Following Godly Examples (Philippians 3:17–21) John MacArthur

Let’s open our Bibles this morning as we come to  our study of God’s Word to Philippians chapter   3. And we will pick up where we left off a few  weeks ago in our ongoing study of this epistle,   which has become so beloved to all of us—the  great letter to the church at Philippi. We   are continuing along the same theme that we  began in our last message, from verses 12-16   that is the theme, reaching for  the prize, or pursuing the goal. Let me read you verses 17–21; Philippians  chapter 3, verses 17–21. “Brethren,   join in following my example, and observe those  who walk according to the pattern you have in us.   For many walk of whom I often told you,  and now tell you even weeping, that they   are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end  is destruction, whose god is their appetite,   and whose glory is in their shame, who  set their minds on earthly things. For   our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we  eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;   who will transform the body of our humble state  into conformity with the body of His glory,   by the exertion of the power that He has  even to subject all things to Himself.”

Now this great and thrilling passage, as  I said, continues the theme of “pursuing   the prize.” It focuses us back on that which  we discussed in detail in our last message,   and that is that the goal of the  Christian life is to be like Jesus Christ. And if I might this morning, I want to remind  you of that very simple and basic truth. You   might say to yourself, “It seems basic enough.  Is it necessary for us even to be reminded?”   And my response to that is, “I think so.” In this  very complex Christian culture in which we live,   where there are so many viewpoints and so  many theologies and so many seminars and   so many formulas and so many “exercises” in  Christian growth, sometimes I think we can   totally cloud the real issues. And if I might,  I want to make a rather simple statement that is   essential to Christian living and then see if  I can’t reinforce that with you this morning.

Spiritual living, the Christian  life, is a process of pursuing   Christlikeness. The Christian life is  a process of pursuing Christlikeness,   that in simple terms is the direction of  the whole matter of sanctification. We must   become more and more like Jesus Christ. Simply  stated, that is the Christian life. As I said,   there are so many books and so many tapes and so  many formulas and so many different viewpoints of   things that sometimes reality in its simplicity  gets totally lost. If I might, I want to call us   back again, as I did a few weeks ago, to this  matter of simply pursuing Christ’s likeness. You remember when Jesus came and called His  disciples, He said, “Follow Me.” And that   particular command has not been replaced  or improved upon. The whole matter of the   Christian life and Christianity is this matter of  following Christ to become more and more like Him.   The apostle John said that  if you belong to Christ,   if you abide in Christ, then you ought to  walk as Christ walked. The apostle Paul,   writing to the Galatians, said, “I have  pain until Christ is fully formed in you.”  

And writing to the Corinthians he said a couple  of times, “Be followers of me, as I am of Christ.” But most significant, perhaps to us, is the word  of God the Father. Romans 8 records for us that   God the Father’s purpose in saving us was that we  might be conformed to the image of His Son. Christ   called us to be like Him. John reminds us to be  like Him. Paul is in pain until we are like Him,   and that is because that was God’s purpose in  the beginning, that we be made like Jesus Christ. Now, the goal, then, of every Christian’s life is   to be like Christ. That is the goal.  That is the thing which we pursue. That is the purpose of our time here, and  that is the pursuit of our sanctification.   It then becomes the lifelong objective of  every Christian to become more and more   and more like Jesus Christ. That  is as basic as it can be stated.

Just to remind ourselves that this  is the general theme of the text,   go back to verse 12 for a moment, where we  started last time. Paul says, “Not that I have   already obtained it or have already become  perfect, but I press on in order that I may   hold of that for which also I was laid  hold of by Christ Jesus.” Paul says,   “I haven’t arrived at perfection. I am not like  Christ. But that’s why God laid hold of me,   and that’s what I desire—I haven’t arrived;  I haven’t obtained it. But I press on.” Then he says it again in verse 13, “Brethren, I do  not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet.”   Now why would he say it twice? Why does he repeat  it? Well, I think there’s a sort of polemic here.   It may well have been that the Judaizers, who were  confusing the Philippian church, were claiming   that through circumcision and law-keeping  they had attained some kind of perfection.   It seems as though Paul is arguing  against something as much as just   stating a case. Nonetheless, the point  he makes is that, “I haven’t arrived,   but one thing I do”—I love that. Now, with that  statement Paul has reduced the Christian life   to its lowest common denominator. What do you  do, Paul? “One thing.” What is that one thing?  

