THE BAR IS HIGH

(Ephesians 5:1-2)

In our study of the Ephesians, we now come to the third major division of
the practical section of the book -- chapters 4 through six. These sections
are all in introduced by the word "walk", referring to our conduct. Paul has
previously urged us to walk in unity -- number one on God's list apparently.
And he has urged us to walk in holiness in the last half of chapter 4. In the
first six verses of chapter 5 is urging that we walk in love. In so doing, he
suggests that perhaps we need a model, someone that we can mimic or
imitate. Now in choosing to model yourself after someone, care is required.

An amateur golfer played a championship course after a big tournament.

On the first tee, he asked his caddie what club the tournament winner used
there. The caddie said, “A three-wood.” The golfer took out his three-
wood, swung, and pummeled the ball straight down the fairway. “What
club did he use now?” The golfer asked. “A seven-iron.” The guy swung
his 7-iron, and the ball went over the green into a water trap. The golfer
turned to his caddie and barked, “You said he used a seven-iron. Look
where I landed – in a water trap.” The caddie said, “So did he.”

The point is, imitate flaws – expect flaws! So in looking for a model for
life, Paul goes straight to the top. Look with me at Ephesians 5:1-2, "1)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2) And walk in love, as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God.” Be imitators of God. Tough assignment, huh? The Greek text
literally reads, "Therefore become imitators of God.” Present tense
command. Lifestyle commitment. Never stop becoming imitators of God.

The word "imitators" is a translation of the Greek word μιμητης from which
we get our word “mimic”. The word is used six times in the New
Testament, always introduced by the word "become". All the usages are by
Paul except one in Hebrews. A couple of times (I Thess 2:14; Heb 6:12) he
suggests that we become imitators of more mature believers. Three times (I
Cor 4:16; 11:1; I Thess 1:6; 2 Thess 3:7, 9) he says, "become imitators of
me as I am of Christ." However, here in Ephesians, toward the end of his
life, as he sits in a jail cell in Rome where people cannot see him physically
he goes directly to the source. Imitate God. As beloved children, imitate
your Father. Take up the family mantle and live like who you are --
children of the Almighty.
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The word "imitate" brings to mind some of the clever actors who can
imitate others almost to a fault. Professional Impressionists. I always find
those guys fascinating. I love to watch them any time I can get a chance.
One of the best that I can remember was a fellow named Rich Little. He had
a repertoire of many people that he could mimic. One of those was John
Wayne. I heard Rich Little tell one time how nervous he was when he met
John Wayne for the first time. Wayne demanded, "Little, let me see you do
that walk." Little bravely demonstrated his John Wayne walk. There was
silence. Then Wayne said, "Well -- I’m glad you’ve still got it. I’m losing
it." I can assure you that God isn't losing anything as a pattern or model for
us, but He surely is interested that we get it! Here’s the goal. The goal is
that we are to act in our own little spheres as God acts in His universe,
and thus prove that God is our Father.

How do professional Impressionists become so adept at mimicking others?

Of course, it’s by watching them closely. They observe their every move.
They spend hundreds of hours watching film of their intended target. They
study every nuance of speech and action associated with that person so that
they can duplicate them as closely as possible. The end result is often
amazing. While George Bush was president, there was a fellow from my
alma mater, Biola University, who could not only imitate his actions and
speech patterns but required little makeup to look like Bush. On television
you could not tell the difference. It was incredible. At the end of the
program, the two of them ended up on stage together. Laura Bush was
there too, and I swear she did not know whose hand to hold!

But now the big question. How in the world do we mimic, or copy, or
imitate someone that we can't even see? When was the last time you saw
God in person. Ever see him on television or in film? Of course not. In fact
the Bible assures us that he cannot be seen. So how in the world can we
imitate Him? Great question -- which is answered in verse two. “And walk
in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God.” How do we know what God would look like, how
He would act and think and speak? We look at Christ who was God in the
flesh. That is how we know. I love the New Living Translation of John
1:18, “No one has ever seen God. But the unique One (a reference to Jesus
as He is the subject of all of John 1). But the unique One, who is himself
God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.”

