A Living Sacrifice

Turn your Bibles if you would please to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Today's message is entitled "A Living Sacrifice." A Living Sacrifice. Ephesians chapter 5. We'll read the last verse in chapter 4 to help us get started. It's a transition verse — or I should say more of a platform verse for chapter 5 to get started. And so "a living sacrifice" is the meaning behind what verses 1 and 2 are essentially saying.

Before we get started again, I'd like to say just a special thank you to our elders and our deacons for serving so well. I was able to go to Thailand and minister alongside of our missionary David and his family. Some things that I did not mention was that it was a blessing to not only evangelize in the marketplaces and minister to our missionary and also strengthen the believers there and also reach the lost, but we met with a Chinese reformed Baptist Church future church planter and were able to do some great ministry there alongside of meeting with missionary Joel, who does Bible translation there, and Pastor Matthew, who pastors Grace Baptist Church and Grace Theological Seminary there, along with Eisen, who does personal discipleship in a facility that facilitates those who come for four months at a time. So that was a tremendous time there. And though it may be perceived as a big sacrifice to go around the world, it was more of a blessing than anything.

Now I did get my luggage stolen — you heard about that most likely — and I showed up on a mission trip with the clothes on my back. But what a privilege and an honor to be able to go and show up and minister with what the Lord would have me to have. I do miss my Bible already, the worn Bible that I've had for so many years. So this is a different Bible today. So if I stutter on the verse references, you'll know why.

But today as we start in Ephesians chapter 5, let's read the last verse in chapter 4 just to help us see the platform from which chapter 5 starts. There are three different sections that will be introduced to today as we get started. In chapter 4, verse 32, it says, "Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ Jesus also has graciously forgiven you." The subject of forgiveness is huge. And then chapter 5, verse 1, "Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

You see the strong undertones and clear imagery pointing towards the cross in this verse. And obviously in the cross, the main subject would be the forgiveness of sins. And so this verse — in verse 32, "Instead be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other just as God in Christ Jesus has graciously forgiven you" — the subject of forgiveness is one that Christians should be very used to. We have no right to hold ought against another brother or sister or even a lost person because of what Christ has done inside of us. He has forgiven and cleansed us, and so based upon what Christ has done for us, we have no platform, no right, no anything to hold a grudge against anyone, no matter how harshly you've been treated or how wrong you have been done. It truly is a miracle what God has done inside of you and forgiven you of the atrocities of the sins that we've committed. And so in respect, in reverence of what He has done for us, we also do likewise to others.

In chapter 5, you have the first section, which is the first seven verses, and then the next section which is verses 8 through 14, and then the next section which is verses 15 through 21. These three sections all revolve around one idea, and that is walking — the subject of walking. And so if you look with me in verse 1, "Therefore be imitators of God and as beloved children and walk in love." Okay, so you see that walking in love is the first theme. And then if you go down to verse 8, verse 8 says, "For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." And so the next section in this chapter would be about walking in the light, and we'll get there. And then verses 15 to 21 talk about walking in wisdom. So read verse 15 with me. "Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise." And so you know where we're going for the next few Sundays and what we'll be talking about. And it would be wise — ha — to look ahead and to study. And we'll continue to learn what it is to walk in love, walk in the light, and walk in wisdom.

So walking is not a new idea in the book of Ephesians. In fact, if you turn back to chapter 2, verses 2 and 3, you'll see where he brought up the subject of walking the first time. Chapter 2, verse 2, "In which you formerly walked according to the course of this world." So walking, contextually here, is being defined as your conduct. So walking is referring to your personal conduct. In chapter 2, verse 10, we see the subject of walking coming up again. Chapter 2, verse 10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Very good, Gabby, I see you reading along with me. So in chapter 2 and verse 10, walking is doing good works. It's doing the good deeds that God has prepared for you to do.

