MCC Podcasts
Working It Out - You Get To Be The Example
I want you to turn to me in 1 Timothy. Did you know that we're in 1 Timothy right now? We're in the little sermon series. Some of you are laughing because we've been in 1 Timothy a long time. And I'm going to preach over the next three weeks. I'm going to get hopefully six verses done in those three weeks. And maybe not even that much. We'll see. This is-- these are six verses that I think I've got about 10, 12 weeks in me. And so Art, if you're starting to feel ill, I can just jump right in and take all 12 of them. That'd be good. 1 Timothy 4, 11, and 12 are the two we're going to focus on today. Let's look at the Word of the Lord. Command and teach these things. Again, this is Paul riding to Timothy. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are 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. Thanks be to God. We're doing 1 Timothy because we're talking about working it out. We're talking about figuring out how it is that we live as the church. And Paul was writing this letter to his mentee, Timothy, and saying, you've got to lead this church in this town called Ephesus. And there's a whole bunch of stuff I want to tell you about, about how those people are going to be the church, how you're going to be working with leaders, how you're going to be the pastor. You've got to live this gospel out. I'm going to write to you a letter. I'm going to tell you a whole bunch of stuff. So we've called it working it out. And this morning, the title is Paul's Message to Timothy. And the message that we're going to get from it to us is, you get to be the example. You get to be the example. I just got back late last night from San Diego, took baby three to college. Some of you guys are on Facebook, all like some moms are like, oh, that's sweet. How's that going? All the dads are like, yeah, another one down. Way to go, Jeff. We sent a third kid to college. In fact, there's a few people. They're not back yet who took kids away to college, too. Did you guys do that, Williams? Did you guys send somebody away this weekend, too? Were there tears at all? Yeah. I see. Way to go, Courtney. That means you did a great job parenting, and you were all ready for this transition. So we took Anna down. And on the way down in the car, Brooke went with us because she's actually moving down their oldest. And she was applying for jobs and apartments and stuff like that. This is San Diego. Anna's going to Point Loma Nazarene University. And Emily went with us because she was going down to a wedding of some friends in college. And then she's flying to Portland for some job training, et cetera, et cetera. Anyway, on our way down, Tommy, we didn't really want him to come. So we left him at home. But on the way down, I asked the two graduates from college in our car, Brooke and Emily, if they would help Anna just by giving her some advice. All right, we're on our way to school. Anna's about to drop in to her orientation weekend, move into the dorms. What do you want to tell her? And they had this amazing wisdom that they were offering. And I only asked the question so that I could go last and impart all my wisdom, all my parental wisdom. And I just shut up. I mean, these girls just gave her this word. But one of the words that they gave her that was so amazing was that they basically said some form in six or eight different ways, some form of you take the lead. You're a freshman, but you engage. You walk up to the professors. You make friends. You love people. You ask about their lives. You sit in the front row. You join the clubs. You get involved in student government. You take the lead is basically what they said to her. And you know, that's hard to hear as a freshman, right? Because you're 18. You walk in. Everybody's old. Everybody's together. You're like, ah, I don't know. But this was some word they gave her. When we got down there, I started to realize that I was going to have to model that and be an example of that as the parent in the orientation. So when we went to the psychology majors gathering, there were no seats except in the front row. So I'm like, come on, let's go. And we sat right in front of the presenters in the front row in the worship gathering, where we all got together for the consecration of the class of students. We went all the way all the way down. And I got the nudge for my daughter, who said, you're not-- we're not really going to the front row, are we? So second row center is where we ended up for worship. And you may have seen, if you're of my Facebook friend, I got a picture with the mascot. You know, you got to hug the mascot and high-five the-- this is a sea lion. And I don't know why Anna wouldn't want to stand with me and take a picture with the sea lion. That was-- but I started realizing I had to be the example in all of this. How do we greet folks and ask about their lives and worry about their experience? And we're all self-conscious and we're all worried and we're all angsty. And