Guard Your Heart - - Follow The Pattern

 

1 Corinthians 11:1

Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3402

Followers: imitator, emulator

From the Greek word 'mimétés' (pronounced mim-ay-tace'): the root of the English word mimic. Properly, the positive imitation that arises by admiring the pattern set by someone worthy of emulation. Mimétés is always used positively in the NT (seven times) – of followers of Christ emulating a God-approved example. The supreme model is God Himself (see Eph 5:1). 

Ephesians 5:2 "Therefore, be followers of God, as dear children."

This word 'followers' is used only seven times in the New Testament. Though some translations use the word 'imitators' instead of 'followers', the meaning is the same. 

1. 1 Corinthians 4:16 - followers of Paul (his example)

2. 1 Corinthians 11:1 - followers of Paul even as he follows Christ

3. Ephesians 5:1 - followers of God

4. 1 Thessalonians 1:6 - followers of Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, and the Lord, with joy in the Holy Spirit

5. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 - followers of the churches of God in Christ Jesus who also suffer at the hands of their own nation

6. Hebrews 6:12 - followers of the faithful

7. 1 Peter 3:13 - followers of what is good

FOLLOW THE PATTERN

Philippians 3:17 

Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you.

Philippians 4:9

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

2 Timothy 1:13

Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

FOLLOW THE SHEPHERD

John 10:3, 4

3. The gatekeeper opens the gate for Him, and the sheep listen for His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out.

4. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.

FOLLOW THE SPIRIT's LEADING

Romans 8:3, 4

3. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,

4. so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:25

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

    We lead by example, whether we lead others in the way of death and destruction (Matthew 10:25) or in the Way of the Lord . The better way is God's Way. If we're going to be God's faithful leaders, then we need to be God's faithful followers. 

    A servant is not greater than his master. (Matthew 10:24; John 13:16; John 15:20). A faithful leader is a faithful servant. We follow Christ wherever He leads us, even to death. He is bringing us out of this world into His world, into our heavenly home. 

FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST, OUR PATTERN

    Knowing that Christ suffered at the hands of his own countrymen, why are we expecting not to suffer at the hands of our own countrymen, our own nation, our own cities and towns? Jesus Christ told His disciples (and us) to take up our crosses and follow Him.

Matthew 16:24

Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

1 Peter 2:21-23

21. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

22. “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

23. When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

    Don't be surprised when the men and women you have called friends turn their backs on you when you profess Christ as your Lord and Savior; when your ways are not their ways. Don't be alarmed by family suddenly criticizing the change in you. Stand firm in your newfound faith in Christ. You are not alone.

    But continue to follow Christ faithfully. Read your Bible. Study your Bible. Highlight areas that make an impact on you. Underline verses that reach you. Date these things in your Bible, if you can. Use the flyleaf and the back blank pages. You should see my study Bibles. 

    Keep a journal or notebook with your Bible. There may be times when you need more space to write your thoughts and the insights you have gained in your studies. This will help you remember what you are learning.

     "​A faithful follower I would be​,"​ is what the hymnist wrote way back in 1862, when he penned the words to "He Leadeth Me." 

FOLLOW THE PATTERN MEDLEY

Thanks Be To God -- Wholehearted Commitment

 

Romans 6:17

But thanks be to God that you who were slaves of sin have now become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were committed.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 8003

Wholeheartedly:  wholly devoted, whole, complete, blameless

Who we were and the sinful life we lived before we came to Christ is not who we are now. We were slaves to sin:we willingly obeyed the commands of sin on our lives: in our thoughts, in our bodies. We lived for ourselves. Now we live for Christ.

In our ignorance of the Truth of God's Word we followed the pattern of sin's teachings: do what makes you happy, follow your heart, everybody's doing it; there is no hell so how you live your life now doesn't really matter; there are many gods and you can follow more than one or none at all; disrespect life, it's only a fib not a real lie. And these are just the reasonings I have heard, I'm sure there are more out there. 

