Live Out Loud – Our IMITATION
Ephesians 5:1-21
Video: Scriptural Imitation – www.sermonspice.com
Insert: Play a quick game of Simon-Sez – what are you doing? You have just imitated everything I modeled and asked you do.
Trans: As we continue our study in Ephesians today we’re going to reach the summit of this letter and see the heart of the Christian life – that is, as Christians, we’re called to KNOW Christ – GROW in Christ – and to SHOW Christ.
Text: 1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…
Word: imitators (mimatai) we’re to mimic or become like Jesus. It refers to someone who copies the characteristics of another person to SHOW them.
Note: As Christians, we’re called to replicate the character of Jesus. Our lives are to be about reproducing the godliness Jesus taught and modeled.
Story: When Alexander the Great discovered a coward in his army was named Alexander, he told the soldier, “Either renounce your cowardice or renounce your name.”
Note: As Christians we carry God’s name and we’re a direct reflection of His character – thus, how we live and act declares to reality of His grace. So if we’re not going to act like Him, then we shouldn’t tell people that we know and believe in Him, b/c Christians are to strive to act like Jesus.
Trans: When you break down the Christian life to its basic form, it is nothing more than a spiritual game of God-Sez. In Eph. 5, Paul tells us the four elements we must apply if our spiritual walks are going to imitate Jesus. He suggests we walk in love, in liberty, in light, and in Lordship.
I Walk in LOVE
Trans: The starting point of imitating Jesus begins w/ loving others as He loved us – and He loved us to death. He literally loved us so much that He laid down His life to give us life. Thus, if we’re going to successfully imitate Christ to others, the first thing we must do is learn to walk in His LOVE.
Text: 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Trans: Paul says that to imitate Jesus we have to live or walk a life of love.
Word: live (peripateo) pre. act. imp. – a command to conduct one’s life by establishing God-honoring habits.
Word: love (agapasev) aor. act. ind. – start loving others as God loves us; love people w/out strings attached as unconditionally Jesus loves us.
Insert: How did Jesus love us? He loved us to the point that He surrendered His position and glory sitting at the right hand of the Father and He emptied Himself becoming nothing – taking the form of a servant to die on the cross in our place for the forgiveness of sin.
Verse: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in nature God, did not consider equality w/ God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Ph. 2:5f
Trans: Jesus was God’s special offering for our forgiveness and redemption.
Word: fragrant offering and sacrifice – an acceptable and pleasing offering sacrifice of God’s best. In giving us Jesus, God gave us His first and best. In return, God expects us to give our first and best to Him.
Note: We’re to make it our life habit to love others as Jesus loved us. He is our example. As we imitate how He loved us our lives become the fragrance of God’s love to others. Paul speaks of this in 2 Cr. 2.
Verse: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him; for we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 2 Cr. 2:14f
II Walk in LIBERTY
Text: 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, b/c these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you w/ empty words, for b/c of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners w/ them.
Note: It’s vital to understand that whatever God creates, Satan corrupts and counterfeits. Satan will do anything to get people to worship him instead of God. Thus, when God offers true love; Satan offers lust. God offers purity; Satan offers impurity. We have to learn how walk in freedom.
A Freedom from DEPRAVITY
Verse: It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not allow yourself to burdened again by the yoke of slavery. Gal. 5:1
Note: Paul rants against Satan’s perversion of God’s love and forgiveness. Why? B/c man’s natural sinful inclination is to indulge in Satan’s perversion; he is often easy prey for Satan’s schemes – therefore we must learn walk in the freedom Jesus provided on the cross. We’re to flee and be free from:
Word: sexual immorality (pornea) any sexual sin.
Word: impurity (akatharsia) anything unclean – used describe decaying bodies.
Word: greed – self-gratifying self-indulgence
Word: obscenity – disgraceful and degrading talk.
Word: foolish talk (morologia) silly moronic talk – pointless nonsense talk. coarse joking (eutrapelia) rude off-color talk that reveals immoral wit.
Insert: I despise TV shows where people disgrace/degrade one another. My kids don’t watch Sponge Bob or the Simpsons b/c they degrade each another.
B Freedom from DECEPTION
Word: deceive (apatato) pres. act. imp. – stop immediately allowing other people and false teaching to mislead and lead you astray.
