Imitators of God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
I have recently gotten back into fountain pens. I have used them for a while and they are a niche item that you can get down a lot of rabbit holes with, but these are also the types of pens that have some very expensive models that people buy. I don’t buy those!
Some of these pens can cost up to $400! Obviously the vast majority of people are not going to buy a pen like that.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery” before. Well, this phrase applies to a lot of different products and these pens are no exception.
There is one country in the world that has specialized in “imitation” if you will. That country is China! They know how to take information that they may have acquired and make a copy cat model of it. These fountain pens are no exception, and so there are a number of cheaper “imitations” of these more expensive pens that put them into a more affordable price range for everyday people.
We see imitation everywhere, even when it isn’t copying an exact replica of something to sell as your own. It might be copying the form of something and the same general idea.
There are copyright courts that are set up to deal with this. However, tonight, we are going to be encouraged to copy something, or rather Someone, rather than try to be different.
Tonight as we look at the last chapter of Ephesians, we see Paul encourage the Church to imitate the Father. As believers, it is a complement to be told that we look just like our Father.
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul challenges the Church to be imitators of God as His beloved children.
The word here for imitators is the Greek word that we get the word “mimic” from in English.
Have you ever seen a mime before? These are those creepy guys that have their faces painted and they don’t talk. They often will act out or imitate something or someone for entertainment.
Everything that we are going to see in these first two verses of Chapter 5 are the basis for Paul’s instructions that he is about to give for holy living in the rest of the chapter.
Notice that Paul says we are to be imitators as “beloved children.” We are not slavishly trying to follow God, but are like a child that looks up to his father and loves to mimic his father.
When Alexander the Great discovered a coward in his army who also was named Alexander, he told the soldier, “Renounce your cowardice or renounce your name.”
John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 194.
1. Walk Like Him
1. Walk Like Him
When we think of how to walk like God, we need to look to Jesus as the example of that.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
We all are familiar with the WWJD bracelets. These were supposed to remind us to walk like Jesus in every situation we find ourselves in.
Paul shows us what it means to walk like Jesus by telling us what not to do and what to do.
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
We are told: don’t be bitter, angry, shouting, slanderous, and malicious Christians
We are instead called to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving Christians
Tony Merida:
God adopted us. He made us His sons and daughters. He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, enabling us to cry out “Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6). God has given us a family called the church, filled with brothers and sisters. He has given us family chores to do as members of the family. Consider these amazing privileges and this sacred responsibility.
Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 119.
Why? That leads us to the second point.
2. Love Like Him
2. Love Like Him
How did Jesus love? He loved us to the very end.
He gave his life for us.
36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Let me ask you a question: Would you say that you are willing to surrender your life for the sake of another?
3. Sacrifice Like Him
3. Sacrifice Like Him
Would you surrender you rights and desires so that people could come to faith in Christ or so that you could serve them?
Christ was a fragrant, pleasing offering to God
If we love like Jesus, it will lead to sacrifice in our lives.
Again Merida writes:
God’s people should be known for practical acts of mercy, like caring for orphans and widows (Jas 1:27), practicing hospitality (Rom 12:13), and caring for the poor (Eph 4:28). They should also give particular attention to meeting the needs of those within their own fellowships (Gal 6:10), as well as showing kindness and forgiveness to one another (Eph 4:32).
Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 119.
Conclusion
Believers cannot imitate God in power, knowledge, or presence; but they can imitate him in self-sacrifice and forgiveness (4:32).
David S. Dockery, “Ephesians,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1877.
The impetus for us to walk like God, love like God, and sacrifice like God is all because of what God has done for us in Christ.
I started out by talking about the cheap way out if you want a nice fountain pen. Well, let me give you another hack. If you’ve ever been in Belk or any department store that sells perfume and cologne, you know it. The store smells good as the smells are all blended together.
You can go up and test out some of the nice perfumes and colognes by spraying yourself, if you are cheap!, or by spraying a little piece of cardstock. The thing is, that smell carries with you wherever you go. As you continue to shop, you are reminded of the experience by the smell of the perfume.
We are called to be like that index card with the smell on it. We are called to be that perfume or aroma that is a fragrant offering to the Lord.
