Be imitators of God

Let's begin with chapter 4, verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be ye kind to one another, and tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Therefore, be followers of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. When I looked at these two verses that I had been assigned, I thought, well, this is simple. And then I thought, whatever's brief is much more complex. Let's go ahead. So let's turn back. What's it there for?

J. Vernon McGee, right? What's it there for?

It references the verses before it. I'm going to pick just one verse because the one of leaving things behind we could include which we did in the scripture I read. Let's look at verse 32 because I think this is from whence 5.1 continues. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Alright, now the challenge begins. What does it mean to be? And the Greek term to be really means to become Jeremiah. And it's imperative. By the way, this isn't, you know, if you feel like it, this is kind of to be, to become imitators, which is translated in some versions as followers of God looking like Jesus. Is this looking like Jesus or walking in his footsteps? Is that what this means? being imitators or followers of Christ? Peter, Regan needs company over there. What do you think? Imitators. What do you think when you imitate something? Maybe this is how that band came about. That saying, do what Jesus did. What would Jesus do?

How are you doing with that? She says we're not doing well at this. No, I'm at me. I wasn't talking to you. I globalized it because it needs to be globalized. It ain't me, babe. Who did that? This is the same word that's used often in the epistles. We're going to look at these verses. I typically don't do that. I just put ones I want to cite in my lesson. But let's look at these and then we're going to come back and take another firm look at this.

Who's going to do 1 Corinthians 4.16? Roger.

Bonnie, 1 Corinthians 11.1.

Regan, 1 Thessalonians 1.6.

David, 1 Thessalonians 2.14. Peter, do you have your Bible? Good.

Hebrews 6.12.

And Tom, 1 Peter 3.13. Same great word, mimethes. Roger, you're up first. I exhort you therefore to be imitators of me. Paul says be imitators of me. Why would he say that? Is he bringing attention to himself? What is Paul doing that he is saying to be imitators of him?

You have to finish the phrase even as I follow or imitate and that's going to come out in the next verse, 1st Corinthians 11.1.

Who's got that? The imitators of Lee, just as I also am of Christ. Okay, but the word is imitator again, or follower, but Paul's saying, and I think we would all agree with this, whose life would you look at in terms of born of the earthly mother and father? Whose life would we look at as most exemplary of the Lord Jesus Christ? And it would be Paul, wouldn't it? So what Paul's saying, imitator, follower, we're going to leave that term kind of vague at this point in time. Paul's saying is, I walk in the new nature. be like me, walk in the new nature. I'm jumping ahead a little bit.

Next verse, 1 Thessalonians 1.6. Did you have that one? I have it.

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost. Okay, they're followers of them and the Lord. Okay, David, I think you're 214, right? For you, brethren, became imitators of the church of God in Christ Jesus, that are in Judea. For you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews. Alright, so that kind of ties into what Regan had just read in terms of the body as a whole as being imitators through trials and tribulations.

Peter, Hebrews 6.12. then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent, instead you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and patience. And following examples is the same Greek term as being a follower, an imitator.

1 Peter 3.13 Tom? And who is he who will harm you if you be followers of that which is good? OK, followers, imitators of that which is good. OK, so this, again, is a term that doesn't show up just once. It's throughout the epistles and I think raises some issues about what that means. So how do you do this, be imitators or followers? And secondly, how are you doing at this? Well, let's go ahead. And the connection to being these imitators, this is as dear children.

Now, we're all sons and daughters of the Lord, right? We're told clearly that in Romans about our relationship with the Heavenly Father. I have a picture of a dad and a kid. Oh, there it is. Is this something like a child-father relationship? Is this what this is? As dear children, what's different between our being sons and daughters of the Lord versus being earthly children of a father? Well, this child portrays, I mean, dance the hero, right?

For a while, anyway. Peter can let me know when I was, maybe at two or birth, who knows. But anyway, I mean, that's kind of the parallel or the analogy that's used here in scripture. I think it relates to a small child. Technon is the Greek word for child or children and some interpretations call technon like John does as a small child. Remember John appealed to the small children, the adults and then the older more mature believers. Technon I think in this circumstance might be best interpreted as a small child. A small child does look up to his parents I think particularly for boys and girls to their dad up to a certain age. So that's kind of the analogy that's being utilized here. But I think that verse 2 is going to help us a lot here in terms of pinning this down theologically. Any other thoughts on verse 1, being imitators of God? We all admit that in the flesh this is impossible. Roger?

