Sermon Notes,
June 19, 2016 AM
Are
You an Imitator or an Imposter?
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. Have you ever seen someone who did
impersonations?
1. Steve Bridges did incredible impersonations of politicians. At one of
the White House
Correspondents dinners he appeared alongside President George W. Bush.
It was hard to
tell them apart. He looked the part, dressed the part and sounded like
the former president.
2. A friend of mine in the Memphis area was grew up with Elvis Presley
and was friends with
him throughout his life. He’s now in his 80’s and is still called on to
judge competitions of
Elvis impersonators.
B. Do you realize that all Christians
are called to be imitators? Go with me to Ephesians 5.
1. In verse 1 Paul writes, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved
children.”
2. Remember our word, “therefore” means this thought is being based on
something said
previously. Paul has just addressed attitudes that must characterize a
person’s new life in
Christ.
a. Attitude towards truth – 4:25.
b. Attitude towards anger – 4:26-27.
c. Attitude towards work – 4:28.
d. Attitude towards speech – 4:29.
e. Attitude towards the Holy Spirit – 4:30.
f. Attitude towards others – 4:31-32.
3. Connected to this thought is this command (not a suggestion), “Be
imitators of God.”
a. The word “imitator” is the word “mimetes,” from which we get our
word, “mimic.”
b. It is used six times in the New Testament. Two times in 1 Corinthians
Paul says, “be
imitators of me” (as he was of
Christ). Two times in 1 Thessalonians he uses the word in
a similar way. It is interesting
that both of these were Greek churches that would be
familiar with the idea of “acting”
in a certain way. The word is also used in Hebrews 6:12
where the writer days, do not “be
sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises.”
c. This passage from Ephesians 5:1 is the only one where Paul directly
says, “be imitators
of God.”
C. I doubt we are interested in
impersonating presidents, politicians or celebrities. I hope all
of us are interested in imitating God. The question is, “how?”
I.
WALK IN LOVE
A. Look at Ephesians 5:2 - “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.”
B. How has Christ loved you?
1. He loved you when you were
lost.
a. You were like a lost sheep that
had wandered away from the flock. God loved you
enough that he left the others
to search for you. He found you among the muck, mire
and thorns of the world, picked
you up and carried you home.
b. You were like a lost coin. God
was relentless in His search for you. He spared no effort
or expense to find you. When He
found you He was happy and rejoiced.
c. You were like a child who
rebelled and left home resisting every overture of love from
your father. He waited
patiently. When you asked to come home He welcomed you
with open arms.
2. He loved you when you no one else would.
a. Jesus loved people who were
scorned and sneered at by others.
b. He said concerning the sinners
and tax collectors in Mark 2:15-17, “I have not come to
call the righteous but sinners.”
c. He said to a woman who had
committed adultery in John 8:1-11 “Neither do I condemn
you, go and sin no more.” To
others she was merely a pawn in a game of religious
chess. Jesus saw her as someone
in need of genuine love.
3. He loved you when you were not faithful to Him.
a. The real story is not that Peter
denied Jesus. The remarkable story is that Jesus did
not deny Peter. He didn’t give
up on him. He didn’t say, “three stikes and you’re out.”
He didn’t say, “you had your
chance and you blew it.”
b. He said, “Tend my sheep” (John
21:16-17).
4. He love you so much He gave Himself for you.
a. He laid down His life for your
life.
b. He took the guilt of your sins.
c. He died so you might live.
C. To imitate God we must strive to love others as He has loved us. This
is not an easy task.
II.
PUT OFF SELFISH BEHAVIOR
A. In verses 3 and 4 Paul mentions two areas of life that are directly affected
when we
become imitators of God.
1, The first of these deals with sexual ethics. In verse 3, “But
immorality or any impurity or
greed must not even be named among
you.”
a. The NIV says there must not be a
hint of sexual immorality or impurity.
b. The KJV uses the words,
“fornication” and “uncleanness.”
c. Why does Paul follow these two
words with the word, “greed?”
1.) Sexual sin revolves around
lust.
2.) Lust is a strong desire that
longs to be satisfied.
3. Sexual sin does not consider
the best interest of others. It is based upon greed.
2. The second area has to do with our speech. In verse 4 he mentions, “neither
filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor coarse
jesting, which are not fitting.”
B. Compare the self-giving love of Christ in verse 2 with the
self-serving nature of man in
verses 3 and 4.
1. When we become imitators of God it is no longer about us. It’s about
Him.
2. The problem with American Christianity is we have made it all about
us. We have
developed this consumer mindset that
says, “I want this and if I don’t get it I’ll go
somewhere else.”
3. When you love someone you do whatever you can to please them. You
find out what
they like – flowers, food, music,
colors – and do your best to appeal to those tastes.
4. When we love God and desire to be imitators of Him we will do our
best to pattern our
lives after Jesus, the image of
the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
III.
MAKE UP YOUR MIND
A. Some people like to straddle the fence.
1. They remind me of the young man in the Civil War who thought he would
try to appease
both the Union and the Confederacy
by wearing a blue coat and gray pants. The Rebels
shot him in the chest and the
Yankees shot him in the rump.
2. Many people want to wear the name of Christ but live like the Devil.
B. Paul says, “make up your mind.” In verse 5, “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.”
1. Near the end of the first century when the church had been in
existence for over half a
century some Christians were
departing from their faith in Christ. Some were returning to
idolatry. Some were reverting to
their previous immoral behavior. Some were falling away
because of persecution.
2. The last book of the New Testament contains letters to seven
churches. To one of those
churches Laodicea. (All seven were
in Asia Minor not far from Ephesus) Jesus
said, “Behold, I stand at the door
and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the
door, I will come in to him and will
dine with him, and he with Me.”
a. Perhaps you have seen a famous
painting of Jesus standing at the door knocking.
b. If you look closely there is no
door knob. It’s on the inside.
c. To whom is Jesus speaking? The
church! We must make the choice. Are we going to
let Him in?
CONCLUSION:
A. There was a TV game show called, “To
Tell the Truth.” There were three contestants. All of
them identified themselves with the same name and occupation. Two were imposters.
Only
one was the real person. The panel of celebrities had to ask questions
and guess which one
was real.
1. Wherever you go the people you meet are concerned with one specific
question.
2. “Are you real?”
B. May I sincerely ask, “Are an imitator
or an imposter?” Are you imitating God or merely
wearing the name of Christ? It makes all the difference in the world and
in eternity.
