Becoming Imitators of God

To Will One Thing

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children; and walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (NASB)

The call to be “Imitators of God?” V-HIM

Father we need your healing. We need to be healed to truly know that we are your beloved children. This week Lord we ask for your help in converting our wills to will the one thing You desire. And give us some practical help Lord as to how to do this.

During our last two sermons we have looked at what it means for us to become Imitator’s of God. We first have to have a Vision for it. Is God really calling us to become an Imitator of Him? Is it one of the core truths of the Word. And then - Is it possible? The answer was a resounding Yes.

Last week we saw that to become an Imitator of God, we needed to realize that we were His beloved children. That God was fond of us. That He took delight in us. But there were certain obstacles – like our histories. We need to be healed of our past sins and past hurts in order for us to accept this most basic of all truths. We need a vision of Him at every moment of our histories. We need to see that he carried us through our most difficult times –even if we didn’t see him at the time.

As I drove to church here each week, I pass three churches that have pithy little signs each week and each week I ask God to speak to me through these signs in preparation for our time together. This week the first two churches had the same message that they had week. I was beginning to wonder if this was some sort of Bill Murray “Groundhog Day” experience. Then at the Evangelical Free church was the sign:

There are some saying the “Our Father” who are still living as orphans.

That captures the essence of our problem to live as God’s beloved.

This week we are going to look at some first steps. How do we start does this road?

Brennan Manning wrote an entire book dedicated to helping us to start down the road. The title of the book is Abba’s Child and I would highly recommend it. It is all about how we can be healed and so come to recognize that God the Father (Abba Father) is truly fond of us. He encourages us to

“Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion.”

The Necessity of Intent

Manning captures one of the key first steps for us. We have to take the initiative in this process. We have to be intentional to begin this process. “Define yourself radically as one beloved of God.” Our wills must come into play. Becoming an imitator of God isn’t going to just happen. We have to choose to start down this road. God has taken the initiative to love us – to adopt us into his family - to call us his beloved children. He has taken the initiative to put healing at our door step. He is knocking – but we must open the door. Intent / Initiative / Intentional – These are the “I” of our Vision of HIM.

The question before us is: Do we want this? Do we want to radically define ourselves as beloved? Don’t answer this too quickly. Remember C.S. Lewis words from the first week. God really wants it for us. It is not idealistic gas – not just a lot of hot air. But, Lewis says, it is going to take time and at times it’s going to be painful. But this is where we have to begin.

The biggest hindrances to us are not the kinds of things you might think.

Dallas Willard has said that “We need to realize that the less sensational entanglements of ordinary lives are precisely what keep well-intentioned people from following Christ into the depths and heights of spiritual transformation.”

Its not the really big things that stop us from deciding and choosing to follow Christ into spiritual transformation and healing. Its that we get distracted by every day things like

Cleaning the gutters

The broken washing machine

The missed appointments

The project at work

About 8 years ago I bought a car through a lease arrangement. And for a number of reasons, the car dealer lied to me and ripped me off to the tune of about $1500. I won’t mention the car dealer, but for a number of years I went around with a modified sticker that was changed from Avon CarDealer to Avoid CarDealer.

But for several weeks I was obsessed with this $1500. During my quiet times, I couldn’t get this distraction out of mind. That’s the kind of entanglements that keep our focus away from the important things.

There is an end to that story. After 4 years, when I bought back the car, I had a contract that said I would buy the car for such and such a price. The bank said they were going to sell it back to me for $1500 less than the contracted price. When I asked the bank, they insisted on selling for less than the contract. As I hung up the phone, God spoke to me and said – “Don’t you see how you can trust me with these things. Don’t you see how this became a distraction for you?”

When we look at the lives the great saints of God you find that they aren’t the smartest. They aren’t strongest. They aren’t most powerful. But you do find one thing. They have decided to will one thing. They chose not to be distracted. They were focused. They have decided – that above everything else – they will pursue God. They will seek a Vision of HIM. They will radically define themselves as a beloved child of God. They have chosen to imitate what they see.

Sören Kierkegaard the great Danish theologian captured this when he said “Purity of heart is to will one thing”

In the beatitudes, Jesus told us that the Pure in heart will see God. The pure in heart will have a vision of God. Kierkegaard tells us how to walk on this road. And that is to will One thing.

Our wills must be engaged in this process. Before we were Christians our wills were slaves of sin and Satan. Now we have been set free – Jesus has freed our wills. He has proclaimed freedom for the captives. But what are we going to do with these freed wills. There are worlds of choices. What is the one thing that your will has been set free to choose.