“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward  to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.”   What’s the goal? Christlikeness. “For the prize  of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” By the way, we noted last time that “the goal”  and “the prize” are the same thing. “The goal” is   Christlikeness. We pursue it. We don’t ever reach  it in this life, but it becomes “the prize” that   God gives us in the life to come. What is our goal  here is our prize there. We will someday be made   like Christ. Until that day when we receive  “the prize,” we pursue that as “the goal.” So Paul is saying, “Look, I haven’t arrived.”  There’s no perfection here. He is not a   perfectionist. He doesn’t believe that you can  reach a point where your sin is eradicated,   where you no longer sin or transgress against  God. That was not his experience, nor was that   found in anything that he had received by way  of revelation from the Spirit of God. So he   is saying, “I’m in a pursuit, and my life is  boiled down to one thing: to be like Christ.” You say, “Well now wait a minute. Don’t we have  more things to do than that? Aren’t we supposed   to be glorifying God?” Yes, and the more you  glorify God, the more you’re like Christ.

“Aren’t we supposed to be evangelizing the lost?”  Yes, and the more you do that the more you’re like   Christ, because He said He came “to seek and  to save that which was lost.” The goal of the   Christian life and the pursuit of sanctification  is simply reduced to Christlikeness. Now that leaves us with a necessity to understand  two things. How is that going to happen? Well,   there is an objective and a subjective element.  The objective element is the Word of God.   If we’re going to become like Christ,  we have to know what Christ was like.   If we want to know what Christ is like,  then where do we go? We go to the Bible,   right? Because this is the disclosure of  Christ. This is the revelation of Christ.   The Old Testament sets the scene for Him, creates  the need for Him, announces that He is coming.   The gospels record His arrival. The book of  Acts records the immediate impact of that. The epistles delineate the significance of  His life and ministry. And the Revelation   talks about the consummation. But Christ is the  focus of it all. So as we study the Word of God,   we study it in order that we  might know what Christ is like.

Beloved, may I encourage you along that line?  That’s such a basic truth in Christian living   but very often gets lost. We study the Bible  for the sake of theology. We study the Bible   for the sake of answering someone’s questions.  We study the Bible for the sake of argument.   We study the Bible thinking that somehow imbibing  some biblical data is going to impact our   spiritual life. And in some cases, of course, it  makes a contribution to that end. But the product   that God is after in giving us the revelation  is that we, in understanding more about Christ,   might therefore know better the goal of our own  living. And if you study the Bible for anything   less than understanding more about the Christ whom  you are to be like, you have missed the point. The second and subjective element in this matter  is the work of the Holy Spirit. If we are going to   be like Christ, we are dependent on knowing  what Christ is like, and that means we must   study the Word of God. We are also dependent on  the spiritual work of changing us into the image   of Christ, which is the work of the Holy Spirit.  Second Corinthians 3:18 says that as we gaze at   the glory that is revealed, the glory of our  Lord, the Spirit changes us into His image. So   objectively we are committed to the deep study  of the Word. Subjectively we are committed to   submission to the Spirit of God. A Spirit-filled  believer who lets the Word about Christ dwell in  

him richly is one who progresses toward the goal.  Understood? And that is the simple statement,   the bottom line of Christian living. And  I emphasize it because I’m quite confident   that it’s been fogged in our day, and it can be  lost as to its simple and very core significance. We are to be like Christ. That  is to consume us. Paul says,   “One thing I do . . . I press toward that  goal of Christlikeness.” That’s the “one   thing I do.” Does that simplify  the focus of your spiritual life? You say, “How can you reduce  life to that?” Look back at   verse 7. Paul had a very complex  life before he was a Christian. He was trying to keep all the laws and traditions  and formulas of Judaism, both divine and human.   He was trying to follow all of the privileges  and all that they deposit into his account.   And in all of it, he found not what he sought.  And then, you remember, on the Damascus Road   he was confronted by the living Christ. And  immediately, coming to the realization of the   fact that Christ was everything, verse 7 says,  “Whatever things previously were gained to me,   those things I have counted as loss for  the sake of Christ.” “Once I met Christ,  

I realized that everything in my asset column  was a liability. Everything I thought was gain I   counted loss. I found all I needed in Christ. More  than that, I count all things to be loss in view   of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus  my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all   things, and count them but dung, manure, rubbish,  trash, garbage in order that I may gain Christ.” You see, Christ is everything to him. And  in Christ is everything. Do you need to be   reminded of His great statements in Colossians  chapter 2 where he says that in Christ, verse 3,   “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom  and knowledge”? That is amazing. That is a   comprehensive statement. Where are “the treasures  of wisdom and knowledge”? They are in Christ. They   are all in Christ. The more I know about Christ,  the more I know about wisdom and knowledge.   That is why verse 6 says, “as you have received  Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Pattern   your life after Him. Verse 9, “For in Him all  the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,   and in Him you have been made complete.”  Paul understood it. It’s all in Christ.

