Five Examples to Follow
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Five Examples to Follow
Five Examples to Follow
3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
I thought we would look at five new testament women to follow.
Each of theses women has a different aspect of their life that can encourage us this evening....
The culture need Christian example to assist the next generation.
I Mary the Mother of Jesus - An Obedient Woman
I Mary the Mother of Jesus - An Obedient Woman
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Mary was not an educated women.
Mary never went to college. She never started a business. From the outside, Mary may have seemed like a typical young Jewish girl. Yet, when God looked on her He saw one who was worthy to carry His only begotten Son. He saw a young girl true in faith and humble in heart. And so He rocked her world by entrusting her with the intimidating task of mothering the King of kings.
She never started a business.
She was from a poor family outside the mainstream of Judaism
From the outside, Mary may have seemed like a typical young poor Jewish girl.
Yet, when God looked on her He saw one who was worthy to carry His only begotten Son.
He saw a young girl true in faith and humble in heart.
And so He changed her world by entrusting her with the intimidating task of mothering the King of kings.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
And so He rocked her world by entrusting her with the intimidating task of mothering the King of kings.
You and I would most likely have felt fear, worry, or doubt.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Yet, her response: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” () She was a servant first. She devoted herself to God.
Yet, her response: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” () She was a servant first. She devoted herself to God.
So much so that she was willing to do whatever it was He asked of her, including carrying His only begotten Son, facing scorn from those who did not understand her pregnancy, and the seemingly impossible task of raising God on the earth.
She faced an uphill battle
She would face scorn
She would trust God and relocate to Egypt
It was not easy
But she trusted God.
As a result this simple young Jewish girl has a precious place in Christ’s genealogy, that of His mother. People remember her for her servant’s heart and faith in God. It’s my prayer that those of us women living today could have that same heart to serve and honor God, willing to do whatever He asks of us.
II Anna - A Waiting Woman
II Anna - A Waiting Woman
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Anna was a prophetess.
Anna was a prophetess.
Her husband died and she dedicated her life to God, living in the temple and fasting and praying as she awaited the Lord’s Christ.
The book of Luke tell us that she and Simeon awaited the arrival of the Messiah of the world with great anticipation.
Anna was married for only seven years, and remained a widow for eighty-four years.
All of this means that she must have been over one hundred years old when her failing eyes beheld the Saviour she had longingly expected.
She had grown old in the service of the sanctuary, and having seen, with Simeon, God’s Salvation, was ready to depart in peace.
How encouraging it is to meet those who through a long life have remained true to the Lord and whose gray hairs are honorable because of a life lived in the divine will, and who, when they pass away, are ready for glory.
When death ravaged her own home, Anna turned from all legitimate concerns to join the band of holy women who devoted themselves to continual attendance at the “night and day services of the Temple.”
When death ravaged her own home, Anna turned from all legitimate concerns to join the band of holy women who devoted themselves to continual attendance at the “night and day services of the Temple.” She was no occasional attender or dead member, but a constant, devout worshiper. Her seat in the Temple was always occupied. What an inspiration worshipers of this sort are to a faithful pastor who feels he can minister more freely when they are present because of their prayer support! When their seat is empty in the church, he knows there must be something unusual accounting for their absence.
She was no occasional attender or dead member, but a constant, devout worshiper.
Her seat in the Temple was always occupied. What an inspiration worshipers of this sort are to a faithful pastor who feels he can minister more freely when they are present because of their prayer support!
When their seat is empty in the church, he knows there must be something unusual accounting for their absence.
Each of them gave thanks and praise to God when they were finally able to look upon the great fulfillment of God’s promise: His only begotten Son.
Each of them gave thanks and praise to God when they were finally able to look upon the great fulfillment of God’s promise: His only begotten Son.
Why is Anna so special? She waited on God to make good on His promise.
What’s more she didn’t try to enjoy the comforts of this life. She dedicated herself to prayer and fasting.
Though it could have seemed to her that God would never follow through or that the wait for His salvation was just too long, God showed Himself so faithful to her. And in the process, He redeemed her. He sent the Savior she needed.
But just as important, He gave her the ability to recognize the sacred call on and exceptional value of the blessed babe she held in her arms.
May our prayer be that we could be so given over and so fully dedicated to God that the “waiting” in our lives is something we leave at the cross as we seek to fulfill His purposes in this life.
And may He give us eyes to see the favor and grace He pours out in the lives of those around us so that we might see them as He does and love them all the more.
III The Woman at the Well - A Forgiven Woman
III The Woman at the Well - A Forgiven Woman
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
john 4.
This was an extraordinary woman.
