Walking In Love (Ephesians 5:1-7)

Paul has been urging us to walk worthy of the calling we have been given. The first three chapters tell us that we are called to be God's children. How do we walk worthy of that call? We have humility, unity, diligence, love, and purity. These ideas are repeated throughout the final three chapters. To be a child of God is something that our minds need to dwell on. We need to take the time to consider how God's children live and what they do. Then, we need to overcome all of the barriers that prevent us from fulfilling our calling. It may be that many people have the wrong perception of what it means to be a child of God. Some may think that being a child of God means that we have superiority over others, like God is superior to us, but Paul starts with humility. God does have complete superiority, but all we have is weakness and failure without him. When we think that we have superior qualities, we lose one of the fundamental characteristics that should be present in God's children. Tonight we are going to talk about that fundamental characteristic of love. Love for God and love for each other.

John says, in 1 John 4:16, that God is love.

1 John 4:16 (ESV) --- 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Love is his characteristic. It is the primary explanation of who God is. So it should be no surprise to us that Paul, explaining who we are supposed to be, tells us to walk in love.

God's children walk in love

Ephesians 5:1--2 (ESV) --- 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We started studying this two weeks ago, but now we will dive a little deeper into what it means to walk in love as children of God.

To walk in love is not merely to say that we love Christ to that we love others. To walk in love is to want more and more of Christ and give yourself to him completely. It is also to want more and more of a relationship with each other. We must never be content with the level of faithfulness we have attained in loving one another and in loving Christ. But, at the same time, those who walk in love have complete contentment with the things of this world. Those in Christ are content with the spiritual blessings God has promised them after this life and with pure relationships we enjoy in the body of Christ. Christ has to be the pattern for us in this way.

In this text, Paul tells us to be imitators of God as beloved children. Do you see God as a Father who looks on you with love? How hard is it for us to see God in this way? Brethren, this should be easy for us to do. As long as we strive for a life that glorifies him, he has this attitude toward us. In all of our failures and struggles, God loves us. Those children who their father loves should want to be like him. They should want to walk in his footsteps.

Jesus did this perfectly in giving himself sacrificially for us. He shows us the love of God for us. As God loved Israel, so Jesus has loved us. He sacrifices himself over and over again that we might feel the love that is in his heart. When Jesus showed us tremendous love, he was also showing God tremendous love. He was walking in his father's footsteps. Many times our children follow in our footsteps and do the same types of things we often do. Sometimes it makes us wince and grieve to see them doing the same things, but sometimes it only makes us love them more. This is the way God feels toward Christ. He knows the pain and suffering Jesus will go through for us, and it grieves him. But he also knows the tremendous love he has for us, and his heart bursts with pride. God is entirely glorified in Christ's sacrificial life.

Not In Immorality

This beautiful image stands in direct contrast to the next.

Ephesians 5:3--4 (ESV) --- 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

This text tells us that those who walk in love, as God has taught them, do not walk in things that are immoral anymore. They put away practices that their heavenly father would never engage in. It is interesting that Paul shifts from talking about the love that God wants his children to have to a love that many in the world have. As God and Christ sacrificially love us, the world selfishly loves the world. These are two opposing ways of life. Those who love sacrificially do not engage in sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness. They see filthiness, foolish talking, and crude joking as things out of place in their relationships with others.

Our world promotes all of these things. They promote sacrificial love and sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talking, and crude joking. It's as though they cannot see the contradictory nature of sacrificial love and the rest. Let's go through these and understand how unloving these six activities are.

Sexual Immorality

Sexual immorality results from selfishly pursuing gratification, often at the expense of others and always at the expense of God's glory. We were created with sexuality in mind, and it has a pure place in the marriage relationship. But the way the world has twisted sexuality is a perversion of what God created it to be. People pursue lust, emotional attachment, and feelings of pleasure without concern over what is good for the heart and mind of the other person. We become hungry for temporary satisfaction, and that hunger grows to the point where we take advantage of others to find satisfaction. It is much like a drug instead of a healthy relationship that grows out of love. Any form of sexual contact outside of marriage fits into the description of sexual immorality. I remember being young and thinking that it's okay as long as I don't go all the way. That is not true. Self-control and self-discipline show way more love to other people than inappropriate physical contact.

The world is constantly telling us to pursue our fantasies and enjoy whatever we can get out of others. We value self-sacrifice, but only if you do it to benefit me. That's not the way Christians are supposed to view their relationships. Sexual immorality is not a part of Jesus' life, and it must not be a part of ours.

Impurity

Impurity is even broader than sexual immorality. This would cover any form of evil that stains or tarnishes God's image-bearer. God's children seek to have pure hearts. That's what walking in love looks like total purity in an impure and defiled world. Our robes should always be white with the goodness of our lives. Nothing evil should be seen in us at all.

Covetousness

Covetousness is one of those words that we hear a lot and don't stop to think about. Later on, he will call covetousness "Idolatry." That's a good description, but I heard another description that is even more simple. Covetousness is the constant pursuit of more and more. It is a complete lack of contentment with what we have and a constant focus on gaining more. We can see how selfish that is. There is no self-sacrifice in the man or woman who ignores the needs of others to spend all their time in their own vain pursuits. There is no love in the man or woman who does nice things for others to check a box. Then, they turn their attention to what their hearts truly desire. To walk in love means to be content with what you have and to pursue sharing it with other people. Life is not about how much I can get. It's about how much I can give for the glory of God. Don't we see how the covetous person who is in love with money and stuff that he doesn't yet have is completely failing to be a child of God?

