Sermon for Pentecost 12: "Imitators of God" (Ephesians 4:17-5:2)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord … Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 4:17a, 5:1).

 

Humans are mimetic creatures. That is, we imitate one another. Starting from your own family, you may have noticed that we tend to imitate one another. Children imitate their parents’ speech patterns. They even imitate those words that their parents say they have never said. Children imitate the way their parents walk. Children imitate what their parents find most important. They imitate their parents’ choice in favorite sports team, favorite college, favorite foods, favorite color. Even into adulthood, children imitate their parents for better or for worse.

 

Wise Solomon speaks of children imitating their parents. He says in Proverbs 22: “Train a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

 

And as I’ve mentioned in a past sermon, country singer Rodney Atkins sings about this imitation in his song “Watching You.” He sang: 

“Well then my four-year-old said a four letter word

That started with ‘s’ and I was concerned

So I said, ‘Son, now where did you learn to talk like that?’

 

“He said, ‘I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool

I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you … so I’ve been watching you.”

 

For better or for worse, we mimic one another. So, as adults, we must pay attention to what we are teaching the younger generation. They are watching us. Later in that song, Rodney Atkins sang: 
         “[My son] crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees

He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands

And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend

And I said, ‘Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?’

 

“He said, ‘I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool

I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you … so I’ve been watching you.’”

 

This imitation does not just correspond with parents. Just think about regional intricacies and accents. Why is it that it takes several goodbyes for a Midwestern goodbye? Why is it that people in Boston all sound alike? Or New York? What about that southern drawl?

 

Speaking of accents, it is often that other people hear things that we don’t hear. Often, we don’t hear our own accent. To us, we sound normal. Even when you may move to a new area, you will likely begin to talk like the people that you hear talk all around you. We eventually take on the accents of the people that we listen to.

 

As Christians, we certainly speak with a definite accent. St. Paul admits that. He says that as Christians, we imitate each other by doing honest work with our own hands. We help the poor and needy. We speak what is good, right, and salutary, which is for the building up of each other. We forgive one another. We give of our firstfruits to God in giving thanks for all He has given us – our daily bread: food, clothing, and shelter. And even more: our salvation by grace through faith in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Now, we may not notice this, and that may be good. Since it is typical that we think that’s just normal. But to the fallen world all around us, they notice it. They hear our particular accent. They notice that Christians have a particular accent.

 

So, as Christians, we are able to imitate one another. But how can we be imitators of God? 

 

How could anyone imitate God? That just seems absurd! Man cannot imitate God! How can we create life out of nothing? How can we equal Jesus’ saving deeds? 

 

Remember when our first parents were coerced by that serpent to have the desire to be like God? What happened to them? They saw that the tree in the midst of the garden was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, so Adam and Eve took of its fruit and ate (Genesis 3). As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God by seeing that the fruit that God told them not to eat as pleasing, they sinned, and humanity has dealt with those consequences ever since as our fallen nature wants nothing to do with the one true God. We lost the image of God. We lost the ability to imitate God. Or so we thought. So, how could we regain the ability to imitate God?

 

In our epistle, St. Paul gives us some pointers. First, he teaches us the opposite: how not to imitate God. Paul tells of the Gentiles. Now, he’s not just speaking of those people who are not Jews by blood. He is speaking of heathens – how the people of the fallen world live, who do not have the right faith. Paul says to not be like them in following the futility of their minds. He is speaking of minds, because it is the mind that is the source of all evil behavior. You see, we first think about the sin that we are going to do. So, in this way, Paul is warning the Ephesians and us today against falling back into our old ways that would lead us away from faith in Christ and back into pagan beliefs.

 

So, there is a danger in backsliding into sin. This is why we must imitate what is good and not imitate what is dangerous.

 

In our text, St. Paul writes, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. … Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear”(Ephesians 4:26, 29).

 

So, how can we be both angry and not sin? What is Paul talking about? Is he speaking about righteous anger, just as when God is angry with His sinful people, as if Paul were saying, “Be angry in such a way that you do not sin?” How could a person be angry and also not sin? Afterall, anger is violating the Fifth Commandment: You shall not murder. So, what is Paul talking about?

 

Martin Luther puts it this way: “Paul is taking into consideration the way of the world. Men are tempted and moved to anger. … But right here, says the apostle, you should beware and not sin; not give reign, nor yield to the impulse and promptings of wrath. … Beware of doing what your wrath would have you do.”