Well, back to that word be, that, you know, I had that actually in the previous verses. And if you look carefully at that be, that's the idea of coming to a new state of being. Becoming, yeah. I think become is... So the question is here, so there's actually more to it than that, that we've come into this new state of being as an imitator. We can't He says, careful, we can't be an imitator of God without being born again. So we come into this new relationship that we can have the potential. to walk in faith. So I think that B is critical to understanding.

Because you can get off the table and say, I'll do what Jesus does. Well, no, it's not that at all. You're recognizing what's happened to you as a believer in the Lord. You're a new creation in Christ. I like that, and that's why I put this as imperative, too. To not hang out in the old self trying to improve it, right?

And we're going to mature that thought as we go forward in verse 2. Verse 2's got a lot of meat, and we're going to kind of drill down in terms of the interpretation. I think we would all admit, in the power of the flesh, we can't be imitators of God. If we imitate, it's a false imitation, because the flesh has no power, no value. This would be inconsistent. Remember Ephesians. Why are we studying Ephesians? What's the theme of Ephesians? Gosh, I think you did fail last week. We'll end with that today. Thanks, Randy, for bringing that important point forward. Alright, okay.

Walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us. Boy, how's that for a qualification? an offspring and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor or aroma. and walk, which means conducting one's life. Some people say it's not run, it's walk. It's kind of a life, is what this implies. And in love, agape, of course we all know about agape in terms of our intellectual definition of agape. What kind of walk in love is this?

Well, it's Christ also has loved us and given himself for us. Boy, it's kind of hard to measure up to that in any other a condition other than the born-again condition. 2 Thessalonians 2.16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, and it goes on. So the idea that his love for us is unequivocal and repeatedly stated in scripture, I like the Revelation verse, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Okay, that's the beginning here. So this idea of we walk in love as Christ has loved and given himself for us really is identification.

That's all it is. So the imitation is not the imitation of the flesh walking in self-righteousness, but in fact it is another life that we've been born unto. So what's different here than what God commanded Israel? I picked one of many verses in the Old Testament we could have looked at.

This is Deuteronomy 30.16. In that I command you today to love, ahab in the Hebrew, which means human love. expression, the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes and his judgments that you may live and multiply and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. What's the contrast here between the call to Israel to walk in his ways and keep his commandments? What's different? earthly not heavenly.

It talks about going to the land on earth that God had assigned to them after he had released them from slavery. Do we need to cancel that out on the tape? And they failed repeatedly although there are Old Testament saints we look at and say where did the power come from to be obedient to the faith as God had called them to. I mean the Daniels and the Josephs etc. in the Old Testament.

Those were people that were exceptional but overall Israel failed didn't they? What kind of love is Ahab? Well, if you look at it, it's human love. It's the fleshly love which fails repeatedly. But God has called them to a task that really is an impossibility. So remember, the purpose of the law was what? Galatians truth, right? The law was given to convict us of our sin nature. We all know that here, but I would suspect that the neo-evangelical or covenant church fails there periodically to understand that truth. Hi, Ron. Hi. How are you doing? Good. Good. Alright. The important part is yet to come. Alright, let's go ahead. If Israel couldn't do it, how can we? And we can't do it. The call to love God and walk in His love. you know, be more than we are is an impossibility.

So what kind of love is agape? It's unequivocal, it's unconditional, it's infinite, it's eternal, we can go on and on. It's grace-based. So what's grace? It's something we don't understand much about, but it's unmerited favors often used. It's basically the benefit we have in Christ Jesus beyond anything we can ever understand. And so if we relate, you know, agape to our lives and being imitators, it's Christ's love for us that's ultimately in us.

And so this is an exchange life, which in fact cannot be simply an imitation in fleshly strength, but in fact it's spirit-led new identification and walk. So what kind of walk is this? Well, it's simple for me to live as Christ, right? So that's as identification based as you can get. And what follows that for me to live as Christ? And I look at that as either way we win, right? And how do we do this?

Well, let's turn to the spirit-led existence. You know, we're identified in the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and burial, but in fact we do need to be empowered. Remember Paul in Romans 6 had all the right facts and truth about the doctrine. But then Romans 7 follows 6, where we failed because Paul was confused about how to do this life that he was called unto. But here's Romans 8, 2-4. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death, what we just discussed in terms of the love that the Old Testament saints were called to, and failed repeatedly. For what the law could not do, and that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin and he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

So we can be steeped in identification truth all we want but what allows us to walk in the spirit rather than in the flesh? Is this making right choices? I think you pointed it out in the beginning, it's life. It's a life because we're in Christ. And because we're in Christ and in fellowship with him, his life then is the life that allows all that to happen. Well, right, but it's spirit-led. How do you become spirit-led versus led by just doing right things and being imitators in terms of not the Greek translation in context?

