All for the Glory of God

The words just read remind me of one of the most striking comments made by our Lord. Shortly after Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in that last week of his life, as he contemplated all that lay before him, he says, now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. I mean, there's this sheer determination to glorify his Father, no matter the cost. And that has always been the very heartbeat of all of God's people. Think of Moses, when Israel sins and God says, I will destroy this people and make a great nation out of you. Moses isn't flattered. He's so concerned about the glory of God that his immediate response is, but Lord, what will the Egyptians think? Moses's desire was not his own exaltation, but Lord, show me your glory. Or think of David, you know, who in Psalm after Psalm says things like, Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens? And then he summons all creation to join him in praising and glorifying the Lord. Or think of Isaiah. You know, who not only mocks the idols of the peoples, but he is the prophet who, as we saw in today's scripture reading, declares that this is what the Lord says, that I am the Lord and there is no other, and my glory I will not share with any other, or give my praise to carved images. Or think of Ezra, when he has to make that dangerous journey from Ahava to Jerusalem. And he doesn't ask the king for a band of soldiers to protect him. Because he doesn't want to make it seem like his God isn't able to protect him. Or think of John the Baptist. You know, when many people who had been coming to him go off to Jesus, and some others think, oh John, you know, you're probably gonna be offended by this. And John says, oh no. This joy of mine is complete. because he must increase and I must decrease. And friends, that's the heart of Paul. As he says to us this morning here in our text in verse 31, therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. It's all about him and his glory. Now this statement comes as a sort of climax after three chapters of discussion about this issue of food that was sacrificed to idols. Paul introduces the topic back in chapter eight, verse one, where we learn that there were many in the Corinthian church who were very comfortable eating this food, and even, it seems, eating this food in the temples of the idols. And this is because they knew that, look, these idols aren't even real. So why not just go and enjoy the feasting? But then there were others in the church who were not comfortable with that because they had formerly worshiped these idols and it felt to them like compromising their allegiance to Jesus. And in chapter eight, Paul says, the first thing you need to understand is that all the knowledge in the world means nothing without love. And if you love your brother, you will care about his conscience even if he knows less than you do. Then in chapter nine, Paul sort of continues his argument by saying, and the gospel is more important than your rights. You know, so run the race like me by laying down your rights for the sake of the gospel. And then in the first portion of chapter 10, Paul adds, and remember, God is a jealous God. who demands holiness from his people. So flee idolatry and beware lest in your desire for feasting, you wind up eating and drinking with demons. But now in this final section, Paul comes to some very specific practical instruction. And he lays out some situations, and this is what is okay, and this is what is not okay. And I just want to observe from the get-go Paul's pastoral example here. He could have started here. He could have started by saying, do this, don't do that, and he could have said the whole response in about one paragraph. But instead he writes like three chapters of explanation. And I think that shows us that Paul is not interested in merely fixing their behavior. He wants to teach the Corinthians and he wants to teach us to think like Christians. He wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds and to come to understand how this great and glorious gospel should transform the way we think and act in every area of life. And by the way, that's something we've seen repeatedly throughout this whole book. You go back to chapters one through four, Paul's dealing with the issue of disunity in the church where they're dividing over pastors or preachers. And Paul doesn't just say, okay, these are the good preachers and these are the bad preachers, done. No, he spends four chapters talking about the gospel itself and how the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it's the wisdom of God. And he's trying to help them understand that the power of the gospel is not in the eloquence or the wisdom of the preacher. You know, chapter five, he deals with the issue of a man in the church who's sleeping with his stepmother. And he doesn't just say, excommunicate him. He talks about how the church is supposed to be an unleavened lump because Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Or in chapter six, he deals with the issue of lawsuits. And he doesn't just say, stop suing one another. He explains that because of who we are in Christ, that we as saints will one day judge the world. And also in that chapter, there's the issue of prostitution. And Paul addresses that by pointing to the resurrection and explaining that we too will be raised up with Christ. So what we do now with our body matters. Chapter seven, Paul deals with issues of sex, marriage, and singleness. And once again, he doesn't just give rules. but he focuses on the eschatological reality that this present world is passing away. So what really matters is undivided devotion to Christ. And we need to think about everything else in light of that. And the point is, Paul never just gives a set of rules. He does give specific instruction, but he also gives theology and principles, and then he even gives one more thing. He regularly points to a flesh and blood example that embodies what all these