 

Putting everything in context, there is a heightened meaning to Paul’s words: Christians are to daily return to Baptism through repentance and forgiveness. You see, as soon as you were Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sins, Satan put a target on your back. He will do anything to destroy you and me. He wants us angry. He wants us to follow the futility of our minds. He wants us to be confused over what is good. He wants our minds perverted. He wants disorder. He wants us “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).

Satan doesn’t want you here today. Satan doesn’t want you to be inundated in the language of forgiveness.

St. Paul speaks about the language of learning. Just as it is best to learn a foreign language through immersion, the Divine Service is an immersion experience. So, the Divine Service is a time for us to work on our language skills. And the consequence of this learning is the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Here in the Divine Service, the triune God comes to us through His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, so that we can better know Him, so that we can have a proper relationship with Him. Here, we become disciples, which literally means, “the one who learns.”

 

Disciples of Christ are made by teaching and baptizing. To learn Christ is to become Christlike, particularly in bearing the cross. It involves a renunciation of the world. A renunciation of all that is evil and Satanic. We should have nothing to do with evil, and where we see evil, we are to renounce it. We are to “put away falsehood” (Ephesians 4:25) and have nothing to do with it. 

 

Just as Paul points the Ephesians back to catechesis, he does the same for us. You see, it is through catechesis, or teaching, that we come to know Christ and the Gospel, and to your Baptism, where you were placed into Christ and made Christlike. So, going back to my question: how can we become imitators of God? On our own we can’t, since we are poor, miserable, sinners, who desire nothing that God wills. But through the working of the Holy Spirit through Baptism and through right teaching in regular attendance in the Divine Service, we can! This is the place where we learn how to imitate God. Here, we learn how to speak in a way that builds up. Even when we speak hard truths, we speak it in a way that builds up. We speak in a way that gives grace, with a gracious accent. 

 

This is the place where we are being built up. This is the place where we hear and practice forgiveness at every Divine Service. This is the place where we learn how to imitate Christ. And imitation is doing. Our imitating actions are the result of our new life in Christ, as we learn about His love for you in that while we were still sinners, He died for you, so that you would have forgiveness, life, and salvation. And here, we are empowered to be like Him through His Word and Sacraments, knowing that our sins are forgiven thus we forgive one another, just as He has forgiven us. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

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Voters' Meeting Devotion: "Imitating God the Father"

In Ephesians 3, St. Paul writes: ¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every father in heaven and on earth is named. 

All Fatherhood is named after the heavenly Father. Fatherhood is modeled after the heavenly Father. What does God the Father do for us? He created us and He protects us.

Fatherhood is a good gift of God given for the protection of children. Just like God the Father, earthly fathers protect their children. Earthly fathers find the perfect example for their own fatherhood in the Fatherhood of God the Father. It is God the Father who shapes, forms, and orders the fatherhood of man.

Yet, so often, instead of forming our fatherhood in God’s image, we end up with a skewed view of God’s Fatherhood because of our twisted image of earthly fatherhood. Modernism and modern life have made fatherhood optional at best, and at worst penalized it. Fallen man has redefined marriage and reconstructed fatherhood in our image and after our likeness, instead of God’s image and His likeness.

Our sinful flesh is destructive. Our sinful flesh is selfish. God the Father is not destructive. God the Father is sacrificial. He asks for nothing in return but faithfulness. He gives and gives and gives. He is selfless. 

As earthly fathers seek to imitate God in His Fatherhood, earthly fathers are to protect their children. Earthly fathers are to protect their children from fatherlessness. God the Father has ordered life in a very specific way. So, we must not pretend that fatherhood is optional or unimportant. 

Earthly fathers protect their children from Satan, who is waging war against the children of God and is seeking to devour our children (1 Peter 5:8). So, just as the father must be present at the supper table at home, the father must be present at the Lord’s Table. Satan is at war against fatherhood. Satan has caused his fallen world to call into question whether human fathers are necessary at all.

Fathers protect their children from Satan. This is the duty of fathers: to take their children to the Divine Service, raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, teach them all the Lord has done for them in redemption from slavery to sin, and instruct them in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). In these ways, fathers protect their children from the assaults of the devil.

