The ball has
dropped, a new year has begun. I hope
your 2013 will be filled with blessings.
The question
this week as we prepare for Sunday is: Does your example matter? Or, put another way, does your character
matter? I could easily say your character
defines your life. As I sit here and
look at my own life and the people who influenced me the most, it’s not so much
their words as it is their example.
In I Samuel
16:7 the Lord says to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height,
for I have rejected him. The Lord does
not look at the things men look at. Man
looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”. Paul says to the Corinthians, "Our
conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially
in our relations with you in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly
wisdom but according to God’s grace. In
I Timothy 4:12 Paul says “Set an example to the believers in speech, in
conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
Paul knew that each of us is being watched by others, that we are an
example to those we rub shoulders with, and that our actions either support or
negate our words.
What does a good example get
you? It’s probably only one thing. A good example gives credence to your
words. The writers of the Heidelberg Catechism
say it this way:
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A.
That I am not
my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior
Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for
all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of
the devil. He also watches over me in
such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father
in heaven, in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I
belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes
me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Q. What
must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
A.
Three things:
first, how great my
sin and misery are;
second, how I am set
free from all my sins and misery;
third, how I am to
thank God for such deliverance.
Setting a
good example is the call of God on your life because of what He’s done for you
and to you. It’s how we show we are thankful for such
deliverance. He died that you could have
life and be free from the power of sin in and on your life. He then clothed you in His
righteousness. He imputed it to you as
if it was your very own. He then gave you the Holy Spirit who dwells in you and
empowers you to live for Him. You cannot do it on your own; your righteousness
does not come from you. It comes from Him. He calls you, he empowers you, and he changes
you to be more in the image of His Son.
So my
example doesn’t save me. It doesn’t make
me more righteous. However, if I am made
righteous and the Holy Spirit dwells in me, my example and character should
reflect it. It’s like one of the people
who influenced me said, “You’re a saint, live like one.” You’re free, as the song puts it, free to
run, free to dance, and free to live for Him.
See you Sunday as we talk about our example.
1.
Who
in your life are you most like?
2.
Who
do you look for when you need an example?
3.
What
does Paul mean when he says in Philippians 2:12, work OUT your salvation? (Notice
he doesn’t say work FOR it.)
4.
If
you get the chance, memorize Colossians 3:17.
5. Who looks to you as an example?
