Imitating the Father

Why is it so hard for us to forgive one another? Simple, we've forgotten how much we've been forgiven. Dr. Tony Evans reminds us that the kindness we've received from God was never meant to end with us. God wants what Christ did for us to be expanded to one another.

This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Children naturally imitate the adults they look up to, and spiritually, the same should be true for us. Today, Dr. Evans explains what it looks like to reflect our Heavenly Father in the way we live, the way we love others, and the way we make our everyday decisions.

Let's join him as he begins. Just as a child will often mimic the characteristics. of a parent, so God wants his children to mimic. the characteristics of our parent. And of course, that's our Heavenly Father, God himself.

To put it another way, God wants to set the pattern for your life and mine. One of the things today that is in great need is leadership. people who will set the pace for which. people can pattern themselves after. God has set out the pattern that you and I are to emulate.

as beloved children.

Now he gives three ways in this chapter that we ought to emulate, mimic. Patterns. or copy god. We are to walk in love, walk in light, and walk in wisdom. Those are the three walks by which we mimic God.

Should and walk in love. Verse two says, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Okay.

So here he tells us to walk in love or to reflect the nature of God's love by our commitment to serve others rather than merely serving ourselves. We live in a selfish generation. where people are focused on me, myself, and I. And while God never intends for you to skip you, He does not intend for you to be so focused on you. that you missed the purpose.

of the definition of love. Biblical love is love by choice. Not. Merely love by demand. Jesus made the choice.

To come down and be our savior.

So, biblical love is love by choice. Second thing is that it costs Jesus something to die on the cross.

So, biblical love always involves sacrifice. It involves the decision of the will. That will involve automatically, if it's agape love, God's kind of love, sacrifice where there is inconvenience. If there is no inconvenience, there is no love.

So biblical love has a standard attached to it. It is not Milky Way feelings. It is not merely emotional romantic love. Biblical love is tied into God because it is God's love because God is love.

Now let me tell you the telltale test. of love.

Well, you know you've gotten serious about love. When you operate in forgiveness. Yeah. Because the whole point of the cross was to offer forgiveness to the sinner.

So the evidence of love. It's forgiveness. And forgiveness means That you no longer hold to a person's account the wrong done to you. Why is it so? Hard?

For us to forgive one another, simple. We've forgotten how much we've been forgiven. And God has forgiven us all. Let me tell you how deep God's forgiveness goes. He has already forgiven you for stuff you haven't even done.

Then he gives the flip side of it the aspect of this. concept of walking in love. By dealing with that which is not love. Verse three: Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you as is proper among the saints. Immorality means any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage, the impurity.

Had to do with the whole concept of that which was putrid, that which was base. That which was. filthy, it was used of a rottenness of a decaying body. He says, Don't participate, don't be a part of that which is putrid before God. He says immorality, he says impurity, and then he says greed.

By greed, it means you want all this for you. You're thinking about you. Give me more, give me more, give me more. And in this context, where he's talking about immorality and impurity. You can even be greedy sexually.

You can be greedy. Financially, because you're so self-focused, all you want, all you're thinking about is you, me. Give me, give me, give me, give me, give me.

So it's a spirit of greed.

So we are to walk in love. Jesus gave this great lesson of forgiveness in John 13, verses 34 and 35, when he took the towel. And he put it around his waist and he washed his disciples' feet. And then he told them, Now you ought to do what I did. And he said, You ought to forgive one another, become one another's servants.

Mm-hmm. And so Jesus Christ himself had this servant spirit. He was still a leader. But he was the leader. who could minister to somebody else.

And so this mutual ministry of love.

So biblical love is sacrificed for the welfare of another. And it includes the concept of forgiveness. The opposite of it is a selfish lifestyle. where you betray another for your own selfish goals. He says, not only is it to reflect your action, it is to reflect your speech.

Verse 4, and let there be no filthiness. That means obscene language. In other words, talk that's going absolutely nowhere. It's empty. It's empty-headed.

Talk. It is of no benefit, and it's not only neutral, it is going nowhere, and it is therefore regressive in nature. And then he says, or Coarse jesting. This was youth of quick-witted people who could take a thought or a comment and turn something good into something bad. Very quickly.

It is Turning things that ought to bring pain. God is not against fun. Proverbs 17, 22 says, a cheerful heart is good medicine. God is not against laughter. Laughter makes the heart glad.

Nothing wrong with that. Yeah. The question is, what's causing you to laugh? And whether the thing causing you to laugh is making God cry. You are growing in your faith when God cries and you cry too.

You are stagnant in your faith when God is crying and you're laughing.

So that was the idea of coarse jesting to turn something innocent into something bad. He says, instead, you ought to spend your time using your mouth giving thanks, the end of verse 4 says. Giving thanks, why? Because to give thanks, you have to be other-oriented. You see?

You have to be other oriented. See to cut somebody up with your tongue. You're being selfish oriented because you feel better doing it. But to give thanks either to God or to somebody else, that is to carry a grateful attitude. It is to carry an attitude that is honoring toward others.