I spent the weekend following my older daughter's advice. But I was going to need to be the example for other people. And I had to be it for Anna. Here's a rude awakening for those of you that have kids and you know it. Your kids will become you. Because your influence is your example. And your example becomes the pattern. And that is how they become. They don't become you exactly in your personality. Thank God, because one of you is enough. But they become you in your heart and your character and your values and your choices. They become you. Not like-- be careful. They might become you. Not like-- hopefully, they will become you. Do you know that? That's how examples work. That's the influence we have. Here's the scary one. If that doesn't scare you enough, OK? Steve, I see you patting your wife on the shoulder. If that doesn't scare you enough, here's a reality. So not only are you an example of your parent, you're an example of your kids, and they're going to become you. My kids read your Facebook. Do you know that? My kids are your Facebook friends. What are you doing befriending my kid on Facebook? My kids read your Facebook. My kids watch you in church. My kids worship in the row behind you. My kids stand on the patio and overhear your conversations. My kids know when you come to church, when you don't come to church. My friends hear you in the parking lot as you're arguing when you get out of your car. No, it's not always like that. Point is, we are examples. I'm an example of my kid. You're an example of my kid, and we are to each other. This reality of getting to be the example is built in to our working it out as the church. And Paul says to Timothy in this text, if you put the Scripture up there, Paul says to Timothy in this text, among other issues that he's emphasizing here, and we'll get into them. He says, look, if you command and you teach these things we've been talking about, it's like he has this parenthesis in the middle of all the teaching and all the hard things that he's gonna have to tell people and help them know and help them do and help them not do. And he goes, and listen, you gotta do these things and you're gonna be the example. My friends, that is a word for us because you can't help but be the example. It's built into our life together. It's built into your influence in the world. It's built into doing life, human on human. Paul tells Timothy this, guess what? You get to be the example, and we had to learn a few things from it this morning. Couple of observations from the text as a sermon this morning. Number one, there's no place in this role that we're playing for excuses. I actually softened the language. When I texted the, from the airport, I texted the outline to Darryl, I just said no excuses. I thought that was a little tough. So let me soften it a little bit. In this role that you have as an example, there's actually no room, there's no place, there's no opportunity for excuses. And you know what those look like, right? My dad literally was famous in my family history for saying, do as I say, not as I do. He said it all the time. He was like, I know how I want you to live, I can't get there, just do it. You do as I say, and not as I do, but actually in this reality, there's no places for excuses. If you go back to the text, you see what Paul says to Timothy. He says, you don't let anybody look down on you because you're young. Don't let them look down on you. You take authority and you do your job, even though you're young, and they and you do not get to use that as an excuse for you to not be an example, even though you're young. Now, if you remember back, I'm sure you do, you have notes and you're looking in your Bible right now and studying them. You know that this was written in about 63 AD, and Timothy was about 31 to 33 years old, something like that. And Paul says, don't let anybody look down on you because you were young. He's like 33. Here's an aside, by the way. 'Cause that word youth that they use here, and in fact, if you have a King James Bible, you gotta get a new one, probably. But if you get a King James Bible, it'll say youth. Don't look at anyone to look down on you because of your youth, but he's like in his to 30. There's a couple of messages in here. One of them is, in their culture, I thought this was fascinating. In their culture, you were a youth till you were about 40 years old. 