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Paul picks up the same theme here in Ephesians 5 and he says, "Become
imitators of God." Specifically, imitate His everlasting love. Verse 2, “And
walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.” Imitate God by conducting yourself as did
Christ. That is our reference point. Take note of every nuance of the speech
and conduct of Jesus Christ so that we can follow this instruction. Paul
specifically identifies three things about the life of Christ we should
emulate. Actions which are selfless, attitudes which are submissive, and an
agenda which is sacred. Let’s look.

I. ACTIONS WHICH ARE SELFLESS

The first attribute that we see in the love of Christ is actions which are
selfless. Notice verse 2, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Focus on the
words "gave himself up for us." Those are powerful words Beloved.
Contrary to trendy modern day theology, the cross was not a tragic accident
of history. Modern theology tells us that Christ was simply caught in the
vortex of political and religious issues of his day. His death was an accident
of history – no planned. The Bible tells a different story. Look at Matthew
26:53. Jesus admonished Peter for pulling his sword to fight the arresting
soldiers then went on to say,"Do you think that I cannot appeal to my
Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”
Jesus’ death was absolutely preventable. It was a tragedy only in that it was
necessary in the first place. But it was part of God’s plan before the
beginning of time. John 10:17-18, “17) For this reason the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18) No one takes it
from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it
down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received
from my Father.”

Notice the wording again in Ephesians 5:2. He “gave himself up for us.”
That is purposeful action, Beloved. Jesus died “on purpose. The word Paul
uses means “to hand over, to deliver up something in which one has a
strong personal interest.” Clearly Jesus had a strong personal interest in his
own life. But He gave it up for us. He had done nothing to merit the death
which he suffered. He gained nothing by the sacrifice he made except the
satisfaction of knowing that he had done the will of the Father.

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You will recall that the night before he died, the disciples were busy
arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus clothed
himself as servant and washed their feet. In that culture you couldn't do
anything more humbling. Then He said "Follow my example." Jesus’ whole
life was about selfless obedience to the Father for the benefit of everyone
who would ever believe. So what Paul is saying in Ephesians 5:1-2 is, "I
want you to imitate your Father. Do that by looking at the example of Christ
who gave himself up for us." In essence he is saying, "Go find somebody to
give yourself up for." Don't look for recognition; don't expect reward; don't
do it because you've been treated well; do it in imitation of Him who did it
for us when we were in rebellion against Him. Get over your need for
recognition and do something for someone.

Let me give you just a very simple illustration of this. A man named Dave
Simmons – a layman – wrote a book entitled Dad, the Family Coach. In it
he tells of the time he took Helen (eight years old) and Brandon (five years
old) to the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg, Maryland to do a little shopping.
As they drove up they noticed that a temporary petting zoo had been
established near the mall. Both children pleaded, "Daddy, Daddy. Can we
go? Please. Please. Can we go?" The father said, "Sure," flipping them both
a quarter before walking into Sears to look for a saw.

The petting zoo was a fenced area containing a hundred furry baby animals
on a floor of sawdust. Kids paid their money and played with the squirmy
little critters while their moms and dads went shopping. But Dave noticed a
few minutes later, his daughter, Helen, was walking along behind him. This
was a surprise as he did not expect she would prefer the hardware
department to the petting zoo. One look at her told him that was not the
case. He asked her what was wrong. She replied sadly, "Well, Daddy, it
cost fifty cents. So, I gave Brandon my quarter." Then she said something
extraordinary. She repeated the family motto -- "Love is Action!"
Although no one loved cuddly, furry creatures more than Helen, she had
given Brandon her quarter. Helen had often seen her parents give to each
other and to others while saying "Love is Action!" and now she had
incorporated it into her little lifestyle. It had become part of her.

Then that father did something I think was extraordinary. He took his
daughter back to the petting zoo to watch Brandon. Fifty cents was burning
a hole in his pocket, but he never offered it to his daughter and she never
asked for it. Because she knew the whole family motto. It's not "Love is
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Action," it's "Love is SACRIFICIAL Action!" Love always pays a price,
always costs something. Love is expensive. Love gives and doesn't look for
return. Beloved, if an eight-year-olds can learn this can we not? This little
girl wanted to taste the whole experience -- to know true sacrifice. That
should be our daily goal, because guess what? It's our family motto too.

