MCC Podcasts
Working It Out: You Get To Be The Example pt2
Well, we're in 1 Timothy where Paul was writing to his mentee, Timothy, the apostle Paul, who was writing to his mentee, Timothy, who was pastoring the church in Ephesus, telling him this is how you work it out, be in the church. This is how you work it out, be in God's people. And last week, so that's why we're calling it, working it out. And last week, we got to this idea about being an example, and the title was, "You get to be the example," says to Timothy. You get to be the example for people in how to live, and today's part two, and I think this is just perfect, isn't it, up here seeing these folks and watching their examples and hearing their example and thinking about that idea? So we're going to talk some more about example. I just love the idea of the example. And the theme of yesterday, and we're going to review in just a second, but the theme of last week's sermon was all about the fact that you, whether you like it or not, you are an example, and you impact everybody around you with the message of who you are and what you value and what this God thing is about. We're examples, and we can't get away from it. I was, this week I had an opportunity to go to the Ali's house, you know, Dar and Sandy Ali in our church, and they've got two little boys, 10 and 8, and they had asked me to come over, and if I wouldn't join them for a time of prayer in their home, kind of consecrating their new home. They're just about to go into a remodel, and they believe that this is a place that God has given them for ministry, and for their life, and their kids to grow, and all these kinds of things. And so they said, "Would you come pray with us over it as a family?" So I go, "Sure." So I come over to pray. The boys were 10 and 8, kicking a soccer ball against the wall, and being all kind of silly and all that kind of stuff, and we'd say, "Well, you guys want to join us?" And they'd be like, "No." You know? And they're running around the house, and so that was fine. But when we came to prayer time, everything got real quiet, and as I kind of peaked in prayer, I saw the two boys right there hanging on a mom and dad's waists. We had two seasons of prayer, one in the living room, a dining room area, the living area of the house, and one at the top of the stairs at the landing, kind of outside their bedrooms, and we prayed for their life, and their ministry, and their hospitality, and God's presence in their home, and everyday life, and then upstairs, we prayed for their family, and their relationships, and the boys' growth, and their marriage, and we should have had Anne there praying for their sex life, and all that stuff. We blessed their family, prayed. But as I opened my eyes, I saw the boys were right there, and mom and dad said, "Do you want to pray?" And they're like, "No." Okay. And I prayed, and then dad prayed, and then mom prayed both times, downstairs, and then I heard Callen, their oldest boy, I heard his voice, "Ana go, okay, you want to go bud? Go ahead." And then he prayed. And then I heard the little brothers, Aiden's voice, "Ana go." And then he prayed, and to listen to their prayers, and then upstairs, we went upstairs, and I prayed, and dad prayed, and mom prayed, and then you guys went, "Ana go." And then he Callen prayed, and then eight-year-old Aiden prayed. And as I listened to them pray, upstairs, "Thank you, God, for my brother. Thanks for the love in our..." Thank you, to hear an eight-year-old pray, thank you, God, that mom and dad love each other so much. I mean, it was this powerful experience to hear those voices, but I got done with that, and I thought that was really cute, and that was really sweet, and we had a lot of laughter with them because they're kicking the soccer ball, and then Ana go, and then they're praying, and then even my favorite part was at one point, and one of them had to go to the bathroom, and I announced it, and then went into the bathroom, a foot from where we were standing, and we prayed to the waterfall noise, you know, and it was just so real and so rich, but the beauty of it was, as I was driving away, I thought eight-year-old and ten-year-old boys do not know how to pray like that unless mom and dad have been praying. You with me? This doesn't come out of nowhere. I love this idea of being an example, that how we live for God is seen by our children, by our neighbors, by our co-workers, by the people in church with us, by everyone. It's something that is, whether we like it or not, whether we embrace it or not, we are examples. You get to be the example, Paul tells Timothy, we didn't look at the text yet, did we, should we do that? Sorry, let's read the text again, just verses 11 and 12. Command and teach these things, Timothy, Paul says, some hard things I'm telling you that you have to teach the church how to live, but you do it. You don't let anyone look down on you because you were young, but set an example for the believers. In speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity, that's the word of the Lord. Now, this is where we went with it last week. What we said was in this text, the first part is that there's really no place for excuses. He says, don't let anybody look down on you, don't let that be an excuse for them, like Timothy's so young he can't be an example, or for you, I'm so young I can't be an example. Don't let anybody look down on you, you