Walking Like God Walks
EPHESIANS 5:1-6
· Going to take this morning about how we walk. Have you ever thought about how you walk. How your walk looks to others.
1) Friend from a church I pastured while in Seminary named David. David is a racewalker. David doesn’t know it but he looks funny when he walks.
2) Powerwalking is a popular art today. Powerwalkers walk like aliens or like they are searching for a restroom.
3) Walkers in our neighborhood. One man carries barbells while he walks. I pity the dog that bothers him.
Heard one man describe how we might walk if we walked like many people like to drive:
1) Suddenly race one another down the sidewalk.
2) Someone steps out in front of us we begin walking 2 inches off their backside.
3) Make faces and yell at people who don’t walk like we want them to.
4) Grunt and growl while waiting for the light to change at a crosswalk.
· This morning I want to talk about God’s kind of walking. Paul tells us many things about our walking in the Book of Ephesians:
1) 4:1 Walk worthy 4:17 Walk different from the world
5:8 Walk in the light 5:15 walk in wisdom…
Many other descriptions in the Bible of how a person should walk.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving thanks.
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater has an 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.
Therefore do not be partakers with them Ephesians 5:1-7
· FOUR THOUGHTS THIS MORNING AS WE CONSIDER OUR WALK
THE DIRECTION OF OUR WALK: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
· The direction of our walk should be Godward.
Word ‘followers/imitators’ is literally the word for ‘mimic’.
We are to be mimics of God. To follow His pattern and example.
To be ‘godlike’. To reflect His characteristics in an ungodly world.
Children are great imitators or mimics.
At a certain age they especially try to mimic their parents. The imitate both the good and bad they see.
Problem today in our society today is that it is hard to find hero’s for children.
There are many popular people but it seems that the worst elements of our society have become the most visible.
Most actors, athletes and even politicians do not project anything to be esteemed. CHILDREN NEED HERO’S. Someone they can safely mimic.
Hollywood sees children more as prey than to be protected
1) Most R-rated movies are directed towards those who are not even old enough to attend.
2) Media drools over their power to change society aside from the political process; Homosexuality is a hot topic in Hollywood: Award shows that used to utilize some very esteemed person as MC are now using people like ROSIE – ELLEN – Cast from Will & Grace(Even Rosie O’Donnell on Nicelodeum) NOTICE THE TREND
· Our walk should imitate our heavenly Father. His characteristics, His ways, His will should be the direction of our walk.
The reason is because we are ‘His beloved children’.
One of my favorite stories is how Alexander the Great confronted a soldier who had showed cowardice in a battle. When asked his name the soldier had to admit that his name was also Alexander like the great general’s.
Alexander to the soldier, ‘Renounce your cowardice or renounce your name’.
1 Peter 1:14-16 Do not be conformed to your former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One Who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior’.
There was a young Jewish boy who grew up in Germany.
He idolized his father who was a successful businessman. Their life revolved around the around the activities in the local synagogue
When the boy was a teenager the family had to move to another town in Germany.
The community revolved around the activities of the local Lutheran church.
The father announced on day that they were going to abandon their Jewish faith and join the Lutheran church.
When the son asked why, ‘It will be good for business’. This left the young man confused and bewildered which led to anger and bitterness which followed him all his life.
He later left Germany for England to study.
After some time he formulated his ideas into writings which gave way to a whole new way of life. HIS NAME WAS KARL MARX and his new ideas was ATHIESTIC COMMUNISM.
A life worth following really does matter.
THE DEFINITION OF OUR WALK: and walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
· Defined by one word: LOVE. We imitate God not by what we say but by what we do each step of our lives. Every step we take in life should have the evidence of God’s love.
· To walk is to make progress in a certain direction and to walk in love is to become more and more a person who loves others as God does.
Have you made progress in that direction? More loving today than 10
years ago.
The most loving saints ought to be the ones who have been saved the longest!
RAY STEDMAN: Loving others means seeing them as people and not things, objects of usefulness, or obstacles that hinder.
You see them as yourself with the same problems, difficulties, yearnings and heartaches. They are no longer people doing something to you but someone you can do something for.
· Paul gives us a visual aid to help us to understand this idea: The way Christ loved us by giving Himself as an offering and a sacrifice.
1) Jesus walked in love for us by meeting our greatest need: Gave Himself as a sacrifice for us: Paul says that this act was like a sweet savor to God. The sacrificial act of Love!
You are not loving as God loves unless it is costing you something; (your rights, your patience, your time, your resources…)
You can give your life in sacrifice and it not be a sweet savor to God.
We have an entire Arab World that seems filled with people ready to kill themselves for their religious cause. Even teaching children to do the same.