Beloved, somehow remind yourself to strip away  anything that clouds that or covers that and   get back to that basic, glorious reality  that we are pursuing Christlikeness. And   so when you study the gospels, you study them  in order that you might know Christ better. By the way, I, in all the years I’ve been at Grace  Church, have never wanted to be at a time in my   preaching ministry when either Sunday morning  or Sunday night I wasn’t preaching one series   or another on the person of Christ. Because  He must be our focus. One of the reasons I   chose to go through Philippians was because  I wanted to dwell a long time in chapter 2,   talking about Christ and the glories of  His incarnation. We must be focused on   the person of Christ. And when you read the  Word of God, let it speak to you of Christ,   let it reveal the glories of Christ  to you. And as you yield yourself to   the Spirit of God in obedience, let it be with  the desire that He mold you and shape you from   one level of glory to the next, until you  are more and more made like Jesus Christ.

Now in verses 12–16, Paul exhorted the  readers to that. He exhorted all of us   to move in that direction, to press toward  that mark, that prize, that goal. In fact,   in verse 15 he said, if “you have a different  attitude,” if you’re not willing to do that,   God’s going to have to deal with you. There may  be some chastening. And then in verse 16 he says,   “Whatever standard you’ve come to, move on  from there, keep pursuing Christlikeness.” Did you ever have somebody say to you, “You  know, you really ought to read the Bible   every day. You really ought to study the Bible  every day?” And sometimes you say to yourself,   “Well, I’m doing that, but I’m not quite  sure what I’m supposed to be learning or   what I’m supposed to be getting.” Keep this in  mind: the purpose of all of that is to mold you   into the image of Jesus Christ. It is to “let  the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” It   is to let the Spirit of God fill you so  that that Christ-shaping may take place.

Now, as you come to verse 17,  Paul wants to get practical. And he suggests to us that there are three  necessary elements in this pursuit that will   enhance us as we pursue. Three things that are  necessary for pursuing Christlikeness. Number one:   following after examples. Number two:  fleeing from enemies. And number three:   fixing on expectations. Those are the  three things he deals with in verses   17–21—following after examples, fleeing  from enemies, and fixing on expectations. This is very practical, and I’m only  going to give you number one this morning,   because the other two demand  a great deal of our thought. Let’s look at number one. If I am to pursue this  goal of Christ’s likeness, then I need to follow   some example to show me how. Look at verse 17.  “Brethren”—that, by the way, is the third time   he’s used that word in this chapter. He’s feeling  very warmhearted toward them, very conciliatory.   “Brethren, join in following my example, and  observe those who walk according to the pattern   you have in us.” Now that whole verse is just  about follow others who are pursuing this prize.

Now let me talk to you about that for just a  moment. I want you to understand it. First of all,   Paul is not putting himself on a pedestal, not  a pedestal of perfection. Paul is not saying,   “I’m perfect; be like me.” What Paul is saying is,  “I’m perfect—I’m imperfect; follow the way I move   toward that perfection.” He wants us to understand  in verses 12-16 that he has not obtained it, that   he is not already perfect, that he has not already  arrived. And if you read the New Testament, you   are very much aware of that. God had to give him  a thorn in the flesh to keep him from being too   proud, because he was prone to pride. He had to  be rebuffed and rebuked significantly for letting   his mouth flow against the high priest at the end  of the book of Acts and say things that he never   should have said. No, he was not a perfect man.  And in that lies the significance of his example. In fact, in 1 Timothy 1:15 he said, “I am  foremost of sinners”—not “I was,” but “I am.”   And surely he understood the principle of  1 John 1:7 and 9 that if you say you have   no sin you make God a liar. So he is not  sinless. He has not reached perfection. He   has not had his sin nature eradicated.  There’s no second work of grace here   that’s put him in a different category from  all the rest of the folks. He is saying,   “I am sinner. I have problems with my flesh,  but I am pursuing the goal. Follow my example.”