are an example, it's the place that God's put you. We can't give them that excuse, and you don't take that excuse. Why? Well, last week we looked at Jeremiah where that happened to the prophet as well. Jeremiah said, I can't go be your prophet, God, I'm only a child, what do I know? I don't know how to speak. I can't do anything. Remember Moses too? I can't speak. Lord, I got a speaking problem. I can't be your person. Seems like all along. We're already prone, maybe we are too, to say to God, I got all these reasons why I can't really be your example. I can't be that. I don't have much to give. I don't know what I could give. He goes, you know what, there doesn't actually get to be a place for excuses, and we looked how in Jeremiah God said to the prophet, you don't get to say that. You know why there's no excuses? He said, because there's that my mini sermon in the middle of last week, because I got a plan for you, it's my plan, and my presence is going to go with you. So this isn't about you, what's it have to do with you? My presence is going with you and my power is going to be in you. So whatever strength you need, whatever results need to happen, that's me, not you. So there actually isn't get to be in a place where we go, you know what, I'm too this. I'm too busy. I'm too young. I'm too new of a Christian. I'm too, I'm not verbal enough. We don't, we get to be examples because of God's plan, God's presence, and God's power. With me on that? So we were last week, a little free recap for those of you that weren't able to make it. So there's no place for excuses, we're going to be God's example. And the way that example is portrayed in this text is that it is a pattern, we're a pattern to be followed. Go back to the text and look at it. He said, don't let anybody look down on you because you're young. Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, love, faith, and impurity and conduct. You set an example, don't let anybody look down on you, but you become a pattern. You become an example. You become a really claudia, you win, the child. That is awesome. Give her a little love, go claudia, go love your baby. Is that awesome? Does she feel judged right now at all, do you think? I don't know. That just means her babies love her. Okay. You get to be an example. You get to be a pattern. That's the second point that I got to last week. You're a pattern to be followed. You actually are a template that we say to the world, oh, you want to know how to do the God thing? Live like this. Remember that from last week? You're a pattern to be followed. And so the question we ask ourselves is can we say to our church, to our neighborhood, to our world, to our children, to other people's children, can we say to everybody, hey, you want to know how to do the God thing? Watch me. Wow. That is a radical reality, but that's what Timothy is hearing from his mentor. It's God's plan, presence, power. Now go live it out. You're a pattern to be followed. Go give that pattern to people because people don't know how to live for God. They're watching you to do it. Man, what a high calling. What an exciting, actually calling that we get to be the pattern. And then this last part is where the pattern is in some pretty significant stuff. We just touched on that at the end of last sermon and in our time remaining. That's what we'll do here. In some pretty significant ways. And he lists those things when you look at the text. He lists those things in speech and conduct, love, faith, purity, giant kind of concepts. And I want to unpack that this morning and this is sort of our part two of you get to be an example in saying, all right, well, like what? Like, how? How do we live out being this example? What kinds of ways am I an example to everybody for living the God thing? So, first one he mentions is speech. Speech. And I go really? Like how I use my speech, like my mouth, like my words, like in my speech? That's your number one? Is that your number one in your Bible or did God put that in my Bible because that's my big issue? Is that what that is? He says, you set an example with your speech with your mouth. Let's look at that sink in a little bit. I just heard a great story that I don't think I have permission to tell you downstairs about a grandpa in our congregation who busted out with the S word in front of a grandkid and then being the godly man that he is wanting to fix it, turned around and said to him, don't ever tell your mother. Richard can tell you who it was? This last name rhymes with Marascas, okay. I remember I was in here one time and I probably retold this story too. I was in here one time and I was all passionate about something and I was wanting to say, listen, if I ever stop believing or getting excited about the grace of God on my life, I want somebody to take me out on the back and kick my and I was knew that there was a bad word. I was all passionate. I wanted to say, man, kick my tail. Come on now. You know, I was all fired up using my words and I wanted to say that and I knew there was a word as I was coming down the sentence in my head as I was preaching and in the moment, I knew there was an okay word which would be kind of a risk to be all passionate like that but you guys know me and that was going to be good and there was an okay word and I was as I came down, I translated it too many times in my head and I busted out with kiss my blank. I mean, kick my blank, I