'Cause it took that long to kind of let your frontal lobe develop and you get your head on straight and to grow up a little bit, get mature. And then when you were 40 and their life expectancy wasn't that much further than that. So kind of in their culture, was you're learning, you're learning, you're learning, you're learning, you're dead. And that's how that worked. So be humble about all that thing. And he said, so Timothy is, you've gotta command and teach these things, even though you're young, even though you're in this category of young. I was at a conference, I've shared this with you before, I think I was at a conference one time with youth workers and we were all young youth pastors and the guy got up front and he said, hey, I just love all the energy in here. You guys know how to lead kids and you guys are the future of the church and you guys know everything. How many of you guys are under 20 years old and he's 18 year old volunteers are in the crowd. How many are you under 25, all these yahoos? Hey, how many are under 30 years old and all these, like 90% of the crowd. We're under 30, we're gonna just lead the church into the next, and he goes, okay, here's the deal. If you're under 30, you just shut up. This is a conference speaker. Just shut up. You don't know anything yet. You just kind of went off about all this because they were like, we know everything but they did, but this culture said kind of the same thing. You're under 40 years old, what do you got to say? But Paul goes, no, no, there's a deeper spiritual reality here which is that God has put you in this position and you don't get to use as an example, I'm too young. I'm culturally not, it's not appropriate for me to be teaching. I'm not gonna be well respected. Don't let them use that example, that excuse, I mean, and you don't get to use that excuse, he's telling him. There's no place for excuses in this whole thing. Don't let them say it, you don't say it. This is not the first time in the scriptures where we have this kind of an illustration of youth, and the youth, you get that youth is just an illustration 'cause some of you, right, Joe, are not that young anymore. You pass the 40 thing, well done, speak up. But youth, just an example, it's that thing. What is it that culturally, or what is it within me, or what is it within the context of my relationships that I can get a hold of that goes, and I'm not really an example. I can't be an example, I can't step up into that life. I can't take that responsibility. There's not the first place in the Bible where this message has been there. Do you have your Bibles? I'd love to have you turn to another passage with me in Jeremiah, and it's worth time taking that, taking the time to look at this passage. Grab a Bible underneath 'cause I didn't put it up on the screen, it was too hard to text it to Darryl when I was traveling. My thumbs are too big and I'm too old. No excuses. (congregation laughing) You know what, I'll do the preaching around here. (congregation laughing) Who's that, who's that reference? I'll do all the thinning around here, do you know that? You old enough to know that? Okay, look it up, Google it. Jeremiah chapter one, this is the prophet Jeremiah. I don't have a page, you have a page in your Bibles there in church? 690, 695. (congregation laughing) Very similar passage, a very similar idea actually. It's interesting, the very beginning of the prophet Jeremiah's book. Well, calling his call on the word of the Lord came to him to say, and look at verse five. Is that five on my glasses? Four, maybe. The word of the Lord came to me saying. You with me, you see it? Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. When you let the word of God, wash over you here, this is God's words. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart, and I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Verse six, Jeremiah, "O sovereign Lord," I said, I do not know how to speak. I'm only what? The child, his full grown man. But he felt like a child, or he was still under 40, or both. But the Lord said to me, "Do not say I am only a child. "You must go to everyone I send you to, "and say whatever I command you, "do not be afraid of them, for I am with you, "and will rescue you, declares the Lord." Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth, and said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth, "and today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms." Now listen, Jeremiah, just like all of us with the Lord came and said, "Listen, I got a job for you. "You're an example. "I got a job for you. "You got a ministry. "I've got a job for you. "You're gonna preach the kingdom of God. "I got a job for you. "You're gonna raise kids. "I got a job for you. "You're gonna influence Granchon. "I got a job for you. "You're gonna reach Marin County for the Lord. "I got a job for you. "You're gonna invest your finances in the world "so that God's will would be known across the world." I mean, this is God's hand. I've got a plan for you, and we all feel some version of excuse where we go, "Yeah, I'm not. "I don't, I'm not, I'm not wisdom. "I'm not smart enough. "I'm not, I don't have. "I'm a child. "I can't, I can't do that stuff." And the Lord says to him, "Don't say that. "You do not say that. "You do not get to say that. "And why? "Why does the Lord respond like that? "Because the Lord says this. "The little mini sermon within the sermon. "The Lord says this. "I got a plan for you. "Before you were born, "I set you apart for what I was calling you to do. "It's my plan on your life. "Do you hear this church?" But we go, "I don't know. "I don't know if I can be an example "and have influence." And, you know, Lord says, "Do you don't say that? "Because I have a plan for you. "Go back to verse five. