Walking in Love
Introduction:
Practical examples of how Christians should relate to others.
This passage contains powerful lessons for us as well as powerful lessons to teach to young people.
Ephesians 5:1-7 NLT
Walking in Love
5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do.
Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 5:1-7 NLT
Walking in Love
5:1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
- Christians are commanded to imitate God in everything they do.
This command is found throughout scripture,
Matthew 5:48 NLT
48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1 Peter 1:15-16 NLT
15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
Leviticus 19:2 NLT
2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
Leviticus 20:7 NLT
7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
Luke 6:36 NLT
36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Paul’s challenge:
1 Corinthians 4:14-17 NLT
14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me.
17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.
As a child imitates his parents, a child of God should imitate his heavenly father.
This is the purpose of sanctification.
1 John 3:2 NLT
2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
- The Christian has no greater calling or purpose than imitating the Lord.
God chose his children to be like His son.
Romans 8:29 NLT
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
The Lord makes us more and more like Him.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT
18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
- The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
When Christ gave Himself up for us, it was the supreme act of His love.
- Imitate God by living a life filled with love.
Walk in love. ESV
Live a life of love. ERV
Be full of love for others TLB
Romans 12:1 NLT
A Living Sacrifice to God
12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people.
These are selfish, self-centered activities.
4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you.
These are harmful behavior.
- These self-centered vices in conduct and speech (verses 3 & 4) are the opposite of the self-sacrificing love we are called to practice.
Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.
The speech of God’s people is to be characterized by thankfulness to God for all he has done, and is doing for us.
5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
The things greedy people desire become their gods. God is replaced by things.
Colossians 3:5 NLT
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT
9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
- Verse 5 is not a description of a believer. This is not who we are. We have been transformed. Therefore, it is not o.k. for us to practice an immoral lifestyle.
- God’s people must have a holy lifestyle, avoiding the immorality common among the unbelievers.
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.
False teachers
2 Peter 2:1-3 NLT
The Danger of False Teachers
2:1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
God’s view of sin should be taken seriously.
Colossians 3:5-6 NLT (verse 5 repeated)
5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
Romans 1:18 NLT
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
- Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse sinful behaviors.
7 Don’t participate in the things these people do.
- Christians must not participate in the sinful behaviors of unbelievers.
