Weekly Sermons

Be Like Jesus!

Ephesians 5:1-2

Pentecost 8

June 27, 2010

^“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

            What group of people in this world is the most powerful? Is it the rich? Is it the high-class business men who have the most power? Is the police? Is it the politicians? Is it the really smart and intellectual ones? Is it the hard working ones?

            It is none of these. It is the children of this world who have more power than another other group of people. Of course this sounds completely false. For surely children have the least amount of power and control in this world. In fact it is children who are most easily overpowered by evil and corruption. But I want you to look at children this way. It is the children of the world who are someday going to be running this world, taking care of us when we are old, running our governments, preaching in this pulpit, doing good or doing evil.

            Children really are the most powerful people in the whole world. They have the ability to take in more information than adults. They have the ability to adapt to their environment in a way adults cannot. Children are the most powerful people in the world, but the problem is that they do not know this. Instead it is up to the adults to fill their children with power.

            And the other problem is that there are adults filling their children with the culture of our world instead of the culture of God’s Kingdom.

So for us today, as we look towards VBS which is beginning tomorrow, each one of us needs to remember and consider what part we have to play in training up our children in the way they should go.

            It is up to us, the family of God, under the guidance of the Heavenly Father, to make children what they are meant to be. They are meant to be Bold Believers in Christ Jesus. They are meant to be like Jesus – to be imitators of God, as beloved children. We are all called to live out the expression of this scripture:

James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.

Luke 1:52-53 -  He has brought down the     mighty from their thrones and            exalted those of humble estate; he             has filled the hungry with good          things, and the rich he has sent          empty away.

Matt. 5 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, the    meek, the mourning …

            Yes, children appear to be powerless and helpless beings in a world of power and force and evil. But it is those who are powerless that God blesses with true power. The Lord Himself told St. Paul : “my power is made perfect through weakness.” It is the humble ones who are exalted. It is those who become as little children who are exalted to receive the Kingdom of Christ . In this way children are the most powerful people in our world. Embracing humility, lowliness, meekness is what it means to become like a little child.

            As I mentioned children begin as humble, powerless creatures. They are at the mercy of parents and communities, to either raise them in the way of the Lord, or the way of the devil. Many children in this world may become very powerful, but it could be with the wrong kind of power, the kind that ultimately fades away. We have the power of eternal life which never fades away. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” There are only two paths for a person to walk in this life. That is what the ancient wisdom writings of Israel say very clearly.

Prov. 22:6 – Train up a child in the way He   should go …

            We, St. Paul ’s Lutheran Church , train up children in the way they should go. This is our mission, to raise us children, to raise us broken sinners.  We are called to be imitators of Christ. We follow the footsteps of our Lord, we follow in His Mission, and His mission was to exalt those of humble estate. He said:

Luke 4:18 -  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim good news to the poor …” 

Luke 5:31 -  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

            We, at St. Paul ’s Lutheran Church , understand God’s Word’s rightly when Jesus says let the children come unto me in the waters of baptism. For Christ says “I chose you, you did not choose me.” And as our children and other children grow up they should be reminded of the gift they have been given, so that every day they might open that gift with joy.

            And whenever a child is baptized here in this font we, the family of God, make a promise to help train up that child in the way he/she should go. Have you kept that promise? Well, unless you have a list of every child baptized in your presence in your wallet, you haven’t kept that promise perfectly. But there is One who has, our Perfect Lord. And this week, the Lord calls on you to be imitators of Him.

As Ephesians 5:1-2 says -

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.

            One of the great things about Scripture, is how the people of God are called children of God. Did you ever think about that? Is it just a meaningless phrase? Or does it hearken to the great meaning of God as our Father. For Jesus revealed to us the Father’s Name in a way that had never been truly understood before. In the first century, in the times before Christ, Israelites did refer to God as their Father. And in the OT Scriptures, God is seen as a Father. But Jesus calls Him “abba,” which means “dearest Father” or really best said “daddy”. Jesus broke the rules by calling God “daddy.” Any Israelite could refer to God as their Holy Father in heaven, but not as if He was their Father in a truly personal, relationship kind of way. But that is the Father we have. Through Christ alone, we understand that we are true children of the true and dear heavenly Father. 

            We all need to humble ourselves before the Lord this day, so that indeed we might be exalted. We need to stop for a second. Don’t think about what you have to do. Think about what Christ has done for you. His death and resurrection reveal the love of God, the Father, Son, and Spirit.

            As I thought about how important a job we all have as fathers and mothers in the family of God, well I could only think of how the other day I did such a poor job. Have you ever raised your voice at your child? Have you ever raised your voice to your brother? Have you cursed a friend? Have you thought evil of others? Then you’ve thought evil of the Lord. As St. John , tells us, “If any man does not love his brother, the love of God cannot be in Him.”

            But I know that we are not sinners who rejoice in our sin, but we are sinners who long for righteousness. I need to long for it. I need to thirst for it. One of the ways that we find God’s power at work in our lives is by serving one another. As St. Paul wrote:

Phil 2:3-4 - “³ Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”

            This is a key to Christian life for all our life, not just for this coming week. I know that when I take the time to be aware of my behavior and thoughts toward my family, I do a better job. When I think about how I might please my wife or children, I find myself making the time happen. But if I slink back into my own world where there is plenty to do, I forget to consider others above myself.

            This is what is means to imitate God. We are to consider all others more significant than ourselves. We are to be bold believers. We do what Jesus did!  We live like Jesus lived! All things are possible for those who love the Lord. Be a BOLD BELIEVER! Take bold action as Jesus did.  Take unpopular action as he did. Go share that message of salvation with the world.  This is what we’ll be teaching the kids in the coming week.  

            But they need more that just this week’s VBS to “get it” – they need to see us doing it, living it – parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives, friends.  They need to be brought to church, read the Bible at night, pray for every aspect of their lives, begin meals with grace. They need to see that being a Christian make them different; it makes them BOLD – and they should long to have people say “I want what he or she has” when they see God’s glory and praise in our lives. Our children will be filled with the Word of the Lord, as Col. 3:16 says –

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

            This is exactly what we will be doing tomorrow with the children of VBS. This coming week is VBS. And whether you can come physical or not, you have a part to play. We are all called to take part in the work of Christ. We have a role, to live and serve as Christ did. And what did Christ do: He loved his Holy Father above all else. He gave his all to Him. And, as a result of that love, He lifted up the lowly and exalted the humble ones. He took the children up in His arms and blessed them. That is what we do this week. And if you can come to be a part of it – come. If you can only come to just see what great things happen here – come for a moment. If you cannot physically come, but you can pray – then pray.

            In your bulletin, I would ask each one of you to take the sheet entitled “VBS WEEK” home with you. And this week read the Scripture which the children will read. And pray through that Scripture and for the children who will be also hearing that scripture. And there are specific prayer requests listed so that this week might indeed be supported with faithful prayer, with faithful reliance on the One who will exalt the humble and lowly. And as James 4:5-6 remind us:

            “ ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ And let him ask in faith, without doubting.”

            We do not need to doubt the love of Christ this day. We do not need to doubt that it is God who will indeed bless this coming week, and not only the children at VBS, but you, all of God’s Children. As Christ said to the Apostles (to the “sent ones” who were sent to proclaim with boldness the love of Christ) Christ says to us:

Matt. 13:11, 16-17 -

            “To you it has been granted to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven … ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

            This week the Kingdom, the power and reign of God comes to exalt the humble children that walk in and out of these doors. Let us all become like children this day - children of the Heavenly Father. Amen.