Walking in Love as God's Dear Children (Ephesians 5:1-17)

Passage: Eph. 5:1-7

Walk in Love

1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2And 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. 3But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For 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. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them.

 

Sunday June 11, 2017

“Walking in Love as God’s Dear Children”

Pastor Enoch Hanokh

1. Exhortation to mutual love-vv. 1-2

1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2And 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.

• Acting from the Principle of Grace:

Conforming to His Prevailing Example

Forgiving others

2. Exhortation to what is befitting-vv. 3-5

3But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For 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.

• Friendship with the World? James 4:2-5 2You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. 3Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 44Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
• Remember Your Engagement to the LORD: Jer. 2:2 1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“ Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I remember you, The kindness of your youth, The love of your betrothal, When you went after Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. 3Israel was holiness to the LORD, The first fruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon them,” says the LORD.’  ”
• Sell Your Love for Nothing: Eze. 16:31-34 31 “You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment. 32“You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. 33“Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. 34“You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
• You Have Only One Master: Mat. 6:24 24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

3. Exhortation not to share in deception-vv. 6-7

6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them.

• Empty Words should be Offensive to a Child of God

You shall not surely die: Gen. 3:2 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5“ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was 1pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

 

1. In what way are we to be imitators of God?
2. What friendship with the world is not and how can we avoid friendship with the world?
3. What else have you learned today? Share with your small group.