And when you're honoring toward others, that smells sweet to God. And so, what we say with our mouths, and none of us. Does it perfectly? But the idea is to push in this direction. with our mouths.

So He says Why is this important, verse 5? For this you know with certainty, you can bank on it, no immoral, imperial person, covetous man who is an idolater, all of that is idolatry because it places something in the place of God, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. That has to do with reward. No Christian who adopts these patterns of non-Christian behavior as the lifestyle. is receiving reward.

Your inheritance. You're losing reward. Because we're saddening the heart of God, not... Bringing joy to the heart of God.

Now each one has to examine their own heart and say, yes, I'm kind of wicked with my jokes. And I don't just joke for laughter, I joke for cut. I want to stick a dagger with my jokes, or this kind of thing, and on and on, any of these categories. and say, hey, I don't want this to interfere with my inheritance.

So I want to be conscious that I'm patterning myself after the Father and walking in love rather than in selfishness. Let no one deceive you, verse 6, with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them. Don't join in with the non-Christians. Don't let their lifestyle be your lifestyle.

Their jokes be your jokes. You know, and I know you can get caught because sometimes some non-Christians can come up with some funny stuff. Right? It is funny just from a human standpoint. But what God is asking is for us to get so close to God's orientation that our whole feelings about things change, and things that maybe used to be okay.

See, the idea in drawing close to God is not that you become sinless, but that you sin less. Yeah. You won't become sinless. But as you get close to God, you will sin less. Because you will begin to feel about sin like he feels.

It won't be the fun it used to be. Because you're drawing closer to God, and therefore He's rubbing off on you, and you're patterning yourself after Him.

So He says, Don't be physically or verbally. Like the non-Christian world. Because to do so is to lose your reward. But God calls us to more than imitation. He calls us to transformation.

Coming up, Dr. Evans reveals two essential ways we reflect our Heavenly Father in how we live. Don't go away. What if you could unlock the mysteries of life, the universe, and everything in between? Genesis 1 to 11 is the foundation for everything.

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The message we've been exploring today is part of a powerful series from Dr. Evans called Ordinary Holy, Finding God in the Mundane. In it, he unpacks the rich truths of Ephesians to show how God can transform even our most routine moments into opportunities for spiritual impact. This complete two-volume 16-part series is available as our thank-you gift when you support the work of the alternative with your generous contribution. But that's not all.

When you contact us right away, we'll also include Tony's book, Kingdom Living, filled with practical biblical guidance to help you grow stronger in your faith, deepen your relationship with God, and live out your identity in Christ every day. This special double offer is only available for a limited time.

So visit us today at tonyevans.org to make your donation and request the Ordinary Holy series and Kingdom Living book. Or if you'd prefer, Give us a call at 1-800-800-32-22 and let one of our resource team members help you. I'll repeat that contact information after part two of today's message. Here's Dr. Evans again picking up in Ephesians chapter 5.

Secondly, he says. Walk in the light. He says, walk in love. That's the first way he wants you to pattern yourself or imitate the Father. The second thing he says is, walk in the light.

Now, light has one basic function. Last time I checked, it is. To shine. Light has the responsibility of revealing. Because there is light, you can now see.

When God saved us, according to 1 Peter 2:9, he called us out of darkness into the light. What does that mean that you are a child of light? It means now because you are a Christian, you get to see things as they really are. When you're in God's light, goodness oozes out of you. That is, that which is generous to someone else.

You don't mind helping. You don't mind being of assistance if you can, because you are children of light and you understand reality. The second characteristic of a child of life is righteousness. That is right character before God and integrity before men. In other words, you now have a new standard of right and wrong.

And so, with this new standard, you make new choices. Thirdly, it's truth. That is conformity to the word and will of God, no deception. That is what you see is what you get. You don't have to put on a mask.

Because you are walking in the light. You are revealing things as they really are. He goes on and he says in verse 11, do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness. He says, light has fruit, darkness does not have fruit. That is, there is no long-term benefit.

Now some of us have already learned this the hard way. Because we participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness. And we saw where it wound up. You know, darkness has a way. If you hang around it too long, For you to get adjusted to it.

You ever gone to a dark restaurant? When you first walk in, it's dark. I mean, dark. But you know you're trying to be cool and everything So you walk into the room and then you sit down at your little dark table in your little dark corner with your little dim lamp. Can't even read the menu.

But you know, you don't want to let it be known you can't read it.

So you say, oh, number four, you know?

So you, so you cover your bases, you know, lay it out there. But now after 30 minutes 45 minutes. After sitting in it for a while, you have now. become accustomed.

So, you don't have the first feeling that you had when you first came in because you were coming in from the light. But if you hang around the darkness long enough, it just doesn't seem so dark anymore. And that's what happens with all of us when we hang around unrighteous things that used to shock us don't shock us anymore. Things that you should say that's disgusting.

Well, no, not that bad. You know, see, we start to go down the level here. You know why? Because we've hung around it so much. We've absorbed so much of it.

We've sat in it so long that we're now used to it.

So what does he say? He says, But all things become visible when they're exposed to the light, verse 13. For everything that becomes visible is light.

