(Audio version; Music: "All Honor" by: WorshipMob--Real. Live. Music. and "Watching You" by: Rodney Atkins)
Introduction
Do you want
to know one of the heaviest burdens a man can carry when he is a father? When
he hears his child say, “Dad, I want to be like you.” It doesn’t seem like a
big deal when you’re not a father and some fathers seem to take this burden in
stride. I have had the honor of hearing both of my daughters say those words to
me and I hold the words in my heart like fragile flowers that can be destroyed
with the slightest act of carelessness. I am honest enough with my girls to
confess that there are parts of me I don’t want them to be like. However, I am
honored that they follow my example in some other areas of my life—like my
faith in Christ and my love for people. Nevertheless, I take it very seriously
that my girls, even though they are now grown, are watching and in many cases
imitating my actions and attitudes. Their actions and attitudes are first and
foremost a reflection on them now that they are adults and what they say they
believe about God. But their actions and attitudes are also a reflection on me
and what I believe about God because, in many respects, they are imitating me. Ultimately,
what really matters, then, is whether or not my attitudes and actions are an
accurate reflection of who God is? When people observe the actions and attitudes
of me and my daughters, do they observe an accurate reflection of the character
of God? Would people be able to look at our lives and say with confidence that
we are not only Children Of Light
but, more specifically, Imitators Of God?
Subject Text
Ephesians 4:29-5:7
4
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only
what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may
benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid
of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form
of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving
each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 5 1Be imitators of
God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. 3But among you there must not be even a hint of
sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are
improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity,
foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy
person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of
such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore
do not be partners with them.
Context
Last week
was part one of our Children Of Light
series and I talked about how believers are created to be like God.
Specifically, before becoming Christians our minds were darkened by sin and our
actions were defined by continually indulging our sinful passions. However,
after becoming Christians, we were renewed. The old way of thinking and acting
had to go because we were born-again as new creations. Darkness was replaced by
light and sin was replaced by righteousness and holiness. As followers of
Jesus, the Light of the world, we became Children
Of Light and were set on a course to become righteous and holy because we
were created to be like God who is righteous and holy. However, being Children Of Light and holy and
righteous are important distinctions of all believers, they are imputed on us
based strictly on our decision to believe. After we have made the decision to
believe, however, we have a continuing duty to be faithful followers of Jesus.
The only problem is, like any newborn, what do we do? This is the brilliance of
God in that He has given us all we need to know in the Scriptures. But He
didn’t stop there. He also gave us a personal example in the person of Jesus.
It is a beautiful pattern. Let me explain how it works. Jesus said, “Whoever
believes in me will do the works I have been doing (Jn 14:12).” Jesus is
calling us to imitate his actions. And he sets the example for us when he says,
“The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father
doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (Jn 5:19).” We don’t
have to guess at how we should think or act because God has written it down in
the Scriptures and given us a real life example in the life of Jesus. Now it’s up
to us to follow the instructions and the example. It’s up to us to be Imitators Of God.
Text Analysis
29Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building
others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
We are
experiencing a time here in America that is unlike anything I have experienced
in my lifetime—anger and discord between people based on race, gender, and
economic status. Political leaders in our country have decided that the best
way to retain and build their power is to turn the people they were elected to
serve against one another and force them to choose sides. Their diabolic plan
has produced some of the most heinous dialogue, if you can even call it that,
between people I have ever heard in my lifetime. Divisions in race, gender, and
economic stereotypes have been elevated as though they are the norm in our
society as opposed to the exception. For example: All black people hate white
people; all white people oppress black people—All men see women only as
inferior objects to be used for the sole purpose of sexual pleasure; All women
see men as oppressive animals who want to keep women in their place of
inferiority—All wealthy people acquired their vast wealth by exploiting the
hard work of the poor; All poor people are poor because they’re lazy and just
want free handouts. Now I will concede all these things are true to some
extent. However, they are not the norm. They are the exception. However, you
wouldn’t think that to listen to our nations political leaders. Instead of
nurturing a spirit of kindness, compassion and mutual forgiveness, they stoke
the flames of hatred and the result has been some of the most awful rhetoric
between people I think I’ve ever heard. People saying things about others that
I never thought I’d hear in my life.
