Sermon Synopsis
In Ephesians 5:1–16, believers are called to imitate God as beloved children by walking in a manner worthy of their calling. Paul explains that this imitation is expressed through three practical realities: walking in love as God is love, walking in light as God is light, and walking in wisdom in a world filled with spiritual dangers. The sermon challenges Christians to reject the works of darkness, pursue what pleases the Lord, and make the most of the time God has given them. Ultimately, the message calls believers to cultivate a growing likeness to Christ so that their lives reflect the character of their Heavenly Father.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
Walking the Walk: Imitating Our Heavenly Father
Ephesians 5:1–16
It has been a real pleasure for me to be with you all this past week, to speak with so many of you at camp, to hear your stories, and to be encouraged by what God has been doing in your lives. It truly is a privilege to be here. Thank you very much for hosting me, for your hospitality, for the love that has been shown, and for all the conversations we have shared.
As we think about the idea of walking the walk in Ephesians 5:1–16, we are going to be asked to be imitators of God. It is interesting—children love to imitate their parents, don’t they?
Whether it is the little boy shoveling sand alongside his father, pretending to drive in the back seat of the car, or the little girl putting on her mother’s oversized shoes and decorating the bedroom walls with lipstick, children love to imitate their parents.
As a young boy, I wanted to be like my father. I watched him comb his hair, so I combed my hair the same way. He rode motorcycles, so I wanted to ride motorcycles. When I was five years old, he put training wheels on a little motorbike so I could ride too.
He worked on cars, and although I was not very good at it, I wanted to be like him, so I tried to learn. In the process, I broke a lot of blood vessels in my hands, but I still wanted to be like my dad.
I even wanted to eat what he ate. When my mother was making breakfast, I would ask, “What’s Dad having?” Whatever it was, that was what I wanted too—at least until vegetables appeared at dinner. Then I realized this imitation thing might have its limits!
But honestly, children want to be like their parents.
I do not think it is any different in the spiritual realm. We should want to imitate our Father. We should want to be like God.
In fact, if you look at Ephesians 5:1, Paul says:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”
Our Position and Our Practice
By way of review, remember that in Ephesians 1 Paul tells us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. The first half of the book focuses on our position as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are blessed, privileged, and honored to be called His children.
In chapter 2, Paul emphasizes salvation—how we were dead in our sins, yet through faith in Christ we have been forgiven.
In chapter 3, he speaks about the beautiful mystery of the church. Those who have trusted Christ are now part of one body. The barriers have been broken down, and God has made one people for Himself. What a privilege it is to live in this present age and experience that reality.
So, in chapters 1–3, we learn about our position:
Then we come to Ephesians 4:1:
“Therefore…”
Whenever we see the word therefore, we ask, “What is it there for?”
Paul is saying, “In light of everything I have just told you about who you are in Christ, therefore walk in a manner worthy of your calling.”
That is where the idea of walking the walk comes from.
You can say whatever you want, but how you live your life will ultimately reveal what you really believe. Paul spends the first half of the book explaining doctrine. Then in chapters 4–6 he says, “Now live it. Walk in a manner worthy of the gospel.”
Chapter 4 contains many practical instructions regarding anger, speech, relationships, and our interactions with one another.
And then, as if that were not challenging enough, Paul says:
“Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.”
How on earth are we supposed to imitate God?
I am glad you asked, because that is exactly what Paul explains in this passage.
Today we are going to consider three ways we imitate our Heavenly Father:
Let us begin by reading Ephesians 5:1–6:
“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…”
Paul begins by telling us to walk in love.
But how is walking in love an imitation of God?
The answer is found in 1 John 4:
“God is love.”
John tells us:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God… The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”
If God is love, then a life that imitates God must be characterized by love.
And in case we are uncertain what that love looks like, Paul immediately points us to Christ:
“Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us.”
The supreme example of love is self-sacrifice.
Now realistically, most of us will probably never be asked to lay down our lives for someone we love. But that same attitude of self-giving love ought to characterize our daily lives.
Jesus said in John 13:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.”
And then He adds:
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
What Does Love Look Like?
Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 gives us a practical description:
When I do premarital counseling, I often ask engaged couples to take one of those descriptions and write a page explaining what it will look like in their marriage.
