MESSAGE FOR THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, OCTOBER 30, 2016 CHRISTIAN HOPE CHURCH OF CHRIST, PLYMOUTH, NORTH CAROLINA by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister Message 11 in EPHESIANS SERMON SERIES ( Rags To Riches ) Walk In The Light Ephesians 5:8-14 (NKJV) As we continue with our series of messages from Paul's Letter to The Ephesians, please open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter five. If you were with us last Lord's Day, you remember at the very beginning of chapter five, Paul admonishes us to be imitators of GOD. And in verses 2-21 Paul tells us three things we must do in order to be imitators of God. It all has to do with our Christian walk or the way we live our daily lives. We looked at the first of three aspects of our walk last Lord's Day and that is, If we are going to be imitators of GOD we must walk in LOVE. God is a God of love, and if you and I are to imitate Him, our lives must be characterized by demonstrating His love towards others. Today we are going to look at the second aspect of our Christian walk, and that is, If we are to be imitators of God, we must WALK IN THE LIGHT. Let's read our scripture text in Ephesians 5:8-14.
EPHESIANS 5:8-14 (NKJV) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. ********************************************************************************* Introduction Throughout the Bible GOD is always associated with LIGHT. - Genesis 1:3 (NKJV) Then God said, Let there be light ; and there was light. - Psalm 119:105 (NKJV) Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. - John 1:4,5 (NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. -John 1:9 (NKJV) calls Jesus, The true Light which gives light to every man... - John 8:12 (NKJV) Jesus says, I am the light of the world.. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.
- I John 1:5 (NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. The night Christ was born in Bethlehem the shepherds saw the radiant light of the angelic messengers announcing the Savior's birth. The day Christ was transfigured before Peter, James and John, they were so over-whelmed by His radiant glory they fell to the ground in fear. The morning of Christ's resurrection, the women at the tomb saw the radiant light of the angelic messenger who told them Christ was not there, but that He had risen just as He said He would. Now if GOD IS LIGHT and IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL what does that say about you and me who are God's children? It tells us if we are to be imitators of God then our lives must be characterized by LIGHT doesn't it? You know, Like Father, like son. I John 1:6,7 (NKJV) says, If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. This is exactly the point Paul is driving home in our scripture text this morning, here in Ephesians 5.
First of all notice... I. The CONTRAST (v. 8a) 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. ILLUSTRATION On Saturday morning, October 8 th (2016) the first heavy rain bands from hurricane Matthew moved into North Carolina, days after the storm began its trek through Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and the southeast coast of the U.S. For nearly twenty-four hours we were pounded by the strong winds and heavy rains from the storm before it finally made its way off our coast and out to sea. In addition to the deadly flooding left behind by the storm, close to 300,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina were without power. While power was restored in many of those places within the first couple of days after the storm, nearly 40,000 were without power until the following Saturday, one week after the storm hit. For nearly seven days thousands were in darkness. NO porch lights...no street lights...and NO lighted business signs were to be seen. Entire cities, towns and countrysides were in complete darkness except for a few sporadic homes and businesses fortunate enough to have generators. Imagine the thrill and joy when the power was turned back on for the first time in almost a week. Those who once were in darkness, were in the light. 1. Paul tells us that in a spiritual sense you and I were once darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. Notice he doesn't say, you were once IN darkness, but now you are IN the light. He says, you were once darkness, but now you are light.
2. When Paul says, you were once darkness he is indicating a condition that no longer exists. He is talking about what you and I were before we accepted Christ. Before we were saved you and I were DARKNESS. We were children of the devil the prince of darkness. We did things that pleased the devil. we did Satan's will, not God's will. We were under Satan's power and control. We were destined for the place of eternal darkness. 3. Now you might argue, Well I have always been a pretty nice, decent human being even before I became a Christian. It doesn't matter! You were still darkness. You see, our darkness had nothing to do with whether we were good or bad...kind or unkind...nice or not nice. We were darkness because of the absence of God's light within us. 4. Remember those verses I read earlier from John 1... John 1:4,5 (NKJV) In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
5. Before you and I accepted Christ our souls were as dark as dark could be. And that is true of everyone you and I know who isn't a Christian. *They may be the nicest person you've ever met. *They may be willing to give you the shirt off their backs. *They may act better than a lot of Christians you know. But the truth is, they are darkness. They do not have the light of God in them. They are still a child of the prince of darkness. 6. But contrast what we were with what we are now. Paul says in verse 8, For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. 7. Just as Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12) we who have been saved are also the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14) Colossians 1:13 (NKJV) says, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, I Peter 2:9 (NKJV) says, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 8. There can be no clearer distinction between our old life before Christ and our new life in Christ than to compare it to light and darkness. Light and darkness cannot coexist in the same place.
9. Think about when you walk into a dark room. The first thing you do is reach for the light switch. And the moment you turn on the light what happens to the darkness? It vanishes! It disappears, doesn't it? You see, light and darkness cannot co-exist in the same place. Light over-powers darkness. Light cancels out the darkness. 10. The same thing is true in a spiritual sense. The day you and I accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, the light of Christ...the light of eternal life was turned on inside of us and the darkness of sinful living should have disappeared. You see, the light of righteousness and the darkness of unrighteousness cannot co-exist in the same person. 11. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the LORD. That's THE CONTRAST between what we used to be and what we are now in Christ.
