Imitate Christ: Live as a Fragrant Offering

May 10, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stephen’s Stones and Forgiveness

Stephen knelt as rocks struck his body. His final breath carried two prayers: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and “Don’t hold this sin against them.” The crowd hurled stones, but Stephen hurled grace. His words mirrored Jesus’ cry from the cross – forgiveness for executioners. Imitation meant dying like Christ to the bitter end. [59:13]

This scene reveals imitation’s cost. Stephen didn’t merely quote Christ’s words; he relived His sacrifice. The Greek word for “imitator” means apprenticeship – not copying gestures, but sharing a master’s fate. When we imitate God, our reactions to injury become His reactions.

You’ve been handed stones – betrayal, gossip, rejection. What flies from your lips when they hit? Complaints? Justifications? Or unexpected grace? Stephen’s story asks: Will you rehearse Christ’s forgiveness today so thoroughly that it becomes your first response to pain?

“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’”
(Acts 7:59-60, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to replace your instinctive anger with His forgiveness for one specific person.
Challenge: Write the name of someone who hurt you on paper. Pray for them aloud for two minutes.

Day 2: Fragrance from Life to Life

Paul describes Christians as Christ’s aroma – a smell that signals life to some, death to others. In Roman processions, conquering generals burned spices to announce victory. Our lives now burn with Christ’s triumph, a sensory proclamation wherever we walk. [01:10:50]

This metaphor transforms mundane moments. A mother’s patience, a worker’s integrity, a neighbor’s kindness – these are holy incense. Like Old Testament offerings, our ordinary acts become sacred when performed in love. God inhales your daily obedience as worship.

Your workplace, gym, and grocery line are altars. What routine task can you convert into fragrant worship today? When you scrub dishes or file reports, will you do it as perfume for God or mere duty?

“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.”
(2 Corinthians 2:14, ESV)

Prayer: Thank God for three “ordinary” parts of your day. Offer them as intentional worship.
Challenge: Perform one disliked chore today with deliberate joy, whispering “This is for You.”

Day 3: Apprentices of the Cross

Paul dared say, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” He invited others to shadow him like tradesmen learning a craft. The cross was his toolbelt – forgiveness his chisel, sacrifice his hammer. Every scar taught apprentices how to build God’s kingdom. [53:52]

True imitation requires proximity. You can’t mimic Christ from a distance. Stephen stood so close to Jesus’ heart that his persecutors saw the same face. Spiritual apprenticeship means studying the Master’s wounds until they reshape your reflexes.

Who has earned the right to say “Follow my example” in your life? What specific Christlike trait do you see in them – patience, courage, generosity – that you need to adopt?

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 11:1, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one area where you’ve preferred comfort over close discipleship.
Challenge: Call a mature believer today. Ask, “What Christlike habit should I learn from you?”

Day 4: Aroma in the Daily Grind

The Ephesian Christians heard radical instructions: “Walk in love as Christ loved.” Walk – not sprint, not preach, but plod. Jesus’ love permeated fishing boats, tax tables, and footwashings. Our “fragrant offering” includes school drop-offs and spreadsheet cells. [01:14:02]

Sacrifice isn’t location-bound. A mother’s midnight feeding, a worker’s honest report, a student’s resisted cheat – these are altar smoke. Your cubicle or kitchen becomes the temple when done for Christ.

Where does your daily walk feel most disconnected from worship? How could remembering Christ’s carpentry shop – His 30 years of hidden labor – infuse purpose into your mundane tasks?

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
(Romans 12:1, ESV)

Prayer: Dedicate your most repetitive task today as an act of worship.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder for 3 PM: “Is my current action holy incense?”

Day 5: No More Borrowed Robes

A teenager borrowed his brother’s clothes to impress classmates. The disguise worked – until he had to return them. Paul insists our Christ-imitation isn’t costume jewelry: “Be imitators” uses the Greek “ginesthe” – become permanently. [48:27]

The Ephesian call demands identity replacement. We don’t occasionally dress like Christ; we drown our old self and rise as His mirror. Like Antioch’s believers, our transformation should force observers to coin new labels: “They’re just like Jesus.”

What “old clothes” – habits, speech patterns, attitudes – do you still retrieve from life’s closet when Christ isn’t looking?

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
(Ephesians 5:1-2, ESV)

Prayer: Ask God to expose one area where you’re still “costuming” rather than becoming.
Challenge: Donate an item of clothing today as a physical pledge to shed old identities.

