Sermon | Josh Martin | "Not Even a Hint" | September 21, 2025

Listen to this episode from Grace Church San Diego on Spotify. Hello Grace Church. Hope you are well! This Sunday we continue our journey through Ephesians in 5:1–7. Paul gives us a simple but stunning call: “Be imitators of God… and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” The Christian life isn’t behavior management—it’s family resemblance. Because we are God’s beloved children, we learn to look like our Father. Paul gets practical and pastoral: “not even a hint” of sexual immorality, impurity, or sensual greed (which he calls idolatry); no crude joking or careless words. Not because God is out to kill joy, but because He’s protecting it. These patterns promise life and deliver emptiness. Jesus offers a better way, the way of self-giving love.Here’s the turn: identity before activity. We don’t try to imitate God to become beloved; we imitate God because we are beloved in Christ. The gospel reorders our loves so our lives can change. We will see this week in the text, what we chase, how we speak, and what we celebrate.