Imitators of God

Subtitle: Becoming Who You Are by Imitating the One Who Made You

Series: Who are we?

🎬 Introduction:

In the early 2000s, Enron was one of the most admired companies in America—until it imploded in one of the greatest corporate scandals of all time. The fallout revealed widespread fraud and deception at the highest levels. But perhaps the most surprising detail was this: one of Enron’s top executives was a well-known Christian. He taught Sunday School, served as a deacon, and was respected in his church community.

Yet during the week, he helped orchestrate unethical business practices that destroyed thousands of lives. When asked how he could reconcile his faith with his actions, his answer was unsettling:

“I never really saw a connection between my church life and my business life.”

That’s the danger of compartmentalized Christianity. It’s entirely possible to be faithful on Sunday and fraudulent on Monday—not because we don’t love Jesus, but because we’ve boxed Him into one part of our lives.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to do the same thing? We have a “work” self, a “church” self, a “home” self, a “party” self—and sometimes those selves barely talk to each other. We treat our relationship with God like it belongs in its own neat box: sacred, yes, but separate. We say we follow Jesus, but do we walk with Him through every part of our lives?

To become who we are in Christ, we must bridge the gaps of these different lives and let Christ permeate each one.

Let’s dream together for a moment. What if your “Church” self was your real self all the time.

Some would say, “that sounds boring and no fun.” We have allowed the world to dictate to us what fun is when we know it only leads to sin, guilt, shame, and heartache; but we keep calling it fun.

What if you had lasting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Sin is fun for a season but always leads to death, but the Spirit bring lasting joy that the world can’t take from you.

Before we go any farther this morning you have to come to the conclusion that God’s way is better and more fulfilling than the lies of the world.

Paul confronts this directly in Ephesians 5. He doesn’t say, “Feel spiritual sometimes.” He says, “Be imitators of God.” That’s not a part-time job—it’s a full-life transformation.

So here’s the question we must answer today:

Can you walk with God and still walk in the ways of the world?

Paul’s answer is unmistakable:

🌀 You can’t reflect Christ while walking in the dark.

In Ephesians 5, Paul lays out 4 ways we imitate God:

Walk in Love

Walk in Righteousness

Walk in Light

Walk in Wisdom

🧭 Sermon Outline

📌 1. Walk in Love (Ephesians 5:1–2)

Ephesians 5:1–2 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.

Love is now part of your DNA

1 John 4:7–8 ESV

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Love is revealed through sacrifice

Ephesians 5:2 ESV

2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Loving others doesn’t require them loving you first.

1 John 4:9–10 ESV

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

God’s love always comes first.

📷 Illustration – The Adoptive Mother Who Refused to Give Up

There’s a story of a woman named Kristen, who adopted a child from a traumatic background. The little girl had been in and out of foster homes, had a long list of behavioral issues, and pushed Kristen away emotionally at every turn. Screaming fits. Rebellion. Detachment. Kristen admitted that nothing about the child’s behavior felt “lovable.”

But Kristen said something profound in an interview:

“She doesn’t have to earn my love—I chose her. She’s mine. And because she’s mine, I will keep loving her, even when she can’t love me back yet.”

That’s not sentimental love—that’s sacrificial love rooted in identity. Kristen loved not because of what the child did, but because of who she was—her daughter.

That’s the kind of love Paul describes in Ephesians 5: a love that flows from the heart of God to His children.

💡 Tie-in Application:

That kind of love doesn’t come from feelings. It comes from identity.

Because God is love—and you’re His child—you now carry His love within you.

So don’t wait for others to deserve it. Don’t demand that they love you first.

Walk in love—because that’s who you are.

📌 2. Walk in Righteousness (Ephesians 5:3–7)

Ephesians 5:3 ESV

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

You can’t be an imitator of God and walk in sexual immorality.

Biblically, sexual immorality is a broad term that refers to any sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. The Greek word translated as “sexual immorality” is πορνεία (porneia), which is used throughout the New Testament. It is the derivative of the word pornography.

📖 Biblical Definition of Sexual Immorality (Porneia)

Fornication – sex before marriage (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 4:3)

Adultery – sex with someone who is not your spouse (Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27–28)

Homosexual activity – sexual relationships between members of the same sex (Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9)

Incest – sexual relations with close family members (Leviticus 18; 1 Corinthians 5:1)

Prostitution – engaging in or paying for sex (Proverbs 6:26; 1 Corinthians 6:15–16)

Lust and pornography – Jesus equates lustful thoughts with adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28)

Watch the things you say to yourself and others.

Ephesians 5:4–5 ESV

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.

You can’t be an imitator of God and walk in covetousness

Covetousness is an internal hunger for more—more pleasure, more possessions, more control—that drives us away from contentment in Christ and toward idolatry.

📷 Illustration – Eve and the Craving for More

Eve lived in paradise. She had perfect communion with God, freedom to enjoy creation, and access to every tree in the garden—except one. God gave her everything she needed to flourish. But the enemy didn’t tempt her with something ugly—he tempted her with the idea that she didn’t have enough.

