Losing Perspective

Looking for Models & Living As A Model

3.16.25 [Philippians 3:17-4:1] River of Life (2nd Sunday in Lent)

Have you ever thought about being a model? 

It’s the kind of question that can change someone’s life. One day, someone is walking down the street, reading a book at a coffee shop, or shopping at their local department store and a stranger approaches them and asks them that question: Have you ever thought about being a model? And overnight, someone’s life can change. 

But someone else. Someone with striking eyes. Someone with high cheekbones. Someone with a sharp jawline. Someone with a chiseled physique. Someone with big arms. Someone with long legs. 

Imagine for a moment that someone approached you on the street, at a coffee shop, or in a department store and asked you if you’d ever thought about being a model. How would you respond? Would you laugh? Would you look for a hidden camera? Would you blow them off? Maybe all three! But it would still make your day. 

Well, this morning, I want to make your day, so here goes. Have you ever thought about being a model? That’s one of the questions that the Apostle Paul asks us in our New Testament reading. The second is related. Whom are you modeling your life after? 

Modeling, like many pursuits, is done best when someone shows you the ropes. Now, I suppose there are many ways to learn how to do something. You can learn through experimentation—trial and error. But that is messy and riddled with mistakes. You can read an instruction manual. But some things are hard to explain in detail. You can learn, as many do today, by watching a YouTube video. But sometimes, what they’re doing is not really very clear or doesn’t match what you need to do in that situation. 

Modeling—or as we often call it, mentoring—is among the most effective & efficient ways of passing down tips, tricks, & techniques that are crucial for accomplishing something important. You can learn a lot by reading books. And you should. You can learn a lot by trial and error. And you will. But the Church needs models. The people of God need you to be a model.   

This has always been the case. Look at the Old Testament and you’ll see God molds and matures people through modeling. 

Think about all that Isaac learned from Abraham. Abraham trusted God’s promises no matter what. Abraham was faithful & obedient. Abraham was committed to carrying out the Lord’s will no matter how much pain or grief it might cause him. Isaac learned from his father Abraham that the Lord does indeed provide in incredible ways.

Think about all that Joshua learned from Moses. Moses was humble, faithful, and patient. Moses didn’t take it personally when the children of Israel—or even his own family—criticized him. Moses was merciful and selfless. When the children of Israel sinned and made the golden calf to worship, Moses prayed that the Lord forgive them according to his great mercy. At the same time, Moses was not a pushover. He was devout. He remained committed to doing things God’s way, even if it took the last forty years of his life. He was passionate about all God’s Law. 

Think about all that Solomon learned from David. David was a man after the Lord’s own heart. David took his cares and his concerns to the Lord—even late into the night. David loved to make music and sing praises to the Lord. He trusted in God’s will and timing so he refused to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed king, even when Saul was trying to kill him. David was eager to do great things for the Lord. It was David’s idea to build a grandiose Temple in Jerusalem. 

Think about all that Elisha learned from Elijah. Elijah was a man of deep convictions. He would not kowtow to King Ahab or Queen Jezebel no matter what they accused him of or threatened to do to him. He stared down the false prophets of Baal and trusted in the Lord’s power to do what had never been done before. 

How many people live like Abraham or Moses, David or Elijah? Not many! Rather, Paul tells us, Php. 3:18 many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Php. 3:19 Their god is their stomach. They serve themselves and their own passions. Their mind is set on earthly things. So their glory is in their shame and their destiny is destruction. Who would admit to living like that? Few would. 

But many do live like that. Sometimes, it’s very obvious to our eyes. In Philippi, Paul saw many people eating and drinking to excess, cavorting in sinful activities, and doing whatever felt good. Is our day, is our culture any different? People young and old chase after pleasures and experiences because their minds are set on earthly things. This moment is all they’re guaranteed. This life is all they have. So they live in self-indulgent ways.

But they’re not the only ones. Others worship their flesh and glory in their shame in less obvious ways. In Philippi, Paul saw some people who only ate what Moses commanded. They believed a person’s diet made them clean or unclean. Their god was their stomach as well. They gloried in not lifting a finger on the Sabbath day. They gloried in tracing their genealogy back to Abraham. Their mind was set on earthly things. So they lived in self-deluded ways, thinking what they did made them righteous.  

