Imitating God
The Child of God is to Walk Like or Live Imitating God Ephesians 5:1-7
Paul has been talking about getting rid of the old man and living like the new man, that God has created and made in us. Paul continues giving instructions to the Ephesians and us, on how to live like this new man.
In general we don’t like to follow instructions. How many times do we start working on something without reading the instructions first, “like we got this” Then we find we did it wrong and have to start all over again after we messed it up.
God knows this about us, therefore He inspired Paul to write repeated instructions, in detail, on how to live a life that shows Jesus and as a representatives of God.
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;”
Ephesians 5:1
The First Step: Be Saved
Ephesians 5:1
- The word Be means Become, so become a follower of God
- This starts with salvation. You can’t be a follower of God without Jesus.
- Follow here means imitate. We are to imitate God like His children.
- Kids like to imitate their parents.
- Kids are with their parents so they see their actions and mannerisms, they learn to mimic those.
- How do we mimic God? We get in His Word, we learn His ways, mannerisms, and mimic those.
- Children are devoted to their parents, and look up to their parents. We should look up to and devote ourselves to God, like His little children.
- In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
- Teleios is the word perfect: it means mature, complete, fully developed.
We learn and follow God’s ways, so we can be more mature, perfect vessels He can use. James 1:4 “ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Live Daily in Love, Like Jesus:
Ephesians 5:2
C.S. Lewis quote “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.”
- Live and love, like Jesus.
- Jesus was obedient to God the Father. He gave Himself as a substitute for mankind. He was the perfect sacrifice and offering for the atonement sins.
- 23 times in Leviticus and Numbers Moses mentions an offering being a sweet savour to the Lord. It was pleasing to God.
- What Jesus did on the cross was pleasing and acceptable to God.
- Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
- In our daily walk we are to be obedient like Jesus and live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God.
- Love is something we put into action. John 13:34-35 “ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
Do the people around us know that we are disciples of Jesus? If it is not obvious that we are His followers, than we are not loving like Jesus.
“Be not ye therefore partakers with them.”
EPHESIANS 5:7
What’s Not Pleasing and Acceptable To God
Ephesians 5:3-4
God’s children must live in a way that shows God’s characteristics, not those of the world.
- Those that follow God must be morally pure, keeping the body clean.
- God’s children must reject sins of the flesh.
- Don’t joke about unclean conduct, don’t even talk about it.
- Keep your mind and mouth free of filth.
- A mind and mouth that is focused on God will not be focused on unclean works of the flesh.
- Remember in our previous text last week, Paul reminds us to use speech that will build up. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
“Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”
EPHESIANS 5:6
The Warning
Ephesians 5:5-7
- Do not partake in any of these unclean works of the flesh.
- Those that are partaking in these works have no inheritance in God’s kingdom. God’s children don’t live like this.
- Sadly, Verse 6 is where our world is today. The world tells us living like this is accepted and ok, even encouraged. Our children and those that don’t study God’s Word, are being deceived.
- A more detailed look at this is in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
- Because of Jesus we have hope and can come out of this dark world of sin. And be God’s dear children.
Are you a child of God? Have you accepted Jesus?