For example: Love is patient.
I remember doing that nearly forty years ago. As I mentioned earlier this week, today is my anniversary—or at least it was yesterday here, and it is still yesterday in America, so somehow it is still my wife’s anniversary but no longer mine!
When we were first married, I realized that from the moment my alarm clock rang until I was ready to leave the house was about eight minutes. I could get up, shower, get dressed, and somehow still look this good.
My wife, however, did not operate on quite the same timetable.
So I learned that “love is patient” meant that on Sunday mornings I should not stand outside the bathroom saying:
“Are you ready yet?”
Or sit in the car with the engine running, wondering if she might emerge sometime this century.
That is not love.
Love is quietly sitting on the couch, reading my Bible, and waiting.
And gentlemen, when she comes out, tell her:
“Wow, you look really nice today.”
Pro tip.
Love as a Testimony
What does love look like in your culture today?
Jesus said people would know we are His disciples by our love.
When you are talking to Christian friends during a break, do people recognize Christ in the way you treat one another?
When your children misbehave in the store, do people see something different in the way you respond?
When believers interact at work, do others notice genuine care and concern?
Love requires commitment.
Love requires a deliberate decision to put another person’s needs ahead of your own.
People should know we belong to Christ because of the way we love.
A Contrast to Love
In verses 3 and 4, Paul contrasts a life of love with a life dominated by selfish desires:
“Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you…”
These things are not appropriate for believers.
At their root, immorality, impurity, and greed all involve taking or wanting more than is rightfully ours.
The word translated “immorality” is related to the word from which we get pornography. Since Paul raises the issue, we should address it briefly.
Pornography is rampant in our world.
I have only been in Singapore for ten days, but Scripture tells us:
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.”
I would not be surprised if some in a gathering this size struggle with pornography.
Sadly, the church has often been so appalled by the sin that we have become afraid to talk about it. As a result, people suffer in silence.
If this is an area where you are struggling, seek help.
And if someone comes to you for help, respond graciously.
Sin is sin. We never excuse it.
But our assemblies should be places where people can honestly seek help, bring their struggles into the light, pray together, and pursue victory.
Because of the neurological changes associated with addiction, pornography is often not something a person simply stops overnight. That does not excuse the sin, but it does remind us that grace and accountability are necessary.
Please talk to someone you trust.
And please be someone who can be trusted.
Radical Measures Against Sin
Jesus said:
“If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you.”
In every battle against sin, there is a responsibility to fight.
I know one man who gives his phone and computer to his wife every evening. She locks them away where he cannot access them.
That may sound extreme.
But perhaps that is exactly the point.
How far are you willing to go to avoid sin?
If your phone is causing you to stumble, are you willing to give it up?
If your laptop is causing you to stumble, are you willing to live without it?
How serious are you about imitating your Heavenly Father?
Our Speech Matters
Paul then addresses our speech:
“No filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting…”
The things we joke about reveal something about our hearts.
One person observed that the more easily we talk about something, the less serious it begins to seem.
Our culture constantly bombards us with evil. We can become desensitized to it.
When I learned to drive, I was taught a term called velocitization.
When you drive at motorway speeds for a long time, that speed begins to feel normal. Then when you exit the motorway, you must consciously slow down because everyone around you is moving much more slowly.
Spiritually speaking, we can become “velocitized” to sin.
We become so accustomed to crude language, sexual jokes, and ungodly entertainment that we stop recognizing how offensive they are.
When people tell dirty jokes at work or school, what do you do?
Do you laugh along?
Do you quietly excuse yourself?
Do you challenge it?
Paul says that instead of filling the air with vulgarity, we should be characterized by thanksgiving.
“Thanks, Coach”
I coached my son’s hockey team one year.
Every player seemed to have requests or complaints:
“Can I switch lines?”
“Can I play offense?”
“Can I play with someone else?”
But there was one little boy named Thomas.
After every game and every practice, he would walk up to me, smile, and say:
“Thanks, Coach.”
Then he would walk away.
I was going to coach anyway. My son was on the team, and I loved the sport.
But I can tell you this—it meant a lot.
Every single time:
“Thanks, Coach.”