Sermon Summary

We read Ephesians 5 1 and 2 and saw two clear identities for those in Christ. First, we must be imitators of God. Imitation in scripture does not mean a costume or a set of behaviors that we put on for Sunday and take off Monday. The Greek idea carries the sense of apprenticeship. We commit our daily habits, our affections, our decisions, and our aims to follow the pattern of Christ. We model our lives on his words, his compassion, his refusal of power, and his costly obedience so that our living becomes shaped by him. Second, we live as an occupation of love. Walking in love means serving others as Jesus served, giving ourselves for people who often do not deserve it, and offering our lives as a pleasing fragrance to God. Love here is not sentimental. Love is a costly, visible giving that reconciles, heals, and pleases the Father. The cross gives the pattern and the power for that love. We also saw how imitation and occupation connect. When we pattern our days after Christ and offer our lives in service, we become the aroma of Christ to the world. Scripture calls the church a fragrance that spreads the knowledge of God everywhere, bringing life to some and judgment to others. That aroma originates in worship that goes beyond Sunday. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices becomes daily worship when we choose holiness, charity, and faithfulness in ordinary places. The biblical examples deepen this calling. Stephen died echoing Christ’s final words. His imitation proved not cosmetic but existential. The call to be little Christs has real cost and real consequences. We must not domesticate this invitation into mere good manners. God saved us to form apprentices who live sacrificially and to be a sweet smell before God. Our present lives, as they are now, matter to God. We therefore resolve to imitate, to serve, to love, and to offer ourselves as worship so that our lives become a tangible testimony to God’s mercy and grace.

Key Takeaways

1. We must be imitators of God Imitation in scripture means apprenticeship, not costume. We follow Christ in choices, sorrow, speech, and obedience so that our whole life bears his shape. This imitation grounds ethics, prayer, and relationships in his example rather than in convenience or image. The aim is formation, not performance. [44:32]
2. Imitation reshapes our whole life The Greek idea of imitation implies following someone closely across time and context. We let Christ shape our habits, priorities, and desires so that our private life matches our public faith. This process requires intentional repetition, humble learning, and community models to guide us. It changes identity from self to disciple. [49:58]
3. Love as Christ loved us Walking in love reflects Jesus giving himself as a fragrant offering, serving the undeserving and bearing cost for others. Love becomes visible in everyday service, not in seeking honor or selecting admirable recipients. We practice humble service that seeks God’s glory, even when it goes unnoticed or meets rejection. [60:06]
4. Our lives must be a fragrance Scripture calls the church the aroma of Christ, a smell that brings life to some and death to others. We become that fragrance when we present our bodies as living sacrifices, making ordinary days acts of worship. This means holiness and charity in the mundane, trusting God to use our faithful faithfulness. [70:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:00] - Mother's Day and Ephesians focus
[44:32] - Read Ephesians 5 1 and 2
[45:54] - Call to imitate God
[49:58] - Imitation as apprenticeship explained
[56:11] - Stephen mirrors Christ on the cross
[60:06] - Walk in love and sacrificial service
[70:50] - The aroma of Christ to the world
[73:38] - Present your body as worship
[77:26] - Prayer and closing exhortation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Ephesians 5:1-2 (ESV)
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Observation Questions

What does it mean to be an "imitator of God" according to the analogy of apprenticeship in the sermon? [49:58]
How did Stephen’s final words and actions mirror Christ’s example, as described in Acts 7:59-60? [59:13]
What does the phrase "fragrant offering" in Ephesians 5:2 symbolize about the nature of sacrificial love? [01:10:50]
According to the sermon, how does daily worship extend beyond singing or listening to sermons? [01:13:38]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul compare Christ’s sacrifice to a "fragrant offering" in Ephesians 5:2? How does this imagery connect to the idea of our lives being an aroma to others?
The sermon emphasizes that imitation is not a "costume" but an identity. How does Stephen’s story in Acts 7 challenge superficial or temporary forms of imitation? [59:37]
In Mark 10:42-45, Jesus redefines greatness as servanthood. How does this redefine what it means to "walk in love" (Ephesians 5:2) when serving others feels costly or unappreciated?
The sermon warns against "domesticating" the call to imitate Christ into "good manners." What might this domestication look like in modern Christian practice?

