Be Imitators of Me
Tom Shrader uses Philippians 3:12-14 as a lens on Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 4:16 to 'be an imitator of me,' identifying several transferable principles from Paul's life including an accurate self-view, a commitment to lifelong learning, and a singular God-given purpose. He contrasts goal-oriented living with purpose-driven living, arguing that a heavenward focus frees believers to say no to good things in order to pursue the great things God has called them to. Drawing on voices from Richard Baxter and Max Lucado alongside the narrative of Saul's persecution of the church, he urges his congregation to live as sojourners whose energy and attention are oriented toward eternity rather than comfort in the present world.
“You will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Standalone Teachings
Recorded: 2001 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 49 min
Themes: imitation, purpose, discipleship, eternity, self-awareness, lifelong learning, focus, influence, feeling directionless, mentor, young adult, new believer, struggling with priorities, leader, midlife reassessment, parent
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 5, Philippians 3:8-14, Philippians 2:5, Ephesians 2:8-10, Hebrews 13:7, Acts 7:54-58, Acts 8:1-3, 1 Timothy 4:12
Theological Themes: sanctification, becoming holy, sojourner theology, heavenward calling, spiritual maturity, apostolic example, biblical purpose, perseverance
Full Transcript
Introduction: Be an Imitator of Me
Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. The last time we met and I taught, we went through and finished the fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians. In the course of that lesson, there was a singular verse — verse 16 — and I said we would come back to it. For those of you who are teachers, I would suggest that this verse could be the springboard for a terrific adult elective.
Paul said, "I exhort you, I beseech you, I entreat you, be an imitator of me." We could do a whole series on the different ways we could imitate Paul. Paul seems to make the point that this is an important step, not just in his life, but in every Christian's life. He says to Timothy, "Show yourself an example to those who believe." Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember those who lead you, who spoke the word of God to you, and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith."
Paul: The Most Influential Christian Who Ever Lived
We focus today on Paul. A.W. Tozer offers this insight: Paul is the most successful Christian that has ever lived. Now, if you have an analytical mind — one of those engineer types who is really analytical — you immediately look at that statement and know we could challenge it. He doesn't know every Christian that has ever lived. But Tozer offers an insight that is really worthwhile to consider and investigate.
You may have seen the book *The 100 Most Influential People That Have Ever Lived*. Even in that secular book, the ranking goes like this: the most influential is Muhammad, then Jesus, then Isaac Newton, then Buddha, then Confucius, and then Paul. They identify Paul essentially as the co-founder of Christianity. We have to do a little work there — we understand that is not the case — but we understand that apart from Christ, Paul has probably had the most impact of any Christian who has ever lived. That is also the verdict of one of his followers, A.W. Tozer.
What Paul's Enemies Said About Him
Here is what Paul's enemies said. It is recorded in Acts chapter 17. The context is this: Paul has completed his first missionary journey and is in the middle of his second. He has been to Derbe and Lystra, into Galatia and Asia Minor. He has come out of Philippi, where he was imprisoned, and now he is coming to Thessalonica. Here is what his enemies say: "Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here."
The word goes ahead of him. Your reputation precedes you — and the same is true of you. Everyone around you has some sense of who you are and the impact you will have on their life. His enemies say, "Here come Paul and Silas. They have turned the rest of this world upside down. Everywhere they go, they preach this gospel. People are coming to Christ." In reality, of course, they are turning the world right side up. And the implication in his enemies' words is clear: there is no way Paul and Silas can be in their presence without having an effect on them. That is exactly why Paul can say, "Be an imitator of me."
Traits That Are Transferable
I thought about this a great deal. It dawned on me that I could spend a lot of time with Brad Pitt, but I would not get any better looking — and he would not get any smarter. I could spend hours with Shaquille O'Neal, but I am not going to get any taller. I could hang out with Garth Brooks, but I am not going to be any better a singer.
But Paul says, "Be an imitator of me." The implication is that if you follow him, he has traits in his life that are transferable to you — traits you will be able to take and use, and they will make a difference in your life. We could do a whole series on what those might be, but we are going to take this time to begin exploring them.
Paul's Autobiographical Turn in Philippians 3
Open your Bibles. From 1 Corinthians, go to the right through 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians, chapter 3. Paul is writing to this church. He has preached the gospel to them. He has explained that he finds life in Christ. He has even said in chapter 2, verse 5, "Have the attitude in you — the mind in you — think like Christ," and then he speaks of Christ's spirit of humility.