I would think I would say it's the work of the spirit himself. Okay, how's that happen? I think that's his assignment from the father is to work work in us. Alright, because I got a table lamp and I turn it on it's not working but I'm not plugged in. Now when I plug it in and I turn the switch on it works. Tom, just to have that lead us going forward.

Alright, and I guess the whole point is kind of reflecting on what we've been taught many times about how the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting for us Jesus is after in that part of the Bible that we are studying at the moment. He'll make things clear if we trust and rest in his name. And how does the Spirit make things clear? I mean that's the most nebulous part of Christianity isn't it? God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How do you describe the Holy Spirit?

It's kind of this this mythical kind of outer space kind of impact that he's having on our lives. What made Paul transition from Romans 7 to Romans 8? He was at an impasse and he had to deal with it somehow and yet he found that the Holy Spirit was the one that enabled him. And that came after failure, didn't it? But how does the Spirit enable us on a day-to-day basis?

Okay, we're on the right track. Through the Word. The Word is really the source of all of our truth. And you could say, well, what about people who don't have the Bible, who are born again? Well, the Spirit still is potentially in their lives. But what does it take to have the Spirit enliven us to be imitators, quote-unquote, of Christ? Well, it's the faith and the truth. Is it not? Everything that is done in our lives that represents being imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ is a walk by faith. And our faith is in our identification and our faith is that we are being empowered by the Spirit even though we can't describe Him very well. But the Spirit is what leads us to that truth.

So when Christ was starting to ascend to a further question, is there a difference of how the Spirit functioned in the Old Testament times, previous to Christ, versus when He sent, at that point where He sent His Holy Spirit? Absolutely. And what's different between the Old Testament Spirit's impact on the nation of Israel and the entire globe versus what it is today? What's different? He was here and there and went and did God's purpose to evolve the nation of Israel to the cross. The Spirit ultimately led from Adam and Eve all the way to the crucifixion day in and day out throughout the Old Testament text. But today he's within our souls and in our hearts and in our lives.

Now the problem here a little bit is how do I know behavior of any of you or even in the world system as we see someone do something good is spirit led. We have no ability to judge that. I mean the spirit led life isn't something we say gee I was in the spirit, I was in the spirit, but no that was in the flesh. I mean if we are in that space we are failing. If we are examining our lives to say was that spirit led or not, we are not living by faith.

Living by faith is a life that shows up that is ultimately based on the identification truths we've been studying here for nine months now, Roger, right? So we're, in the end, I'm going to really kind of set the stage for this to, I think, apply it more realistically to our day-to-day existence. And what is this Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus? Well, it's for us. And actually for us. Remember the text. What did the text say? And walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given himself for us.

And if you look at for us, and I drilled down on this a little bit, there's the Greek translation which is instead of or behalf of. So in other words, this impact of being for us is ultimately just not for our benefit, but it's really on behalf of or instead of. So Christ, in fact, was us. and on behalf of us and instead of us was crucified.

And that's just not for us that we might get some flowers and roses to take home from church today. I mean the idea here is this is sacrificial and on our behalf. Important. All right. Wiest, it does not merely mean that Christ died for us, but for our benefit he died instead of us. So I like that and Wiest, Roger, thanks for dropping that in our direction. Alright, but isn't the cross more than that? What do you think? Christ died on our behalf and instead of us, but isn't the cross more than that? I'm not being critical of that statement, all I'm saying...

Tom, yes. I don't recall the exact spot, but Paul actually said because of what Christ has done in his life, he dies daily. It's an ongoing thing where you're continually challenged by the will and flesh of the devil, and yet at the same time you've got the absolute assurance the Holy Spirit will guide you to all truth.

Well he's dying daily from his perspective or from our perspective? Well he's actually modeling what would be the ideal Christian life. Well Tom I think where you're going is I was saved July 14th 1978 for me. But we are being saved and we will be saved ultimately being in his presence. So this constant idea that we are being saved day in and day out is his dying again and again. He only died once. But theologically and spiritually that death has occurred day in and day out that we might in fact grow in grace, right?

Right, and there is actually a very moving passage from the post-Civil War days when I don't know who came up with this phrase, but he said, Lord, he had been in slavery, as in physical slavery, before the Emancipation Proclamation. And he said, Lord, we ain't what we want to be. We ain't what we're going to be. Thank you, Lord. We ain't what we was.

Good. During tough times too. Boy, Civil War times. Yes, Steve. So this may be the point that addresses your previous question about the Holy Spirit. We're identified with him. He died and as a result we're identified with him in his death. And then at that point, even so, we should walk in the goodness of life. So maybe that's where the Holy Spirit is intersecting with that.

