Additional Evidence Of A Life That Imitates Jesus...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of Ephesians, where we have seen a man named Paul reveal for us the timeless truth that our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.

So far this week, we have discovered that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we sacrificially love others. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject our selfish desires. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we control our conversations. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived.  

Today, we will see Paul reveal for us a fifth evidence of a life that imitates Jesus in the second half of Ephesians 5:8:

 walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

Paul’s command, in the second half of verse 8, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: Since you have been made alive through Jesus and are now in a state of spiritual light with Jesus, you are to live your day to day lives as followers of Jesus in light of the reality that you have been rescued out of moral and spiritual darkness into a state of spiritual light.

Paul then reveals what fruit, or what should be produced, in the lives of the members of the church at Ephesus as they lived out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit. What is interesting is that when Paul uses the word goodness here, this word, in the language that this letter was originally written in, refers to an interest in the welfare of others. Now the word righteousness is a big fancy fifty cent theological word that refers to the quality or state of being right. When Paul speaks of truth he is referring to being in accord with what is true.

Paul’s point here is that the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be marked by an interest in the welfare of others and in a life that is centered on what is right or true.

In addition, in verse 11, Paul explains that that the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will be trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. In other words, the person who lives out their day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that they had been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit will critically examine their lives and be driven by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord.

And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. As followers of Jesus, we produce results that please the Lord when our lives are marked by an interest in the welfare of others, when our lives are marked by what is right in God’s sight, and when our lives are marked by what is true in God’s sight. And as followers of Jesus we produce results that please the Lord when our lives are marked by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord.

So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that produces results that please the Lord? Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that is marked by an interest in the welfare of others, and in what is right and true?  Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that is marked by a desire to learn what pleases the Lord? Because as followers of Jesus we live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. Paul then reveals for us a sixth evidence of a life that imitates Jesus in verse 11:

  Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you."

Paul's command to the members of the church at Ephesus, in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: "Do not take part in the useless activities of moral and spiritual darkness, but instead bring them to light."

Paul then reveals that the reason why the useless activities of moral and social darkness needed to be brought to light was due to the fact that it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. In other words, these activities were so shameful that they were done in secret and were not morally or socially unacceptable to even talk about.

But did you notice how Paul tells the members of the church at Ephesus to bring these useless activities of moral and social darkness to light? Paul explains to the members of the church at Ephesus that " all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” But what does that mean?

Now Paul here is not commanding followers of Jesus to stand on a street corner with signs in order to bring these useless activities to light. Paul is not commanding followers of Jesus to write a letter to the editor or post a blog to bring these useless activities to light. Paul is not commanding followers of Jesus to boycott anything here.

Actually, the Apostle Paul is telling the members of the church at Ephesus to do something totally different. In verse 13, Paul reveals the reality that the activities that involve moral and social darkness are revealed and brought to light when followers of Jesus who live their lives in a way that imitates Jesus. You see, as the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, they revealed the darkness of the deeds of those who were far from God. The contrast between their lives of light and the lives of darkness was stark and striking for all to see.

As the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, those who were far from God would see their need for Jesus as a result of their dark deeds. And as the members of the church at Ephesus lived lives that imitated Jesus, those who were far from God would respond to their lives in a way that resulted in them becoming followers of Jesus

And to back his claim, the Apostle Paul points the members of the church of Ephesus to an early Christian hymn that was sung in their gatherings: “For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." This early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus of their own conversion. This early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus that they had been awaked from their moral and spiritual darkness by the light of Jesus.

And this early Christian hymn reminded the members of the church at Ephesus that now, as followers of Jesus, they were to live their lives in a way that imitated Jesus so that those who were far from Jesus could see their need for Jesus so that they could become followers of Jesus. And it is here that we see Paul reveal for us the reality that we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness through the light of our lives.

As followers of Jesus, we are to avoid the activities that involve moral and spiritual darkness. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to bring to light the activities that involve moral and social darkness in the world by living our lives in a way that imitates Jesus. As we live lives that imitate Jesus, the light of our lives serve to reveal the darkness of the deeds of those who are far from God. As we live lives that imitate Jesus, those who were far from God see their need for Jesus as a result of their dark deeds. And as we live lives that imitate Jesus, those who were far from God respond to their lives in a way that result in them becoming followers of Jesus.

So here is a question to consider: Is your day to day life marked a lifestyle that brings to light the deeds of moral darkness as a result of the light of our lives that imitate Jesus? Do those who are far from God see their need for Jesus as a result of how you live your day to day lives in the moral and spiritual light that you have been given by Jesus through the Holy Spirit?  Because as followers of Jesus we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness.

You see, our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we sacrificially love others. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we reject our selfish desires. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we control our conversations. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we refuse to be deceived. We live lives that imitate Jesus when we produce results that please the Lord. And we live lives that imitate Jesus when we bring to light the deeds of moral darkness.

So is your day to day life marked by a lifestyle that imitates Jesus? Because our identity as a follower of Jesus should lead us to live a life that imitates Jesus.