In chapter 4, verse 1, we'll see how walking is defined as your conduct in the manner worthy of your calling to be saved. In chapter 4, verse 1, "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called." That effectual calling when you were saved was something that was undeserved and unmerited. And so now in chapter 4 and verse 1 we see that walking is living in a worthy manner of being saved. Since you've been saved, you didn't earn your salvation. It was unmerited. It was a free gift, right? But now since you have been saved, will you live like you are saved? Live in a manner that is worthy of being one who is saved by the grace of God.

And chapter 4 and verse 17 — you see the subject of walking coming up again, and this is very interesting because walking here in this context is how you are in your mind. Your walking is how you are thinking. In verse 17, "Therefore this I say, and I testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk in the futility of their mind." So the Gentiles were futile in their mind, and you who have been saved by the grace of Christ should walk — or dwell in your mind — not as one who is dwelling upon the things of this world, the lusts in the flesh like a Gentile, but like a saved one.

And so now in chapter 5, He continues with this idiom. The subject of walking — the metaphor here is rich. Chapter 5 and verse 1, "Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love." And so this idea of walking now is living sacrificially. If you were to further define the word "walk" in the context here, then it is living sacrificially.

If you move forward to verse 8 and review it with me one more time just for the sake of context of what this word "walk" is being used for, "For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." And so the subject of walking then is enlightening others of Christ. Christ in and through you enlightens others as to the way, the truth, and the life. And so walking is enlightening. As you continue to find out contextually what the subject of walking means in the book of Ephesians, add to your understanding. Not only is it sacrificial living and how you were thinking, living worthy of the gospel and doing good works in your conduct, but it's also your evangelism, your true intentionality in enlightening others of the gospel. This is walking in chapter 5.

And in verse 15, it is being careful in making wise choices. "Therefore look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise." And so the practical side of walking is not to step in a sinful hole. Be careful how you walk. And so today, back to chapter 5 and verse 1. Chapter 5, verse 1 is what we're talking about today — living sacrificially.

Chapter 5, verses 1 and 2 start with the word "therefore," and "therefore" builds upon the preceding truths. Now I know it's been a few weeks since we've been in Ephesians, and so these prior paragraphs developed spiritual disciplines in this regard — for you to be able to put off sin and put on Christ. So that spiritual discipline of putting off the things of this world, putting off the bad character, putting off the sinful habits, and putting on Christ is specifically said for us to do. In chapter 4, verse 22, "To lay aside, okay, lay them aside in reference to your former conduct of the old man." And so the old unregenerate self is to be continuously put off. Put those things aside. The Holy Spirit is so good to us to burden us and to convict us whenever we sin, and so we confess our sins as we do them, and He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We've got to do this every time we sin. When you sin, lay it aside and confess your sin.

But at the same time, you're not just emptying a part of your body or a part of your mind or a part of your heart or a part of your walk, your life. You're not just emptying it. You're not constantly removing, removing, removing — you're replacing, replacing, replacing. And so in verse 24 it says, "And to put on the new man, which is in the likeness of God." Put on Christ. Put on the things of God. Put on the things that are righteous and holy and true. I'll read the whole verse. Chapter 4, verse 24, "And to put on the new man which is in the likeness of God and has been created in righteousness and holiness and truth." Put these things on. Put on righteousness. Put on truth. Put on holiness. Replace sinfulness with righteousness. Replace these things that are offensive to God with acts of holiness. Be holy. And then also put on — or put in your mind — that which is true. The Bible says in John 17:17, "Sanctify them by the Word. Your Word is truth." And so the truth will sanctify your mind and your heart and your life. Put these things on.

So laying aside and putting on is a spiritual discipline. This is gradual. It's habitual and it's very practical. This is how you are going to grow in your relationship with Christ gradually. So Christians who are growing up — in chapter 4, verse 15, it talks about growing up. "We are to grow up in all aspects of Him who is the head, and that is Christ." Chapter 4, verse 15 says this, and so "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects unto Him who is the head, that is Christ."

