A Chinese believer farmer used to cultivate paddy on a hill slope. He had to fetch water from the valley below. Every day after the believer waters his paddy, the farmer below his field would open a hole in the clay dam whereby he could water his paddy without any effort. The believer got frustrated and fought verbally with the other farmer but there was no change in his attitude. He prayed and tried to make him a Christian but again there was no change. Then he got an idea, first water the neighbor’s field and then water his crop. He did so for 2 weeks. Finally, the neighboring farmer came to the believer and said, “I want to follow your God who shows his love practically through his followers.”
This morning we are going to take a deeper look at God’s love and we are also going to see how we can imitate God’s love in our lives.
Ephesians 5:1-2 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul is telling the Ephesian church to follow the example of God. What is God’s example – Love?
1 John 4:8 God is love. If you sum up the essence of God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit you get a 4 letter word called LOVE. God is all about love. God always does everything out of love.
Paul is telling follow God’s example of love. The NKJV puts it ‘Be imitators of God and walk in love.’ Imitate comes from the word ‘mime.’ Have you ever seen somebody mime? They don’t say anything, do they? They express it and when they express it in action everyone understands it. Paul is telling whatever we do let it be an expression of God’s love.
Remember the standard set for a Christian in the Bible is to be an imitator of God. In Greek culture, there were three steps of how a student had to learn from his teacher. First, he had to study the theory, second, he had to imitate the theory lessons just like his master, and thirdly he had to practice what he imitated. Here Paul is telling the Ephesian church that since you are the children of God, be imitators of God – In other words, Paul is saying don’t talk about God’s love, imitate it; walk in God’s love, live in God’s love, and express God’s love.
GOD LOVES YOU.
Even before we could learn to imitate the love of God we must have a clear understanding that God loves us. He loved us even before we could know him.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 John 4:19 We love him because He first loved us.
When we were sinners, when we were away from God, He chose us and loved us. What about God’s love to us when we become his children? Romans 5:5 God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
When we accept Christ as our savior, God pours out his love into our hearts. You realize it or not there is an outpouring of God’s love into your hearts. This very much means that no matter whoever rejects me – My God loves me. I am precious to God.
You need to believe that no matter what happens God still loves you. I want to give you some scripture to express God’s love to you.
Jeremiah 1:5 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.
God loves you. Your friends may betray you, and your family may reject you but you receive unconditional love from God. There is nothing you can do to stop God from loving you. That is his nature, he cannot stop loving you. Many times the devil puts the thought in us that we are not perfect and God stops loving us. You need to believe that God loves you.
Now we know God is love and God loves us. Therefore God expects us to be imitators of God’s love in this world. Being a Christian is not coming to church and worshipping God. Being a Christian is not reading the Bible and praying 2 times a day. Being a Christian is developing the character of God, having God’s love, and demonstrating that love to the world. It is only when we imitate God’s love can the world sees Jesus through us.
HOW CAN YOU IMITATE GOD’S LOVE?
1. Love one another.
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
We need to love one another. There should be this display of God’s love in our families and our church.
ILLUSTRATION
John’s wife came from a very prestigious family called ‘The Kings.’ Right from marriage, he kept away from his wife’s family because whenever they met they boasted about their kingly connection. One day as he was walking across a bridge, he saw another man standing on the edge, about to jump off. John immediately ran over and stopped him “Don’t commit suicide!” “Why shouldn’t I?” he asked. John said, “Well, there’s so much to live for in life!” “Like what?” The man asked. John said, “Do you have a family?” Yes. John said, “Well when I have stress I think about my family and it gives me peace.” “By the way where are you from?” Bangalore the man said. Which area? “Kammannahalli,” the man said. “Oh, my wife is also from Kammannahalli, Bangalore what is the name of your family?” John asked. “The Kings,” the man said. Without thinking a moment John gave him one push into the river.
We all can love strangers but sometimes it is very difficult to love our loved ones. It is only when we love one another that can we imitate God’s love. You may be asking me, “Pastor how can I love my family, they were so bad to me?” Love is not based on feelings. It is an attitude to love in spite of the circumstances. Some days I feel like loving, and some days I do not. Some days I feel nice some days I do not. Love is not based on feelings. True love is I decide to love no matter what my feelings are.
1 John 4:7-8 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
We all boast about being God’s children. God says, “If you have no love and I don’t know you and you don’t know me.” Love one another.
Love should be expressed in action, not just words. We say, “I love you” or “I love you with the love of Christ” but we hardly do express our love in action. Our love for one another should be demonstrated in action. Show your love by doing something for the people God has put in your life. Do you know how God showed his love for you? 1 John 4:9-12 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
ILLUSTRATION
Jesus hinted to his disciples many times that he would die and would rise again. But after the death of Jesus, the disciples were disheartened. In John 21 Peter and 6 other disciples went back to fishing. The whole night they toiled but caught nothing. Jesus appeared to them in the morning and guided to a big catch of fish. He then proceeded to have breakfast with his disciples and listen to what he spoke to Peter.
John 21:15-17 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
Jesus said, “If you love me feed my sheep.” Loving God is always related to how we can love others. If you cannot love your mother-in-law, husband, wife, children, brother, or sister you cannot love God. Let the love of God be reflected in your lives.