She was a Samaritan, a race of people that the Jews utterly despised as having no claim on their God, and she was an outcast and looked down upon by her own people.
This is evidenced by the fact that she came alone to draw water from the community well when, during biblical times, drawing water and chatting at the well was the social highpoint of a woman’s day. However, this woman was ostracized and marked as immoral, an unmarried woman living openly with the sixth in a series of men.
Jesus doesn’t condemn her. He doesn’t chastise her. He doesn’t even tell her to change her ways. But He talks to her. The Samaritan woman meets Jesus. She learns who He is. And she puts her faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the promised One of God.
Jesus. She learns who He is. And she puts her faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the promised One of God.
The Bible tells us that immediately she leaves her jar and goes into town to tell others about Christ.
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
John 4.28-
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
How powerfully we can be used by Christ when we leave behind the condemnation and guilt of our past and move forward in Him!
How powerfully we can be used by Christ when we leave behind the condemnation and guilt of our past and move forward in Him! The Samaritan woman didn’t sulk under a burden of remorse. She recognized that the Messiah had come and she knew in her heart that it was absolutely vital that she share this good news with others!
The Samaritan woman didn’t sulk under a burden of remorse. She recognized that the Messiah had come and she knew in her heart that it was absolutely vital that she share this good news with others!
III Lydia- A Giving Woman
III Lydia- A Giving Woman
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
acts 16.14-1
Lydia in the Bible was originally from Thyatira but was living in Philippi when she met Paul on his second missionary journey.
She was a seller of purple cloth, which Thyatira was famous for, being a center of indigo trade. Lydia apparently had moved to Philippi to ply her trade in that city.
After Lydia’s conversion and baptism, she insisted that Paul and his friends come to stay at her home, if they judged her to “a believer in the Lord” (verse 15). Luke says that “she prevailed upon us,” which indicates the fervency of her desire to be hospitable.
illustration of giving and hospitable
The story of Lydia in the Bible is a great example of God’s providence and His care for believers. Lydia was a worshiper of God but, like Cornelius in , had not yet heard the gospel. God rerouted Paul and friends and also ensured that Lydia would be in the right place at the right time to encounter Paul and hear the good news of Jesus. And, as Lydia heard the gospel, God opened her heart so that she received the life-giving message.
While only five verses are dedicated to telling us her story, Lydia is one of my absolute favorite women in the entire Bible. There are two reasons for this. First off, the Bible tells us Lydia was a worshipper of God. Her life must have just emanated His praise and reflected His goodness in order for her to be recorded in history as a “worshipper of God”. Second, her quick and simple faith is a blazing example of the receptivity we all should have to Jesus Christ and the good news.
Praise God for such a shining example of worship and faith for us as daughters of the Most High!
V Mary Magdalene - A Faithful Woman
V Mary Magdalene - A Faithful Woman
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (). The name Magdalene likely indicates that she came from Magdala, a city on the southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus cast seven demons from her, she became one of His followers.
Mary Magdalene is one of the more famous New Testament women. Some think she was a prostitute. tells us that Jesus healed her by casting seven demons out of her. She traveled with Jesus and was an active follower of Christ during His time on earth. As a result, she witnessed Christ’s crucifixion. Three days later, she would also be one of the first people to learn about and testify to His resurrection.
Mary Magdalene witnessed most of the events surrounding the crucifixion. She was present at the mock trial of Jesus; she heard Pontius Pilate pronounce the death sentence; and she saw Jesus beaten and humiliated by the crowd. She was one of the women who stood near Jesus during the crucifixion to try to comfort Him. The earliest witness to the resurrection of Jesus, she was sent by Jesus to tell the others (). Although this is the last mention of her in the Bible, she was probably among the women who gathered with the apostles to await the promised coming of the Holy Spirit ().
She seems to show up just about everywhere.
After she got saved she was not going to miss out anything.....
Mary Magdalene is one of the more famous New Testament women.
She traveled with Jesus and was an active follower of Christ during His time on earth. As a result, she witnessed Christ’s crucifixion. Three days later, she would also be one of the first people to learn about and testify to His resurrection.
Mary had a special perspective of Christ’s life. Jesus had healed her and she could therefore testify to His amazing power.
She also followed Christ herself and most likely witnessed Him heal others. As well, she was perhaps one of the first, if not the first, person to discover the empty tomb. So Mary Magdalene was in a position to proclaim His marvelous deeds as well as His marvelous salvation.
How He longs to do wonderful things in our lives just as He did for each of these amazing New Testament women! If you are inspired by these women, head on over to 5 Amazing Old Testament Women of the Bible and read up for more inspiration and encouragement!