Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV
“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.”
If we are imitators of God, this is not a fake thing, like we
have people who professionally imitate and mimic other people. For this means
that we are following him and we are emulating him. We are patterning our lives
after God and his holiness and righteousness, but in truth and in righteousness,
and not in fakery. We are modeling our lives after the likeness of Jesus
Christ, and not after other humans. We are following his leading.
And how we walk is how we conduct our lives, our patterns of
behaviors, our attitudes, thinking, words, and actions. And this love (agape)
comes from God, for he is love, and so it is centered in moral preference and
in what God prefers. And he prefers holiness, righteousness, moral purity,
honesty, uprightness, and faithfulness. So this is an unselfish love which does
no deliberate harm to another but does for others what is for their good.
And Jesus Christ is our example of pure and unselfish love.
For he, although he was God – the second person of our triune God (Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit) – left his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human form
(born as a baby to a human mother, conceived of the Holy Spirit, with God the
Father as his birth father), grew up to manhood, and ministered God’s love and
grace mostly to his people, to those of his own race and faith in God.
But most of them rejected him, and they mocked him, and they
tried to trip him up with his words, and they harassed him, for he claimed to
be God, and he confronted people with their sins, and he taught them that they
must deny self and die daily to sin and follow (obey) him or they will not have
eternal life with God. And they didn’t like him because he did not kowtow to
them and to their customs and practices (the hypocritical ones).
So, they hated him and eventually they plotted his death.
And they had him hung on a cross to die as though he was a common criminal. But
this was all in God’s plan, for in Jesus’ death he who knew no sin became sin
for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He died that we might die
with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. And he shed his blood
to buy us back for God so that we would now honor God with our lives (2
Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Ephesians 5:3-5 ESV
“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 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.”
We cannot live like this and have any inheritance at all in
the kingdom of Christ and God, although many people are convinced that they
can. Many people are making shallow professions of faith in Jesus Christ which
do not require dying with Christ to sin and living to him and to his
righteousness, but allow for the “believer” to continue living in sin, only now
with the promise of forgiveness of all sins and heaven as his eternal destiny.
But please know what the Scriptures teach. Read them in
their context. They do not teach that we can make a profession of faith in
Jesus Christ and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us
regardless of how we live our lives. They teach dying with Christ to sin, and
not just once, but daily, and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in
holiness and in righteousness. For if sin is what we practice we do not have
eternal life.
Ephesians 5:6-11 ESV
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
So, don’t allow yourselves to be deceived by people speaking
empty words not from God, but coming from their flesh. Yes, they will quote
Scriptures and use them to support their teachings, but most of these are taken
out of context and twisted and are being made to say what the Scriptures do not
teach. So this is why context is so critical. For example, don’t just read
Ephesians 2:8-9, but read verse 10, too, and read all of Ephesians.
Don’t just read Romans 10:9-10, but read all of Romans, in
particular Romans 6 and 8 and 12, and Romans 2:6-8. For lip service only will
not get us into heaven. We must have changed lives by the power of God’s
Spirit. And don’t just read John 10:28-30 but read verse 27 which tells you who
that promise is for. It is for those who are listening to the Lord and who are
following him in obedience. They will not perish in their sins but will have
eternal life with God. For all of God’s promises have conditions.
So, don’t buy into this diluted and altered gospel message
which is telling people that they can make a profession of faith in Christ and
be assured forgiveness of all sins and heaven as their eternal destiny,
regardless of how they live their lives. We cannot walk in sin and have eternal
life with God, for if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and
obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will die in our sins, and
heaven is not our eternal destiny regardless of what faith our lips professed.
So, we are not to be partners with those who say how we live
doesn’t matter, or who claim we don’t have to obey the Lord and we don’t have
to repent of our sins. We are not to be partners with those who make allowances
for sin and who say our sins no longer matter for eternity. But we are to walk
(in conduct, in practice) as children of light in holiness and in
righteousness, and in walks of obedience to our Lord and no longer in darkness
(sin), and then we have the hope of eternal life with God.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom
6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15,21; Tit
2:11-14; Jas 1:22-25; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44;
2 Pet 1:1; 1 Co 15:58; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13]
Full
Release
An
Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
https://vimeo.com/115169203
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