Be Imitators Of God - Living In The Light, Living By The Spirit’s Power, And Living In Spirit-Guided Relationships! Series

Sermon: Be Imitators of God - Living in the Light, Living by the Spirit’s Power, and living In Spirit-Guided Relationships!

Scripture Ephesians 5:1-2 “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3-9 “Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10-14 “Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

15-20 “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21-32 “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

Introduction: Ephesians 5 emphasizes that we are to be imitators of God and live a life of love because Christ gave himself up for us as a sacrifice to God. We are to put away sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and foolish talk as it is improper for God’s holy people. We are to live as children of light and find out what pleases the Lord. We are to make use of every opportunity, to understand the Lord’s will, follow it and to be filled with the Spirit.

Paul reminds us to give thanks for God in all things, the submit yourselves, your identity, your position in life and then submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Who you are in Christ supersedes and guides your actions in every area of life. The chapter ends with instructions for the Christian Family. The Christian husband and wife relationship illustrates the profound mystery of Christ’s relationship with the Church.

You may remember in the Christian walk and talk, Paul gave a beautiful example of the way Christians should always maintained a balance between doctrine they believe, the faith they confess and the duty they should perform. The first three chapters of Ephesians have dealt primarily with Christian doctrine, exploring the wealth given to believers in Christ and the last three chapters will deal primarily with the Christian duty, how Christians should live out their faith regardless of their former identity, status, or societal norms. Believers are to walk and talk differently, living responsibly as Christ followers because of their love for Christ.