This evening, I am mindful of our long-time Mount Zion sponsor, William Henry, who recently suffered a stroke and is thus unable to minister here. I hope that all of you who have learned of his suffering have prayed for him and will keep praying for his recovery. I also encourage you to write him and express your appreciation for his life and selfless service.
I met Pastor Henry at our Christmas event last month when the chosen date fell on the 4th Saturday in December. I felt the presence of a seasoned man of God, someone who has walked with God and served God for a long time. He has served in this prison for over 20 years. That says something about his love for God, for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for inmates like you. We should always honor those who give themselves selflessly to the least of Christ’s brethren; and so I want to dedicate my message this evening to Pastor Bill Henry who exemplifies in his own unique way the main point in what I want to say: Imitating the God of light.
The passage I have selected is the fifth chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, a letter he composed while under house arrest in Rome, in the early 60’s AD. This epistle, a general letter to the Christians living in and around the metropolis of Ephesus in Asia Minor, encapsulates the heart of Paul’s understanding of the gospel and how it can transform the life of any believer in Jesus.
Saul of Tarsus experienced a supernatural vision of Jesus Christ when he was a young and angry persecutor of the early Messianic community. Saul was a fervent Jewish Pharisee out to suppress a Jewish movement started by the crucified prophet Jesus of Nazareth – who Saul presumed was a false prophet. When Jesus confronted Saul on the road to Damascus Saul learned he was wrong.
The light of Jesus’ appearing was so powerful it knocked him to the ground and blinded him physically. Yet he could see Jesus clearly with the eyes of his spirit. He was the same blazing Being that the prophet Daniel saw almost six centuries earlier. He was the same radiant Being the Apostle John later saw on the Isle of Patmos, which inspired the book of Revelation.
Saul’s first experience of Jesus was as the divine Messiah who exists in radiant light. This light immediately overpowered him with the realization of divine power and holiness. It both blinded his eyes, penetrated his soul to the very depths, and shaped his understanding of God and how we relate to him. Saul’s name later changed to Paul, meaning “little.” He was a short man; but this name change also reminded Paul how small he was in comparison to His Savior, Jesus Christ; and he lived humbly before God.
As we will see in this passage of Ephesians, light is a metaphor for truth, holiness, and love – the character of God. And darkness is a metaphor, and the very essence, of its opposite – the character of Satan. So let’s look at Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians to imitate the God of light. Reading from Ephesians, chapter 5, verses 1 through 14:
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9 (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
At the end of chapter 4, Paul talked about the practical aspects of living the new life, and challenged his readers to live truthfully, peaceably, and graciously towards one another. Earlier in the chapter he described how the Gentiles became futile in their thinking, having hardened their hearts to give themselves over to sensuality, impurity, and greed. Paul returned to this theme in this chapter to amplify some of the common dangers that undermined the life and faith of new believers. These same sins haunt the Christian Church today.
Today I want to talk about the journey of love and light. Paul uses the term “walking” to describe life’s patient journey. Life is normally lived at a walking pace, spanning several decades. Our seasons move at a steady pace, interspersed with crises that force us to change directions.
Chapter 5 opens with an extraordinary admonition. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children…” Let’s pause and reflect on that simple but startling command: What does it mean to imitate God? Assuredly, you and I cannot imitate God in doing supernatural things or being consistently holy and perfect. Imitating God then has to be a matter of God-like motivation and action within human limitations, that is, behavior that reflects the character of Jesus Christ.
Since he was and is God in human form, we can imitate God by living as Jesus lived. This was the heart of Paul’s praxis – how we embody the Christian life. As he wrote to the Romans years before, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
We are to imitate God as beloved children. The only reason we can imitate God is because we are loved, inspired, and empowered by God to be godly. The first truth any Christian should accept about their relationship with God is that they are beloved children of God. In millennia past, God created people in His image for the very purpose that we might become His beloved children. We do this through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and His saving work of dying for our sins and rising from the dead to seal our redemption forever.
Children learn through trial and error, reinforced by parental admonition. Children unconsciously bond with and seek to be like their parents when their parents affirm them with love. Remember, you are beloved children. God is not an absentee father, tyrannical taskmaster or angry controller. Nor is God a careless parent. Many of you had parents who failed to be present for you or mishandled their responsibilities. You need to forgive their failures, and honor those who raised you appropriately. But God is perfect and challenges us to imitate his ways.
While you cannot completely shuck off your upbringing, you are not indelibly defined by it. Being a beloved child of God gives you the freedom to imitate God, rather than recycle past patterns of dysfunction. You are free to live a new life, a life of morally-ordered liberty founded on faith in Christ our King. That is the freedom that always produces the best results in this life and the next. Our nation’s success historically derived from the many millions of ordinary people who exercised liberty in a righteous way, and so made a better life for their families and themselves.
