Pastor Roger Feenstra
Take your Bible and turn please to the book of Ephesians, chapter 5. This afternoon we are continuing our study through the book of Ephesians. Like all of the books in the Bible, Ephesians was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That means that every word found in it is God breathed. Although God used human authors, in this case the Apostle Paul, God directed them in their writing in order to convey his truth to people throughout the centuries, including us in the year 2009.
Recently, we have been through some trying times in our church. Many families have grieved over the loss of loved ones: Loved ones who are now safely at home with the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult for those left here on earth -- that's why I find so much comfort in God's Word: Because it is the "power of salvation to everyone who believes." It brings comfort to us in our time of need like nothing else can do. God's Word points the way to eternal life through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And as God's word comforts us and points us to Jesus Christ, it also gives us instruction on how to live our lives while we remain on this earth. This instruction that we receive is not a list of do's and don'ts in the sense that we receive a slap on the wrist when we do something wrong. Rather God's Word instructs us on how to live our lives in a way that will glorify God and live a more peaceful life here.
And this is what our passage today is about. Follow along with me as I read verses 1 and 2 of chapter 5.
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Paul begins this section of his letter with the word, "Therefore." Now, I want to give you an important tip on how to read God's Word. That is, whenever you read the word "therefore" you need to go back and discover what it is “there for." In other words, what is the context[1] that Paul is referring to as he begins this chapter?
To find out we need to go back to chapter 4, verse 22. Let's review what we read a couple of weeks ago.
In chapter 4 verse 22 we read that as Christians we are "put off your old self." In other words, God is instructing us on how to live as Christians and it's as if He is asking you;
Do you want to live a fulfilling Christian life?
Do you want to walk with God and glorify Him?
Then, put off your old self: Stop acting the way you did before you became a believer in Jesus Christ.
And he lists a number of signs of our old life:
1. Lying (Verse 25): The first sign of the old life is that we were once liars. We simply didn't tell the truth. The truth was not important to us. What was important was getting ahead in our own lives -- not caring about others, and saying anything we could in order to get over on someone else. And Paul tells us here, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that we are to "put away falsehood." What is meant here is the idea of "immoral deception." To be immoral[2] means to be "not moral" or "wicked". So Paul is talking about "wicked lying" here in this passage. Immoral deception is used in a way to manipulate someone else: To try and gain power over them.
It's always a good thing to not be immorally deceptive in our lives, however, when Paul tells us to "Put away falsehood" in this passage, he is specifically talking about how we act when we come to church and are around other believers. Why would it matter if a believer comes to church and is deceptive to the other believers there? I mean if you come to church and say to everyone, "Yes I'm really walking with the Lord, I'm serving Him and living for Him," But in reality you're living your life just the opposite, why would it matter? Well, as always, the Bible helps us understand why it matters.
Notice what the passage says at the end of chapter 4, verse 25
"For we are members one of another."
What's he talking about here? What does he mean "members one of another."? To find out we need to turn back a couple of books to the book of 1st Corinthians 12. In 1st Corinthians 12 Paul tells us what it means to be "members one of another", and he calls it, being part of the "body of Christ" or the church. So when we read that we are all "members one of another", he means we are part of the church and the Bible calls the church, "the body of Christ." Look at what it says beginning with verse 14:
14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Therefore, back in Ephesians 4:25, Paul is letting us know that we need to stop lying, because when we do lie we hurt everyone around us. Coming to church is a place where we are to build each other up in order that we all might go from here proclaiming to others outside of the church what Jesus Christ has done for our lives. We learned in our Thursday night Bible Study that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are "Priests". That's right, God actually says that all believers in Jesus are not just "members" of the body of Christ, but we are a "Royal Priesthood." Why would God call you a Priest? First of all he is not talking about a priest like we think of a priest today. He is not referring to a catholic priest, he is referring to an Old Testament priest. Well, one of the duties of a Priest in the Old Testament was to proclaim the righteousness of God. And so, today we as believers are Priests who are to do the same.
The Apostle Peter said it this way;
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9
Therefore, when we lie to each other in church, it is impossible for us to proclaim the excellencies of what Jesus did for us when we are outside of the church.
