Ephesians "Chapter 5 Be Imitators" Pastor Paul Diehn - August 23rd 2026

Paul opens Ephesians 5 with the plain command, “Imitate God therefore in everything,” and the word everything still means everything. God does not call his children to imitate him so they can earn a place in the family. God calls them to imitate him because, through Christ Jesus, they already are beloved children. Christ has already imprinted his people, and that identity is supposed to show up in the way life is lived before others.

Christ’s example defines what imitation looks like. Christ loved and offered himself as a sacrifice, a pleasing aroma to God. The pleasing aroma image says that a life gives off something because a life is filled with something. The container image makes the same point: a person can carry the clean fragrance of God’s love, or a mixture of anger, slander, foolish talk, defensiveness, division, and impurity. God’s love must keep filling the life of his people, because cynicism, dullness, and old patterns can creep in even after many years of following Jesus.

Paul then turns to light, and the tone gets sharper. Paul names sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes as things that have no place among God’s people. The word “instead” becomes a holy pivot. Instead of being shaped by what is out of bounds, thankfulness to God reorients the heart, because a person gravitates toward what is focused on. Paul calls believers to look through the big windshield, not live staring into the small rearview mirror.

Paul’s kingdom warning is serious. No immoral, impure, or greedy person inherits the kingdom of Christ and God. Paul is not saying one stumble makes God discard his children. Paul is warning that a life characterized by unrepentant sin is incompatible with the King’s rule. Persistent sin is not merely a behavior problem. Persistent sin exposes allegiance and lordship. The citizenship image makes it clear: no one can renounce allegiance to the kingdom and still demand kingdom privileges.

Paul’s call to wisdom presses the matter deeper than behavior management. Jesus says defilement comes from the heart, not from the outside. The Holy Spirit does not merely help people white-knuckle temptation. The Spirit fills the container until the junk cannot stay there. Paul does not simply say, “empty yourself.” Paul says, “be filled with the Holy Spirit.” God gives power to walk in the Spirit, to respond when the Spirit warns, and to live ready before Christ with a clean, pure life that can shine in a dark world.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Imitation flows from beloved identity [04:59] God’s children do not imitate him to become accepted. God’s acceptance in Christ comes first, and imitation becomes the family resemblance of grace. The command is sobering because the life of a believer becomes “game film” for others who are watching what following Jesus actually looks like. [04:59]
• 2. Every life gives off an aroma [09:43] Paul’s “pleasing aroma” image presses beyond religious language into daily reality. A life emits what it contains, whether the fragrance of Christ’s love or the stench of bitterness, cynicism, and hidden compromise. The issue is not image management, but what is actually filling the heart. [09:43]
• 3. Thankfulness redirects spiritual appetite [14:15] Paul’s “instead” gives the heart a new direction, not merely a list of things to avoid. Thankfulness trains attention toward God’s goodness, and attention shapes desire. Temptation loses ground when the soul is not constantly feeding on the very thing it claims to resist. [14:15]
• 4. Persistent sin reveals competing allegiance [22:11] Paul’s warning is not aimed at the repentant child who stumbles and returns. The warning lands on the life that keeps rejecting the King’s authority while still claiming the King’s inheritance. Sin becomes most dangerous when it convinces a person that temporary pleasure is worth surrendering eternal citizenship. [22:11]
• 5. The Spirit fills what flesh corrupts [33:07] Paul does not reduce holiness to behavior management or white-knuckled restraint. The Spirit fills the life of the believer so that old mixtures are displaced by God’s own power. The answer is not passivity, but Spirit-filled responsiveness, especially when God puts a check in the heart.
  
  ## [33:07]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:16] - Opening Prayer
• [01:31] - Lives Others Learn To Imitate
• [04:59] - Imitate God As Dear Children
• [07:12] - Filled With The Love Of God
• [09:43] - The Aroma A Life Emits
• [12:18] - Filled With Light
• [14:15] - Instead Let There Be Thankfulness
• [15:20] - The Warning About Kingdom Inheritance
• [18:06] - Citizenship And Surrendered Allegiance
• [23:38] - Do Not Excuse Sin
• [26:04] - Filled With Wisdom
• [28:52] - Jesus Locates Defilement In The Heart
• [33:07] - Be Filled With The Holy Spirit
• [39:40] - Invitation To Prayer And Freedom

Bible Reading

Ephesians 5:1-2
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.” [04:59]

Ephesians 5:3-4
“Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” [14:09]

Ephesians 5:5
“You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.” [15:20]

Ephesians 5:18
“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” [33:01]

Matthew 15:18-20
“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” [28:52]

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 5:1-2, what reasons does Paul give for imitating God, and what example of Christ does he point to?
2. What kinds of behaviors and speech does Paul say have no place among God’s people in Ephesians 5:3-4? [13:48]
3. What word marks the turn in Ephesians 5:4 and 5:18, and what does Paul put in the place of sinful patterns? [33:00]
4. What pictures help describe a person’s inner life: aroma, light, citizenship, and a container filled with something? [09:43]

Interpretation questions

1. If believers are called “dear children” before they are told to imitate God, what does that show about the relationship between identity and obedience? [05:05]
2. Paul says a greedy person is an idolater and warns that certain lives do not inherit the kingdom. How does persistent, unrepentant sin reveal more than a struggle with behavior? [22:30]
3. Jesus says defilement comes from the heart. How does that shape the way a person should think about temptation, speech, and outward behavior? [29:39]
4. Paul does not only say to stop certain things; he also says “instead.” Why is thankfulness such an important replacement, and how can gratitude redirect what a person desires? [14:26]

Application questions

1. People are watching how believers live. What might others be learning from your life right now—at home, at work, or around friends? Where do you most want your life to reflect Christ more clearly? [03:15]
2. Every life gives off an aroma because every life is filled with something. What has been filling your heart lately: love, thankfulness, peace, bitterness, cynicism, defensiveness, or something else? [09:52]
3. Paul says, “Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.” What specific practice of thankfulness could help redirect your attention this week when temptation, frustration, or negativity rises? [14:26]
4. A life characterized by unrepentant sin is incompatible with the King’s rule. Is there any area where you have been excusing sin instead of bringing it into the light and repenting? [23:26]
5. Being filled with the Spirit is more than trying harder. What does it look like for you, in a very practical way, to make room for the Holy Spirit daily instead of just trying to manage behavior? [35:38]
6. Sometimes the Holy Spirit gives a check in the heart before a person crosses a line. Can you think of a situation where you sensed that warning? How did you respond, and what would it look like to respond more quickly next time? [38:34]
7. Hidden struggles often grow in isolation, but healing begins when sin is brought into the light. Is there a trusted believer you may need to talk with, ask prayer from, or invite into your struggle? [41:27]