Walk in Love

Ephesians 5:1-2 “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.”

Imagine you have father who’s a farmer and he drives tractors all day. Dad’s taking his toddler on the tractor with him. That kid’s growing up to love tractors. His dad is his hero. Now as a 6yr old if Dad says, hey son wanna drive the tractor with me? There’s gonna be nothing in this world he would rather do.

He’s gonna get all excited, sit upright. He gets to be like his dad and engage in an activity well beyond his years. It’s a privilege, not an expectation.

So Dad’s gonna say, hey, if you want to be like me, you’ve got to have responsibility. If you want to drive the tractor, you’ve got to learn responsibility.

This is something beyond your years that I’ll let you do. But first, prove your responsible. Each day, you need to clean your room, love your siblings, and you need to get A’s on your homework assignments over the next week.

Because if you can’t imitate your father in his basic responsibilities, how would he trust you to imitate him in driving the tractor?

These are the basic responsibilities you need to follow if you want to drive the tractor. If you want to work with God, your father, on things beyond your own ability.

Ephesians 5:3–5 “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 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.”

Just as Ben preached on Saturday at the barn worship night, it’s not your ability, it’s your availability.

If you’re available for sin, then you’ll inherit sin.

If you’re available for God, you’ll inherit the kingdom of heaven.

If you can’t stay faithful to God in your basic responsibilities. In sexual immorality, impurity, coveting, and so forth, God can’t trust you to walk in your calling that he set forth for you.

Ephesians 4:1 said to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called.

Meaning God will increase your responsibility, but first, you need to be worthy of the responsibility God wants to hand you.

You need to walk with all humility, gentleness, bearing with one another in love.

You need to clean your room, love your siblings, and do well on your homework.

You need to walk cleansing yourself form sin, love God’s children, and do well reading your scriptures and sitting in prayer.

I’m not saying be perfect - But we need to

Cleanse ourselves from sexual immorality

John 13:34 “love one another: just as [Christ has] loved you. Just as Christ agape’d you. He loved you to the point of death. He gave up everything just to see you with the father. We need to have a depth of love for one another. We must be held together by the bond of love.

You can give everything that you have away and be killed for your faith but have no love, and you’ll gain nothing.

Love never ends. The love Paul expressed for the church in Ephesus still goes until today. The love Charlie Kirk had for the American people still goes on today.

As for prophecy, they will pass. Knowledge, it’ll pass. But love never ends.

And if you walk in love, cleansed from impurities, and you dive deep into the word. Dive deep into prayer. Never neglecting the foundation of your faith which is your relationship with God built on prayer, fasting, and the Bible. Then, he will give you the opportunity to do things way beyond your ability. Because he sees your availability.

The 6yr old doesn’t have any ability to drive the tractor. That’s way beyond him. Although he is not able, he is available. Because he walks in the responsibility his father asked him to walk in. He imitates his father as a beloved child.

Since he was faithful with the responsibilities his father set before him, he was given the privilege of driving the tractor.

But a 6yr old doesn’t know how to drive the tractor!! That’s right. He doesn’t.

A dad takes his 6yr old, puts him on his lap. Takes his hand, starts the engine and they begin to drive the tractor. The 6yr old has the biggest smile on his face because he thinks he’s driving and he’s having the time of his life! But all the while, the father has his hands over his son’s. And the father is steering tractor. His father is pushing on the gas and breaking. His father is the one planting the seeds and harvesting the crop.

It wasn’t the son’s ability, it was his availability. And from his availability, the father was able to work with the son. The father didn’t need him, but just as a good father loves his son, your heavenly father loves you and takes so much pleasure in seeing you succeed.

Ephesians 5:6–7 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them;”

Empty words:

Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Ephesians 4:14 “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Empty words implies captivating philosophy. Things that gratify our flesh and are not according to Christ.

Example: Is it considered “empty words” if you say Zionism is of the devil?

