The reason it is ranked so high is because this passage deals with the example we set before our FAMILY and FRIENDS. Every one of us has influence for GOOD or BAD!
Illus: Even Jesse James had a gang that followed him around, and so do we. We have people under our influence.
When we speak about being under the influence, many of us think about those who are under the influence of alcohol.
Illus: A police officer pulls over this guy who was under the influence of alcohol. He had been weaving in and out of his lane.
• He goes up to the guy's window and says "Sir, I need you to blow into this breathalyzer tube." The man says, "Sorry officer I can't do that. I am an asthmatic. If I do that I'll have a really bad asthma attack."
• "Okay, fine. I need you to come down to the station to give a blood sample." "I can't do that either. I am a hemophiliac. If I do that, I'll bleed to death."
• "Alright, then I need you to come out here and walk this white line." "I can't do that, officer."
• "Why not?" "Because I'm too drunk to do that."
We all have people influencing us for GOOD or BAD!
Illus: Sometimes we hear some of the athletes being interviewed on television. Because they are on drugs or alcohol, they are asked, “Don’t you feel a responsibility to be a better role model to the children of this world?” Many of these athletes will say, “I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL!”
We may not want to be an example for others to follow, but LIKE IT OR NOT, WE ARE ALL ROLE MODELS!
Illus: One of the most ridiculous things we ever heard was during the scandal of former president Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. We were told that what people do in privacy will not affect the youth of this nation. THAT’S RIDICULOUS!!!
For example, in the Old Testament we read about the BAD KINGS Israel had. It mentions over and over again how it caused the nation to become as wicked as these Kings. What the Kings were, the people became.
It even causes some (the young and immature) to think that, since we did it and still got along fairly well, they can do it and get along fairly well, too.
The life we live sets a pattern for others to follow. Others are going to follow us no matter what we do. We influence people by how we live and by what we do.
• If we follow good and do good, it encourages others to do good.
• If we follow evil and do evil, it encourages others to do evil.
This says something to us, something of critical importance:
• We must live lives on the highest level possible
• We must set the most dynamic example possible
• We must set the most perfect pattern possible
But it also says something else. We must follow after those who live on the highest level of life. We must seek out those who walk as GOOD EXAMPLES, and follow after them.
This is the subject of this passage. We need to consider that:
I. SOME ARE GOOD EXAMPLES
Look at verse 17, we read, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.”
Look at the word “brethren”. Paul is addressing Christians and he is telling them to follow him.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? Because many times we expect people to act like Christians when they are not Christians.
Illus: A Christian mother was talking to her pastor about her rebellious son. She said he was not acting like a Christian. The Pastor said, “It is probably because he is not one!” Just because a child is raised up in a church most of their life does not make them a Christian.
We have churches all over this country that are trying to teach people how to live and talk like Christians. Listen, if they have never been born again, it is a waste of time.
Notice, when Paul was here and was trying to influence people to live AS CHRISTIANS and talk AS CHRISTIANS, he was dealing with the brethren.
Also, note the word "example". This is the word, “tupos” (pronounced as too'-pos) fashion, figure, form, manner, pattern. We are to let those who are good examples make an impact on our life.
Notice, Paul said in verse 17, “Brethren, be followers together of me…”
As we read throughout the scriptures, we see that Paul really believed in using his influence for the Lord. Look at:
• 1 Cor. 4:16, we read, "Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me"
• 1 Cor. 11:11, we read, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"
• Phil. 3:17, we read, "Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample"
• Phil. 4:9, we read, "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you"
• 1 Thess. 1:6, we read, "And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost"
Did you know:
• If you have a few dedicated Christians in the church, and everyone follows after them, you will have a wonderful church.
• If you have a few undedicated Christians and everyone follows after them, you have a bad church.
Every Christian needs to ask himself what his church would be like if everyone lived their Christian lives the way he lives.
WHAT KIND OF CHURCH WOULD IT BE? Listen, the church could not survive if everyone was to follow the example of some:
• There would be no Sunday School
• There would be no one bringing their Bibles to Church
• There would be no singing
• There would be no tithes and offerings
• There would be no prayers
• There would be no evening service
• There would be no mid-week service
• There would be no souls won to Christ
• There would be no visitation
• There would be no Christian greetings
The church today would be in terrible shape if people followed some professing Christians.
But there is good news. The church today would be in great shape if everyone followed some of the dedicated Christians in the church. We should all strive to live our Christian life in such a way that we can say to everyone, “FOLLOW ME AS I FOLLOW CHRIST.”