V. 29 of our Subject Text
is a very strict warning to us about not allowing any unwholesome talk to creep
past our lips. Instead, our words should only be used to encourage and build
others up not tear them down. Imagine what that would look like? What would it
be like if blacks didn’t call whites “whitey” or “cracka?” What if whites
didn’t call blacks “nigger” or “porch monkeys?” What if men didn’t all women
“feminist bitches?” What if women didn’t call men “chauvinist pigs?” What if
people didn’t call those with significant wealth as the “greedy rich?” What if
people didn’t call those who don’t have much the “lazy poor?” What if we looked
past skin color, gender, and wealth and realized that we are all unique
creations each bearing the image of God? Although Paul is talking to believers
in v. 29, his instruction wasn’t
specifically limited to the way believers talk to one another. Paul’s
instruction to believers applies to the way they talk to and about all people.
Look carefully at something else Paul is saying. Your words aren’t just for the
benefit of those to whom they are directed, they benefit anyone who is
listening. If you think about that, the inverse must be true as well.
Unwholesome words are not only destructive to those to whom they are directed,
they are equally destructive to anyone who is listening. The words we speak can
be like seeds planted in the lives of others. Encouraging words will grow into a
flowering tree that produces fruit that feeds and nurtures others. Whereas
unwholesome words grow into bramble bushes with prickly thorns that do nothing
but irritate and hurt people. “Believers must also be careful about what they
say. As part of Christ’s body, filled with his righteousness and holiness, they
must not use foul or abusive language. Such speech is worthless, spreads
worthlessness, and leads hearers to think about worthless matters. Not only
should our speech be kept clean and truthful, but we should also speak words that
are good and helpful, words of encouragement.”[1]
30And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
It can be
difficult to understand what Paul is referring to in v. 30 when he says that we shouldn’t “grieve the Holy Spirit.” This
is an instruction directed specifically at Christians because the Holy Spirit,
although present in all the world because He is God, resides specifically in
the hearts of Christians. How would Christians grieve the Holy Spirit? Well
first it’s important to understand who the Holy Spirit is and the purpose of
the Holy Spirit in our lives. As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is
God like the God the Father and God the Son. However, the Holy Spirit occupies
a unique role specifically in the lives of Christians. First and foremost,
believers receive the Holy Spirit as a seal that distinguishes them as having
been redeemed. When people get to the place where they accept Jesus into their
lives, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their hearts and minds. What does
that mean from a practical standpoint? When Jesus told His disciples that He
would be leaving them, He promised that He would send the Holy Spirit in His
place and the Holy Spirit would teach them many things and lead them into all
truth. However, just because the Holy Spirit resides within believers, they
don’t magically become robots that do and say only what God would do and say.
We are still each unique humans who have been polluted and corrupted by sin.
Even though we have been saved and the righteousness of Jesus has been imputed
on us, we still sin and are still sinners. What grieves the Holy Spirit is when
we do something He tells us not to do or when we don’t do something He
specifically tells us to do.
It’s not a
perfect analogy but it is much like my interaction with my daughters. I have
worked really hard to teach them what they should and shouldn’t do in their
lives. However, like all sinners, they sin and hurt themselves and others. Am I
angry? Sometimes. But that’s because I’m hurt that they did something I
specifically told them not to do or they didn’t do something a specifically
told them to do. I grieve when their words or actions hurt themselves or
others. This is how the Holy Spirit is grieved as well. In the context of v. 30, the Holy Spirit is grieved by
Christian speech that does not encourage or build others up but instead is
discouraging, disparaging and serves to tear people down. “Not only does the
language of saddening or disappointing the Spirit by one’s wayward actions
provide a powerful personal metaphor, but the identity of the one offended is
also underlined forcefully. The one who is grieved is the holy Spirit of
God—the Spirit who is characterized by holiness and who is God himself at work
in believers. It is not a question of some offense aimed directly at the Spirit
but rather that believers by committing the sort of sins that have been
mentioned in the earlier sentences, sins which disrupt communal life, are
thereby disrupting and opposing the work of the Spirit in building up the
Church. When believers act in a way that harms their brothers and sisters, God
is hurt…[It is important to understand] the obvious theological
implication—‘the God proclaimed in Ephesians is not an unmoved mover.’ Believers’
sinful words and deeds are all the more grievous to the Spirit because they
have been sealed in the Spirit for the day of redemption…Through their
reception of the Spirit, associated with their baptism, believers are those who
have been stamped with the holy character of their owner.”[2]
31Get rid of all
bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of
malice.
Be honest
for a moment, Paul’s instruction in v.
