Walk in light

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.

Introduction

We have a new nature.

We were all at one time darkness.

This is not an indictment on our environment.

Paul doesn’t say we were in darkness.

Rather, he says that we were darkness.

Darkness was in us.

But, now we are light in the Lord.

The same point is made.

We are not just in the light, we are the light.

Having received the light from Jesus, we have become luminous ourselves.

This is a ILLUMINATING illustration of what happens when you get saved.

Since we were one way, and we are now another way, we must be diligent to walk according to our new nature.

We are to walk or live like we have been changed from darkness to light.

One author said that the title children of light means that the individual’s very nature is now light.

If the inner nature of our existence changed from darkness to light, there should be some indications.

Paul lists three ways that this light must manifest itself in our life.

Goodness

Righteousness

Truth

These are called fruits of the Spirit, but could also be called fruits or evidences of light.

Goodness could be defined as benevolence or kind consideration for others.

Some might confuse it with righteousness.

The distinction between goodness and righteousness lies in the perception that goodness adds to the moral uprightness and integrity of righteousness the attractiveness of a beautiful character.’

The fruit of light doesn’t just enable you to live a moral life, it also enables you to be a kind person.

This addition to righteousness will be important as we move through the passage.

It’s not enough to say/do the right thing, as children of light we must do it the right way.

We have the truth.

The truth and light go hand in hand.

Darkness deals only with blindness, error, and deceit.

Darkness is not preferable.

God uses darkness to judge, look at the plagues.

Even our bodies evidence this as an increase in darkness during the winter leads to an increase of depression.

The truth is a fruit of the light.

It should be a feature of the child of light’s life.

We, who were sometimes darkness, are now fruitful lights.

We have a new nature.

But, why?

Why would God make and promote this great change in us?

We have a responsibility.

God gives us His light.

He has fundamentally altered the character and nature of the believer.

But, that doesn’t mean we are robots of light.

We are not free from the responsibility of thought and choice.

Instead, we must consciously prove what is acceptable to God.

This requires careful thought and discrimination on the part of the child of light.

We cannot just live our lives in a flippant or thoughtless fashion.

As representatives of light, we must give thought to the nature of our behavior.

If you are going to walk in the light through your desires and choices, you must be governed by a prior determination to do so.

Proving what is acceptable is a word that refers to testing money for authenticity based on an established standard.

We don’t get to decide what is light and what isn’t.

We do get to decide whether we will walk in light or not.

People around us will judge the quality of the Light of the World by the testimony they witness in us.

If we are going to walk in light, then we will need to expel our former relation to the works of darkness.

Paul tells children of light to avoid fellowship with the works of darkness.

We are trying to produce fruit (goodness, righteousness, and truth).

The works of darkness are fruitless.

It’s not that they are bad fruit, small fruit, or rotten fruit.

They have no fruit.

Instead, we are to reprove the works of darkness.

How do we reprove the works of them that are still darkness?

Simple answer? By being light.

Christians, by a life so different from those around them expose their sin.

Paul’s idea is that of a dispelling effect comparable to the action of light.

Light by it’s mere presence weakens and drives out the darkness.

Letting our light shine out, we reprove the darkness.

Speaking about the works of darkness brings shame.

Who does it bring shame to though?

The one who dares to call out sin?

The one who commits the sin?

The shame belongs to the person living in darkness.

When we fail to shine our lights, we make it more acceptable or less shameful for them to remain in sin and darkness.

We are one of God’s tool for laying bare the sins of the world.

His light in us makes manifest the sins of others.

Not because we are special, we are simply shining out His light that He gave us, right?

But, if we claim to have his light, then we must through our words and actions expose the presence of sin.

This is our responsibility.

To expose the works of darkness.

So that men can see things as they really are.

To be examples of God’s ability to alter the nature of fallen humanity.

It is not the person who goes around constantly finding fault with other people who accomplishes the best results. Instead it is the man who lives Christ, the woman who manifests life eternal in the home, among friends, in the church. These are the people whose testimonies really count for God.

We have a purpose.

We call it evangelism.

One sinner who has been transformed telling another sinner how they can be transformed.

Our message requires much of our lives.

It requires fruit to serve as evidence of that change.

When we’ve been transformed and we are taking our responsibility to expose sin by living as light seriously, God can use our testimony.

Verse 14 is interesting as it appears to be a line from an early Christian hymn.

The cadence and rhythm are similar to contemporary initiation chants.

It may have been a baptismal hymn.

It is given to Paul’s readers as an example of what God does to those that observe a child of light.

He uses the exposition of sin and the light from one of His kids to make the unbeliever, with darkness in their soul, wake up!

What are they waking up to?

Their own sin.

Their lost condition.

Before someone can get saved, they first have to be lost.

He then offers His resurrection power to the one in need of saving.

Don’t forget what Jesus did for you when you got saved.

When your sins were forgiven, you became a recipient of the righteousness of Jesus, but you also received His life.

People are dead all around us, and they need His life.

If they will receive His offer, He will give them the light they need to help others.

Christians must live as children of light because of the effect that their testimony has on other people.

We have a purpose.

We have a mission.

To be used to point people to Jesus.

Are you a child of light this morning?

You have a new nature.

You were darkness.

Now, you are light.

Walk as light.

Bear fruit that evidences the light that you have.

You have a responsibility.

Prove what is acceptable.

Reprove the sin of those around you.

You have a purpose.

Live a life that can be used to point people to Jesus.