Dr Greg Bahnsen - Proverbs: Proverbs 3:31-35 (The Right Kind of Heroes) (Part 11)

Please turn with me in your Bibles this morning to Proverbs, the third chapter, where we'll take for our reading from God's word, verses 31 to 35. And consider the subject the right kind of heroes. Proverbs, the third chapter, beginning at the 31st verse. Hear now God's Word. Envy thou not the man of violence and choose none of his ways. For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah, but his friendship is with the upright. The curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers, but he giveth grace unto the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Thus far, the reading of God's Word. You know, I have no doubt about the fact that my own early admiration for J. Gresham Machen Had a very formative influence upon my attitudes and my desires, upon my priorities, my goals and my interest in life. I don't know exactly when it was, but about the time I was in junior high, I know that I checked out of our church library. In an Orthodox Presbyterian church where I grew up. A copy of the biography of J. Gresham Machen by Ned B. Stonehouse, the professor of New Testament at Westminster Seminary. And following upon that, I read the Presbyterian Conflict by Edwin Ryan. Speaking of the origins of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. And the place that J. Gresham Machen had and all of that. And I am confident as I look back upon my life. That for good or for ill, whatever you wish to make of it, there's no question that that had a lot to do with the way I look at things. And what I think is important, what I think is right. Indeed, I think that that influence of Machen upon my life, my admiration for him, Worked things in me which would not have been present otherwise. I am confident that. That my own natural desires, my own moral character. Would not allow me to have done some of the things that God's called on me to do. If it hadn't been for my admiration of a man like Machen. My doctrinal interest, my own development and education. Has a lot to do with what I thought of this man Machen. There was no question about it that those whom we look to as role models can have an influence upon our lives. Other people or other characters have had a similar, if less profound effect in my life and development. But in that case, not always for the good. Some of my friends like to kid me about the fact that back in the days when Hawaii Five O was a popular television program. But I hardly would ever miss watching that. Undoubtedly the character of McGarrett there had some kind of influence on me, too. My friends like to kid me. They say, you wouldn't be a theonomist if you didn't like McGarrett. You know, here's this tough law and order sort of guy. Well, the people that we look to and we admire, even if they're fiction, have an influence upon us for good or for ill. And the word of God tells us in Proverbs 3:31 that we should not look up to the wrong kind of people. That's a crucial message. It's one that we don't emphasize enough. And I'm going to try to make it the substance of our exhortation consideration this morning. God says, envy thou not the man of violence and choose none of his ways. Very simply, the Bible says, you should not envy the man who gets his way by violent means. You shouldn't look at him and say, boy, there's a real man. There's somebody I'd like to be like or even think about. It's nice to get away with things in this world. It's nice to accomplish things, isn't it? And then have a subtle influence that that's the sort of person maybe you should be, or if you ever had the opportunity, that's what you'd like to be like. I think it's regrettable that so much which entertains our children in this culture, so much of the cartoon programming in our culture, so much of the toys that are marketed and promoted in our culture caters to and encourages violence as a way of life for our children. Violence is a way of getting things done efficiently in this world. Violence as a form of nobility even, or a form of excitement, if nothing less. And I want to make very clear here, because you may hear people, bleeding heart liberals, you might want to call them, who have the same sort of thing to say, and they rail upon the mass media and upon those who are engaged in marketing and advertising that sort of thing. Well, I want to make it very clear this morning that what I am complaining about and what I think the word of God condemns has nothing to do with those who are involved with mass media and marketing techniques. And the reason for that is these people would get nowhere if they weren't catering to something that's already in us. You can't go and promote something that doesn't already have a hook in people. And I want you to stop and think about this. I want those of you who may be inclined to think of the. Of the nobility and the innocence of children to ask yourself, why is it that children are so prone to watch GI Joe and see people get whatever knocked out of them? Why is it that that sort of programming is popular and those kind of toys sell like hotcakes? Well, it's not because we have these pure, innocent little children that we somehow pumped evil into. It's because that caters to what is a fundamental desire in all of us, and all of us adults as well, a proneness to violence and vengeance over against peace and love. That tells us something about our own nature. There's a nasty spirit of domination in human nature. We want to dominate over our