Okay, but what did Christ promise in John 14, I believe, about the Spirit? What did He say the Spirit's role was? It would lead you into all truth. Alright, but in addition, Tom, one more important thing the Spirit was engaged to accomplish. What was that? Exactly, to reveal Christ in you.

So, you know, we can separate ourselves from God and His walk and the theology we can kind of put on a table like Paul did in Romans 6, but in fact until we're recognizing that in the power of the flesh, we're in fact dead. We're not dead spiritually and physically, but we're dead in terms of the walk. Ultimately, that spirit's role in revealing Christ in us is not really exemplified.

And how does it happen? It's by our faith to believe that's occurring on a day-to-day basis, Tom, what you referred to. Here's why I think this crosses more than this, and I'm not being critical of what's been said, but Romans 6, 3, and 4, do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death instead of, on behalf of, therefore we were buried with him through baptism unto death.

And here's where the cross is more than that. That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life. The cross is just more on behalf of us or instead of us. It relates to our walk. So buried with Him in baptism unto death, risen with Him, not only to be positionally placed at God's right hand, but to walk in newness of life.

And that's Spirit-led. And there's no better way to describe the Spirit, except it's by faith that we see that Spirit enacted in our life. And we don't take credit for that. That Spirit-led life is witnessed by the body, and we're not there to gain points or gain credit, we're there to give it to the Lord. And that's a life.

Any thoughts? Offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma. Quite a contrast to the past, isn't it? What did Christ say about the Pharisees and their self-righteousness? Roger? Woe unto you, right? Self-righteousness is probably uglier than just pure outward sin. I'm not going to make any judgements. It's all fall short of the glory.

Anyway, Hebrews 10.4.4.

It's not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could ever take away sins, right? So the idea of this, you know, the past was, you know, the Jew thinking that the sacrifice was going to be By the way, let's pause here. Those who were called by faith for whatever means they had to respond by faith, that sacrifice of the bulls and goats was by faith taken care of. It was an atonement. It wasn't a propitiation, but it was an atonement. Those who lived by faith in the Old Testament, I'm sure, understood a little bit about what was happening with the animal sacrifices.

God goes on to say, and I think, Ron, your dad thinks, I think, Randy, that Barnabas wrote the epistle to the Hebrews. I mean, that's a little bit of a rabbit trail, but if Barnabas wrote Hebrews, which I think there's some evidence for, he states that the sacrifice of bulls and goats is meaningless. It just doesn't have any merit. just worthless. Hebrews 10a previously saying sacrifice and offerings burn offerings and offerings for sin you did not desire nor had pleasure in them which by the way was offered according to the law right so again the contrast to the past and talking about a sweet savor and those sacrifices wasn't what you'd call a sweet savor And this one is sweet-savoring, as is our walk.

So our walk should reflect the Spirit-led life to the extent that we are, quote, imitators or followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's a new life being revealed by the power of the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 15 and 16, For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing, to the one where the aroma of death leading to death and to the other, the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? Oh, all of us. How do you think our lives are, you know, an aroma of sweet things, a savoring smell?

Also, aren't we supposed to be, I mean, we're told often that we're a light. in darkness, it's sort of the same thing. If we're walking in the Lord, and we're trusting that in that life, I think people do recognize something different. They may not know what it is, and maybe we don't even realize it. But I think people do notice a difference. And do we need to be concerned about that?

So, Hal used to say that your life may be the only Bible people ever read. But that's not performance, is it? It's a walk by faith, spirit-led, that ultimately reveals something different about us, and we don't take credit for any of it. Tom, your thoughts? Backing back up there to Hebrews 10. Sacrifice and offerings are offerings and offerings for sin.

You did not desire. I think that's kind of worded weirdly. You did not desire. Is that referring to the sin? It's not referring to the second place of offerings. It makes me think you reflected the Lord Jesus Christ, but let me turn to the verse. And then, Lord have pleasure in you, which are often equivalent. Wow, that kind of smacks a Paul statement. But it doesn't stop there, does it? No, I was just trying to remember the rest of it. Then he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.

He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second, by which we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once and for all. The whole end of chapter 9 and 10 is all about sacrifice of books, bulls and goats. I didn't drill down in terms of teaching that today, but I'm just trying to point out that these sacrifices were inadequate and also not the sweet savor we're looking for today. Let me get Randy first.

The idea of the fragrance that the Lord is pleased by the sacrifices or taking pleasure or not taking pleasure in them. is this fascinating thing where it's revelatory of God's having senses. And this is just kind of an observation. The fact that he has the awareness of the world is a reflection of God's having senses. We're made in his image having senses as well. There's kind of a beautiful woman. It's his touch to reality, the human existence, right? That's an interesting point. Tom? Alright, so what's the proverbial bottom line here?

