Imitating Godly Examples

Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things. Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

Today, as we gather on this special Mothers’ Day, we’re diving into Philippians 3:17-4:1, where the Apostle Paul issues a powerful call to imitate Godly examples. In a world filled with distractions and conflicting messages, it’s crucial for us to find role models who reflect Christ’s character and teachings.

Paul encourages the Philippians to join him in following his example and to pay attention to those who live according to the faith he embodies. He acknowledges that not everyone lives in alignment with the cross of Christ—many chase after worldly desires, focused on earthly things. But for Paul, true maturity in faith means looking beyond temporary pleasures and striving toward a heavenly calling.

As we reflect on the lives of those around us, both in Scripture and in our own communities, we see the importance of having Godly examples to guide us. Think of figures like King David, who, despite his failures, demonstrated genuine repentance and a heart after God. Or consider the influence of mothers and mentors who have shaped our understanding of faith and love.

Today, we’re reminded that our spiritual journeys are not meant to be walked alone. We need the encouragement and guidance of those who have gone before us. So, let’s commit to finding and following Godly examples in our lives. Together, we can grow in our faith, stand firm in our beliefs, and reflect the love of Christ to the world. Our big idea today is:

Big Idea: We must find Godly examples to follow.

Lets get started!

Philippians 3:17

Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us.

Paul calls on his Philippian readers to join in following after him and imitating him when it comes to following after Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul tells his readers to imitate him as he also imitates Christ. Paul is working and striving with all of his might, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to walk and live in line with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As he does so, he asks others to follow him in doing the same. He also tells his readers to pay attention to those who live according to the same example that Paul sets.

We must look to Godly examples here on earth to help us see and apply the Word to our daily lives. Paul is a fantastic person to look to as an example of following Christ. One of the greatest examples in Scripture of a person dedicated to following the Lord was David.

When King Saul had disobeyed the Lord to the point that God was taking the throne of Israel away from Saul, the prophet Samuel came to the king to let him know that God had chosen someone else to be the ruler of Israel.

1 Samuel 13:13-14

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord commanded.”

Samuel did not know yet who that “man after God’s own heart” was when he confronted Saul. He was simply delivering a message from the Lord to the King. Samuel did not know who David was.

For those of us who grew up in church and know the story of David and Goliath, David becoming a great warrior, being hunted by King Saul, and David refusing to harm King Saul when he had the chance, we see how David honored the Lord and tried to please the Lord is so many things. So many of the Psalms that are praises to the Lord were written by David.

But I think that the aspect of David that can tend to get overlooked was his brokenness over his own sin. When King David stayed home from war, he saw Bathsheba from his balcony. She was the wife of one of David’s 30 elite fighting men, Uriah the Hittite. David let his lust for a beautiful woman take over, and he committed adultery with her.

When Bathsheba reports to the King that she is pregnant, David calls Uriah home and tells him to spend time with his wife, thinking that will cover for his indiscretion. Uriah, being an honorable man, refused to go home to his wife because none of his fellow soldiers could be home with their wives.

David then sent Uriah back to the fighting, carrying a message for David’s general. That message was, essentially, an execution order for Uriah, that as the fighters got toward the front lines of battle, everyone would move back and leave Uriah on his own to be killed in battle. David then brought Bathsheba into his home to take care of her since her husband had died, and David married her.

The prophet Nathan brought a message to David that called out his sin of both adultery and murder. In his grief over his sin, David wrote Psalm 51. This Psalm is considered one of the great expressions of guilt, remorse, humility, and repentance in Scripture.

Psalm 51:10-13

God, create a clean heart for me

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore the joy of your salvation to me,

and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach the rebellious your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

There are so many pastors and preachers that I admire and respect for different reasons, whether it is their ability to exposit what Scripture says so well, or how they are so great about how they protect time with their family, or how they stand up to the ideologies of this world that come against the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the ones whom I respect even more are the ones who, like David in Psalm 51, can admit that they made a mistake, ask for forgiveness, accept the Godly discipline if it is necessary, and move forward, striving to do better.

I understand that today is Mother’s Day. And I have no intention of turning this into a Mother’s Day sermon. I have no intention of turning the sermon I will preach on Father’s Day into a Father’s Day sermon. My job is to preach what the text of Scripture says, no matter what day that particular passage may fall on.