fellow men. There's a selfish streak of vengeance in human nature that wants us to solve our problems by the use of force or nastiness or overcoming others, and not by the way of self sacrifice, the way of the cross, the way of the imitation of Christ. And so Proverbs tells us, don't you envy a man of violence? Don't you choose any of his ways? But just think about it. Look, stop and reflect on it, Christian. What is it in your culture that is portrayed as a role model? Who are our heroes today in our society? What is set forth as the person to emulate, to respect, to look up to? Rambo, right? John Rambo. Now there's my idea of a man. I mean, of superhuman proportions, even a man who can go into Southeast Asia and accomplish what the whole US army couldn't accomplish. But I mean, that's our idea of a man who can efficiently kill people. A man who can grunt back at people. A man who can get his way by simply snarling. Boy, wouldn't you like to be. I'll tell you, if I could walk down the streets in Newport beach and be John Rambo, people, they'd get out of my way. They'd do what I want them to do. I mean, we have these fantasies, don't we? If I was just like John Rambo or Dirty Harry. I mean, how many of us have seen this and have been so frustrated with crimes? That's what we need, a man like Dirty Harry. Wouldn't you like to be as tough as him? Television programs emulate this, too. I've only seen this once or once and a half. This show, the Equalizer. I mean, even senior citizens can be Dirty Harrys now. You know, it's incredible. And Mr. T, who was actually turned into kind of a soft, marshmallowy kind of guy that wouldn't hurt anybody really. But, you know, his reputation was established on the fact that he was virtually an animal and nobody could ever take Mr. And I've already mentioned GI Joe, and we could talk about the Rocky movies and so forth and so on. Do you get my point? Our culture glorifies men of violence. Our culture glorifies men who do not back down, who do not sacrifice themselves, who do not humble themselves, who do not seek peace, who do not walk in the ways of love and righteousness. Our society glorifies that, and we go along with it. Now, I'm not telling you to turn off your TV and throw it away or never go to the movies. And I'm not telling you there isn't some entertainment value in all these things I've been talking about and much more. But I am telling you to be very careful where you draw the line. Better be very careful about what effect this has on your emotions, and you better be very worried about the effect this is having upon our culture and upon our children, upon the children of this congregation, your own children in your home. You see, recourse to violence is glorified as something, well, wonderful, praiseworthy, something to be imitated. The theme of this verse in Proverbs, envy not the man of violence, is similar to the theme we saw in Proverbs chapter 1, verses 10 to 19. Again, don't emulate the lawless man. Proverbs 1:10 says, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. Remember how I preached on that? Against foolish consent with evil people. Don't emulate lawless behavior. The Bible tells us it's a very simple message. It's a very simple message. It's not hard to comprehend. We all understand it. It's incredibly hard to follow. Don't consent. Don't give in to peer pressure. Don't follow the ways of the world. Don't have the wrong role models. Psalm 37:1 8 pursues the same theme, warning us against envying those who accomplish their ends by unrighteous means. Psalm 37. Fret not thyself because of evildoers neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness, for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in Jehovah, and do good. Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. Delight thyself also in Jehovah, and he will give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto Jehovah. Trust also in him and he will bring it to pass. And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light and thy justice as the noonday. Trust in Jehovah and wait patiently for him. Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. The Bible says, don't worry, don't be eager. Don't fret over the fact there are people who are using unrighteous means to accomplish their goals. Trust in the Lord, because God will cut them down like the mown grass. Stop and think about it. Who are you looking up to? See, this raises the more general question, not just about violence, but I think this passage raises the more general question about role models and heroes in general. You see, we just have to realize what is a basic psychological insight to human nature that those people who we, as the psychologists like to call significant others, those people who are for us significant others, will set before our eyes a model that has a strong psychological effect upon us. What we see in those significant others, those people around us whom we in one way or another consider important, valuable or influential, what we see in them is going to have a scripting effect in our lives. We are going to tend to write our own life. And after the model of what we see. And I don't mean it has to be one person, that would be very over simple. But there are a number of people, bits and pieces of what we see in the patterns of their behavior and attitudes that we write then into our lives we learn patterns of conduct. From them we come to be in some ways like those people, those people that we respect and look up to. And this is not hero