What’s the purpose? What’s the heart posture? People that are hell bent on proving to you that zionists are demons taking over the word speak from a place of hatred. Of a victim mindset.

A son means you submit to something or someone.

You are a son of God, meaning you submit to God. You are under God’s authority

A son of disobedience submits to sin. Under sin’s authority. It’s to rebel against God

Ephesians 5:8–10 “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”

You were darkness

You are light

1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am…”

Your identity was rooted in a counterfeit darkness.

Now Your identity is rooted in Christ. Paul is emphasizing your identity is in Christ because you are his light.

If that is your identity, then walk in that identity.

And to walk in that identity implies the fruit of light being revealed.

Ephesians 5:11–12 “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.”

Expose darkness. Expose evil. When we see evil we expose it. When we see abortion we expose it. When we see anti-Biblical laws we expose them.

People will come speaking empty words like it said in verse 14. We must have wisdom. We can’t be gossiping about hatred, about things we do not know, slander, any of it. It’s not acceptable in the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:13–14 “But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.””

Because we moved from death to life, the light of Christ shines upon us.

See in verse 8 it said we once were in darkness but now we are in the light?

Here, we see the Christian was dead, but has been awakened and the light of Christ is shining down on you.

Therefore, if the light of Christ is shining down on you, the darkness inside of you should be revealed. The darkness inside of you should be exposed by the light.

We can’t walk as unwise. But we must walk as wise.

Ephesians 5:15–16 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

You are no longer darkness. That is satan’s evil identity he tries to push on you.

We must STAND against the enemy. When we walk in our calling, practically we must stand against evil.

When we walk in the thing God spoke to us, we must stand against darkness.

The days are evil, and each step we take must be with the Lord and against the enemy.

Walking in your calling can sound so big and so scary. So let me put it this way. The Bible says in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The path we are walking is our calling as described in Ephesians.

That path, or that calling isn’t always full illuminated. It’s illuminated right by our feet, and sometimes a little bit down the path.

When the Bible says to walk in your calling. It’s saying to have confidence in the next step you take. Your calling is a lifelong pursuit.

During and after WW2, my Grandfather’s village in Serbia Russians arrived, rounding up girls aged 18 to 28. My grandfather had a cellar under their barn where thirty girls hid at night. Russians and Serbs searched houses for girls. One day, a Serb and a Russian with machine guns appeared at our gate, shouting. But they were able to distract the soldiers and the girls were safe. But thirty others were found and taken to Russia. A week later, the Russians left, and the Serbs decided to put all Germans in a camp.

He said it was heartbreaking—animals were left tied, horses neighed, cows mooed, gates swung open in the wind. It was a nightmare

The village was desolate and cursed. When Serbs persecuted Germans, Bosnians, Serbs and Muslims arrived, walking down the middle of the street like animals, afraid to sleep on German beds, burning fires that smoked up their homes.

It was hell. The days were evil. But Christ is faithful.

God cared that my grandfather was faithful in saving young girls from assault

God cares about me walking faithful in leading this Bible study

God cares about Pres. Trump leading this nation wisely

God cares about you praying for your waitress when he impresses that on your heart.

The days are evil. You don’t know how long you have. So use the time for the glory of God.

Ephesians 5:17 “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

What is the will of the Lord in your life? Do you know the will of the Lord for your life?

The Bible says right here, if you don’t understand the will of the Lord, ask him. Because God doesn’t want you to be foolish. And it’s foolish not to know the will of the Lord.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Who wants to know the will of the Lord? Raise your hand.

Every person here raising their hand, we must walk in verse 20

Ephesians 5:20–21 “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Mindeset

Give thanks for everything to God

Remember everything is for God

Your calling is to be more like God

Practice

Submit to those who have spiritual authority out of reverence for Christ

That’s what we’re going to be doing tonight. We have a few leaders scattered throughout the coffeeshop that walk in real spiritual power and authority. And they’re going to pray over every single person here today.

Honor a prophet and recieve a prophet’s reward.