If I were to climb a high mountain—a  dangerous climbing expedition—alone,   which is a very remote possibility, folks. But  should it occur, there is a little adventure in   me. And I should decide to climb this mountain,  and I should get equipped with all the stuff you   need to climb this precarious precipice, of what  significance would it be for a helicopter to fly   across the peak of that thing and drop some guy  on the top and have that guy up there looking   down and shouting, “I’m up here. This is where  you want to come. If you can just get up here,   this is the top”? And I’m looking up, and I’m  down here, and he’s up there. The problem is,   he got up there by a helicopter, and  he doesn’t know the way up either.   He hasn’t gone that route. He is  not of much help to me. In fact,   the more he hollers at me on the way up, the more  frustrating it will become. What I would rather   have is some guy ahead of me who is climbing the  path and says, “Follow me. I know the way up.” What I need is somebody who models the way up, who  shows me the process. How do I deal with my fallen   flesh? How do I deal with the struggles of life?  How do I deal with disappointment? How do I deal  

with trials? How do I deal with pride? How do  I deal with temptation? How do I deal with sin?   Somebody’s got to show me that path, because  it’s only in the overcoming of my sinfulness   that I move toward being like Christ. So  I have to follow somebody who is battling   to overcome sin. If I’m going to climb this  precipice, I want somebody who knows the way,   with a rope around his waist hooked to  mine, who pulls me up the right way. That’s Paul. Paul put himself in that position  numerous times. And he is saying, “I’m not   the perfect model. That’s Christ. I’m just  somebody you can follow on the path of victory.” So he says—look at verse 17—“join  in following my example.” Literally the Greek says, “be fellow  imitators of me,” or “keep on being   fellow imitators”—summimētēs, from  which we get the word mimic. Sum   means “together with.” It’s a sort of a  collective call. He’s saying, “All of you,   all of you be fellow imitators of me, mimic  me, follow the way that I live my life.” Back to verse 14, “I am pressing on  toward the goal. You watch how I do it.”   You know, I believe that there isn’t any  better historical example than Paul. And  

that is one of the reasons, surely, why  the Holy Spirit filled the New Testament   with that one man. He dominates everything  after the gospels. He dominates the book   of Acts from chapter 13 on. Thirteen of  the epistles came out of his pen and out   of his heart and out of his mind and out of  his life. He’s a dominant figure. And why? Because we can pattern ourselves after him. We  can see how he struggled with the flesh. He is   a model for us of virtue. He is a model for us of  morality. He’s a model of victory and temptation.   He’s a model for us of worship. He’s a model for  us of service. He’s a model for us of patience and   endurance and suffering. He’s a model of handling  temper. He’s a model of handling possessions. He’s   a model of handling relationships. In so many ways  he shows us how godliness deals with fallenness,   something Christ could never show us because  He was not, never fallen. And I believe that   one of the reasons the Holy Spirit has loaded  the New Testament with this man is because he   is such a marvelous pattern. That’s why he said  to the Corinthians twice, “Be followers of me.”   That’s why he wrote to the Thessalonians,   chapter 1, verse 6, “You became imitators  of us and of the Lord whom we imitate.” So as you study the New Testament, and as I do,  we can see through the life of Paul so much that  

helps us. And I confess to you, beloved, that  through the life of this guy in my ministry, the   number one model has been Paul. He is the pattern  of the pathway, the pursuit. He’s the climber that   I try to follow after. I try to see how he handled  situations. I try to hear his heartbeat. I can go   back and read and read and read the same things  over and over and over about Paul as reminders   of how I’m to respond, how I’m to live, how  I’m to act, how I’m to order my priorities,   how I’m to deal with trials and suffering and  trouble. He is a constant pattern for me—constant. But it goes beyond that, and I want you to note  that he knows that. Go back to verse 17. He says,   “Join in following my example, and  observe.” And that, by the way,   skopeite, is the same root word as skopos,  which is translated “goal” in verse 14. And   when it says “observe” it means “fix your gaze  on.” It’s like looking at a goal and fixing on   it. So he is saying, “Fix your gaze on those who  walk according to the pattern you have in us.” By the way, I prefer the idea that “us”  there refers to Paul. It’s what I call,   I guess you would call it a, a literary  plural designed to manifest humility.  

