Six-year-old little Jenny complained to her mother of a tummy ache. “That’s because your tummy is empty,” her mother replied. “You’d feel better if there were something in it.”
That evening, their pastor stopped for a visit and later commented that his head had hurt him all day. Little Jenny quickly advised, “That’s because it’s empty. You’d feel better if there was something in it.” (Tal D. Bonham, Another Treasury of Clean Jokes, Broadman Press, 1983)
Children are great imitators. For good or ill, they mimic their parents in almost everything. It’s scary when I see my adult sons doing some of the same things I used to do, like leaving the cupboards open or the dishes unrinsed in the sink. Sometimes, it drives Sandy crazy, but I kind of like the idea that my boys take after me, quirks and all.
So it is with our Heavenly Father. He loves it when we imitate Him. He loves it when His children take after Him. That’s because He loves us so very much. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Ephesians 5, Ephesians 5, where this is very clear.
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (ESV)
As the runners for the Special Olympic, 400-meter dash were being helped to their marks, a gentleman in a three-piece suit jumped up in the stands and began yelling, “Lenny! Lenny!” An overweight middle-aged man with Down's Syndrome looked up from the track in the direction of the voice.
The gun sounded and the runners leaped forward – all except Lenny, who was dead last and losing ground. He had a preoccupation with his hands, which he wrung furiously as he tried to make his way around the track. Pointing to him, the gentleman in the stands turned around and addressed his section of the crowd. “That's my son, Lenny. Isn't he doing great?”
When Lenny reached the last turn on the track, the other runners had already finished. The gentleman began to shout encouragement to his son, throwing his fists in the air in a triumphant gesture. “Great job, Lenny! Way to go, son. Keep going, you're doing great!” He turned to his section again, and reminded everyone that his son was about to finish. They applauded dutifully, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Then when Lenny crossed the finish line, the man made his way down to the track and hugged his son, who was exhausted, drooling, and still wringing his hands.
Kevin Young, a spectator in the crowd, watched them embrace, and he began to weep. As he thought about what he saw, it seemed as though God was saying to him, “You're like Lenny in this race I have called you into. You're challenged, perplexed, far behind the pack. Most days, you're a pitiful pile of exhaustion. But I'm here cheering you on. I love you the way that man loves his son.” (Kevin Young, “Cliffhanger: Reaching Out for the Father,” Pray! Jan/Feb 2003, p. 40-41)
So many people had fathers that loved them only when they did well. But our Heavenly Father loves us no matter how much we struggle. He’s not ashamed to call us His children, and He’s there cheering us on in this race called life. God loves us. He really does! And He wants us to…
LOVE EACH OTHER just like He loves us.
He wants us to show the same kind of compassion to others that he showed us. He wants us to give grace to one another.
That’s what the previous verse is all about – Ephesians 4:32. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another – literally, giving grace to each other, as God in Christ forgave you – or as God in Christ gave grace to you.
THEREFORE, be imitators of God, as beloved children. The “therefore” looks back to the “grace” at the end of the last chapter. God cheers us on, not only when we do well, but also when we struggle. And that’s what He wants us to do for each other.
God wants us to give GRACE to one another, and He wants us to give ourselves to one another too.
Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (ESV)
Love is all about sacrifice. Love is all about giving ourselves up for others.
Just this last September (September 30, 2013), Dwayne and Dawna Johnson of Buena Vista, Colorado had the perfect day planned. The electrician and high school football coach and his wife took their two teenage daughters on a day hike up a popular mountain trail. But then the unthinkable happened: a rockslide barreled down at them at a vantage point looking up on Agnes Vaille Falls.
Just before the cascading dirt and boulders swept Dwayne, his wife, and their oldest daughter to their deaths, Dwayne made a decision that saved the life of his 13-year-old daughter, Gracie. A few weeks after the tragedy, Gracie said, “I did cover myself, but I was just standing in the open. [My dad] pushed me to a rock that was bigger than I was, and he just saved me.” Sheriff's Deputy Nick Tolsma added, “[Gracie] said her dad jumped on top of her to protect her right at the last moment when the rocks were coming down.”
Immediately after the rockslide, as rescue workers began to search the area, they heard Gracie's voice coming from beneath the pile of rocks that covered her. Deputy Tolsma eventually spotted Gracie's hand sticking out from the rocks. No one in the town was surprised by Dwayne's act of sacrificial love. As a family friend said, “He would have done the same for any of our children, absolutely.”