principles look like in practice. And that's himself. Remember what Paul said back in chapter four, verses 15 and 16, where he reminds the Corinthians, for though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ through the gospel. I urge you then, be imitators of me. Paul's saying just as a son grows up learning to imitate his father, that is how you as Christians can learn to follow me and understand what it means to live for Christ. So there's specific instruction, there's guiding principles, and then there's this living example. And as Paul wraps up this discussion about food, sacrifice to idols here in the end of chapter 10, we see all three of those elements here. And so let's look at each of them in turn, and note that we won't quite look at the verses in order, but we will cover all of them. So number one, Paul gives instructions to practice. And let's look especially at verses 25 through 30. Paul writes, eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, this has been offered in sacrifice, then do not eat it. For the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience, I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So here Paul gives two situations where he says it's fine to eat food that may have been previously sacrificed to an idol. And then he gives one situation where you should abstain. And so in verse 25, he gives the first situation where he says it's fine to buy and eat whatever food you want from the market. You don't have to worry about where it came from. You don't have to ask the vendor where he got it. You're free to just buy it and eat it and do so with a clear conscience. And that's actually quite a liberal stance for Paul because it runs counter to the practice of Jews. The Jews at this time felt obligated to investigate anything they ate to make sure it was kosher and to make sure that it had never been sacrificed to an idol. But for Christians, Paul says, it doesn't matter. Because quoting Psalm 24, he says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Right, so just because this was sacrificed or offered to an idol, or even really a demon, that doesn't mean it belongs to that idol or that demon. Right, it's the Lord's. And therefore, since it's the Lord's, it's to be used for God's purposes. As 1 Timothy 4, verses four and five says, for everything God, for everything created by God is good. And nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. Right, so it's spiritually irrelevant what anybody did to this beforehand. What matters is that you receive it with thanksgiving and prayer and in accordance with the word of God. Well, then Paul addresses a second situation in verse 27. And he says, if one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. So even in an unbeliever's home, where you could probably guess the food is idle food, and they may even have idle statues in their dining room. Paul says you're free to eat. You don't have to ask any questions about the food. All that matters is that you receive it as a gift from God. But then Paul addresses a third situation, verse 28, where he says, but if someone says to you, this has been offered in sacrifice, then do not eat it. For the sake of the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience, I do not mean your conscience, but his. Now the person Paul has in mind here could be the host or maybe it could be another guest, but it's probably an unbeliever because they say this has been offered in sacrifice. And the word Paul uses there is different than the word he's been using throughout when he talks about food sacrificed to idols. Because when Paul says idle food, he's actually using a pejorative term that's a distinctly Christian way of speaking. Because pagans don't call it idle food. They call it food sacrificed to their God. And that's the way the person here is referring to it. So this is probably an unbeliever, and probably it's someone who's actually eating the meat himself. But he's sort of trying to help you out by saying, hey, I know you're a Christian, and just so you know, this is food that was sacrificed. to a deity. And he's really assuming there that your allegiance to Jesus means that you wouldn't eat that. And Paul's saying in that case, don't eat it. You know, because if you do, it may make him think, well, maybe Jesus is just another God that can be added to the list. Maybe it's gonna offend him because he thinks this is sacred food to my God and what is this Christian doing eating that? Or maybe it's gonna give him a negative view of Christians because he looks at you and he thinks, well, look, this Christian doesn't even keep his own principles. He's just a compromiser. And whatever the case, Paul's saying that because of this person's perception, don't eat the meat. Don't eat it for his sake and for the sake of his conscience. Well then Paul wraps up his instructions here with two rhetorical questions. And at first they may seem abrupt and confusing, but I think if you take them to bookend what Paul began to say in verses 25 through 27, that helps the flow make more sense. So when Paul says here, for why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? it's referring back to the fact that he just said you're free to eat whatever you want in your own house or in your friend's house. The point is that the fact that you know there's someone else out there who has a conscientious objection, that doesn't restrain your own freedom before God. And then verses 28 through 29a is really just clarifying that if you're actually around the person who has that objection, Well, then you should be sensitive to that, right? But the freedom is yours. And then in verse 30, Paul says, if I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced or literally blasphemed? Because of that for which I give thanks. And here I think Paul is giving a word to those with more restrictive consciences, and he's warning them that it's actually slanderous to denounce others for receiving any kind of food with thanksgiving