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Let's take our Bibles and turn to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 1, tonight. And I'd like to talk about imitating the Lord. If I were to say to you, I'd like you to imitate God. That was the extent of my exhortation.
What would you do? What does it look like to imitate God? If you were to tell your children, imitate God, I wonder what you would think. Kind of a big subject, don't you think? Singapore, January 19th, some time ago, and I quote, and I kid you not, people in straight-laced Singapore were urged Monday to act like monkeys.
The Chinese zodiac signed for the coming lunar year for the sake of their country. Singaporeans could foster an economic recovery this year by behaving more like monkeys, Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said in a lunar new year message reported in the Straits Times newspaper.
Chinese communities around the world will herald the start of the year of the monkey on Thursday. Chinese believe the monkey is clever, flexible, innovative, and confident, but can also be selfish, jealous, and vain.
Be like a monkey. When things happen, you have to be nimble. Take advantage of opportunities. Don't be cast down, but rise to the challenge if it does occur, Tan was quoted as saying. Finally, a literal interpretation of monkey see, monkey do.
Imitate a monkey. If you'd like to have prosperity in the coming year, this was dated a little bit, but if you'd like to have prosperity, just be like a monkey. Imitate monkeys, study monkeys, do what monkeys do.
I think I would rather take a look at Scripture and then figure out what it means to imitate God, to mimic God. Nowhere in Scripture, and I'm sure this congregation knows this already, are you told to mimic a monkey, but you are told to mimic God.
If you had to share with someone though, I'll ask the question again, I've asked it several times, what does it mean to imitate God? How do I mimic God? What does it actually mean? So let's go to 1 Thessalonians 1, we're at verse 6 today, but I'll read chapter 1, verses 1 through about 10 with the exhortation of imitate the Lord, or imitate God, and then we'll take a look at Ephesians 5, because 1 Thessalonians doesn't tell us exactly what imitate God means, but Ephesians does.
And then we'll look at these four ways we can imitate the Lord by the grace of our risen Savior. So let me read to you verses 1 through 10, and then we'll focus in on verses 6 through 8 tonight regarding imitating the Lord.
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you. How do we know that? Because our gospel, verse 5, came to you not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with full conviction.
You know what kind of men we prove to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth or trumpeted from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Why don't you bow with me, if you would, as I pray? Father in heaven, what a joy it is to sing at your praises, to extol the greatness of your Son, Jesus Christ. To think that your grace was so amazing, could save people like us.
And so tonight, in light of that, Father, we would like to worship you as we hear the word, as we respond to it. I pray, Father, that you would help us to understand it, not just intellectually, but to grasp hold of these verities found in Scripture, so we might honor you and live up to our name, that we might walk in a manner worthy of our calling.
We would acknowledge that you start a great work, you started a great work in us, and that you're working through us now, and you'll be faithful until we're glorified. So I pray for Bethlehem Bible Church.
I pray that you would help her to reflect your greatness, and your glory, and your holiness. And I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, in the series on 1 Thessalonians, we've taken some time off. I asked this question, when the gospel comes to a town full of sinful people, what happens?
And the last time we looked at, in verse 5, the unregenerate elect get saved. So when the gospel comes to a town, those that have been chosen in eternity past respond to the gospel through the word preached, the message about Christ Jesus, the risen substitutionary representative.
But that's not all that happens. And if you take a look at verse 6 and 7 and 8, sanctification happens in the believer. The gospel comes to a city like Thessalonica, it's a pagan city, what happens? People start getting saved, and then they start becoming sanctified in a practical way.
And take a look at verses 6, 7, and 8, and this is all gospel behavior, imitating the apostles, imitating the Lord, receiving the word in affliction, being an example of godliness to others. I'll just summarize this all as sanctification.
You begin to live up to your position, and so let me just read these verses again. And you became imitators of us, and of the Lord. Receive the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
Not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere. We don't even need missionaries for you guys, so that we need not say anything.
The gospel comes to town, and people get saved, and then they start learning, they start growing, they become more and more sanctified practically. One of the things that happens is, if you look at verse 6, people receive the word and learn and grow, even though there's affliction and persecution.
Do you see the text? Imitators of us, you receive the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit. These Thessalonians were persecuted by both Jews and Gentiles. They were living lives of persecution.
Jews hating, pagans wanting to have them swim with the current of corruption and sinfulness. Martin Luther said, if Christ wore a crown of thorns, why should his followers expect only a crown of roses?