kiss my blank. And that's what I said. No, I didn't. So I just busted it came out, you know and it was like, oh my gosh, I just said I remember thinking, oh no. So I got to my desk on Monday morning and I foated for the, you know, the email from the personnel committee. You know, I thought, oh, here we go and I only got one. I got one email and I got it from brother Mike Nolan who is on our leadership team and I'm like, oh boy, there it is and I opened it up and it said, where do I get in line for the blank kicking? That was his. So I look at this and I go, oh my gosh, set an example in your speech. It's a huge deal, speeches for all of us. But in reality, it isn't just about how we spell the words that come out of our mouths. It's about where those words come from. What did Jesus say? Stuff that comes out of your mouth is an overflow from your heart that's within you. So this is a big deal, this big speech thing because speech is primarily how we present ourselves and interact with the world and we're called to present ourselves and interact with the world. We're called to be an example, hello, it's what we're talking about to the world. We're called to actually be an example to what God is like. And so this is how we talk about God, show God, speak of God. This is how we present ourselves and our relationship with God. It is huge, this area of speech. It's where the real us comes out. Would you agree? That's what Jesus was talking about. And so he goes, you got a certain example for that. Friends, this is how we engage in life. This is how you talk to people. This is how you love people, which is God's job for you to love people. And the question here he's saying, Paul's saying to Timothy and all of us need to receive this, are you an example in how you present who God is, how you speak about what a life with God is about, how you talk about God's love, how you communicate God's love from you to other people. It's a huge question. What an example for the believers in how you talk, what you say, and it's not just about how you spell your four letter words. Because I can spell a word differently and have the same sinful thing coming out. Am I right? Have you ever heard your grandma say fiddle sticks? Same deal. It's about am I an example of what it's like to have God in me and to interact with God through me. You know, the power of loving people with your words? Are you that person? Here's the question to ask about this. What's people's impression of you after you've left the room with what you've said? That guy's witty, that guy's the smartest guy in the room, that guy's edgy, where that guy reeks of the love of God and of faith. How we speak gives that off. He goes, you set an example about what comes out. Second thing he says is, set an example in life, or in conduct, it says in maybe your text right there. It means life. Generally, this simply means you set an example in how you live. Do you know, you know, that every way that you live, in other words, what you spend your time with and what you spend your dollars on and including speech and who you're with and how much time you spend with them, people see that stuff. You get that, right? We just see it. Some people see parts of your life, other people see other parts of your life, but everybody sees stuff in our lives. And the question is super basic and really general and it's what we were probably assuming this text would be about. Are you set an example in your life because people are watching. And I joked about Facebook last time, you know, Facebook is your chronicle in your life and is everything on there, you know, going out. I don't really care whether or not you're not smart enough to not put stuff on your Facebook, which you should, hello, don't put everything on your Facebook, okay? I'm trying to tell you that. What I'm saying is, what were you doing doing it in the first place? Because somebody was there. So the question is, does our life become an example of someone who knows God, loves God, is loved by God and is living for God? Everything in our life needs to reflect that. And it's so funny because some of us go, you know, yeah, I kind of get that. And most of my life is sort of under that lordship of Jesus and accountability. And yeah, that's probably how I should live, but there's parts of my life where now that's not really out there. Well, you know what, we don't really have the luxury of deciding when the Lord is going to be our Lord and when we're going to go, yeah, you know, the other stuff that's not under his thing, our lives, all of it, are to be an example to everybody of what it means to do the God thing, to be loved by Christ, to be saved by Christ and to live for Christ. All of it. Does that strike something for some of you like all of it? Interesting. There's speech in life, these two are connected to one another, because this reality of it is that some of us use our speech to be an example, but we use our speech to be an example so that our life doesn't have to be an example. Some of us have worked us out of systems so that we speak and sound like we're Christ followers, but it's almost as an excuse to not be a Christ follower. We can speak, we can talk the talk, but we're not walk in the walk. And I think that's interesting, I think it's interesting these starts with speech and then goes to life, but in essence they're connected to one another. Jesus talked about this. He said, "You people, you