Good morning, folks. It's great to be here with you again. I was looking through my notes
this week as I was praying. It's actually been a year since I was down in Carolina.
It definitely doesn't feel like that, but it's great to be here with you again. It's
a great privilege to be able to open up God's Word and to worship with you guys here this
morning. I believe you've been working your way through Philippians over the summer, and
I'll be continuing in Philippians this morning. We'll be looking at chapter 2, verses 19 to
30. If you have one of those red church Bibles that was down the back, it's on page 1179
if you'd like to follow along. What I'm going to do is I'm going to read the passage, going
to pray briefly the Lord would help us as we open up His Word, and then we'll have a look
at what God is saying to us through it. So let me read, beginning in Philippians chapter
2, verse 19 to 30. Paul writes, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon,
that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him who
takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests,
not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with
his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him to you
as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
But I think it's necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow
soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you,
and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed, he was ill and almost died. But God had
mercy on him, and not on him only, but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore,
I'm all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again, you may be glad, and I may have
less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord, with great joy, and honour men like him, because he almost died
for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
Let's pray as we come before God's word.
Father, we thank you so much for how you've spoken to us through your word. We thank you that
it's relevant for our lives today. We ask that you would help us to understand it, you'd apply it
deep into our hearts. We ask that you would change us by it, that it wouldn't just be words on a page,
but that you would mould our hearts, you would change us to be more like Jesus,
through what we hear and what we see in your word this morning. We ask this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen.
Amen.
I want to ask you, who did you want to be like when you grew up? Maybe you always want to be like an
older sibling, maybe like your dad, or a family friend. Maybe, like Connor, maybe it was that
professional footballer, or a movie star. Who did you look up to? For me, it was Steve Irwin. I don't
know if any of you guys would be familiar with Steve. Sadly, he's not around anymore. He was the
crocodile hunter. And I want, when I was a kid, I wanted to go on exciting adventures like Steve. I
wanted to find amazing animals just like he did. In a way, he was a role model. Now, as we grow up,
our role models become a little more serious. Maybe we want to be like that popular person in school,
or that high achiever in work. Maybe we want to model ourselves after, you know, that couple who
really seem to have it together in their marriage. We follow so-and-so's Facebook or Twitter feed.
We follow a specific diet plan that someone has come up with, or better marriage guidelines.
Each of us have role models, people we model ourselves after. We want to be like them,
to live like they live, to act like they do. Because I feel in some way, we kind of think,
they're doing life right. They're going in the right direction.
Now, think then, as our lives as believers. We want to be getting it right. So let me ask you,
what role models should we have as Christians? The section before us in Paul's letter to the
Philippians, I believe it has two functions. Firstly, to kind of let them know what Paul's
plans are, and kind of what is going on with Paul. But also to continue the themes that he's been
working through. He gives us two different individuals, Timothy and Epaphroditus. And he
presents these guys as the kind of role models there to follow. So how does it fit in with the rest of
what we've been looking at in Philippians? Well, Paul's been talking to them about how they're
going to live as believers. In chapter 127, he was talking about, well, whatever happens,
no matter what circumstances come their way, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
You have been saved. So now be who you are. How will they continue to grow? Paul says to them in
2 verse 5, have the mindset or the attitude of Christ. We were reminded last week they were to
keep working out our salvation. Because God is at work in us, we can do it. So keep working out. Keep
doing what you're doing, he says to them. As a community together, what were they to do? We saw in
chapter 2 verse 4, we saw that they were to look not only to their own interests, but to the interests
of others. And now he gives us these two role models. Let's look at each of them in turn. So first
of all, in the first section, if you want to split up into house, we have Timothy. Now, Timothy was a
mentee of Paul. Paul was his mentor. He was a close friend. He worked alongside him, traveled with him.
