Live in Love, Light and Wisdom
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,
Therefore!
Therefore!
In light of who we are in Christ, we are called to imitate God. Who are we in Christ? We are Children of God. So as Children, we are to imitate, or mimic our Heavenly Father. This is nothing new. You watch little children, maybe you see it now in yourself: a child will imitate the behaviors and actions of their parents. We are to do the same thing.
I want to point out something special.
The Word of God says that we are dearly loved children. Have you ever read that before? It’s used 61 times in the New Testament.
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”
The first time it is used is at the Baptism of Jesus when the Father speaks from heaven. It’s also found in Mark and Luke, same account.
And now, you and I are also children of God. And God uses that same language to speak about you and me. We are dearly loved children of our heavenly Father.
I AM a Child of God! And so are you!!
What that means is that we should imitate our heavenly Father. But if you don’t know what that looks like; you can imitate Jesus because He put the Father on display.
No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.
So we are to imitate Christ, as He imitates the Father.
You can also imitate Paul, as he imitates Christ, as Christ imitates the Father.
Because of who we are in Christ, we are to be imitators of God. As a child often imitates the characteristics and behaviors of a parent, we are to do the same with our heavenly Father.
What does it look like to imitate Jesus?
-Gentle voice.
Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.”
At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God taught Elijah that His work is not always accomplished in loud and overt ways. Yes in Job, Exodus and Revelation we read how earthquakes, thunder, lightening, and whirlwinds are used to get people’s attention, but usually when God speaks, it is quiet.
So he answered me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of Armies.
GOD speaks through Zechariah and tells us that it isn’t by might power or obvious signs - the ways of the world - that God accomplishes His mission, but rather by the spirit.
Not seeing doesn’t mean anything. In Esther, GOD is working and yet His name is not mentioned in the book.
Interesting side note: Esther and Song of Solomon are 2 books in the Bible that do not contain God’s name in the Hebrew Bible.
The gospel is a gentle voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and the free gift of salvation through Christ.
The law breaks the rocky hearts of men in pieces, shakes their consciences, and fills their minds with a sense of God’s fiery wrath and the punishment they deserve, and then the gospel speaks gently to them of the peace and pardon available in Christ.
-Patience.
-Understanding.
-Putting Himself last.
-Serving His creation.
Paul has a focus.
Paul writes here in the first 21 verses of Ephesians 5, that we can imitate God with lives characterized by love, light and wisdom.
Live in and as love!
Live in and as love!
and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
Jesus served us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Word became flesh! The creator became flesh. And loved us, and gave Himself for us.
SO we can imitate this amazing love by serving others rather than serving ourselves.
Walk in love!
My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. The one who says, “I have come to know him,” and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him: The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked.
There is a trend in this whole thing! In Ephesians Paul is writing about not sinning, about loving God - about DOING WHAT JESUS SAYS!
And we jump to John, and the Word of God says the same thing! And then they both tell us that we can know how we know Christ is that we DO WHAT JESUS SAYS, and that we WALK AS JESUS WALKED!
And Jesus walked in LOVE!
And by the way that Jesus walked, God’s love was made complete.
As Christ loved us and gave Himself for us - selflessly as a sacrificial and fragrant offering to GOD.
Sacrificially!
What kind of offering does God like?
Sacrificial - should cost you something - sacrifice
Fragrant - should smell good to the Lord
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Jesus going to the cross for us, that is the best possible example of what it means to love.
His selfless sacrifice was a fragrant offering. It smelled good to God.
So we demonstrate that love by seeking what is best for others. When we sacrifice and put others first, it smells good to God.
Ephesians 5:3–7 (CSB)
But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners.
The opposite of love is selfishness.
We do not need to let the culture set the standard!
Basically, you cannot adopt a lifestyle that goes against the Word of God and expect to obtain the inheritance in the kingdom of God.
We must not be deceived.
God’s wrath is coming. It is real. It is not a fairytale. God’s wrath is coming for those who partner with deceivers and disobedient. If their lifestyle is your lifestyle, then you have partnered with the world, and you need to make immediate changes.
Live in and as LIGHT
Live in and as LIGHT
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—
You are no longer in darkness. Before you knew Jesus, you were in darkness, but now you are not. Now you are in the light. Walk as children of the light.