Asking yourself “What would Jesus do?” is a good way to approach a situation where doing the right thing isn’t obvious. His approach seemed to be a combination of sticking to his priorities of proclaiming God’s kingdom, giving of himself to meet the needs of others, and being free of concern about how others judged his actions. Jesus trusted the Father to set the agenda for his day; so he wasn’t too concerned about delays or temporary diversions. But when his time for suffering at the cross approached, Jesus wouldn’t allow anything to divert him from going to Jerusalem for his appointed time of arrest and death.
How about you? Can you set the course of your life to achieve meaningful goals, while allowing God to change or divert your plans so you can love others He brings your way? I think that’s part of what Paul meant when he told the Ephesians to: “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us [as an offering and fragrant sacrifice.]”
So if we’re going to be imitators of God, Paul says we have to adopt a lifestyle of love and kindness, empathy towards others and forgiveness; for we too have been loved, accepted and forgiven.
The amazing thing about this command to imitate God is that through God’s grace, it’s doable! You really can be imitators of God, as long as a humble and selfless love is the driving force in your conduct. God’s grace will always work to help you do this; and God’s grace is always there to help you succeed from God’s perspective, which is the way of love.
But even if you should experience temporary failure, God’s grace hasn’t failed. Sometimes, God lets us fail to teach us vital life lessons that pave the way for success. When I look back on my life, two of my greatest failures led me to turn to Jesus Christ for salvation, and later make a branch transfer from Field Artillery to the Chaplain Corps in the Army Reserve. These were two of the best decisions I ever made.
My three failed attempts to be hired as a DOC chaplain from 2005 to 2008 opened the door for me to be hired in 2009 at Monroe – the prison that is closest to my elderly father and siblings. So God has used even my failures to pave the way for success from His perspective. And that’s the way you should view your time in prison.
The one real threat to imitating God that every Christian faces is the downward pull of our sinful nature. So Paul says don’t tolerate any kind of immorality, impurity or greed in your life.
Paul witnessed the destructive effects of sexual immorality among the pagan peoples, or Gentiles, that contrasted strongly with the deeply moral Jewish tradition in which he had been raised. Gentiles in the first century were fairly casual about sex: adultery, fornication, divorce and pedophilia were common among affluent men, who regarded women and children as dispensable objects of pleasure. Is it any wonder that so many people in the Roman world felt lost and alone?
It’s not so different today. Our TV and movie situational comedies and soap operas are filled with extramarital liaisons and sexual innuendoes. Bookstores are stocked with books about romance and impromptu liaisons; and very few of these modern stories envision abstinence before marriage.
So why do Paul and the other writers of the Bible pay so much attention to sexual morality? First, the drive for sexual release is one of the most powerful natural drives we possess. So most of us are prone to fail in this area; and once we set a pattern of immoral behavior it’s hard to stop.
Second, immorality thrusts us into relationships that are inherently unstable and so hastens the likelihood of separations that cause lasting hurt or deaden our sensitivity to genuine love.
Third, it dilutes our capacity for real joy in marriage and increases our propensity to be unfaithful to our spouse, which often leads to divorce and family separation. This is so painful to children whose emotional stability depends on the stability of their home life. Broken families, in turn, have hurt young people’s trust in authority, including the authority of God’s word.
Immorality exposes us to gossip and brings discredit to the gospel of Jesus Christ as a force for personal transformation. The devil always targets hypocritical Christians and holds them up to the light of scandal to hinder the message of salvation.
Immorality greatly increases the risk of venereal disease that can wound or shorten our lives and affect our ability to procreate.
And finally, it deadens our sensitivity to God and the things of the spirit by pushing us to act and think more on sensual impulse than wisdom. We become more self-centered and less other-centered, which is the foundation of authentic love.
In the Christian life, more people are diverted from the virtuous life by sexual immorality than almost any other sin. I am convinced that God exposes Christians’ moral failures to teach his people the fear of the Lord that births wisdom.
So immorality can cause us lasting harm; but when we come to Christ, God cleans the slate of our past and gives us the grace to start anew. No matter how and where you failed in the past, the grace of God will renew you to be imitators of God, as His beloved children.
But if we return to our former sins, we will quickly lose the joy of our salvation under the devil’s onslaught of accusation. We become discouraged and tell ourselves that we’ll never change. That’s why Paul warned the Galatians: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to the flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption; but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Beloved, when you sin don’t run from God; run to God and start over again. 1 John 1:9 assures that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Paul then amplifies this command by condemning filthy jokes, twisted talk and coarse jesting that divert people from seeing life from God’s perspective. This is the kind of speech that sucks decency and godliness out of the atmosphere and excludes any semblance of righteousness.
