Sermon Tone Analysis

God's masterpiece of walking in Love and Light

Pastor Mark Hoover

A masterpiece in Progress / Ephesians 5:1–14

What does this new walk, this new way in Christ look like?

Ephesians 5:1–7 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

7 Therefore do not become partners with them;

‌Father Dies Sheltering His Daughter‌

During a severe blizzard in Japan, a father froze to death while sheltering his daughter.

The story reads, "Mikio Okada died as he tried to protect his only child, Natsune, against winds of up to 67mph and temperatures that plunged as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius."

Mr. Okada called his relatives to say that he was stranded and that he and Natsune would try to walk to their destination.

But they were both found just 300 metres from the truck.‌

The story continued, "Mr.

Okada was reportedly found hunched over his daughter, cradling her in his arms and apparently using his body and a warehouse wall to provide shelter.

He had taken his jacket off to give to the child, a broadcaster said.

The young girl was taken to a hospital near their home … where she was found to have no serious injuries."

This story that rips your heart out while providing an insight into the Atonement.

The apostle Paul wrote, "and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God” (

Eph. 5:2)

1.

How do we show that we walk in Love?

Be Imitators of God

"Be imitators of God as beloved children."

Christian Ambassadors

‌For the watching world, we ourselves serve proof that God is alive.

We form the visible shape of what he is like.

What does it look like to be a Child of God?

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous Light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

‌We are a Royal priesthood, a Royal Priesthood Holy Nation...

Romans 8:15 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba!

Father!"

We have an adoption that compels our souls to cry out, Abba! Father!

‌In the New Testament Christ is described as the expression of the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the Light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Colossians 1:15 ESV

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Hebrews 1:3 ESV

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Note: In the person of Jesus and his life, we see what our humanity is to be like.

We go back to creation, where God created humankind in His image and likeness.

Not in the sense that God has a body but has a nature.

We are called living images that should reflect the very heart of God.

Imago Dei of God:

‌Image in Greek is the same word for which we get icon.

It is like when you click on an icon on your phone, ipad, or tablet what do you expect to happen?

‌You expect it to open up the fuller application that you are wanting to see.

It is the same with us being the image bearers of God.

‌When the world looks at your life they should see the exact icon or representation of what the fuller God is like, the authentic picture of God himself.

So, as Christians, we have all inherited the Ft.

Knox of treasures into the kingdom of God, adopted into his royal family.

We have hit the greatest lottery in the Universe.

(not to trivialize it)

Love like the Son

Note: Christ's love was sacrificial.

We will read in Ephesians 5:25 says husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church.

Now, Paul is expounding on how we should be imitators of God.

Jesus' love was the perfect example of how we are to imitate Christ.

The sweetest, most beautiful fragrance that God ever detected coming from this planet is the aroma of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus Christ offered on the Cross.

Note: Love is not merely a sentimental feeling for someone.

LOVE INVOLVES 2 THINGS

(1) Sacrifice

(2) Action

As Christians imitating the Father, we are called to give the same fragrant offering to the Lord.

(OT, sacrifices, and aroma of the alter of sacrifice)

2 Corinthians 2:15-17

"For we are the aroma of Christ to those who are being saved...."

‌Joseph Fletcher’s book “Situation Ethics”‌In our generation, we have witnessed the advancement in both the secular culture and the Christian church of what is called ‘the New Morality.’

In Fletcher’s book in the 1960’s it linked with the emergence of the somehow called new morality.

‌The situation thesis ethic was this: the Christian faith is not based chiefly on a list of rules, commandments, and laws.

There is only one moral imperative, only one overarching law, to be found in the Christian life.

It is the law of LOVE: to love God and do what love requires in any given situation.

‌

Fletcher appeals to Paul’s statement in Romans 13:10; love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore, love is fulfilling the law.

‌

The famous quotation of Augustine that is many times misunderstood: ‘Love God and do as you please’, this was twisted beyond any recognition beyond its original intent.‌Augustine

meant that if our hearts are motivated internally by the proper spirit of love for God, then we will be able to do as we please because love for God will constrain us to do only those things that please the Lord.

(led by the spirit)‌Augustin never had in mind the idea that if you have some feeling of affection for God in your heart, then you can go ahead and disregard the commands of God.

‌

Fletcher however, does allow for the following situation: if the overarching consideration is love, extra-marital sexual relationships may be quiet acceptable in the sight of God.

There are various studies on human sexuality produced by commissions and committees of mainline denominations which have set forth the possibility that withing the context of love, it may be all right to engage in sex outside of marriage, even in the context of homosexual relationships.

‌The overarching picture then is, if you love then your behavior can be determined and justified by that Love.

We must resist the temptation to rename sin.

(we say, it's for mature audiences, it's the gentlemen's club if it feels good to do, it must be good."

We must not merely try to manage sin.)

The Real Message of Unmarried Sex

If you are sleeping with the person you are dating; you are telling each other two things.

First, you tell each other that your relationship with God is not your primary commitment.

Second, you are telling each other that you are the kind of person that will sleep with someone you are not married to.

Do you think that repeating vows to each other will somehow change that?

It doesn't.

You will enter into marriage if you marry the person you are sleeping with, already telling each other that you will sleep with someone you are not married to.

You already know that each of you is not, first and foremost, committed to God.

(Story of Andy and His declaration)

‌Note: Online dating is becoming the new Hook-up!

vs. 3 "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints (god's holy people)."