He worked at establishing many of the early churches with Paul. He cared for Paul. He served
with him in the work of the gospel. This is the kind of guy, this is the man, Paul says, this is who I
want to send. We see in verse 19, I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also
may be cheered when I receive news about you. One of the reasons he wants to send him is so he can hear
about them. There wasn't any kind of 6-1 news. There was no Facebook feed. The only way that Paul was
going to hear about what was going on is if someone went there and then kind of reported back to him.
So there's practical reasons why Paul would send him. But also, I feel Paul wants to send
Timothy because then the church will have a really good working example of a role model who's like
Jesus that they'll get to see and model themselves after. He's going to show them what it looks like
to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. And he goes on in verse 20,
I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.
Timothy sticks out above all the others that Paul has around him. No one can touch Timothy when it comes
to taking a genuine interest in the welfare or the interests of the others, of the church in
Philippi. Timothy's concerned for them, their spiritual state. He wants to know what God is doing
amongst them. He wants to share in their hardships. He says he wants to share in their joys. He wants to
know, guys, what is God doing? What's he doing in Philippi? How are they growing in their love of one
other? How are they serving? He prays for these guys. He longs for them. They're in his thoughts.
They're a huge part of his life. His heart is like Paul's heart for them. And if you want to know what
Paul's heart is like for these Philippians, well, you can look back to the, I won't go there, but if you
look through the first chapter of Philippians, you get a sense of how genuine Paul really is.
This is the guy, Paul says, that I want to send to you. Verse 21, he says, everyone else, you can see it
there if you look at it. He says, everyone else looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
This is the kind of role model. He says, Timothy, he puts you guys first. Timothy's different.
He doesn't put himself above. He says, no, you guys first. He gets my vote. What else does he say
about him? Verse 22, but you know that Timothy has proved himself because like a son with his father,
he has served with me in the work of the gospel. He's the real deal. He's worked with Paul. He's
learned the ropes from him. Like a father, sorry, like a son with his father, he has served with me.
This is very close relationship. Paul is like a spiritual father to him.
In those days, in the days that Paul is writing, which is slightly different to today, whatever
you were, whatever, sorry, whatever your parents were, whatever they worked at, generally that's
what you became. If a son, if your dad was a baker, you learned the ropes. You became a baker. If he was
a farmer, you became a farmer. There wasn't kind of what you have today where it's different. There was a
much closer connection between what your father did and what you ended up doing. A son then was the
primary apprentice of his father. The father would teach him. The son would gradually take on more
responsibilities. And as he grew up, so did his competency. He proved himself.
When I was a teenager, and throughout my college summers, my dad would take me on DIY jobs. And that
could have been anything from building walls to painting to, could have been anything, really fit
in the kitchen. You never knew what you were going to do. But as I grew up in those kind of skills, he
taught me as we went along. Started out small and then grew up. Took on more responsibilities. For instance,
he might leave me alone with the power tools, which was quite a big thing for him. It was a special
thing to learn these kind of tricks of the trade. And now it wasn't necessarily what my dad did as a
full-time job. But still, over time, I proved myself competent of doing DIY work. And here in our passage,
we see something similar. Timothy has proved himself in the test of gospel ministry. That's not been an easy
road by any means. He's been alongside Paul as Paul's dealt with oppression, with hardships, with
persecution. He's learned what it's like to have very little. He's learned to let go of his own
interests, to put the interests of others first. He's learned to take on that genuine interest.
He's learned to live out what Paul had been talking to them about in chapter 2, verse 4. I want to
remind us of that again. If you want to have a look at it, because it'll be quite key as we come then to
apply this passage a little later. Paul writes, sorry, I'll go from verse 3. Do nothing out of selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look
not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Timothy has proved himself
through the testing, through the hardship of serving alongside Paul. And Timothy's come through
with flying colors. He's made it. I want to send him, says Paul, as soon as I kind of have a better idea
of how things are going with me. He's no qualms about sending a man like this. In fact, he's actually
quite eager to. Paul himself hopes to visit them. We see that in verse 24. When this is going to happen,
he's not sure, but he trusts the Lord. He says, I'm confident in the Lord that this will happen. I will
come and see you. And when he does, both parties, both Paul and the church, are really going to benefit
from that time. Paul will get to celebrate as he sees what the Lord is doing amongst them, how they've
been getting on. And they're going to benefit from seeing Paul as they get another really good role
model of what it looks like to live for Jesus. Let's try and have a sum up of the kind of
characteristics we see in Timothy, and then like kind of what they might look like today. I think two
stick out quite clearly for us. First of all, we had that genuine interest for the welfare of others,
genuine concern for the welfare of others. Let's have a look at that one first.