It could refer to Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus,  and it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that. But   I—Paul uses that a couple of places, and I  think it’s kind of a literary device that sort   of wants to defuse saying, “Follow me; follow  me. I’m the perfect.” He just says “us,” which   sort of defuses a little bit of that personal  aggrandizement that someone might accuse him of. But nonetheless, what he is saying is not  only “follow me,” but “observe others who   walk according to the pattern that I manifest.”  So—follow this—he probably does have in mind   Timothy and Epaphroditus. But beyond them—they’ve  already been mentioned in the epistle—they were   known to the Philippians. He is saying  “follow other people who follow me.” Now   listen carefully. We can all follow Paul, because  he’s in print. But that has its limitations.   And so what he is saying is, “Go one beyond  that and follow flesh and blood.” Timothy   and Epaphroditus and the others never wrote New  Testament books. We have no historical record.

So if we can sum it up. The idea here would be  this: Christ is the goal; Christ is the standard;   Christ is the model; we are to be like  Christ. In order to know how Christ is,   we study the Word of God. We study it until the  Word about Christ dwells in us deeply. Then we   have a deep understanding of Christ so we know  what He’s like, so we know what we’re to be like. Secondly, we yield to the Spirit of God who keeps  molding us into that likeness which we understand. Now in order to get on that path and  have someone to follow, we follow Paul,   who literally is revealed to us in a replete way  in the New Testament. So we have plenty of data   in order to know how he lived and how he acted.  But beyond that, we need some flesh and blood,   tangible, living, breathing people that  we can also follow. And so Paul takes   it a step further and says, “Observe those  who walk”—that is daily conduct—“who daily   live their life according to the pattern  you have in me, or in that ‘us’ idea.” Now how does this practically come down to  us? Beloved, we have the same situation today.   The goal is Christ. We have a wonderful pattern  for pursuing the goal in Paul. But we need some   flesh and blood examples, don’t we? We don’t  have Timothy. We don’t have Epaphroditus. They   didn’t write anything. So we have nothing to  follow by way of written material. But we do  

have godly pastors and elders. And I believe  the responsibilities of the Timothys and the   Epaphroditus of that age are the responsibilities  of the pastor-teachers, elders, of this age. And   we have that great responsibility of  following after Paul, toward Christ,   in such a way that we become the flesh and blood  that others follow. This is our responsibility.   This is the responsibility of  those elders and overseers and   pastor-teachers and teachers who  lead. We are to set the pattern. This is so important, so important. Paul, in  writing to Timothy, says, “Be an example. Be   an example.” And he even delineates the categories  in which that exemplary living is to take place.   “Be an example” in speech, conduct, love,  faithfulness, and purity. Live an exemplary life.   Why? You’re showing people the path. Yes, they see  the perfection of Christ. Yes, they can read about   the path of Paul. But they need somebody they can  touch, somebody they can watch, somebody they can   feel, somebody they can talk to, somebody they can  know—somebody in their world, in their time, in   their place they can follow. Paul is not saying,  “Imitate my gifts.” He’s not saying, “Imitate my  

calling, my privileges, my achievements.” No. He’s  saying, “Imitate—and others who also are imitating   mine—virtues, our humility, our unselfish service,  our willingness to suffer, our devotion to Christ,   our courage, our effort in spiritual  growth.” That’s what he wants us to imitate. But beloved, it weighs heavy on my heart that  I have that responsibility—as do the elders of   this church and every church and every pastor  and teacher—to be people that you can follow.   That is a God-ordained mandate. It is important  what I say. It is important what any teacher of   the Word of God says. It is essential that  we teach truth, that we be true to the Word   of God. But it must be sustained, supported,  surrounded, undergirded by a virtuous life.   You’re coming up that same mountain, and you can  see the goal at the top, but you need somebody   whose rope you can hang on to, somebody you can  touch and grasp so that you can follow the path.

Personally, I believe this is one of the  most serious failings in the church today.   I don’t know all that church history will record  in the future. But I think it will record with   the disastrous collapse of so many spiritual  leaders, quote/unquote, that the standard of   expectation was lowered and many, many, many  thousands—if not millions—of people lost   their way on the path to Christlikeness.  That’s the tragedy. That’s the tragedy. I mean, where do you go to find the Timothys and  the Epaphroditus? Where are the holy men? Where   are the truthful men? Where are the kind, and  those who manifest the meekness and gentleness   of Christ? Where are the powerful? Where are  the humble? Where are the unselfish models of   virtue? Where are those who show us the path  of victory over temptation? Where are those   who walk that holy walk? Where are those who  show us the path of prayer, in adversity? Where   are those who show us how to handle trial and  difficulty? Who can we observe? Who can we hold   on to? Whose rope will help us climb? Who lives  the truth? Who are the leaders that can say,   “Imitate me. Don’t just listen to me, imitate  me?” That’s the mandate. That’s the mandate.

