Walk in Light

Ephesians - From Rags to Riches  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  1:00:40
0 ratings
· 75 views
Files
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →

vs. 1 - Commanded to Live Like God.
vs. 2 - Commanded to Love Like God.
vs. 3-7 - Commanded to Leave the Worldly Ways.
Today, we discover why we are to be different.
Ephesians 5:8–14 KJV 1900
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

How About Our Change.

Ephesians 5:8 KJV 1900
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

What We Were - “were sometimes darkness.”

This means that we were lost and in the darkness of sin and depravity.
We were blinded by the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4:4.
2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV 1900
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
We lived like every other lost person, and we enjoyed it, Eph. 2:1–3.
Ephesians 2:1–3 KJV 1900
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
The sins of verses 4–5 were who we were and what we did. We were enslaved to sin. We knew nothing else. We wanted nothing else.
We were lost in the dark and headed to Hell.
We lived like the lost people we were.

What We Are - “are light in the Lord.”

When the Lord saved us, He delivered us from darkness.
Colossians 1:13 KJV 1900
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
When the Lord delivered us from darkness, He set us free from the power of sin. He has changed and made us children of the light. Since we have been changed, we are to walk in light and no longer in the darkness that once characterized us.
Consider Rom. 13:12–14,
Romans 13:12–14 KJV 1900
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Our lives once manifested the works of the world, the flesh and the devil. Sin was a way of life for us. Darkness was where we lived, and what we loved.
By the power of grace, the Lord has touched us, saved us, delivered us and changed us. He has brought us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1 Peter 2:9 KJV 1900
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
Since that is true, we are to “walk as children of light.”
How do we do that?
We do that by avoiding sinful thinking and sinful living.
We do it by surrendering our all to the Spirit of God, Who will produce within us the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.”
We have been changed, and we should live different lives.
By the way this is not something we should have to be constantly encouraged to do.
If we are truly saved, and if we have been truly changed, then holiness should be a way of life for us!
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1st of all there has been a Change in us.
Now,

How About Our Character.

Ephesians 5:9–10 KJV 1900
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
These two verses deal with the reality of our spiritual walk.
If we are truly saved, and walking in the light, it will be clear from the life we live.
Paul says the “fruit of the Spirit” is seen in three ways.

Our Goodness -

Relationship with Others
Goodness refers to “uprightness of heart and life.”
It speaks of godliness in the motives, thoughts and actions.
It is the quality of godlikeness.
This has also to do with our treatment of others.
When we practice “goodness,” we are walking in love to those around us. We are being God-like toward them, as we treat them like God treats us.

Our Righteousness -

Relationship with God
This word refers to our standing before the Lord.
When He saved us, God declared us righteous. He took away all our guilt, imputed the righteousness of Christ to us, and made us holy in His sight.
Righteousness is seen in our lives when we live out the reality of who we are, and what we have been made in Christ Jesus.
It speaks of a godliness that makes a life as being different and as belonging to the Lord.

Our Truth -

Relationship with Self
This word has to do with honesty, reliability, and trustworthiness.
When this quality is seen in the life of a believer, it stands in stark contrast to the hypocritical, deceptive and false ways of the world.
- “Goodness” deals with our relationship with others.
- “Righteousness” deals with our relationship with God.
- “Truth” deals with the personal integrity of our own lives.
• These three characteristics are called “fruit.”
Fruit is the unfolding of life. None of these things, taken to their perfect fulfillment, are things you will find in the lives of unbelievers.
They are the “fruit”, the proof, of the presence of the life of the Lord in us.
When we know Him, we will be like Him!
You will notice that he did not speak about praying a prayer, joining the church, being baptized, being good to people, doing good works, or giving to or serving the church. All those things are good, but they are works that are easily accomplished in the flesh. Anyone can do them, even someone who has never been saved.
On the other hand, the three characteristics Paul did mention, goodness, righteousness and truth, are only possible through the work of the Spirit in the life of a redeemed believer.
So, Why Walk as Children of Light?
#1 - Our Change
#2 - Our Character
and now,

How About Our Command.