II. ATTITUDES WHICH ARE SUBMISSIVE

Next step -- attitudes which are submissive. One would think that selfless
actions would be enough. What more could one possibly ask? Let's look
again at Ephesians 5:2, " 2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Notice in
particular the words "a fragrant offering". Often we just skip over these
words. But they are critical to a complete understanding of this passage.

A fragrant offering is one that is pleasing to God. It is acceptable to Him,

finds favor with Him. We have the first example of this in Genesis 8.
Noah’s first act after getting off the ark is to offer a sacrifice of
thanksgiving to God. And we read in Genesis 8:21, " 21) And when the Lord
smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again
curse the ground because of man.” God's positive reaction shows that this
sacrifice was acceptable to him, expressed metaphorically as being a
fragrant aroma. We find the same concept in the New Testament in Phil
4:18 where Paul, having received some gifts to meet his needs while in jail
in Rome says this, " 18) I have received full payment, and more. I am well
supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant
offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.” So -- Paul's comment
in Ephesians 5 that Christ gave himself up for us and that it was a fragrant
offering to God indicates that Christ's selfless action was accepted by God.

Implied here is that there could be a non-fragrant offering -- one that is not
acceptable to God. Did that ever happen? Just a few times! Remember
how Abel’s offering was acceptable. But what about Cain’s?
Unacceptable. Why? Look at the example we have in Isaiah 1:11 God says
to an idolatry ridden nation, " 11) “What to me is the multitude of your
sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and
the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs,
or of goats.” How could God say that He did not want their sacrifices? He
was the one who had prescribed them in the first place. It costs a lot of
money to kill these rams and bulls. How can God say I'm tired of it? Verse
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13, “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New
moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure
iniquity and solemn assembly.” The offerings were vain because they were
not from the heart. The people bringing them were continuing to practice
iniquity. They were going through the motions -- believing that their
outward actions would somehow atone for an attitude of indifference. They
were sadly mistaken. This sin of indifference is regularly condemned in the
OT.

Thus, the implication of Paul's instruction in Ephesians 5 to is that we must

walk in love by exhibiting selfless actions, but this must also be
accompanied by submissive attitudes. It is entirely possible to do right
things for the wrong reasons but that does not produce a fragrant offering
to God. It does not find favor with him. To feed the poor begrudgingly is
anathema to him. To make concessions to a spouse with a harsh attitude is
to incur His displeasure. To take a meal to someone in need in the church
with a “do I have to” attitude offsets any good that might have resulted from
the action. Beloved, attitudes count. God always looks at the heart first. For
actions to find favor with Him, they must be married to right attitudes.

The elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son perfectly exemplifies
this kind of attitude. When he came home to find the lights on, the music
playing and the red carpet out for his long-lost brother, he wasn’t ready to
party. His attitude is in Luke 15:29, “but he answered his father, ‘Look,
these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command,
yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my
friends.” He had never disobeyed, but he had never obeyed with a loving
attitude. He had been keeping score. He felt he was owed. Beloved, true
love – the love which is a fragrant aroma to our Father never keeps score.
It acts selflessly with compassion, not in expectation of a reward.

Too often we are like the visitor who came to the zoo one day only to find
that the elephant had died. He was crestfallen because he loved the elephant
He thought he had company when he saw one of the zookeepers sobbing
quietly in a corner. The visitor commented to another zoo employee who
was standing close by, “Fond of elephant, was he?” “It’s not that,” came the
reply. “He’s the chap who has to dig the grave.” Too often that’s us.
Trying to do good works, but crying inwardly the whole time about the
sacrifice we are making. I’m not suggesting that service is always fun. It’s

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not. But to be a fragrant aroma, it must be from the heart. Selfless actions
must be married to submissive attitudes.

III.AGENDA WHICH IS SACRED

Finally, Christ’s example of walking in love shows an agenda which is

sacred. This is the key to the whole thing. This is the only way you can pull
this off. This point is emphasized at the end of verse one and at the end of
verse two. Let's look at them and focus on those endpoints. “1) Therefore be
imitators of God, as beloved children. 2) And walk in love, as Christ loved
us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
What is the secret to walking in love -- to living a life that exudes concern
for others and love for God? Here it is. Ultimately, our loving actions are
not for some person or some cause, they are for a loving heavenly Father.

