Imitating the Love of Christ
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Joined Together, Growing Together
Ephesians 4:17-5:2 (ESV)
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
5:1 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.
Sermon Outline
We are learning and being formed by what we see - Jesus calls us to look at him so that what we see re-forms our whole way of life.
1. Not the Way
v20 “But that is not the way you learned Christ!”
v23 “be renewed in the spirit of your minds”
2. Seeing the Way
v32 “God in Christ”
5:2 “Christ gave himself up for us… sacrifice to God”
3. Walking in the Way
5:1 “imitators”
v24 “the new self, created after the likeness of God”
5:1-2 “as beloved children. And walk in love…”
Prayer of Confession
Our kind, tenderhearted, forgiving Father, we look to you because in mercy you look at us with love. We confess we have sinned. We acknowledge that we have set our gaze on things that have drained us of life and love. We have been led by our corrupt desires. We have failed in our attempts at self-mastery. We have offended you and hurt others. Our shame has kept us in darkness, where we long to be seen but hide because of fear. Forgive us through Jesus who gave himself up for us, as a sacrifice to you. As we open ourselves to your love, fill us with it so it characterizes our way of life. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
If you reflect on your life, what have been the key shaping influences? Who or what did you look to with admiration? Did you consciously imitate anyone (person or group)?
Why is it unwise to uncritically embrace and act on your desires?
What does healthy discipline and effort look like? What problems arise when you try to impose order on your life and seek external restraints for self control or to attempt change?
Why is repeated and active looking to Jesus important for your own growth? What kinds of things should you be looking for or paying attention to as you read the Bible and reflect on who Jesus is?
How does Jesus reveal God?
How does Jesus portray what the ideal human being is like?
How can you deepen your awareness of God’s love for you? How can God’s love form and shape you?
What does it mean to “walk in love”?
How are you imitating Jesus?