Another reason that the whole process of  spiritual growth toward Christlikeness is   so blurred and marred today is because  the leadership has fogged up the issue.   The pattern is very simple. Christ is the  goal. Scripture reveals what He’s like. The Spirit of God is the power to move you into  His image. Paul has given you a path to follow.   The church is to put flesh and blood  leadership in your view that you can   observe very closely in order to see how  to walk. But so much has skewed that very   simple construct. The goal and the pattern is  still Christ. The interpretation of the Bible   has been hopelessly blurred in this particular  age which tolerates anybody’s view on anything   about anything. And it is very indistinct as  to interpretation. In fact if you interpret   it distinctly and clearly, you’ll usually  lose most people—if you don’t offend them.

Furthermore, a misunderstanding and  misrepresentation of the ministry of   the Holy Spirit has skewed the process by which He  brings about the Christlikeness. And then you come   down to the level of the apostle Paul, and they  can’t even agree on the character of his teaching.   Then you come down to the level of spiritual  leadership, and all kinds of people are in   positions of spiritual leadership who  are anything but patterns to follow. And the net effect of all of this  disintegration is the blurring of the whole   matter of Christlikeness. People are lost in the  process—distracted, deviated from the real goal. We have a sick and distorted church because  we have lost our way. We have lost our way   simply because we’ve lost sight of Christ.  We’ve lost sight of the Word and the Spirit.   We’ve lost sight of the clear, crystal  clear patterns of teaching in the apostle   Paul’s revelation. And we don’t have the  leadership that we so desperately need to   follow. And we tolerate a lower standard of  leadership than the Bible would ever allow.

The simplicity of Christian living,  beloved, is to be like Christ. That   covers all the bases. That’ll take care of  living to the glory of God. That’ll take   care of all the relationships in your  life, because Christlikeness produces   right relationships. That’ll take care of  the matters of Christian service. That’ll   take care of the matters of evangelism. How did  we ever get so diffused into so much stuff and   lose sight of the simplicity of becoming like  Jesus Christ? Let’s bow together in prayer. Father, it’s hard for us to imagine why You would  even want to allow us to pursue such a goal.   I pray that You would make me more like  Christ, that I may know Him so deeply,   that I may know as much as is possible what  He is like, that I might know what I’m to be   like. Help me to follow the pattern that Paul  set, who struggled so much with his weakness,   with his pride, with his flesh. Who struggled  so much with trials and troubles and temptations   and testings, and yet in all things was so  patient and enduring. Who in the midst of   difficult situations could speak a fitting  word and minister grace. Who was so bold  

and courageous—even as Christ. Who lived for one  great cause and that was eternal. Help us, Lord,   to see him as the pathfinder, the trailblazer  down this path that pursues Christlikeness. Thank You, Lord, also for the others in my  life, the modern-day Timothys and Epaphroditus,   who showed me the way, who  continue to show me the way,   who have taken hold of my hand. And they,  following Paul toward Christ, have led me. And Lord, I pray for this whole congregation  that all of us would realize that the only   real reason that the pastors and elders are  to play that role, take that responsibility,   is that they might teach the congregation to do  that for each other. And help us to know that   the chain comes all the way down to every one  of us being the example that somebody else can   follow. Even as Paul said to the Philippians, “I’m  a pattern. Timothy and Epaphroditus are a pattern.   Now you follow them so that you can be a pattern.” Lord God, nothing could thrill  my heart more than to know that   this whole church congregation  were pursuing Christlikeness.

Give us a new hunger for Your Word  that we might know Christ better,   as is revealed there. Give us a new devotion to  the Spirit of God who can shape us into His image.   Give us a new desire to follow our  leadership, closely, that we might be   the leader for someone else to move to  being more like You. What a privilege. And Father, fill our hearts with  that wondrous knowledge that that   which is an unattainable goal in this life  becomes “the prize” in the life to come,   that when “the upward call of God in Christ  Jesus” comes and we are called to glory,   then we shall instantly receive “the prize”  of being like the one we have pursued all our   life. What an unimaginable privilege for  which we thank You in Jesus’ name. Amen. You've been listening to John MacArthur,  Bible teacher with Grace to You. For free   access to all of John's lessons and a listing  of Study Bibles and books available for sale,   visit Grace to You's website at gty.org.  John MacArthur and Grace to You reserve   all copyright protection under applicable  law. Our copyright policy is available at   gty.org and it includes instructions for and  limitations on duplicating this digital file.