These are the kind of characteristics we want to be looking at in Christians today, the kind of
people we want to model ourselves after. Now, obviously, I know no one here is perfect. We know
that. You can look in the mirror in the morning, and you can see that. But because just with the
imperfection, it shouldn't mean that we discount or that we overlook the good Christ-like characteristics
that are in one another. The characteristics that model Christ, these are the kind of things
that we want to look for and follow in others. Let's flesh it out. What might a genuine concern
for the welfare of others look like? Maybe there's kind of certain people that will spring to your mind
as we look at these. What about the person who always seems to be looking out for others? Not so
they can feel good about themselves, but because they just really want to see someone grow. They
really want to see someone else do well. Maybe the person who serves quietly in the background,
who just kind of gets along with tidying up the chairs, filling in on the tea and coffee rota.
The person who visits the sick or gives financial help or advice to someone who needs it.
Maybe it's that friend who's willing to ask you the difficult questions.
How are you getting on in your walk with Jesus? How are you getting on with reading your Bible?
How have you been finding times when you're angry? How have you been dealing with that?
Or dealing with not looking at stuff you shouldn't on TV or the internet? How are you getting on with gossip?
These kind of people, they're not asking so that you'll kind of feel bad or they're not asking to lord it over you.
They're asking because they're genuinely concerned for your welfare.
Do you have people in your life like that?
Living as a Christian, as we all know, it's hard. Sin is serious.
We're in much too volatile a situation, much too dangerous a situation as believers to be left in the solitude of our own minds and our hearts.
We need a genuine concern for each other, don't we?
Do you know someone who intentionally, regularly prays for others?
Someone who gives their time on a Sunday morning, when maybe they could be with their friends or just talking to them,
to chat to a newcomer or to maybe someone who just kind of struggles to fit in a bit.
Someone who doesn't brag about how much they do or equally complain about having to do more service.
The person who's genuinely interested, who generally cares for the welfare of others,
you notice that it doesn't actually seem to faze them.
Now, under the surface, it actually might, but yet, they've practiced putting that self-centeredness,
practiced putting it down.
They've practiced taking away, not clinging to that sense of entitlement, of self-interest.
They've practiced investing in others.
I know of one mum of three.
Two of the kids have left home.
One of her kids is a teenager.
And she was asked recently, you know, well, when are you going to be heading back to work, you know, to fulfill your career,
now that your kind of mothering duties are kind of at an end or they're not all that necessary.
Now, I'm not saying it's a bad thing if she had chosen to go back.
But instead, the desire that the Lord had placed on her heart was different.
She wanted to make herself available to younger women in the church to help them with raising kids,
to maybe give them a couple of hours off during the week,
or to be with them when maybe their own mothers couldn't be there, to give advice, counsel.
She'd walked the road before.
So she wanted to serve the church in this way.
She actively put the interests of others above her own.
I feel she models what it looks like to practice that genuine interest.
Or there's a close friend of mine who I've known for a good few years.
He's a man who's more giving than many that I know.
Giving of his time, his resources, food, his attention, his finances.
At times maybe when finances haven't been great for me, college usually springs to mind.
But he has gone out of his way to give to me.
Now, he's not necessarily well off himself, but whether he's had plenty or whether he's had very little,
he's given generously.
I know that this guy, if he knew that I needed it, he would split his last fiver with me.
That's the kind of man that I want.
Now, that's the kind of Christ-likeness, that giving, that I want to model in my own life.
I could go on, but I'll leave it there.
Maybe you can have a think on some people in your life who model these kind of characteristics.
