Be Imitators of God Ephesians 5:1-5
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: Do a skit about one child imitating another.
Today’s passage begins with a simple therefore. This therefore ties what is to come, back, to everything that Paul has talked about in the letter up to this point. It’s his first words after the therefore that tell you why you need to know and believe everything he has said up to this point. As a reminder here are some of the truths to remember:
God Chose you
God Predestined you
God Predestined you
God Redeemed you
God Redeemed you
God Forgave you
God Forgave you
God Provided you an Inheritance
God Provided you an Inheritance
Stop that - quit mimicking me
God Saved you
God Saved you
God Sealed you
God Sealed you
God Gave you His Spirit
God Gave you His Spirit
Dad - Tell her to stop mimicking me!
Stop that this instant young lady.
God Enlightened you
God Enlightened you
God Adopted you as His own
God Adopted you as His own
Daaaddddd
Don’t make me tell you again.
God Gave you life
God Gave you life
God Made you a part of the body
God Made you a part of the body
(I’ll stomp my foot a couple times)
Alright that’s enough!
God has Shown you how to walk
God made you a Child of God
a Child of God
Can you relate? How many of you have been a part of a similar conversation? My brothers and I used to do it all the time. We would mimic each other. No particular reason - except to have some fun, especially on a long road trip.
That’s what today’s passage is saying. Be a mimic.
Ephesians 5:1–5 (NASB95)
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;
4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Transitional Sentence: Children imitate their parents, just as you a child of God can imitate your Heavenly Father.
To imitate God would be to mimic God. To mimic God you are to do what you see Him doing. However, in this situation it more closely approximates “be obedient.”
So instead of trying to mimic God, we are to be obedient to His word. We are to do the things of Scripture. We are to do things such as
Walk in Love. To walk in love, is to do the things of love. To do the things of love you must show love to others.
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
In doing a google search for ways to show love to others I found dozens of sites that told me numerous ways to show love to my partner or significant other. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything that told me how to show love to a stranger on the street. Nothing at all. Has love become only about the one person in our lives that is always there? Are random acts of kindness to strangers no longer acceptable?
To walk in love you need to show the love of Christ Jesus to everyone. It’s getting really hard to do that. It seems as though everyone is in a hurry and there are so many distractions that make slowing down seem impossible. But, some how you need to walk in love. I wish I could tell you how but I’m having trouble with it too. Just keep your eyes open and ask the Lord to show you a way. Then when you see it - take that step of faith and walk in Love. Then pray that God will use your act of Christ like love to bring about change in the persons heart.
But to be an imitator of God how far do you have to take walking in love? Are you willing to imitate Jesus and His love for the Father?
b. Christ Loved you so much that He gave Himself up for you. Are you willing to give yourself up for others? When Jesus died on the cross it wasn’t because He was forced to by people. It was because He did it of His own will.
17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.
18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
He offered up His life for you so that you could have eternal life. But what does it mean when it says He was an
c. Offering and sacrifice to God?
Just what is an offering and sacrifice? Well an...
Offering is any type of gift given to a king or a god as an act of fealty, worship, or devotion. It represents a pledge of loyalty between the giver and the receiver. The offering can take the form of a sacrifice, tithe, firstfruit, or money. The idea of an offering is one of devotion not compulsion.
A Sacrifice carries the idea of reciprocity. You give something to the Deity or spirit to get something in return. This type of animal sacrifice is still practiced in many cultures that fear spirits around them and they try to appease that spirit or get something from it. But in Judaism before the destruction of the Temple the animal sacrifice was primarily an act of atonement. The life or blood of the animal in exchange for the life or blood of the person providing the sacrifice.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
God made this first sacrifice of an animal which covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness and their sin of eating the forbidden fruit. And so the sacrificial system began. The system of slaughtering animals to atone for the sins and lives of human beings lasted a long time. However, Christ Jesus was the fulfillment of the old sacrificial system. His one last sacrifice atoned for the sins of all who believe in Him and would walk by faith.
But now the idea of an offering and sacrifice are a bit different.
An offering is still a gift given because of a willingness to worship or show devotion to God.
But a sacrifice is different, you no longer need to offer up burnt sacrifices of animals and their blood to atone for your sins. So your sacrifice is figurative. You offer yourself as a living sacrifice, meaning that you die to yourself that you might live for Christ Jesus. Paul said it this way to the Romans.
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Now for an Aroma...
13 ‘All who are native shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering by fire, as a soothing aroma to the Lord.
A fragrance, a soothing aroma. How many of you burn candles to create a soothing aroma. The smell helps you feel better and relax. The habit of burning incense does the same thing. A soothing aroma is something that brings pleasure. Christ Jesus following the will of the Father and dying on the cross was a pleasing thing to God.
So, Christ Jesus because of His great love for the Father and you; offered Himself to God out of love and devotion and sacrificed Himself on the cross to atone for the sins of all those who believe in Him. This was a pleasing thing to God the Father.
Now that Paul has exhorted you to imitate God and told you why, he goes on to give a few more...
2. Put off’s & Put On’s
a. Immorality - Behavior which is contrary to the will of God for his people. Although the term may be used to refer to a wide range of immoral actions, it is used especially in relation to unacceptable sexual behaviour.