worship. That's a different psychological malady that we could talk about. I'm not talking about adulation of people. In fact, if you took it that way, you'd probably figure, oh, no problem, because there's nobody I really worship as a hero. That's probably true, at least if you're an adult. But the effect I'm talking about is much more subtle than that, much more powerful than that, and in that sense, much more insidious. I think it's much closer to monkey see, monkey do. However, you must remember it wouldn't work at all if we thought the people we were imitating were monkeys, right? However, it's the same thing. We don't think they're monkeys. But what we see, we do. If we like the person, if we respect the person, if we think they've accomplished something. If one way or another they're held up in our eyes, we tend to become like them. And so you stop and think about that. What has affected your life? I confessed a bit. Much more could be said. But you need to stop and think. Who has had an effect upon you and what effect do your friends have upon you? What effect do your teachers have upon you and have they had upon you? What effect do teachers and friends have upon our children? Let's look at some examples here. You know, people who tend to have a hot head, as we say, kind of an angry disposition. My guess is you take a person like that and look around them and you'll find somebody else that has a hot head. I don't know where that person will be. Maybe it'll be the father in the family. Perhaps it'll be some coach of a football team that had a hot head that person looked up to. Maybe it's a close personal friend, a teacher. I don't know. But my point is that pattern of coping with tension and frustration and problems in life is seen in someone else. And then we pick it up and we say, well, that's how I deal with it. And sarcasm, you know, people who have just real cutting remarks are always down in the mouth about things. My guess is that doesn't just spring up without a seed, doesn't just come out of nothing. You'll find that someone in that person's family or close friends or again, role models, be they teachers or employers or whatever it may be, you'll find the same kind of cutting tongue and pouting too. And I hate to embarrass all of you. I see the looks on your face as I bring these up. I mean, we're finding ourselves, aren't we, friends? Why do we pout? Where do we learn to pout? We learn to pout from people around us who are pouters. Perhaps you had a mother who, whenever she didn't get her way, would not talk for three hours to anybody in the family. I don't know, but that's a possible place that you would learn. When I get angry, I'll show people I'm angry and I'll pout. And of course, there are also positive things. Where do we learn patience? We see somebody who's put in a very trying situation and you see the kind of dignity and nobility and reserve that person shows. And. And you say, that's what I want to do when I get in a tight spot. I want to show that I can control myself and kindness where do we learn kindness? It doesn't come easy. I've already told you. Children are much more prone to violence and to selfishness. Where do children learn kindness by looking to others? Or perseverance in trial? It's a wonderful trait of character. I hope to whatever degree I've been able to persevere in trial, that I would say that that comes from looking at somebody like J. Gresham Machen and others who also had to persevere in trial. We look at people and then good and bad things, you see come to us from that. And so we have to ask, as we look at this text of God's word this morning, who should be our role model? What kind of role model should we strive to be for others in our society? We have role models that go far beyond Rambo and Dirty Harry and these guys we've been talking about as men of violence. More generally, we have role models too in. Well, in athletes. I mean, this is supposed to be Super Bowl Sunday. And if you want to get along with me, you won't say that around me because I'm offended by that. This is the Lord's day. And football, which has become something of a religion in this country, has shown its true characters that the way everybody falls down dead and idolizes it on this day. But now, who throughout this week have we been seeing? You know, we have role models being subtly set before us. Whether it's the refrigerator or the one that really offends me, perhaps it's not nice to use names here. Quarterback of one of these teams, you know, who's supposed to be such a fast living, loose living individual. And you see, and that's set before our young people. And do you think that doesn't have an effect on them? I remember back in the days of Broadway, Joe Namath, the same sort of thing. Here's this athlete, this kind of leader, this clean cut, sharp, strong person who has just wicked lifestyle and terrible attitudes. And our young people look up to that. How about actors and actresses? We have a whole section of the paper every day given to their lives and lifestyle. Boy, you better know that has an effect upon us. Or rock stars. Boy, there's a desperate one. I mean, you have to figure. I teach high school. I see this even in Christian high school. But even beyond that, in our general culture, you have to figure people have pretty desperate lives when they look up to people who put baby pins in their ears and through their noses and talk like animals and do all sorts of bizarre things for movies. And we look up to this. We don't just laugh at