The Perfect Example

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  March 13, 2022

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Read Philippians 3:17 – 4:1 (NIV)
 
Here we are in the second week of Lent, and what a week it has been… from the ongoing war raging in the Ukraine to the escalating prices here in the United States to the snow on the ground outside our windows… what a week it has been.  And yet, somehow, we press on.
 
And as we turn our attention to our New Testament lesson this morning which comes from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, we find words of encouragement about how we should be living… not in accordance with how the world says we should live… but by following THE PERFECT EXAMPLE of living in Christ, so that we can press on.
 
Now, it seems fair to say that Paul was a man who was well acquainted with the troubles of this world… and he was also ready, willing, and able to admit to having made his own contributions toward causing many of those troubles … before he came to know Jesus as his Savior. 
 
In the verses preceding our text, Paul acknowledged that in his former life as Saul, he had been a Pharisee with so much zeal that he persecuted the church and was THE PERFECT EXAMPLE of one who operated from a place of “legalistic righteousness” (Philippians 3:5 – 6).
 
But that was then and this is now… and as we take a closer look at the text, we will see that it was written at a time after Saul the Persecutor had been transformed into Paul the Evangelist.
 
No longer looking to kill Christians… Paul was instead looking for every opportunity he could find to share the Good News that would lead others to become Christians so they could gain eternal life. And he was writing to encourage the Philippians to do the same.  He wanted those who read this letter to live by what could be described as THE PERFECT EXAMPLE of someone living for Christ and no longer as an enemy of the cross.
 
But let’s be clear, Paul set THE PERFECT EXAMPLE for us of how we are to live for Christ but he was by no means claiming to be perfect himself.  In fact, over in 1 Timothy 1:16, Paul described himself as “the worst of all sinners” but explained that he was shown mercy so, “Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
 
We should keep in mind the fact that when Paul was writing to the various churches, there were no copies of the Bible in wide circulation.  It had not yet become the bestselling book of all time.  And needless to say, there was no Internet where people could access websites like Biblegateway.com or the Biblehub.com.  And there were no cellphone apps like YouVersion that allowed people to read the Bible anywhere they went.
 
So, it was important for them to have THE PERFECT EXAMPLE that they could look to follow.  It reminds me of that saying that I am sure you have heard me quote any number of times before, “Your life may be the only Bible some people will ever read.”
 
And so, the question then becomes, what are they seeing when they read our lives?
 
Let’s hope it’s not what the text highlights about those who live as enemies of the cross whose “destiny is destruction” which means that for them, their story will not end with “And they lived happily ever after.” 
 
Those people claim to be Christians but do not actually follow Christ’s example of servanthood and sacrifice.  Instead, “Their god is their stomach…” in other words, they are only worried about doing what satisfies their own needs, giving no thought to what others might need.
 
“… and their glory is in their shame,” they believe so much in their own greatness that they become slaves to pride. 
 
As one Bible commentary puts it, they are “so concerned with earthly trivia that during worship their minds wander; so consumed with work that worship is inconvenient; [and] so busy planning the next party that there is no time for prayer” (Life Application Study Bible, 2005, p. 2001). YIKES!
 
But who of us has not been guilty of letting the things of this life get our minds off track?  Who can honestly say they have never sat in the middle of a worship service and started planning what they were going to order for lunch from Mangia Mangia or Olive Garden to pick up on the way home?
 
The reality is that life has an uncanny way of penetrating our thoughts and turning our attention away from what is really important which is following THE PERFECT EXAMPLE that Christ has set for us… so that we, too, may enjoy the promise of spending eternity in the kingdom of heaven.
 
 And that is why Paul calls our attention to the fact that by accepting Jesus as our Savior, we become citizens of heaven.  But that means we need to let go of our hold on the earthly pleasures and treasures that distract us from what should be our real priorities.
 
Jesus said:
 

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19 – 21).
 
 And the challenge is that there are a seemingly infinite number of competing priorities, those pleasures and treasures, that are calling for our attention.  But what is it that occupies our thoughts when we wake up in the morning or try to fall asleep at night?
 
Is the first thought that comes to mind when the alarm goes off, “Thank you, Lord, for waking me up to see a new day?”  If it isn’t, it should be.
 
Are we going to sleep with prayers of thanksgiving on our lips?  If we aren’t, we ought to be.
 
Why do I say that?
 
Well, because of what Paul says as he continues to lay out THE PERFECT EXAMPLE for us.  If we look down just a few verses beyond our text we read:
 
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4– 7).
  
This is a theme we find repeated in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where we read, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18).
 
The fact of the matter is that there is no shortage of things that could cause us anxiety on any given day… the financial crisis, the war in Ukraine, the pandemic that is supposedly now an endemic, political uncertainty… and the list could go on.
 
However, according to THE PERFECT EXAMPLE that Paul lays out, we are to rejoice… not just once in a while but always… but how is that even possible, Paul?  Don’t you see what’s happening in the world around us and you want us to rejoice ALWAYS?
 
Let us not lose sight of the fact that when Paul penned those words to the Philippians telling them, and by extension us, to rejoice, he was actually writing from a Roman prison.  So, clearly, he had a full understanding of the magnitude of the task he has set before us.
 
Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians and the Thessalonians, serves as a reminder to us that our joy is not found or bound by our circumstances.  On the contrary, our joy comes from knowing and loving Jesus.
 
In the Gospel of John, in chapter 15, we read these words of Jesus:
 
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:10 – 12).
  
And if we keep reading in the next chapter we read:
 
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (John 16:23 – 24).
 
 This is the same theme that is reflected in Paul’s letter to the Philippians in the chapter just before our text for today where we read:
 
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (Philippian 2:1 – 2).
  
And it is even found in the writings of the Psalmist David, who wrote, “You show me the path of life.  In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, NRSV).
 
Joy, love and Jesus… can it get any better than that?
 
And that is what we find when we look at THE PERFECT EXAMPLE runs along the continuum between Paul, the self-proclaimed worst of the worst and Jesus, who is the absolute best of the best. 
 
Which brings us to the question that we are left with which is where do we see ourselves along that continuum?  And what will it take for us to be able to move forward as we approach the goal?
 
Paul said it like this, just a few verses before our text for today:
 
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:12 – 14).
 
 What do we do?  We do the only thing we can do in times like these, what we have always done… We press on… in Jesus’ name.
 
Amen.

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