And so the truth is we all should be growing in our relationship to Christ, and you should be different from who you were last year, and you should be starkly different from before salvation. So chapter 5 starts with this word "therefore." These preceding truths that we have learned — that are spiritual disciplines and how to walk in the Lord and gradually grow in our walk — are what is being continued or built upon here. And so these practical points that we talked about last week — the practical points specifically were always tell the truth, manage your anger well, be a worker and a giver, think before you speak, and be tender-hearted. These practical points from chapter 4, spoken about a few weeks ago when I was last preaching — these points now are leading to a climax, an overall point, and a summarization of how to live practically and grow in Christ. These practical points are culminating to this function, this way of life in chapter 5. This is the very highest development of your character.

These practical points in chapter 4 and how you are putting off the old and putting on the new — this is building up to who you are in Christ and how you are to actually live. And so if you want to summarize and get away from perhaps the minute details of life that are some of these specifics mentioned in chapter 4, if you just want a main idea on what to do and how to gradually grow in this way, look no farther than chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. "Therefore be imitators of God." Be like Christ. Imitate Him. This is the highest form of your character development. And we've all been made in the image of God. This is the only place in the Word of God where it says to imitate God.

But the idea permeates Scripture. In fact, it starts in the book of Genesis, where we're commanded to be like God and act like God in a lot of different ways. God is a worker and He created and He rested. Are we not also commanded to work? We are. Are we not also commanded to rest? Are we also not commanded to create, to produce? Yes. And also to rule over from the beginning, to have that. And so this is not a new idea. But here is the only area to where you see the words "imitate God." And so this exhortation is found not only in the book of Genesis by way of the idea, but it's also found in Leviticus chapter 19, verse 2, which says, "Be holy, for I am holy," and it's repeated in 1 Peter 1:16, "Be holy, for I am holy." This is simply said: be like the Lord. Be like God. Act like God. Be holy. And so imitate the Lord.

To imitate is to mimic. It's simply like this — if you want a simple definition of the word "imitate," it's do what you see. Do what you see. That's what it means. However, there are stages that you go through, and you see this in Scripture as well. Stage one would be unconscious copying. Unconscious copying. Think of a child just copying or parroting what the parents say. They're observing. Stage two would be to follow the example — a conscious, intellectual decision to follow. So that's stage two. Stage three would be to do and duplicate. In scriptural terms, it would be obey and go and teach and make, like the Great Commission says. So stage three is where you need to be striving to be, which is to be a disciple maker, one who has grown into being a fully devoted disciple of Christ and whose character is continuing to grow. You're doing well. You know how to do those things that we've just talked about, but now you're able to reproduce.

So the United States Army summarized this in three points: know, be, do. They've got the same idea. But as well, in the Old Testament, Ezra said it like this: study, practice, teach. You see the same development here.

Parents, I think parents probably add a step to it. It's very needed. It's scriptural. And so if you are a parent and you are to add this fourth step, I think it probably sounds like this: instruct. Follow me. Do what I say. I spank you. It's probably along the other steps as well from the Lord. But nevertheless, parenting is very similar in this idea.

When it comes to imitating, you want your children to imitate the godly characteristics in your life. And so here, the results of this process of imitating is more focused upon who you are. This is very important. It's not focused upon doing. It's focused upon being. You're becoming more like Christ. One of the greatest areas children need to learn to imitate their parents in is in worship. They need to be becoming worshipers of God.

Our father of the faith, Abraham, he worshiped God with his son. Turn if you would to Genesis chapter 22. I want you to see proof of the fact that our children imitate us in worship and they observe and learn. And these same stages for which our children learn to worship God from their parents are the same stages for which we as Christians learn to imitate God. And so in Genesis chapter 22, verses 1 to 15, is the story of where Abraham took his son Isaac and they were going to go worship. In verse 5, "And Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there and we will worship.'" Okay, so it's unmistakable that Abraham and his son are going to worship. In verse 7, "Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and he said, 'My father.' And he said, 'Here, my son.' And he said, 'Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?'"