it. There are people who just think, if I could just meet somebody from Duran Duran, wouldn't that be wonderful? I don't know. It would make me sick. We have this. It's going on in our culture. And so we have to ask then, enough said. Who should be our role model? First of all, let's look at the rest of this passage that we have taken from God's word. Because in verse 32 we see why it's foolish to envy the wicked. Verse 32 makes it very clear why it is foolish to let the wicked be our role model. For the perverse is an abomination to Jehovah, but his friendship is with the upright. The reason why we should not choose the ways of immoral men is that in so doing, we have also chosen the loathing of God upon our lives rather than his intimate friendship. The same contrast, by the way, is repeated in Proverbs. That should tell you that it's important. Proverbs 11:20 tells us, they that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah, but such as are perfect in their way are his delight. Proverbs 15:9. The way of the wicked is an abomination to Jehovah, but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Why is it you shouldn't make as your role model somebody that is perverse of character? Because when you choose that as your lifestyle, when you choose that as what you want to emulate, you've also chosen to become abominable in the eyes of God. Now, this indicates, contrary to some opinions about wisdom in the Book of Proverbs, that the motivation for doing what is righteous is not simply enlightened self interest. Now, I've been doing a lot more reading and wisdom literature and Proverbs commentaries than I ordinarily do because of this series that I'm preaching. And I'm just taken back at the way that liberal commentators so often want to say, see, this is not a religious book. This is a matter of how to get along well in the world. You don't have to worry about religious motivation. Well, this is certainly a religious motivation. Don't follow wicked men, because then you become abominable in the eyes of God. Quite obviously, that's a religious motivation. Those who are described here as perverse, by the way, the Hebrew means twisted. People who are devious, people who are underhanded, people who have tangled moral misdirection all about them, such unscrupulous people are abominable in the sight of God. Do you know what the word abomination means? We hear that. We sometimes hear it, you see, in humorous context. We need to learn to take it seriously. When God says this, it is crushing. Because God says, I find this detestable. I find this hateful. I loathe it. One of the reasons we don't take that seriously is because we don't loathe unrighteousness. We don't know what it is to so detest the ways of foolishness and ungodliness that when God says it, it doesn't have its appropriate effect on us. God says, there are things I find utterly disgusting. This is one of them. The expression to be abominable in the sight of Jehovah is found many times, particularly in the Book of Deuteronomy, in the law of God, where, if we had time this morning, we might look at some examples over and over again of what is disgusting, what is abominable in the eyes of God, be it homosexual relations or transvestite dressing or idolatry or having. This is interesting. Unjust measures. When a man uses, you see a double standard in his business that is abominable in the eyes of Jehovah. The Bible says if you look at that expression to be abominable in the eyes of Jehovah, whether it's in the book of Deuteronomy or the Book of Proverbs. There's an interesting lesson to be learned just from that study, I think, because what you see is that in both of these books of the Bible, moral flaws in one's personal character and moral flaws in one's social conduct are just as detestable to Jehovah as infidelity in religious worship, infidelity in religious ritual. There's this tendency to think that abomination pertains very strictly to the cult of Israel. Boy, you haven't read the Bible if you think that abomination isn't just idolatry or going through worship in the wrong way. It's also abominable to cheat people in your business. It's also abominable to be perverse in your sexual practices so that all of life, you see, is under God's holy and righteous standards. And when we violate those standards, we become loathsome in his eyes. The Bible tells us. Just by contrast, though. But his friendship is with the upright. Actually, the Hebrew there is very precious. It's a little bit difficult, awkward to interpret. It reads, but his secret is with the upright, where the word secret tassad in Hebrew pertains to. Well, we would think about it this way. A society that keeps a secret. Intimate companions, intimate friends, those who share a special kind of status with one another. Fellowship and unity. And that's. That's what you are in the eyes of God. If you are upright, you are his confidant, you are his intimate friend. James 4:4 puts it this way. You adulteresses. Don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Why should you be serious about role models today? Because the Bible says in choosing a role model, you decide whether you'll be a friend of the world or a confidant with God. A friend of the world as an adulteress who will be mown down like grass on the day of judgment, or someone who is brought into the close, intimate friendship of the Almighty. That's what you're choosing when you choose a role model. That's the message of the Book of Proverbs, and we haven't taken that seriously. David's