Ephesians 5:11 KJV 1900
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
The phrase “have no fellowship” means “do not be a partaker of.”
Those who know the Lord should not be a partaker of those things that are evil, even by association.
We are to avoid all things that are evil.
We are to avoid even the appearance of evil, 1 Thes. 5:22 .
1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV 1900
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
We have to be in the world.
If we are not in the world at all, we cannot witness to the lost.
However, we must be careful that we do not allow ourselves to get trapped by the ways of the world. We are to be a separate, holy people to the glory of the Lord.
The kind of sins we are to avoid have been mentioned in Eph. 4:25–31, and in Eph. 5:4–6. This is not an exhaustive list of sins we are to avoid. We are to avoid all sin!
The depth of our separation is pointed out clearly in 1 Cor. 5:9–11 .
1 Corinthians 5:9–11 KJV 1900
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
We are to guard our hearts, our minds and our bodies. Sin is all around us, but so is the help of the Spirit of God, 1 John 4:4 .
1 John 4:4 (KJV 1900)
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
If we trust Him, He will help us to live lives that are holy and pleasing to Him.
#1 - Our Change
#2 - Our Character
#3 - Our Command
But now #4

How About Our Commission

Ephesians 5:11–13 KJV 1900
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Our responsibility to abstain from sin goes farther than simply not doing sinful things.

Reprove Unfruitful Works

Ephesians 5:11 (KJV 1900)
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Here, we are commanded to “reprove them.” This means that we are to “expose” evil for what it is.
When we are silent about sin, we are guilty of encouraging it.
When we ignore sin, we are guilty of promoting it.
The word “reprove” carries the idea of “correction, discipline, and punishment.”
It means that we confront sin by refusing to tolerate it.
This means that there are times when we must speak out.
We must tell others what the Bible says is right and what it says is wrong.
Sometimes our intolerance of sin will be direct, as we deal face to face with those who are involved in sinful activities.
At other times, our reproof of wickedness will be indirect. That is, we do the opposite of what the world around us does, and God uses that to rebuke them for their error.
They are selfish, but we are giving.
They curse, we bless.
They live for self, we live for God and for others.
They lie, we speak the truth.
Simply living for the Lord is a powerful testimony in the face of evil.
One of our problems is the fact that we don’t take sin seriously enough.
We wink at it.
We laugh about it.
We see those around us who are engaged in sin, and we fail to confront. We just don’t take sin as seriously as we should. While we would never do many of the things those around us do, we enjoy them from a distance. Thus, we were still contaminated by it, because we refuse to take a stand against sin and rebuke it.
Verse 12 tells us that it is a shame to talk about the things the world does.

Rehearse not Unfruitful Works

Ephesians 5:12 KJV 1900
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
We love to hear a juicy bit of gossip, don’t we?
We talk about the sins of others, passing it around from ear to ear.
God says somethings are to be handled with as few words as possible.
To talk about their sin in a way that spreads it all over the place is a shameful thing. I sometimes think we talk about sin like we do because we secretly want to do the things others are doing. God says that it is a shame for us to do that!
Verse 13 teals us how to handle sin.

Reveal our Fruitful Works

Ephesians 5:13 KJV 1900
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
We handle sin by taking every action and exposing it to the light of the Word of God.
We are to hold it up to the Bible, and if the Bible is against it, we are to be against it too.
If the Bible is for it, we are to be for it.
The Word of God alone is to be the standard for our lives.
Light makes things “manifest,” or “easy to see.”
When we walk in the light, it makes the evil of the world around us easy to see.
As children of God, we should walk so holy, so clean, and so close to God that we stand out as beacons of light in a dark world.
As we lift up truth and expose sin, not everyone will be happy. Still, it honors the Lord and is a far better advertisement for Him than a life which partakes of the sins of the world.
Matthew 5:14–16 (KJV 1900)
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
We are commissioned to be different.
When we are sin is exposed, the Gospel is magnified, and God is glorified.
Those are reasons enough to walk in the will of God!
#1 - Our Change
#2 - Our Character
#3 - Our Command
#4 - Our Commission
but lastly,

How About Our Call

Ephesians 5:14 KJV 1900
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

A Call to the Lost

Paul closes this section with an invitation for the lost to come to Jesus for salvation. If they will simply wake up, and come to Jesus, He will save them and give them light. He is calling the lost people who might have been in that congregation to come to Jesus for salvation. That is a call that still goes out today. If you are lost, you can be saved. The Lord will change your life, delver you from, darkness and fill you with His light.

A Call to the Believer

There is also a call here for believers to wake up.
We have wandered through this world in a spiritual slumber for far too long.
It is time we woke up and got about the Savior’s business.
When we do, we will be light to a world trapped in darkness. It may just be that the Lord will use that light to save sinners.
Here is how Paul said it elsewhere:
Romans 13:11–14 KJV 1900
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
The church needs to heed that today!
Are you Walking in Light or Are you Walking in Darkness?
It is time to Wake Up!
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more