I'm sure there are some.
But if you can't think of anyone, maybe you need to get some of those kind of people in your life.
These are the kind of role models that God's Word encourages us, that God's Word tells us.
These are the kind of people, these are the kind of traits I want you to imitate.
The second trait we see in Timothy.
Someone who's proved himself in hardship.
Now, I'll not just confine this to gospel work, because many of us here aren't in a position where we're working full-time for a church.
Many of us aren't missionaries.
There's more people than just pastors that we can look up to.
I feel what Paul has in mind here, actually, is those who've gone through difficult times in their Christian walk.
Who have been spiritually tested, but who have come through that.
I don't know about you, but I often find it's those difficult times that grow us most as Christians, isn't it?
Those times where we have little choice but to cling to Christ.
Those times which kind of force us to really hold on to our hope as Christians.
Where trusting in Jesus becomes a very real reality.
Maybe it's in the face of long-term illness for you or for a family member.
Maybe there's just some serious mess and you just feel out of your debt.
The money's gone.
The friends have kind of turned away.
The family, the relationships are just falling apart.
We seem to have no hope apart from Christ.
Have you been in a situation where your need of Christ has become very real very quickly?
I'm sure we've experienced that.
And in hindsight, when we look back at those times, it's often we can say,
those are the times that made me trust in Jesus.
Those are the times that grew me in my relationship with Him.
We learn to trust on God.
To depend on Him.
Now, I'm not necessarily saying that we can't learn from people who haven't gone through those tougher times.
That would probably cut most of the kind of younger folks here off the scale.
But actually, if you think about it, Timothy himself is probably actually only in his early 20s when Paul's writing this.
I think Paul would say it to protect us from following the kind of leaders who just make it all about them.
Those who kind of make it about their own abilities.
Look at me.
Where actually, they haven't experienced the hardship.
They haven't gone through or needed to trust in the Lord.
Instead, Paul would say to us, imitate those who have themselves gone through difficult times.
Who've had to cling on to Jesus.
No matter what life is thrown at them.
They haven't let go.
You'll recognize these kind of people when you talk to them.
Those who smile and tell you how amazing Jesus is.
When they're actually struggling with chronic pain day after day.
I know one old lady like that.
There's just a smile on her face.
Tears in her eyes.
But tears of joy at who Jesus is.
Even though she goes through real pain.
Or those who, in a worldly sense, have very little.
But what you hear from them is not,
Lord, why so little?
But Lord, wow.
Why so much?
These are the kind of role models we can learn from.
Each of us will go through tough times.
We live in a broken world.
Whether you've gone through much or little,
we will go through them.
So how will we act when those tough times come?
How will you conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel?
Well, I feel these people give us the role models we can look to.
Similar traits we can take on.
The Lord has taught them much through hardships.
The experiences that they've had,
he has used to mold them to be more like Jesus.
Let's have a look at our second character, Epaphroditus.
He models some of these things too.
I'll be a bit more brief here.
Have a look at verse 25.
But I think it necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus.
My brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier,
who's also your messenger,
whom you sent to take care of my needs.
He said to them,
I'm going to send Timothy soon,
but I'm going to send Epaphroditus to you right now.
This is another man who Paul holds in high esteem.
Another great role model for the church.
He describes him in three ways,
which you notice.
First of all,
he's a brother.
There's a close relationship that Paul has,
a loving relationship.
Not brothers by blood,
but brothers in Christ.
We know from the kind of leadership that Paul has
that he's shown us,
when he says brother,
he means it.
There's a love,
a closeness,
an intimacy
there.
And it's that that characterizes
how he now says to them,
Epaphroditus,
I commend him to you.
This is the kind of man he is.
He's like a brother to Paul.
Secondly,
he's a fellow worker.
Someone who's worked alongside Paul in the gospel.
Who's shared in the difficulties,
in the toil.
Someone who knows what it's like to work hard,
to make Jesus known.
He's a fellow soldier.
Again,
we see a step up.