31 is only easy when there are no storms swirling around us. Tell me your
blood doesn’t boil when someone falsely accuses you of being racist, or sexist,
or that you love money more than people. Tell me that your first reaction when
someone strikes you in anger isn’t to immediately strike back. Tell me that you
can’t help but return hateful and slanderous words with some of your own. Tell
me that some days, after having to listen to the constant onslaught of false
accusations or verbal or physical abuse, you realize that rage and anger has
been simmering just under the surface of your consciousness and you could
easily explode if just one more log is added to your fire. However, it is our
actions and attitudes during just such times that differentiates believers from
unbelievers; it is the difference between the old us who were darkened by sin
and the new us who are created to be like God. Unfortunately, I don’t have to
look far to see where I fall short in virtually every one of these areas. But
this is where we have to listen closely to the leading of the Spirit. Where
there is bitterness in our lives, the Spirit wants us to extend forgiveness.
Where there is rage and anger, the Spirit wants us to offer love. Where there
is brawling and slander, the Spirit wants us to act in gentleness and kindness.
Where there is malice, the Spirit wants us to act only in the best interest of
others. “In stripping off the ‘Old Man’ [or woman] and putting on the ‘New,’
man [or woman] throws off malice and chooses the good. If there is yet an
absolute destiny reflected in Paul’s ethical teaching then it is this: in
Christ the same man [or woman] who was dead to sins is to live a new life. The
very same man [or woman] who has heard God’s saving word and awakening call is
enabled to respond by active faith, love, and hope.”[3]
32Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.
Like any
good teacher, Paul doesn’t just give us a list of things we shouldn’t do, he
also provides us with a general outline in v.
32 of the things we should do. When you see the anger and hatred that swirl
around you daily like a raging storm, what do you see that is missing? It’s
right here in v. 32 isn’t it?
Kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Can you imagine a world—ok maybe that’s
too big—how about just one culture marked entirely by these characteristics? I
know, it’s really hard to imagine. So let’s start smaller. Can you imagine a
home that practices these things? A wife that is compassionate toward her
husband when he seems to carry the responsibilities of the world on his
shoulders. And husband who is kind toward his wife who has had to endure the
unkind words and actions of the world around her all day long. And child who
forgives his or her parents when they’re not always perfect parents. Still too
hard to imagine? Ok, let’s narrow it down to a very sharp point. What would
your life be like if it were defined by kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
Easy to imagine but I know from personal experience that it is so unbelievably
difficult to put into practice consistently every day. Nevertheless, these are
the characteristics that should, in large part, define our lives.
“In contrast to the malice and
angry verbiage of the preceding negative exhortation, Paul’s audience should be
‘kind’ [Gk. chrēstoi] and
‘compassionate’ [Gk. eusplachnoi] to
each other. God has united believers with the risen Christ according to [Ch]
2:6-7, so that he might forever show them ‘the surpassing wealth of his grace
by kindness [Gk. chrēstotēs].’ The
term chrēstoi here recalls this
overwhelming, undeserved benevolence of God toward his people despite the sin
transgression, and rebellion they had displayed toward him. The adjective eusplachnoi appears in only one other
place in the NT (1 Pet. 3:8), but in the Jewish theology of the time, God could
be described as eusplachnos since he
was willing to show chrēstotēs even to one whose sins were ‘more in number than
the sands of the sea.’ By the vocabulary he chose at the beginning of the
admonition, then, Paul already hinted that he wanted his audience to imitate
the character of God whose graciousness to sinners he has described in [Ch]
2:1-10.
He makes the theme of the imitation of God more explicit in
the motivation clause of the admonition. His readers are to forgive [Gk. charizomai] each other just as God in
Christ has forgiven (charizomai) all
believers.”[4]
1Be imitators of God,
therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just
as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice
to God.
When my
daughters were still very young, 6 years-old and 8 years-old respectively, we
started doing missions work together. We did sixteen mission trips over a period
of fourteen years and they continued taking mission trips individually after we
stopped doing them together. I still remember when we first started going. I
explained to them the dangers of missions work where we were going and the
purpose behind that work. To that point, they lived in the bubble comprised of
home, school, and church. They had no idea what it was like traveling to
another country where the people spoke a different language, looked different
than we did, and lived in a very different cultural and geographical setting.
So rather than try and explain everything to them, I simply told them to go
only where I go and do only what I do and never stray away from my sight. After
the third or fourth year of going, I could see myself in what they did and how
they did them. After ten years, the three of us worked together like a
well-oiled machine. I loved the families we served so they loved the families
we served. I loved the other missionaries so they loved the other missionaries.