This is the duty of fathers. Let us give thanks to our Heavenly Father from whom our human fatherhood is named who also protects the souls of His blessed children.

Let us pray. Compassionate Father, from whom all fatherhood is named, we give You thanks for earthly fathers. Give them confidence in their station and zeal for their task to care for their families faithfully. Make them examples to their children of godly life and love of Your Word. Bless their work of bringing up children in the fear and instruction of the Lord, and give them the comfort of Your absolution over all their shortcomings. Amen.

Sermon for Pentecost 19: "Continuing in What You Have Learned" (2 Timothy 3:14-4:5)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

[Watching You]

 

“As for you,” Paul says to Timothy, and us – “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).

 

Timothy had learned well. From his teachers – his grandmother Lois, his mother Eunice, and the Apostle Paul – he had acquired strong convictions. From these convictions, he is taught that he should stand by them and not let himself be shaken from them.

 

But notice, Lois and Eunice didn’t wait until Timothy was “old enough” to make his own decisions. They didn’t wait to see if Timothy would decide to become a Christian. No, they started indoctrinating – that is teaching him the fundamentals – right away “from childhood.” Now, literally, “from childhood” means “from infancy.” That is really the best time to start any teaching. So, right as soon as any infant is baptized, parents ought to raise their child in the one true faith, teaching him or her the ABCs of the faith. It is the expectation of parents that they will bring their child to the Divine Service in God’s house, regularly, each week. It is the expectation of the parents to teach their child the Ten Commandments, the Creed, and the Lord’s Prayer, as well as leading the child to the reception of the Sacrament of the Altar. All of that, and more, is what it means to teach your child the sacred writings.

 

But how well do our children know the Bible? And, how well do adults know the Bible? Are we even teaching our children? Well, yes, we are. We are constantly teaching, even if we don’t intend to be teaching. You see, whatever we do as adults is catechizing our children – for good or for bad. So, if attending church is not a high priority, then your children will see church as not a priority. If you see sports and recreation as important, your children will likely see it that way, too.

 

Again, children tend to imitate their parents. Now, there are always exceptions to every rule, but this Proverb is true: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

 

Yes, we have all known children who departed from the faith who had God-fearing parents, but how many children remained in the faith who had God-fearing parents? No matter what, children typically follow their parents’ example for good or for bad.

 

The 2006 country song “Watching You” by Rodney Atkins shows this at work through song. He sang:

Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn't have the toy
'Till his nuggets were gone.

 

A green traffic light turned straight to red.
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath.
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap.
Well then, my four-year-old said a four-letter word
That started with "s" and I was concerned.
So I said, “Son, now where did you learn to talk like that?”

 

He said, “I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool?
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you. …
I wanna do everything you do,

So, I've been watching you.”

 

You see, our children – even if they say they don’t – they model their lives after their parents. So, whatever the parent does is ultimately catechizing their children. But as that child noticed what his dad spoke, he also noticed his dad’s other actions. That night, he witnessed his son do something else, as he sung:

He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said, “Son, now where'd you learn to pray like that?”

 

He said, “I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool?
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you. …
I wanna do everything you do,
So I've been watching you.”

 

Our children are always watching. So, what are you teaching your children?

 

This is what Timothy was doing. He watched and learned from Eunice and Lois, just as we learn from our parents and guardians on what is good and right. So, Timothy from infancy heard the writings of the Old Testament. And from those Writings, the Holy Spirit brought him to faith in Christ Jesus, the promised Messiah.

 

So, if you haven’t been the best teacher when it comes to God’s Word, the good news is this: God is gracious. He forgives our sins. He restores and renews us. This, in fact, is the very message of Scripture: the forgiving, renewing, restoring grace of God in Christ. This is God’s Word for all of us this morning. You see, God is gracious. The blood of Christ covers all of our sins. The Holy Spirit will pick us up and help us to do better. God is always faithful, despite our unfaithfulness.

 

Now, did you also notice that Paul is writing to an adult Timothy when he writes: “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed” (2 Timothy 3:14)? The point is, the learning of Holy Scripture does not stop when we are confirmed. In fact, we are called to be lifelong learners. Even for the most-astute pastor, he is still consistently learning more from God’s Word. 

 

So, we must continue in what we have learned. We must continue in learning from the Scriptures. But why? Why can’t I just worship God in nature?

