This morning is all about the power of a godly example.  Whether you know it or not, we are all following someone or something.  The path of least resistance is to follow the world,  and people in the world, and to be formed into the world’s mold. People who do not know who they are following are following the world.  But the Bible tells us to follow people who follow Christ.  

THAT is how a lot of spiritual progress takes place!!  God designed us to follow godly examples. He planned for us to grow and become the people we are meant to be by following godly people.  If you are NOT actively emulating the lives of good soldiers of Jesus Christ, you will not grow up into maturity in Christ.  So Paul pleads with us to follow him and others who follow Christ. 

Paul said to the Thessalonians, “You know how we lived among you and you became imitators of US... and of the Lord!.. As a result you have become a model for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.” 

He told the Philippians, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” Phil. 3:17

Heb. 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”  Look at people whose lives show faith and endurance, peace and joy, the wholeness and happiness of a godly life and imitate their faith and way of living!  

The essence of our scripture is simply that Paul has set an example, and Timothy followed that example. Paul commended Timothy for doing that!  And God would  commend you for following this example too.  He is pleased with that. 

Paul lists 8 ways that Timothy followed him, that formed Timothy into a faithful man of God.  Everyone of these 8 things are crucial for you to pursue, in order to become strong and mature in Christ.  You might be doing well in 4 or 6 of them!  This morning should encourage you to pursue the remaining qualities that will help complete your life.  If you are heading in the right direction in all these things, this morning should deeply encourage you to continue in them. 

God put godly, real people in our lives for a reason! It helps us!!  We know we are supposed to be strong in hard times.  But it helps to have someone show us how to do that!  It helps to see someone else confidently trusting in the Lord.  We know we are supposed to love people, but when we see someone else laying down their life, it helps us start living that way ourselves.  We know we are supposed to be godly but it helps us to see another person walking consistently in the Holy Spirit. We need other people to show us how to endure, how to fight the fight, and how to suffer.  

Paul WAS that model for Timothy.  And Timothy OR ANYONE would do well by following Paul’s example. 

The overall theme here in chapter 3 is still enduring times, paying the price necessary to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ  Paul mentions a lot of ways Timothy followed him but he zeroed in on suffering. Because suffering is often the dividing line, the fork in the road on whether we go on, or not!  Jesus said “Some receive the word with joy but when persecution comes they quickly fall away”. 

He showed us HOW to suffer, how to be faithful in suffering. In Acts 20:24 Paul said, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”  Acts 21:13 “I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 

Paul showed complete abandonment of his personal life, and even his personal safety to God. Not that he was purposefully reckless, but he had counted the cost and was willing to pay with his life for the sake of the Name of Jesus.  

Are we there?  If not we haven’t really followed Paul in his suffering. What are we willing to undergo, give up, to face for faithful loyalty to Christ?

And Paul did it with joy, and without self pity.  He’s the one who sang hymns at midnight in the jail at Philippi.  He’s the one who said, “we exult in our tribulations!”  Paul was beaten, flogged, robbed, stoned, and he carried on faithfully and joyfully.  Even here when Paul described his sufferings he said, “The Lord delivered me out of them all!”.  Really! If you read these stories in Acts, it doesn’t look that way!  But to Paul, as long as he was able to get his body up and go on preaching the gospel and building up the church, he considered himself delivered!  So we have that!  We have Paul, and others, who have shown us the way through suffering.  

But godly examples are wasted on us, if we do not purpose to be like them. Timothy not only knew mentally about the things Paul went through.  He not only traveled with Paul, but he ADOPTED Paul’s purpose and faith and his willingness to suffer.  He made these qualities a part of his own life!  

The old NASB says, “BUT YOU have followed my teaching, my conduct, my persecutions etc.” and my sufferings...”  

The words “but you” are important here. ESV says “you, however”.  It’s the same idea.  Paul had just said, people will  lovers of self, and money and pleasure, rather than lovers of God, arrogant, conceited, ungrateful, abusive, they will oppose the truth. Then Paul said “but you, Timothy are not like that!  You didn’t follow them!  You followed me!

And your life, also, is to be in sharp contrast to this last-days culture that does NOT love God.  Paul said, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”.  The name of Christ is ON you, and Spirit of God is IN you. And that makes you God’s new creation!  

But now, like Timothy we are to live that out.  And a big part of how we do that is to imitate other godly saints.  So Paul lists all the ways Timothy has followed him and they are all important!  So I encourage you to use these as a pattern for YOU to follow. 

First: You followed my teaching: Timothy did not invent a new message.  He didn’t come up with his own teaching to set himself apart from Paul, or to gain a following for himself.  He taught what Paul taught.  Jude said, in verse 17 “But you beloved ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  

False teachers are not satisfied with the teaching of the NT apostles of Christ.  They want something that will attract more attention, and gain them more followers.

Make it your aim to follow Paul’s teaching! Aim to know it, to understand it better and better.  Listen to those teachers today who are faithful to the teaching of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Second: You followed my conduct: Timothy, saw how Paul lived, how he treated people, how he responded to trials.  Paul conducted himself with humility, sincerity, integrity, godliness, and Timothy watched that. 

1 Thess 1:5 “For we never came with words of flattery... nor with a pretext for greed.... We did not seek glory from people, whether from you or from others”... “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you.”

Watch godly people around you who are consistent, faithful, careful in their speech, and follow their conduct.   