You see, Isaac knew the components of worship because he had been doing it with his father. And then in verse 10, "And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." In verse 12, "And He said, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the boy.'" This is an angel speaking. "And do nothing to him, for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.'" And then in verse 14, "And Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide." Yahweh will provide. My God provides. Jehovah Jireh. And so now we see that Abraham taught his son how to worship God, and his son knew the elements of worshiping God because he could even pick out when something was missing.

It would be almost like one of our little children going to church today. Maybe you're on vacation somewhere and you go and you walk away from a service, perhaps disheartened, and your young child says, "They didn't even read the Bible today." Well, they know, don't they? Because the Word of God is central to worship. Or perhaps you go somewhere and you worship and you're just delighted with a wonderful worship service, and your children walk away and you say, "Wow, all they talked about was Jesus and they read a lot of Scripture. That's really good." So you see these stages of imitating as we also grow in our faith.

Now this is important, and I want you to see some results here in the life of Abraham and Isaac. His only son was a type of Christ looking forward, of course, to the cross. And he'd go on to marry Rebekah in Genesis chapter 24, and they'd have Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25. And then he'd live to a ripe old age of 180 in Genesis 35 as one of Israel's patriarchs — Exodus 3:6 — and an example of faith — Hebrews 11:20. His life ended up being in the Hall of Fame chapter of faith as an example of what it is to be a worshiper of God. And so Isaac imitated his dad.

And he learned what it was to be a true, godly man. Now the story also has a little bit of a flip side, if you know the Word of God, because Isaac also mimicked and imitated his dad in the negative as well. Just as Abraham lied about his wife being his sister, so Isaac said Rebekah was his sister in Genesis chapter 26. And so that merits a warning for us who are imitators of God, knowing that we have others imitating us as well, and that our children imitate us. And that is God's design for them to learn about Him. This is important for us always to be careful how we walk because our beloved children are imitating us.

Now, back to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 1. We're referred to as beloved children. "Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children." And this idea is that Christians are to be becoming more and more like Christ. We're to act more and more like Christ and our children are to act more and more like their parents, and then move on to acting like Christ. How do you do this? Well, in verse 2 it says, "And walk in love, just as Christ also walked as one who gave himself up for us all, as an offering and as a sacrifice to God and as a fragrant aroma." We are to walk like Christ and be sacrificial. We're to walk in love.

This is what it means to walk in love, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. And if we're going to be like Christ and walk in love, well, what does it mean except to be a living sacrifice for the benefit of others? We're living outside of ourselves. We're not living for ourselves. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost in Luke 19:10. And the whole reason why Matthew's gospel talks about the birth of Christ is that He would be a Savior for those. And so we too, like Christ, are to live in such a way that others know that we are living sacrificially for their welfare, for their benefit. They know that you are a Christian and are being Christlike.

And so what does this life of love actually look like? What Christ, who also loved us and gave Himself for us — this by way of interpretation, which nobody really likes to hear, especially in an American Christian culture — this means to give yourself sacrificially so that sinners may be saved. Give of yourself sacrificially. There's a cost involved in bringing the lost into the light of Christ. There is an uncomfortable element to getting in the messiness of ministry. There is a price to pay when you get around filthy sinners who are angry, who are arrogant, who are aggressive. There's a cost. You'll walk away with scars. Like Christ, you walk away having been pierced. Like Christ, you walk away being scorched. Like Christ, there's a cost involved in being a living sacrifice.