to God. Because they're glorifying God by receiving something with thanksgiving that they're free to do. So do not denounce them for it. Now, before we move on, I just wanna pause and consider a few applications of this specific instruction Paul gives. First, we can eat anything, but we should eat everything with thanksgiving. Paul says, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. It's all God, so it's all fair game, but it's all God, so he deserves thanks for all of it. And notice in verse 30 that Paul actually assumes that we should be thanking God for every meal. I think this is a good practice, that we as Christians should pray and thank God for our food. I mean, Jesus tells us to pray, Father, give us this day our daily bread. And I think we should also pray when God does provide. Father, thank you for your provision. Second, this makes clear that offering food to an idol doesn't contaminate the food itself. If it did, Paul would not say, well, you don't need to ask any questions. Obviously, Paul doesn't think there's something wrong with the meat. And that's significant because earlier in this very chapter, Paul talked about how even though idols are nothing, demons are real. And he's warned the Corinthians that if you are eating this idle food in the wrong context, you could actually be eating and drinking with demons. But the point is, the demons are not in the meat. It's the context in which you eat the meat that matters. And I point that out because some Christians, especially in more charismatic circles, have this idea that demonic power and presence is mediated through certain objects. So for example, if bad things are happening to you, and then you go up into your attic and you find that unbeknownst to you, some previous owner of your house had left a voodoo doll there. Well, that may explain why these bad things are happening because that object has sort of given this foothold for demons to enter into your home and life. Well, if demons aren't in meat that was sacrificed to demons, I think we can conclude, well, they're not in objects either. It's not the object or the food itself that's the issue. What the issue is, is how and in what context are you using that object? Why do you have it in your house? What are you doing with it? That is what actually affects us and how demons could have a foothold in our life. Now third, notice that Paul thinks it's fine for a believer to go to an unbeliever's house for dinner. And that's especially striking because Jews would never eat with non-Jews. I mean, just think for a moment about everything that God has to do to get Peter to go and visit Cornelius. And Cornelius was a particularly pious Gentile. But Paul here is very clear, not only is it okay for a Jewish Christian to eat with a Gentile Christian, but he thinks it's okay for a Christian to eat with an unbeliever. And this tells us that whatever kind of holiness we're called to as Christians, it doesn't preclude going to an unbeliever's house to share a meal, right? It's not outward in that sense, it's an inward holiness. And this also implies that it's not wrong to be the kind of friend to an unbeliever that he or she would actually want to invite you to his or her house for dinner. You know, Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, And so may we. And I think one of the implications of that is that relational evangelism is biblical. I mean, it is a good way to share the gospel by befriending people who don't know Christ so that you can share the gospel with them. Fourth, as you spend time with unbelievers, do everything you can to make your uncompromising allegiance to Jesus clear. Paul is stressing here that perception does matter. And we need to be careful that we do not appear compromising or that we do not appear to give any credence to their gods or idols. We should be respectful. But we need to make clear that our allegiance is to Christ and Him alone. And then fifth, within the church, those with more restrictive consciences need to beware of judging those with less restrictive consciences. And those with less restrictive consciences need to understand that they can enjoy their freedom in private, but they need to be sensitive to those with more restrictive consciences when they're around. And I think we all need humility here. Because even though the Bible is very clear and it tells us how to think about food that was sacrificed to idols, It just doesn't address all the details of all the different situations that may come up. So it can be hard to tell who's right, and we need humility. Someone shared with me this week the example of fantasy books that contain magic. He said that he grew up in a very conservative Christian homeschooling circle, and there were some families who loved books like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. And so they would share those with their kids and they really appreciated that. And then there was other families that were strongly opposed to those books because they felt like it sort of promoted things that they were against. And hearteningly, he said it never divided the families themselves. Because those who opposed it had the humility not to become judgmental or villainize those who allowed it. And those who allowed it had the humility and the sensitivity not to do things like, we're gonna watch this movie when this family comes over for dinner. And I think that's a good example of the way it should be. That's not something that should divide us. So we've seen Paul's specific instruction here. He's given two situations where the Corinthians should exercise their freedom. He's given one situation where they should not But in order to think about how to apply this more generally, let's consider next, what principles should I apply to determine when should I use my freedom and when should I not? So number two, principles to apply. And here we're gonna be looking at verses 23 and 24 and verse 31. And the first principle we see is that we should be guided by