Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  

Ephesians 5:1-2 

John the Baptist said of Jesus, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, Who, takes away the sin of the world.’ Paul said, ‘Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us.’ When we arrive at our text, we read that in giving Himself for us, Christ did so as, ‘an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.’ When Noah departed from the ark, the Scripture records, ‘Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma…’ Thus, the language Paul is using harks back to the burnt offerings of ancient days. The Old Testament is full of such burnt offerings, often of a lamb, which the Scripture describes as, ‘a sweet savor.’ As Paul articulates it, he is using the language to raise those images in the minds of his readers. It is significant that the crucifixion of Christ was during the Passover time. In Israel’s history, Passover was the beginning of their year by Divine ordination. It marked their liberation from the bondage of Egypt. It was inextricably associated with the sacrifice of the lamb. Therefore, given Paul’s direct reference to Christ as our Passover, the concept of His sacrifice as ‘a sweet-smelling aroma’ runs from the Old Testament through the New. When we behold the crucified Christ, we are beholding the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world by His sacrifice. We are saved for all eternity by the blood of the Lamb.  

Our Wise and Holy God, 
we rejoice that You have given us Your Son. 
We praise You that He is our Sacrificial Lamb. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  

Ephesians 5:1-2 

‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’ These words from the children’s song are both simple in their expression of faith and profound in their grasp of the revelation of the love of Christ in the Scriptures. All the Scriptures bear witness to the love of Christ for us and His willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice in order that we might be brought to God and accepted by Him. The account of the sin of our first parents ends with the first declaration of Christ’s sacrifice, ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.’ There, the pre-incarnate Christ is preaching of Himself to the person least likely to be saved, Satan himself. This is the first of a veritable host of prophecies, types, shadows and pictures which occur throughout the Old Testament all of which point us to the atoning sacrifice of Christ. The New Testament tells the story of HIs life, His sacrificial death and His resurrection. It explains in great detail the ramifications of His sacrifice all the way to the end of the world. Our blessed personal experience is that this sacrifice was for us. ‘Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.’ When we speak of Him, we must again and again come to His work on our behalf. This means He is, for us, a very personal Savior. 

Our Glorious, Living Savior, 
we rejoice that You have loved us with an everlasting love. 
We praise You that have shown us Your love,  
and have sacrificed Yourself for us. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.  

Ephesians 5:1-2 

What is the imitation of God? The exhortation that begins our text calls us to this. It adds, ‘as dear children.’ This gives us a place to start our thinking. Children are imitators. They do what they see us do, say what they hear us say, and adopt the attitudes they observe in us. Therefore, when Paul says, ‘Therefore be imitators of God as dear children,’ we think of how they imitate us. The second portion of our text sets forth the Grand Example Whom we imitate. Paul says we should imitate God and immediately points to Christ. Therefore to imitate Christ is to ‘walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us.’ This love is self-sacrificial as His was. He gave Himself for us as the ultimate self-sacrifice. We learn to imitate Him. For us to walk in love, that is, consistently demonstrate love in the totality of our life, is to sacrifice, ourselves for others. This may take on many forms and involve many mundane, inglorious activities. These are the unsung deeds of love and kindness for which we may never receive recognition now. The day is coming, however, when Christ, sitting upon His Throne shall say, ‘Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.’  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You have set Christ before us. 
We praise You that to imitate You, 
is to imitate Him. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children.

Ephesians 5:1

The latter portion of Ephesians is full of New Testament commandments. Our text this morning puts a very familial construction upon what has gone before and what follows. It encourages us with, ‘be imitators of God as dear children.’ Here is a graphic image of our Christian walk. It also leads us directly to Christ. While Christ is, the only Redeemer of God’s elect, He is also the Great Exemplar of the Christian life. How is it that our own dear children, learn to behave? They do so by imitating us. What Daddy and Mommy do, they imitate. So, their patterns of behavior emerge as little versions of the adult examples before them. This is of the utmost importance when we see all these commands set forth in the context of our text. An adherence to the letter of these commandments will produce a barren self-righteousness, devoid of compassion. It is the imitation of Christ that makes the following of these commandments more than a dead letter exercise. As a dear child of God, I must look to Christ to see how these commandments translate into everyday spiritual behavior. There is no true obedience apart from the imitation of Christ. Although it has become a trite and passé cliché, ‘What would Jesus Do?’  The phrase has a validity which we should carefully consider. As we contemplate Christ, so we shall learn to imitate Christ, as dear children. Look to Christ today.   Imitate Him, dear child, the Holy Spirit will conform you to His Image.

Our most Holy and Faithful God,
Enable us today by the power of Your Spirit,
To both contemplate and imitate our Dear Savior.
Make us daily to more closely resemble Jesus Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush Burning

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.  And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; and there is no partiality with Him.’

Ephesians 6:1-9

Paul dedicates approximately one-sixth of the Book of Ephesians to the subject of submission.  Having discussed what it means to be filled with the Spirit, he transitions into the subject of submission by saying that the conclusion of our being filled with the Spirit is our ‘submitting to one another in the reverence of God.’  He goes on to describe what this submission looks like, using Christ as the example of the kind of leader whom we may confidently follow and to whom we can happily submit.  Having discussed the relationship of husbands and wives, he goes on to speak to children, parents, employees, and employers.  Paul includes everyone, and indicates that everyone has a role to play in ‘submitting to one another in the reverence of God.’  This means that children will behave appropriately toward parents, and that parents will not abuse their position.  It means that employees will discharge their responsibilities and that employers will treat employees with respect.  The final reason he gives is that ‘there is no partiality with Him.’  God is the Ultimate Master and will see to it that justice is done.  Therefore, with Christ as our pattern, we may with reverence to God continue, ‘submitting to one another.’

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that You are utterly impartial.
We praise You, that You lead us to imitate Christ,
regardless of our station in life.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning