Sermon Tone Analysis

Living an exemplary life

 

*Jesus led an exemplary life.

People looked to Him because He was worthy He was worthy of honor, He was praiseworthy, He was worthy of imitation.

*

*  Today message is about just that, a call to be worthy, commendable.

A call to lead an exemplary life, before we go on I want you to know what the word exemplary means.*

*American Heritage Dictionary:*

| *exemplary* | *(adj.)*

| *Worthy of imitation; commendable: exemplary behavior.*

|

*Serving as a model.

Serving as an illustration;*

| *Synonyms of 'exemplary'** **22 synonyms -** Roget's II: Thesaurus *| *• * | *Deserving honor, respect, or admiration: **admirable**, **commendable**, **creditable**, **deserving**, **estimable**, **honorable**, **laudable**, **meritorious**, **praiseworthy**, **reputable**, **respectable**, **worthy**.

* |

* *

*Now that we know what it means, I want you to look at your life and ask your self, Are you worthy of imitation, are you serving as a model?

This nation needs role models, and as Christians, not only should we be role models, Christ calls us to be.*

*Romans 8:29*

*29** For whom  He foreknew, He also predestined  /to be/ conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.*

*These verses give Paul’s explanation of what it means to be one who has “been called according to His purpose” and why God keeps on working all their experiences together to their benefit Believers are those God foreknew.

This does not mean simply that God foreknows /what /believers will do, but that God foreknows /them.

/Nor does divine foreknowledge merely mean an awareness of or acquaintance with an individual.

Instead it means a meaningful relationship with a person based on God’s choice in eternity before Creation.

“He chose us in Him before the Creation of the world*

*This eternal choice and foreknowledge involves more than establishing a relationship between God and believers.

It also involves the goal or end of that relationship: Those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son (1 John 3:2)*

*1 John 3:2*

* *

*2**Beloved, now we are children of God; and  it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed,  we shall be like Him, for  we shall see Him as He is.

*

 

        *The entire group that is brought into relationship with God in His eternal plan by divine foreknowledge and choice is predestined.

God determined beforehand the believers’ destiny, namely, conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.

**By all saints being made like Christ** (ultimate and complete sanctification), Christ will be exalted as the Firstborn among many brothers.

The resurrected and glorified Lord Jesus Christ will become the Head of a new race of humanity purified from all contact with sin and prepared to live eternally in His presence.*

* *

* Jesus led a mentoring life.

He had 12 disciples but only truly mentored 3, He was an example to all but took only 3 under his wing.

And that what I want to talk with you about today is leading a mentoring life.

Turn in your bibles with me to: *

* *

*2 Timothy 3:10 *

* 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11 persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me  at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured.

And out of /them/ all the Lord delivered me.

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

13  But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned /them,/ *

 

*/ /**/We must follow those who are True!!!!!/*

*Paul turned from the false leaders to remind Timothy that he (Paul) had been a faithful servant of God.

It is important in these difficult days that we follow the right spiritual leaders.

*

* But how do we know a spiritual leader or a Godly mentor?

What are their characteristics?*

* Here are six that I have found from scripture.*

·       */Their lives are open for all to see (v. 10a)./*

*Paul had nothing to hide.

Like his Master, he could say, “In secret have I said nothing” (John 18:20).

“My manner of life from my youth... knows all the Jews,” Paul had told Agrippa (Acts 26:4).

Timothy had lived and labored with Paul and knew the man well.

Paul had not hidden behind extravagant claims or religious propaganda.

(Timothy looked up to Paul as a mentor)*

·       */They teach true doctrine (v.

10b)./*

“*My doctrine” in Paul’s case meant the true faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

No matter how appealing a preacher may be, if he does not preach the truth of God’s Word, he does not deserve our support.

On radio and TV today, we have a great deal of “pseudo-Christianity” which is a mixture of psychology, success motivation, and personality cults, with a little bit of Bible thrown in to make it look religious.

Beware! ( We need to teach the scriptures to others so they will not be deceived by false teachers) *

·       */They practice what they preach (v.

10c/**/)./*

*Paul’s “manner of life” backed up his messages.

He did not preach sacrifice and live in luxury.

He gave to others far more than he received from them.

He stood up for the truth even when it meant losing friends and, in the end, losing his life.

Paul was a servant, not a celebrity.

(Timothy saw a life worth imitating) *

·       */Their purpose is to glorify God (v.

10d/**/)./**

There was never a question about Paul’s “purpose” in ministry: He wanted to do God’s will and finish the work God gave him to do (Acts 20:24; Phil.

1:21).

The Apostle Paul was a man of “faith” who trusted God to meet his needs.

He was a man of “long-suffering” who bore up under people’s attacks.

He was a man of /love/ (“charity”) who willingly gave himself to serve others.

*

*The word /patience/ at the end of 2 Timothy 3:10 means “endurance, the ability to stick with it when the going gets tough.”

(Paul was a role model)*

·       */They are willing to suffer (vv.

11–12)./*

*Paul did not ask others to suffer for him; /he suffered for others./

The fact that he was persecuted from city to city was proof that he was living a godly life.

Some people today have the idea that godliness means /escaping/ persecution, when just the opposite is true.

*

*I wonder how Paul would match up with today’s concept of a Christian leader.

He would probably fail miserably.

If he applied for service with a modern mission board, would he be accepted?

He had a prison record; he had a physical affliction; he stirred up problems in just about every place he visited.

He was poor, and he did not cater to the rich.

Yet God used him, and we are being blessed today because Paul was faithful.

(Paul was a man of convictions)*

·       */Continue in God’s Word (2 Tim.

3:13–17)/*

*The only way to defeat Satan’s lies is with God’s truth.

“Thus saith the Lord!” is the final answer to every question.

Evil men and deceivers are going to get worse and worse.

They will deceive more and more.

Why?

Because they are being deceived by Satan!

In these last days, there will be more deception and imitation; and the only way a believer will be able to tell the true from the false is by knowing the Word of God.

*

*Timothy had been taught the Word of God from the time he was a child.

Some people are prone to say, “Well, I needed the Bible when I was younger; but I can do without it now that I’m older.”

How wrong they are!

Adults need the guidance of the Word far more than children do because adults face more temptations and make more decisions.

Timothy’s grandmother and mother had faithfully taught him the Old Testament Scriptures.

(The word /whom/ in 2 Tim.

3:14 is plural, referring to these women; see 2 Tim.

1:5.) Timothy was to continue in what he had been taught.