In chapter 3, Paul becomes autobiographical. He talks about salvation, beginning with himself. He recounts all the godly things in his life — all those things he calls "in the flesh." He speaks of his pedigree: he was circumcised on the eighth day, he comes from the tribe of Benjamin, he is a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a zealot. And yet when he looks at all those things, he does not find salvation in them.
Here is the context for us: you can be around the church all your life. Your parents could have been great spiritual giants. You could be sitting here, doing great religious things. That does not at all mean that you are a Christian. What Paul says is that he finds real meaning in knowing Christ. Look at verse 8: "More than all of this, I count all these things" — all those human
Learning as a Lifestyle
"Not that I have already obtained it, or already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
In the context of what we are looking at — "be an imitator of me" — I want to take these three verses and point out five, six, or seven things that are principles I see in them. You may see more. These are things you can put to work in your life that will allow you, at the end of your life, to be able to pray as Jesus did: Father, I have accomplished all that You have given me to do.
Before we get to those principles, notice what Paul says just prior to these verses. He counts his accomplishments as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord, for whom he has suffered the loss of all things, counting them but rubbish, in order that he might gain Christ and be found in Him — not having a righteousness of his own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. In other words, he is saying there is no way he, and by implication anyone else, is going to be declared righteous without faith in Christ. He finds his salvation and righteousness in Him.
Verse 9 continues: "may find my righteousness derived not from the law, but through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him in the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, be conformed to His death." And here is why: "in order that I might attain the resurrection from the dead." Paul is saying he wants to know Christ, and Christ crucified, and to put his faith and trust in Him, because in Him he will find true righteousness. Apart from Him, he will never be righteous, and his desire is to rise from the dead and to be in heaven.
The First Principle: Never Stop Learning
The first thing I see from Paul's life is that he understood he was still in the process of learning. He says, "I haven't already obtained all of this." He has a very clear understanding of what is going on, but he has not obtained it yet. So learning becomes a lifestyle.
When we talk about this, we are obviously talking about learning God's Word. When I want to know the mind of God, I have to study His Word. We study the Word of God so that we can know the God of the Word. It is a very simple process when we understand that. We come here for our answers. But learning goes beyond that — it is an attitude toward all of life.
Howie Hendricks tells a marvelous story of a lady who was a friend of his. Every time he saw her, she would say, "What are you learning, Howie? What's going on? What are you reading? What's happening at the seminary?" He was invited to her eightieth birthday, and as he came in the door, there she was with her standard greeting: "How are you doing, Howie? What's new? What's going on at the seminary? What are you reading?" He said, "No, no — tonight is your night. This is your birthday. You only turn eighty once." And they had a great night.
Several months later, Howie got a call from this lady's daughter. She had died, and the invitation was extended to him to come over to the house. When he walked in the door, the daughter said, "I want to take you to Mom's desk, because I want you to see what's on there." What was on the desk of that eighty-year-old lady was a just-completed ten-year plan. She understood that you never stop learning as long as you are breathing. You are continually taking in information.
Five Levels of Learning
Someone has identified five levels of learning — really five steps to maturity. The first is knowledge. After knowledge, you gain perspective. In our context, you begin to love God more, resist temptation, understand trials and how to handle them, and understand what truth is. From perspective, it moves to conviction. Now you understand these things are true, you understand how they work, and you are convicted about them. From conviction, you gain the skills to act on what you know. And ultimately, what you have in your life is character — integrity. Those are the five levels of learning, or the measures of maturity.
Here is what I want you to see, and I believe this with all my heart. You live, perhaps for the very first time in our nation's history, at a time when character is not very highly valued. Let me prove it to you. The definition of character I have heard over and over again is this: character is what you do when nobody is looking. It is what you do when no one is around. It is the very essence of who you are, because there are no repercussions.
We now have a President of the United States who has sexual relations with an intern in the Oval Office — something that would get you fired as the CEO of any organization you are involved in. He lies to a grand jury. These are not disputed; these are the facts. And the majority of people rise up and say it does not really matter. "I don't care what he does in private." Character is what you do when nobody is looking, and the majority of people say they do not care what he does. De facto, they do not care about character.
Character Is the Goal
Here is the point. As you learn God's Word, it inevitably affects your life. There has to be change, and you will change. Your perspective changes, then your convictions change, then you know what is right, you begin to do it, and your walk and your talk begin to match up. Paul says, "I haven't obtained all of this." In fact, he says he is not even perfect — and the word really means mature — but what he has is a genuinely accurate view of himself.
