Let Others See Jesus In Me

OCTOBER 6, 2021 STUDY NOTES PHILIPPIANS 3:17 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN ME Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. This verse is one of the most important studies found in scripture for Christianity today It is a Biblical Truth that many Christians don’t see, understand, believe, or practice today Many Christians today say, “don’t look at me, look at Jesus” The Bible says, “let others see Jesus in me” Scripture presents the need of Christian examples, someone that we can look up to spiritually We are to follow the example of Christ in order that we can see Christ in one another All Christians need spiritual models to encourage them to live their new life in Christ We are to imitate the life of a Christian who is following Christ Why is this Biblical Truth of being a Christian example so important today? Because the lost world and the carnal Christians are critically watching your daily life Satan picks out certain churchgoers and tells the world to watch them (Guess who he picks?) Paul describes the ones Satan selects in Philippians 3:18-19 (Our next study) God has selected certain churchgoers for other Christians to imitate and the world to watch You may be surprised at how often we find scripture revealing that truth to us “Let others see Jesus in me” is strongly emphasized in the Bible, the teaching is “imitate me” Many times, in scripture, we are instructed to imitate faithful followers of Christ Paul said to follow him, 1Co 4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. Literally, Paul said, “imitate me,” he tells us why he can ask others to do that, 1Co 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Paul could say, “Come follow me and I will lead you to Christ,” can we say the same thing? As the Thessalonians followed Paul, they found out that they were also following the Lord, 1Th 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: The word order is correct in this verse, first “of us” and then “of the Lord” Today it is common to reverse the order of what Paul said Many think that Paul should have said that they became followers of the Lord and of us It seems that the Lord’s name should have been first, but Paul has the correct order The evidence that they were following the Lord was the affliction they faced, 2Ti 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. They witnessed the afflictions that Paul was going through, but they also saw his joy of the Spirit They continued to watch his life because they wanted to learn how he could do that The Thessalonians needed someone to show them how to live the joy of a Christian lifestyle The Thessalonians began to imitate the life of those who were faithfully following Christ They patterned their life after the example set by Paul, Silas, and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1) God’s plan is for us to lead people to Jesus by living a Godly Christian life Paul, Silas, and Timothy entered-into the city of Thessalonica as Christian examples They came to teach the “one and only” Gospel to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:4) They came to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ before the Thessalonians, 1Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Which was something that the Thessalonians were sure of, there was no question about it Something that was beyond the shadow of any doubt, they could clearly see the evidence They knew for sure because of the example they saw in Paul, Silas, and Timothy Page 1 of 4 What they saw was the truth of the gospel, they could see that truth in the way they were living Their daily lifestyle was proof that the message they preached was the truth The Thessalonians knew that Paul was a Christian and they also wanted to become a Christian The last phrase of this verse is most important, “we were among you for your sake” Paul came to Thessalonica to minister for the sake of the Thessalonians He had others in mind while he lived his daily life, he taught the Gospel, and he lived the Gospel For our own benefit and for the sake of others we must live a Christ-like life We will all benefit from the daily Christian living of all-of our church family The Thessalonians became followers of Christ because they saw a Christian witness, 1Th 2:10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: Paul used three terms to describe the witness the Thessalonians saw Three things that need to be a witness of us all, three things that we need to see in each other “HOLY,” which refers to Paul’s conduct among them, faithfulness to God’s will for his life, 1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; “Conversation” is more than what we say, it includes every step of life we take, our walk Paul knew that his salvation was more than the things he stopped doing His salvation was a new way of life, 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Christians have been separated unto God, separated from sin, set apart for God’s purpose Christians have been sanctified for God’s use, Christians must live a “Holy” life “JUSTLY,” has the meaning of living an honest life, a life that is without injury to anyone “AND UNBLAMEABLE,” the thought of this word is “innocence” No charges could be justly filed against Paul, there was no justifiable grounds for criticism Because there was nothing hidden, his life was an open book, there was nothing undercover We should not put our life in a position to be falsely accused, 1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Thessalonian Christians followed Christian examples and became examples of Christ All of which identifies with the doctrine of election, 1Th 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. (Scripture explains how we can know) God has elected a “Plan,” His plan is to save the lost through His Son (John 3:16) God has elected a “People,” God’s people are those who believe in His Son (John 1:12) God has elected a “Purpose,” His purpose is for His people to become like and live like His Son God has elected a “Program,” His program is to use His People who are like His Son He uses His people who are living like His Son to be an example to those who are not His people God uses His People to tell those who are not His people how they can become His People God uses His People who are a Christian example of His plan of salvation to reach the lost God works through Christian example to show that He will save sinners and give them a new life The lives of the Thessalonians were changed because they witnessed the life of Paul They saw Paul before they saw Jesus, then they saw Jesus in Paul (Let others see Jesus in me) They set their minds upon becoming like Paul and Paul led them to become like Jesus We should imitate the Godly qualities of life that we see in others As Christians we ought to be a clear living example of the Christ-like life Our goal should be to live just like Christ and let others follow us to Jesus That is how God wants us to live, our life must tell the truth of the gospel Our life must be a living invitation, inviting the lost to come to Jesus for salvation All Christians