Lying, falsehood – this is a sign of "Old self" and Paul says stop doing it!
The second sign of our old life before becoming a believer in Jesus is found in verse 26:
2. Anger that leads to sin (Verse 26): It's best to not get angry, but we all know that anger sometimes churns away inside of us. But Paul gives a solution to not allowing anger to become sin. He says,
"do not let the sun go down on your anger."
Why? Well, there are various reasons for not going to bed angry.
But it's best to deal with your anger during the day - it's during the day there are many opportunities to get rid of your anger. It's during the day that you can talk to those who have angered you and forgive them. It's during the day that you can make peace. But at night, when left alone, your anger, like a fire, will smolder all night long until you wake up in the morning and the sparks kindle and ignite into a full flame again.
Paul says that when you allow your anger to go into the night, it is then that you give the devil an opportunity to work in your life.
We've most likely all experienced going to bed angry. You lie there staring at the ceiling thinking about all the bad things that happened and your anger intensifies. You keep thinking about what you will do or say tomorrow and finally drift off into a fitful sleep only to wake up angry and upset.
And especially if you are at war with someone else who is a believer in Christ. Maybe it's even your spouse or a family member. It is then that the devil delights in knowing that he is controlling you and that you are not being led by the Holy Spirit.
When we let our anger go unresolved, God tells us that we are inviting disaster into our lives. And Satan will use it to beat us down and destroy us.
So the key is to resolve your anger before you go to bed. One of the best ways to do it is to simply pray to God, "God please take this situation and handle it for me. I'm very angry, but I am going to give it to you to handle." And God promises that He will. When you get to the point where you realize that God can handle your problems and you can't, it is then that God really begins to work in your life. Give your anger over to Jesus and rest assured that He will take care of it for you.
Unresolved, sinful anger is the second sign of the "Old self."
The third sign of the old self before we became a believer in Christ is found in verse 28:
3. Stop stealing (Verse 28): How do people steal? In many ways. Some people steal things outright (like the person who broke into my car and Bryce's car and stole our possessions). Some people steal time, by not making the most of every opportunity to live their lives for Christ -- they waste precious time in meaningless endeavors in their lives. Some steal from their employers by not working hard and stealing time, but getting paid for it. Some people steal from the government by trying to get all the financial assistance they can possibly get when, in fact, they can work with their own hands. And some people steal from the church by not providing financial assistance to others who are in need.
And that is the point of this verse. God is telling us to not be idle, to work, earn money, so that we can share with those who are in need.
The Bible tells us we are to stay clear of idle people -- people who steal. Listen to these words:
6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.
What a blessing it is to earn a paycheck and to be able to help those in need. This is why we give to the church, in order to help those who are in need. The church is to help those who are in need. And this is the point that Paul is making here in Ephesians, work, earn money so that you may be able to "share with anyone in need." Deliberately not working is stealing -- that's what we did in our old self, not our new life in Christ.
I have had people say to me, why should I work when I can get unemployment and make more money than if I was working? Well, my answer has several reasons:
1. If you can work and you're collecting unemployment and NOT aggressively looking for a job, then God calls you an idle person and you are stealing from the government.
2. It is a lie to think that you make more money on unemployment. The check you receive might look good when you get it, but it leads to nowhere. There is no chance of bettering yourself; there is no chance of earning more money, there is no chance of moving up in your job so that you can earn benefits that will help you and your family.
3. The longer you collect unemployment, the less desirable you become to future employers. Why? Because they will look at your work history and wonder, "What has this guy been doing for the past six months?"
4. The longer you sit idle and steal time and money, the easier it becomes.
No, there are more ways to steal than just doing it outright. And that was our "Old self".
The fourth sign of our old life is found in verse 29:
5. Stop saying bad things about each other (Verse 29): We'll talk more about this next week, but the point is this, say nice things to each other. Learn to compliment others. In our old self we spoke evil of others - trying to make ourselves look good. God tells us stop doing that; you have a new life now. Use your words carefully to build each other up.
