[English Sermon 영어 설교]
Sunday, July 20, 2025 - Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn
Be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1-14)
2025. 7. 20. 주일예배 설교- 에베소서 강해 17
본문: 에베소서 5:1-14
제목: 하나님을 본받으라
설교자: 손진국 목사
For the past two weeks, we have shared about the salvation we must achieve on this earth. It is the salvation of the soul and the sanctified life that resembles Jesus Christ. Do you remember?
Today's message continues to tell us what kind of life we should live while we are on this earth. What is the title of today's sermon? “Imitate God.” This title comes from verse 1 of today’s passage. [Verse 1] Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
To be imitators of God means to imitate Him. To imitate is the same as to resemble. What should we do to imitate or resemble someone? (1) We must know the one we are to resemble or imitate (knowledge). Also, (2) we must have a desire to imitate them (emotion). Can you imitate someone you dislike? Imitating and resembling someone must be a joyful, touching, and truly delightful act. But what if we stop at just knowing and feeling joy about the person we want to imitate? We won’t be able to imitate them. (3) We must make a decision/choice (will) to follow their words, actions, and thoughts. Not just thinking about it, but acting on it practically. This is the characteristic of the soul. The soul is composed of knowledge, emotion, and will.
Today's message is about the salvation of the soul. That is, it speaks about the salvation that believers who have been spiritually saved—whose relationship with God has been restored through faith in Jesus—must now achieve in the present.
Saying, “I believed in Jesus, so I’m saved, and everything is finished” is an immature Christian’s statement. Going to heaven by believing in Jesus is indeed precious and important, but it is not the purpose of our lives. What is God’s ultimate desire for our lives? Is it just to avoid hell and go to heaven? Of course, escaping judgment for sin is important, but it is not God’s ultimate purpose for our lives on this earth. Going to heaven is the foundation of faith and the beginning of salvation.
What does God ultimately want from us? To imitate God. But what is the issue? God is spirit.
[John 4:24] God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
What is the characteristic of spirit? The most representative characteristic is that spirit is invisible. Of course, we will learn more characteristics of spirit through a Bible study called “Principles of Spiritual Discernment,” but the most prominent feature is invisibility. How can we imitate and resemble someone we cannot see? That is why Jesus came to this earth.
Why did Jesus come in human form? There are two representative reasons: (1) To forgive our sins. To pay for sin, the payment must be of greater value than the sin. There were times when animals were killed to atone for people’s sins—this is the Old Testament sacrifice. That could not be a perfect atonement. That’s why they had to sacrifice an animal every year on the Day of Atonement. To completely atone for sin, someone greater in value than the sinner must die. Who could that be? God, who has no sin. But God cannot die. So He had to become human. To become a sacrifice that could eternally atone for human sin, He had to be sinless and mortal. But is there such a human on earth? No. So God came as a sinless human—Jesus Christ.
(2) To reveal God to us. To show and make known the invisible Spirit God, He came in human form. [John 14:9] Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
Jesus has been with God the Father from the beginning and is essentially God Himself. [Philippians 2:6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage So, how do we know God? By knowing the Word. Who is the Bible about? It’s about Jesus. Knowing Jesus means knowing God. Therefore, today’s sermon title “Be imitators of God” can be rephrased as “Imitate Jesus” or “Resemble Jesus.”
This is the salvation we must strive to achieve every day while living on this earth. What kind of salvation? The salvation of the soul. What relationship does the soul represent? Relationships with people—our neighbors. Those who are in God, in Christ, must restore their relationships with others by becoming like Jesus.
In today’s command to imitate God, there are two specific aspects we are to imitate. These are introduced in the passage through the phrases “as” or “just as.” Try finding “as” or “just as” in today’s passage.
The first way we are to imitate God in this life is:
1. Love
In verses 1 and 2 of today’s passage, the phrase “as” or “just as” appears twice. [Eph. 5:1-2] Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Here, our identity is revealed—we are dearly loved children. Whose love? The love of God our heavenly Father. Also, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who took on human form and gave Himself as a sacrifice for us.
Do you believe this? Do you believe that God loves you? Tell the person next to you: “God loves you,” “You are God’s beloved child.”
Here it says “children”—whose children? God’s children. Just as parents love their children, God loves us, His children.
But when it says walk in love, or love, who is the target of this love? Is it God? Of course, we must love our Creator, our Savior, and our Lord God. That is the basic. But in today’s passage, the ones we are to love are the people next to us—our neighbors. We are to restore relationships with others through love. What is that called? The salvation of the soul.
We must love the people around us, but even in love, there is a priority. Just as there is a priority in prayer. What did Jesus say we should seek first in prayer?
[Matthew 6:33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Love also has a priority. Though it cannot be rigidly applied in every situation, there is a principle. Who should we prioritize loving among those around us? God is not included here. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are our Creator and thus are priority zero. Our relationship with the Lord takes precedence over all human relationships.
What we now discuss is our relationship with others. Many people wrongly prioritize their love. Surprisingly, many Christians say the person they should love first is their child. So they love their children first, then their spouse, parents, siblings, friends, and neighbors in that order. That is not the biblical priority of love. Among our relationships, the person we should love first is not our child or parent, but our spouse. A husband and wife are of zero kinship distance—meaning they are one. Among all human relationships, they are the closest, and the ones we should dedicate the most time to and serve first. Again, God is not included in this. Among the people we should serve, our spouse is the top priority—because we are one body. Then come our children and parents (1 kinship distance).