And in our American Christian culture, that is completely against what the majority wants to hear. They want to hear a comfortable Christianity. They want to hear about a Christ but not the cross. They want to hear about the gift but not the price, not the cost. And that is not Christianity. The gospel has been gutted if you remove the price, if you remove the cost. And your personal effectiveness in imitating Christ — if there is no cost, then there's no effectiveness. You see, there's skin in this game and it's required. There's no such thing as easy-believism. There is always a price. Christ died on the cross so that you may repent and believe. There's always a cost. And so the whole purpose of imitating Christ, or being Christlike, is so that others can observe and learn and do likewise in whatever it takes. There are no commas, there are no clauses in the Bible when it comes to the admonition or the instruction to be a light to the world, to go to your Jerusalem and your Judea and your Samaria, to go to the uttermost parts of the world. There are no clauses — except if they have good food and hotels, right? There are no parentheses there. There are no exception clauses. There's a cost involved. There always will be a cost. If we're going to do this, then we must be ones who imitate the Lord in this way.

What is also interesting in regards to all of this is that the family name and reputation in Old Testament and New Testament culture — in fact, there wasn't Social Security cards and licenses like there are today. There was only your name, your family name. In Matthew chapter 1, verse 20, it records, for example, Joseph. Well, which Joseph was it? Son of David. Matthew 1:20, "Joseph, son of David." And so the credibility of who you are as a man of God, as a God-fearing man, was known by your family name. And so this idea of imitating God, being a child of God, is directly correlated with the fact that you are carrying on the name.

So when you imitate your Father, are you honoring the history and the continuation of the wondrous name of Christ? Or are you not imitating Christ and therefore dishonoring the name and bringing shame? It was a wonderful cultural experience over in Thailand to be in the East, where honor and shame are paramount. I mean, the extent to which they go to keep the honor within their family, I can't even speak to. And should we not be going to whatever the cost would be to forward and maintain the honor of our Father and His good name?

And so the particular characteristic of forgiveness is at the heart of the cross. And as imitators of Christ, we have to also be ones who are just given to forgiveness. You just forgive right away. As soon as somebody offends you, you forgive them before they can say "I'm sorry." And in fact, if they don't apologize, you've already forgiven them and it doesn't matter anyway, because you've been forgiven. Because you live with this idea of, "I've been saved, gloriously saved." As a merit to praise God for it — since He forgave me and He then says for me to forgive others — we are then to forgive each other regularly.

In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 32, the last verse in chapter 4, "Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you." Our gracious character should be displayed for those who offend us. We should bless those who persecute us. The Bible says in Matthew 5:44–45, "Bless those who persecute you."

Oftentimes we live with the desire — the evil desire — to take out vengeance. What the Bible says in Romans 12:19, "Vengeance is Mine, saith the Lord." That's not our lane. We're to imitate the royal and holy character of God. And when you do this, you then are free from anger and you're free from holding grudges. You are truly free in Christ. And John chapter 8, verses 31 and 32, it says to continue in the Word and you prove to be disciples of His, and the truth will set you free. You could truly live free from all of the bondages of this world. Being begrudged against someone, being angry at people, is a trap. Having bitterness is a trap and you have no right to do that. We must be ones who freely forgive with kindness and gentleness and grace. Forgive, and forgive, and forgive.

The example of this that I looked up was Stephen, and while he was being stoned he paraphrased Christ's words on the cross. Jesus said in Luke 23:34, "Forgive them." And Stephen said in Acts 7:59, "Forgive them."

And so how you do this is in chapter 5, verse 2. You walk in love. And in this broader range in the text, being hermeneutically faithful to the word "love," it means agape. It is agape in the Greek. But it means in this particular usage and sense a warm regard for the interest of others. It's a broader application of the word "agape" here in the text. Yes, it means specifically sacrificial love. But in the broader context of its application here, we are to walk in agape love, which Paul is communicating as a warm regard for the interest of others. And so this is immeasurable when it comes to understanding the passion and the love of Christ towards us and especially towards the lost, His lost sheep.

So this immeasurable passion for people, both the saved and the unsaved, is how we imitate Christ and live in Christ. This immeasurable effort to lovingly intercede by prayer for the lost and for the saved, to be sanctified, to be saved, is how we sacrificially pray and pour out our effort. The immeasurable acts of tender love and kindness is how we demonstrate we are Christians. The immeasurable love here in words of truth and grace is how we communicate the love of Christ. And so the immeasurable love of Christ is where our hearts are seriously to dwell. And when we do this, this formulates a walk in all of these ideas that we talked about here in the book of Ephesians. In every way this is how we live.

