word had a rich meaning.

6:19 Back in the 1600s when the King James Bible was translated, that has lost its meaning or changed its meaning now. But 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. We say to someone, oh look at him, he's mimicking his dad, or he's mimicking so and so. That's the word used here. And ye became mimics, literally, of us. And of the Lord. Now because the word mimic usually has a humorous connotation, I'll use a better word, imitator. Ye became imitators of us and of the Lord. And that's the way it's translated in the RSV. Ye became imitators. Another has translated it, ye set yourselves to copy us.

7:08 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.

7:43 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 it was? Yeah.

8:19 Really dating myself then. And I remember it was very popular then for people to be imitators of the popular singers. And one fellow would move from Bing Crosby to Vaughn Monroe to all the rest. And it was amazing how some of them could approximate so closely the real thing so they just sang a few bars. You wouldn't know whether that was Bing crooning or Vaughn Monroe or somebody else. They were excellent in the art of mimicking, of imitating. Now I don't need to press this. I think you've got the idea of the word and of its meaning. Now, if you're a singer, you've got to have the idea of the word and of its meaning.

Imitating Eminent Servants of Christ: A Christian Duty

8:49 Paul says of these people, and he commends them for it, when the gospel came in power and you received that word, though there was much affliction, the first effect it had upon you was to make you a mimic, to make you an imitator, to bring you into this place where you became involved in seeing a certain standard and were determined to approximate that standard as closely as possible by the grace of God. And by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, of what did they become mimics or of whom did they become imitators? Notice, ye became imitators or mimics of, first of all, us and secondly, of the Lord. Now this is a strange sort of a statement, for we've been brainwashed by this cute little ditty. Well, don't put your eyes upon men, just put your eyes upon the Lord.

9:49 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 us to look at men. He tells us, keep your eyes upon the Lord. Well, apparently Paul hadn't heard that little cliché, because he is actually commending them for the fact that they did put their eyes on men, and furthermore...

10:19 They followed men. He's commending them. He's not scolding them. He's not saying, the gospel came in power, but you botched things up by looking at us. No, no. He says, the gospel came in power, you received that word, and the first effect was, you became mimics of us.

10:38 You became studious to discover how we walked, and then you applied yourself to walk in the ways that we, the servants of God, walked. So...

10:51 So, the first object of imitation, or of this sanctified mimicry, we might call it, are the eminent servants of Christ. Notice what Paul says, he became followers not of me, this is not something peculiar to apostles, but he became followers of us. And Paul and Silas were the ones who were there at the formation of the church. He says that the letter comes from him, and also his associates, Timothy.

11:21 And Silas. So, this idea that we're not to follow men immediately runs aground on this wreath of Paul's statement. Now, what's the principle involved here? Why did Paul commend them for being imitators of him and his associates?

11:40 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.

11:56 I can remember shortly after my son began to walk, everyone used to notice how he tried to walk like his daddy, and I never realized how funny, apparently, his daddy walks, till I saw my son trying to mimic me, you see. Now, he didn't sit down and say, Well, I want to be like my daddy, therefore I'm going to take big strides, and no, he didn't say that. But you see, just the presence of another human being, we are imitative creatures, and subconsciously we pick up...

12:21 These characteristics, and these attitudes, as well, and habits, and God recognizes this. All of us have a little bit of the ape in us, you know, of aping other people. I don't mean, I'm not talking about evolution now, but I'm talking about this imitative quality that is true of all of us. Now, God, in working his work of redemption, takes into account what man is and how man is.

12:49 So, as he works out his purposes, of redemption, which are, not only to bring us into saving relationship with himself, but to make us like his son, he uses this principle, that man is an imitative creature, and he seeks to teach us what it is to obey him, to love him, to serve him, not only by giving us a precept, and saying, This is what thou shalt do, but then, by having that precept embodied in a life, in flesh and blood, so that God says, This is what you're to do, but this is what it'll mean, in actual experience, if you do what I've told you. So that, just as we need the law, in its precept form, to guide us, so we need the law, in its flesh and blood form, of actual experience, to guide us. What did it mean to love God? These Christians wanted to know. Paul says, You looked at us, and you learned what it meant to love God.

13:47 What did it mean to follow Christ at any cost, and be a disciple? He says, You people looked at us. You saw us being run out of town, in the midst of all the jeering, and the pressures, and the threat of our very lives, and seeing us loving God, even if it meant our necks, or our hide. You learned something of what it was to love God, and be not just fair-weather Christians.

14:08 So the principle that God takes into account in his dealings with his people, is this principle here. Now, we are not to venerate the eminent servants of God, worship them. We're not to pray to them. We're not to trust in them.