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. "And before you were born, "I had set you apart. "I had made you holy. "I had sanctified you. "I had decided I was gonna use you in a unique way. "Before you were born." Do you believe that about yourself? That's a powerful reality. Somebody preached that this weekend during the New Student Orientation where that person just said, "You're freaking out right now about being here "and I'm in college and did I make the right choice? "And what am I doing? "I'm moving out." That person said, "The Lord had this day ordained for you "and placed you here before you were born." You're right in the center of God's plan right now. God goes, "I have a plan." So we don't get to say, "I can't really be an example." God goes, "No, I got a plan and I'm putting you there." So God's plan is the priest. Don't say it 'cause I got a plan. But Lord, I'm only a child. He goes, "You must go to everyone I send you to "and say whatever I command you to say." It's so great. Lord, I can't go. Lord goes, "You don't say it." Listen, you go wherever I tell you to go and you say whatever I tell you to say and you do everything I'm gonna tell you to do. It's not like when we said we'd give our lives to the Lord and we'd serve the Lord and we'd be God's person. We go, "That's great. "You love me, you created me, you gave me life, "you saved me and now you're gonna call me, "but I don't really wanna do that." Or, "I can't really do that." Or, "I don't think I can do that." Lord's like, "You don't get to say that. "You go where I tell you to go." Does that sound like a parent to you? Listen, you go where I tell you to go and you say what I tell you to say. Sort of the tone in the Lord's words to Jeremiah is sort of set him straight. So in case we're all like, well, that's not really my preferred selection of, and you do what I tell you to do and you go home and tell you to go. But it isn't because, so now you're gonna suffer for it. He says in there, because, where is it? Verse eight, "Do not be afraid of them for what? "I am with you and will rescue you," says the Lord. And it's not like it's gonna be easy, by the way. But it sounds like the Lord's gonna be with us. So he goes, "Listen, don't say I can't be an example. "I can't really live like that for you, Lord. "Don't say that. "First of all, I got a plan. "I knew it before you were born. "And second of all, my presence is with you. "God's plan, God's presence." There's gonna be three P's in the middle of my old sermon, it's a bonus. This is awesome. God's plan, God's presence. 'Cause I'm not asking you to go be an example and good luck. He's saying, "I will be with you and will rescue you." It is, I am gonna go with you and do this. And that's, of course, all the way through scriptures. And then, verse nine, "The Lord reached out his hand "and touched his mouth and said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth." God's plan, God's presence, and God's power. It's God's ministry within us. It's God's words within us. It's God's spirit within us. That's a symbol of an Old Testament. It's an Old Testament looking symbol there. I'm gonna put my words in your mouth. In the New Testament, of course, we hear, "My spirit will be with you and it will give you "the words to speak or the life to live "or the strength to endure or the example to be. "My spirit's gonna be inside of you." You guys, there's no place for excuses in this journey of working it out with the Lord. We get to be the example to the world. Because God has put us in his place where he wants us to serve. And he has given us his spirit, so his presence is with us. And therefore, that's God's strength that empowers us to do that. So when we go, man, I'm not strong enough. He goes, "What does it have to do with you?" God says, "Go, I'm with you, it'll be my strength." Then we go, "Okay, well then I'm going." And the rest becomes sort of excuses. I don't, but there isn't any place for those excuses because God's with us. What's your weak link? What's your youthfulness? What's your culturally or Christian culturally unacceptable thing? I can't be an example, I've been divorced. I can't be an example, I'm young. I can't be an example, I'm just a mom. I can't be an example, I haven't been a Christian very long. I can't be an example, I'm just the dude. My wife's the example. Come on. But what is it that we carry where we go? Yeah, you know, that's sermons for other people. I just sort of float around on the fringes and I'm sort of barely getting through it. No, friends, for us to work it out, just like Timothy was called to do. We are called to be examples because of God's plan where he's put you in God's presence and God's power in your lives. But what is our, what is your weak link? What is your sort of thing that makes you go, "I don't think I