An Accurate View of Ourselves
That glorious truth — that Jesus died so that we would have eternal life — Paul presents in the context of "while we were yet sinners." He has no illusion that he is worthy of the gift of salvation. He has not deluded himself into thinking that somehow there was something special in him, and God recognized it and said, "There's a little jewel. If I can just get hold of him and polish off some of the rough edges, what a prize I'll have." No. Paul says, "I've got an accurate view of myself. I was a sinner. I was a wretch. All that I had done was but rubbish" — the passage you just read. The King James says "dung." What an accurate view. Paul says, "There's my whole life — dung — to know Christ."
There inevitably are people in this worship center for the very first time, and I probably don't know you, but I know this: I know your besetting sin. It's pride. You say, "No, you missed it. It's greed. I'm greedy, not prideful." Let me help you out here. The reason you're greedy is because you want everybody around you to think something special of you, because you're a proud, arrogant person. We never miss this.
So often when I teach about the deceptive heart of man, someone will object. I used the phrase "pond scum" one day in here, and a well-intended but misdirected lady felt compelled to send me an email that I wasn't pond scum — and yada, yada, yada — and "in Christ" and all this stuff. Here is what I sent back: "I'm sub-pond-scum." When I identified myself as pond scum, I inflated who I really was. I can't get this low enough. I have an accurate view of myself.
Now, I know that in Christ I'm a new creature, but I always understand that there is a battle in there with the flesh. I never question whether Jesus loves me — I look to the cross and I understand that. But Paul says he has an accurate view of himself even as a believer, recognizing that he hasn't arrived.
Pressing On Toward Purpose
Paul says this: "But I do press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus." There is a great truth here. He says, "I'm going to press on, and I'm going to reach forward" — but for a specific reason: because Christ took hold of him for a purpose. If all God wanted to do was get you to heaven, then at the moment of your conversion He would take you home. But He left you here for a reason.
You are saved by grace through faith — not of yourself, it is a gift of God, so no one would boast. We know that truth from Ephesians 2:8–9. But Ephesians 2:10 says we were saved for good works that He prepared beforehand. God saved you for a reason. It is not hyperbole or exaggeration to say that God is working His will in this world, His will will be done, and you are an integral part of that. Paul understood this, and it became the driving motive of his life.
I was on a plane once, and the lady sitting next to me worked for a company. I said it sounded interesting, and she had a laminated card with her company's mission statement, core values, and goals for the calendar year. I said, "This is really good. What's your mission?" She said, "What do you mean?" I said, "This card. Your company has a mission, a purpose, goals. What about you?" It became very clear, very quickly, that she had never really thought about it. I said, "Isn't it interesting that for your company to succeed it needs a direction and a purpose they're constantly reevaluating, but you don't think you need that in your own life?" That wasn't what she expected.
Goals Versus Purpose
This brings me to something I've thought about, because many of you used to press me on whether I have goals, and I was never really a goal-oriented person. I always thought goals limited me — that was my excuse. So let's go through the difference between goals and purpose.
Goals are short-term. They are measurable. They are milestones — short-term things that are accomplishable. Purpose, on the other hand, extends beyond my life. It is something I serve but never fully attain, and it defines direction for all of life. So here is the difference: if I say I'm going to read through the Bible in a year, that's a goal. If I say I'm going to be holy as He is holy, that becomes something that extends beyond my life — something I serve, something that gives me direction.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so consider this. Here is a goal-oriented life: you are in the middle, and you have all these goals radiating outward. They can be good goals, worthy goals — but there is no consistency among them, no connection. That may well be why some goal-oriented people check things off every year, get things done, and yet are more frustrated than they have ever been. They are achieving and achieving and achieving, but they are frustrated at the end of the day.
Here is why — and here is the contrast. In a purpose-oriented life, all the goals are lined up toward one purpose. There may be some things floating out there on the edges, but the aim is to minimize those so that everything is moving in one direction. Ideally, all of these goals — educational, professional, financial, physical, relational, spiritual — are intertwined, so that as I am dealing with one area I am serving the same overarching purpose. That purpose becomes the defining factor in every evaluation I have to make.
Saying No to Good Things
When someone calls and explains a plan, and I agree it's a great plan, agree it's a worthy cause, and agree it can be accomplished — but still say no — the response is always confusion. But here is the point: it doesn't advance the purpose God has for my life. That is a very important truth. It means you are going to have to be able to say no to some very good things so you can achieve the great things. You are going to have to be able to say no to some very worthwhile things.