I committed myself to only serve and not ever be served so they committed themselves
only to serve and never to be served. I worked hard so they worked hard. They
did what they saw me doing—they were imitating me. But you see, I was imitating
God so really they were imitating God. This is our duty according to vv. 1-2. God demonstrated His love for
us through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. And although God’s primary
purpose for Jesus’ death on the cross was to provide a means for humanity to be
reconciled to God, there is another valuable purpose behind Jesus’ act of love
on the cross, it gave us an example that we should follow. In the same way God
demonstrated His extravagant love toward us through Christ, we are to
demonstrate extravagant love towards one another. We are to be Imitators Of God.
“Just as it
is natural for an earthly child to imitate his [or her] father, so should the
spiritual child imitate his [or her] Heavenly Father. The word imitate comes from the [Greek] word mimeomai, from which we get our word mimic. It means ‘to act alike.’ To
imitate God in this context means to walk in love. Love denies self. It is
willing to give up self-interest for God’s sake. Since Jesus gave himself up
for us, we ought to give ourselves up for him. To give oneself up means ‘to follow, to obey, to live in relationship
with.’ When we live with this attitude toward God, we please him just as a
pleasant aroma pleases the one who smells it. Jesus became the sacrifice for
our sins. We must become a living sacrifice, obeying him (Rom. 12:1).”[5]
3But
among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of
impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor
should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of
place, but rather thanksgiving.
Do you want
to know the highest standard of conduct we, as believers, have been called to?
To be Imitators Of God. As such,
Paul uses very strong language to describe the extreme extent Christians are to
imitate God’s holiness and righteousness in vv. 3-4. Paul uses words like “no hint of” or “any kind of” when
describing the extreme extent to which certain things should be completely and entirely absent for the life of Christians who are going to be Imitators Of God—Sexual immorality,
impurity, greed, obscenity, foolish talk or coarse jokes. None of these things
are characteristics of a holy and righteous God. Consequently, none of them can
or should be characteristics of Imitators
Of God, who have been created to be like God in holiness and righteousness.
People have often asked me why I never use profanity. These verses are why. Is
profanity prohibited by these verses? Maybe. Maybe not. However, when I
envision God, I don’t envision profanity as part of his vocabulary. It’s a
small matter I know but it is different from the old way that I talked when
profanity was practically my second language. What is far more difficult are
all the other areas Paul has included. They are somewhat general on purpose
because I believe Paul was trying to include everything without trying to list
everything. For example, sexual immorality was intended to include all sexual
activity outside the confines of marriage between one man and one woman. In our
culture, just like in Paul’s culture, that included a myriad of sexual sins
like homosexuality, incest, adultery, premarital sex, etc. Greed was intended
to include all possessions that are horded for personal use and personal
pleasure which are generally the same today as they were in Paul’s day. In
Paul’s day, people hoarded money, precious metals, food, livestock, land,
homes, etc. Not too unlike our own day when people hoard money, precious
metals, cars, land, homes, etc. Impurity is impurity in all ages, Paul’s and
our own.
“Ephesians
has been called ‘the epistle for today.’ Like much else in the letter, [ Ch] 5:3-14
could have been written to any of our present churches. Obviously the list of
sins here is not exhaustive. No mention is made of violence, murder, or a
variety of other transgressions. Paul’s concern is not a comprehensive treatment
of sin, but those sins by which his readers are most likely to be thrown off
course. But why is so much focus placed on sexual sin, language, and greed?
Sexual sin is the one place where pride, power, and pleasure are inordinately
concentrated. If sin gains control, sexual immorality is often the result.