How often does God hear that from us?
Are we characterized by gratitude?
Or by words better left unsaid?
A Serious Warning
Paul closes this section with a sober reminder:
“Let no one deceive you with empty words…”
A person may attend church, pray, give money, and look religious.
But if the lifestyle never matches the profession, something is wrong.
God is serious about holiness.
Those whose lives are characterized by rebellion will ultimately face the wrath of God.
That is a sobering reality.
So the first lesson is clear:
Walk in love, because God is love.
Beginning in verse 7, Paul writes:
“Therefore do not be partakers with them…”
The things described in the previous section belong to our old life.
Paul reminds us:
“You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.”
Notice he does not merely say we were in darkness.
He says we were darkness.
But now we are light in the Lord.
Someone once said:
“Christians are not sinless, but they should sin less and less and less.”
That captures the idea well.
The first half of Ephesians tells us what is true of us in Christ.
The second half tells us to live accordingly.
Why Light?
Again, how is this imitating God?
Because 1 John tells us:
“God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
If we belong to Him, we should reflect the family likeness.
You are a child of God.
Walk like it.
Paul says we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of Christ.
We no longer belong to the darkness.
The Fruit of Light
Verse 9 describes the fruit of light:
Goodness speaks of moral excellence.
Righteousness speaks of integrity in our dealings with others.
Truth speaks of honesty in all we say and do.
Walk as children of light.
Imitate God.
Learning What Pleases the Lord
I love verse 10:
“Trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Imagine beginning every morning with this prayer:
“Lord, help me learn what pleases You today.”
What a wonderful way to start the day.
Some useful questions might be:
Our ambition should be simple:
To please the Lord.
As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:9:
“We have as our ambition… to be pleasing to Him.”
That should be our highest goal.
Exposing Darkness
Paul says:
“Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.”
Years ago, while working in finance at Lockheed Martin, a friend told me he had moved in with his girlfriend.
Then he smirked and said:
“I guess I’m living in sin, huh?”
I did not want to offend him, but I felt he was challenging my faith.
So I looked him in the eye and said:
“Yes. You are living in sin.”
He quickly gathered his things and returned to his desk.
Now, I am not suggesting we become self-appointed sin police.
But when sin is put directly before us, we should not pretend it is acceptable.
We must address it.
Yet we do so in the spirit of Galatians 6:1:
“Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”
Not arrogance.
Not superiority.
Not condemnation.
Gentleness.
Humility.
Self-awareness.
Wake Up
Paul concludes this section with a warning:
“Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Perhaps some of us have become spiritually drowsy.
Maybe we have become desensitized to sin.
Maybe we have grown comfortable with compromise.
Paul says:
Wake up.
Pay attention.
Walk in the light.
III. Walk in Wisdom
Finally, Paul writes:
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
Be careful how you walk.
As I get older, I am increasingly aware of my weak ankles, poor balance, and general instability.
People where I live enjoy hiking.
I often do not.
While everyone else is admiring the scenery, I am staring at the two feet of ground directly in front of me because I do not want to trip and hurt myself.
Paul says we need that same careful awareness spiritually.
The world is full of pitfalls.
There are potholes, barbed wire, and dangers all around us.
We must walk carefully.
The days are evil.
Number Your Days
Psalm 90 says:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”
Have you ever numbered your days?
I actually have.
That is the finance person in me.
If the average lifespan is around eighty years, and I am sixty-one years old, then, humanly speaking, I have roughly seven thousand days left.
That gets your attention.
How many of those days will I be able to actively serve the Lord?
How many opportunities remain to make an eternal difference?
How much time do I have left to imitate my Heavenly Father?
We need wisdom.
We need urgency.
We need purpose.
Conclusion
I want to close with the words of a hymn:
O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
O to be like Thee, full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind;
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee, lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee, Lord, I am coming,
Now to receive the anointing divine;
All that I am and have I am bringing,
Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.
O to be like Thee, while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and heaven above.
O to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,
Pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness,
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Let that be our prayer:
“Lord, help me to be like You.”
He is patient with us. He continues His work in us. And He will continue His work in every one of His children.
May He help us imitate Him in practical ways:
For His glory.
Amen.