Application Questions

What is one area of your daily habits (e.g., speech, priorities, reactions) where you feel challenged to shift from "performing" faith to being formed by Christ’s example? [44:32]
Identify a recent situation where you could have served someone "undeserving" but held back. What practical step could you take to walk in love next time? [01:00:06]
How might you intentionally model your private life (e.g., decisions, desires) after Christ’s character this week, even if no one sees it? [49:58]
When have you experienced rejection or indifference after trying to love others sacrificially? How can Christ’s example on the cross reframe your perspective? [01:06:31]
The sermon calls believers to view ordinary acts (e.g., work, chores, errands) as worship. What mundane task could you approach differently this week as an offering to God? [01:13:38]
Stephen’s imitation of Christ cost him his life. What is one way you sense God calling you to a "costly obedience" in your current relationships or circumstances? [59:37]
Reflect on 2 Corinthians 2:15-16: How might your life currently be a "fragrance of Christ" to some and a "smell of death" to others? What does this reveal about your witness? [01:10:50]

Sermon Clips

51s

#AuthenticFaith

“Anyone can come into a building and sing moving songs without stretched arms and say that was beautiful. Anyone can listen to a sermon and think that's a great point, pastor. I'm gonna write that down. But we're to do it when we're alone. When we don't feel like raising the hands. We're to do it when we can't raise the hands. We're to do it wherever, whenever, however, we find ourselves on any given day. That's what it means to imitate.”

44s

#LivingSacrifice

“I want you to take your body. I want you to take your life. I want you to present it to God as spiritual worship. Now understand something. According to scripture, this is what your worship is. It can be more than this, but it must never be less than this. It is you daily offering your body holy, blameless, acceptable to God. That's what it means.”

47s

#ServantSavior

“But we need to remember, the son of man came not just to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And nowhere in that whole resume or job description did he get caught up in the what others we talking about? Yeah. I know sinners, but but the good sinners. Right? I know sinners, but the the ones that already like me. Right? Those are the ones we're talking. No. I didn't come to be served. I came to serve And I came to give my life as a ransom.”

56s

#AromaForGod

“But here's what he said. This he said, to show him by what manner of death he would glorify god. Dying on a cross was going to glorify god. Your life and the circumstances in it, the good, the bad, and the ugly, they are to glorify God whether you are preaching the cross or dying on one. Whether healing a blind man or blind yourself. Wherever, whenever, however your identity is to be an aroma.”

65s

#PresentPraise

“And we are told that we are to be a pleasing aroma unto God. There's really not other way any other way to ask this or to think about this. Your life as is, Not not as you're intending it to be at some point in the future. Not as it used to be back in the day when you were really something. Your life as is is God from the balcony of heaven leaning over the railing That smells wonderful.”

28s

#ForgiveLikeChrist

“One of the things now now it was last week, so so maybe the the memory is a little bit hazy, but that we're told to be forgiving to one another as God for Christ has forgiven us. So so what we're seeing here all throughout this part of Ephesians is very simple. We are to see the stuff that Jesus did and we're to do it. It's just as simple and just as complicated as that. See the stuff Jesus did and just do it.”

80s

#AlwaysChristlike

“I was really, really good at dressing up like my older brother every day. But every day, I would take that off and I would just be me again. When it comes to your relationship with God, there is no, there can be no, just me again. Because you put it on and you don't take it off. That's what it means for you, for I, and everyone to be an imitator of God. A sweet smelling fragrance and aroma for others and for God himself.”

40s

#ImitationAsVocation

“You imitate Christ in such a way. You strive to be like Christ in such a way where you just say to yourself, his final words, my final words. His actions, my actions. Not a shirt put on and taken off when convenience. I'm going to follow him and I'm going to be like him. That is what it means when we're told to be imitators of God. So we see we are an imitation, but there's also something else we see. We are also an occupation.”

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Southside Baptist Princeton, KY This sermon · AI assistant

What does it mean to be imitators of God?

How does Christian imitation differ from superficial copying?

How is the believer a fragrant offering to God?

Imitate Christ: Live as a Fragrant Offering

Devotional

Day 1: Stephen’s Stones and Forgiveness

Day 2: Fragrance from Life to Life

Day 3: Apprentices of the Cross

Day 4: Aroma in the Daily Grind

Day 5: No More Borrowed Robes

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Imitate Christ: Live as a Fragrant Offering

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