Those who are in Christ are seeking to give, not get. They are seeking to serve others sacrificially, not gain at their expense. This is why our world is so backward now. Everyone is full of covetousness. Everyone is looking for opportunities to take advantage of others. It's not right, but, amazingly, they still claim to be people who love God and love their neighbor.

Filthiness, Foolish Talk, and Crude Joking

People are offended if you don't join in their filthiness nowadays. It's as though the world expects that you agree with their sexual immorality and impurity. But Paul says that it does not fit those of us who disagree with that form of life to speak as though we agree. Much more out of place is it for us to say these evil things ourselves. As politically incorrect as it is to say, we are supposed to be bastions of purity. People will hate us for it, but that is what walking in love looks like. It looks like going against the grain in our speech and what we agree with from those around us.

I remember being labeled the guy that no one wants to joke around because I wouldn't play along. I didn't get offended, but I made it clear that I'm pursuing a life of godliness. Our world has completely lost track of that. TV has led us down the path of saying extreme and outrageous things to get a laugh and to make people like us.

The words we speak have an impact on the perception of those around us. If we disagree with the status quo, it will help with the changing of people's hearts. We have to believe that strongly to go through it. Remember, we are God's children first and foremost. I understand that we don't want to completely separate ourselves from the world to the point where we can't reach anyone. Still, there must be a clear separation regarding immoral behavior. Why?

No Inheritance

The following words should startle those of us who have been engaging in any immoral behavior or condoning it.

Ephesians 5:5--7 (ESV) --- 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them;

Paul tells us that there is a sweeping deception out there that God will be gracious towards those who persist in an immoral lifestyle. There is no grace toward those who refuse to change. If we persist in sin and go on sinning willfully, there no longer remains a sacrifice (Hebrews 10:26), and there no longer remains an eternal inheritance for us. We have to get our act together. It's not about earning salvation. It's about understanding that God does not condone sinful behavior. God will not allow people to use his loving nature to hurt others and live a selfish, evil lifestyle. We must straighten up our hearts to have a genuine love for God if we want the forgiveness he offers us to continue. God works all things for the good of those who love him. But he works wrath and judgment for those who hate him and refuse to submit to his way of life.

We must not let people deceive us into accepting sin as the norm. I know that we will make mistakes, and there is not one person in here who meets up to the stature of the glory of Christ. But Paul tells us that God wants a people who are striving against sin with hearts that are in love with him and radiate his love to others in a self-sacrificing way. The sacrifice of Christ will then cover the mistakes and provide forgiveness for all of our failures. We will have a hope of eternal inheritance as God's beloved children. The question we have to ask ourselves is, "Am I really in love with God, or am I still in love with this world."

How Do We Walk In Love?

We see in this text that our ultimate problem is a failure to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That's the greatest commandment, and we must keep it to maintain a relationship with God. I know that many of you are here because you love God, but maybe you also love to have more stuff or love to engage in sinful activities. So, then the question becomes, "How do we love God only, and make him the center of our lives?"

Many people believe that if I love God only, I can't enjoy anything in life. Life will be boring, and I will suffer extreme depression. But they are still holding on to the selfish mindset that Jesus came to eradicate. They fail to understand that there is more to life than finding pleasure in the selfish pursuit of sin. A relationship with the creator and assurance of eternity with him is deeply satisfying on many levels. It is so satisfying that many men and women have entirely given up stations in life to pursue more and more of Jesus. They covet a deeper relationship with the Father and the Son more than anything else. If you aren't there yet, I want to encourage you to read over the statement we find at the end of verse 4.

Ephesians 5:4 (ESV) --- 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Paul says, "Let there be thanksgiving." Our hearts should burst with gratitude if we understand the extreme outpouring of love, the pain and agony he went through on the cross that Jesus showed to us. It's supposed to renew our minds so that we crave serving God more than we craving for sexual fulfillment, acceptance by our peers, or pursuit of greater success in this life. Understand, these things are not evil in themselves. We can enjoy them in their proper place, but we can only enjoy them within the realm of pleasing our Heavenly Father. We aren't depressed when we don't get to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. To serve God is not a depressing thing. We are too grateful in our hearts to partner with those who hate him and rebel against him.

Also, there is a very real realization that those who rebel against God can lose the salvation and the promises that God has given to them. These promises are only for those who love God and love each other. We should have a proper amount of fear and respect for the holiness of God. He will by no means clear the guilty.

Application & Conclusion

So, as we consider our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, let us have thankful hearts. God loves his children. He wants to do good for them, and he wants to bring them into an extraordinary inheritance that no one will ever take away from us. Do you love God enough to have a change of heart and a change of mind? Will we truly repent of the sinful ways of the world?

Maybe you have been deceived by those who think God's grace will continue despite your immoral lifestyle. Don't be deceived. God loves those who submit their lives to him. We are here to build one another up by speaking the truth in love. I hope that is what we have done, and I hope that we can work together to rid ourselves of all immorality and impurity. We do not want to be a church full of covetous and worldly people who want more of the world. We want to be a church full of people who want more of Jesus. Is that you? If not, why not? Aren't you thankful? Don't you look forward to meeting the one who died for you?