And so this is a continuous enjoyment of Christ. This is not a life that is like Eeyore, complaining all the time. This is not a life of, "Man, I can't believe I have to sacrificially give, I have to give this." This is not an "old, poor me" or dreary attitude like as if it is pouring rain outside. Guys, this is an optimistic life. This is telling you how to enjoy Christ. This is telling you how to take and make yourself to the point to where you can rejoice. Every morning — again I say rejoice. Philippians 4:4. This is equipping you to be happy in Christ.

And so this verb "gave" is continuous in the Greek and it implies full surrender, a fully surrendered giving of yourself. Verse 2, "And walk in love just as Christ also loved and gave Himself up." Yes, the word "up" is a direct correlation to the cross. But at the same time it is continuous here, in that Christ is continually giving His love towards us and we should continually give our love to others.

Now, in verse 2 it brings up this interesting subject of an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. In Leviticus chapter 1, verse 9 it talks about a fragrant aroma. And so forgiveness and reconciliation, based upon your imitating Christ, is the result. The results are — I say again — forgiveness and reconciliation that produces an aroma, a sacrifice that is pleasing unto the Lord.

Now you know that smells invoke memories — except for when I got COVID I couldn't smell anything. I was like, this is weird. But smells always mark memories somehow. A striking smell. Smells bring back memories. In verse 2 here, Paul is bringing up the idea that God is pleased with this aroma. It's the aroma of your living as a sacrifice. Anytime you have the opportunity to be a living sacrifice, putting yourself on — as Paul said, "I die daily" — he puts himself on the cross. When you put yourself in the position of being a sacrifice and you are — I'm saying here this flesh rears up against that — but when you in humility crucify the flesh and you deny the self, you say, "I would rather do this, but instead I am going to give up my time and my resources and my ability and give up myself to reach, to teach, to be like Christ, imitating Christ" — this is producing an aroma that is pleasing to the Lord. And it's illustrated in the Old Testament sacrifices.

And so Paul then reminds his readers that around the temple with all those sacrifices, there was a common smell. Everybody knew when a lot of animals were being butchered, right? They knew that because of the smell. Well, Paul is communicating to the Ephesians through their nose. He's communicating to them through their senses. Listen, produce a smell that is pleasing to Christ by being like Christ.

So what is Paul stating? Well, there's an indicative statement and an imperative statement here. The indicative is that we are beloved children. Okay, statement of fact — you've been saved by the blood of Christ, then you are a beloved child. The imperative statements, plural, are: be imitators of God and walk in love.

So there's a non-negotiable here. Since you have been saved, a beloved child, then you are to imitate God and to walk in love. Now, a quick little lesson on Bible hermeneutics here. The imperative statements are for us to obey and always rest on the indicative facts. The facts come first, basically, and then the obedience. What this means in the text is that we imitate God and walk in love because we are beloved children. We are not loved if you by some way get the meaning of the text backwards. We are not loved and we do not imitate God because we have earned it, because we sacrifice, because we give, because we love. We're not loved because we love. We're not saved. We don't experience mercy and grace because we are doers.

We are beloved children and God first loved us, and He decided to love us and you can't earn God's love. The implications of this idea are this: if you think that you can earn God's love, or that by chance you — I just gave a million dollars to the church, or I went across the street and shared the gospel with my neighbor — if you think that you can earn or deserve something of God, then you've got these ideas backwards.

You see, we imitate God because He saved us, because He loved us. We imitate and we love because He first loved us. You can't get the concepts backwards, lest you then pervert your idea of Christianity and live like perhaps the Seventh-day Adventists, who would say you have not lived up to the Ten Commandments. And then someone would reply and say, "I'm trying." "You need to live up to the Old Testament law." And they would reply, "I'm trying, but I can't give up this." "I'm trying." "You need to, you need to, you need to do, you need to do, you need to do." And then at the end of the day, the person in a deflated state says, "I've tried to do this and I can't." And the reply, doctrinally stating from the Seventh-day Adventist churches, is that they must not be of the elect. You see how detrimental to the faith it is when you get doing and being backwards.