In chapter 4, verse 30 we read that when we are believers in Jesus Christ and we live our life like we did before we became believers, in other words, when we lie, get angry and sin, allow the devil to control us, steal, and speak evil of others, we do something very terrible:
We grieve the Holy Spirit. Do you know that you can only grieve someone who loves you? If you say something wrong to someone you don't know, or you lie to someone who is a stranger, it is wrong, but the person is not grieved by it. On the other hand, if you lie to me, or steal from me or talk evil of me and you are my friend, then I am greatly grieved by your actions. Why, because I love you.
And that is the point Paul is making here. God loves you so much that he sent His son Jesus to die for your sins. When you became a believer, Jesus thought so much of you that he sent His Spirit to live within you -- to guide you, to help you, to comfort you. He loves you and when you give in to the "old self" He is grieved. To grieve is to "cause great distress." It means heaviness or a great burden. And when we live our lives in the "old self" we literally cause God to grieve.
So Paul sums up our old life in chapter 4:31 by saying, Listen, get rid of all that “Old” baggage:
• Bitterness
• wrath
• anger
• clamor and slander
• malice
Work at being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving, just as God in Christ forgave you.
And now in Chapter 5 verse 1 Paul writes "Therefore" because of that, because you are no longer living in your old self, "be imitators of God."
What does it mean to be imitators of God?
As you may remember, the New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. When Paul wrote this letter to the people who were in the church in Ephesus, he wrote it in Greek. And the Greek word he used for the word imitator was, Mim-ay-tace, it almost sounds like the word "mimic", and that is close to what the word means. One Bible commentator[3] says that it means to "Imitate God as children do their beloved parents, and remember that you stand in the relation of beloved children to Him."
We all know that one of the major ways children learn is by imitating their parents or whoever is influencing their lives. Children, from a very early age will copy their parents in whatever they see them do. That is why it is such a privilege to have children. You are the one impacting their lives. And that is why broken families can be so devastating – many of you live in agony because your son or daughter is being influenced by someone who may not share the same moral values that you share. And as a church family, we need to pray for those families that have been torn apart by selfishness, greed and power moves. In many ways, how you act now will determine what your son or daughter will be like when they grow up.
I've told this story before, but I'm sure that one of the reasons my daughters pray today is because when they were younger, they saw their mom praying everyday in the morning before they went to school. Every morning they knew where they would find their mom, in the living room, praying. And Carol still does that today -- she prays not only for her own family, but for you as well.
And our girls learned to pray by watching the example of their mom. When they faced trials and troubles at school, they handled it better because they knew that they were being prayed for.
Children will copy whatever they see their parents do, whatever they hear, both good words and bad. And, they even copy the very tempers of their parents.
And this is why God tells us in His word to "Imitate” Him. Notice that verse two gives us the one of the greatest points of imitation that we can strive for: Love.
Paul says we are to "Walk in love." And here, in verse 2, he is talking about sacrificial love. A love that is so strong that even when you don't feel like loving someone, you do it. He compares it to the love Christ had for us by dying on the cross --going to his death so that you and I might have eternal life.
Jesus Christ was both God and man. As a man it was painful to go to his death. He was tortured and beaten, whipped and scourged, spit upon and laughed at. And as God, he could have at any moment, wiped his tormentors off the face of the earth. But in love, he willingly gave his life up so that, as a sacrifice, you and I might have eternal life if we believe in him.
And that is why it is so important to give up our "Old self." "Put off the Old self", give it up, walk away from it, drop out of it -- and become an imitator of God, exhibiting true love to those around you in the church and outside of the church among your own family and friends.
Next week we are going to look at the things that hinder us from imitating God -- the roadblocks that stand in our way.
But this week I want to encourage you to focus on putting off your old self. Burn those bridges behind you and never try to cross them again. Ask God to help you this week as you strive, in love, to be an imitator of Him. He promises to help you if you walk with Him and set your heart toward Him.
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[1] Context means, the group of words or paragraphs that surround the word in which you are studying.
[2] To be moral means to do what is right. A moral person knows right from wrong and does what is right.
[3] Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible. Adam Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., (1715-1832)
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