To be a slave to sin is to follow the pattern of lies which the devil has put forth into the world and therefore, we have grown up in and around. No one is born a Christian. We may be have been raised in Christian households but that is not enough. Each of us must make a choice to follow the pattern, the doctrine, of a resurrected life when we choose to follow Christ in our daily lives. 

I surrender all. All of me. All of my thoughts must I choose to surrender to Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:8 "...think on these things." All of my body must I choose to surrender to Jesus Christ. I cannot work the works of the devil with my hands and expect my feet to walk in the Word. What does that mean? For example, a person should not be out drinking on Saturday night and expect to receive a blessing from God on Sunday morning. It is a double-minded fool who believes such a thing to be so. 

I Surrender All 

1.  All to Jesus I surrender,

     All to Him I freely give;

     I will ever love and trust Him,

     In His presence daily live.

Refrain:

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

2.  All to Jesus I surrender,

    Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;

    Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,

    Truly know that Thou art mine. [Refrain]

3.  All to Jesus I surrender,

    Lord, I give myself to Thee;

    Fill me with Thy love and power,

    Let Thy blessing fall on me. [Refrain]

Written by J.W. Van De Venter in 1896, this classic hymn still rings true for many devoted followers of Jesus Christ. While not very much information is known about the songwriter, the song itself has become the anthem of true Christianity. For if a person is not willing to surrender all of themselves, as The Word tells us we are to do, then we are not saved from sin but still trapped in it. Romans 12:1 "Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship." 

Since the beginning of the year we have been discussing here what it means to be a born again Christian: how we become born again and how a born again Christian should live their lives as opposed to how we lived before we became born again Christians. What do we learn in this verse? 

(1) Thanks be to God. We give God the praise, we give God the glory, for what He has done in our souls: our emotions, our wills, our thoughts. Because we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of All, we thank Him for turning our lives around; a 180-degree turn from living a life of sinful, willful disobedience to God's Word and turning to God through Jesus Christ to a life of righteousness, surrendering our will to God's Will, obeying the Word of Life and not the words of death. 

(2) Slaves to sin. In ignorance obeying the laws of sin and giving into temptation(s) which results in death. For the result of sin is death. Not just death in the body of a person, but death in the spirit and soul, as well. It is separation from God now and eternal separation from God after death. We cannot pray for a person to change after that person has died. Their soul is in hell and no one in hell can cross over to heaven nor back to this earth. The life we lived before we came to Christ we wholeheartedly lived for the devil and his lies.

(3) Obedient from the heart. It is our spiritual heart that puts the thoughts of our minds into action. Now that our heart is where Jesus Christ lives by the power of God's Holy Spirit, we choose to listen to what God has to say and we choose to make a choice in our every decisions to follow the teaching of God's Holy Word that we might become God's holy people. 

(4) To the pattern of teaching to which you were committed. The pattern of teaching, the gospel of salvation plus how to live a committed way of life that is completely different from the noncommittal life we lived before we came to Christ. The doctrine by which we live our lives now is separate from the doctrine we followed then. 

No Longer Slaves by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser (from their album I Will Not Be Shaken)

1 Corinthians 6:19. 20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. 

Dear Lord,

I surrender every part of me to You, to Your service. I surrender the way I think to the way You think. And, Lord, You know I have to pray this all the day long for my thoughts are under constant bombardment from the enemy of my soul. I need You every second of my life. 

I surrender the way I love to the way You love. No longer do I choose to love whom I will but to love whom You will and in the same way that You love me: with my whole heart, unconditionally; loving everyone with Your love. Help me to love people like You love people. 

I surrender the way I live the life You have given me to the life You want me to live. Help me to grow in Your Word as I study it, as I pray over it and commuse with You, as I hear it preached on Sunday mornings and taught on Wednesday nights, or any other nights I am able to be with Your people in Your houses of worship. 

I surrender the fears and doubts which plagued me to the Hope I have in You. Lead me and guide me through the storms and the trials which are set before me to go through. 

In Jesus' Name, I pray,

Amen.

All My Hope by Crowder (from his album Milk & Honey)

Shepherd of My Soul by Rivers & Robots (from their album All Things New)