Paul says “walk in love”. Love always requires at least two parties. When
those others are friends, people that we are attracted to and who are kindly
disposed to us, love is easy. The problem, of course, is that some of those
"others" are not acting in a loving way toward us. Sometimes they are just
indifferent and sometimes they are downright enemies. Then the going gets
tough. But that’s when we find out is our faith real or is it not.

When people are unkind; when they are unfair; when they are unlovely;
when they are covertly or even overtly on the attack against us, it is tough to
walk in love. But even then, Christ’s example says selfless acts carried out
with attitudes of submission and genuine interest. How in the world do we
do that? Paul’s answer is twofold: first, remember that you are beloved
children of God. As such, no one can harm you – nothing can touch you
unless it's allowed by Him for some reason for your good. Forget getting
even; forget revenge; forget hard feelings. You are a beloved child of God.

I love that Paul didn't say we are children of God. Instead he reminds us that
we are beloved children. The word beloved was used in classical Greek to
particularly refer to an only child -- one to whom the parents had devoted
all their love. The picture is of a child who has received so much love and
so much security that it cannot be touched by circumstances. It emphasizes
that while God has many children, His infinite love has the ability to extend
to each of us as though we were His one and only child. Think of that.
Each of us is as special to Him as though we were the only beloved child!
He’s got our back.
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Paul’s second point is -- our sacrifice is not ultimately for the other person.
It is for God. This changes everything. We all know certain people that we
would be hesitant to benefit if that's all that was in view. But God is saying,
“Don’t look at them. Look at Me! Look at Me! Don't look at it as giving
up time you don't have to help someone you don't like take care of a
problem they can't fix. Look at it as providing a loving response to a
gracious and beloved Father.” That is living up to the family name. We are
acting in our own little sphere as our Father acts in his universe. It’s not
about us. W are showing Him off to good advantage.

Jesus issued similar instructions in Matthew 5:43, “You have heard that it
was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to
you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you
may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” The more I study the New
Testament, the more I am impressed with the fact that God is anxious for us
to love the unlovely. That reveals us as His children and reveals Him in
His loveliness to a world that needs to know Him. The Bible teaches that
when we were yet sinners -- that's when Christ died for us. When we were
helplessly lost. And now He's asking us to die to self, to walk in love
toward those who are unlovely to show Him off and prove that He is our
Father. It’s a sacred agenda given by our Father.

On December 23 of last year (2009) we attended with Jane Grams and

Barbara Anderson, the memorial service for Jean Losey – mother of Wayne
Losey, one of our missionaries. The service gave a stirring final voice to an
extraordinary woman. Her smile and her implacable joy were the hallmarks
of her life. Simple – but enough to allow her influence far beyond the
average. Wayne paid tribute to his mother and among other things he told
about a trip that she made to where Wayne and his family are ministering.
He said it was electrifying to watch his mother spread the joy of her faith
(knowing she had cancer, by the way) among people whose language she
could not speak. She just went on speaking in English, offering
encouragement and blessing to everyone, poking her head into mud huts,
offering her a ear-to-ear smile just like it was home. He said it was amazing
to see how she communicated cross culturally when compared to many
first-time missionaries who were paralyzed with culture shock. Did Jean do
that because she was so enamored of those people? Of course not. She
didn't even know them. But she knew her Father. She loved Him. She did

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it for him. She had a sacred agenda. The fact is, every day presents a sacred
agenda – one more opportunity to glorify our great Father.

Conclusion

Paul says be imitators of God. It's a command. How do we imitate God

we've never seen? We look to the God that we have seen and walk in love
as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. We do what he did. Love
the unlovable. Give ourselves up for those from whom we can expect
nothing in return except further difficulty. We do it because we are beloved
children of an amazing heavenly Father.

Most of you probably remember the old TV show about the bumbling
detective called Columbo. Peter Falk who starred in the show was accepting
an Emmy award. In accepting the award Falk said this: “Hundreds of
people are involved in a TV show – writers producers, cameramen, sound
men and crew – but when a show is a hit, the spotlight narrows down to
one person, the star. This is a very sensible system, and I don’t want
anybody to change it.” Falk was kidding, of course, but what he said is a
perfect illustration of how Christianity works. In fact, the only way it can
work. We walk in love by imitating the Father as revealed in Christ. He has
shows us how to have selfless actions, motivated by submissive attitudes,
producing eternal results. It’s a great calling.