Just two days before the accident, Dwayne had written to his other daughter, 18-year-old Kiowa-Rain, encouraging her to “dream big,” “develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” and remember that “deep, meaningful relationships bring happiness.” Dwayne lived out those words and demonstrated the sacrificial love of his Savior (Catherine E. Shoichet, Kyung Lah and Jack Hannah, "Colorado rock slide kills 5 members of one family; teen survives," CNN, 10-2-13; www.PreachingToday. com).
You see, Christ gave himself up for us like that father did for his daughter, and He wants us to do the same for each other, because that is what love is all about. It’s about sacrifice. It’s about giving ourselves up for one another. We give up our agenda. We give up our rights. We give up our time. We give up our hopes and dreams. We give up our very lives, if need be, to truly help each other.
Give grace to each other, even to those who don’t deserve it, because that’s what grace is all about. And give yourselves to each other, because that’s what love is all about. If we’re going to imitate our heavenly Father, we must give like He gave.
We must give graciously and sacrificially and not take from each other. We must be givers, not takers in our relationships.
Ephesians 5:3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. (ESV)
You see, sex outside the commitment and sacrifice of marriage is selfish and self-centered. It’s a form of greed, with people seeking their own self-gratification. It’s not appropriate for the people of God, who is so generous and giving. The same goes for any kind of talk, which denigrates another, which takes away their dignity.
Ephesians 5:4-7 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them… (ESV)
God does not want us to be a part of anything, which robs people of their dignity and respect. Instead, our actions AND our speech should reflect the grace and generosity of our Lord.
Several years ago (October 1988), Pastor Mark Thompson of Faribault, Minnesota, was knifed in his home by an assailant. He had a long and difficult recovery, which caused him to miss watching his son Chris run in the state cross-country championship. So Pastor Thompson asked his brother Merv to go in his place.
According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press & Dispatch, Mark told his brother, “I can't be there to see Chris run. So I want you there at the beginning of the race. Holler a lot… Then at the end, I want you to really cheer loudly. And I want you to make your voice sound like mine.”
Merv did just what his brother asked him to, and Chris ran a strong race, finishing second. Later, Merv, who is also a pastor, reflected on the incident. “That's what Jesus wants us to do,” he said. “Make your voice sound like mine.” (Leadership, Vol. 10, no. 3)
If we want to be imitators of God, then we must be givers, not takers in our relationships; we must be gracious and generous in word and in deed. In other words, we must walk in love (vs.2). But that’s not the total picture, because love by itself can be misguided. Love needs the boundary of truth to be effective.
Think of it in terms of a river of water in its banks. If you have the banks of a river without the water, then you have dryness and drought. That’s the way it is if you have truth without love. It’s hard and dry.
On the other hand, if you have love without the truth, then you have a flood. If you have water without the banks, then you have a deluge, which does more harm than good (Marv Rosenthal).
Just think about the recent floods we have had around here when the water overflowed the creek banks and covered the roads. Love needs the truth to guide it. So if we’re going to be like God in all His fullness, we must not only walk in love. We must also…
WALK IN LIGHT.
We must live in the truth of God’s word. We must behave as children of the light.
Ephesians 5:8-10 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (ESV)
God wants us to shine in the darkness. He wants us to live lives of goodness, righteousness and truth. These kinds of things must guide our love, if our love is going to be truly helpful and effective.
You see, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death,” Proverbs says (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). If we think something is loving and kind, when it’s contrary to God’s Word, then we do a whole lot more harm than good.
For example, sometimes we think it is more loving and kind to ignore conflict. But God tells us to deal with the conflict before sundown. “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,” He says, lest you “give the devil a foothold” in your relationships (Eph. 4:26-27).
Pastor Robert Russell preached in the church where he grew up some time ago, and he talked in his sermon about how much he appreciated and admired his father. His father’s mother had died when his father was three and his father’s father, Robert’s grandfather, had a real drinking problem. In spite of that, Robert said, “My dad became a great Christian.”
Robert’s aunt was in the audience. She had always been a supporter of Robert’s ministry, but she and others in the family have repeatedly been in denial about his grandfather's drinking. It was kind of a family secret. So after the service, Robert’s aunt approached him and said, “That wasn't true what you said about your dad's family.”
When he replied, “What's that?” she paused for a minute and said, “I think your dad was four when his mother died.”
She just couldn't bring herself to discuss the man’s drinking problem – and that was forty years after his death. (Robert Russell, “Releasing Resentment,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 136)
People can go a lifetime covering up, but denying the truth only makes things worse. True love admits the truth and deals with it – that’s where the healing begins.
