Follow My Lead

·37 min·3 clips

Calvin Coolidge's dinner guests poured coffee into saucers, only to discover they were imitating the president feeding his cat.

This episode is a sermon delivered to a student ministry, focusing on the theme of following the right examples in the Christian life. The speaker begins with an anecdote about President Calvin Coolidge, whose dinner guests imitated him by pouring coffee into saucers, only to discover he was feeding his cat, highlighting the folly of blind imitation. He then transitions to Philippians 3:17-21, reading the passage where Paul encourages believers to imitate him and others who walk according to Christ's example. Paul warns about 'enemies of the cross' with strong emotion, describing them with tears as those whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, who glory in their shame, and whose minds are set on earthly things. The speaker explains that this warning is for believers, not the lost world, and emphasizes the need for godly examples in the Christian walk. He references Philippians 2:3-8 to show Jesus as the ultimate example of humility, who gave up divine privileges to die on the cross. The sermon explores why Paul weeps over these enemies, linking it to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem in Luke 19 because the people missed the truth of his mission. The speaker discusses how the cross is foolishness to unbelievers but the power of God to believers, contrasting Christianity's grace-based salvation with works-based religions. He shares a personal testimony about his past life of pleasure-seeking, where he served 'King Belly' and nearly lost everything, urging listeners to heed God's conviction. The message outlines four characteristics of enemies of the cross from Philippians 3:19, including destruction, pleasure as priority, glorifying shame, and earthly focus. It concludes with Paul's reminder in verses 20-21 that Christians have citizenship in heaven and await a Savior who will transform their bodies, calling for loyalty to Jesus over worldly pursuits. The speaker ends with reflective questions about who listeners are following and a prayer for decision and grace.

As heard by us

A coffee-saucer story becomes a direct reflection on imitation, influence, and loyalty to Jesus.

A funny White House dinner anecdote gives this single-episode review an easy way into a sober theme: people often copy more than they realize.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when a coffee-saucer story needs to become a serious question about who gets to lead your life.

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