Be Mimics Of God

October 26th, 2003

Let us pray

Welcome....

It is good when saints can come to-gether and fell-ow-ship, and last evening we had a

wonderful fellowship at the home of Bro. and Sis. Jones...........

Last Sunday we used as our topic, Is Any Thing Too Hard For The Lord? and we con-

cluded that there was nothing too hard for the Lord, agreeing with the words of Jeremiah

in Jeremiah 32 verse 17, Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the

earth by Thy great power and stretched -out-arm, and there is nothing too hard for

thee. Saints, it is true, there is nothing too hard for the Lord.....elaborate...

Our topic for today is, Be Mimics of God, and our scripture reading can be found on

page 5 of our bulletin or in Ephesians 5 verses 1 through 17 in our bibles. Let’s all stand

and read together. Please tell someone, you can’t go wrong, if you follow the Lord. (I

am going to ask each person to greet at least five persons right now.........elaborate)

The word followers in verse 1 of our text is the word "mimics," so the verse can be

translated, Be ye imitators of God as beloved children or Be ye mimics of God as

beloved children. Paul is saying that children are like their parents, and this could be

good or could be bad. Children will imitate or mimic whatever their parents does whether

it’s good or bad. My grand-daughter was 7 months old last Monday. I will tell her to say

grandpa, but she won’t respond, but if I say, dadda, dadda, she will respond by saying

dadda, dadda .....if I try to wave goodbye...............she is learning how to imitate me, or to

mimic what I am doing......elaborate....

If we are children of God; if God is truly our Father, then we ought to imitate or mimic

our Father. In doing this, there are three things we are called upon to do: 1. Walk in love;

2. Walk as children of light; 3. Walk in wisdom.

How do we walk in love, in a world that is so un-loving? In order to walk in love as

mentioned in verses 1 and 2 of of our text, there are certain things we must get rid of.

Let’s go back to Ephesians 4 verses 31 and 32 (read) It is a tragic thing when these

attitudes show up in the family of God, bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour - a loud confused

noise; making demands or complain loudly; evil speaking, unforgiveness. In order to walk

in love these things must be put away. Paul gave several reasons why Christians ought to

walk in love.

Numbre One: Because he is a child of God. Since we have been born again; since our

lives have been changed; since Christ is now residing on the inside, and since God is love it

is lo-gi-cal that God’s children should walk in love. Paul was not asking the saints to do

something that was foreign to the Christain life, for we have received new nature that

wants to express itself in love. The old nature is selfish and unloving, but the new nature is

loving......

Why should Christians walk in love? Number Two: Because he is God’s beloved child.

Be ye imitators or mimics of God as beloved or dear children. Just imagine, God speaks of

us as the same way as he spoke of his son. In Matthew 3 verse 17 God spoke of his son,

This is my beloved son. As saints of God, we are born into a loving re-la-tion-ship with

the Father, that ought to result in our showing love to him by the way we live. What more

could God do in expressing His love to us? Is it asking too much for us to walk in love in

order to please God?........elaborate....

Why should Christians walk in love? Number three: Because he was purchased with a

great price. Let’s turn to St. John 15 verse 13 (read) Not only did Christ laid down his

life for his friends, but also for his enemies. Let’s look at Romans 5 verse 10 (read) Our

love for Christ is in response to his love for us. The apostle Paul compares Christ sacrifice

on the cross to the Old Testament "sweet savor" sacrifices that were presented at the

altar of the temple. The idea behind "sweer savor," is that the sacrifice is well pleasing to

God. Please note very carefully, this is not suggesting that God is pleased that sin demands

death, instead it indicates that the death of Christ "satisfies the holy law of God and

therefore is acceptable and pleasing to the Father." Christ died for you and for me, and

that’s love. As Christians, as children of God, we are called to walk in love because love