My friends, we must be careful to shine in the darkness, not hide in the dark.
Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (ESV)
Shine the light on them.
Ephesians 5:12-14 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (ESV)
You see, when Christ came, He came to “shine in the darkness” (John 1:5). He came to expose the evil so He could deal with it.
John Freeman, president of Harvest USA, an organization which ministers to sexually broken people, talks about having lunch with a businessman from his church. Halfway through the lunch, the businessman brought up his Internet pornography usage.
Freeman asked him when it started. When he was 10 years old.
How often do you look at porn? Several times a week, for a couple of hours at a time.
Anyone know about this? No.
Are you in a men's group at church? Yes.
Does this topic ever come up for discussion? No.
Would you be willing to bring it up? No way!
Then the businessman started to backpedal, saying it's not really that big a problem nor is it that damaging.
Freeman, who says this is “a microcosm of what is happening throughout the church,” told the businessman, “What I hear coming from your mouth is addict-speak. You're far worse off than you can possibly imagine. Can you believe that Jesus longs to enter this area of life with you?”
The businessman had no reply. He just looked at Freeman like a deer caught in the headlights. (John Freeman, "Sex and the Silence of the Church," Harvest USA; www.PreachingToday. com)
The light of the truth exposed his sin, and he was afraid to see it, but that’s what it takes if we’re going to find healing from that sin. It does no one any good to hide in the dark of denial. Instead, we must walk in the light of the truth, exposing the dirt so that Jesus can clean it out of our lives.
Stephen Kingsley of Craigmont, Idaho, runs a carpet cleaning business in which he offers a special service for removing pet urine odors. To show potential customers their need for the service, he darkens the room and then turns on a powerful black light. The black light causes the urine crystals to glow brightly.
To the horror of the homeowner, every drop and dribble can be seen, not only on the carpet, but also on the walls, drapes, furniture, and even on the lamp shades. One homeowner begged him to shut off the light: “I can't bear to see anymore. I don't care what it costs. Please clean it up!” Another woman said, “I'll never be comfortable in my home again.”
The problem was there all the time, but it was invisible until the right light exposed it. Now, it would have been cruel for Kingsley to show his customers the extent of their problem, tell them “that’s too bad for you,” and walk away. No. He brought the light so that they might desperately want his cleaning services.
And that’s exactly why Christ came. He brought the light of His presence, and He brought the light of His Word not to make us feel bad, but to expose the dirt so we would want Him to clean it up. Oh my dear friends, don’t walk in the darkness of denial any longer. Instead, walk in the light and let Jesus clean up the mess.
If you want to be holy and whole, just like our Heavenly Father, then walk in love and walk in the light of Christ.
At St. Francis High School in La Canada, California, math teacher Jim O'Connor is known for his tough, no-nonsense approaching to algebra, pushing his students – all boys – into shape. O'Connor, a Vietnam vet told CBS News, “It drives me crazy when people say school should be fun. I mean, it's nice if it could be, but you can't make school fun.”
Pat McGoldrick, a senior who just graduated from St. Francis says, “[Until people get used to him,] they think he's really mean.” But that all changed for Pat and his classmates when they visited Los Angeles Children's Hospital to recruit blood donors for a blood drive they were organizing. When the boys mentioned where they went to school, they were immediately met with awe. The hospital staff said things like, “Oh, so you must know Jim O'Connor. Isn't he wonderful?”
The boys were stunned and, if they were being honest, a little confused about the man they thought they knew. That confusion was cleared up when they saw a plaque in the hospital for all-time donors. At the top of the list? Jim O'Connor. A universal blood donor (type O-negative), O'Connor has donated a total of 72 gallons of blood and platelets since 1989, surely saving countless lives along the way.
But there was more that the boys learned that day: Jim O'Connor, who never married or had children of his own, volunteers three days a week holding and rocking sick and dying babies when their parents can't be there. O'Connor says of the babies, “I don't want to see them alone. You can't do that.” O'Connor's students were blown away. “I've always respected him,” says Pat, “but now it's to an even different degree – really to the point where I try to emulate him.” (Steve Hartman, “Tough California teacher has a tender heart,” CBS News, 2-14-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
This is a man who walks in light as well as in love. He insists on the truth – in his case, the truth of mathematics. But at the same time, he demonstrates the love of Christ. Lord, help us to do the same. Help us to walk in love and light, imitating You, our Heavenly Father.