Secondly, I would have you to notice... II. The COMMAND (v.8b - 10) v. 8b Walk as children of light v. 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), v. 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 1. When Paul says, walk as children of light he is telling you and me to obey our heavenly Father. If we truly are God's children then we need to act like God's children. 2. There is a false doctrine being taught these days called carnal Christianity. Basically this false teaching says, a Christian can live a worldly, sinful lifestyle and still be saved. That is NOT what the Bible teaches! We are commanded to walk as children of light. This isn't a suggestion or a recommendation. It is not an option. It isn't up for debate. It is a command. What Paul is saying is, If you and I are truly Christians... if we truly are children of light we will NOT practice an unholy, sinful lifestyle. We will put away the deeds of darkness. 3. In verse 9 Paul mentions three proofs or evidences we are truly children of light. These are three fruits that will be seen in our lives if we are walking as children of light. These three things cannot be achieved by our own human effort or work; they can only be produced within us by the Holy Spirit.
(A) One fruit that will be evident in our lives if f we are walking as children of light is GOODNESS. We all like to think of ourselves as good people. But Jesus tells us in Matthew 19:17 (NKJV) No one is good but One, that is God. What Jesus is saying is our standard of goodness and God's standard of of goodness are not the same, not even close! If you and I measure our goodness to that of a thief, or a murderer, or a corrupt politician we look pretty good by comparison. But what happens when we measure our goodness with the goodness of God. Our goodness doesn't even show up on the scales does it? There is none righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10a) The goodness Paul is talking about here in verse 9 is God's goodness within us. It refers to that which is morally excellent. If you and I are truly walking as children of light others will see that we live our lives by a much higher and holier standard than those who do not know Christ. They will see the goodness of GOD in us. As God's children we ought to be GOOD PEOPLE, good because we are filled with the GOODNESS of GOD!
(B) A second fruit that should be evident in our lives if we are walking as children of light is RIGHTEOUS- NESS. (v.9) One of the greatest dangers in the Christian life is confusing self-righteousness with true righteous- ness. Self-righteousness is focused on what we do to give the appearance of righteousness. I go to Church every Sunday therefore I am righteous. I read my Bible and pray every day therefore I am righteous. I put my tithe in the offering plate every Sunday therefore I am righteous. That is NOT true righteousness. True righteous- ness is born out of our relationship with God, not out of our own religious works. Or think of it this way: In self-righteousness people will see YOU. In true righteousness people will see GOD in you. We all have met people who light up a room when they enter. Normally we use this expression to describe someone with a vibrant, charismatic personality or someone with extraordinary beauty. In a spiritual sense, we who are Christians should light up the room wherever we go. When people see us they should be able to see the light of God's righteousness in us.
(C) A third fruit that should be evident in our lives if we are truly walking as children of light is TRUTH.. (v.9) As children of light you and I should be honest......trustworthy trustworthy......reliable reliable...and dependable. Whenever your name or my name comes up in a conversation people should associate us with honor,, and integrity,, and character. We should have a reputation for being a man or woman of our WORD. If we promise to do something we'll do it, even if it requires us to make a great sacrifice to keep our word. Are the fruits of goodness...righteousness...and truthfulness evident in your life? They will be if you are truly walking as a child of light. Well Paul has given us THE CONTRAST...and THE COMMAND. Finally Paul gives us... III. The CHARGE (vs. 11-13) 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 1. We have all heard expressions such as birds of a feather flock together and you are known by the company you keep.
2. When Paul says, And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them he is charging us to beware of guilt by association. He is NOT telling us to completely isolate ourselves or shut ourselves off from unbelievers. But rather he is warning us not to enter into close friendships, or relationships, or partnerships with immoral or dishonest people. In I Corinthians 5:9-11 (NKJV) Paul even warns us against having a close association with someone who professes to be a Christian who practices immorality. I Corinthians 5:9-11 (NKJV) I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of this world. (in other words, the only way you can completely stay away from these kinds of people is not to live in this world. But now listen to what Paul says next in verse 11...) But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-----not even to eat with such a person. 3. As Christians, you and I should hate the deeds of darkness in all its forms. We should dedicate our lives to exposing and denouncing sin. We should stand out as lights of righteousness in this world of darkness.
C O N C L U S I O N One of the most peculiar stories in literature is The Tale of Rip Van Winkle. One day Rip Van Winkle wandered into the mountains to go hunting when he came upon the famous English explorer, Henry Hudson and his legendary crew. After drinking some of their brew Rip Van Winkle fell into a deep sleep. When Van Winkle awoke twenty years later, everything had changed. His wife was dead. His son and daughter who were little twenty years earlier were now all grown up. When Rip returned to his little Dutch village where he had once been a prominent citizen, no one even knew him. And at that moment he realized that life has passed him by without notice. Paul brings this beautiful passage to a close with an invitation to those who are spiritually asleep. v. 14 Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. Paul is inviting all those who are not children of light to come to Christ, the light of the world to be saved before God's time of grace passes you by. For those of you here this morning who have never accepted Jesus Christ as your LORD and Savior, this invitation is to you. Awake from your sleep...arise from the dead...and Christ will give you the light of life!