This is an excerpt from a sermon preached on Ephesians 5:1-2 which reads:
“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.”
Everyone who is in Christ is a new creation – a child of God. All who have received the Lord Jesus by believing in His name are God’s children, not by our own works or wills but by the will of God (John 1:12-13). This is all a part of God’s predetermined choice that through Jesus we would be God’s adopted children (Ephesians 1:4-5). Ephesians 1:4 tells us that this was all done by God in love for us.
If you are in Christ, you are a child of God. You are loved by God with an everlasting love that God has had toward you since before time began. God set His affection on you in eternity past, before He created the world, before you existed, before you ever had an opportunity to make any choices, and even before sin entered the world. In His love toward you He chose you to be His child in Christ.
In His love for you He, before time began, planned to save you. The Godhead determined, even before sin existed, that He, in His love for us, would send the Son to die for us.
It is there that the love of God is most clearly put on display. God has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
There are some of you going through deep pain and difficult circumstances. Some have faced these for many years, perhaps most of your lives.
You may be wondering why you should imitate God when He has planned such a hard road for you.
When you hear that you are to imitate God has a dearly loved child, you may cringe at the thought, because you doubt God’s love amid these circumstances.
Or, perhaps your theology is too good for you to doubt God’s love, but you do doubt that God really wants to love you or that He loves you the same as His other kids.
Brokenhearted Child of God, I want you to see that God has no favorites. God has no children that He stiff-arms or throws away. All His children are close to His heart, and Isaiah 49:16 says our names are engraved on the palm of His hands – Think of the nails piercing your Savior’s hands because your name is engraved there.
That, Beloved Child of God, is how you may know without doubt that God loves you. Christ has loved you and given Himself for you.
Excerpt from a sermon preached at Pioneer Bible Church on 11/27/2022.
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