So Christians receive the word of Thessalonica, they're persecuted, but they still receive joy, not in and of themselves, not because of the trial and affliction, but because of the Lord. Joy brought by the Holy Spirit, supernaturally given.
If you take a look at the text, verse 6, in much affliction, not just a little affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit. There's persecution, they still have joy. The Lord suffered, so does his followers.
They're not saying, I really liked the agony of the suffering itself, but I still have a joy because I know the Lord has saved me. That's a sign of sanctification. And if you take a look at the text, another sign of sanctification is, you became imitators of us, the apostles, and of the Lord.
I'm so fascinated with that, I thought, where am I going to go? I want to know what that's like. What does it mean to imitate the Lord? So let's go to Ephesians chapter 5, and we're going to spend the rest of time in Ephesians chapter 5.
On Sunday mornings, I'm committed to go faster in Bible exposition, but I haven't made that commitment on Sunday nights. So we might go a little slower, because I want you to get what it means to imitate the Lord.
If someone asks you by the end of tonight, I'm supposed to imitate God, what does that mean? I want you to know the answer. If your name's Jonathan Newton, or not, you need to know the answer to this question.
I love, by the way, going to India, and you meet people who are given pagan names, Ganesh, and other kind of gods and goddesses for their first name. But then when God saves them, they take new names.
So the first time I was in India, and a young man who was in one of my classes came up to me, and I said, hi, my name's Mike Ebendroth, good to see you, nice to meet you. What's your name? And he said, John Knox.
Wow, I've just met John Knox. It's unbelievable. And it's neat, because you'll meet other people, and they'll say, what's your name? And they'll say, Barnabas, Apollos. It's exciting. What does that have to do with anything?
Nothing. But it's Sunday night, it's a neat story. Now, in 1 Thessalonians, it says, you became imitators of us and the Lord. But Ephesians 5, there's going to be a command to imitate God. Let's take a look at it, Ephesians chapter 5.
And again, we're going to just take a look at Ephesians 5, because this is more of an explanation, an explication of what it means to imitate God. And I think if you read this quickly, you're not going to get the details.
And I think in our age especially, and you'll see what I mean in just a minute, we need this exhortation, imitate God in our pagan world. So chapter 5, verse 1 says of Ephesians, therefore, be imitators of God as beloved children.
I mean, could there be a higher standard in the world? Act like an elder. Act like a deacon. No, imitate God. Alexander McLaren said, this is the sum of all duty. Lloyd-Jones says, this is Paul's supreme argument, act like God.
Say, God has saved me, He's redeemed me, He's justified me, He's made me born again, and now what's my response in light of my salvation? Imitate God. It's an easy thing to remember, but what does that really mean?
Literally, the text says in Ephesians and the Greek, become imitators of God. And it's the word where we get the word in English, mimic or mime. And the idea is to copy exactly. Remember when Xerox machines first came out?
I remember it was always fun in school that when someone wasn't looking, you could put your face on that thing, push the button, and it would go ahead and go past. You'd want to close your eyes because it was so bright, and then out of the machine would come this face.
And it was pretty nasty, but it was a real replica of what you were. Facial oil on the $5 ,000 machine, that's another story. Marcel Marceau mimicking mimes. Imitate, this is the kind of language. Only place in the Bible where we're told with a command, imitate God.
And it seems to make sense if you look at the rest of the verse in chapter 5, verse 1 of Ephesians, as beloved children, children eager to copy their dad, eager to copy their mom, wanting to try to do what mom and dad do.
A real dearness and affection between father and son, or mother and daughter, or mother and son, makes sense if you're a child of God to imitate your father. And this is the basis from which Paul gives the command to be imitators, as beloved children.
He doesn't say be good, do better, no, imitate God. Now let me just give you four pictures of imitating God. What does it look like? Let me give you four breakdowns found right in this verse, so you know what imitating God looks like.
You can get an idea then what happened at the church of Thessalonica. If you'd like to imitate God, you'll be a self-sacrificial giver of yourself. You'll be a giver of yourself. Take a look at verse 2.
And see how it's tied together? You don't want to just stop at verse 1 and then say it's a different idea, kind of chop it off. How do you imitate God? You imitate God. He is self-sacrificial in giving of himself and of his son.
You are to be the same thing. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Your lifestyle should be one of we imitate God by sacrificial giving, just as Christ also loved you.
He willingly gave himself up. He was the supreme example of giving himself. John 15, Greater love hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. Galatians 2 .20, Who loved me and gave himself for me.
1 John 3 .16, We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us. We are to lay down our lives for the brethren. Imitate God. What does it mean? It means firstly, or first it means to be self-sacrificial.
