Ephesians 4:25-5:2 There is no cheap imitation
Joke about the guy dying in 6 months and buy the pig farm.
Who are your kids imitating? If you have kids, or think back to when you had kids, what did you say to your kids about their friends? Was it, “you can be friends to anyone you want. I trust you completely.” Probably not. You would say “Don’t hang out with little Johnny. He does not have good character.
I don’t like the way he talks to his mom.” You guided their decisions as much as you could without totally controlling them, right? Why? Because children (and adults too) tend to imitate those they are around. A well known educator and speaker made a list of all the tough questions parents ask about their kids.
The number one question was what to do about bad friends. What he brought out of the conversations with parents and a group of teens he had been working with was that it is all about relationships. This guy had set up relationships between his kids and an adult they can go to if there are ever any issues or questions. This gave them someone outside of mom and dad to look to for guidance and to imitate.
The main verse for this passage we are reading today is chapter 5 verse 1. “Be imitators of God, and live a life of love, just as Christ did.” Well I’m a nobody telling everybody about somebody who can free anybody.
That’s Christ. I guess we really need to know what it means to imitate Christ. And how do we continue to do that day after day? Are you a disciple of Christ? Well are you? That’s a YES or NO question. There is no in between. A disciple doesn’t just want to know what the teacher knows. A disciple wants to be like the teacher and wants to learn to do what the teacher does.
Yesterday, me and 15000 other men gathered in American Airlines Center in Dallas and we praised and worshiped the Lord. Men raised their hands and shouted out affirmations of their faith. They were raising their hands and singing out loud. 500 men came to accept Jesus as their savior this weekend. It was an awesome experience.
Last Tuesday a Band of Brothers met together. This is our men’s ministry. The first thing I need is for you to pray for this men’s ministry. We are going to be doing a lot of great things in the community and bringing in men that would not normally go to church or get involved, so you will need to pray for this group.
God has given us a unique combination of talents and gifts, and it’s our mission to optimize them for his glory and kingdom. I told these men that God put on my heart that from this group of 10 men that showed up, we will grow to 100 men this time next year. I did get a couple scoffs, but a wise man said “you should set your goals high where you are guaranteed to fail unless God steps in.”
I have no doubt it will happen, but we must believe for God to work thru us for this end. The Christian walk is not a difficult walk. It’s an impossible walk. Without the Holy Spirit there guiding you where you need to go, you WILL go on the wrong path. Who are you imitating. The bible tells us that the road to destruction is very wide and smooth. I would say it’s like I35 out here but that’s not smooth at all. The road to destruction is wide and easy to travel. The path of righteousness is narrow. What road are you on?
So starting in verse 25, the apostle Paul tells us to put off all falsehood. He is saying no more lies, no more pretenses. No more being fake and so full of pride that you keep yourself hidden. Be truthful to your neighbor.
I know of a church near where we used tolive. The congregation had so much pride, that they would not tell anyone if they were hurting, going hungry, going broke. It was not about neighbor and community, but about individualism. Our scripture tells us ”for we are all one body.”
Another translation says “In Christ’s body we are all connected to each other. When you lie to others you end up lying to yourself.”
Do you believe that scripture? We are all connected to each other. So if I’m leading a false life, if I put this front on and never show my true self, then I’m not only hurting myself, but everyone in this family of believers. Who am I imitating??
God told Abraham I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you so you can be a blessing to other nations. God did not want him to sit down and relish in the provisions given, but to go out and bless others around him.
Now starting at vs 26. If you are married you will remember this from your counseling or marriage vows. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil a foothold.
Another way to say it is “go ahead and be angry, but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. Don’t stay angry and don’t go to bed angry.” Jesus tells us in the gospels that when you come up before God in worship, if you have any problems with your brother, go and reconcile before coming to God. Then you can come back with a clear heart and worship God in spirit.
In the middle of a knock down drag out fight in marriage, going to bed is a welcome retreat don’t you think? But getting to sleep is another thing. Anger erodes relationships; it resides deep in a person’s soul, affecting the ability to love and even sometimes your health.
While anger can seem to be extroverted, it can really be introverted and hidden as a person bottles up bitterness and ill thoughts.
It’s been said that men can get angry with each other, go outside and ‘take care of business’, then go back inside and resume their lives. Women on the other hand will get angry, hold it all in, let it boil under the surface for as long as possible, then finally explode when they can hold it in no longer.
Who are you imitating???
