Imitators of God, Beloved Children

Introduction

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Little boys learn how to act by watching how their father acts. Little girls learn how to be treated by a man by how their father treats them.

In the same way, we must imitate our Father who is in heaven.

CIT: Christ followers should imitate Christ in all things.

Explanation

Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

“Therefore,”

AKA, because of what we have just been taught.

We put aside sin and walk in holiness because of what Christ has done.

“be imitators of God,”

To use something as a model

We hold up a standard and live in such a way.

Be careful that we should not imitate another man over God.

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

While we can imitate others, the ultimate standard for our live is Christ himself.

While I hope that, as your pastor, my spiritual life and walk with Jesus is one worth emulating, if I am your ultimate standard, you are in trouble.

Christ is the ultimate standard that we compare ourselves. Why?

Every person has blind spots. I believe that one day, sin will be revealed to me that I did not fully know or see. And Christ’s blood will atone for it.

But that is an excellent reason to not make me, or any other man for that matter as your standard of holiness.

How can we become imitators?

Look closely - We cannot imitate that which we do not know. Reading God’s word and growing in him is paramount.

Exercise - We become the sum of our habits.

You don’t brush your teeth or make your bed because your parents told you to.

You do those things, because they made you do them over a long period of time that formed the habit in your life.

“as beloved children.”

I remember that my dad taught me how to bite my nails. It is a habit that I have had a hard time breaking.

While that was a habit that my mother was not so keen on my nine year old self learning, I learned plenty of wonderful things from my dad.

The natural order of life is to look to your father. In the same way, the spiritual order of life is to look to Jesus.

Even at a young age, my son watches what I do. When I smile, he smiles. When I stick my tongue out, he sticks his tongue out. When I talk to him, he talks back (that is why I mostly say dada, and sometimes, I say mama).

The mimicry of a child is a beautiful and flattering thing. They mimic us, because it is all they know. They learn by watching us.

What does this mimicry look like more specifically?

Ephesians 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

“And walk in love”

Paul uses the word agape to describe love in this passage.

Agape love, against the other Greek words for love, means, “love for the sake of its object.” (Bill Mounce)

God loves us beyond our ability to produce something for him. In the same way, we love others - not for what they can do for us - but because God loved us in this way first.

To walk in love is to allow this unconditional love define everything that you do.

Just as walking is the most natural thing that you do, so love must become natural.

In everyone, we should love them in a way that we seek the best for their sakes.

As Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,

Christ sacrificed himself for us, and we show that amount of radical love to God and for others.

Paul shows the degree to which Christ loved.

Should we love until a certain point? When they have taxed us too much? When we have nothing left to give?

Paul says, “Christ’s ultimate display of his love for us is his sacrifice upon the Cross.”

“a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

May our lives be a simple fragrant offering to God.

In the Old Testament, sacrifices were placed upon the altar, and they were pleasing to God.

Christ on the cross gave the ultimate sacrifice to God.

God was pleased with Christ’s sacrifice.

In the same way, our lives must be poured out for the sake of the gospel.

Luke 7:36-38“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

She came with all that she had, an expensive gift, and gave it to Jesus.

Your life is an offering to God much in the same way.

While we often think about giving our lives for the sake of the gospel, we must ask whether we life for Christ daily as a living sacrifice.

The alabaster flask of ointment was all that she could give, but she gave it.

The sacrifice that we make can be pleasing to Him.

God sees how you serve, and He smiles upon it.

Not because it is a perfect work, but because it is the work of his children.

Henry is just starting to try to crawl. Instead of crawling, he sits all the way up, pushes forward with his legs, and face plants into the quilt that has been laid on the floor.

I cheer for him every time. Why?

That’s my son. And I know from where he has come.

God smiles upon even our broken efforts. Not because we make the perfect move, but because He is the perfect father.

Invitation

Except Christ’s sacrifice - for the forgiveness of sin.

Resolve to love the people around you.

Sacrifice your life for the sake of the gospel.