Sermon
Objects of His Affection
Ephesians 5:1-2
Introduction
1Therefore
be imitators of God, as
beloved children. 2And walk in
love, as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
(Eph 5:1-2)
WHAT is a Christian?
‘If you want to judge how well a person
understands Christianity, find out
how much he makes of the thought of
being God’s child, and having God as
his Father.
If this is not the thought that prompts
and controls his worship and prayers
and his whole outlook on life, it
means that he does not understand
Christianity very well at all.
For everything that Christ taught,
everything that makes the New
Testament new, and better than the
Old, everything that is distinctively
Christian as opposed to merely
Jewish, is summed up in the
knowledge of the Fatherhood of God.
“Father” is the Christian name for
God.’
We are to imitate or follow God, as
BELOVED CHILDREN.
We underestimate the radical nature of
our sin and the surprising reality of
grace.
The energy and power which Jesus had
to obey the Father are ours. The
impulses and motivations behind the
obedience of Christ are included in the
new heart that we have been given.
The impulses that energized Jesus’ life
on earth are actually in us. That’s
part of what it means to be alive in
Christ. IN Christ people are forgiven,
adopted as members of the family of
God and provided with the nature of
that family. - Larry Crabb-
This gospel orientation shows the
difference between the two thieves
of the gospel.
The moralist understands the need to
imitate God in obedience, but he has
a hard time understanding the
“beloved child” part.
The relativist is at home with the idea
of being a child of God, but doesn’t
like the part about the need to
imitate God .
How many of our problems (v.26-31;
5:3-6) come because we don’t live as
beloved children?
Ps 16:5,11 “The Lord is the portion of
my inheritance and my cup; In Thy
presence is fullness of joy; In Thy
right hand there are pleasures
forever.”
Ps 63:3 “Because Thy lovingkindness
is better than life, my lips will praise
Thee”
Our task is to keep our hearts fresh in
the love of God.
Experiencing our relationship as
beloved children is the movement of
faith.
REPENTANCE is a step toward
knowing His love.
We know the love of God by grace,
and grace always flows downhill – it
flows towards those who recognize
their need.
We can’t scold our hearts into
obedience, but we can rejoice them
into obedience.
“Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us, a fragrant offering
and sacrifice to God."
That is simply an awful sentence -that the slaughter of his Son smelled
good to God!
PIPER:
There are in this sentence realities so
great and so awful and so wonderful
and so devastating that when we
believe them they are the power of
God unto sanctification and a great
uprooting of unkindness.”
There is in the heart of every true
Christian a desire to obey the
commands of God as an expression
of childlike love.
“If you love me, you will obey what I
command.” John 14:15
Therefore be imitators of God,
as beloved children.