Check this out: John 8:12
Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
Jesus is the light. We are to imitate Jesus.
Now if Jesus is the light, we clearly are not. But we can be reflections of the light. I am a huge fan of disco balls. I know, it’s cheesy like Velveeta , but disco balls reflect light everywhere.
But you know what is better than disco ball at reflecting light? The Moon.
While we were on the Sailboat the other day, Captain Randy was talking about the full moon, and how to know if it is a full moon or the day before or after. Now all that isn’t that important, but what is important is this:
The moon is fully engulfed in the light of the moon with no earthly obstruction.
We are to be the SAME WAY with Christ. We don’t need to be crescent moon Christians!
We cannot produce light, so if we want to reflect Christ we must be absorbing Christ by walking with Him and having a relationship with Him!
for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth—testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:
Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.
The Word of God talks about being fruitful, and here we are told “the fruit of light consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth”. Light produces fruit!
Contrast: light produces fruit, darkness fruitless.
You know what that means? It means that in the long run, walking in that old way, that world way, that non-Christian way; it goes no where except the wrath of God.
Now this next bit is real confusing at first. Paul writes, that we are not to participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. Then he writes that it is even shameful to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made visible, and light makes everything visable.
So we are to expose the works of darkness, but we aren’t to mention them. How on earth are we to expose them then?
The answer is simple: SHINE THE LIGHT!
If you are a child of GOD and you LIVE IN AND AS LIGHT, the works of darkness will be exposed by the way you live. Your words and actions, as you walk like Jesus walks, is all that is needed.
Did Jesus walk up to the religious leaders of the time and start calling out all their sins, being loud? Nope. Jesus was just Jesus. His presence was like turning a light on in a room and watching cockroaches scramble!
He didn’t need to get loud and call people out!
All Jesus needed to do is show up, speak truth, and live reighetousness and BE GOOD!
SO Get up sleeper, raise from the dead, and Christ WILL SHINE ON YOU!
Live in WISDOM
Live in WISDOM
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Make the most of your time.
Don’t miss opportunities by making the same choices you have always made.
Understand what the Lord’s will is.
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
You have to know where God stands on the issue.
There is only 1 way to know the will of the Lord.
That’s spending time with the Lord, being filled by the Lord’s word, by the Spirit, and getting heavenly knowledge and using heaveny wisdom to put the will of GOd in action in your life.
Listen: When the weather turns rough, people turn on the weather channel.
IN life we need to turn on the wheather channel: IN this situation, we need to determine whether God we are in line with God in our decision making or not! AMEN!
And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:
What are you filled with?
Getting drunk - it’s reckless. Leads to bad decisions. Don’t be filled with mind altering substances! They cloud your judgement!
And they make you useless.
Be FILLED by the spirit.
Now this is not the same as having the Holy Spirit inside you. That happens when you are saved.
Being FILLED by the Holy Spirit is much more.
A drunk person - they are under the INFLENCE of alcohol.
A person FILLED with the Holy Spirit - they are under the influence of the Holy Spirit!
Now what is even cooler here is that the word filled that Paul uses - it is in plural tense.
What that means is that the CHURCH AS A WHOLE, each and every person - the church altogether - should operate as a Spirit Filled BODY!
How do we get there? How do we get to be a Spirit FILLED body of Christ?
speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.
We must speak God’s will to each other. WHich means we must know it. We must submit to each other - lovingly looking for the best for each other. We need to worship the Lord and give thanks to Him - TOGETHER OFTEN!
Which means more than sundays brothers and sisters. You have to fill up - because the moment you leave the gas station, your car starts burning fuel and you are not full anymore. You need to top it off again.
Conclusion
Conclusion
You can sum this sermon up to
Ephesians 5:1-2 (CSB)
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
Be imitators of GOD - you greatly loved children - and WALK IN LOVE, with Christ as our example: who loved us and gave himself for us - for you and me, for our neighbors - a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.
Sometimes that means that things don’t go the way we want. Sometimes it means giving mercy and grace.
Be imitators of God and Walk in love.
“I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
You know the amazing thing about imitating Christ - we know how.
And love, well, love
Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Hatred stirs up conflicts,
but love covers all offenses.
Love overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others.
Love sees when our family is hurting. Love reaches out.