14:23 He doesn't say anything about, You prayed to us. You trusted in us. You worshipped us. He said, You mimicked us.

14:29 You followed us. You followed our example. Now, would it shock you if I told you that it's part of your Christian duty, to mark the eminent saints of God, and to studiously seek to imitate their lives? Do you know that's part of your Christian duty?

14:46 You ought to have in your mind, eminent saints of God, whose walk is a commendable walk, and you ought to be working at imitating their walk before God. It's a Christian duty. Paul, you say, Now, Pastor, that's a little bit strong statement, isn't it? Well, you know I'd have more sense to make it if I couldn't demonstrate it from the Scripture.

Scriptural Commands to Imitate Godly Examples

15:07 And I want you to look now at several passages that indicate this is a Christian duty. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3.

15:20 2 Thessalonians, chapter 3, and verse 7. For yourselves know how ye, and what's the next word? Ought.

15:35 Something you ought to do is a duty. For yourselves know how ye ought to, and in the original it's the same word, how ye ought to mimic us. You ought to follow us, imitate us, for we behave not ourselves disorderly among you. Verse 9, Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us.

15:57 Ye ought to follow us. Follow us. Paul said, The example we set is not to be lightly regarded, it is to be studiously followed. Then, if you will please, to Hebrews 13, and verse 7.

16:12 Hebrews 13, and verse 7.

16:23 Remember them which have the rule over you, and have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith mimic, imitate, same word in the original, whose faith mimic, follow, follow, imitate, considering the end of their conversation or their manner of living. Speaking now, not of apostles, but in this context, speaking of those who had been spiritual leaders in the assembly. Remember them? They've spoken unto you the word of God.

16:53 Follow their faith. Mimic, imitate their faith. What's it mean to be a believing man? The scripture tells us in precept that we are to be believing men and women.

17:01 Paul says, You look at those people who stood among you, ministered in your midst, and there you see what it means to be a believing man. Now, imitate their faith. Mimic their faith. And then, several other passages.

17:14 3 John 11. You say, Well, I didn't know there was anything in 3 John worth knowing. Well, there's some wonderful things in 3 John. We seldom look at 3 John.

17:25 One of those rather ignored portions of the word of God. But 3 John, and verse 11. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. Now, how are we to follow evil and good?

17:42 As abstract principles, no. He that doeth good is of God, and he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself. Verse 10, he was speaking about the negative example.

17:58 Speaking of this Diotrephes, who loved to have the preeminence. He had big shot-itis in the assembly. And Paul, I mean John, speaks about his negative example. Then he speaks of Demetrius.

18:09 Demetrius as a positive example. And in the midst of it, he says, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. How? In terms of its embodiment in human beings.

18:19 Don't be a Demetrius. I mean, don't be a Diotrephes, but be a Demetrius. So, here the command again. And then, of course, that well-known passage in 1 Corinthians 11, and verse 1.

18:33 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am. Of Christ. Be ye followers, same word, mimics, imitators of me. And one other passage, Philippians 3, and verse 17.

18:52 Brethren, be followers together of me. Same word, mimics, imitators. And mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example. What a tremendous statement.

19:04 Paul says, you ought to look around. And you see people who are walking before you as we did, and mark them. And say, look around. And say, look around.

19:11 And say, look around. And set them there as an example to follow. Now, how did this idea that we're not to look at men and follow men ever invade the church the way it did? I've got a sneaking suspicion that the standard of piety has been so low.

19:24 And the standard of practical godliness at such a low ebb that we didn't dare hold forth this duty of following the example of the saints of God. So, we've covered over our low degree of piety by saying we shouldn't look at men. We shouldn't look at men. We should look at the Lord.

Imitating the Lord Jesus Christ: The Perfect Example

19:42 It's an unscriptural concept. It has an element of truth that we're going to see. But it's been pushed way out of proportion. So, Paul then commends them that they became mimics.

19:52 They became imitators of the eminent servants of God. And then he says, and of the Lord. They became imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And of course, he is the only perfect example.

20:10 And again, we have... We've been invaded in the church with some erroneous ideas.

20:15 Whenever you speak of Christ as our example, immediately we evangelicals react. Because the liberals have had nothing but a Christ who was an example that we've thrown out the baby with the bathwater. But you see, Jesus Christ is just as much your example in scripture as he is your savior. If you're a Christian.

20:33 Now, you've just got to get the order right. You don't follow his example in order to come into saving relationship with him. But coming...