Insert: In 2 Tm. 3, Paul addresses the issue of apostasy (false teaching) and how we’re to be on guard against people who sneak into the church seeking to lead us away from God. Paul teaches us how to recognize these charlatans.
• Measure his CREED Is it biblical lining up w/ Scripture?
• Examine his CHARACTER Do his teaching match his life?
• Consider his CONVERTS Do his followers reflect Jesus?
III Walk in LIGHT
Text: 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth, 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do w/ the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
A Appreciate Your POSITION
Phrase: once in darkness but now you are light – we’re all born lost and separated from God groping in the darkness of sin and in the depravity of the flesh. But now that we have received Christ, we’ve been transferred from condemnation to forgiveness and redemption – we are in God’s light.
B Accept Your PRIORITIES
Note: live as children of light – let the pattern of your life reflect that a genuine transaction of faith has occurred. Walk in the truth and avoid the darkness.
Verse: You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Mt. 5:14-16
C Assess Your PRODUCE
Word: fruit (karpos) proof, of results. Real faith produces God-honoring results.
Verse: I am the vine, you are the branches, if any man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, but apart from me you can do nothing. Jn. 15:5
Trans: What is the evidence of a transformed life that walks in the light?
• Hunger for the Word 1 Pt. 2:2
• Desire to Obey God’s Commands Jn. 15:14
• Desire for God’s Will Mt. 6:33
• Conviction and hatred of Sin Mt. 5:24
• Chastisement when in Sin Hb. 12:6
• Willingness to Tell Others about Jesus Mt. 4:19
• Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5:22-23
D Avoid the PITFALLS
Note: Don’t let people tell you sin is tolerable and God will not deal w/ it.
Insert: This week on Dateline they reported a story of a neighborhood where a child found a bomb in the backyard. The homeowners discovered the community was formally an WW2 bombing range. The Army Corp of Engineers scanned the area and found several hundred bombs. God’s truth is the mechanism that scanned the spiritual landscape for Satan’s mines.
IV Walk in LORDSHIP
Text: 15 Be very careful, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, b/c the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled w/ the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another w/ psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Word: careful (blepete) on guard and watching concerning the pattern and behavior of your life. We’re to constantly live under the Lordship of Christ, in accordance w/ His Word and under the influence of the H.S.
A The PRUDENCE of God’s Will
Word: wise – walk as one who applies knowledge and insight revealed by God.
Note: The fool has said there is no god. God’s Word says that an atheist is a fool. But so too is the person who says they believe and trust in God, but their actions, attitude, and ambitions say differently.
Note: A wise and prudent man takes God at His word and trust in Him w/ all of His heart and leans not on his own understanding, but in all his ways he acknowledges and depends on God, b/c he knows God will direct his paths.
B The PRESENCE of God’s Spirit
Note: Don’t live intoxicated by or under the influence of the things of this world, but live under the direct influence of the H.S. Don’t be a slave to habits and desires of the material world, but be controlled by God’s Spirit only.
Insert: Paul is specifically referring to how many of the Ephesians engaged in the celebration of the pagan god Dionysus and became intoxicated w/ the corrupt and self-indulgent worship that lead to gross degradation.
C The PRAISE of God’s Church
Note: As Christians, saved by grace and called to fulfill a divine purpose, we ought to be desperately thankful bunch. We ought to be a slap happy, hoot’in and hollar’in bunch of people. We were lost, but praise God, He found us and lifted us out of the miry clay and set our feet upon the Rock.
Insert: Thus, whenever we’re given a forum to thank God for His goodness, we should take full advantage of it. Too many churches and Christians look and act like they’ve been sucking on lemons and weaned on pickle juice.
Listen: If we don’t praise Him, the rocks are going to cry out. To live under God’s authority requires that we live w/ gratitude in our hearts for Him.
D The PARTNERSHIP of God’s People
Word: submit (hupotassomenoi) to line up under and fall into rank. It is a military term of a soldier who comes under the authority of a superior officer and obeys his commands.
Note: When a soldier enters the military he surrenders his rights and takes on the responsibility of doing as he is told. As believers, we’re to fall into rank under the leadership of God’s Word, His H.S. and His church leaders.
RESOURCES
Sermons: David Dykes – Series in Ephesians
Jeff Ward – Series in Ephesians
Books: Max Anders – The Good Life
John MacArthur – Commentary Ephesians