need models to show them how to live their new life in Christ The Thessalonians did more than just listen to Paul’s teaching, they watched his daily lifestyle What they saw in Paul and his co-workers became a part of their life, 2Th 3:7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Page 2 of 4 What they knew came from Paul’s teaching and from witnessing Paul’s Christian example They had heard and they had witnessed how they were to live their daily life Paul had told them how, Paul had shown them how, he could now say, you know how You “ought to follow us,” is the same as saying, “you must follow us” Paul knew how important it is for a Christian to be an example for other Christians “to follow” Paul’s life was not out of order, he was not out of step in his daily Christian life He lived a disciplined Christian life and was an example of what a Christian should be We should imitate the Godly qualities of life that we see in other Christians, Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. “Slothful” has the meaning of being a lazy listener or a slow learner because of not listening We are instructed to give full attention to what is being taught from God’s Word We are instructed to pay attention to those who are spiritually active and living by faith It is not difficult to identify those who are spiritually lazy and those who are spiritually active We should now be able to see how important Philippians 3:17 is to our Christian life Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. We must first realize who Paul is speaking too, “Brethren,” those who united-together in Christ Heb 2:11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Jesus came to identify with humanity, no one is a brother with Christ through natural birth We are “brethren” only through the spiritual birth, Mat 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. We are united in Christ because of His perfect redemptive work of salvation Salvation is nothing to be ashamed of, Christ is not ashamed of us, don’t be ashamed of Christ Paul was not ashamed of his salvation or Christ, that is why he said, be followers together of me “BE” is a command to become like Paul, imitate the life of Paul as he imitated the life of Jesus Paul was not being arrogant or conceited, he was presenting to us a Biblical obligation His life was an example of how all “brethren” should be living Many Christians today are saying, don’t do as I do, do as I say,” Paul said, “do as I do” Our word for Christ must be strong, but our actions should speak louder than our words Our words should be an example for others to follow, Paul’s word was powerful, 1Th 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. Paul came to Thessalonica with the word of the Gospel, the Gospel must come in word Pay attention to how Paul identified the Gospel, he called it “our gospel” Paul personally identifies with the gospel, he had personally experienced the Gospel Having personally received the gospel, he was now committed to share the gospel with the lost Christian must realize that God has entrusted us with the duty of sharing the gospel We made a commitment to receive the Gospel, we must be committed to sharing the gospel There is a great need in the church of today for Christians to accept the truth of “our gospel” We need to fully understand “our gospel” and the importance of sharing “our gospel” Paul came to Thessalonica, not only with the word, but, in power and in the Holy Spirit There is a powerful force at work in the word of the gospel, it is the Holy Spirit, 1Co 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: There is a powerful force at work when we share the word of the gospel, it is the Holy Spirit, 1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. As we share the Gospel with those who are lost, we have the promise of His presence and power Paul’s words and ministry was effective because of the work of the Holy Spirit within him That is why Paul could say, and in much assurance; which means a full conviction Page 3 of 4 Some Baptist have allowed the Pentecostal emphasis upon the Holy Spirit to confuse them We must recognize and accept the ministry of the Holy Spirit within our life Consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus, at the beginning of His ministry, Mat 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Then a verse that surprises many, Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Which Luke helps us to understand, Luk 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Then following Jesus’ temptation, He returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. Jesus told us how important the ministry of the Spirit was to Him, Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Now how meaningful is Acts 1:8 to us? Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. The same power that was manifested in Jesus is now available to us as we witness for Christ Paul knew what he was telling us when he said for us to be controlled by the Spirit, Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Paul knew what he was telling us when he said to imitate him, to do so, we must walk in the Spirit, Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Paul refers to those who are walking in the Spirit when he says, “mark them which walk” “Mark” is a word which means “to pay attention to,” take careful notice, to keep in view It is interesting that we get the English word “scope” from the Greek word translated “mark” We are to look closely at those Paul speaks of, like looking through a telescope, who are they? “Them which walk,” walk is a figure of speech describing one’s conduct of life Describing those who are living a faithful Christian life, imitating the life of Paul How often do we hear someone describing the life of an unfaithful churchgoer? Our world needs to see and hear more about the life of a faithful Christian, who walks with Christ The church of today needs Christians that they can watch, follow, and imitate We must have Christians in our church family that we can imitate and learn more about Christ Paul said, “so as you have us as an ensample” The word “ensample” means a “pattern,” literally it refers to a visible mark or an impression Meaning “a print left,” referring to the impression left after the blow had been struck Our life must be patterned after those who have left an impression for the cause of Christ Paul was an example to the Thessalonians so they could follow him, 2 Thess. 3:9 The Thessalonian Christians were an example that others could follow, 1 Thess. 1:7 Paul told Timothy to be an example, 1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Then he told him how to do it, 1Ti 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Get in the Word of God, learn it and live it, be an example of God’s Word Peter said, “be an example to the flock,” 1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. The church of today must have Godly leaders and Godly members who are Christian examples Christian examples who are living according to the faith, so that others can follow their faith Are we there? Can others see Jesus in us? Page 4 of 4