20:41 Naked and stripped of any grounds of hope in yourself. Embracing the Lord Jesus in a penitent faith as he's offered in the gospel. He becomes our savior and our sovereign. But once he has become our savior and our sovereign, he then becomes our example.

20:58 The perfect example for the child of God. And so the scripture not only commands us as part of our Christian duty to follow the example of the eminent servants of Christ. But it also commands...

21:11 Commands us as part of our duty to follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In 1 Peter 2 and verse 21. Peter says, For Christ also hath suffered. Let me get the exact...

21:26 I get it mixed up with chapter 3 and verse 18. Suffered the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. 2.21 For even here unto were ye called because Christ also suffered for us.

21:40 Leaving us an example. That ye should...

21:44 Here it is. Follow his steps. Why did he suffer? Not only to make a way whereby we guilty sinners might come into the presence of God.

21:55 He suffered that he might bring us to God. That's chapter 3 verse 18. But this passage says he also suffered to leave an example for the saints of God. That they might know how to walk here on earth.

22:10 He left us an example. And then 1 John 2 and verse 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked. He that abides in him ought to walk even as he walked.

22:31 Then the Lord Jesus in John 13.15 said, I have left you an example that ye should do as I have done unto you. In Matthew 10.25 he says, It's enough.

22:43 It's enough that the servant be as his master and the disciple as his Lord. And the whole concept of Christ being the supreme exemplary figure for the Christian and that he holds him here and studiously seeks to discover how the Lord Jesus acted and reacted in given situations and then seeks to imitate. That's a Christian duty. Now you see the difference between that and empty morality is that the Christian imitates.

23:13 From an indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that enables him more and more to be made like unto the Savior whereas the unregenerate in trying to imitate Christ simply go through the motions. It's sort of like the motions of a puppet. They're unreal. They're unhuman.

23:29 They have the semblance of the real thing but they lack the flow of true life.

Practical Ways to Imitate Christ and His Servants

23:37 And so Paul commends these people that they have become mimics. That they have become imitators of the eminent servants of God. And of the lord Jesus Christ himself. Well in a practical way.

23:51 How does one do this? Well the way the Thessalonians became imitators of Paul was to watch him. You're going to imitate something. You've got to watch it.

24:01 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 and out of the scripture when you read the biographical sections of the scripture we are to study these things not just to know the history that Elisha did this and Elijah did that but now how did they act and react in this given situation and where we see their action and reaction and their attitude and their disposition there's the example and we say Lord there's the pattern but I'm so unlike that but Lord by your grace help me to be like that in a given situation so that as you read the word of God and the eminent servants of God are held before you this is how you imitate them this is why you ought to read Christian biography this said one time that one of the Caesars in his spare time used to read about the conquest of Alexander the Great and one time as he was reading one of his servants came and they found one of the Caesars in tears and they asked the master what was his problem and he said well as I've been reading the life of Alexander at my age he had practically conquered all the then known world

25:29 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 and passion of Brainerd's heart in the pages of his biography that something was kindled in his own breast that made Henry Martin with all his brilliance turn his back upon everything but his passion to go out and carve a niche for the kingdom of God in the land of India that's the benefit of it you see that's the legitimate use of being a mimic being an imitator of the eminent servants of Christ but not only in Christian biography you parents you ought to mark those men and women who have as you're in their presence a real sense of openness and good communication as husband and wife those husbands and wives who apparently amidst all the problems that you face have learned how to communicate together when they face a problem everything doesn't go into a hundred directions they've learned how

26:57 to ride through storms together and talk out their differences you ought to get near those people and watch them see how they operate and imitate them those whose homes are well ordered whose children are well disciplined it didn't just happen they didn't just go to bed some night with a book under their pillow on how to win friends and influence your kids and suddenly woke up and all of a sudden their home was a well ordered well that didn't just happen somebody's sweat somebody's work somebody's wrestled with problems alright mark those people as Paul says in Philippians 370 mark those that walk so as you have an example and then imitate them find out how they do it frankly you know what I wish I could do I get into homes different parts of the country and in our own assembly and I see a home where there's a beautiful relationship between a husband and wife they've really learned the art of communicating together they move as one you sense when you're in the presence though they're two they are one they're not just under the same roof sleeping in the same bed sitting at the same table they've been fused together as one and that doesn't just happen and I'd love to take all our couples and make them a fly on the wall and say now just watch for two or three weeks watch see and then learn then there are others where you go into the home and it's obvious that the parents have really worked and sweat and come up with some real answers in the whole area of child care and child training and child discipline and obvious in other homes everything's just hit or miss no principles following a course of expediency