So the object, the focus, is being a Christian, being in Christ, imitating Him, loving Him. And then from that it produces obedience and works from your love for Christ. It produces that you want to. And James said it like this faithfully — faith without works is dead. Your genuine faith will produce works, and works are evidence that you have been truly saved by faith. And so now we continue to love and imitate Christ sacrificially, not because we're trying to earn blessings from God, but because He has saved us. And so God's rich reservoir of limitless love is unmerited, unchanging, and abounding.

And so the facts are again: when we sin, our love for God changes, but His love for us doesn't. When we sin, our love for Christ wanes a little bit. We find ourselves not desiring Him to the extent for which we should. When we sin, it taints our love and our desire. But Christ is holy. God is holy. His love never changes. And so His consistent love for you never changes, and what He has decided to bless you with and what He has decided to give you and to have for you to do and to be — it's based upon His goodness and His merit and His works, not yours.

So we do need to handle this subject correctly and make sure that we are not giving to get, giving of ourselves to get a blessing, which is at the heart of the charismatic chaos today.

So let's talk about the facts of how we can make a moment memorable and utilize this concept for a godly benefit in our discipleship and in our parenting. Parents, listen to me. If you have the opportunity — which we all do — to apply mercy and grace and love when it is unmerited, I guarantee you this: that child will be prompted to obey.

You see, it's in the same way that God demonstrated to you unmerited love. When you least deserved it, He showed you grace. And now because of what He has done for you, does it not prompt the desire within you to obey and serve Him? The same way with parenting. If you have the opportunity to hold back the hammer and to show grace and love, that's when you are going to make a memory. And that is a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord when you sacrificially say, "What you've done against me is wrong and deserves punishment, but I'm going to wait on this and apply some mercy."

Pastorally, when mercy is applied rather than a scorning, it makes all the difference in the world. It prompts a deeper love between the brothers and sisters in the fellowship, and it prompts a deeper trust. And so this is God's pattern of love, and His stern discipline comes to us after much mercy, after much love. So God is not in heaven waiting to pounce on us with a hammer. That's not a picture of God. God is wrathful, but He is withholding all of that and He is displaying and distributing His mercy and His kindness and His love. And because of this truth, we now know that we need to apply the same and imitate Him in that way.

God is loving and He's leading you to trust Him and obey Him and then therefore enjoy Him. The catechism that says that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever comes to mind. And so when you do this, 1 Corinthians 13:8 is very true in that love never fails. Love never fails. If you've been shown love when you least deserve it, recall back what it produced in your life and then therefore go and do likewise.

I think we must remind our children when they fail that they are beloved children and display as much mercy as we possibly can and withhold the hammer as often as we can. Withhold our stern voices, withhold the punishment, withhold the spankings until it really matters, and punish where it's accurate. Spare the rod for the child? But I'm telling you, this is amazing when you imitate God in this way.

And so three take-home truths and we'll wrap this up. Number one, imitating is obeying. Imitating is obeying. When we imitate the ways and attributes of Christ, it is obeying Christ and following Him. And so if you want to think about the subject of imitating Christ in this passage where it says to be imitators of God, it is just simply obeying God's Word.

Number two, imitate those who are like Christ. Imitate those who are like Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says, "Be imitators of me." So the Apostle Paul is telling the sin-ridden Corinthian church: get rid of your sin. Be a worshiper of God. Imitate me. I used to be a filthy sinner, even one who persecuted Christians. I got rid of all of that, all of that lifestyle, the whole Judaism process — the false system. I got rid of it and replaced it with Christ. Be imitators of me. Out with the old, in with the new man. And so find good, godly examples who are already imitating Christ. Watch them and observe their life. Watch how they react in a stressful situation. Learn from them. Watch them. Imitate them. And so Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ," which also makes us understand that we should be ones who are worthy of being imitated.

