Sermons
“Being a Good Example”
The following transcription is computer-generated and may not accurately reflect the contents of the audio. Please verify the content before quoting.
(Transcribed by Congregate. Always check document for possible errors and inaccuracies in automated transcriptions.)
The scripture reading tonight will be from Titus chapter 2.
Titus chapter 2, verses 7 through 8.
And I'll be reading from the ESV Titus 183.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Good evening.
It's a pleasure to stand before you and be able to preach the word of God and It's a, uh, it's a true honor to be able to have this opportunity to speak before you all and be able to show God's message and I want to thank Tyler for his choosing of songs that are gonna help prepare, prepare us for the topic this evening, and that is being a good example.
And this evening I want to do 2 things.
I really want to showcase 3 ways that we can show that we can be good examples of Christ.
And then after that, I'm gonna explain why it is so important for us to be examples as Christians.
So the first way that I want to go over that really kind of, for me, kind of first came to my mind whenever I was thinking about how we can be good examples.
is oftentimes we as Christians are characterized by our speech.
And in the young adult class, a year or two ago, I believe, Brother Nicholson taught the book of James.
And of course, as we were getting into chapter 11 of his questions that he asked was, you know, what, what sets us apart?
How can somebody in a room full of, you know, people we don't know, what is one way that we can show ourselves to be different?
And of course, our answer was our speech.
In James chapter 1 verse 26, James says if anyone thinks he is religious, And does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.
And oftentimes our influence in the community can not only change a person's perception of how they view you and your individual families, but, but your actions and your words can truly change how people view Christians everywhere.
And oftentimes when people get into, you know, biblical debates, they tend to maybe get riled up and, you know, have their own words used against them, which can hurt your influences.
Hurt your chances of influencing others around you.
If you would turn over to Colossians chapter 4, I'm gonna be reading verse 6.
In the ESB So let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
And of course, as Daniel read for us in our scripture reading Titus chapter 2, verses 7 to 63, so show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned.
So that an opponent may be put to shame in having nothing evil to say about us.
bridling our tongue and understanding that our words truly have an impact on the on the ones around us, can really show that we are separate from the world, and that we are different and that we are of Christ.
And secondly, I believe that our conduct is something that should define us as Christians.
And of course, your first question may be, well, you know, Ian, what kind of conduct are we instructed to have?
Ephesians chapter 5, I believe illustrates this perfectly for us.
If you would turn over there to Ephesians chapter 5.
I'm gonna be reading verses 1 and 2.
Ephesians chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.
Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children.
Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
And people who don't know us, people who don't know who we are, you know, what we stand for.
Oftentimes they may wonder why we behave the way that we do.
And of course, as many of you know, I haven't always preached full time.
I, for a period of almost 3.5 years, I worked at a power sports dealership in South Huntsville.
And You know, being there for that long, the management had really gotten to know me and, you know, maybe and who I was, and they knew that I acted a little bit different than say some of my co-workers.
And one day during my, I believe it was my lunch break, I found myself in his office.
We were just, you know, shooting the breeze and of course, as most conversations tend to do, took a spiritual turn.
And about halfway through that conversation, he admitted to me.
That he had not been living his life the way that he should have.
And then he knew he should be living it.
And he felt safe telling me this, whereas, you know, he was an upper-level manager and I was just a base-level employee.
So there was a, you know, a big difference between our, our power of influence in the building.
And he asked me specifically how I was able to maintain my faith while working in a, you know, a little bit of a rougher industry like power sports.
And really, I don't tell that story to pat myself on the back.
First of all, the, the glory is to be given to God that I was even put in that position.
But it was probably one of the hardest things that I've ever had to do as a Christian is working in a place.
Where God really wasn't thought of to be put first.
What was put first was thinking about making as much money as possible.
And so, Sometimes whenever you work in an environment like that, you often wonder, does my influence even matter?
Does my conduct.
Which is obviously gonna be different from everyone else's.
Is it even going to make a difference?
Especially to somebody who has been in the business for at least 15 years.
Knows pretty much everybody.
And I tell the story because I didn't think my influence had any.
I didn't think that I had any influence in that building, let alone from a manager.
And so Whenever we go back to school, I know most of the young people are on Christmas break and maybe some of the adults are getting a Christmas break themselves, but Whenever we go back to our schools and our classrooms or back to our work offices, I think it's important for us to remember that It doesn't matter how long you've been there, it doesn't matter how long you've known everybody there, your influence, whether it's your 23st day or your 17th year in the, in the office.
Your influence matters, and it can change anyone.
And the last evidence that I want to go over this evening is one way that we can show the world that we belong to Christ is through our ability to love.
And what does the world say that love is?
Well, love is a feeling, you know, it's a chemical reaction in our brains.
We really don't have a control over it.
It just kind of happens.
Everybody's preferences are different.
God says otherwise.
God tells us that love is a choice and it is a decision that we make individually every single day.
If you would turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses, and I'm gonna be reading verses 22 through 22.
This is a pretty common passage to find in, in homes, and I know me and Kayle have this hung up on our wall.
And it's a and it is a good reminder of what the true definition of love is.
Starting in chapter 218 and verse 26.
Love is patient and kind.
Love does not envy or boast.
It is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way.
It is not irritable or resentful.
It does not, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing.
But rejoices with truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends.
As for prophecies, they will pass away.
As for tongues, they will cease.
As for knowledge, it will pass away.