A number of years ago I attended a management seminar and the leader asked us to think about what we would do if we were given a Billion dollars. What would be the first thing that you would do. Not a million – but a billion. One of the attendees said “Oh I know what I would do with that much money.” The leader asked expecting to hear some grandiose plan for spending such a large sum. She responded that they would buy a Honda Civic. A billion dollars – and a Honda Civic? When challenged, she replied “I want a Honda Civic.”

But are we any different? God has set our captive wills free. We are free to choose. But do we make any better choices than when our wills were captive. Or are we choosing Honda Civics? Let’s take a minute of silence. Are we willing to pursue God above everything else? Are we willing to pursue the healing that we need to become imitators of God. Are we willing to radically define ourselves as God’s beloved child?

[Pause]

God’s Work /Our Will Combo

Turn with me to Paul’s letter to the Philippians Chapter 2 versus 12-13. I need to qualify what I have just said.

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..continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Phil 2:12-13

I want you to know that you aren’t alone in this process. Dallas Willard says that “will alone cannot carry us to change.” This decision / this choice / this commitment of your will is not made in a vacuum. You and God are co-workers in this.

Look at this amazing verse carefully. Notice the interplay between our will and God’s sovereignty. Paul says

“work out your salvation” - doesn’t that imply that it is up to you.

He is saying you got to work at it. It is a decision. It is a choice.

But then look at what he says – “for God is at work in you to will and to act.”

Your will is co-mingled with God’s sovereignty. God is at work in every one of you to will and to act. To will that one thing. We don’t do it alone. There is a divine tension in “Make a choice to follow me” and “I am working in you to choose.”

The Ways and Means of the Saints

I want to close with looking at one of the specific ways that the saints of old for more than 2000 years have “willed the one thing.” We all know the story of the sisters - Mary and Martha. They were hosting a big party. A lot of people have come. Martha is busy with the preparations. Making everything just right. The scripture says that she was “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.” Mary isn’t holding up her end of the deal. She is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to him. Martha starts grousing and complaining. “Tell Mary to get in here and help me.”

Listen to Jesus’ response.

"Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10:40-41

Jesus has just defined the “one thing.” The one thing that is more important than everything else. “Only one thing is needed.” Can you imagine Martha’s stunned reaction. Here I am working my tail off – my no good sister is not helping at all. And you’re telling me that what she is doing is better than what I am doing? Who will prepare the meal if we all are sitting at your feet. Who will set the table and clean the place settings?

Martha, Martha – the pure in heart see God. You are allowing all of these good things to become distractions. The pure in heart to will one thing – because only one thing is really needed – and that is to sit at my feet. To listen to me.

The problem wasn’t the necessary preparations – it was that Martha was distracted by them – distracted from seeing the most important part.

If we want to become imitators of God – we need to see Him – we need a continual vision of Him. We need to see him daily.

I know very well where I was when I first made this decision in my life – to will the one thing. It was during a sermon by Michael Kelley Blanchard. He was describing a television sitcom that I had never watched – Taxi – and how each morning the drivers would come into the boss and get their directions for the day. He asked a simple question. Shouldn’t we get our directions / shouldn’t we get a glimpse of what our Master is doing each and every morning. Making a decision of our will – to choose the one thing that is necessary. To learn to sit at the feet of Jesus – every day. I mark that day as the day I made the decision to will one thing.

Elizabeth Eliot, the wife of Jim Eliot whose story is told in that wonderful movie out now called “The end of the spear” was asked what was the single most important thing that contributes to her spiritual transformation.

Getting up when the alarm goes off

A simple spiritual discipline – her will to do one thing. The thing that contributed most to her becoming an imitator of God – to use her will which has been set free by Jesus – was to get up when the alarm goes off – so that she can sit at Jesus feet. To hear his words of healing. To have him show her where he was in the various tragedies in her life. To watch him / so that she can imitate him.

Brennan Manning has said that “The false self argues relentlessly that the root of the problem is minor and should be ignored. “ The root of the problem is not minor. We need healing and transformation. We need to know that we are God’s beloved children. The true self works his or her will together with God’s sovereignty to will the one thing that is needed. To daily and for significant periods of time sit at Jesus feet. That is where we will learn that we are God’s beloved child. That is where we will learn to become an imitator.

It will be costly. Some things won’t get done. Some distractions will be ignored. Some urgent deadlines will be missed. The pure of heart – those who will one thing – will see God.

And it doesn’t get better than that.