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was preaching a revival meeting in a town he had never been in before. He stopped to get some directions to the church. The man he asked for directions was getting into his truck, and he said, “You follow me because that is where I am going and I will take you there.”
There are a lot of spiritual babes in the Lord that need some directions, and we as Christians should be able to say, “You follow me as I follow the Lord!”
In the church SOME ARE GOOD EXAMPLES, and:
II. SOME ARE BAD EXAMPLES
Look at verses 18-19, we read, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”
• It would be nice to live in a town where everyone was nice and kind. But we all know that in every town you have some nice folks and you also have some evil and unkind people.
• It would be nice if every church was filled with good dedicated Christians that loved the Lord. But the reality is that while there are good dedicated Christians in every church, some of the meanest people on the face of the earth are members of local churches.
In other scriptures, Paul has this to say about those who are the enemies of the cross.
• Paul recognized that everyone that claims to be saved does not know the Lord Jesus.
• Paul recognized that everyone that claims to love the Lord does not love the Lord.
There are some dangerous people in the church, and Paul warns Christians about hanging out with such people.
• Look at Rom. 16:17, we read, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
• In 1 Cor. 5:11-13, we read, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”
• In 2 Thess. 3:6, we read, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”
• In 2 John 10, we read, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:”
These are the people that do not care what they SAY or DO that might hurt the Lord’s work. Paul says these are the “Enemies of the cross of Christ”.
It is important that we live our Christian life in a way that we will not be the “Enemy of the Cross.”
We can see that Paul felt that way, as we look through the scriptures. For example, we read of how he lived his life:
• In 1 Thess. 2:10, we read, "Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe"
• We read in 2 Thess. 3:7, "For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you"
Who is an ENEMY OF THE CROSS?
• It is the person who rejects the cross of Christ as the only way to God.
• It is the person who does not accept the death of Christ as payment for our sins.
• It is the person that rejects the teaching that Christ died for all people as the punishment for their transgressions.
• It is the person who does not believe that the penalty for his sin was borne by Christ on the cross.
• It is the person who proclaims that there are other ways to approach God - ways other than the cross of Christ.
• It is the person who considers the cross of Christ to be foolishness.
• It is the person who persecutes and attempts to stamp out Christ and His cross.
• It is the person who denies and questions that Christ died for our sins.
In Matt. 25:46, we read, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Paul has some harsh words to say about the “Enemies of the cross”. He has four things to say about them. Look at Verse 19, we read:
• Whose end is destruction
• Whose God is their belly
• Whose glory is in their shame
• Who mind earthly things
Note what is said about them.
(1) THEIR END IS DESTRUCTION (apoleia).
The word means perdition, destroyed, or slain; to lose one's well-being; to be wasted and ruined and given a worthless existence.
This means these “Enemies of the cross” are out to destroy everything that is sacred and holy.
• They do not bring people to the cross, they do everything they can to chase them away.
• They do not build the church up, they do everything they can do destroy the teachings of the cross.
(2) WHOSE GOD IS THEIR BELLY
Their god is their belly (koilia). The belly represents their appetites.
When it is church time, they give the appearance of having an appetite for the things of God, but their life reflects that:
• They desire the physical pleasures of this world. Physical and material gratification is their god.
• They center their lives around: possessions and property, pleasure and sex, houses and furnishings, honor and fame, money and wealth, and position and success.
Just take a moment and think about this. Some professing Christians spend more time eating physical food each day than they do spiritual food.
(3) THEIR GLORY IS THEIR SHAME
This simply means that men boast in the things they ought to be ashamed of.
Illus: It is not unusual to hear men and women get on national television and brag about how many people they have slept with.
(4) WHO MIND EARTHLY THINGS
Col. 3: 2, we read, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Everything they love and have an appetite for is right here on this earth.
Conclusion:
WHAT IS THE CURE FOR SUCH A PERSON?
Look at verses 20-21, we read, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
The believer is to focus in on the body that he one day will receive from the Lord Jesus.
All of us at the present live in a body that is vile.
Illus: I am thinking of a preacher who was known all over this nation as one of the great men of God. He preached to literally thousands of people. But one day as he lived in this vile body, he gave in to sin and today he is no longer in the ministry.
One day we are going to get a GLORIOUS BODY, and we will not have the battle with sin that we now have. In the meantime, we need to do everything we can do to be a GOOD EXAMPLE to others.
We have seen that:
I. SOME ARE GOOD EXAMPLES
II. SOME ARE BAD EXAMPLES