can do this." God goes, "No, don't say that." It's my plan, my presence, my power. Maybe that's all the sermons some of you need to hear this morning is that you've got this thing in you, you've got this one thing where you go, you know, I'm probably really not God's person in terms of life and ministry and being an example and having influence and seeing fruit and serving God and pleasing God. There's this, because there's this thing. I'm a cynic. I still live at home. God goes, "No, you know what? You don't say that 'cause I'm with you." You with me on this? There's no plan for excuses, place for excuses because you, the second point, because you have been called to be a pattern to be followed. You're a pattern to be followed. And that's the word, if you look back at the text in verse 12, he says, "Don't let anyone look down "on you because you were young, "but set an example for the believers." Set an example, this word is, is, well, it's our word for type, it's typos. You get to be a pattern, a type, an image, a, what's another word that I wrote down here, a figure, you become a figure to follow. You become sort of a type, you become a pattern. I'm not a, I'm not a seamstress, probably obviously. But I've seen the pictures on Wikipedia and you know, there's this pattern that you lay out, right? To make a dress, somebody helped me. Paul Ryan, you're from the South, have you ever made a dress? All right, and you lay out this pattern and you have the fabric that you've purchased, you lay on top of the pattern and you cut, whatever. (audience laughs) Of course, because then you couldn't see the pattern. You put, right, and you cut along and, and that, if you follow the pattern, you have all the right pieces to sew together to be the dress. And whether it's that image or whether it's the image of some, being handed a template of some kind, for some sort of a process, the idea is that there's a pattern to follow and you get to be that pattern. He, Paul says to Timothy, you know what? You're a pattern and people are gonna watch you and they're gonna do exactly what you do and that's gonna be good. My friends, you are a pattern to be followed. And you are that way. You can't opt out of that, you can't, you are. And that's why I said to you, you know what? Your kids are gonna become you. And by the way, my kids are gonna become kind of like you and we're just all watching. We're all influencing each other. Your neighbors, you're a pattern to be followed. You know the turn of phrase, look up handsome in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of art, right? Have you heard the, you know, you know, that turned that little idiom that they use, you know, look up something in the dictionary and you see a picture of whatever. Friends, you know what Paul's trying to tell Timothy and it's the message to us, look up a Christian who follows God and pleases God and is fragrant offering to the Lord and smells sweet to the world and is living this thing out, right? Look up that kind of a person in the dictionary and you see your picture. That's what it's supposed to be. Does anybody terrified by this reality and by this accountability right now? You are a pattern to be followed and when the world is gonna look up, well, what's the deal with the Jesus thing? And they look it up in the dictionary, they're gonna see your picture. That's the challenge here. You're a pattern to be followed. Watch me, Paul has said, Timothy's now saying, we're supposed to say, watch me and it's gonna be all good for you. That's amazing. In our culture especially, in our world today, we wanna say, you know, go work that out and everybody works it out differently and you know what, we're all kind of hands off or whatever. You know, it's actually a little stronger than that in this message. I mean, the message in here is, oh, world, kids, my friend David, you wanna know how it's like to live for the Lord, you watch me. That's what this is saying. You don't let anybody look down on you because you got this thing going on. You don't get any excuses. But you set an example. You be the pattern. People are gonna follow you. Now, I know you're tempted. I know you're tempted to go, well, that's, you know, 'cause he's the pastor and Jeff, because you're the pastor. No, friends, no. You do not get to take that out. Those are just roles and gifts within the context of the church. You also are the pattern to be followed for the world and for your children. Why would you have a different standard? Why would the Lord have a different standard for you than for the pastor, right? I'm just gonna get judged more strictly. That's what the scriptures teach because I'm in leadership. But all of us become that pattern. You're a pattern to be followed. Paul has said it before. Philippians 3, Paul said, join with others in following my example. Paul was saying this, he lived this way. Join with others in following my pattern. It's the same word. And take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. He was