Genesis 3:6 says,

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…”

That word desired is the heart of covetousness. Eve wanted what wasn’t hers. She stopped trusting that God had given her what was best, and started reaching for what He had withheld.

💡 Tie-in Application:

Covetousness still works the same way today. It whispers, “You deserve more.”

But when you chase what God has forbidden, you end up forfeiting the joy of what He has freely given.

📌 3. Walk in Light (Ephesians 5:8–14)

Ephesians 5:8–10 ESV

8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Your darkness has become light.

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

You have been enlightened by the knowledge of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:17–18 ESV

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

You have become the light of the world

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

The fruit of light is the way of Christ

We have the knowledge of the Savior.

We walk in the way of Christ. (goodness, righteousness, truth)

The unfruitfulness works of darkness

Ephesians 5:11–13 ESV

11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

Light reveals what’s real

John 3:19–21 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Judgement is coming on all the works of darkness

Ephesians 5:6–7 ESV

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;

Christ is still raising people from the dead

Ephesians 5:14 ESV

14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

💡 Application:

Stop hiding. Let God’s light do the healing. Don’t settle for surviving in the dark.

📌 4. Walk in Wisdom (Ephesians 5:15–21)

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Wisdom is redeeming the time

Psalm 90:12 ESV

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Time is kingdom currency—redeem it: Don’t waste your days on distractions.

Time is uncertain— we don’t know how long we have, we don’t know when Jesus is returning.

Wisdom is understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Wisdom is walking in the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18–20 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Drunkenness is recklessness (debauchery)

Spirit-filled lives overflow with praise and gratitude: Wisdom looks like worship.

Colossians 3:16–17 ESV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

📷 Illustration – The Architect and the Blueprint

Imagine an architect drawing up the plans for a beautiful, custom home. Every detail is intentional—load-bearing walls, electrical wiring, foundation placement. Now imagine a builder ignoring the blueprint and building however he feels in the moment—walls out of place, no plumbing plan, random materials.

It wouldn’t matter how skilled the builder was—if he’s not working from the design, the house will be unstable and ultimately collapse.

Paul says that to walk wisely is to live according to the will of the Lord. That means we don’t build our lives on instinct or impulse. We follow the blueprint—the Word of God. And the Holy Spirit is the foreman on the site, guiding every step.

Just like the architect has a vision for the whole house, God has a purpose for your whole life. Wisdom is building it His way, not yours.

💡 Application – Walk Like the Wise, Not the Reckless

Don’t waste your life swinging a hammer without a blueprint.

Wisdom redeems time. It seeks God’s will. It builds according to the Spirit, not the flesh.

🔚 Conclusion: You Were Made to Reflect Your Maker

Ephesians 5 doesn’t call us to try harder—it calls us to live truer.

To walk in love, righteousness, light, and wisdom is not about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about becoming who you already are in Christ.

God isn’t looking for performance. He’s inviting you to participate in His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)—to reflect the character of the One who created and redeemed you.

And here’s the bottom line:

🌀 You can’t reflect Christ while walking in the dark.

So if you’ve been compartmentalizing your faith—Sunday worship but weekday compromise—it’s time to bring the whole of your life under the lordship of Jesus.

🚶‍♂️ Next Steps – Living the Change Model

Let’s apply the Change Model (C = D × V × F > R) to move from inspiration to transformation:

✅ 1. Identify what’s out of step.

Ask yourself: Am I living separate lives? Which one of these lives needs to die so I can be my true self in Christ?

Write down one area this week where your life doesn’t reflect Christ—and pray for the courage to confront it.

✅ 2. Imagine your life fully reflecting God.

Picture what it would look like if love shaped your relationships, righteousness ruled your desires, light exposed your fears, and wisdom guided your time. That’s who you’re becoming in Christ.

✅ 3. Lay down the other lives on the alter of sacrifice to the Lord.

🙏 Altar Call / Gospel Invitation – The Invitation to Walk in the Light

Maybe today you realize that you’ve been walking in the dark—trying to mix your love for Jesus with your love for the world.

Or maybe you’ve never truly surrendered to Christ at all. You’ve been doing life your way, living by your own wisdom, disconnected from your true identity.

But here’s the invitation of the gospel:

God didn’t wait for you to get it right—He loved you first.

He sent Jesus to walk the perfect life you couldn’t, to die the death you deserved, and to rise again so you could walk in newness of life.

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Eph. 5:14)

This is your moment to wake up and walk with Him.

If you’re ready to surrender your life to Jesus—or recommit to walking in love, righteousness, light, and wisdom—come. Pray. Respond.

🌀 Because you can’t reflect Christ while walking in the dark… but you can start walking in the light today.

🎥 YouTube Synopsis:

What does it really mean to imitate God in today’s broken world? In this powerful message from Ephesians 5:1–21, discover how to stop compartmentalizing your faith and start walking fully in love, righteousness, light, and wisdom. This sermon will help you identify what’s holding you back spiritually—and show you how to reflect Christ in every part of your life. Whether you’re battling temptation, craving clarity, or hungry for purpose, this message will challenge and empower you to live as who you truly are in Christ.

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