And don't you love this language that Paul just takes right out of the Jewish sacrificial system? An offering and sacrifice to God. Sweet, fragrant aroma. It's a love that gives and God, as it were, just takes in a deep breath and just says, it smells good.
Leviticus 4 says,. Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord.
There's something about smells that give you a memory. Something about me going into grandma's kitchen and smelling those chocolate chip cookies she used to make. Those were good. Something about that smell.
When you sleep in and those other people get up really early and they've got the bacon all ready. Ever smell the smell of bacon when you're camping? I guess he has. Biltong. Here, the Lord doesn't smell per se because Father's a spirit, but you get the idea.
Smell. Oh, this is something that God loves. When people act like his son, self-sacrificial giving. If you go back a little bit, you can see this kind of language found in verse 32 of the previous chapter.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. If you'd like to imitate God, you can be a self-sacrificial giver of yourself. Well, it simply goes on.
Let me give you another way you can imitate God. By leaving no room for selfishness, especially sexual selfishness. Look at verse 3. These are all tied in together. Be imitators of God. By walking in love and see the contrast?
It's tied in. It's good to study verbs in the New Testament so you understand what's going on, but it's good to look at the connectives. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper among the saints.
Paul doesn't mince any words here, and he basically says this. Christianity affects your entire life, including your sex life. Sexual relations that are sinful don't imitate God. It's not loving. Paul says, all right, self-sacrifice, the epitome of self-sacrifice is found at Calvary.
The epitome of selfishness is sexual sin. See the connection? Not sacrifice, but indulgence. Paul says don't have any association with sexual immorality. It's unlike God. It's not pure. It's impure. It's not holy.
It's unholy. It's not loving. It's taking. It's not giving, but it's grasping. It's self-indulgence, selfish, self-centered, self-gratifying. It's at the expense of others. It's not pleasing. It's not an aroma to God.
He's not talking about marital sex. You can look at Hebrews chapter 13. He's talking about sexual sin. All sin outside of marriage. Look at verse 3 again. Immorality, it says. Sexual immorality, the ESV translates it.
It just means all and any kind of sexual sin. It's a general New Testament term. And it could range from adultery to fornication to homosexuality to all kinds of other gross things. That's not like God.
And you said I'd like to imitate God. God gives. Sexual sin takes. It's not a reflection of the character of God, because giving is a reflection. And I'm not saying sex. I'm saying sinful sexual activity.
And this word here, immorality, is not just the act. It's anything else that goes along between two people who aren't married. Paul goes on to say are any impurity. Do you see that? That's the way the NAS translates it.
And so does the ESV. Impurity just means exactly what it is. Just kind of a gross thing. Eleven times it's used elsewhere in the New Testament. All ten. Ten other times, all sexual sin. The only time it's not used for sexual sin is when Jesus said, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
And then, amazingly, it says,. But sexual immorality, see the checks, in all impurity, or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints. What do you mean, covetousness? King James translates it covetousness as well.
The word's probably best translated with the word greed. Who thinks of immorality, sexual immorality, as greed? Well, Paul does. Wanting something, desiring something, hankering after something, have to have something that's not yours.
If you're not married, the person's not yours. The lust for more. No wonder Moses wrote, You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife. Insatiably consumed with what's not yours, for your own gratification.
And what's Paul say? It says in verse 3, It must not even be named among you. Besides not doing it, don't even talk about it. Don't even let it be said about you. The world is going to shove this down your throat.
Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance, tolerance. Of course, be kind to sinful people. But if you're trying to be told, approve what they do, celebrate what they do, sin is not to be celebrated. Herodotus said this thousands of years ago, One may not speak about what one may not do.
One may not speak about what one may not do. You know what this is almost like? In the Old Testament, they weren't even supposed to say the name of a false god. They weren't even supposed to say the name.
Listen to this in Exodus 23,. Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard, and do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard from your mouth. Psalm 16,. The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied.
I shall not pour out their libations of blood, nor shall I take their names upon my lips. From God's perspective, Christian sexual sin should be so far from you that you don't do it, you don't think about it, and other people don't say you're involved with it.
What does the text say? Look at it. It's as is proper among the saints. It's improper to be doing that. This has nothing to do with Christians who are married. Hebrews 13 says, Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.
Paul says, I want you to imitate God. How do you imitate God? Be self-sacrificial in giving. Don't be a selfish taker sexually when it comes to sinfulness. And then he goes on. Found in verse 4. This is the third way to imitate God, by controlling your tongue.
