Being built up... (19)

Imitate God...

This morning, we’re just going to look at two verses From our series in Ephesians. This can apply to graduates who are ready to blaze their trail into the plans that they believe that God has for them.

Proverbs 3:5–10 NLT

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

God will always do His part, but He calls us to do our part. We can have mountain moving faith, but we still have to get off of the couch put actions to our faith. God has promised that if we honour Him with our best, He will provide for us.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

You’ve maybe heard that imitation is the best form of flattery. Years ago, Reebok was forced to remove a TV ad “which showed an athlete jumping over an oncoming car - because some teenagers in Kentucky were trying to do the computer-generated stunt for real. One of them broke his leg and ankle trying to perform the daredevil stunt.”

Here’s another one from “an MTV show. The stuntman there tried, among other things, lying on a barbecue in a fire-resistant suit hung with steaks. A 13-year-old in Connecticut suffered second-degree burns when he tried to imitate the trick.” (Ajai Prakash, SC)

While growing up, many of us imitated our parents. For some, it might have been the way that you hit the ball or which way you shoot in hockey. It could be the sports teams that you like or even the activities that you like to do: camping, board games, card games, types of foods that you like or maybe don’t like. It could be the makes of vehicles you drive:

Ford Tough

Like a RocK

It could be the shows that we like to watch or the music we like.

Maybe some of the behaviors we have imitated are good, and maybe we’ve picked up some bad habits as well, because we often imitate what we see.

Let’s see what advice Paul the Apostle had to give.

Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT

1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Paul starts this chapter with

Imitate God...

In everything you do...

Why?

Because you are His dear children

One day I was standing by what used to be the Solo Store in Whitewood. I was talking to one of my former teachers, and he made a comment that stuck with me. I found it interesting because I wasn’t expecting it.

I’m going to paraphrase but here’s the gist, “Your family was the best family of all the families I taught.”

How was that possible? There were far better students. We weren’t flashy. We maybe didn’t stand out in the crowd. My brother was at school to fulfill the commitment that he couldn’t quit before he turned 16.

I sort of wondered what he meant, and then he explained it. “Your family was the most respectful family, and well behaved family.”

I think there were a few reasons. There was an expectation of how we were supposed to behave at school, and we knew that Mom and Dad meant what they said. We were also taught that our faith and our actions needed to go hand in hand, and the more our relationship with God grew, we wanted to please Him.

Ephesians 5:1 NKJV

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

We are called to be like God in our actions, but what is God like?

We can have pictures in our mind of what we think God is like, but the best way to know what God is like is to see what God’s word says.

Ephesians 4:32 NIV

32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Let’s look at ways that we can show kindness. Let’s not become too busy to help others who are in need. Sometimes God uses you and me to provide for the needs of others. We can become so busy trying to accomplish our goals that we miss out on the opportunities to be kind and compassionate.

Forgiveness can be uncomfortable because we might think that when we forgive we lose control. Maybe the person won’t care. If I forgive there is no guarantee that things are going to work out.

One thing that happens when we forgive is that it releases us from carrying something that we were never meant to carry. It also gives us access to God’s forgiveness in Christ, and it is good for your health. I believe we live better and sleep better when we aren’t carrying resentment and bitterness in our hearts.

I don’t think that there are too many people that come to the end of their lives and wish that they had worked harder. Many wish that they would have spent more time with their families. Often, that’s when people want to know that they are right with God.

There is a caveat here though. Many people make the mistake that Jesus Christ is our example, but they leave it at that. Some think that Jesus was a great moral teacher, and that He was somebody that we can emulate.

Jesus would have never died on the cross if He was only a pattern or an example for us to follow.

The Apostle Paul said this in

1 Timothy 1:15–16 NLT

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

Let’s take a few minutes to look at Jesus’ example of love and how we can be examples of His great love.

Ephesians 5:2 NLT

2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

God wants us to

Live a life filled with love...

Love can mean a lot of things to different people. “I love you!” is understood in every language.

The kind of love that we are speaking about here is agape love. It is that self-sacrificial love that puts others ahead of ourselves.

John 15:12–13 NIV

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

How do we live a life of love?

By following Christ’s example...

This is the example,

Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)

2 ...He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us...

The ultimate demonstration of love is to be willing to die to save somebody else, and Jesus did that for you and for me.

There was no guarantee that people would receive that love but He died for you and for me. He loved us while we were His enemies. It’s one thing to die for a friend, but to die for an enemy?

This kind of love is a

Sweet aroma

to God.

It pleases God when we love others enough to sacrifice even our lives for others.

For some, when they think of a sweet smelling aroma, it might be flowers. It could be the fresh smell in the air after a warm summer rain.

For those who love to barbecue or smoke meat, it will be that aroma that comes from a brisket, a roast, or a steak sizzling on the BBQ.

What about the smell of fresh bread or cinnamon buns?

These are smells that cause our senses to say, “I’m hungry” or “I want some of that.” That’s what it’s like to God when He sees us walking in love.

This is what

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NIV)

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails...

Let’s pray!