Have you ever heart a bird talk? Birds cannot really talk in the sense of carrying on a conversation with humans, but instead they mimic or imitate or copy the words they hear.

In the opening verse of Ephesians five, the Holy Spirit commands us to be followers of God. The word translated “followers” is the Greek word mimetes from which we get our English word “mimic”. In other words, the Holy Spirit is commanding us to mimic God. There can be no higher goal than to mimic God. The best of men will fail us, but God is our perfect example. He is perfect in character, in attitude, in motive, in word, and in action.

Transition

Not only does the Holy Spirit command us to imitate God, but as we will see in our text this evening, He presents the motive, the manner, and the modification needed to do so.

Our Motive to Imitate God, v.1

  1. Our first motive is God’s forgiveness.
    1. The word “therefore” takes us back to the previous verse (4:32) where God commands us to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving even as God for Christ’s sake forgave us.
    2. We are able to live like God (within our mortal limitations) because God has forgiven us and given us new life in Christ.

      2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

    3. Christ set us free from the bondage of sin.

      Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

    4. God’s forgiveness and new life in Christ empowers us to live a new life in Christ. It ought also to motivate us to strive to mimic God in the way we live in this wicked world.
  2. Our second motive is God’s affection.
    1. We must mimic God as His dear children. God loves us dearly. He has adopted us into His family. We are now children of the King of kings. We are part of the Royal family. We have a home in heaven and we are joint-heirs with Christ.
    2. In appreciation for God’s great yet undeserved love for us, we ought to imitate Him.

      Children who admire their loving dad seek to copy his ways. In a greater way this ought to be true of God’s children.

Our Manner to Imitate God, v.2

God does not leave us guessing as to how we are to imitate Him. He gives us a specific manner in which we are to do it.

  1. We must walk in love.
    1. The word “walk” speaks of our conduct in life.
    2. The word “love” used here is agape. It is the self-sacrificing giving of oneself to meet the needs of another expecting nothing in return.
    3. Thus, our life’s walk or conduct is to be controlled by love – love for God and the Holy Spirit’s fruit of love. Wuest states, “When this love becomes the deciding factor in his choices and the motivating power in his actions, he will be walking in love.”
    4. A Christian cannot walk in love until he has put off the old man, been renewed, and put on the new man (Eph 4:22-24). Once the new man changes lying into speaking truth, stealing into sharing, corrupt words into edifying, and ungodly anger into forgiving, the Christian can focus on walking in love.
  2. Our love must be as Christ’s love.

    To be sure that we understand the manner of love to which God is referring, He states that it must be like Christ’s love.

    1. Christ truly loved. Though He was the King of glory, He loved us enough to leave heaven and become a poor, humble man.

      Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

    2. Christ also gave himself. The word translated “gave” literally means yielded or delivered up. Christ willingly gave himself for us in a twofold way.
      1. He yielded himself as an offering (general term). His whole earthly life and ministry was an offering to God.
      2. He yielded himself as a sacrifice (specific term). He became the eternal, one time, blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

        Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

    3. Christ gave himself for us, or in our place.
    4. His offering and sacrifice produced a sweetsmelling odour to God. This is a term that describes God’s pleasure in receiving a sacrifice. It is first used of Noah’s sacrifice after the flood (Gen 8:21).

      To walk in love, we must imitate Christ’s love by being willing to sacrifice our own desires and comforts to bring glory to God.

Our Modification to Imitate God, v.3-7

Living a life that imitates God requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to modify our activities and words. Many of the activities and words of unbelievers imitate the devil rather than God.

  1. Do not let these vices be named among you, v.3-4.
    1. First, he lists three moral vices, v.3.
      1. Fornication: Sexual sin usually between two unmarried persons
      2. All uncleanness: lustful impurity of all kinds
      3. Covetousness: a greedy desire to fulfil lusts or to get gain (cf. Eph 4:19). The covetous man is called an idolater in v.5. He is more devoted to his filthy lusts than to God.
      4. These moral vices are not becoming, fit, or uplifting to a saint.
    2. Then, he adds three verbal vices, v.4.
      1. Filthiness: shameful, dirty, indecent
      2. Foolish talking: unwise talk, (context) dirty talk
      3. Jesting: (context) dirty jokes
      4. These verbal vices are not convenient or proper. Instead, we should give thanks or say things that are pleasing and agreeable.
  2. Do not be deceived by the habits of the day, v.5-6.
    1. These vices are the habits of unbelievers who have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. This cannot refer to a Christian because a Christian cannot lose his salvation (Jn 5:24), or his inheritance in heaven (1Pe 1:3-5, Eph 1:11, 1:14, 1:18, Col 1:12, 3:24, Tit 3:7, Jas 2:5).
    2. God’s wrath is on the children of disobedience, the sons of rebellious unbelief – those who refuse to believe.
    3. To do such vices will anger God, bring chastening, and is far from imitating God. Do not be deceived!
  3. Do not be joint-partakers of these vices, v.7.
    1. The word “partakers” literally means one who partakes together with another.
    2. To imitate God, we must not join the unbeliever in his ungodly way of life. God wants us to be holy.

      1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Conclusion

God commands us to imitate Him. His forgiveness and affection motivate. His love and sacrifice show us the manner. He clearly stated the modification needed. To imitate God we must treat others as He would, walk in love for God and in love from God, and yield to the Holy Spirit to keep sinful vices out of our lives.

Song: Cleanse Me – 166
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Imitate God
27 April 2014 PM – Ephesians 5:1-7 – Eph 14 – Scott Childs