Still in the context underneath the umbrella of imitating God, chapter 5, verse 1. The action's been dealt with. The model's been given. And now he says the speech. Take a look at verse 4. Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk, nor crude joking which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Most of these have to do with people who have dirty minds. And they express from their heart, out of their mouth, dirty conversations. Chapter 4, verse 29. Hasn't he already said, Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths?
Yes, he has. So here he says, I don't want you to talk in a filthy way, in an indecent way. NIV says, With obscenities, but it's not just obscenity. It's things that are obscene. Things that are shameful.
He goes on to say, With no silly talk. ESV says, Foolish talk. Literally, it means stupid words. That's where we get moron and lagas. Stupid words. Gutter mouth. Trash talk. Crude jokes regarding sex.
He says, What else? You want to imitate God? Then don't have any crude joking. Suggestive statements. You've met people I know who can turn any conversation on a dime into some kind of sexual sin talk.
Double innuendos. Importing sexual talk into it. Now is there anything wrong with humor or joking or laughter? Of course not. Proverbs 17 says, A joyful heart is good medicine. Ecclesiastes says, There's a time to laugh.
But not with this kind of sexual sin talk. Avoid immorality. Avoid talking about it. Avoid listening to it. These Ephesians, they lived in the heart of the sexual sin galore. You know, we do too. From talk shows to books to the internet to gossip.
What does the text say? These things are not fitting. Human sexuality emphasis week. They are not fitting. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to sexual sin. Don't think about it. Don't talk about it. Don't listen to it.
God isn't a prude. God invented sexual pleasure for the married couple. I think this even applies, and I'll just try to be as frank as I can with this. This even applies when you're trying to help someone who is dealing with sexual sin.
If you're helping someone in that sin, you don't need to know all the details. You only need to know that somebody has committed sexual sin. They're struggling with sexual sin. That's all you need to know.
You don't need to know all the details, all their past sexual traumas. Joyce Meyer is a heretic for lots of reasons, but she is totally improper when she's talking about all these things that have happened to her in this realm.
It's not fitting. If you'd like to love other people sacrificially, then the furthest thing from your mind should be this kind of nasty, sinful sex talk. And you know what people do? They joke about it and they have humor because it allows them to talk about this very important subject, but it allows them to do it in such a way where they can get away with things that they normally couldn't get away with because humor takes the edge off, supposedly.
Robert Deffenbaugh said, there is yet another reason why we must not joke about what is immoral. From the text, it seems as though this may be Paul's primary reason for forbidding it. Joking about sex demeans it.
Think about it for a moment. By the way, this guy is from Texas. What do we joke about? Aggies? People from Poland? Newfies? Newfoundlers? Mothers-in-law? Wives? Husbands? Joking makes light of something.
How would you feel about someone joking about your mother or your hometown or your country? We wouldn't like it because we know that such humor is mocking or demeaning what we hold dear. So it's the same thing.
How do you imitate God in this culture? You don't do it, you don't listen to it, you don't talk about it, the sexual sin. So what should you say? Take a look at the end of verse 4. This is the fourth installment of imitating God.
Speak selflessly. Sex talks all about the person. Now it says at the end of verse 4, let there be thanksgiving. But instead, let there be thanksgiving. And he asks, but rather let there be thanksgiving.
But rather giving of thanks. You take all those vices and they're replaced with this one thing. Thankful talk. That seems weird. Commentator Lincoln says, this word appears like an oasis in a desert of negatives.
And it's a word play. Don't talk about eutropalia. Talk about Eucharista. Don't talk about nasty sex sin. Talk about thankfulness. John Stott said, in itself, thanksgiving is not an obvious substitute for vulgarity.
Since the latter is essentially self-centered and the former God-centered. Express the opposite of selfishness. Recognize the goodness and generosity of God. Thankfulness says it's all from you. That's the point.
One man said, do you know why you are to give thanks? Because it's the most unselfish thing you can do. Instead of seeking selfish things like sexual fulfillment, uncleanness, coveting, you are to be thankful.
Instead of wanting everything from everybody, wanting to take, you say thankful. You say thank you to the Lord. Isaac Watt says, our tongues were made to bless the Lord. Instead of talking about sexual immorality, you say, Lord, thank you for what you've done.
1 Thessalonians 5 .18. In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I will repeat, sex is very good. It says so in the book of Genesis. It says so in Proverbs 5. It says so in Song of Solomon.
But sexual sin is very bad. You say, well, you know what, it's not that big a deal. Everybody's talking about it. I don't get involved. I just sometimes talk a little bit. Take a look at verse 5. How grave is this situation?