love. Look at verses 23 and 24, Paul writes, All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. And friends, the principle here is love. I mean, the very essence of what love is, is not seeking your own good. but the good of your neighbor. You know, as Jesus says, no one has greater love than this, than the one who lays down his life, you know, surrendering his own good for his friends, for the good of others. And notice also that Paul here is basically reiterating the theme of chapter eight, right? That's where he said, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. And now Paul repeats that same word where he says, all things are lawful, but not all things build up, not all things edify. And so you see, it's not just about what's lawful or justifiable based on what you know, it's about love. And love is about edification, it's about building other people up in Christ. Now, by the way, that little phrase, all things are lawful, is actually a Corinthian slogan and not the words of Paul. That's why the ESV puts that in quotes. And if you look back to chapter 6, verse 12, you'll see another place where Paul quotes that exact same slogan twice, and he counters it there in a similar but slightly different way. And I point that out because it's important to know that it's simply not true that all things are lawful for Christians. We are saved by the grace of God, but that doesn't mean there's no more law. However, there are things like what kind of food you eat, where all things really are lawful. And you can, you do have freedom. And the point here that Paul's making is that the first guiding principle we need for how to exercise that freedom is love. So in whatever area you're thinking about your freedom, and you're thinking about the choices you make, you should be thinking, will doing this benefit other people or will it harm them? And you should be thinking, what are my motivations here? Am I motivated by love or am I really just sort of justifying selfishness? And we should be thinking, will this edify other people? You know, is doing this going to help other people actually be built up in Christ? You know, will this cause other people to be more grateful to God? To be more joyful? To be more heavenly minded and to trust God more? That's what edification is about. That's what love seeks. So that's the first principle we apply. Well, then there's a second principle, and that's what will best further the gospel? And this should also sound familiar because it's basically Paul reiterating the theme of chapter nine, where he talked all about laying down his rights for the sake of the gospel and becoming all things to all men that by all means he might save some. Well, look again at verse 24, where Paul says, let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. or the other. He doesn't choose the word brother there. And that indicates to us Paul's not thinking or limiting this to a Christian context. He has the salvation of unbelievers in mind as well. As we saw in verses 27 through 28, Paul gives the example of going to an unbeliever's home. And then if you look ahead to verses 32 and 33, notice that Paul says, give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. All right, so the whole thrust of this is Paul is saying you want to use your freedom in a way that's going to further the gospel. So that unbelievers like Jews and Gentiles might be saved, and so the church of God might be built up. It's all about the gospel going forth. All right, so we need to ask, Will exercising my freedom in this way help the gospel or hinder it? Will exercising my freedom in this way make the gospel clearer or cloudier? Will exercising my freedom in this way distract attention from Christ or will it direct attention to him? And will exercising my freedom in this way help other people? to see the glory and the beauty of Jesus? Or will I actually obscure it? That's the second principle we need to weigh as we think about, okay, how do I use my freedom? But Paul gives a third principle here as well. And this is really the supreme climactic principle above all. And look again at verse 31. Paul says, so, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And friends, that's really the most important question when you are considering how to exercise your Christian freedom. Will this glorify God? Because as I said at the beginning, that should be the heartbeat of every Christian. That's what it means if we love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength. It means that we will yearn for His glory. It means we will yearn for His name to be regarded with the weight and majesty it deserves. For God's beauty to shine forth and be seen in all the earth. And just consider for a moment how this question of what would glorify God is really like a rudder that helps to guide every other principle. And the first principle is love. But if you try to love others without being guided by a zeal for the glory of God, you'll never love them rightly. You might love them in a way such that you make an idol of them and you love them so much, but you really make an idol of them in your heart, and that becomes a very twisted love. Or maybe you love them in such a way that you actually kind of replace God. And instead of pointing them to him, you kind of point them to yourself, and you lead them to make an idol of you. You see, the way we need to love others is not sort of apart from God, but because we love God. I mean, it should be a love for God and a zeal for his glory that actually causes us to love the people that he has made in his image and the people that Christ has redeemed and saved as our brothers and sisters. It should be a love of God that actually motivates and drives and informs and guides the love we have for others. The glory of God is also a rudder that guides the principle of doing whatever would most further the gospel. Because if you just think it's about furthering the gospel, how easily you slide into just trying to manipulate people. And