He's a man,
not only a brother,
not only a fellow worker,
but someone who has contended with Paul.
Who has fought with him in the gospel.
He's proven himself in these areas.
And he comes with Paul's recommendation.
And he's one of their own.
He's their messenger.
They sent him to Paul.
Chapter 4 of the letter to the Philippians
shows us that he actually brought gifts to Paul.
He cared for Paul's needs.
He would have worked with Paul
while he was there.
And now Paul sends him back.
And actually,
this is something Epaphroditus is quite keen on.
He wants to go back.
Not that he wants to get away from the work.
But have a look at verse 26.
For he longs for all of you
and is distressed
because you heard he was ill.
The reason Paul gives for his longing
is actually quite remarkable when we look at it.
Because you heard he was ill.
He was properly sick.
But his primary concern,
Epaphroditus is not necessarily concerned for himself.
He's concerned for them.
They've heard he's unwell.
And he's actually really concerned on their account.
He's put out
because they're hearing that he's sick.
He, like Timothy,
takes a genuine interest in their welfare.
I don't know what you're like when you're sick.
Whether it's a cold, a migraine,
whether it's man flu.
I know for myself,
I can tend to be a bit more inward looking.
I can take on a bit of a
woe is me,
kind of please take care of me
kind of attitude, can't we?
Life very quickly becomes about us.
Maybe we take on a,
well, no, I don't need your help.
But the little voice inside is kind of saying,
please acknowledge me.
Please acknowledge that I'm working really hard
even though I'm sick.
I'm sure we've all been there.
But not Epaphroditus.
He's different.
He's genuinely worried
lest they be worried about him.
This is pretty serious,
what's going on.
It's not just some cold.
Paul doesn't kind of let him get away
with playing it down.
He says in verse 27,
Indeed he was ill.
And actually he almost died.
But God had mercy on him.
And not only on him,
but also on me
to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
He actually almost died.
That's how serious it is.
That's how he was risking,
he was putting his life on the line
for their sake,
for the sake of the gospel.
So Paul says in verse 28,
I'm all the more eager to send him.
So when you see him,
you can be glad
and I won't be so anxious.
He's not just playing on
the kind of,
on the feelings here.
He's not just kind of exaggerating things.
He actually takes that level
of concern for them,
of genuine concern.
Both Paul and Epaphroditus do.
He's an example,
a living example
of what we saw
back in verse 4.
Looking not to his own interests,
but to the interests of others.
He's the kind of man,
I'd imagine if he were
in our churches today,
who would be just all about
the other people
in his life.
He would be the kind of person
lying in a hospital bed,
asking how you were,
not feeling put out
that you hadn't asked him
how he was.
He'd be the kind of father,
I'd imagine,
who even after a really long
and trying day,
where everything is just
getting on his nerves,
comes home and asks his wife
how her day would be.
Or who instead of
kind of longing
for that embrace
of the couch
and a good book
and the TV maybe,
instead of looking
to embrace that,
would want to embrace
whatever fantasy world
his children were playing in.
The person who'd used
their me time
to serve in a Bible study,
to drive the students home,
to cook for a couple
with a new baby,
to be there for people,
to invest in them,
to look not to his own interests,
but to the interests of others.
He says,
Paul says to them
at the end of this section,
verse 29,
welcome him in the Lord
with great joy
and honour men like him
because he almost died
for the work of Christ,
risking his life
to make up for the help
you could not give me.
They're to welcome him
and welcome him well.
Be excited,
he says,
that you have a good role model
like this coming to you.
Honour people like him.
Not that it goes to his head.
I think in Ireland
that's probably one of the reasons
why we don't like to give
or take compliments
all that much.
We wouldn't want to give them
just in case someone
kind of got a bit too big
for their boots,
a bit too kind of big-headed.
We kind of tend to play it down.
But what Paul is about here,
he's saying these are the kind of people,
these are the kind of role models
that we should look up to.
Not that we kind of get them up
at the front of church
and kind of parade them
in some kind of weird talent show.
No, not like that.
