Ephesians 5:1-7

Introduction

Therefore — Another “In light of moment.” Paul is telling us something in light of what was spoken at the end of chapter 4.

President Calvin Coolidge invited some people from his hometown to dinner at the White House. Since they did not know how to behave at such an occasion, they thought the best policy would be just to do what the President did. The time came for serving coffee. The President poured his coffee into a saucer. As soon as the home folk saw it, they did the same. The next step for the President was to pour some milk and add a little sugar to the coffee in the saucer. The home folks did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn't do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor and called the cat.

Imitators of God — Do what God does; mimic; be like God. A talk order! Matthew 5:48

Matthew 5:48 CSB

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We are to mimic, follow and become copyists of God. We are to be reflectors of His measureless love as His children.

And this is why we can be like God…We are His children. Because we are born again and in Jesus we can be like Him. The family resemblance should be unmistakable.

We are the dear children of God. We are the apple of His eye. We are special to Him. His heart is filled with love for us. and because of this love He has saved us from this present evil age.

He has put His seal upon us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He has declared us His own. We belong to Him and His family.

There are three ways we are intended to imitate God: by walking in love, light and wisdom. We are going to take a week on each one of these focusing today on what it means to “walk” in love.

Walk

“Walk” is a manner of life. Our manner of life should be one of love but not just any love. Our love is to be like the love Jesus has for us. Think about what that means for a minute...

How does Jesus love us? Paul tells us in verse 2. Christ gave Himself for us. He became an offering for our sins, a sacrifice to God for the sins of the world.

We imitate God when we love Him the way He loves…this is the laying down of our life. This means sacrifice of ourselves for the benefit of the world. We lay down our life so that others might see and know Christ. 1 John 3:16

1 John 3:16 NKJV

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

We lay down — Remove or take off as in clothing...our life in service to our God who laid down His life so that we might have eternal life.

Can you think with me about that this morning. Have you ever thought of things this way? Have you, as a matter of your will, taken off your life and laid it down at the feet of Jesus in service to Him? Or have you held onto it for yourself?

This is the call to authentic Christianity. It is the giving up of our life to Jesus and receiving of His life in our place. This is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 CSB

I have been crucified with Christ, 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.

It is a verse we memorize and quote but do we really understand the meaning of it? That is what Paul is getting across to us in Ephesians 5. Our life is no longer our own. Christ loved me and gave Himself up for me…I in turn am called to love Him and give myself up for Him.

“Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap, and be faithful even unto death, who will lose their lives for Christ’s, flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously, and be reckless in this service? Where are the men of prayer? Where are the men who count God’s Word of more importance to them than their daily food? Where are the men who, like Moses of old, commune with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power?” (Quoted from Howard Guinness, Sacrifice [1936]

We are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We have a cause which far exceeds anything we could ever muster on our own. We are a part of God’s ambitions for this world and ours pale terribly by comparison.

We are called to live, breath and if need be literally die for our Christ. Our life is a sacrifice.

What must this mean???

Holiness

Moral purity is an imperative for those who have given up their life to Christ. We should avoid all sin…period. But there are two groups of sins that are to be especially avoided…each group containing three specific sins.

Fornication, all uncleanness and covetousness — These sins are so foreign to Christians that not the slightest suspicion of their presence in our lives should occur.

Fornication — Any form of sexual evil; sexual intercourse outside of marriage between a man and a woman.

All uncleanness or impurity — Was much broader and meant any kind of sexual uncleanness or indecency.

Covetousness — “Greed” (πλεονεξία, pleonexia), often translated “covetousness,” is literally “have-more-ness.” In the sexual context of the other two, greed may be taken as “unrestrained sexual greed whereby a person assumes that others exist for his or her own gratification.” — Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 5:3). Joplin, MO: College Press.

Now we come to the second grouping of sins: filthiness, foolish talking and coarse jesting

Filthiness — Indecent or shameful speech; filthy stories

Foolish talking — Vulgar speech and all gossip

Coarse Jesting — is witty talk that is corrupted by a smutty intention, a nasty insinuation which raises a laugh at the expense of someone’s good name. — Boles, K. L. (1993). Galatians & Ephesians (Eph 5:4). Joplin, MO: College Press.

Instead of all of this give thanks! “Christian cheerfulness should manifest in thanksgiving.” We have plenty of blessings to point us in the right direction when it comes to our thoughts and words toward others.

Paul is not condemning lively and sanctified humor. He is not calling upon us to be long-faced, gloomy people who dare not tell anything that evokes innocent laughter. A good, hearty laugh is often medicine for the soul. But there are some things of which Christians should never make jokes—some are too sacred, some too filthy. Vaughan, C. (2002). Ephesians (p. 107). Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press.

Verse 5 — People who are saved should never want to and simply cannot live in unrepentant sin. It just cannot happen. Those who can live an unholy life know nothing of a real relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:6

1 John 3:6 NKJV

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

We might sin and we may go through a time in our life when we struggle with an ongoing sin problem in our life. But as believers in Christ we can never make peace with our sin and will repent of it. Romans 14:17

Romans 14:17 NKJV

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

A person either worships God or is an idolator and worships their sin. Everyone is in one of those two groups. One group is destined for eternal life and the other for hell.

After a violent storm one night, a large tree, which over the years had become a stately giant, was found lying across the pathway in a park. Nothing but a splintered stump was left. Closer examination showed that is was rotten at the core because thousands of tiny insects had eaten away at its heart. The weakness of that tree was not brought on by the sudden storm; it began the very moment the first insect nested within its bark. With the Holy Spirit's help, let's be very careful to guard our purity. 

Eventually your life is going to be seen for what it is on the inside…that part you try to hide but can never remain hidden.

A follower of Christ is a person who loves righteousness, peace and the joy found in the relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. He does not delight in sin.

Wrath of God — “divine punishment based on God’s angry judgment against someone” — Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A.

This is written in the present tense in the original Greek. God’s wrath is upon the lost person right now and it will one day be poured out in full measure upon them.

If you are living in sin…the time to get right in now!

Verse 7 — Do not be partakers of the life of those who know nothing of our God and due the wrath of God for their sins. It isn’t who we are!

Conclusion

On a recent trip to Haiti, I heard a Haitian pastor illustrate to his congregation the need for total commitment to Christ. His parable: A certain man wanted to sell his house for $2,000. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

The Haitian pastor's conclusion: "If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation." 

Have you taken off your life and laid it down like a coat at the feet of our Savior? Have you given up yourself? Laid down your ambitions, rights and very breath to the glory of the one who made us and saved us?

Are you living like the man God recreated you to be in Jesus or are you offering the instruments of your body to sin Romans 6:12-14

Romans 6:12–14 NKJV

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

If you feel you just can’t let go of your sin…IF you have made peace with your sin...I ask you another question…Do you really know Him? Do you really know Jesus? If you really know Him you will love Him, desire holiness and follow Him.