Language and greed are so important because they are gateways by which sin
finds entrance…
Lax sexual
standards do not fit with Christianity, whether in the first of the
twenty-first century. Christians too easily adopt the sexual attitudes of the
surrounding culture, but sexual sin will not mesh with life in Christ. What we
do with our bodies matters because we belong to God. The argument that sexual
intercourse outside marriage is legitimate was prevalent at Corinth, to which
Paul reacted with astonishment: How could one join what is part of Christ with
a prostitute? Sexual sin is a sin against one’s own body (1 Cor. 6:15-19). The
assumption behind such thinking is that sexual intercourse is far more than a
physical act; it is a psychical act
that binds two people into a unity and reflects the very image of God. Sexual
intercourse answers the question, ‘To whom do you belong and whose image do you
bear?’ We cannot belong to multiple partners, particularly if we belong to God…
Greed, too,
stares back at us from the mirror of the text. The desire to have more
motivates both sexual sin and all other sins. In fact, sin has been described
as seeking to get more out of life than God put into it. Even though God has
packed life full of things, most of us are never satisfied. When desire for
more takes over, especially with sexual relations—it distorts the mind,
debilitates us, disrupts life, and finally becomes our master. We say a person
is lovesick for good reason: Greed makes us sick. Greed can also take control
of our minds and distort us in the desire for possessions. It pushes us to
acquire more money and resources. We never have enough. If lying is the enabler
of sin, greed is its origin.
We live in
a society that encourages all forms of greed. The music and the entertainment
media seek success by heightening sexual desire and displaying conspicuous
consumption. The advertising industry uses sex to create and instruct other
forms of greed. Self-centeredness is no longer merely a given; it is elevated
to a desirable quest. The only goals most people know are pleasure and
possessions, and for many that means life goes out of control. We have moved
self-centeredness from a malady to a deadly contagious disease.
Obscenity,
foolish talk, and course joking are ways we reinforce or court a godless
lifestyle. These three categories cover everything from vulgarity to defiance
of God to innuendoes. People may start using such language to prove they are
tough and know the ‘ways of the world.’ But it is evidence that sin has taken
up residence in their minds and that shame is being honored and embraced. It is
a way to play with sin, but as G. B. Caird notes, where vice is regarded as
amusing, the practice of it comes easy.”[6]
Again, as
Paul did previously, he leaves us with instruction for language that is fitting
for Christians: Thanksgiving! A heart and spirit of thanksgiving is thankful
for the beautiful gift of sex within the context or marriage. It is thankful for
whatever God provides without the obsession to always pursue more. It is
thankful for the opportunity to encourage and lift people up. It is thankful
for the ability to make a person laugh but not at the expense of another person
or our own dignity. A heart and spirit of thanksgiving reflects the character
of one who is thankful to have received the greatest gift of all—the gift of
eternal life in the presence of God.
5For of this you can
be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive
you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who
are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.
Be honest,
how many times have your read Paul’s warnings in vv. 5-7 or similar warnings elsewhere and just shrugged them off? I
know I do it all the time. Maybe it’s because I’ve read them so many times that
they’ve become too familiar to me. It’s not that I have an attitude of ‘I don’t
care.’ It’s more like I have an attitude of ‘Yeah, yeah I know already.’
Truthfully, neither attitude is good. Whether you’ve ready these words from
Paul for the first time today or you’ve read them hundreds of time like I have,
I want you to stop and think critically about what Paul is saying here. No
immoral, impure or greedy person will be saved! Do you understand the gravity
of these words? There is no such thing as an immoral, impure or greedy person
who is also a Christian whether that person considers themselves a Christian or
not. And don’t let anyone deceive you with the idea that this doesn’t apply to
Christians because we live in an age of grace. If you believe that we don’t
earn our salvation because we are moral, pure and generous, you’d be absolutely
correct. We are saved only by believing in Jesus and what he accomplished on
the cross on our behalf. However, if after confessing your belief in Jesus you
think you can keep your salvation and at the same time live a life
characterized by immorality, impurity, and greed, Paul says that you’re
deceived. NO ONE will receive a share of the inheritance in Christ’s kingdom
who engage in even a hint of any kind of immorality, impurity, and greed. I’ll
confess, that scares me. And you know what? I think it was meant to.
Let me just clarify what Paul is and is not saying. Paul is not saying that anyone who sins relinquishes
their salvation. Paul knows that even he still sins. However, there is a
mechanism for dealing with the sin—confession; acknowledge our sin and ask for
forgiveness. And repentance; actively turning away from our sin and turning
instead toward Christ and once again becoming Imitators Of God in our actions and attitudes. What Paul is saying
is that if you are an unrepentant
sinner, you can call yourself a Christian, you can call yourself a Believer,
you can call yourself a Follower of Christ, you can call yourself anything you
want but it won’t change that fact that you will not be spending eternity with
God. It is precisely because of unrepentant sinners that God will ultimately
unleash His holy wrath at the final judgment. It is true that believers and
unbelievers alike will be judged but only unbelievers will experience God’s
wrath of eternal condemnation.