testimony should become our own. He said, a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Psalm 80:14. That's a wonderful verse. Memorize it. Say it to yourself. Every day when you get up, look at the day and say, I'd rather be a doorkeeper. I'd rather be the lowest point. In fact, I'd rather be the doormat at the house of God than to go out and live in the tents of wickedness today. And make sure your heart feels that and your heart desires that. And that's what you're looking for. Because then, then you'll be able to say with David, as he did in Psalm 91, he that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Are you the secret friend of God? Do you want to spend even one day better than a thousand in his courts, than to go out in the tents of wickedness? Where is your friendship? Very simply put, this morning I want you to sit here and ask yourself not to answer to the person sitting next to you, not to answer to me or to the session, but in all honesty before God. What do you yearn for? What is the fondest desire of your heart? If you could be like somebody else in this world, who would it be? Is your desire to gain acceptance in the unrighteous circles of this society? Or is it your fondest desire to become a friend and a confidant of God? Is it the powerful and the popular in this age that you long for? Or is it to become known as the friend of God? Verses 33 and 35 tell us that the wicked man's present calamity and final destiny should warn us from desiring what he has. In verse 33 we read, the curse of Jehovah is in the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous. Already the curse of the Lord is resting on the lives of those who are detestable and wicked in his sight. Now that should frighten you. I wonder if you know why. Why should that frighten you? Because you see at the very time that you're looking at this life, maybe you're even looking at the house or household or family of this person, powerful, wicked person, at the very time you're desiring it. The Bible says the curse of God is resting on that house. And what you're desiring then is the curse of God. That's what you're looking up to. That already rests on the lives of those who are abominable. So often, of course, we see that played out. We have these people that we look up to, and then, lo and behold, we find out they're drug addicts or they commit suicide or they can't have a happy marriage, they can't keep their friends, they can't even properly handle their money. I mean, any number of things. You choose your illustration. So often we see the curse of God is on them already in this life. And the Bible says more. It's a corporate curse, something that we as Presbyterians and people of reformed convictions need to pay attention to. Because God doesn't simply curse the individual. And the reason for that is that our sins are not restricted to their influence on us as individuals. Households tend to learn the ways of the fathers. The Bible says so that families will tend to exhibit characteristic personal and moral features. And what happens is that God deals with household units. He called Abraham and the seed after Abraham. We read in the law of God this morning that the curse of the Lord rest upon people unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him. And so we must recognize that our bad choices and our bad role models and our rebelliousness has consequences. The choices we make, the lifestyles we have, and the attitudes we display are going to have repercussions. Whole households could be brought down. When you sin, it isn't just for the moment when you sin, you create, you see consequences that will follow for you and for those around you. And the curse of God is upon the household of the wicked. On the other hand, the blessing of the Lord is in the habitation of the righteous. I think there's a sense in which we feel that we don't just know that theologically, you know, what it is to go into a house of unbelievers and wicked people who don't like each other and can't get along, and there's really no godliness and direction. You know, what it is to be in the home of people who love the Lord and submit to him and want nothing more but to bring glory to his name. The blessing of the Lord is in the habitation of the just, and his curse, you see, is crushing the house of those who won't follow after him. Verse 35 takes us further, though, tells us that the final destinies of these two are to be contrasted as well. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools. The difference in outcome for the wise, what they will inherit is the final end of their life. And what the foolish will receive is presented in terms of honor and disgrace, very much like we find In Daniel, the 12th chapter, where the general resurrection and its two outcomes is described. Daniel 12:2,3. We need to read that in passing. There the prophet tells us then, in the great day that is coming, when Michael the archangel stands up, says at the time, shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children, thy people. Verse 2. