Imitate Christ: Live as a Fragrant Offering

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. [01:14:22] (51 seconds)  #AuthenticFaith

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. [01:13:38] (44 seconds)  #LivingSacrifice

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. [01:05:57] (47 seconds)  #ServantSavior

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. [01:12:19] (56 seconds)  #AromaForGod

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. [01:08:48] (65 seconds)  #PresentPraise

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. [01:00:15] (28 seconds)  #ForgiveLikeChrist

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. [01:15:12] (80 seconds)  #AlwaysChristlike

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. [00:59:15] (40 seconds)  #ImitationAsVocation