Sexual sin is deadly. It's deceiving. Be careful. For you may be sure of this. Boy, that's pretty tough language, isn't it? That everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, of course as a lifestyle, or who is covetous, that is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of God, of Christ and God.
You can be sure of that. If I was talking to a group of youngsters, I'd say something like, you can take that to the bank. Oh, you know, I accepted Jesus in my heart. I'm covered for my sins. I'm not going to go to hell.
I just live with this girlfriend. It's not that big a deal. You better know something for certain. No immoral or impure person will inherit the kingdom of God. Notice what it does there. Covetous man or person is like an idolater.
Person sets their heart on that object. They've got to have it. It's like Esau. A lifetime inheritance for a bowl of pottage. Eternal life for sexual sin. It's sad. Colossians 3 says, Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
You're fooling yourself if you say you're a Christian and you're enslaved to sexual sin. 1 John says, The one who says I have come to know Him and does not keep His commandments is a... All right, let's just be frank.
God wants you to know that people who practice sexual sin as a lifetime are going straight to hell. You can be sure of that. That's the idea. Revelation 21 .8, For the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral people, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Revelation 22 says, Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and immoral persons and murderers and idolaters. He's not saying if you've ever fallen, you're going to hell. He's not saying Christians don't commit sexual sin.
He's not saying Christians can't be forgiven for sins. Of course, Christians are forgiven all their sins. But people that live a lifestyle of unrighteousness should ask themselves the question, How can I be a Christian and live like this?
And you know what we have in our society today? I need to wrap this up, but it's an important message. We have a lot of sin apologists in our society. Look at verse 6. Let no one deceive you with empty words.
A lot of people are going to rationalize sexual sin. A lot. Apologetic counterfeiters. For because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Influenced by the surrounding world.
People say things that seem logical, seems attractive, it seems good for the ear. You know, I'm born this way. I've got a disease. I've got an addiction. I've got some kind of syndrome. And do you notice with the language here, it's not stay away from sexual sin.
You don't want to get AIDS. Stay away from sexual sin because you don't want to get somebody pregnant. Stay away from sexual sin. Why? Because you want to imitate God, your beloved children. That's why.
Why? Let no one deceive you with empty words. Don't let some pastor tell you, some college professor tell you, some girlfriend or boyfriend tell you. Don't let anybody tell you because God has clearly spoken.
Oh, they might call you a prude or puritan or repressed sexually. Sexual preference. I'm born this way. Do you know what those things are? Those are empty words. Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Well, what does imitate God mean? Tonight, at least we could see from a very tangible way, God is good and generous and giving and self-sacrificial. Think of the cross. And if we'd like to imitate God, you can be sure that we will in a small way reflect God's self-sacrificial giving and we will run from sinful, selfish taking.
Especially in light of sexual sin. May I say it one more time so no one misunderstands. God is not against sex. God has designed sex. He's not a prude. He is very generous and good. But sexual sin, that is sex outside of marriage, is always sinful.
And it's not imitating God. I wonder how many more years we'll be able to actually preach a message like this before getting thrown into the slammer. Bethesda and Icahns were imitators of God. Ephesians, they were told to imitate God.
You know, as I look around and I see many of you, I think we are filled with a church of folks who want to imitate God and who do. Self-sacrificial giving. The other day I heard someone say, someone else, the church isn't loving, and I thought, well, of course we always have room for love.
But Steve and I get to see things that a lot of you don't get to see. People serving people behind the scenes self-sacrificially. And I just want to say as a pastor on behalf of the elders, congregation, good job.
Way to go. Self-sacrificial. I could start saying to you, you know what, you're imitating God. The group of BBC folks that imitate God. Self-sacrificial giving. I think we better pray because I said it was going to be a short message and we'll do 1 Thessalonians next time.
Let's pray. Father in heaven, we ask that you would keep us far from sexual sin. So many people blown out of ministry and blown out of fellowship and all these other kinds of things because of lack of self-control.
And Father, we would ask that you would help us to obey this command that you gave to the church at Ephesus and other churches to walk in love as Christ loved us. And I think when you think of your Son, Father, you are certainly beholding your Son as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to you.
And Father, in light of that great love that Christ had for us, that you have for us, I pray that you would not have sexual sin even be named among this church at Bethlehem Bible Church. Father, help us to watch our minds, to watch our tongues, to guard our ears so that we might not be caught up in deception.
And Father, I just pray for those that are here today, whether they're single or whether they're married, that you would give them holy lives, including in this area. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.