just thinking, I can sort of pressure them into believing in Jesus, because I want to save them from hell. How easily we slide into thinking, maybe we should adjust our church services to just make them more attractive, you know, because then more people would come, and that's really the goal. We just want to further the gospel. But if the glory of God's our rudder, then it becomes very clear that it's not just about decisions for Jesus. It's not just about a big church. It's about God. It's about the power of the gospel to really transform lives so that God would receive the pure worship he deserves. All right, so that must be our rudder. Also, God's glory is a rudder that steers us away from becoming overly restrictive toward Christian liberty. And just think for a moment about the fact that if all you think about are the principles of love and the furtherance of the gospel, it becomes harder to explain why, for example, Paul would give any credence to eating any food sacrificed to idols at all. You know, why not just cut it out completely? You know, what's the purpose? Is that really gonna help further the gospel? Is that really loving someone else? I mean, why not just get rid of it all? Well, I think Paul's answer here is, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. And then he says, and if I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. And friends, our Christian liberty actually allows us to enjoy things for the glory of God, such as good food to eat. So I mentioned the example of Narnia. I mean, if you can read that to the glory of God, Why not enjoy that in private? Don't be bound by someone else's conscience because it's about glorifying God. And if that helps you do that, that's good. Or I think of that example of Spurgeon when there was this guest preacher that comes and is preaching in his church. And this guy is just going on about the evils of smoking. And Spurgeon was well known for smoking cigars. So when Spurgeon gets up after the sermon, he says, well, dear friends, you know that some men can do to the glory of God what to other men would be sin. And notwithstanding what brother Pentecost has said, I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed tonight. See, he understood that it's about God's glory and that we have this wonderful freedom in Christ that we can use to glorify God. And notice also here that Paul says, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all to the glory of God. So it's not just the big decisions of life. It's not just the controversial things where our consciences disagree. It's not just our religious activities. It's all things, right? So we should examine every aspect of our lives, our schedule, our activities, our conversation, our attitudes. Everything that we do, we should examine them and evaluate Am I doing these things for the glory of God? Am I doing these things in a way that would magnify the greatness of Christ? And in a way that stirs my heart to want to thank God more, right? Because he's worthy of our every breath. He is worthy of everything being done for his glory. So friends, that's the principle here. That is the guiding rule for our lives. But maybe even after all that, you're still wondering, but what does this look like in the specifics of my life? I mean, how do I really apply these principles at my day job? How do I set my schedule as a mom? How do I glorify God as a student? You know, how do I balance and work out all these different principles that the Bible gives me in everyday life and the specifics of my situation? Well, I want you to notice that Paul doesn't just give us and the Corinthians principles. He doesn't even just give us principles and then some specific instructions. He gives us an example to follow. So number three, an example to follow. Look at verses 32 through chapter 11, verse one. Paul writes, give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many that they may be saved. Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Now just think for a moment about what it means to be an imitator. This is when you know someone so well that you can mimic their mannerisms. You're able to kind of talk like they talk and capture their voice inflection and their facial expressions and you can mimic their turns of phrase. You know them so well you can imitate them, you can walk like them, you can talk like them, you can live like them. And so when Paul tells the Corinthians, imitate me, he's assuming this very high degree of familiarity. He's pointing them to his own living, breathing example that they have seen and examined. It's as if all the principles he's just been describing are like the skeleton. But now his own example is the flesh and blood that brings those principles to life. And I think the implication of this is that there are some things that are better caught than taught. Can you imagine trying to learn how to play basketball by reading a book? I mean, you need a coach. You need someone who can come along and say, you know, you hold your elbow like this and you shoot like that, and who can show you how it's done. And the fact is, part of God's plan for discipleship is the example of others. I mean, just think about the fact that Jesus comes. And not only does he not just come down and die on a cross and then go back to heaven, not only does he not just come down and have this public teaching ministry, but Jesus calls 12 disciples to himself who would know him intimately. And it's those men that then are sent out to be the ones who would establish the church and disciple others. That's God's design, and Paul understood that. And that's why here, in the same way, Paul's discipleship of the Corinthians wasn't merely through the sermons he preached. In fact, it wasn't even merely through the scripture he wrote. It was also through the life he lived in their midst. Just as Paul says to the Thessalonians when he says, we shared with you not only the gospel of God, but also our very lives. And you are witnesses of our