right into the Philippians. Hey, Philippian church, watch my example. Listen to the people who followed my example and then follow the pattern that we've given you. Do that and you're gonna be good. Watch me and you'll be good. When I was in student ministry, I used to actually call my student leaders, not my adult leaders who were working with students, but my student leaders to this standard. And it used to have one-on-one appointments and then a follow-up appointment with that student leader because all student leaders were like, I can't do that, I'm out. Every single student leader I ever recruited always said no at first. Because they were fearful of this reality that they were gonna be a pattern maker. I was gonna say, you're gonna be on campus. You're gonna be in our community. You're gonna be in our youth group. You're gonna be on our mission trip. You're gonna be in our retreats. You, this is what I want you to do as a student leader. You tell everybody, you don't have to use the words, but you tell everybody in the youth group, watch me and you'll know how to do it. And every single student leader go, yeah, okay, I'm out. And I suspect that a lot of you would feel the same way. If we said church membership is Bruce, you wanna be a member, here's the deal. You tell everybody in our church, "Hey, watch me and you'll know how to do it." If we made that a rule that you'll have to say that, you'd be like, I'm out. But that's actually the calling in this thing. That's the dramatic, the calling, yikes. The students would go, "Well, I can't, what do I can't?" Everything I do, I can't be the example in everything I do. I'm like, yes, you can, give me an example. They'll be like, well, what if I go to a party and everybody's drinking and I kinda get tempted and I get all drunk and I'm like, well, and they're like, wait, I'm not done yet. And then of course, and you know, that's only the beginning of the poor choices. Anybody been through high school? And then you get down the path and pretty soon that student leader has been such not an example. They go, what happens when that happens? Are you asking me to be perfect because that's not possible, isn't it? I'm not asking you to be perfect. I'm asking you to say, you watch me and this is, and then you're gonna be good. I'm gonna be a pattern. And they go, well, so I'm supposed to, I go, no, you then become a pattern for how you fail. 'Cause there's two things to do when you go down that path after that party in high school, you show up at the youth group. Well, the first option is out, I'm a failure. See, I'm out of leadership. Probably can't come to youth group. I'm not even a good enough Christian to show my face. I'm done. That's one option. Second option is you show up at youth group and you go, okay, most of you knew, and now in the days of Facebook, all of you know what happened to me Friday night. I am a total moron stupid idiot. I cannot believe I made choices contrary to my heart for the Lord. I cannot believe I put myself in a compromising position like that. I cannot believe that that's how I acted because I love Jesus and want to live for him and want to be an example for how to live righteously. And I have been on my face before the Lord confessing my sin and I cannot believe that I've done that. And I'm gonna try to figure out how in my life I don't ever do that again, but I need your forgiveness as I receive the Lord's forgiveness. I gave my kids, my students when I was in youth ministry, those kinds of words, because that's how you fail as an example, as a pattern, am I right? So this is about being perfect. It's about having a pattern of what it's like to live for the Lord, including failing well. Paul says to Timothy, you get to be the example. There's no place for excuse 'cause it's God's plan on you. And you're gonna be a pattern that they're gonna follow. Watch me and do this and you're gonna be good. My friends, my gosh, that's a high calling. Doesn't it call some of us out and up a little bit? Man, I wanna be that guy. I wanna be that guy, Art, thanks for your confession. We receive it and we know that you're forgiven in the Lord. I wanna be that guy who, when the sense of cynicism comes up to say, I wanna live for the Lord. I wanna believe in the Lord. I wanna know God's grace on me in this moment. I want God softening to my heart. I want that kind of stuff. And so now when we're moving my son down to school or my car's breaking down on the freeway and all these things that happen to art this weekend, when that stuff is happening, I wanna be God's man in here. I'm gonna be a pattern to follow. I wanna live in such a way that my wife and my son and the car repair guy and the tow truck guy and the people in the lane next to me, everybody goes, wow, there's a pattern. Okay, I looked up, man, how to walk with God in a rich way, even in the midst of difficulties and some failure. And I saw Art's picture. I don't know what else we would be doing. Other than getting up in the morning and