28:26 the sense of disjointed helter-skelter attitude in the home I'd like to take some of those people and make them a fly on the wall and say now watch see but I can't do it but you can and you're responsible to do it oh you mean I must have to humble myself and go to someone in the church and say look it's obvious that you and your wife have a relationship that me and my wife don't have say tell us how do you work it that's what we're here for that's why God incorporates us into the body of Christ that we might help one another but it means you've got to pull away that mask behind which you live pull away that facade you know you've botched it up in your relationship with your wife and your husband you can't communicate if you've got an evening to sit together you don't know what to do if your life depended on it some of you husbands and wives couldn't sit and intelligently talk about the scriptures or about life or your family for a half an hour it would kill you you've got to sit there with your eyes glued on the boob tube that's a shame what a crime thank God there are others of you who've learned how to communicate alright some of you who are in that first condition you know some of the people in the second you ought to be man and woman enough and Christian enough to go and say look the Bible says mark those that walk in as an example your relationship as a husband and wife is exemplary tell me how do you do it is that unreasonable or is that just a valid application of the scriptural principle he became followers of us

29:55 the principle of following the eminent saints of God but then he says you became followers of the Lord and how do you do that well this is why a Christian and I've got myself under conviction working on the application I've gotten out of the habit of reading in the gospels like I used to used to read in the gospels continually just going through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and when I was done go back through like I do with the Psalms and I haven't been doing that I've got myself under conviction you see if I'm to imitate the Lord I've got to know what the pattern is well how do you do that I've got to know what he is like you read the gospels how did he act in a given situation you read the gospels how did he react what was his attitude you read the gospels the gospels then become this beautiful many-sided portrait of the Lord Jesus and as you see him as the great example then you cry out oh God by the Holy Spirit give me grace to imitate my Lord he became imitators of us and of us the Lord seek to know those that you can mimic to your prophet as parents as an adult as a church oh beloved if we look around us and compare ourselves with churches in our own day we'll think we're doing pretty good but you read the book of Acts you read those great periods in the history of the church when God is broken in with power and you'll see that we know so little about zeal so little about worship

The Second Effect: Becoming Examples for Others

31:24 so little about a holy abandonment to God so we need to read those who walk so as to leave an example and to imitate them by the grace of God now for some of you who are not savingly joined to Christ you've never been born of the Spirit this is not a word to you remember this was a fruit not a root they had received the word then they became imitators so God's word to you is not to be an imitator but it's be a receiver hear the word of salvation embrace that word that comes with its promise of mercy to all who repent and to all who believe but I want to say a word to some of you who profess to be believers now we must believe in order to learn right and if you haven't believed you don't start by learning you start by believing you must believe in order to learn and you must learn in order to follow but if you're believing and you're learning is not leading to following it's not a true faith our gospel came Paul said in power now how did he know it came in power not because they went on and stood up every Wednesday night and gave the testimony in prayer meeting but because they became imitators of the Lord and of his servants all knew that the gospel had come in power and had been truly believed because of the fruits of belief namely a holy imitation

32:51 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 this as an analogy the word of God came and it left its mark upon you and that mark then became a pattern for others to follow just as you take an object some of you kids have done this in handcraft and suppose you want to reproduce that object in plaster of Paris maybe you've got a little maybe a head of Abraham Lincoln so you smear it up with Vaseline or something so the plaster of Paris doesn't stick to it and then you mold the plaster of Paris around it and then when you split it down the middle and take it off you have a form you have a mold and then into that mold you can pour some more plaster of Paris and out will come another head of Lincoln then you can pour some

34:20 over the top of that head of Lincoln and get the impression and you've got another mold and pour into it until you can keep on reproducing you see as one thing conforms to the pattern then it becomes a pattern to which others can conform a father begets a son who in turn grows up and becomes a father who begets a son who in turn grows up and becomes a father who begets a son that's the process that Paul is talking about here he said when you became mimics when you became imitators of us and of the Lord a wonderful thing happened as you followed the pattern we set for you and the Lord set for you without even knowing it you became mimics you became mimics you yourselves became a pattern for others to follow you see they didn't seek to become an example they were seeking to be followers but in becoming followers one of the blessed byproducts is they became an example and that's what Paul is talking about here so these two things are inseparably joined notice Paul uses them in one verse in several places we'll only look at one of the instances in 2 Thessalonians 3.9 he uses these two words together not because we have not power or authority to make ourselves an ensample that's the same word unto you to follow us now what do you mimic what do you imitate you imitate the example so Paul says