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. But notice the twofold, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as stars, forever and ever. And so Proverbs teaches as well that the outcome, the inheritance of the wise, will be glory shining forever and ever. And the shame that will come upon the contempt that will come upon the foolish will be the story of their life at its end. And so we have to learn from these verses that the consequences of our choices, our choices to either follow after Godliness or to follow after worldliness, those consequences are twofold, both in this life and the life to come. And those two considerations should bring us to our senses. Those two considerations should make us wake up, and if we're very sensitive, it should lead us to the grace of God. To escape the calamities that you're undergoing in this life. Because of your sin. And to make sure that you will not face the ultimate terror of the wrath of God on the final day, you need to turn only to the grace of God. Well, I asked earlier about role models and we have to, as we come to the end of our exhortation this morning, answer the question then who should be our proper role models? What would the book of Proverbs tell us? And then more broadly, how would Scripture answer that question, who should be our role model? Well, Proverbs utilizes many contrasts. You know that already from what I told you. In teaching wisdom and teaching righteous living, Proverbs has many contrasts. Just look at them in these verses. I don't know. There's a passage that has as many jam packed in there as this paragraph we've been reading. In verse 32, the contrast between the perverse and the upright. And then God's reaction, hating or confiding in. In verse 33, the wicked and the righteous, God's reaction, cursing and blessing. In verse 34, scoffers on the one hand, the lowly on the other, God's reaction, mocking or favoring. And then verse 35, the wise on the one hand, the foolish on the other, God's response, honoring or disgracing. I mean, it's just jam packed. Four ways of describing good and the evil and God's response to both. You see, these contrasts between the wicked who are cursed and the righteous who are blessed are mentioned many times in this book. They're mentioned countless other times throughout the Bible. Obviously we're supposed to learn something from that. Why do you think God keeps repeating this? Why does he keep saying, here's this, here's that, here's what I'll do to this, here's what I'll do to that. And he does it over and over and over. Don't you think this is supposed to sink in eventually? Aren't we supposed to learn something from this? Obviously we're to learn to think in antithetical patterns. And so if the Bible says don't emulate the unrighteous, don't emulate the violent, don't emulate the lawless man, by contrast, who should we emulate? Who should we make our hero, our role model, the one we look up to? If it's not lawless and violent and perverse people in our culture, who should we take as our role models? Well, I'm going to give you five answers as we bring this to a close this morning. First of all, the Bible says most generally to look at the righteous proverbs then encourages you to look at first the picture of godliness painted in the Bible and to keep that before your eyes, the biblical description of the righteous man. Think about that. Think about it, memorize it, remind yourself, contemplate, meditate. Instead of thinking about John, Rambo and Dirty Harry, think about the righteous one who has clean hands and an upright heart, who can dwell in God's courts. Think about the man who does not do injustice to his neighbor, but is tender hearted and speaks the truth. Think of all these descriptions in the Bible and make that something you want to be. Set it before your eyes. And then look at those individuals around you who bring that picture of godliness to expression and seek to live as they do. You're saying, am I understanding you, Pastor? You mean I should really look up to Christians around me? Yes, you should turn off the TV and start thinking about those people that have had a godly influence in your life, who should have a godly influence in your life. People you should look up to, make them your role models. By the way, this places quite a responsibility upon others, doesn't it? Upon parents? First of all, parents, are you a role model to your children? You know the thing, there are a number of things really that bring me very low before God about my sin. But one of the ones that just breaks my heart is when I think about my children emulating my sinfulness and my attitudes. You mustn't have that happen. I mustn't. We must remember that we are to set a pattern of godliness before the eyes of people as parents and as teachers and as elders and as friends. And so who should be your role model? The righteous, in the most general sense, those who live godly lives should be our role models. Secondly, and this is very hard to tell you today because I don't like to preach about my own position or that of people like me, elders and pastors and so forth. But look at what the Bible says in Hebrews 13:7. Who should be your role model? Your elders should be your role models. Hebrews 13:7 tells us, Remember them that have the rule over you, men that spake unto you the word of God, and considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith. So you think about your elders, your teachers, your pastors, past and present, and emulate, imitate their faith. This is what Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 4 as well. 1st Timothy 4:12, Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example to them that believe in word, in manner, of life, in love, in faith, in purity, Timothy, you be a role model. You be an example. And to those in the congregation, the Bible says, look to your leaders and imitate their faith. Thirdly, who should be your role model? This may surprise you. The