That being said, I think it is appropriate today, as we talk about following God honoring examples in this life, to mention some mothers in Scripture who impacted both biological children and spiritual children for the Kingdom.

In 2 Timothy, Paul is writing what we now believe to be his final letter before his execution by the Roman Empire. In his introduction to the letter, Paul mentions his love for Timothy, as well as Timothy’s sincere faith.

2 Timothy 1:5

I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.

Paul mentions how Timothy’s Jewish mother and grandmother had such strong, sincere faith in God that they passed to the young pastor. Timothy had been taught in the ways of the Lord by the two women closest to him. I believe that they were very aware of what Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 6…

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

There are many within the church who were fortunate enough to grow up in a household whose parents took this admonition from Scripture very seriously. I can raise my hand and say that I am so thankful for the legacy of faith that I was able to see in not only my parents, but also both sets of grandparents, and a great-grandmother.

I pray that as my children continue to grow and mature that they will see my desire to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and my desire for them to do the same, like it is tattooed to my hand or forehead. I am not just saying this to mothers, but to all parents, we must be the example of God’s love and grace both to our children and those we come in contact with every day.

Later on in his letter to Timothy, Paul brings back into view Eunice and Lois.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Whether we had a good example set for us or not from our own family, you can still be an example to others.

Next Step: I will be an example of loving God to my family.

Now, I know that we live in a world full of sin. I know that not everyone either has or had a good relationship with their mother or grandmother, and so Mother’s Day does not necessarily bring up happy memories or good feelings. But even if that is the case, can you think of someone who still spoke into your life that you could consider as a “spiritual parent?”

Acts 18:24-26

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately.

Apollos was a very promising Christian who was proclaiming Jesus to the Jews in the synagogues. However, his theological knowledge was a little incomplete. He knew of John’s baptism, but probably had not heard about what happened on the day of Pentecost. So Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside to give him more complete instruction and information about the working of God in a person’s life.

They recognized the gifting of speech and persuasion that God had given to Apollos. Because of that, they made sure that he knew even more accurately the ways of the Lord.

Have you ever had someone who wasn’t a parent or direct relative do that for you? I have. I told you that I grew up in a house where the truth of Jesus Christ was taught and proclaimed. But I was not hearing only my family’s voices. Nancy Carefoot, Lee and LaVonne Nyquist, Craig and Sharon Jantz, Steve and Virginia Bjorklund, Rich and Barb Strum, Fred and Judy Hanenburg. Dane and Sherri Snyder, Rich and Christi Haugo. I am sure there are a lot more that I am forgetting. All of these people were parents of my friends, pastors, or Sunday School teachers. Every one of these people either showed to me and taught me about the love of Christ, and I am so thankful for the influence that all of them have had on my life to this day.

Next Step: I will thank a spiritual mentor for their influence.

Next Step: I will look to mentor someone newer in the faith.

Philippians 3:18-19

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things.

Paul now gives the antithesis of how to live by showing that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Those who live as enemies of Jesus have no other end but destruction. Paul then goes into further detail about the enemies of Christ.

Their god is their stomach…

So they consume anything that they desire. This does not mean that they only overeat. In Romans chapter 1, Paul lists all of the ways man has turned away from God. Those who have turned away from God are enemies of Christ. And so here in Romans 1 we can see the types of sins that deal with consuming.

Romans 1:28-29

And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice.

While not all of these sins, or actions, fall into the category of consuming, many of them do. They are sins of selfishness, where the motivation behind the actions is all about “me.” When we see ourselves falling into patterns like the ones listed above, we should start to take stock of our motivations and seek to ask the Lord to rearrange our priorities. These things are antithetical to the humility Paul is preaching about in his letter to the Philippians because there is no consideration for others above self.

Their glory is in their shame…

So they take pride in things God considers shameful. Let’s continue to go through this list in Romans 1.

Romans 1:29-32

They are gossips, slanderers (they actively speak against others who are made in the image of God), God-haters (hating God, or even trying to deny his existence, will end in shame), arrogant, proud, boastful (Proverbs 3:34 - God opposes the proud but give grace to the humble), inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful (even in a non-Christian setting, these actions are considered shameful). Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them (The ultimate shameful act that Paul lists here is knowing that God will judge the world for its disobedience and sin, and still encouraging others in their sin and applauding their sinfulness).