So, all you have to do is turn the light on. That's all you have to do. It will be exposed by your lifestyle and by your words that reflect God's standard.

So he quotes from an early Christian hymn in verse 14, and he says, For this reason it says, Awake, sleeper, talk about Christians who asleep. and rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. He's talking about sleeping Christians. You can move when you're sleeping, you toss and turn.

Some people sleep, walk, and get up and go places while they sleep.

Some people sing when they sleep.

Some people talk in their sleep. And a lot of Christians are that way. They're talking. I love the Lord. He heard my cry, but dead sleep.

They come into church, dead sleep. They singing the songs. with the song leader, Snorin. Why? Because they're not shining anywhere.

If you're not shining, it's dead songs. If you're not shining, it's dead talk. If you're not shining, it's dead walk. It is the shining that counts, not the mumbling.

So he says we are to expose them. 1 Corinthians 5, yet a brother living in sin, they didn't expose it. Which means if you refuse to repent, then you're supposed to expose it. If you repent, you drop it. At the point that it's known.

But he refused to repent. He says, How can you do this and let this go unaddressed? He says, wake up, Christians. Don't let the world put you to sleep. Be alert.

So Christians ought to reflect the character of Christ. By being visible demonstrations of who he is. Get up out of our spiritual beds. Finally, walk in wisdom. Verse 15.

Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise. The word wise means to live life skillfully, making right choices. He says, walk carefully, not carelessly. To put it another way, don't live your spiritual life by luck. or chance.

He says, live life skillfully. That is, make wise choices. Be careful, plan, be like an architect. No architect. Build the building without drawing up plans.

It says Plan.

Now the Mitchell plans to God in case he wants to change them. He says when you do that Or how to do that is one, make the most of your time. Stop wasting time. The concept here is take advantage of your opportunities that God brings you. Opportunities that come from the Lord are designed to take you to a goal.

This concept was used of a ship that was taking advantage of the wind in order to get to the harbor, like a sailboat. A sailboat, what? The wind blows, and the sailboat takes advantage of the wind gust. It doesn't say, oh, the wind just blew.

Well, a nice breeze. It doesn't waste the wind. It maneuvers the sail to catch. the win to get to the next level. What opportunities is God giving you to maximize your potential?

Use it, take advantage of it. Not only that, but the days are evil, he says. You're living in a day when the waters are rough and you've got resistance out there. And in light of the fact that time is short and time is bad. Take advantage of the good time.

Listen, if God has given you a good day. Max it out. Because tomorrow may be a bad day. You know what? Why waste a good day and then have a bad day tomorrow?

Why waste a good month and then have a bad month next month? If you have a good month and nothing is wrong, take advantage of it. Maximize your potential. But Dave, they're evil. Not only that.

He says.

So then do not be foolish. Do not be foolish. But understand what the will of the Lord is. He's now dealing with the mind because God's will comes to the mind through the renewing of the mind. Don't think foolishly.

But understand what the will of the Lord is. Now you know why that's an important phrase? Because that means God has a plan for you. God's plan, the will of God. You must work out your own salvation.

You must live out God's purposes for you, which are different than his purposes for me. I can talk to you about God's will for you. I can advise you and I can pray with you, but I cannot determine it for you, nor can I fulfill it for you. Vice versa. You cannot do it for me.

Sometimes people say, Well, I don't know what God's will is.

Well, you don't have to. If you will simply operate on what you do know, God will lead you to what you don't know. Because God is more interested in you finding his will than you are in looking for it. God will find you. He is not playing hide and seek with his playing for your life.

Say, well, why don't I know it? You know what God wants you to do? He wants you to seek him, and when you seek him, Let his will Get you. Understand what the will of the Lord is. by not being foolish, not making choices that work against God revealing his will.

but working in concert with that which promotes his will. Dr. Tony Evans, challenging us to live with wisdom, imitating our Heavenly Father and reflecting His character. And he'll wrap up this message with a final word when he returns in just a moment. First, though, I want to let you know that today's message is part of Tony's powerful series called Ordinary Holy, Finding God in the Mundane, a 16-part exploration of the book of Ephesians that shows how everyday life can become a stage for God's extraordinary work.

For a limited time, when you support the Ministry of the Alternative with your donation, we'll send you the complete two-volume audio collection, along with a special bonus, Tony's book, Kingdom Living, packed with biblical wisdom to help you grow in your faith and purpose. Don't miss the opportunity to get these powerful resources for your deeper study. Visit tonyevans.org today or call 1-800-800-300. 3222 to make your request. Again, that's tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222.

Yeah. You can't pour out what hasn't been previously poured in. And tomorrow, Dr. Evans will talk about what it means to be filled with the Spirit and how that filling transforms our attitudes, relationships, and worship. Right now, though, he's back with this closing thought.

Do you know everybody has a plan for your life? And if you let them. They will Get you to miss the will of God. You can live your life 70 years and please everybody but God. And those folks won't have any rewards for you in eternity.

Your question is, what is the will of God? For me.

Now people are a very vital part of that, but they're not the determining part. God has to show you that in your own heart.