Apostle Paul should be your role model. Did you know that? I still remember many years ago when somebody suggested this to me and I thought to myself, that's off the wall. That's just wrong. I want you to turn to First Corinthians 4:16. Listen to some very strong words of Paul. First Corinthians 4:16. Paul there says, I beseech you, therefore be ye imitators of me. Obviously, what you have to understand is that Paul was an imitator of Christ and that's why he had the boldness to say that. But we should look at the life of the Apostle Paul and say, God, make me like that. Make me like Paul. I want to imitate his faith. Paul says that again in 1st Thessalonians 1:6, 7:1 Thessalonians 1 at verse 6. And ye became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that ye became an example to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. So who should you imitate? Who should be your role model? First, most generally, the righteous and the godly around you. Secondly, more particularly, those who are your leaders in the faith. Thirdly, the Apostle Paul should be your role model. In fact, fourthly, we can generalize on that. All the biblical heroes of the faith. It's amazing how the Bible tells us to do this. We haven't paid attention to it. James 5:10. Take brethren for an example of suffering and of patience. The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James says, make them an example. Make them your hero, your role model. Think about those heroes. And. And when you start thinking about that, isn't there a whole chapter of the Bible given to that? Isn't that what Hebrews 11 is all about? Isn't that right? It's the roll call of faith. It's really, consider the faith of Abraham, who did this, and consider the faith of Barak, who did this. And on and on these examples go. Why are these set before us? Well, look at Hebrews, you'll get an idea. Hebrews 11 is where we have all of the examples listed for us. And then we have again that cursed mistake of chapter divisions that tell us, okay, that's over, start something else. Chapter 12 applies it, verse 1. Therefore, let us also, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Lay aside every weight in the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Don't you see the point? Since you have all these examples, since all of these are like in the audience, in the grandstands watching you run the race, since all these examples have been set, then you run the race like they did in faith. But we can't miss verse two, because that's the most precious part. Run the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus, who should be our hero. Well, there is something to be said for the godly around us, and there is something to be said for our pastors and our elders, and there is something to be said for Paul, an apostle, and all the heroes of the faith. But in the end, we've got to come back to this. Looking to Jesus. Looking to Jesus, in this case, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, Looked to Jesus and then look to Jesus, and then look to Jesus. That's where you're going to find the role model. That's where you're going to find the hero that will set us apart from the world, set us apart from the John Rambos and the rock stars and the foolish athletes that we think are so wonderful looking into Jesus. First Peter 2, 21 tells us the same thing. I preached on this when we were going through the Book of Peter. But let me remind you of 1 Peter 2, the 21st verse, where Peter says very clearly, for whereunto you were called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps. Follow his steps. Jesus is your example in one last passage, and then we must quit. First John 2, 6, first John 2. At the sixth verse, the apostle John adds his own endorsement of this, where he says, he that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked. If you say you abide in Christ and be like Christ, walk like Christ. Be a Christian, a follower of Christ. Don't envy wicked men. Look to Jesus, make him, make him the role model for your life. And then you'll be the confidant of God and not abominable. Because you see, those who are found in Christ are seated in the heavenlies with him. Those who are found in Christ have his protective care and his saving love shed in their lives. Those who are found in Christ will be found, adopted into the very family of God. Let's pray. Lord, this morning we beg that you would drive from our minds and worship wash from our hearts all of the polluted and worldly and unbecoming models that have had a wicked influence in our lives. Lord, we confess that they have. And we confess all the more that we've not been careful about that. We've not thought about it, we've not reflected on it, we've not come to you to be corrected with respect to it. We've just let it have its influence in us. And we want that to stop. And so, God, we call upon you by the power of your spirit to help us to turn our eyes away from worldly models and to look at those patterns of godliness, those heroes of the faith, indeed the very Savior himself that you would set before us as the ones we should emulate. God, we pray you would give us success. That as we look to them and reflect on them and wish all the more to be like them, especially our Savior, that you would by your grace miraculously work in us a change that we'll start becoming, we'll start looking, we'll start behaving like that mirror image. We pray this would be accomplished for your glory and for the benefit of our lives. In Jesus name, amen.