Number three, the last take-home truth for today is: imitating includes sacrificing. There's no way that you can imitate Christ without being one who sacrificially serves others and does everything that you possibly can to yield your life to another for their well-being. Such is a desire within your heart and your own flesh works against that. All of what American life works against that. We think in an American worldview — to get in our very nice vehicles and drive into our nice neighborhoods that close the gate behind you, and you go into your very nice house and close the garage door behind you. So you have two measures of protection to keep you from the lost. It's an American worldview. You want a two-story house with a white picket fence and you want to be closed off from the world. But I'm not saying it's wrong to have gates and it's wrong to have doors. I'm not saying that. What I am saying is that it works against us wanting to give ourselves to others.

And so living in a culture that is not as Christlike as we would like it to be, we have to make the extra effort to go and be around the lost and reach to them. I mean, Christ came from heaven to the earth, right? I mean, how far did He come? How far are we going to go to seek and to save that which is lost? How often do we sacrificially go intentionally to be a blessing to those who are lost?

And here obviously Paul is doing the best that he can for the Ephesian church. And so while we are not to imitate the actual cross, you know, and beat ourselves, we are to imitate Christ in His self-sacrificing example and exercise loving others — that is self-sacrificial loving others — that is costly, and loving others for their well-being. The timeless truth in this whole passage, I believe, is to be becoming more like Christ. Imitate Him. Be becoming more like Christ as you go every single day. It is an enjoyable journey with the Lord, and learning how you could become more and more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you do that, your joy-ometer will continue to get higher and higher and higher. Those who are most like Christ are the happiest in Christ. Those who are the most like Christ go through some of the most severe trials that this world has to offer, and yet they're still happy in Christ. You see the extremes: death and life, death and life. Christ demonstrated this for us and now we imitate that for others.

Let's pray together. Lord, thank You for this passage and I look forward to continuing to explore this subject as we are walking like You and how it unfolds in chapter 5. It's an amazing subject in that You gave of Yourself. And as we find ourselves in this Christmas season, You gave of Yourself as a gift to all of humanity, so that for those who would repent and believe, they could be saved, as the gospel writer Matthew declares. I pray, Lord, that if anyone here has never repented of their sin and placed their faith and trust in You, that they would truly reflect upon the results of sin and that the soul that sins shall die, and unless they repent, they shall likewise perish in a real, eternal place called hell, which is separate from Your fellowship and separate from Your blessings and separate from Your comforts.

God, thank You for all of the people here today who are truly seeking to imitate You. Thank You, dear Jesus, for their hearts and wanting to become more and more like You and carry on the family name of being a Christian. Lord, for those who are not saved, I know Your heart goes out for them. You desire for none to perish, and I ask You, dear Jesus, that You would draw those lost souls. Draw those lost sheep unto Yourself, dear Jesus, by the preaching of the Word of God. Your Word, dear Jesus, does the work inside of an unregenerate soul, and by them hearing the gospel is the power of the gospel unto salvation. So I pray, dear Jesus, as they have heard the truth of Your Word today, that they would be prompted then by Your power to regenerate their soul, to confess their sin, and to believe in their heart that You died on the cross, that You were raised three days later, and that You have paid that punishment — that atonement — paid the price for our sins on the cross, in our place. Your substitutionary death, Lord, is what I'm asking for the lost to comprehend and to believe in. Draw souls unto You, dear Jesus. Save them. Lead them to be baptized. Lead them to join a good, biblical church, perhaps this one. Lead them to be able to understand and study Your Word and rightly divide it. Lead them, dear Jesus, to continue in their process of sanctification to the point to where they can become disciple makers and fulfill and participate in Your Great Commission. Oh, we do love You and we thank You for this day. May You be glorified, in Christ's name. Amen.