Walking in Love, as Christ Loved Us
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Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
My Brothers and sisters in Christ, this morning we find in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians an encouragement to be imitators of God as beloved, walking in love as Christ loved us, and again at the end to walk as Children of Light. This because one of the most tragic things is that after a Christian is brought to Christ through the waters of Baptism, raised in the faith, confesses the wonderful gifts that God has given, that many leave the light of salvation and go back into the darkness of sin. He gives a list of things that tempt and tease people away from the light of Christ and back into the darkness of sin.
So let us look at the text here and see how it all unfolds. starting at v1
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
This is a good encouragement and reminder of who we are, if God is our Father, then we are his children, and just as children imitate their parents, so too should we imitate God. Now some might say well we don’t want to imitate our parents in everything for as we get older we realize that our parents do have flaws and imperfections like we do, but what flaw does our Heavenly father have? He is sinless, and so while we cannot attain his perfection, we ought to mimic that which is good right and true. This is then built up in the next verse.
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Not only do we look to our Heavenly Father who is spirit, but also to the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, for if we bear the name Christian, then we ought to walk in Love as Christ Loved us and gave himself up for us. Now we talked about this sacrifice that Christ offered on Wednesday night, but it also shows us that Christ’s love for us was not just in words, but it was also put into action. That love motivated him to give up his life for you. This is what love does, it seeks the good of others even at the cost of self.
Now before we look at these next 3 verses, one thing you should know about them, is a number of churches use what is called the 3 year lectionary. It has been in use by various church bodies even our own since the 1980s 1990s, a little over 30 years. These next 3 verses were not included, which means even if you attended Church faithfully every Sunday you would never see these 3 verses.
So I want you to consider what effect cutting these 3 verses out has had on the Church and on your own faith.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
Now this moves into what things are not considered love. sexual immorality, uncleanness or covetousness. These things work against love, and are not the ways of Christians. Indeed we will find many in the world who practice these things, and that should not surprise us. For what do the Scriptures tell us about the world? That is under the power of the prince of the air, that is Satan himself. So when the world praises sexual immorality as freedom, that is so great that two people can finally love each other, or delays getting married but wants to enjoy the benefits of marriage without commitment, and will claim they can’t afford it. We should not be surprised for that belongs to the former way of life.
4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
He isn’t just referring to just our actions but even to our words, that is why in the Small Catechism we learn that we are to sexually pure in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other. Instead our words ought to be thanksgiving, words of joy and peace that we share with one another. What is it that brings us together as the body of Christ it isn’t crude, foolish, or filthy talk, but the joy that we have in the light of Christ our Lord.
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.
This is why these things are to not be named among us, that is to say that as Christians we are to not do these things. They have nothing to do with Christ, and in fact, those who practice them will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is serious, that is why it is a tragedy that these 3 verses were cut out.
Now we might think that this was easier to avoid in their time than it is today. That is not the case at all, sexual immorality was huge in the greek, roman, and to a certain extent even in the Jewish world.
Sure today we have magazines, television, and the internet and they give us easy access to all manner of things that are immoral and impure. In the ancient world they had entire temples, and entire religions that were devoted to immorality. These Words are just as important today as they were back then. The technology may change, but the hearts of men and the temptations, remain the same. So the call to repent and to set these things aside is just as important for Christians today as it was back then.
When it says that they have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God that means, that a person who practices these things, who embraces immorality will not go to heaven. You cannot be a Christian and live this way or indulge these things. It was true for the people of Ephesus and for us as well.
So if you have been making room for it in your life, cohabiting, looking at things that ought not look at, you need to know that if you stay on this path, you will lose the inheritance that Christ won for you on the Crosss. So, repent, walk away from the darkness and remain in the light.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
There are many who will try to say that this isn’t true, they will offer up any number of defenses to justify their sins. We are all practiced at it, but we need to cling to the Word of God which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. There will be many excuses put forth, and various reasons, cohabitation is defended on the basis of feelings and finances, but those are empty words. Crude jokes make folks laugh how can that be bad? Or the temptations we find on the internet or tv that we try to say well who does it really hurt? It hurts you, and brings the wrath of God. You will not be treated as a Son of God, but as a disobedient son, and you may not suffer for it right awya, but you will be disowned, and lose your inheritance.
7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
Now this final part here, shows us that all of these things are written down not because there is joy or glee in the punishment that comes down upon those who forsake the will of God. But it is meant to encourage us, to not indulge in these things that would rob us of our inheritance. If it wasn’t a temptation, we wouldn’t be warned against it.
Think about what Adam gave up in the garden, when he took a bite of that fruit, a fruit that was pleasing to the eye but brought sin and death to all mankind, what would you say to Adam or Eve if you saw the fruit in their hands. You would tell them to drop it and remember what the Lord had said.
So this is all said, so that you remember who God has called you to be. You were called out of the darkness of sin and death, and brought into the light of Christ who is the light that shines in the darkness. If you have been brought out of death to life, why would you let anything steal from you the inheritance you have been given in Christ your Lord?
Now the life of a Christian is one that is difficult and it is path that we wander until the end of our days. You will fall into sin, again and again, but that is why these Words are written down, for your benefit, that you might hear this call to repent again and again that you may not become comfortable and indulge in your sins, but rather that you might be roused out of them and remember what it is that you will lose, if you fall away.
So my brothers and sisters hear these words not as words of hatred or malice, but words that are meant to encourage us to walk as children of the light, lest you lose heaven. If you have indulged in any of these things and forsaken your inheritance, repent, stop living or speaking sinfully and shamefully, and return to what is right and true. For here today to help strengthen you in that struggle against sin is Christ our Lord. He will set you up again on your feet, that you may walk out that door in the light. In Jesus name. Amen.