Be Imitators of God - look to Jesus: Ephesians 5 Sermon

The sermon expounds on the command in Ephesians 5:1 for believers to be imitators of God by actively choosing love and purity. This imitation begins with putting away destructive sins like bitterness, wrath, and malice (Ephesians 4:31) and replacing them with kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness, modeled directly after Christ’s forgiveness toward us (Ephesians 4:32).Imitating God requires believers to walk in love as Christ did, offering themselves up in sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2). Furthermore, the sermon stresses that certain behaviors—sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness—must not even be named among saints (Ephesians 5:3). Special attention is given to covetousness, which is equated with idolatry because it involves deriving one’s identity from worldly possessions or desires rather than from God. The ultimate warning is that those who live a lifestyle defined by these sins have no inheritance in God’s kingdom. Therefore, because believers are light in the Lord, they must walk as children of light, allowing their transformed lives to become a clear, compelling testimony for Christ.