Oftentimes I see men who are goal-oriented and have mutually exclusive goals. Their goal is to become a dynamic business leader, to take a company and make it the biggest in the valley, to be the first ever to make half a million dollars in a year in their industry. They are also going to lead a small group, be everything a spouse can be, coach Little League, spend an hour a day in Scripture, and develop a small group. These are all good things, and if there were 558 hours in a week they could do it — but there are only 168, and you cannot achieve all of those things.
You may well be at a time in your life where you say to your career, "You are going to have to submit to the rest of my life. I am not moving again." A friend of mine had a son-in-law working for a company that was talking about transferring and promoting him. When they asked if he would move, he said he had already moved seven or eight times for that company. They were confused because he had just started — but his father had worked there before him. He said, "I have already moved seven or eight times. I am not moving again." I am not even talking about bad things here. I am saying you have to take the good things in your life and align them with what God has called you to do, and that means being able to say no to some very good things.
The One Thing
Paul says that as he understands and executes this, there is a key principle: there is one thing that he does. One thing. Now, we know Paul did other things. Even when he says he preaches Christ and Christ crucified, we know that during his year and a half in Corinth he spoke about all sorts of other subjects — but he is saying it all comes back to Christ. That is the essential part of his life.
Mark Rents was in the first service, and I was speaking with Mark and Barb just before the service. He mentioned that the new church was launching that very night, and that in its first week two people from that church would join four from ours to go on a short-term mission to Mexico. His wife said, in no negative way at all, "That is what you are always thinking about." That is his deal. You talk to Mark, you are going to hear about missions. There is nothing wrong with that — it is terrific. But it means that for him, he is going to have to say no to some very good things so he can remain focused on what he is convinced God has called him to do. Focused, not distracted.
I led a junior high and high school chapel this week, and I began with a moment of prayer — literally sixty seconds. We were not fifteen seconds into it before you could hear the restlessness. Sitting in total silence, even briefly, is a long time. Even in my own life, the first thing I do when I walk into the house is turn on the television. I like that noise. Sometimes the distractions intrude, and we lose sight of the one thing we are called to do.
Intensity and the Prioritized Life
Think about the old days watching John Madden call football. They would get the close-up of the linemen set at the line of scrimmage and the announcer would say, "Look at the intensity." They would get a shot of Tiger Woods' face and say, "Look at the eye of the tiger." You could show me a picture of his face out of context and I could never tell you whether he made or missed the putt — we only know that afterwards. Once he makes it, everyone says, "Oh, he had that look." Of course — he made the putt.
Paul says, "This is one thing I do." Now, let me show you what this means, because I have a great love-hate relationship with the word balance. So many people want to live a balanced life. But balanced people do not really accomplish great things. What is needed is a prioritized life. And I will tell you, there is always going to be tension — tension between whether you are growing spiritually enough, whether you are doing enough, or whether you are doing too much. But it really helps when you narrow the focus down to this one thing.
Paul understands his life and he understands his heart, so he says: "I forget what lies behind." I am doing this one thing.
Forgetting What Lies Behind
Turn back to the book of Acts, chapter 7, to a scene that has so much drama in it. It is Stephen giving his defense to the Jews who are ready to kill him, beginning in verse 1 of Acts chapter 7 and running all the way through verse 53. Stephen is delivering this powerful message. Verse 54: "When they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him." Being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Behold, I see the heavens open. The Son of Man is seated at the right hand of God."
Verse 57: "They cried out with a loud voice, and they covered their ears." They did not want to hear this anymore. They covered their ears and rushed on him with one impulse, and when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him. The witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. They went on stoning Stephen as he called out upon the Lord, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this against him." And having said this, he died.
Here is the scene. Stephen has delivered this message, and these Jews take him to the edge of town to stone him. Depending on whether a formal location had been set aside for this, they most likely took him to the edge of a cliff. They would cast him down and then take rocks in both hands and pelt him until he was dead. To make sure they could move freely, they removed their robes — they did not want anything restricting them. They wanted to be fully unencumbered so they could pick up those stones and hurl them down with full force.
They laid their robes at the feet of Saul. That Saul is the very man who writes the words we are reading this morning in Philippians 3. That is Paul. Look at chapter 8: "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.