However, in many families, this order is reversed. Everything is centered around the children. When there is something delicious, it goes to the child first. When there is something good, the child gets it first. Schedules, trips—everything revolves around the child. Whatever the child likes, parents provide, but the desires of the husband or wife come last. “You can wait,” “Just eat whatever,” “Our kid likes it—just deal with it”—this is not loving the child; it’s ruining them. A child raised seeing this thinks they are the most important and that it’s okay to ignore Dad or Mom. They think parents can eat anything. Sacrificing for your child is precious, but if the priority is wrong, it confuses the child. They think they are supreme in the family and that it’s okay to ignore Dad or Mom. This does not teach them to respect others but rather makes them inconsiderate and arrogant.
In parenting, it is crucial for husband and wife to be united—as one. Show that unity to your children.
Sometimes siblings unite to exclude the parents. The kinship distance between siblings is 2, while between parent and child it is 1. If there is a disagreement between the siblings and parents (and it’s not a matter of truth), the child should listen to the parents.
Many also prioritize their friends the most. Some people don’t listen to their parents but only to their friends. That is a wrong priority. For families and society to be healthy, proper priorities must be established and kept. In human relationships, remember that the highest priority is the marital relationship. More than doing well for your children, do much better for your spouse. If you are to love the person next to you, who should you love first? Your spouse.
But what’s the problem? The person who is hardest to love is often your closest—your spouse. Do you love your spouse? Look at your husband or wife next to you. Don’t ask, “Do you love me?”—that could cause problems. Just ask with your eyes and answer with your eyes.
Ask yourself, “Do I love my wife (or husband)?”
How can you know if you truly love your spouse? You must first understand what love is. In 1 Corinthians 13, the so-called “love chapter,” love is defined in verses 4-7. [1 Corinthians 13:4-7] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
What is the representative characteristic of love? The beginning and end: “Love is patient... perseveres.” The first measure of whether someone loves you is whether they are patient and endure with you. No matter how much you love each other and connect well, there will always be differences and dislikes. Love is more than just saying “I love you.” It is seen in how much you endure the things you dislike and the differences between you.
The second characteristic of love is how much you sacrifice yourself for the other. This is mentioned in verse 2 of today’s passage. [Eph. 5:2] Just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
If you love someone, you will sacrifice your possessions—your time, money, even life—for them. Just like the Lord who loved us and gave His life freely for us.
[Eph. 5:25] Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
How much do I love my spouse? My children and parents? My neighbors? The Lord’s church? How can we know? By looking at how much we are willing to sacrifice for those we love.
[Application] Are my relationship priorities correct? When was the last time I endured or sacrificed something for someone I love, and for what reason?
What is the second attribute of God that we, as believers in Jesus, must imitate?
2. Stop Sinning and Shine the Light
Another verse in today’s passage that includes the phrase “just as” or “like” is verse 8. [Verse 8] For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. It says that we are children of light and that we should live as children of light. What does this mean? Here we see another attribute of God—God is light. [1 John 1:5] This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. As children of God, who is light, we are also the light of the world. The opposite of light is darkness. What does darkness signify? Sin. The powers of darkness tempt us into sin. The sins that the devil tempts us with are mentioned in today’s passage. [Verse 3] But 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. Here, God identifies three specific sins He hates: sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. If there is any sexual immorality in our speech or behavior, foul language, or covetousness, these belong to the darkness and are inappropriate for believers who are children of light. We are told to stop committing such sins.
There was a man named Jo Yang-eun, once known as the boss of one of the three major gangster groups in Korea. After committing many crimes and serving 15 years in prison, he claimed to have believed in Jesus. He got married with the officiation of the pastor of the world’s largest church, gave his testimony on television, wrote a book, and even appeared in a movie about his life. He studied theology and became a pastor. However, strangely enough, he kept going in and out of prison for crimes like fraud, extortion, threats, violence, drug trafficking and distribution, and gambling. After being released from prison in 2019, he founded a mission organization called “Iya World Mission” and began missionary work. After news spread that Jo Yang-eun had become a missionary, people visited out of curiosity, only to be kidnapped, imprisoned, and assaulted. It turned out that the mission was simply a rebranded violent gang organization.
Stories like this remind us that what differentiates the life of a believer from those in darkness is that believers bear the fruit of light, not of darkness. What is the fruit of light?
[Verse 9] For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.
Dear brothers and sisters, are you involved in the deeds of darkness? Please stop immediately. Think about what pleases God and do it. [Verse 10] And find out what pleases the Lord. Here, “find out” means to discern the Lord’s will, make a decision, and start living it out—to then experience that God truly delights in it and abundantly bears the fruit of light.
But why do so many Christians fail to discern the Lord’s will or hear His voice? The key reason is found in verse 14. [Verse 14] This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
The main reason people do not hear the voice of the Lord is that they are spiritually asleep. They are not communicating with God in spirit. We must wake up. We are not dead. When we rise, God, who is the light in us, will shine brightly upon us. As children of light, we have a duty: [Verse 11] Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
First, we are told not to participate in the fruitless deeds of darkness, in acts of sin. Do not join others in anger. When someone curses or criticizes others, do not join in. Instead, rebuke such behavior. To rebuke is to expose hidden sin and reveal that it goes against God’s will. Sin must be exposed to the light, rebuked, and cut off. Why must we do this? Because when sin is covered, it grows stronger. However, rebuking sin is not easy—it takes courage.
The prophet Nathan came to King David and revealed the sin he had secretly committed. Nathan likely risked his life to do this. But through his bold rebuke and exposure of sin, David was able to repent and return to the Lord, to the light.
[Application] Are there still deeds of darkness that I have not been able to stop? Am I covering the sins of others and allowing them to grow? Or am I leading them into the light by rebuking sin?
Dear brothers and sisters, as children loved by God, live a life of patience, waiting, and sacrifice for one another. And as children of light, awaken from your sleep, do not dwell in darkness, but shine the light of the Lord into the dark world and become people of light who transform the world and imitate God. In the name of the Lord, I bless you.
하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.
Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.