Third: You followed my aim (or purpose in life):  Paul said MY ambition in life, whether at home or absent, is to be pleasing to the Lord.”  Everything, revolved around that! So make that your goal, and aim to please him everyday in your real life situations, in how you talk and answer people, in your attitudes, in how you do your work, how you treat your spouse and your children. 

Paul also said his goal was to know Christ and to make him known.  “I want to know Christ!”  And I want to “present every person complete in Christ. For this purpose I labor, and strive.”  Timothy followed that aim.  Paul said, Timothy is the only one I can send you who doesn’t seek after his own interests but the interests of Christ.   He is truly concerned for your welfare like no one else, I have.  So... Find people whose aim in life is to please Christ and to build up the church, the body of Christ, and follow them!  

Fourth: You followed my faith: Paul believed and trusted God.  Faith is confidence in the Lord. It is confidence in the truth he has revealed to us.  Paul said, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard... what has been entrusted to me.”  

It is a battle to believe.  It always has been!  Paul fought the good fight, he kept the faith. Timothy followed that.  Faith is contagious and so is unbelief.  Follow people who have confidence in God and in his promises.

Fifth: My patience: Timothy had seen Paul’s patience with people.  My little children with whom I am in labor until Christ is formed in you.  He showed the patient endurance of a woman in labor until the baby is born.  He kept working with people and churches, when there were problems, errors, even when they criticized him, or insulted him and said he was a terrible speaker.  He still loved them! He still kept his arms wide open to them!  You don’t just throw people away when they make mistakes or get into error or when they insult you! 

Sixth: My love: Timothy watched the way Paul loved people.  He had experienced Paul’s love and affection himself!  Paul began this letter, “To Timothy by beloved child”. 

Timothy had watched the way Paul loved the church.  In Acts 20 When Paul had finished speaking to the elders from Ephesus, “he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.”  He had seen the way he laid down his life for others.  This was somebody that loved them and cared about them deeply. 

I’m sure you know people who love others and lay down their lives and interests for the saints.  Follow that! 

Seventh: You followed my steadfastness: Or perseverance.  When Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, he didn’t quit, but went on to the next town to preach the message of Christ.  Timothy saw that! He saw that kind of spiritual toughness. I am not talking about a boastful human strength. But he saw a Spirit-given, a Spirit driven toughness in Paul and he followed that.  He saw how Paul soldiered on, and on through one tough time after another.  

So that’s an example for us and we are to watch other people and the way they endure disappointment and pain.  Watch the way they press on to follow Christ, the way they still praise and worship him.  They are there.  They are steadfast!   

Then last, Paul said, Timothy you followed my persecutions and suffering.  This clearly seems to be the emphasis of this passage.  ALL of these things matter, but following in suffering is paramount!  “You followed “my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”  

Paul lists 3 cities in which Timothy followed his suffering.  If you look on a map of Asia Minor you will see 4 cities close together, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Timothy was from the town of Derbe (Acts 16)  Timothy followed Paul through these nearby cities, and had been there when he suffered.  When Paul came to Derbe in Acts 16 he had already determined that he wanted to take Timothy with him on his next missionary journey because he saw how Timothy stood by him in persecution.

Antioch: Acts 13:45 “When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.”  And it says “they drove them out of their district.”  Timothy watched Paul being verbally abused.  He saw him being driven out of town, probably by threats of killing him.”  

Second: Iconium. In that city it says “There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.” They were out for blood.  They would have had no problem killing Paul.  Timothy knew all about the animosity Paul experienced.

The third city was Lystra: 14:19 “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

Timothy followed Paul through all this kind of stuff.  

So..THIS is our model, he is still our pattern.  Paul being dead  still speaks to us.  He calls us to follow him in suffering.  Just being honest, but...Something is wrong if we are not willing to suffer ANYTHING for the name!  If our life is ALL about self-protection, ease, comfort, risk avoidance what have we understood about our calling?  

This is not the pattern Jesus gave us, or that Paul gave us, or that saints down through the ages have given us.  They gave us a pattern of suffering for Jesus. 

And Paul reminds Timothy of this unbreakable truth in verse 12 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.  ESV study note: “The actual persecution  may be less when there has been more Christian influence on the laws and cultural values of a society, but the unbelieving world will always remain deeply hostile to the gospel.”  

That is interesting because the Christian influence on our laws and cultural values of our society is waning.  And that will make more difficult times ahead for believers. 

If you seek to live for the Lord, you WILL feel the pressure of Satan and the world.  I felt it when I was in high school and at ISU in the 1970s! What must it be like today.  But of course those (who call themselves Christians, but) who just fall in line with all the current views of our culture which defy everything God says about sexuality, and truth and judgment and the way of salvation through Christ alone, those people will NOT be persecuted.  

BUT if you follow Paul’s teaching, that will land you in trouble with our culture. If you seek to live a godly life, that will put you in trouble with our culture.

It is naive to think this is NOT going to happen OR that it is just a temporary situation.  Paul assures Timothy things are not going to ease up!  Verse 13 “evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”  Persecution and trouble will come from two sources: evil, ungodly people.  And it will come from impostors, solves in sheep’s clothing. And it will go from bad to worse.  

The issue this morning are you following the things Paul modeled for us.  Are you following those who are following Christ?  Or are you sort of following other people who do not have Christ’s interests at heart?  Are you sort of following impostors? Or are following the real deal, people who are walking in integrity and truth and the teaching of Paul and willing to endure suffering. Wherever you are at, this would be a great morning to get your eyes back on people that are following Christ..    

Philippians 3:17  “Keep your eyes on those people who walk according to the example you have in us, and imitate them.”