But that we recognise
that these guys
are displaying
the kind of characteristics
that we should be after,
that we should be looking to model.
Now we don't downplay them
because of someone's imperfection.
If there's a Christ-likeness
about somebody,
then let that be a role model to us.
Let that help us
and motivate us
as we seek to live for Jesus.
From the verse we've looked at
this morning,
we've kind of answered
the question we began with.
What kind of role models
should we have?
Seeing the kind of traits
we should look for.
Those who practice
a genuine interest.
A genuine concern
for the welfare.
Those who've proved themselves
under hardship.
But I feel if we were
to just leave it there,
if we weren't to connect the dots,
we'd just be left
with something to do,
wouldn't we?
Without seeing
that there's so much more
on offer.
As I was preparing
this message,
I found myself
realizing something.
And perhaps for many of you,
as you're hearing me
preach this,
you can share
in this experience.
If these are the kind
of role models
that we're to look for,
well then we kind of
need to ask,
what kind of role model
do I need to be?
If we're to have
good role models
in our churches,
well then it makes sense
that we need to start
stepping up and being
these kind of people.
These kind of men,
these kind of women.
I found myself challenged
because in so many ways
when I read this,
I realize,
and probably you realize
as well,
we just don't measure up,
do we?
What kind of role model
am I?
What kind of role model
are you?
How can we be
these kind of role models
for our church
here in Cargilline,
for our spouses at home,
for our kids,
our family,
our friends?
We'll need to go
a little bit outside
the immediate verses
we've read.
We need to understand
something,
something that Paul
understood,
something that Timothy
and Epaphroditus
understood.
The two guys
that we've been looking at,
they were kind of
modeling themselves
in ways on what they
learned,
what they saw in Paul.
But they're not just
following man's way
of living,
they're not just
following man's wisdom,
not just modeling
themselves on a mere
person,
like Paul.
He's written,
Paul's written to the
Philippians,
what he's written
applies to us
this morning.
He had written
in chapter 2,
Let it sink in.
Do nothing
out of selfish ambition
or vain conceit,
but in humility
considers others
better than yourselves.
Each of you
should look
not only to your
own interests,
but also to the
interests of others.
How are they to do this?
How will they be
this kind of role model?
Well,
verse 5,
your attitude
should be the same
as that of Christ
Jesus.
The same mindset,
no less.
Need to understand
how Christ
fulfills this.
Christ showed
that genuine
interest
in your welfare,
in my welfare.
we weren't
deserving of him.
He didn't need
to leave
the glory of heaven
and lay aside
what was rightfully
his.
But he didn't
cling to his
own interests.
His concern
was for us.
He put us
first,
our needs
before his
and became
a human being.
He willingly
came down,
obeyed his
father.
He humbled
himself.
But not just
in taking
on the form
of a servant
as if that
wasn't
humbling himself
enough,
but in dying.
And not even
in some
spectacular way.
But on the
ugly,
shameful cross.
That's how
Christ serves
us.
All the
authority
is his
as God.
Yet he
puts it
aside.
He comes
down
for our
sake.
All the
glory
was his.
He deserved
it all,
to be
honoured,
to be
worshipped.
But instead
he chose
to be
mocked,
chose to
be beaten
and
crucified
for you
and for
me.
He was
tested,
tempted to
put his
needs first,
to say no
to the
cross,
to not
give his
all.
But yet
he does.
God
does
he
prove
himself
obedient
to
his
father.
He
perfectly
models
what we
so
imperfectly
try to
imitate.
If you're
here this
morning and
you think
that living
in this
way,
that attaining
perfection
will make
me right
with God,
well that's
not how
it works.
Good works
on their own
aren't going
to earn us
a place
in heaven,
aren't going
to make
us right
with God.
We're
called to
perfection,
have the
mindset of
Christ,
but yet
we fall
so short
every single
day,
don't we?
And that
is why we
need Jesus.
That is why
we need
the Christ
so badly.
