According to many passages (Acts 20:17-38; Php. 2:14-18; 1 Thess. 2:1-12), the Apostle Paul displays a tremendous example in which to follow, but as great as Paul’s example may have been, that example lacks the power in itself to bring about faithfulness in others. If Christians are going to be faithful in following that example, they will need nothing less than divine power, along with a motive to glorify God alone. The fact is, it’s not good enough to just commit to being faithful by mere human willpower or to try harder to do better. If we don’t place ourselves in the hands of the Lord of glory and commend ourselves solely to what he has said in his word, then we are bound to fail.
Is this not what makes Christianity distinct from all other religious systems? Namely, that human beings don’t have what it takes and in fact, human beings can and will make a royal mess of things due to the selfishness of indwelling sin.
If you do not labor and toil in the empowering grace of Christ by abiding in Him, then you will be constantly drained and exasperated with life. God simply will not empower a self-centered life that seeks to exalt oneself. Instead, God gives us strength through his grace so that he gets glory, not so we can get others to worship us, or by patting ourselves on the back for how diligent and sacrificial we are.
We all have daily responsibilities that God has ordained for us and we must work hard to be faithful, but in everything, is our primary ambition in life to please Christ and help others do the same by trusting in Him completely and being conformed to his image? Even without that ambition, unbelievers are successful in many of those daily activities of life, but what we are going to be highlighting this morning are principles that are uniquely Christian; things that require the Holy Spirit to conform to. On the other hand, if your mind is merely set on earthly things, you are running aimlessly, which is contrary to Paul’s example in 1 Cor. 9:26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
Following Christlike Examples in the Power of God
