Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
5 sermons cite this verse
… though sometimes the Bible says it that way. See Ephesians chapter 5 verse 1. But it's not imitation in an artificial sense, but an organic sense. We are participating in God's life. We're riding the wave of God's forgiveness. We're carried along by the river of God's life because God's life and God's forgiveness are just two ways of saying the same thing, which means that if I shut out God's forgiveness, then I shut out God's life. So Jesus' story is also a warning. But the warning is not, watch out because God might change his mind and decide that he doesn't love but actually hates you. No, that's not the warning. It's not that God's forgiveness is conditional. It's that God's life and God's forgiveness are one in the same thing. If you refuse to let God's forgiveness flow through you, or if I refuse, then we are at the same time refusing God's life, refusing the God of Jesus and making a God of our own choosing. …
… Glorify Him. We imitate Him. Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1 says, be imitators of God as His beloved children. Imitate Him. We obey Him. 1 John 3, 10 says, By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. You want to tell who the children of God are? Look at their lives. They're obeying him. We reflect him. That's what we talked about earlier. Remember, this is why we adopt. This is why we do foster care. Not because we're just altruistic people. We don't adopt because we just want nice Christmas card photos to send out that people will think are cute. That doesn't drive ministry to orphans. what drives ministry to orphans is gospel-driven tenacity that knows when there are difficulties in foster care and adoption, when there are challenges, when there is resistance, even from children who don't have a mom or a dad, but who have grown up in a context where they have learned to resist any effort at love toward them. …
… It's actually how God has designed them, believe it or not In Ephesians 5.1 Paul writes there, therefore be imitators of God as dear children There's a connection between imitation and dear children That we see here in this verse Children imitate I, as a dad, I try to intentionally spend time with the Lord with my daughter around. I have seen that without me prompting her to do so, if I have my Bible and I'm reading, she'll go in her books and she'll find her Bible, a little two-year-old. she'll go find her bible and she'll go sit and she'll read which obviously looking at the pictures more so She started already to pray. It's amazing. We let her pray for her food sometimes. And sometimes she'll pray for the whole group if we're at like an outing with friends or family. And it's so adorable. But this is as a result of imitation. What she's seen, what she has heard. and it's for this reason that we ought to be so incredibly mindful of the example that we are setting for our children whom the Lord has given us if you want your children to follow Jesus and serve him don't just tell them show them show them what it looks like you see there's a phrase that I've never forgotten discipleship is caught not taught it's caught not taught they see it and it's a tragedy and I think the word tragedy is an understatement it's a tragedy that far too many fathers …
… Let me read them to you. Therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you as is proper among saints. There must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man who is an idolater, has an 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 be partakers with them." As we saw last time in looking at verses 1 and 2, this chapter begins on a beautiful high note, Be imitators of God as beloved children. We are the children of God. …
… You notice this? when Jesus Christ, and I put this in after Ephesians 5, though we're not actually studying it, when Jesus Christ says, I'm your friends, he gives the same two elements. What makes him our friend? One is, you're not a servant, you're a friend, because I tell you my business. I tell you what's going on inside. I let you in. And secondly, I give my life for you. I don't let you down. Same two elements. Have you ever encountered somebody who gave you befriending grace in that didn't just brush you off and didn't just sort of do their duty, but were really kind. What is befriending grace? Well, I've experienced this, what it means. First of all, it's the same two things that you've got to have to be a truly spiritually kind person. There's a humility, and yet there's a confidence. On the one hand, befriending grace happens when this person I'm talking to, that there's a humility and therefore there's a transparency. …