Look Different

Intro:

Welcome to day 2 of Disciple Now

How many of you actually got sleep last night?

What was the best part about yesterday?

Passage Context:

Paul is writing to the Church of Ephesus, encouraging this very young and new church in different matters of the faith. Because if we would get real honest, the time in which we need the most encouragement and direction is after we accept Jesus as our Savior.

So the apostle Paul has already written them about things the power the God displayed in Christ, How they have gone from death to life, How the Gentiles and ALL people have a place in the Church, how to live this new life.

Now Paul writes how to simply look and love like Jesus which is a process called sanctification, or the pursuit of becoming like God

Read:

Ephesians 5:1-

Ephesians 5:1–5 HCSB

1 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3 But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. 4 Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5 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 the Messiah and of God.

Message points:

1. Love like God (v.1-2)

Verse one in this passage tells us to be imitators of the God, as dearly loved children.

This is speaking about our relationship with God as our King, but it speaks to the Fatherly relationship that we have with Him. This verse calls us His children, and just like when we were children, when we wanted to dress, walk, and talk like our parents, God wants us to.

I believe that we imitate what we celebrate. Meaning that what gets us geeked up and excited will ultimately be what we pursue as our purpose. That was me in my baseball career, until it all came to an end.

1 John 4:7–8 HCSB

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:

Psalm 36:7 HCSB

7 God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

Galatians 2:20 HCSB

20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Do you see a theme here? As Christians and as Christ-followers that have an undivided faith, our defining characteristic must be LOVE.

We can not define love by the standard of the world because that kind of love is always conditional. That kind of love is selfish. That kind of love only exists if I fit a certain mold designed by the giver.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8 HCSB

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, 5 does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for languages, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

The only mold that you were meant to fit is the one of the God that created you.

But also, this is our standard for love and interacting with others, believers and nonbelievers.

2. Live like God (v.3-5)

Verses 3-5 give us a glimpse at the new standards in which are not only judged by, but that we get to check ourselves by.

The world is a dangerous place that offers up dangerous things that are presented in bright and shiney little boxes, but when you open it up and jump in, all that it has to offer is hurt and pain.

So Paul gives us a few big things that we can avoid in an attempt to live like Christ.

Galatians 2:20 HCSB

20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:

So we have a new desire to live like God because God’s Word says that His Holy Spirit lives deeply within each and everyone of us.

But I also don’t want to know that there is a battle for our hearts that is taking place on an almost continual basis.

Ephesians 6:11–12 HCSB

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. 12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

Ephesians

So we must not ignore the fact that there is force that is worth recognizing to fight against.

2 Corinthians 5:17 HCSB

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

2 Corinthians

Colossians 3:9–10 HCSB

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.

Response Time:

It’s hard to love and live like God when you have now idea who He is or what His Character is like.