honor me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me." So you say one thing, but you're living another way. What's that word? Do you know that word? Apocracy, that's right. That's one of the only things that got Jesus really fired up in a negative way is when people would say one thing but not live that way. They have to be together. And part of our being an example in this significant ways is being an example in how we speak and how we live together. And the temptation and how easy it is, especially when we've learned the language of being able to speak the Christian lingo and to say the right things and to say things to our kids and to say things to those around us. So then it sort of really becomes an essence if we don't live that way, we can just say do what I say and not what I do. That's a challenge for all of us. Apocracy is talking about it but not necessarily doing it. And every significant thing I've ever done in my life with the Lord, every significant thing I've ever done in my life period, there's been a period of being tempted to just talk and talk and talk and talk, but there comes a time when we're done talking about it and we actually live it out and the rubber meets the road, we become the example of it. I don't want to be an example of someone who says this is how life should be, who says this is what I want to be, I want to be an example of someone who is that way, you with me? This is the teaching that he's giving and speech and in life. Third one, speech, life and love. Love, I thought that might be near the top of the list and it is, it's the bronze medal, it's the third one he mentions. This is sort of the epitome of living out a right life, a Christian life. This is a life lived for God well, it's a love life. We can't be a Christian and not get this because we know that God is love. We know we've been created in God's image. We know that God loved us. We know that this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and gave his son for us and so we get the love and back man loves in all of it. And Paul says to Timothy and we say to you, the word is teaching us, we get to be an example in love and because we're so steeped in that gospel of love, how is it that we aren't the one people who get to be the greatest lovers in our world, come on church that's good news. We get to be the greatest lovers in the world. We get to be people who know the God who is love. We get to be people who know God's love and unconditional grace. We get filled with his spirit of love and then we get to go love everybody. That's our goal. Is that not awesome? Is that not a high calling? I heard one person do a little whistle and a baby cry and crickets for the rest of you. And I know it's because we look at our lives and I think we're kind of feeling like, yeah, I don't know that I do that, right? I'm not sure that that's how I'm living. Wow, am I a person of love? When we are lovers of people, we smell like Jesus to the world. When we love one another, the world's going to know what God's all about. When we love them, they're going to get a picture of God's love for them. When we love the world, the world sees the kingdom of God coming and they get attracted to it. We're people of love and he goes, you set an example by being the biggest lover out there. That's what we get to be. That is so great. Here's the question. It's similar to the question I asked you a little while ago. What fragrance are you leaving in your neighborhood, in your workplace, in our church, in the row where you sit? Do you smell like Jesus, in your family? Do your children go, I don't get it all, I want to be like that. We get to be people of love. Do people describe you behind your back as really moral, as really critical, or as someone who when you get there, everybody's tank gets filled because you love? Hey friends, Spirit of God is in us and will pour out through us and overflow us so that we can be those people. Amen? So, speech, life, in love, next one, and in faith. In faith. I've described, I have defined faith for you in the past as this, living like God exists. Living like God exists. Set an example for the believers in faith. Set an example for the believers as what it looks like to live like God really is. Remember I used these words on our retreat a few months ago, that he is and I am his. That the meta-narrative, that the big reality, that the truth of what life is about is that God really is and Jesus really is our Savior and I really have been rescued from my sin and my brokenness and spiritual death and I am full of God's Spirit. Now what? That's a life of faith. That's living by an example of faith. So that everywhere around people go, you know that guy? That guy actually believes that God's here and that God's plan is best and that God's coming through for him. Those of you that are parents, are your children convinced that you're convinced that God is and that his way is right and that you depend on him, that you're trusting him? The people closest to you who watch you do they have they become convinced that you go, you know what? I believe God's way is right. I believe God's way is right and that I can trust him and I am banking on it in my life. Where and how in your life would it look if people around you said and described you that way? So you know what Steve? That guy believes in God man and here's how I see it with me. That's what it looks like to give an