They are focused on earthly things.

The enemies of Christ are caught up in the problems of the world - Money, power, and sex are the big three. You can see it everywhere from social media, to movies and television shows, to even commercials.

However, our focus, as Christians, should be on heavenly things:

Colossians 3:2

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

We do not get to experience all that heaven has to offer here on earth. We are to be people of delayed gratification. Our human nature always wants things now. Money, a car, a perfect house, and physical healing. Before I met Emily, I wanted to be married and did not want to wait. These are not bad things to desire, but we must not have our hearts set on these things above Christ! We should not put any hope in the things of this world, but instead put our hope in Christ and on spending eternity with him.

We must also not get caught up in thinking that we as Christians are above putting our hope in the things of this world, or falling into the trap of the sins that were listed at the end of Romans 1.

Romans 2:1

Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.

As Christians, we still sin. This list of sins is not out of our reach. I have heard of church treasurers or bookkeepers who were greedy. I have seen gossipers in the church. I have seen arrogant preachers who take pride in their ability to teach, allowing it to puff them up. Let us not think that we are above such actions. Instead, I pray that we would all seek the Lord’s help to provide a way out of the temptations of such sins.

Philippians 3:20-21

Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.

Paul now gives the destination and home of those who put their hope in Christ. A Christian’s citizenship is in heaven, not earth.

The author of Hebrews, in writing to his fellow Jewish Christians, gives this list of people who lived by faith in chapter 11. It is often called “The Faith Hall of Fame” or the “Hall of Faith.” When describing these people who lived by faith, the author says this:

Hebrews 11:13

These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.

The author of Hebrews is saying that these great heroes of the faith knew that the earth was not their home. They were simply temporary residents here. Our hope is not in this world because it is not our home.

Because our home is heaven, we are eagerly awaiting the return of Christ, when we can be in his presence for all of eternity. When Christ returns, he will transform our humble, broken, sinful bodies to the likeness of his glorified body he received at his own resurrection.

He is able to do this through the power that enables him to subject everything to himself. He has always had this power. God created the world through Christ. In Hebrews 11, it says that God created the world through His Word. In John 1, the apostle describes Jesus as the Word who has always existed with God and as God. Therefore, Jesus is God and has always had the power to subject everything to himself.

It is that same power that he will use to give his people glorified, resurrected bodies when he comes again.

Philippians 4:1

So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

Paul encourages the Philippians to stand firm in the Lord by following after Godly examples, finding others who will help lead them in serving the Lord. In doing so, he calls the Philippians “dearly longed for brothers and sisters” and his “joy and crown.” Paul loves the people of Philippi, much like a parent loves their children.

One of the best ways to get my children to do what I have repeatedly asked them to do is not to yell and scream at them. Instead, I have to approach them like Paul is with the Philippians. I need to say things like, “I love you so much, and I know you are capable of this task. Please take care of what I have asked you to do.”

So, as Paul strongly and lovingly encouraged the Philippians to imitate solid, faithful people who love God and desire to serve him, I ask you with all the love I have for this congregation.

Next Step: I will find a Godly person to follow and imitate.

As we reflect on the importance of following Godly examples, I want to extend an invitation to those who may not yet know Christ personally. Perhaps you've been seeking fulfillment in the wrong places or have been influenced by the world around you. The truth is, true life and purpose can only be found in a relationship with Jesus.

Today, I urge you to consider your own heart. Are you ready to turn away from the distractions and sins that have held you back? Repentance is a sincere acknowledgment of our shortcomings and a desire to change direction. It’s about laying down your burdens and submitting your life to Christ, who offers forgiveness, grace, and a new beginning.

You don’t need to come forward or recite a specific prayer. What matters is the condition of your heart. If you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, take this moment to confess your sins to God, ask for His mercy, and commit to following Him. Let go of your past and embrace the new life He offers.

Next Step: I will submit my life to Christ

You are not alone in this journey—Godly examples surround you, and this community is here to support you. If you’ve made this decision today, I encourage you to share it with someone you trust. Let’s walk this path together, growing in faith and reflecting Christ’s love in our lives. This is your opportunity to start anew, to find your true identity in Him, and to follow the greatest example of all, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray!

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