Walk In Light (Ephesians 5:7-14)
We have been talking about what it means to walk worthy of the calling that we have received. Paul tells us to walk united as the body of Christ. He tells us to stop walking as the Gentiles do, with their corrupt desires. We must walk with the realization of our identity in Christ. We walk as a new creation with new minds. Our words and actions reflect the transformed minds and hearts that are inside of us. Really all of Chapter 4 gives us the impression that we are supposed to walk with love toward one another.
A couple of weeks ago, we looked started looking at Chapter 5. This chapter tells us to walk in love, and he starts explaining what it means to walk in love. To walk in love is to imitate God and Christ. It means to fully give yourself to him. To walk in love means to stop loving ourselves and start truly loving God. The world has a false love where they say they love others or God, but they actually only love themselves. They engage in all kinds of evil without really submitting to God.
Tonight, we are going to go a step deeper into what it means to walk worthy of the calling we have received. We are going to look at another characteristic of God that we are called to imitate. God is light so we are to walk as children of light.
Partnering With Darkness
Ephesians 5:7 (ESV) --- 7 Therefore do not become partners with them;
If we attempt to imitate God, we must recognize that God does not partner with those who are rebellious and disobedient. God saving us does not mean that he is changing his policy on sin. He will not be a partner with sin or evil. Instead, God will judge all rebellious and disobedient people. Please don't misunderstand; he still works in their lives. Jesus is the example of that. But he does not join them in their sins. So it makes perfect sense for Paul to say we cannot partner with them in evil. How could we ever engage in sexual immorality, greed, or corrupting speech? That's not in line with our identity.
"You Are Light In The Lord"
Ephesians 5:8 (ESV) --- 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Notice in this text that Paul repeatedly reminds them that they were once in the darkness. Back in Chapter 2, he had a long discussion about how they were dead in their trespasses and sins. This reminder is brought up again in 4:17-20, where he says they must no longer do what the Gentiles do. The pull of the world back to the old way of life is evident. But notice the argument that he continually uses to fight against this pull. He says, "That's not who you are!" You are children of light. Notice that he doesn't say, "You are in the light." That would portray their condition positionally. It would seem as though they are where they are because they walked into the light. That's an okay analogy, but not the best. Here he says, "You are light in the Lord." If we are in Christ and Christ is in us, we have light in us." Like Christ in the transfiguration, we have light in us waiting to burst out.
Paul tells the Ephesians to walk as children of light. Imagine your Father is light. What would that look like? John tells us about this in 1 John.
1 John 1:5--2:2 (ESV) --- 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
To be a child of light means that we remain open and honest about our failures and sins. It doesn't mean that we don't care about our sins or act like our sins don't matter. But we must glorify God for the forgiveness he offers us.
Jesus also pointed to this idea in John's gospel.
John 3:19--21 (ESV) --- 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
Children of light have a different kind of attitude about the truth. They want it to be exposed so that they can have fellowship with God and receive glory from God.
Finding Fruit In The Light
Ephesians 5:9--10 (ESV) --- 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Notice how Paul explains being light in the Lord. If they are light, they will find fruit by doing good, right, and true things as they try to please the Lord. The truth is that no one likes to be in the spotlight. Everyone prefers to stay in the shadow so that they can do evil, wrong, or false things without being criticized. But there is no fruit in that. Fruit comes as we transition to an honest life full of integrity, purity, and love.
Notice that he says those who are light are trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. He doesn't say that they automatically know what is pleasing to the Lord. The wording used here indicates that they don't know. They are testing and examining ideas, searching for the wisdom and goodness that will increase our fruit for God. This is not an easy process. The more we want to please the Lord, the more passionate we will be about what we find. It always saddens me when brethren argue about what pleases the Lord. Sometimes the very act of arguing is going against what pleases the Lord. Our goal should be to work together in this effort to determine what pleases the Lord. You have the wisdom to share with me, and it can help me develop my understanding. If pleasing the Lord is our goal, we should come up with a mutually acceptable solution. Walking through that process with love is pleasing to the Lord. Being respectful, patient, and compassionate is pleasing to the Lord. That's a major part of how we fulfill our purpose and be light that glorifies God.
Exposing Darkness
Ephesians 5:11--12 (ESV) --- 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.
In the next section, Paul again says that being light means we take no part in darkness. The works of darkness are unfruitful. They are opposed to who we are. If our goal is to imitate God, do what is good, right, and true, and walk as children of light, we expose the darkness.
Does this sound a little scary to you? What does it mean for us to be light and expose darkness? Does this mean that it's our job to tell everyone every sin they are committing? No, there is a fine line between exposing sin and becoming overly critical, harsh, and judgmental (believe me, I know). We are supposed to speak graciously, build up, and be sure that we speak no corrupting words (4:29). However, there is a place for calling out darkness, even when it is uncomfortable. Paul says some things are shameful to talk about. It won’t bring us joy to talk about things that will make people ashamed. But we are light. We need boldness and enough love for others to say what needs to be said properly. It's so hard to do this.
Paul says it is shameful even to speak of these things that they do in secret. We will be ashamed that we have to even talk about these things. Have you ever been ashamed to talk about something? The shame we feel deters us from speaking about it, but that’s exactly what God wants us to do. He wants us to shed light on the things that are evil. What if what we say is rejected? We must be careful to speak with grace, but rejection is not something for us to fear. Why would he ask us to do something so hard? Listen to what he says next.
Making Things Visible
Ephesians 5:13--14 (ESV) --- 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Notice what happens if we are willing to speak up and shine a light into the darkness. When we live as lights, we expose things that we hid or things that others hid. When we expose things that were hidden, they become visible. When things become visible, they have an opportunity to become light themselves. But notice that he doesn't say, "They have an opportunity." He speaks like it is definite. "Anything that becomes visible is light." It's as though Paul knows that our boldness to expose things that are dark to us will transform them into what they are meant to be. When we step out in faith and let the light shine on us, our evil gets revealed, and we get the opportunity to grow closer to what God wants us to be. If we want to imitate God, there is nothing better that we can do for ourselves than step into the light.
Letting Christ Shine
The final words we will look at are spoken as though they are a quote from the Old Testament. But this seems to be a compilation of different texts in the Old Testament. The primary text seems to be Isaiah 60.
Isaiah 60:1--5 (ESV) --- 1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
God says that he's going to make his people a light to all the nations so that they will see God's glory. They will come to his people to learn about God. Isn't that what we want? I have heard so many Christians say that they don't believe anyone will change. I have thought so many times that no one wants to hear the gospel. Why do we think this way? If Christ's light shines through us, what can the light of Christ accomplish? Paul says it can accomplish the total transformation. Men will leave the darkness and become light. As we awake from sleep and arise from the dead, so will they.
What About Us?
Are we walking in the light? Walking in the light means that we open up about our sin. It means we stop trying to impress everyone and stop holding on to our reputations. We have to grow spiritually by letting go of the darkness and all of the things that are in the darkness. We can’t love the darkness anymore.
Are we finding the fruit of light? Those who walk in the light are constantly trying to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. They always want to do what is good, right, and true. Even if that means that they have to
Do we see ourselves as children of light? Do we have fellowship with God? Are you imitating him? Are you trying to please him?
These are the questions that should be in our minds as we study this text. We want to be in the light and to be light by doing good works that glorify God. That's our purpose and mission. We want to stand in the darkness and shine a light for all to see God. God should find no sexual immorality, greed, or filthy talk in us.
Philippians 2:14--16 (ESV) --- 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
There should only be what is good, according to the word of God.