Imitating The Way God Walks

Alba 6-4-2023

IMITATING THE WAY GOD WALKS

Ephesians 5:1-21

Did you know that God took walks? The Bible says that when Adam and Eve sinned, “they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8)

They should have imitated the way God walked instead of sinning and hiding themselves from Him. Years later the Bible says that Enoch, the great, great, great, great grandson of Adam, “walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 4:24)

Hebrews 11:5 tells us that “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

A little child gave a very interesting explanation of Enoch walking with God. She went home from Sunday School and her mother said, "Tell me what you learned today."

And she said: “Don't you know, Mother, one day they went for an extra long walk, and they walked on and on, until God said to Enoch, 'You are a long way from home; you had better just come in and stay.' And he went.”

Walking with God can be a really good thing! Have you noticed that many people have their own peculiar way of walking. Perhaps you smiled if you happened to see a boy walking with his father, trying to walk the same way as his dad. They say that imitation is a form of flattery.

And scripture tells us we can imitate the Lord and walk in His ways. Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” The next verses in Ephesians chapter five tell us how to do that, and also gives steps to avoid so we will be sure to arrive at our destination.

1. What is one of the first things that children are taught about God? “God is love.” It is a simple verse in I John 4:16. So if we are to imitate the way God walks we will walk in love. That is what it says in Ephesians 5:2. “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

God's great love is demonstrated by the fact that Jesus, the very Son of God, came to this earth and willingly allowed Himself to be nailed to that cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Not His sins. Our sins!

Such a sacrifice should cause us to want to follow our Lord and walk in His steps, without missteps. That is why verses

three through seven warn us with these words:

“3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

None of those actions show love. Not love to God, and not love to others. They are truly missteps. If one wants to walk with God, these things are not the way God walks.

Two things in particular are mentioned here. Watch where you step with things of a sexual nature, and be careful how you talk. Wrong use of either of these is not walking in love.

Because of the strong sexual nature of human beings, sexual sins are powerful and can become perverted in unimaginable ways. If given free rein, sexual sins lead to complete insensitivity to the feelings and welfare of others, to horrible brutality, and frequently to murder—as news stories testify so often.

That is why the sins of sexual immorality, and impurity, and covetousness must not even be named among Christians, as is fitting for the saints.

The warning continues in verse four against this perversion of love by mentioning an extensive list of related sins that is sure to cover many believers at one time or another. Not only should Christians never engage in sexual sins of any kind, but they should never be guilty of filthiness, foolish talk, nor crude or coarse joking.

General George Washington issued the following on August 3, 1776: “I am sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane swearing, a vice heretofore little known in an American Army, is growing into fashion. I hope that the officers will, by example and influence, endeavor to