By contrast, our language should be full of gratitude toward God and in genuine appreciation for the kindness shown by others. An attitude of gratitude brings divine favor and helps cheer those around us. A thankful heart will inevitably produce a good and cheerful heart.
Paul concludes his exhortation by warning us in vv. 5 and 6: “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ”
Paul then flips back to his primary intent of teaching believers how to imitate the God of light. He contrasts the true believers with unrighteous pagans and says, “You were formerly darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” People with good morals and empathy have always drawn those wounded by infidelity and exploitation in families and society.
For example, women in the first century were especially vulnerable for they were regarded in Roman law as little more than chattel. Christianity gave women a far more honored place in society, in spite of cultural prejudices; and this drew widows and abandoned women and children into the fold of the church. And their descendants eventually won over the mighty Roman Empire.
Verse 9 says “The fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” There is a liberty of spirit, a light heartedness and calmness that comes when you know you have no skeletons in the closet to hide. This may be more difficult to experience when you first come out of prison; but your dedication to live by biblical principles and morality will give you added confidence in any situation. That’s why living a life of integrity is so liberating. You can live confidently, because you know God’s favor is upon you.
Paul points to this in vv. 11 and 12: “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things done by them in secret.” When you descend into drugs, drunkenness, and depravity you have to hide your actions. There are wicked things done in today’s world that are rarely talked about but corrupt too many men and women, and worse yet, lead to the exploitation of children. Human trafficking in prostitution of runaway girls or poor illegal immigrants are crimes that must be exposed.
Verse 13 says that “All things become visible when they are exposed by the light; for everything that becomes visible is light.” Now here is a remarkable statement. It begins with an obvious natural truth: things exposed to light become visible. Spiritually, the analogy holds equally true. The moral and spiritual quality of any behavior or thought becomes visible when it is exposed by the divine light of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
When evil is exposed to the light of truth, it cannot conceal its selfish and twisted intent. Therefore, evil people always seek to hide the real intent of their actions. Addicts and obsessive-compulsive people are consummate manipulators and liars, and they have to remain in denial about their addiction to remain in control of others they trap in co-dependency. Any of you who grew up in an alcoholic or addicted family know what I’m talking about.
The Bible says that the light not only exposes the spiritual and moral nature of things; but everything that becomes visible is light. In other words, spiritual light is transformative. When people are continually exposed to divine light it drives out the darkness of sin.
Jesus said in John 3:20-21: “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” Sinners usually stay far away from church because they know the conviction of sin that will make them uncomfortable is sure to follow. But when they realize they are trapped by their past sins, they can be cleansed and delivered by exposing themselves to the light of the gospel of Christ.
In November 1977, after a difficult year on the job as a new Army lieutenant, I admitted to myself in tears: “I’m so bitter and there’s nothing I can do about it.” A short while later I was sobbing out loud and did something I’d never done before. I cried out, “Jesus, if You’re there, help me! Help me!” Instantly something dropped inside me that sounded like “Whoo!” in my spirit. I was suddenly calm and sat there wondering if that was really Jesus who touched me. I didn’t know for sure, but I knew then that I wanted to know Him, if He was real. I was drawn by His light of love that I had experienced in that moment.
A few days later I went to a Christian movie that revealed how Jesus’ life and ministry were preannounced in biblical prophecy. I was astounded by this because I knew only a living God could foretell the future. Now I was prepared to receive the light of truth, and my heart surged in hope at the astounding prospect that God really lives and I can live forever by trusting in Him. The light of truth drew me to Jesus Christ; and when I received Him, I loved Him, because I knew He first loved me. His love has remained the beacon that lights up my heart.
Friends, you can be transformed by the light of Christ and become imitators of God as beloved children. And the process is basically simple. Keep exposing yourself to the light of Jesus found in His word, in Christian fellowship, and uplifting music and media. Distance yourself from anything tainted with sin and self-indulgence.
The first Psalm shows the way to imitate God: “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water which brings forth its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither and in whatever he does he prospers.”
Meditating upon God’s word to renew your mind will enable you to prove God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will, says Romans 12:2. Right thinking generally leads to right actions, and can spare you from the humiliation of being exposed as a hypocrite.
Jesus is the light of the world. Follow him and try to be like him in the ordinary habits of life and His light will guide you until you are safely home in heaven as a child of the light of God and the God of light. Let us pray.
BENEDICTION: Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand blameless in His presence with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, honor, majesty and dominion, both now and forevermore. Amen.