But Saul began ravaging the church. The word "ravaging" in Greek literature describes a wild animal tearing apart its captured prey. Paul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, dragging off men and women, and putting them into prison. He was an equal opportunity oppressor — men and women alike. That Saul becomes Paul.
The Weight We Refuse to Put Down
And now Paul writes, "Forget what lies behind." I think he has remarkable insight into human nature, because we are forever, for whatever reason, going back into our past and dwelling there. He says: get over it. We haven't done this in here for a long time, so let's do it this morning. I do it three or four times a year — not to embarrass anyone, but simply to ask: if you became a Christian after age 18, would you raise your hand? You see, it fills this place. Those are the people who really understand sin. They have been in it, and they have got things back there.
I won't speak for anyone else — I'll speak for myself. I have thirty years of things I'm not proud of. Not only not proud of, but genuinely embarrassed by. Awful things. But there is nothing I can do about them. They have been forgiven. We are done. It is like hauling around a ball and chain for thirty years as a non-Christian — all that guilt, with nowhere to take it, no way to be cleansed. And then God reaches down and cuts it free. And we reach over and pick the ball back up and start carrying it again. Paul says he forgets this. He is a new creature, and he believed what he wrote.
Pressing Toward the Goal
Paul begins to wind down this section. He says he reaches forward to what lies ahead. In that phrase that is perhaps overused but thoroughly fitting, Paul says he keeps the main thing the main thing. He then summarizes the section with this truth: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." He is pressing forward, undistracted, for the prize. He is talking about dying, leaving this world, and going to heaven.
It is critically important for us to keep in mind that this is not home. Paul describes us as ambassadors for Christ. Peter describes us as aliens in this world. The New King James calls us sojourners. All of those together tell us the same truth: this is not home.
I think about this often, and it came to mind again when I made plane reservations the other day. Susan and I are flying out Thursday and returning Saturday. We are renting a car. I have never once picked up a rental car and thought, I should swing by for an oil change, or those tires look like they need to be balanced and rotated, or I should get this thing detailed. I have returned some very dirty rental cars after my trips and never once thought I needed to get one washed before turning it in. The reason is simple: it is not my car. I do not own it. This is not home. And yet I guarantee that this week, the majority of your time, your energy, your effort, and your money will be spent rotating tires and changing oil and painting walls on something that is not yours.
The Pull of Heaven
I want to read two excerpts from two different authors. One is 350 years old. I read them about three months ago, but they deal with this idea of heaven. I am convinced that if I can stay heavenly-minded, it allows me to do that one thing here — to forget what lies behind and to reach forward.
Richard Baxter, in 1649, in his book titled *The Saints' Everlasting Rest*, wrote these words about heaven. "If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it? One would think if a man did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to be obtained and believed what he heard to be true, he should be transported with vehemency of his desire after it, should almost forget to eat or drink, should care for nothing else, speak of and inquire after nothing else but how to get this treasure." But then Baxter looks at believers and says this: "Yet people who hear of it daily and profess to believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind or labor for it as if they'd never heard of such a thing and did not believe one word that they hear."
Here is what he is saying. You say that there is a heaven, and you confess that there is a heaven, and you may believe that — but you are a practicing atheist. You live like it does not exist.
Said a different way, fast-forwarding to our own day, Max Lucado writes this: "Happiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy then is to be satisfied prematurely, to settle for earth, to be content in a strange land. We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. As Peter says, we are foreigners and strangers in this world. And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. You will have moments of joy, you will catch glimpses of light, you will know moments, even days of peace, but they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead."
Living With Eternal Focus
That is what Paul is saying. Paul is saying: I know this truth, so I am stretching on for this. I am not distracted by all of this. My life is simple. I do not have it cluttered with stuff, cluttered with things that do not matter, striving for things that have earthly value but no eternal value. My life is free of that.
I think Tozer is probably right that Paul is the most successful Christian who has ever lived. When I read that, I want to know how. What is it? How was he able to carry around that title? I think a great deal of it is right here in these three verses.
Paul has a real and accurate view of himself. He knows he is continuing to learn. He is pressing on. He has purpose and definition. There is one thing he is doing. He is not distracted by the past. He is looking to the future. He knows that it stretches beyond this life and into heaven.
When I take those principles and put them into my life and start to live that way, I fulfill the call that Paul has placed on my life — to be an imitator of his.
Closing Prayer
Father, help us see this truth. God, we pray that in our lives we would indeed be imitators of Paul as he is an imitator of You. God, we pray that our lives would be transformed by Your Spirit. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen.