Living as an Example

Does that phrase scare anyone?

I’m not totally useless I can’t be used as a bad example

I brought a new life. philosophy. into my daily walk about 10 or 12 years ago.

You see, I realized that for the first 40

plus years of my life I was striving to be the best.

I was striving to be the smartest guy in the room.

God taught me humility

I think there was even a time. that I thought I did.

I deserve the best of everything that this world had to offer.

But without getting into the seriousness of how God humbled me.

I had learned the exact phrase that I preached on the other week. that it’s not about me.

I have to admit it was a little sad when I came to that realization.

when you spend 40 plus years desiring. to be viewed as the smartest the quickest on his feet

. The most. deserving of all the blessings of life.

It‘s a shock. when you realize it’s simply not true.

Our verses today are about living for Christ not yourself

Listen for the words

-— ashamed, admonished, imitators, beloved, arrogant

and the subject of correction.

This message today is to set up the lesson next week.

I have to admit that this week I was confronted with the whole phrase.

It’s not about me.

I had to realize that God’s time is not my time. I had. to realize that God has a plan and a purpose.

You see, I have a lot to say about.

1st Corinthians 5. But through a series of events, I’m not. the one going to be preaching it next week. N

Maybe that’s for your benefit. because I’m not sure how long. it would take for me to teach about sexual immorality.

Let me read our Scripture for today -— you see it is HIS words that matter, not mine

I am only here as a vessel to help explain, challenge and encourage you to change for HIM

1 Corinthians 4:14–21 ESV

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me. 17 That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 18 Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Loving Father

Paul opens this paragraph with a statement

1 Corinthians 4:14 ESV

14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

i want you to keep that in mind today

I want you to keep your mind on this verse, in preparation for NEXT week.

I know that you guys are full aware. that I’m not perfect. to be totally honest with you

, I spent all week. reading, working recording and editing.

My message on First Corinthians 5.

The section of scripture that starts with sexual immorality defiles the church.

I spent a lot of time on. the wrong message.

I have to admit it was a little bit of shock to my system when Friday morning. when I decided to take all my notes when I had taken all my recordings.

that went speech to text and wanted to formulate my sermons so that on Saturday morning

I could work on crafting it. so that I would speak God’s word to you on Sunday.

The truth of the matter is that 530 on Friday morning. when I opened up the message. and I noticed that there was an outline in there already.

that I realized that Corey was preaching on that that I had messed up that I had read my plan wrong.

So I had to pivot.

It literally had to think. and confront my own belief system that God works all things for the good though. those he loves according to his purpose. N

As I started studying this scripture.

Frankly a little embarrassing and ashamed.

I’ve read that first verse that I just shared to you. N

I felt the spirit in me telling me. that God didn’t want me preaching that verse.

Maybe it’s because I would go off on too many tangents.

Maybe I would be too passionate.

But he confirmed to me that I needed to do what I was called to do.

And that Cory would be called to do what he was called to do.

I truly believe that it’s a neat thing when you finally realize that God’s plan is better than your plan, that when you know you can trust in him for it.

for when I made this mistake of writing the wrong sermon and came to the realization to realize that that this paragraph. of Scripture starts out with I do notwrite these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as beloved children.

I got had something different for me to share with you today.

Fatherhood of His Children

Had to admit over my last couple years, I’ve had people come to me and and say something like, you’re blessed.

And I was answer, yes, I am. Thank you.

The interesting part of that is that most of the people who said that to me were concentrating.

on my position in this world, the things that God provided for me.

But without sounding churchy, we need to realize that my blessings are from the Lord, not from this world.

The blessings I have in this world are all from God, but he gets all the credit for it.

This is an easy way for us to be imitators of how we should do stuff

to walk the talk that we’re going to talk about.

We need to get the mind set that nothing is from my efforts,

but it’s from my efforts because of God’s strength, his power, his wisdom and his countenance

that he decided to allow me to be blessed by that.

Paul says in verse 15 that we have countless guides in Christ.

The Original language here is actually “ 10 thousand guides”

But you don’t have many fathers.

What’s he talking about?

He’s talking about that that you have many people that are giving you advice telling you how to live.

But it’s a father who cares for his children.

It’s the father that we need to obey and we need to be some. missive to our pastors, to to the leaders that God put into our life

and your pastor needs to be submissive to the elders

that it’s all working together to glorify God.

Many people in your life will give you their insight.

BUT it is ONLY GOD THAT MATTERS

Your Pastor as an example of the GOOD GOOD FATHER, should be like a Father

CARING, CORRECTING, and EnCOURAGING YOU

People will come and go in your life —- BUT NOT THE LORD

I am possibly here for a time in your life.

I am part of a paragraph or chapters of your life.

Who are you Fathering in the Faith?

You know, the end of that verse is a tough one. It says, I became your father in Christ through the gospel.

I mean, that’s not a responsibility that II take lightly, that it’s my responsibility.

for my wife, it says I need to wash her in the word for you.

I need to be an accurate teacher.

I need to be a good guide so that you can imitate things

that I do because I’m maybe a little further along in my walk than you are.

It’s not a responsibility that that I desire, but it’s a responsibility that God’s called me to do.

And God is saying here in his word that that I need to live my life to be an IMITATOR

These elders need to live their life as a model

how we REACT MATTERS

There’s verses in the scripture that tell us exactly who qualifies as an elder and a pastor

because we’re doing those things and you can look to us and ask.

Paul says that’s why I sent you Timothy.

Let’s look at that in practical ways today.

It’s why I sent you Gloria to to teach

is why I sent Theresa. to talk to the youth.

That’s why I sent Corey to help teach the disciple makers class.

And frankly, it’s why God said me

but the next verse. maybe even the next two verses It’s a teaching that we need to remind you about the ways of Christ.

We need to live as an example, but we need to walk the example

Walk not Talk

But here’s the truth of the matter is, we need to walk in Christ, not talk only about. Christ,

of course, it’s our words.

We need to go. That’s a that’s an action.

That’s a walk, right?

And we need to teach.

So it needs to be a combination of both.

But what Paul’s talking about here is is don’t just be talking about being a Christian, be a Christian.

And he’s saying here that your leaders need to be an example of that so that you know who to follow.

Rod or Gentleness

, I’ve said this many times. As I close this morning with verse 21 Paul asks them.

1 Corinthians 4:21 ESV

21 What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Shall I come to you with a rod or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

Here’s my. exhortation to you to day.

I I know the answer to that question.

Your answer is you want corrected in love and a spirit of gentleness and not with a rod.

But I think what you’re going to see next week is that is.

that is a leading statement into sexual immorality in the church with frankly, is a teaching.

on toleration of sin.

look at that verse 21. and ask yourself this when you stand in front of the throne of God.

Will you REPENT?

Do you want the rod of Christ or the love of Christ?

And are you living your life today?

with the peace. of knowing that you’re going to be met.

within a blink of your last breath with a spirit of gentleness and love from Jesus.

Let’s pray.