1.Title

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Good morning everyone, great to see you all here today.

If you would like a title for this morning I’ve called it,

“xxxxxx”

Before we jump in to this mornings text let me pray.

2. Pray

4. Introduction

Over the last few week we have been reminded that through the death of Christ we have been made alive.

Saved not through our own works but by God’s grace alone, given as a free gift to us all.

Because of this we have been encouraged to walk in a manner worth of this calling.

That as we come together as the church we are to be humble with one another, gentle and patience, bearing with one another in love because things won’t always be easy living our lives side by side.

Paul went to tell us we are to grow up in our spiritual maturity so we are no longer tossed to and fro by the worlds deceitfulness and human schemes.

And because of our new life we are no longer meant to walk in our old ways, but rather allow The Holy Spirit to work in our lives, and renew our thinking, what we called Sanctification,

In a sense we are to take off our old life, like we would an old coat, and instead put on our new life which is in God.

In our new life with Christ we are to put away deception and speak truth.

We can be righteously angry at unjust things, but with a time limit attached, not letting our annoyance slip over into the following day.

And Paul has been clear that we must refrain from vulgar jokes, gossip and spiteful criticism of each other.

Rather we are to build each other up through kind and loving words.

We are not to be disobedient, grumblers or discontent with what God is doing, or it may grieve the Holy Spirit.

Instead we are to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other as Christ has forgiven us.

Paul is now about to encourage us to imitate God, and be thankful for all He has done.

He again will remind those not trusting in His son’s death that living outside of His grace will only lead to death.

So if you have a bible we are again going to read from Ephesians 5 and remind ourselves of God’s world.

3. Scripture

READ FROM THE BIBLE !

Therefore [Paul says] 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.

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. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 5:1–6

5. Confidently Walk

As you may know, originally the bible was written without Chapters and Verses which where later added in the 12th century to help find scriptures more easily.

Although for the most part this has been helpful, sometimes it breaks the text is a way that can reduce the impact and meaning of the original author.

Here in Chapter 5 of Ephesians we have one of those instances.

So let us go back to Chapter 4 to get a fuller sense as to what Paul wanted to convey.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

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.

Ephesians 4:31–5:2

This whole section of Ephesians seams to be filled with impossible commends from the Apostle Paul.

At the very outset of verse 1 we are called to imitator God.

If we think about this request for a moment it quickly dawns on us how seemingly impossible this request seams.

How are we, flawed, sinful humans meant to imitate the eternal, holy God?

But just a few words further on Paul gives us a hint - he says to imitate God ‘as beloved children’.

This is the only place in all of scripture that God calls us His 'beloved children’ and it speaks of intimacy and belonging.

We are God’s ‘beloved’ because He choose us, redeemed us, and lavished His grace upon us.

And we are His ‘children’ because He has adoption us, gave us an inheritance, and seated us in the heavenly places.

We will never be as God is.

He is ‘Intendant’ not needing anything.

He is ‘Unchanging’ the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

He is ‘Eternal’ the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

And He is ‘Omnipresence’ present everywhere, always with us.

These attributes of God are called His “Incommunicable” Attributes and defines how God is different from us.

Yet in other ways we are like God in some ways.

For instance God is wise and knowledgeably. He is truthful and shows us love, goodness, mercy, and patience.

These are all attributes we also possess in part and can use them to imitate Him.

If we think about over the last few month we can see many examples as to how we can specifically imitate God.

Bless each others Ephesians 1:4 Forgive each others Ephesians 1:7 Be truthful with each others Ephesians 1:13 Be merciful to each others Ephesians 2:4 Be kind to each others Ephesians 2:7 Give gifts to each others Ephesians 4:7 Make peace with each others Ephesians 4:3 Be reconciled to each others Ephesians 2:16

Another way we can imitate God is through our love for each other as we read in verse 2,

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

Ephesians 5:2

In the greek, the work love is translated into multiple different words.

Though in the New Testament we tend to think of just two,

‘Phileo’ which is the love between friends.

And ‘Agape’ which is selfless, or unconditional love.

Here in verse 2, Paul is using the word ‘Agape’ from which we get the word charity’ which is derived from the latin word ‘caritas’ (car-et-os).

This type of love is most often used by God towards us, such as.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

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.

1 John 4:10

This love is not the general love we see in John 3: 16 but the special love God has for his chosen children.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved…

Ephesians 2:4–5

What’s interesting here is that we are called to ‘walk’ in love.

When the Bible talks about ‘walking in’ something it generally means coming alongside, being part of, or acting with.

For example,

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

2 John 1:6

So here walking according to His commandments means being obedient to what God is saying.

Or,

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1 Jonn 1:5–6

Here we understand walking in darkness to mean to not be in fellowship with God.

So,

…walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…

Ephesians 5:2

Can be taken to mean we are to act in the same loving way to our brothers and sisters as Christ has done for us.

We are in-effect to give ourselves up for each other.

We are to put others before ourselves.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:16–18

Let this be a reminder to some and an encouragement for others.

For I know if countless stories, even this week, of meals being taken to people, kids looked after, cleaning been do.

When we walk in love we honour God and bring great blessing to others.

Often these acts of kindness go unheard of by many of us, but God see you.

You are bring Him glory as you are bless others.

We are able to bless others because of the grace God has already given to us through His son.

We are all adopted into His family and we all have a part to play.

Over these last few chapters we have seen a wonderful picture of the Trinity at work.

The Father (God) who is the one who forgives us and adopts us as his beloved children.

The Son (Jesus Christ) who is the one who loves us, and because we are in Him the Father can forgive us

And The Holy Spirit who is the one who seals us and who, because He dwells within us, can be grieved by us.

5. The Three Don’t

The next section naturally flows from verse 3 to 14 and can be broken down into two sections.

In the first section (verse 3-6), Paul warns against various sins

Especially those related to sexual immorality and greed.

Paul uses three lists, with each list containing three sins that his readers are to avoid.

He also provides two motivations for avoiding such behaviour

Finally Paul reminds us not to be deceived with empty words.

This first section I’ll be coming this morning

However in the second section (verse 7-14) Paul contrast the light and the darkness.

He warns us not to become partners with those who deceive others.

We are instead to walk as ‘children of light’.

Instead of walking in the darkness we are to expose it though our light which is Christ in us.

This section section Jordan will be covering next week,

So let us remind ourselves of the first section, version 3-6.

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.

Ephesians 5:3–4

He starts with sexual immorality or fornication,

then impurity or sexual impurity

and finally covetousness or greed.

These things Paul considers are so important that we must not even mention or name them, within the church.

What Paul is saying is these things should not be acceptable subjects of conversation for those God has called to be holy.