What does
it mean though when Paul says that we shouldn’t partner with these people,
meaning unrepentant sinners? Does it mean we shouldn’t associate with
unbelievers? No that’s clearly not the message. And that would be inconsistent
with Jesus’ own actions. Instead, I think the key lies in the word “partner.”
What Paul is saying is that we shouldn’t team up with people who are
unrepentant sinners either in marriage or in formal or even informal business
arrangements, or in deep friendships. Paul is warning the Ephesians against the
very real danger that bad company corrupts good character. This is consistent
with Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians to not be unequally yoked. In that
context, Paul was warning believers that they shouldn’t marry unbelievers but
the principle is the same here. Believers and unbelievers have completely
different worldviews and there is a very real danger that a believer could
begin to adopt an unbeliever’s worldview and run the risk of forfeiting their
eternal inheritance. “Since the consequences of living an immoral life are so
serious, the readers are strongly urged not to become partners with disobedient
Gentiles in their sinful behaviour…Paul is not prohibiting contact or
association with such people…If this is what the apostle means, then they would
need to go out of the world altogether (note his argument in 1 Cor. 5:10)!
Rather, the term partners, which
appears in the New Testament only here and at 3:6, is used to signify ‘one who
shares in a possession or a relationship.’ Accordingly, the readers are to make
sure that they do not share with disobedient Gentiles in their immorality and
thus escape the judgment that rightly falls with it. Those who participate with
Jewish believers in the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel cannot be
partners with pagans in their sins. The two forms of participation are mutually
exclusive.”[7]
Application
Whether you
believe it or not, we are all imitating someone in various areas of our lives.
We are each unique human beings but most of us don’t exist outside the sphere
of influence that people have had in our lives. None of us are seminal beings.
In other words, none of us lead a life that does not now or hasn’t in some way
been influenced by others, for good or bad. We do things that those before us
have done—either good or bad. There is a great song by Rodney Atkins that illustrates
my point:
“Watching You”
Driving through town just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn’t have the toy
Till his nuggets were gone
A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my brakes and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flying and his orange drink covered his lap
Well then my four year old said a four letter word
That started with “s” and I was concerned
So I said son now where did you learn to talk like that
He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you
We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said Lord please help me help my stupid self
Then this side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son’s Scooby Doo nightlight
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talking to a friend
And I said son now where’d you learn to pray like that
He said I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixing things and holding mama’s hand
Yeah we’re just alike, hey ain’t we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I’ve been watching you
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
He said but when I’m big I’ll still know what to do
Cause I’ve been watching you dad, ain’t that cool
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
By then I’ll be as strong as superman
We’ll be just alike, hey won’t we dad
When I can do everything you do
Cause I've been watching you
It’s just a
song I know but if you’re a dad then you recognize the truth in those
words—your children are watching you and imitating you. Who are you watching?
Who are you imitating? You know there used to be a time if someone confessed
that they were Christian, unbelievers would watch very closely what that looked
like in everyday life. Too often today, unbelievers don’t care because there’s
really not much difference between their lives and the lives of Christians. But
this was not how it was intended from the beginning. Christians who follow the
Light of the world are Children of Light
who illuminate the way to Jesus for an unbelieving world lost in the dark. What
that means literally is the Christians point the way to Jesus, not primarily
with their words but with their lives. People should get a sense of who Jesus
is when they meet us. Just like people got a sense of who God the Father was
when they met God the Son. People should get a sense of who God the Son is when
they meet us not specifically because of what we say, even though our words are
important, but primarily by the way we conduct ourselves. Will people learn
about God through us because we have all the right words that can paint an
accurate picture of God or because we live our lives as Imitators Of God?
Be sure to
come back for the conclusion of our Children
Of Light series that will be available in two weeks on June 17th,
where we’ll focus on being Filled With
The Spirit.
[1] Bruce
Barton, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman, Life Application New Testament Commentary,
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), p. 823.
[2] Andrew
T. Lincoln, Ephesians—Word Biblical
Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1990), pp. 306-307.
[3] Markus
Barth, Ephesians 4-6—The Anchor
Bible, (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1974), p. 553.
[4] Frank
Thielman, Ephesians –Baker Exegetical
Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), pp.
319-320.
[5] Max
Anders, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians
& Colossians, (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1999), p. 170.
[6] Klyne
Snodgrass, Ephesians—The NIV
Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 274-276.
[7] Peter T.
O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians—The
Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1999), pp. 365-366.
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