It’s time to be transformed. It’s time to be renewed. If you have any issues, problems, complaints (any whiney, angry, prissy, unhelpful) problems with a brother, sister, mom, dad, friend, etc, come and lay them down at the alter NOW. There is no time to waste. You can’t worship God with these on your heart. And if you have not dealt with them, the issue is bigger than you and you HAVE to give it to God.
In verse 29, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up to benefit them.
Watch the way you talk. Say only what helps. Each word is a gift. I tell you, gossip will tear apart a church faster than anything else.
A pastor friend of mine had been divorced a couple years before he went into the ministry. One person in the church found out and it spread around town faster than a wildfire in a dry West Texas field. No one brought it to the pastor. Why……… when they could talk to their neighbors about it.
It was such a controversy. The ministry was hurt because of the gossip in that town. They were focusing on one thing the pastor did and in that missed everything else. Let me give you a measuring stick to go by.
If it does not edify the body, that is if it does not build up the church and the people in it, keep it to yourself. And if it’s being told to you, walk away. Actually, confront that person telling it and then walk away. You all know what gossip is. I trust you to do the right thing.
Jesus is the best illustration of building up people. He always spoke the word that would build up. Now he would “breathe out fire” when he was correcting people, but in everything he did it was to build them up and make them better. RENEW THEM. Romans 12 says do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Don’t grieve God, don’t break his heart. His holy spirit moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life. Don’t take this gift for granted.
Who are you imitating? God is the only picture you need to be following. He is the inspiration and also the enabler. We can’t stand off and say we love. We need to experience it, be infected by it, taste it, live it.
You were made in the image of God. That means you have a God shaped hole in your heart. This can’t be filled with anything else although you will try just as I have. Money won’t do it, cars, boats, bigger house, prestigious job won’t do it.
Drugs, alcohol. Nothing. Nothing else will fit in that hole except God. No matter how hard you try putting that square peg in the round hole it won’t work.
Think about when you first learned to drive a car. When you were young you read the manuals and books and magazines. But that will only take you so far.
You start to watch your mom and dad drive and how the shift gears and accelerate. How they steer and break and you learn more. Then finally you get behind the wheel. You savoir the experience. In the same way, you can’t love and forgive unless you have been loved and you have been forgiven yourself.
So who are you imitating today? Are you being true to yourself and who you are, or are you hiding yourself from others AND TRYING TO HIDE FROM GOD? Have you asked for forgiveness? Have you asked for the love that only God thru Jesus can give you? Maybe you say, “If they don’t see the real me, they won’t reject me and I can’t get hurt.” What kind of life is that?
Is Bobby Joe down at the end of your street your picture to imitate. Drinking every night, bitterness, anger and gossip.
Now it’s ok to have a occasional drink.
Oh my gosh, did the pastor just say it’s ok to drink. Yes I did. Remember, A drink is not a 6 pack a night, occasional is not every night, underage drinking is not allowed at all (that’s anyone under 21), and there are some people who do not have the ability to stop at one; they should stop at ZERO.
Oh…if all you heard in all of that is “go have a beer” and you completely forgot everything else I said, and now you’re mad at me, please read vs 34 again. Thanks.
So is Bobby Joe your picture to imitate? Or how about a sports star who we elevate to higher status?
Troy Aikman was a great quarterback. What about your pastor. Don’t look at me if you’re looking for perfection. Many people hold their pastors up to a higher expectation than they hold themselves. Well…so be it.
But for every time, the best one to imitate would be Jesus. Yes he got angry, yes he was sad at times, but he forgave, he blessed, he built up, he protected. He transformed lives and he can transform you if you will let him in.
Mostly what God does is love you. His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn’t love to get something from us, but to give everything of himself to us. Love others like that.
The greatest proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today should be YOU. Let me say it again. The greatest proof that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today should be YOU.
This extravagant love I talked about is available to you, if you come to him with open arms, without any false pretense or fake smile, wanting to receive. It’s not about losing control or power, but about being plugged into the TRANSFORMER of spiritual power as he gives you true power.
You might have thought, “I think I’ve been a Christian all my life and never felt any kind of change like this.” If you don’t know this transformed life and want Christ to be a part of your life, come to the alter rail during the singing of our last hymn.
If you want to dedicate your life to Christ or rededicate it, come during this hymn of invitation. It’s time to fish or cut bait. God is knocking on the door of your soul wanting to come in. Let him in. Please stand while we sing………
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