saying, Lord, I'm gonna be a pattern of the way to live for you, to love you, to serve you, to see fruit, to see kingdom come. What else would we do with our days? I hope you're not just making a living. We're a pattern to be followed. There's no place for excuses because we're a pattern to be followed and then last I'm gonna end with this. In some pretty significant ways. I mean, he goes on to the rest of verse 12, if you look at the text, he goes on to that to say, listen, you be an example for the believers in and then he states some stuff and they're not like two or three things like small details. They're giant, these things. Look at the speech, conduct, which is life, love, faith, purity, other than that, you don't worry about it. But those things, I want you to set yourself an example. I want you to be an example for how to live for the Lord and those things. These are huge deals. They're so huge that I'm gonna preach on all five of them next week instead of what I was gonna do. I'm gonna squash those other things together. Verse 11, you do the job I've given you to do. Verse 12, and there's no place for excuse 'cause I've put you here to be a pattern so that people can know how it is that we love and serve and live for God. And friends, that is the call of every one of our lives. These, there's some cool specifics in here we'll talk about next week, but overall that picture is, you set an example with all of your life from the very top of your head to the very bottom of your feet to every word that comes out of your mouth, to every thought, to every dollar, to every commitment, to every relationship. He's making a point here with these five, isn't he? You are an example to the world. One question to leave you with. And Michael, come on up and we're gonna respond to the Lord as we finish. Kind of a two-part question. What pattern is your life setting? As you lay it down on the fabric of all your relationships at work and at home and in your church and you lay down that pattern on top as people follow it, what will they be creating? What pattern are you setting? What does your life look like? Is it one that says, you follow me and you're gonna be good. You're gonna know how to live for the Lord. You're gonna have influence that is the fruit of God. You're gonna see the kingdom being built around you. The people around you're gonna be healed and loved and closer to God. What pattern is your life giving? It may be time for you today, friends, for you to hear all this and go, you know what? I've just been full of excuses. I'm the guy who had never had time to do enough of this. I'm not the person who has enough influence. I just, I'm so busy. I'm just the, I've got this in my background. I've got that story in my life, friends. Maybe today is the day that you let that go and you go. My life has not been the pattern it should be because I've thought that I'm not the person that can be that person. Words of the Lord to Jeremiah was, I don't say that. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and I put you here and I'm gonna be with you and I'm gonna give you the power and the strength to be the person that you were supposed to be that only you could be in this family, in that community, in that neighborhood, in that home, at that workplace and in this church, you're the only person that can be that person in this place. And some of us today need a repent of being, I'm probably not the guy to do that. And step up to a life that is a pattern that others can follow. Are you, it's been written, the glory of God is the human being, fully alive. The real you that God intended you to be. Not the with some excuses and I don't really live that way. Not with the well, I'm never gonna get over this bad part of my personality or that set of characteristics. But the real you, stepping up by the power and the presence of God, fully alive, glorifies God and sets a pattern for the world to see what Jesus is all about. And there's no excuse to not live into that. To just stand and we're gonna sing in just a moment. Come on up, stand up. And as Michael's playing, it occurs to me that it's probably the only way that you feel really stuck in this thing, is that it's hard for you to believe. But the grace and the forgiveness of God is big enough for God to want you to be his example, his pattern. My friends, I'm here to tell you and remind you again and we say that from the pulpit, week in and week out. It does not matter what you have been through. It does not matter what weaknesses you have. It does not matter what kind of sin that has been in your life in the past. It doesn't matter how you've lived even to this moment if you're ready to say to the Lord, I want to leave that behind to be your man, your woman, today, all of me, for you. My friends, even tell that to the Lord again this morning as we come and respond to him. And today would be a new start. You're God's people. You're God's pattern in some pretty significant ways. Let's tell him that's what we want to be.