So now that we have a true comprehensive idea and definition of what love is.
We as Christians are called to love our enemies.
And the world may believe that our ability to love our enemies is a weakness.
But in fact it's one of our greatest strengths.
If you would turn over to Matthew chapter 218.
I'm gonna be reading verses 26 and 53.
In this passage, we see Jesus starting in chapter verse 25 of chapter 220, he says, you have heard it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
And some might ask why.
Why would I Why would I love my enemies?
Why would I love somebody who wants me to fail?
Both secularly and spiritually.
Why would I pray for somebody who every time I go to school, they make fun of me for who I am and what I believe.
Or for that one co-worker who can't seem to get past that you're a Christian.
Why should I love that person?
And I'll tell you why.
Because we were once enemies of Christ, but he still loved us enough to die for our sins.
Isaiah 220:2 says, but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God.
And your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
Brothers and sisters, if our sin has separated us from God, Then we have all been at one point in time of our lives.
We have been separated.
We have been enemies of Christ.
And I know for some of us that's, that's hard to think about.
We don't like thinking about at one point our sin has separated us from God.
But I think Paul in Romans chapter 5 in verse 10, he gives us a solution.
He says, for while we were still enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.
Much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
And so Christ gave his life for us even when we were still enemies of his, and we needed reconciliation, and that's truly, truly powerful.
So now that we have kind of gone over 3 different ways that I thought were important of how we can be good examples to our families and our communities.
Why is it so important?
Why is it so important that we set ourselves away from the way the world acts?
And I know in Titus chapter 2 verses 7 and 203 was our scripture reading, but I think Titus chapter 2 verses 2 to 13 is a very much more comprehensive view of what kind of way that God expects us to be.
So in Titus chapter 2, Starting in verse 2.
Says older men are to be sober minded, dignified, self-controlled in behavior.
Sorry, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanders or slaves too much wine.
They are to teach what is good.
And so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
Bond servants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything.
They are to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age.
Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
So now that of course we see that God has commanded us to act this way, I think it's important to add another element to it.
Others are continually watching us, especially our young people who may tend to imitate us.
My uncle Eric, a couple of years ago at West Rogersville, I went to go hear him speak and he had cited a poem that has stuck with me for years and And I think it really sets the tone for how we need to behave.
And what kind of example we need to be for our children.
And our young people It starts off by saying a careful man I ought to be, a little fellow follows me.
I do not dare to go astray, for fear you'll go the self same way.
I must not madly step aside where pleasure's paths are smooth and wide.
And join in wine's red revelry.
A little fellow follows me.
I cannot once escape his eyes.
Whatever he sees me do, he tries.
Like me, he says he's going to be.
The little chap who follows me.
He thinks that I am good and fine.
He believes in every word of mine.
In the base, the base in me he must not see the little chap who follows me.
I must remember as I go.
Through summer sun and winter's snow.
I'm building for the years to be.
A little fellow follows me.
And I think as the years have gone on from originally the point that when I'd heard it.
It has taken on a different meaning, especially with me about to be a father myself.
And That poem is a little hard to read.
Because I think sometimes as adults and even young adults with younger people looking up to us, we We often forget what kind, what kind of sponges young people are.
Mike Ison and me were talking months ago and we were talking about the middle school and elementary school classes and just how they are like little sponges.
They just take everything they hear.
And they make it their own.
And they imitate what they hear, what they see.
Everything from a slight mumble under your breath to maybe an eye roll, they see everything.
And I think for me about to be a father, that's something that kind of terrifies me a little bit.
But it's also a good thing because it gives us an opportunity to be an example for our young people.
And we're also told in Matthew chapter 18 and verse 6, what kind of consequences there are for people who may cause some of these young ones to stumble.
In Matthew chapter 18 and verse 6, Jesus says, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck.
And to be drowned into the depth.
Depths of the sea.
Jesus is very protective over his children.
And I think we need to be as protective as he is over us for our children.
And I hope that The information presented this evening was beneficial to you all and It gave y'all something to think about for this coming week.
And I know even though I said we may not be going back to our schools or back to our offices on on Monday, but even just being in the world, we are to be, we are, we are to be a light as we sang just a moment ago.
And maybe You know, we, we've talked about ways that we can show ourselves to be a good example.
But one thing oftentimes that people forget about is you can't prove Anything Unless you're a child of God.
You can't prove anything.
And in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, versus uh starting in verse 20, Paul is imploring the church at Corinth to be reconciled to God.
Because that's what it takes in order to be a child of his.
He says, starting in verse verse 20 therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.
God making His appeal through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake, he made him to be sin who know who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
And of course, your next question may be, well, I, how, how do I reconcile to God?
How do I make that decision to change?
Well Christ lays out his steps for us to be reconciled to the Father.
We must first hear the word of God.
Then we must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Thirdly, we must repent of our sins.
And we must confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
And finally we must be baptized for the remission of our sins.
And maybe you've already followed these steps.
Maybe you've already done what's necessary to be a Christian.
But you're not being the example that God would have you to be.
Maybe you've been slipping in some areas.
Christ is able and willing to forgive you if you implore Him to do so.
If you need the prayers of the congregation or anything at all, we are all here to help you.
There are many abled men and women who would love to study with each and every one of you.
If you would come to the front as we stand as we sing the song of invitation.
- 2024.12.15P-GoodExample.mp3 (6.22 MB)