 

Well, yes, God is seen in nature. He is the Creator of all things. But what is missing? What do we not notice in nature that is revealed in Scripture? Well, Scripture is how we “are able to [be] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). There it is! Scripture is the means by which God reveals our salvation.

 

[Doubting Faith]

 

Now, back some years ago when I was a teenager, I began to doubt my Christian faith. Just a couple years earlier in catechism class, my pastor taught me that the Bible was entirely God’s Word. He proclaimed what Paul proclaims to Timothy: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16) – that all Scripture is “God breathed” or “Divinely inspired.” He said the Bible is true from cover to cover, since every word of the prophets, evangelists, and apostles were inspired by – and willed by – the Holy Spirit.

 

Now, all of a sudden, I was hearing the opposite from another pastor. He claimed that portions of the Bible were inspired, while other portions were products of human imagination. I thought, “If the Bible cannot be trusted, why even come to church?” I began questioning the crucifixion and resurrection. I was questioning everything.

 

In my moments of doubt, I remembered the previous pastor mentioning an obscure book called The Book of Concord, so I purchased this book and I began looking through it until I came across this statement in the Epitome of the Formula of Concord: 

“We believe, teach, and confess that the only rule and guiding principle according to which all teachings and teachers are to be evaluated and judged are the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments alone, as it is written, ‘Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm 119:105), and Saint Paul: ‘If … an angel from heaven should proclaim to you something contrary, … let that one be accursed!’ (Galatians 1:8).” 

It also stated: 

“Holy Scripture alone remains the only judge, rule, and guiding principle, according to which, as the only touchstone, all teachings should and must be recognized and judged, whether they are good or evil, correct or incorrect.”

 

When I read that, the Holy Spirit strengthened my weak faith and assured me of the truthfulness of the Scriptures. And this is what eventually led me to The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, since this church body is still tethered to God’s inerrant Word.

 

“All Scripture” – the Old and New Testaments – points us to Christ, so that we can take a hold of Him by faith. Jesus Himself said, “[The Scriptures] bear witness about Me” (John 5:39). The entire Bible is about the dying and rising Christ conquering death for us, and the message of repentance and forgiveness in His name.

 

[Continue in the Sacred Writings]

 

So, we must continue in what we have learned in these sacred writings! Paul teaches Timothy – as well as us – that all Scripture is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that a man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16b-17). 

 

So why are the Scriptures profitable? Well, they are for reproof, that is, to expose and convict sin. But the logical question is this: What is sin? Is abortion sin? Is gender-affirming surgery sin? Is cohabitation sin? Is gossiping sin? Is being discontent sin? Now, not everyone will give the same answer. But who is right? This confusion in the world can also confuse the Christian. Where do we turn to know what is truly a sin? Well, God determines what is sin. In His Scripture, He gives us the only reliable standard on what is right and what is wrong.

 

 

 

Another way Scripture is profitable is for correcting, which means restoring those who fall into sin. The Law certainly rebukes and convicts, but to restore the sinner, the Gospel is essential. The Gospel moves the heart, strengthens faith, and builds up so that correction takes place.

 

The Scriptures are also profitable for “training in righteousness.” In His Word, we receive training in how to live as God’s child. One way we are trained is that we are to speak God’s Word when we are tempted by our sinful nature. Do you recall what Jesus did when He was tempted by Satan? Did He comply to temptation? No! He responded saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). He spoke the very Word of God to combat Satan’s lies.

 

God’s Word as revealed in the Scriptures are our tools to fight the lies around us. As Paul wrote, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (2 Timothy 4:3).

 

As a result of the Fall, our sinful nature is not satisfied with the Bible. Instead, our sinful nature doesn’t want to hear what we have done wrong to God and to our neighbor, but desires to be flattered. So, instead of listening to the Truth, many of us wander off into myths. This chief myth is that God serves me as He agrees with whatever I want. This false god is like a Disney genie who always agrees with their wishes. So many people search out false teachers who flatter us, instead of being taught God’s unchanging truth.

 

The Old and New Testaments carry the Lord’s own authority. Make no mistake, every word belongs to God and was breathed out by God. They are powerful for accomplishing His own purpose, namely, creating in our hearts saving faith in Jesus Christ. Within this Book, through the merit and work of Jesus, salvation for sinners is revealed!

 

So, with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, let us continue in what we have learned, so that we may be wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ!

 

Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your Holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

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