Both in the OT and in the NT the word has a figurative meaning as well, referring to idolatry or unfaithfulness to God. (Chasing after other gods)
Impurity - The biblical categories of “clean” and “unclean” relate to ritual purity and describe the condition of something relative to its suitability for being in God’s presence. Being unclean disqualifies the person or thing from being in God’s presence. So being clean means that one is able to enter God’s presence. This sense of readiness to be in God’s presence was extended to include moral purity, as well as physical or ritual purity.
This is where the idea of no longer walking as a Gentile comes into play. The Gentiles walk in impurity and are unable to be in the presence of God. All those with unclean hearts will not be with God. All of last weeks emotional attitudes are evidence of an unclean heart.
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?
In the Old Testament according to the Jewish law this uncleaness requires certain steps be taken to become clean again. But in the New Testament there is only one way to receive cleansing; put on the Lord Jesus. His forgiveness washes away all sin and guilt.
Greed (covetousness) Jesus said:
15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Greed is a synonym for avarice, the excessive and all-consuming desire for material wealth. According to the Bible, greed is associated with idolatry, insofar as it leads a person to view the accumulation of material possessions, rather than right relationship to God, as the highest good (the good life) and it leads a person to trust in personal ability or accumulated treasure rather than in God for one’s well-being and security. When it becomes one’s central desire, the accumulation of wealth comes to shape both the inner and the social life of the person held captive by greed. For this reason, Jesus taught that a person must eventually choose between serving God and being a slave to the pursuit of wealth.
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Other put off’s are to not speak filthiness, silly talk or coarse jesting.
b. Filthiness is obscenity, which is primarily pornographic in nature - obscene jokes.
Silly Talk is foolish talk. There is nothing edifying about silly talk and in general it is hurtful of someone. Especially when they are jokes directed towards someone in particular.
Coarse Jesting is an act intended to provoke laughter; an utterance intended as mockery or humor. It is especially used to mock God.
Speaking this way simply shows the nature and impurity of a calloused heart. So don’t do it - put it off.
Instead put on thanksgiving.
c. Give Thanks - Those who speak obscenities, speak foolishly or make obscene jokes speak only with unwholesome words.
The Greek word here being translated as giving of thanks is eucharistia. Which is the act of expressing gratitude or showing appreciation to someone. Those who give thanks in their words will speak with edifying words. Grace instead of discord will be spread and the glory of God will shine through your words and deeds.
These put off’s, especially immorality, impurity and greed show the condition of one’s heart. In these three put off’s you will find the anger, bitterness, wrath, clamor, slander and a propensity to steal which Paul says are a part of the old-self that causes corruption and death. If they are not put off then verse 5 of our scripture today comes into play.
5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
This is the big deal of the first four chapters of Ephesians. Without putting off the old self, being renewed in the spirit of your mind and putting on the new self there is:
3. No Inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
a. Immorality, impurity, covetousness, and idolatry are the big picture of all the put off’s. Each of these points to the state of the inner man in the heart. From the heart comes the actions and speech of all. It doesn’t say here that an angry man won’t enter the Kingdom of God. But what if the anger stems from covetousness or idolatry in the heart? If you are angry, or still have some of these put off’s to take care of dig deeper. Maybe there is a bigger issue causing the problem.
In order to remove the immorality, impurity, covetousness and idolatry from your heart you must be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Here are 5 practical steps to renew your mind and replace negative thoughts. These come from Chip Ingram and living on the edge.
1. Train your brain to recognize false beliefs or negative thoughts.
2. Call out the negative thoughts or lies.
3. Replace lies with truth.
4. Study and meditate on Scripture.
5. Pray - I’m going to say that one a second time - PRAY!
b. So what is this inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God that you will miss out on? Well, you will miss out on eternal life.
Eternity is:
Everlasting duration, associated with endless time but often understood theologically as distinct from time since God is eternal and outside time, the creator of time, and the only one who sees both the beginning and the end of time.
Eternity is a long time.
1 Peter 1:3-5 says:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
So the inheritance is salvation, which is imperishable, undefiled and reserved in heaven because of God’s great mercy and your faith in Christ Jesus.
The opposite happens to those who do not know God or obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus:
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
This is the end of the unrepentant, the immoral, impure, covetous and idolaters. they will not receive an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.
c. So break any evil that holds onto you. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Chapter 6 of Paul’s letter to the Romans talks about believers being dead to sin, but alive to God. Those who are baptized into the death of Christ are also resurrected into His life in God. In dying with Him your body of sin is put to death so that you might walk in the newness of life.
Romans 6:10-11 says:
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Renew your mind in this way. Consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Don’t let sin reign in your body any longer. You are not an instrument of unrighteousness. You are alive for God and your members are instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:14 Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Exit: So, walk as a child of God and be obedient to the word of God. In obedience you will imitate God. To imitate God you must renew your mind. Remember the five steps that will help you in this endeavor:
1. Train your brain to recognize false beliefs or negative thoughts.
2. Call out the negative thoughts or lies.
3. Replace lies with truth.
4. Study and meditate on Scripture.
5. Pray
As you renew your mind the Holy Spirit will sanctify you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Allow Him to work in your life. Eternity is at stake. Eternal life in the presence of God or eternal destruction and separation from God. It’s your choice.
If you wish to choose wisely then accept Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior and you will be on your way to receiving that inheritance which is salvation in heaven for those who believe because of God’s great mercy and your faith in Christ Jesus.
Pray!
