Christians as Examples

Text: 1 Timothy 4:12

Series: Restoration Sermons

Date:

Speaker: Ed Rangel

Location: Waupaca Church of Christ

Bible Version: NASB 1995

Sermon Type: Expository

Learning Objectives

By the close of this lesson the hearer should be able to:

1. Appreciate the power of example for good or evil.
2. Recognize that every Christian is an example whether he wills it or not, and can only choose what kind.
3. Set himself to be an example in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Thesis

The power of example is greater than the power of teaching; every Christian is an example whether he chooses to be or not, and his only real choice is what kind of example to be — so each is called to be an example in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Burden

A man can argue with your teaching, but he cannot argue with your life. "One example is worth a thousand arguments." That is why the question is never whether you will be an example — you already are, to someone, every day — but what kind. Your children, your neighbors, the world watching the church, all read your life more closely than they listen to your words. Paul charged young Timothy to "show yourself an example" (1 Tim. 4:12), and the charge falls on every Christian. The burden of this lesson is to wake us to the fact that we are always teaching by how we live, and to send us out resolved that the lesson others read in us will be the right one.

Introduction

The power of example is great, for good or for evil — more powerful than teaching itself. The example of Christ has been felt throughout the ages, and even Abel, "though he is dead, still speaks" (Heb. 11:4). The outline develops the theme in three movements: some great examples, the fact that Christians cannot help being examples, and the specific marks of a Christian's example.

I. Some Great Examples (Hebrews 11:4)

1. Moses and Joshua. Israel "served the Lord all the days of Joshua" — one faithful leader's example held a whole nation (Josh. 24:31).
2. Paul. He could say, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1), and he backed it with a life of labor that took nothing it had not earned (Acts 20:34-35).
3. Whole churches became examples. The zeal of the Corinthians stirred up many (2 Cor. 9:1-2), and the Thessalonians became "an example to all the believers" so that the word sounded forth from them (1 Thess. 1:6-8).
4. The influence of these examples was great — and still is. A faithful life keeps preaching long after the voice is silent.

II. Christians Cannot Help Being Examples (Matthew 5:14-16)

1. The Christian is "the light of the world"; a city set on a hill cannot be hidden, and a lamp is meant to give light to all (Matt. 5:14-16).
2. The world judges Christianity by us — it reads the gospel in the lives of those who claim it (1 Pet. 2:12).
3. Therefore a Christian cannot help being an example. The only question is the kind.
4. He can choose what kind of example to be — and that choice is made not once but daily, in a thousand small acts.

III. The Marks of a Christian's Example (1 Timothy 4:12)

Paul names the very areas in which a believer is to be a pattern — "in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity":

1. In word — speech that is clean, true, and gracious.
2. In manner of life — conduct that matches the confession.
3. In love — toward God and toward men.
4. In faith — steadfast trust in God, and faithfulness toward men.
5. In purity — "pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8), clean within and without.
6. Every noble trait and act is an example to someone — none of our goodness is wasted or unseen.
7. And soberingly, even our mistakes and blunders are examples — our failures teach too, in the wrong direction. We are never not teaching.

Application

Settle it in your mind that you are an example — there is no opting out. Someone younger, weaker, or still outside Christ is watching you and learning from you, today, whether you intend it or not. So govern the five areas Paul named as deliberately as you would govern a sermon, because your life is the sermon most people will actually read. Watch your words; let your conduct match your confession; love God and people in plain sight; keep faith when it costs; stay pure in heart. And remember that your stumbles teach as surely as your steps — so when you fall, repent openly, lest the lesson others learn from you be the wrong one. "One example is worth a thousand arguments." Make yours worth following.

Conclusion

Example outweighs argument, and every Christian is one — for good or ill, by intention or neglect. Christ's example reaches across the ages; Abel's still speaks; the Thessalonians' rang out to all. Yours is being read right now. Be an example in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity — the kind of example that, even when you are silent, still preaches Christ.

Invitation

The greatest example ever set is Christ Himself, and the first step to following His example is to obey His gospel. Believe on Him, repent of your sins, confess His name, and be baptized for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38), and begin to walk the new life that others can safely imitate. If you are a Christian whose example has been poor, mend it today by coming back to Him. Come while we sing.

Word Study

Scripture Interlock Table

---

Converted from H. Leo Boles, Outline 34. Doctrinal audit: core-framework (the power of example; every Christian an unavoidable example; the marks of a godly example per 1 Tim. 4:12); no correction. Style audit: OCR cleanup. All of Boles' citations verified and retained as given; no supplied references were needed beyond the conclusion's 1 Cor. 10:11-12, which is in the source.