Many live in self-indulgence. Many live in self-delusion. Many times, our minds are set on similar pursuits and projects. 

At times, we live self-indulgently. We are reluctant to make any real sacrifices, here and now. We tell ourselves that when things pick up, when things slow down, or once we’ve taken care of a few things, we will get back into the spiritual swing of things. We make excuses about why we aren’t doing the good things God calls us to. I just don’t have the time. I just don’t have it in the budget. I just don’t have the gifts. I just don’t have the patience to mentor someone. I just don’t have the perseverance to help lead someone out of sin or temptation. It’s all a cover for our self-indulgence. 

At other moments, we delude ourselves. We fixate on the areas of life we think we’re excelling at. If we are generous, we compare ourselves to those who have little or contribute little. If we are self-disciplined, we compare ourselves to those who don’t keep a tight rein on their tongues, to those who fly off the handle, and to those who struggle with overconsumption of many kinds. We are quick to complain about those who are ignorant, immature, or intolerable. We compare what we are doing to those who do nothing or are doing very little, so that we feel great in our own eyes. And whenever we are called to do something we don’t excel at easily, we pass the buck. Someone else ought to do that, we say. The truth is, we want credit. We want control. We want to impress people more than we want to serve people because our minds are set on earthly things. 

With tears, we must admit, far too many times we have lived like enemies of the cross of Christ. We deserve eternal destruction. (Rom. 5:8-10) But God has demonstrated his own love for us in this: While were still sinners Christ died for us. While we were God’s enemies, God sent his one and only Son to willingly bear the cross for us, to die for our sins, and to reconcile sinners to God. 

The cross of Christ is the sole source of our salvation. The cross of Christ is God’s greatest glory. The cross of Christ is our enduring hope. The cross of Christ has the power to convert enemies into heirs. The cross of Christ has made us citizens of heaven. God has sent us to look for models. The cross of Christ has given us a new birth. God has made us his models.

In our Gospel reading from Luke 13, we see Jesus responding to his enemies. They tell Jesus (Lk. 13:31) Herod wants to kill him. This may or may not have been true. (Lk. 22:8-12) Before Good Friday, Herod had no interactions with Jesus. But even as he was threatened with death, Jesus was resolute. Jesus knew the teachers of the law were plotting to kill him. But he also knew what he had come to do. He knew the goal of his life was the shame & (1 Cor. 1:18) foolishness of the cross. (Jn. 12:27) This was the reason he had come. (Jn. 12:23) This was his hour of glory. Though it was personally painfully, socially shameful, and spiritually excruciating, Jesus embraced God’s will for him. He rejoiced in redeeming the world because his mind was set on heavenly things.

Jesus was different. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save sinners. He was willing to lose his life because he loved you and was focused on your eternal future. Because Christ made atonement for all our sins. Our destiny has been changed. Once doomed to destruction, God has rescued and redeemed us. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior and our ultimate example. He has made us models. 

And he has blessed us with plenty of individuals to model our lives after. We have models in the Scriptures who picked up their cross and followed Christ. They suffered for his name. They trusted his will. They patiently plodded on despite pain, pressure, and persecution. And they were imperfect. They were sinners. That’s why God gives us many models. When you just try to imitate one individual, you will mimic all their qualities—good and bad. But when you have many examples, you will see that every saint has a strength and every sinner has a struggle. He has given us spiritual parents and peers who model what fighting the good fight looks like. 

And God has made you a model, too. I know, if someone walked up to on the street or in the store and asked you if you’d ever considered becoming a model, you might laugh at them. But why? Because you don’t believe you’ve been born with the right gifts. Ok. Maybe you don’t have the sparkling eyes, the high cheekbones or the sharp jaw line to be a fashion model. But you have been born with many gifts. In Baptism, God has made you his Temple. God has given you gifts of faith and hope and love. He has renewed your patience and your perseverance. He has given you a heart that loves him and love your neighbor. So, have you ever thought about being a model? Good. Because God has made you one. Amen.