But their act of sacrifice is a stench to God. What is the difference?
1) Their behavior is driven by the flesh and not obedience to God: Samuel/Saul ‘to obey is
better than sacrifice’.
2) It is not an act of walking in love but one of HATRED, JEALOUSY, BITTERNESS, MURDER!
It is a demonstration of the very opposite of all that God defines Himself to be.
THE DIRECTION OF OUR WALK THE DEFINITION OF OUR WALK
THE DESCRIPTION OF OF WALK: (3) But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; (4) and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
· 1 Peter 4:8 says, ‘Keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins’.
1) Word for ‘fervent’ has the idea of a muscle stretched to the limit. Loving others as God loves can demand our lives(patience, kindness..) be pushed to the limit. But when we do the end result is that a ‘multitude of sins’ is covered.
a) Often willing to love others only within our comfort zone: when they deserve love, are easy to love, are loveable.
2) SIN IS BASICALLY SELF LOVE. The sinful behaviors mentioned in verses 3 & 4 are simply acts of self love.
· Whatever God establishes Satan will counterfit. There are many counterfit ideas about love out in the world today!
MacArthur: Satan’s counterfit is not concerned about commitment but satisfaction; it is not concerned about giving but getting. It’s purpose is to use and exploit rather than to serve and help.
· THREE WORDS USED IN VERSE 3;
1) IMMORALITY: Word pornia from which we get our word pornography. This word was a catch all word in Paul’s day that refered to all types of sexual sins.
2) IMPURITY: This is a word Jesus used to describe the rottenness of decaying bodies in a tomb. It is more directed toward the mind, immoral thoughts, passions, ideas, fantasies, and inner corruption.
3) GREED: A basic appetite to have what you don’t already have or what doesn’t even belong to you.
· Paul says these are things that are ‘not even to be named among saints’.
Things of a lost and fallen world that have nothing to do the body of Christ.
· THREE ADDITIONAL THINGS IN VERSE 4:
1) FILTHINESS: Idea of obscenity. Col 3:8 translates this same word as ‘dirty speech’.
2) SILLY TALK: Used only here in the NT it means to talk in a dull or stupid manner. Used of a drunk who talks without a proper point except to express worldly ideas.
3) COARSE JESTING: Literally means ‘able to turn easily’. This is when the gift of wit which was meant to be a blessing becomes a curse. It is when you turn every statement into some course joke.
Modern comedians live by this: They can discuss subjects by using humor that would be much more unacceptable if they said it straight.
No longer display a sense of humor but a state of crudeness.
· These six words are so descriptive of the direction American society has traveled in the last generation.
They are warning signs that we are not following God as a people.
Paul is saying, “Church be careful that you do not get caught up in the
same stream of filth’.
1) “Not Fitting among saints’. Jethro always had clothes that weren’t right, DID not fit. Sin makes believers stick out as foolish.
You can tell your spiritual condition by two things: what makes you laugh and what makes you cry.
· Paul’s suggestion, ‘but rather giving of thanks’. Instead of a quick obscene wit turn every situation into an opportunity of thanksgiving.
1) If anything is fitting and that we should be known for it is an attitude of gratefulness to God in every situation:
2) 1 Thes 5:18 In everything given thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’.
THE DIRECTION OF OUR WALK(Imitating God) THE DEFINITION OF OUR WALK(Love like Jesus)
THE DESCRIPTION OF OUR WALK(Not in the ways of the world)
THE DANGER OF A WRONG WALK: (5) For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an 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.
· Paul gives us a sober warning: KNOW A FACT. The world we live in may embrace these behaviors and attitudes but the kingdom of God will not tolerate them.
These are not evidences of a saved persons life but of a person who is
still a part of a lost and condemned world.
1 Cor 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God’.
· Paul describes the person who lives for these things by an interesting word.
1) We often think of people who do these things as being the least religious people in our society but not Paul. He calls them IDOLATERS!
2) That means that Jerry Springer, Howard Stern, Hugh Hefner, Larry Flint and others like them are some of the most religious people in America. They are just preaching their own form of worship.
· The one who comes and encourages you in these types of behavior whether it be a TV show, friendship, musical group or whatever they are setting your up in two ways:
1) Their words are empty lies: Let no one deceive you with empty words
2) They are putting you in the path of the WRATH OF GOD.
This morning I want to give you the same warning as Paul gave 2,000 years ago. Amazingly it seems to apply more now than ever.
Make sure your life is invested in following God and His will and the joys, rewards and blessing that follow. Don’t listen to any voice to calls you aside to that which offends God lest you join in their judgment.
(7) Therefore do not be partakers with them.