conduct towards you. And here he says, give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God. And if you want to know what I mean by that, just look at me, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do. Imitate me as I imitate Christ. He's saying, you've seen the way I've done this. And that's really helpful because, you know, if you were to just read these words by Paul, where he says, I try to please everyone in everything I do, I try to never give an offense to anyone. You know, you'd really get the wrong idea if you weren't aware that this is also the guy who incited angry mobs that ran him out of town and was everywhere he went. I mean, the Corinthians had seen how this man who was so bold and courageous and uncompromising for the gospel, how he stood firm in a way that would incite such anger. And he didn't care if they tried to kill him. He was he was steadfast for Christ. They had seen that. And yet the very same time, Paul can can call them to reflect on the way that he was so humble. He was so flexible. He was so careful not to give unnecessary offense. He did so much to lay down his own interests for the advantage of others that they could be saved. Paul can point to that example to help them understand the principle that he is telling them. And I think this should challenge us in two ways in particular. First, this shows us that we need personal discipleship. I mean, part of God's design for how we grow as Christians is through personal relationships with other Christians. It's not supposed to be just you and your Bible and your favorite online preacher. It's supposed to be you and God's word in community with God's people. And if you wanna learn how to glorify God in all the particulars of your life, I mean, you will unavoidably make mistakes. But you're gonna make a lot more that you could've avoided if you don't have those examples to follow. There's gonna be a lot of times that you're sort of zealously trying to apply the principles of scripture and you get off balance. And that's gonna happen all the more if you don't have other, older, seasoned, mature men and women of God that you can learn from and you can see how they're actually implementing it in the specifics of their life. And you can learn from other Christians that are here living in our particular context and how we're thinking through all these issues of family and marriage and work and school and all these decisions. We learn so much from others. And not only that, but just think about the power of the example of other believers when they actually embody the principles we're called to live by. When you come to someone that is so loving, but it's such a holy love. And there's such a concern and a wisdom and a courage, and they just bring it together in a way that you see, wow, that is the work of God's Spirit in this person. And that helps me understand better what I should be striving to be like. And in this person I see some dim reflection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There's tremendous value in that. So brothers and sisters, involve yourself deeply in the life of your local church. Don't just come to hear sermons, but get to know other Christians well. And seek out Christians from whom you can grow. Because you can't imitate someone you hardly know. Now a second application here is, this reminds us that we need to strive to be examples for others. We're all called to be making disciples. I mean, part of following Jesus is helping other people follow Jesus. Jesus tells us that we're to go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, and that includes all of us. But as we strive to make disciples, we have to be the kind of people who are striving to be an example of it. We can't be Christians who say, do as I say, but not as I do. We need to be striving to be like Paul so we can say, okay, if you wanna learn how to follow Christ, imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. And now before we close, I do wanna draw attention to that last phrase where Paul says, be imitators of me as I am of Christ. And when Paul says just before that, I'm not seeking my own advantage, but that of many that they may be saved, Paul knows that he is being at very best a dim reflection of Christ himself. And if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, you need to understand that we're not saved by following Jesus's example. That's not the way of salvation. Because Jesus ultimately came to do the very thing we can't, which is to die on the cross and pay the price for our sins. You know, Jesus is the one who more than any other sought not his own advantage, but the advantage of others, because he came to pay a debt he didn't owe. He came to pay the price for our sins so that we might be saved. And we're saved not by following his example, but by trusting in him as our substitute. But once we are saved, once you know Christ and you trust in him as your savior, well, he is our example. And just like Paul is doing here, we are called to follow in his steps. And as we learn from Christ, as we look to him, we are called to lay down our life for others, even as he laid down his life for us. And friends, what beauty there is here in that God has not in his word merely given us principles to live by. He's given us his son, the one who is the very brightness of his glory and the exact imprint of his nature. This one, the very son of God, has come down to live in our earth, in this broken world, among broken people and amidst all the complexities of life that we live in. And we can look to Christ and see exactly the way that we are called to be. We can look to Jesus and as beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, be transformed from one degree of glory to another. We can look to Jesus and see what it truly means to do all things for the sake of love, for the sake of the gospel, and most of all, for the glory of God. So brothers and sisters, let's run our race, looking unto Jesus and for the glory of God. Amen.