I'm going to kind of give you my thoughts about what this imitation or following looks like. Remember from whence we've come here. What's Ephesians 1-3? Somebody put a sentence or two to summarize what Ephesians 1-3 is all about. Why do you think Paul started there, Patty?

It's hard to do before we know who we are. It's not what you do, it's who you are. My thoughts and life experience and tried to teach the kids that growing up is that what you do is an evidence of who you are. It's not what we do, it's who you are. But then what follows that is this walk we're talking about as imitators. I keep saying quote because it's a life not an imitation as we think in the flesh. Then that's evidence of who we are. Randy?

The Hebrew idea of walk was to reflect life. This is your daily life. Like as as you're walking in the Old Testament, this is what your life should be focused on. That would be an Old Testament. So all this reappropriation, we're talking about spiritual life. And this is something we worked at.

Patty? I think of the walking as kind of the same idea of abiding, and as they're abiding, then the Holy Spirit, they're able to produce fruit, and then I think of the fruit of the Spirit. Those are things that people can see, that maybe some of us need to know. And how does this abiding occur?

By faith in what He's done. By faith. We're called to faith. From Adam to today and in terms of eternity to follow all the prophecy, mankind is called to faith. And what faith did Adam and Eve have to respond to? They had to respond to what God had revealed. So again, back to Schofield. Schofield's definition of faith is beautiful. Believing what God has revealed. Simple?

I mean we can all go to Hebrews 11.1, it's much more complex and applicable. But believing what God has revealed, and what He revealed to us is our position in Christ Jesus. That's what Ephesians 1-3 is all about. Alright, let's go ahead. Let's begin with rest. There remains therefore rest of the people of God.

When we're positionally placed, There's a rest. You know, it's funny, I woke up like my usual time to wake up this morning, quarter to five, and this kind of came to mind, so I added this this morning. You know, being positionally placed is a rest. There's a comfort. It's kind of laying your head down on that soft pillow through the trials and tribulations we all face day in and day out. So position, rest.

And what follows that rest, it's accepting our citizenship. For our citizenship, is in heaven from which we also eagerly await for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we're positioned, we rest, and gee, this is where I am. This is my citizenship in heavenly places.

And by the way, we all face trials and tribulations, pain and disgust and distress and everything. The rest I may not enter into immediately, but I do recall my citizenship, and that helps me back up a second. If this is just an earthly experience, it's only for a short time, right? And once God had these trials and tribulations for us, it's a clue in His great grace that we may be increasingly conformed to the image of His Son. And next, we reckon on our position.

Romans 6.11 Likewise, you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Remember, we are buried with him with baptism unto death, but risen with him in newness of life. Remember, we still have a sin nature, we all recognize that only too often, but we confess that and we move on by faith, knowing our position and that rest God gives us. Then walk in his nature and his love will be manifested.

Galatians 2.20, we all know it well, and I've been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I live, but he lives in me in the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

And this is imitation. This is life in us. I'm done. Isn't it remarkable how this imitation is so different than what a casual reader might read this verse and say, ah hey, that's what would Jesus say? Walk in Jesus' steps, right? It's just it's just a totally different view because it's based on Christ and our relationship to that. Miles apart. We've kind of. been over this in some semi-redundant manner off and on this morning, but two verses, that's all you gave me. Yeah, Randy, go ahead. Two good verses.

Ephesians 4.1, he starts off with a similar pattern. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the covenant that you will call me. There is this idea of God has called us to this walk. When Paul makes this transition from the theology of who we are in Christ into the practical doctrinal application of 4 and 5, There is a pattern that is rooted in this repeated idea of who we are in Christ.

So you've got two good verses though. Yeah, but look at that. Who's teaching next week? You are, right? And look what's next. Why does he have to take us back to fornication and all uncleanliness and covetousness? He's saying leave that behind, but are you going to leave that behind by willing it behind? No, it's God's going to leave it behind by our faith and walking by faith in the new nature and spirit led to do so. Yeah, Tom. You keep looking like you're ready to say something. I'm just paying attention. You're paying attention, good. All right, any other thoughts here? Oh, you're done early then. Okay.

Rabbi, close us in prayer, would you please? Heavenly Father, we come before you. We thank you that you are our Father and the one that we imitate by the power of the Holy Spirit through the life of Christ. We just pray for your guidance and direction as we live your life out, that we would walk in that fellowship and relationship. We thank you for the time we have in your work and we pray for a fruitful week. We thank you, Jesus.