example to be an example in living a life of faith, trusting that Jesus' promises bring life, that Jesus' way will end up in life with life at its fullest. John 10, 10 Jesus said, "I came, I'm going to bring your life and you do it my way, it's going to be life at its fullest." How do we, do we believe that? Wasn't this example up here kind of part of that cool? Like these are people who said, "I heard in there and said it." Long term relationships were God's plan and we stuck it out. Did you read between the lines? This dear sweet couple talking about a significant, difficult time in their marriage. Did you hear that? Do you read between the lines? It's real life friends and they stuck it out, invested themselves in each other, filled themselves with the Holy Spirit, prayed and trusted God, God on their knees, it sounds like they asked friends to walk with them and in the end they said and doing it God's way was worth it and there was life in it. Do we set an example that we believe that He is and that His way is right and it will bring truth? Set an example in faith and the next one's connected to it. Faith and in purity, faith and in purity. Set an example in purity, I would have thought that was the top of the list. An example, go be the most moral person everywhere you go. Make sure everybody knows that they're sort of filthy pagans and you're awesome, okay? And you're above them, morally. Just make sure the world knows that. No! Period is at the bottom and it's connected to faith because it's not about morals, it's about this life of the real you coming out. Come on, is God transforming your life? Are you, is all of your life submitted to Him? Do you smell like the love of God and do you believe that He really exists and He's coming through for you? And then out of that you live a life where you say no to sin and yes to obedience to Jesus. Out of that, that's how you do it. And these two are connected because it takes faith to live a pure life. It takes faith to stay no to temptation to live against God's plan. It takes faith, right? You have to believe when you tell, you know, a single couple, a young couple, who love each other, you know what, God is intended for you to have sex within the context of marriage, lifelong marriage commitment. So you have to wait. You tell a 22 year old couple that, they just go, okay, that takes more faith than I have. But it takes faith to believe that Jesus' way is right, that this is exactly the way that, that physical relationship was designed to happen, sex relationship was designed to happen, and it's supposed to be in the concept of this relationship and it'll produce fruit and it'll be, by the way, the most fruitful sex that you can imagine. That God's way is right and that He'll come through. This is how what we tell people, but it takes their faith that God is and that His way is right to be able to say no to the temptation to do the other thing. We've said it before, I've been saying it for 20-something years working with students and this is, we know this, you guys. We know that, how did I phrase it, I want to make sure that I get it right, that righteousness, that obedience seems so restrictive at first, but in the end, brings such life and freedom. But sin feels so free at first, but in the end, brings such bondage. It takes faith to believe that that's true because of how God has set stuff up and that our unseen God will come and give us seen fruit and blessing. Do we set an example in our purity, but not just our moral purity? Do we set an example in this reality that our faith has informed it and we believe that God's way is right and so we're willing to make the hard choices and to say no to temptation because God's blessing will bring life. And that message, my friends, is the message that our world is literally dying for and that our children are hungry to see. That God's way is right, that life is out there, that it's worth it to do the hard things for what God has for us. Take an example for the believers, friends and speech and conduct and love in faith and in purity. We get to be the people who go out and say in these ways you watch me and you get God, even when you fail because you see the love of God and the grace of God in one who fails. Friends, that is a high calling and an exciting calling and I'm here to encourage us and remind us that that's the way that life's supposed to be. And why would we settle for living anything less than that? I'm going to ask the band to come up and art is going to come, I think, or am I doing that? Art, you're coming? And come lead us at the table. Let me pray for you. Our Father in Heaven, we come to the table recognizing that we could never be an example on our own and that the example that we have is not the point. The point is like the testimony of Jean and Anne, the testimony is it's your grace, it's your plan, it's your power, it's your presence, it's you, God. And hearing these things this morning as we come to the table, we recognize that we need your help at one or maybe more than one of these things has stuck with us this morning and we feel you, God, the weight of your Holy Spirit saying that's you. What is that one, God? What are you speaking to me about this morning that I would invite you in to do more change and transformation and empowering in my life to be your example? Speak to me, God, even as I come to the table to depend on you. this in the name of Christ.