We need
someone who
has served
perfectly,
who has
given his
everything
for us
like we
saw,
that those
who would
call on
him,
believe in
him as
Lord and
Saviour,
not trusting
in their
works to
save them,
then they
could be
his children.
They could
have his
Holy Spirit.
And it's
that Spirit,
God working
in us,
God himself
within us,
that moulds
us,
that works
in us,
slowly but
surely,
to make us
more like
Jesus.
As Michael
Grant reminded
us last
week,
we're to
keep working
out our
salvation,
to keep
going,
to keep
looking to
grow,
to serve
one another.
And we've
learnt this
morning,
to take
a genuine
interest in
the welfare
of others.
We need
good role
models as
Christians.
And God,
by his love,
by his grace,
has given
us fine
examples,
both in
his word
and in
one another.
So imitate
those who
imitate Jesus.
Pick up
your Bible
and see
the kind
of people,
see the
kind of
Christians
that God
calls you
to be,
but not
only that,
enables you
to be.
Model
yourselves
on those
who model
Jesus,
those who
have Jesus
as their
model.
This
coming week,
this month,
this year,
how will you
put into
practice what
you've learnt
this morning?
And I'll
finish with
this.
Firstly,
get some
good and
godly role
models in
your life.
Maybe write
down one
or two
of the
traits that
you see
in someone
that you
want to
imitate,
godly
traits.
Pray about
those things.
Thank the
Lord for the
qualities that
he has
grown in
that person
and ask
that he
might grow
them in
you too.
Maybe if
you're feeling
brave,
go and talk
to that
person.
Tell them
what you've
noticed.
Tell them
how you've
seen that
Christ-likeness
in them.
Ask them
how they do
what they do,
how God
helps them,
how the
Lord helps
them to
do it.
Whether it
goes to their
head is
between them
and God.
Don't let
that put you
off.
But let's
try and keep
him the
focus.
I'll
paraphrase a
quote I came
across as I
was preparing.
Who of us
could be
arrogant or
make much of
ourselves or
think too
highly of
ourselves when
we consider how
we look next
to the cross?
Secondly,
try and
practice taking
that genuine
interest in the
welfare of
others this
week.
It's not
going to
happen overnight.
I guarantee
you that.
Ask God for
those opportunities.
Look for
them.
Perhaps it
will look like
maybe taking
the time to
ring a friend,
to ask how
things are
going.
Maybe giving
up some of
that me time
to play with
the kids,
to take the
initiative in
leading your
family in
reading God's
word.
Maybe to
talk to
someone you've
never talked
to after
church.
To ask
about them.
To take a
genuine interest.
Can you
imagine what
our churches
would look
like, what
Cargilline
would look
like, if
we took
that genuine
interest in
one another?
And even if
the genuine
feeling isn't
there straight
away, do
it anyway.
And pray
that the
Lord would
change your
heart.
So,
brothers and
sisters,
practice the
attitude of
Jesus Christ
this week,
this month,
this year,
and imitate
those who
imitate Jesus.
Let's pray.
Father, we
thank you so
much for
your word.
We thank you
how you
teach us.
We thank you
for the
examples that
we see in
your word of
what it looks
like to
live for
Christ.
And we
thank you so
much for
the models
that we see
in one
another of
Christ's
likeness.
Imperfect
though we
are, that
you are
growing us
to be more
like Jesus.
We thank
you most of
all for the
perfect example
that we
have in
him.
Lord, who
are we that
we would
deserve this?
We don't.
But Lord, you
humbled yourself.
You put
your interests
aside for our
sake.
Let that be
our motivation
as we see
what Jesus
has done
and how you
enable us
by your
spirit to be
those kind
of role
models.
That we
might as a
church grow,
mature, and
live for you
day by day.
That you
would grow us
into the kind
of people you
have saved us
to be.
And pray these
things in your
most precious
name, the
name of your
Son, Jesus
Christ.
Amen.
We're going
to close by
singing the
song Once
Again.
It reminds us
once again I
look upon the
cross where
you dies.
I'm humbled
by your
mercy.