35:50 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 movement we want to become an example of what real Christianity is I went to a school for a couple of years that used to boast itself we are a showcase for Christianity for a showcase Christianity well if anything will feed the pride of anyone or any movement quicker than that I don't know what it is you see they weren't trying to be an example I'm always suspicious of the Christian who goes around trying to be a blessing to everybody I've met dear souls like this many times in our lives but they're straining so hard to be a blessing all you're conscious of is they're trying to be a blessing rather than if they just got their eyes off themselves and began to seek to follow the Lord and imitate his eminent servants

The Intensified Responsibility of Exemplary Leadership

37:18 without even knowing it they would unconsciously become an example and be worthy of being imitated and would in that sense become a blessing now in a very peculiar way this responsibility of being an example is intensely intensified for those who would aspire to places of spiritual leadership it's interesting that the same word for example is used three times with reference to those who take leadership in the church of Jesus Christ Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4.12 be thou an example of the believers in word in conversation doctrine faith purity be an example Timothy be an embodiment of the truth you preach so that it will be a blessing so that it will be a blessing so that it will be a blessing so that it will be but others following you will in reality be following Jesus Christ Titus he says in chapter 2 in verse 7 but be thou an example in all these things 1 Peter 5.3 says to the elders not as lords over God's heritage but in samples to the flock now do you see why the first requirement for the bishop the elder in the church is what this if any man seek the office of a bishop he desireth a good work the bishop then must be and what's the first word blame him blameless no just cause of censure it always amazes me how we get things backwards in the average ordination exam in our day they'll spend eight hours

38:46 grilling a guy on everything from his understanding of higher critical thought in the Old Testament and all the rest and maybe spend two minutes asking him how he lives whereas God puts at the top of the list the manner of life blameless husband of one wife ruling well his own household not a striker not a brawler no drunkard not greedy a filthy lucre then it speaks of holding fast to faithful doctrine Paul doesn't despise doctrine but he says in essence you might have a church full of men who've got their doctrine straight but if that doctrine can't be preceded by a life that is exemplary they're disqualified at the outset and I say to you young men preparing for the ministry don't forget the biblical order a blameless life is at the top of the list and you can accumulate all that is necessary in an act academic understanding of the word of God to pass anybody's ordination council and have it a purely mental exercise but if you're to have a blameless life it means you've got to put the screws on yourself right now where you are in the academic situation and determined by the grace of God that you're going to be a man of prayer you're going to be a holy man you're going to be a man of consistent life a man when he stands to preach in the presence of his wife and his children they'll listen to him because they know there's no contradiction between what comes over the pulpit and what they see in the living room and in the kitchen that's why that's at the top of the list

40:15 he became an ensample and oh beloved as we seek the face of God concerning those that will be given this responsibility of eldership and spiritual headship as deacons and elders as we'll be crossing this bridge in a few weeks or a few months from now may God grant that we not forget this for it's not only the truth conveyed by spiritual leaders but the life in which that truth is couched that is of tremendous importance in the realm of our family life oh you fathers do you know that your sons will basically be the kind of husband and father you are you're being an example to them either a negative or a positive a good or a bad example to them how we should long to be such imitators of the Lord and of his eminent servants that in our children being imitators of us they will be following in a path that will lead to blessing almost everything I know if it's worth anything about child discipline and the ordering of a home I learned not in courses in college but I learned by the example of my godly mother and of my father that's how I learned it and just this past week as I had opportunity to counsel with someone who ought to be well on his way to being established in the place of God service for him and yet running from pillar to post

41:43 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 would you like to take the guy out in the backyard and work him over if he treated your daughter that way you mothers you mothers you apply that switch it now turn the table how would you like your son to spend the rest of his life with a woman like you he became in samples so that if he was in the realm of the family life the realm of the home life the kids were seeing what it meant to be a true Christian in the area of your standards

43:12 your sense of values our kids are absorbing constantly our attitudes our values is an example that will bring blessing how about you brothers and sisters you older ones are you being the example there's your younger brothers and sisters follow it's one that will be a path of blessing they're following you either for good or for evil oh may the Lord help us to so receive his word as his people that becoming imitators of the Lord and of his servants we may in turn become examples for others to follow and if we're not examples it's because we're not imitators and if we're not imitators it's because we're not receiving the word and if we're not receiving the word then we're in bad shape as far as our basic spiritual condition is concerned so as Paul rejoices in the Thessalonian church that the gospel came not only in power but in the Holy Ghost he rejoices that having received the word they became imitators of the Lord and of his eminent servants and in turn they became examples for others to follow may God grant that as we receive the word from week to week it'll be producing more and more in us this week this week this two-fold effect

44:40 of becoming imitators and then examples may God grant that it will be true for his glory and for our good let us pray