Ephesians 5:11-14 "Walking In the Light" pt.2

Introduction

As we have already seen, walking in the light is metaphorical of living out a godly lifestyle as a Christian in the world.

This is set in contrast with the “sons of disobedience” back up in verse 6 who walk in darkness and in their current state have a rendezvous with the wrath of God.

Remember Christian we at one time were there as well but God transformed us by His amazing and marvelous grace through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now we walk as children of the Light and we pursue all that is good and right and true in discernment of the pleasure of God.

Christian, God’s pleasure is to be the priority for us as we live in the world, but as we walk in the light we have an obligation to expose the darkness of this world.

But we may want to know what the Nature of darkness is if we are going to expose it. Look back at your text to verses 11-12

I. Exposing the Darkness (11-14).

A. The Nature of Darkness (11-12).*

Notice that we see here in verse 11 that darkness is being described as unfruitful (11).

This would mean that darkness doesn’t produce that which it good and right and true in contrast with the fruit of light back up in verse 9.

This is why the Christian is to have no part of the unfruitful works of darkness. None of it is reflective of our relationship with Christ and therefore makes no contribution to the glory of God.

Instead we are to expose them for what they are, works of darkness. Things like sexual immorality, all impurity and covetous idolatry.

Darkness makes no contribution to the life of the Christian.

We see that the works of darkness done in secret are even shameful to speak about publicly (12). But then how are they to be exposed?

Well, the works of darkness are to be exposed for what they are but the details of the actions of the sons of disobedience are too shameful to speak about.

Like in a church discipline case in the church or in a Presbytery, details may be known by some but the details are not spoke about publicly. But the sin is exposed in such a context.

The natural man hates this as bad as Dracula hated sunlight in the old vampire movies. And our Lord tells us why in John 3:19-20: “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.”

The sons of disobedience hate exposure but light has a certain exposing nature to it even at the Spiritual level.

We have looked briefly at the nature of darkness but now in contrast look at the nature of light being described in verses 13-14:

B. The Nature of Light (13-14).*

Light gives visibility because once the light shines on something you can see it for what it is (13).

Story of frog gigging with my Uncle when I was a kid. We found a water moccasin at the waters edge when we walked up to the pond.

He told me to shine the light on the snake. When I question why he said he always wanted to know where it was.

Once light shines on the works of darkness they are exposed for what they are. They are not of God. They are shameful acts that most people are not to happy about being exposed.

But light, not only in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense can bring an awakening (14).

Paul was probably aware of several of the prophecies of Isaiah about spiritual vitality and its association with light as a metaphor.

And certainly there are some parallels to those other text but it seems to me that Isaiah 60:1 is most likely what Paul is referring to in verse 14 of Ephesians 5: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

But in Ephesians 5:14 Paul adds the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic reference to the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is manifest in Jesus Christ who is the light of the world.

Most of us are fully aware that physical sleep can be interrupted by light. This is why they make blackout curtains. They help keep your bedroom dark if you work the night shift and sleep during the day.

You have to simulate darkness so you can trick yourself into thinking its night time in order to get some sleep. But being asleep spiritually is equivalent to being spiritually dead.

Isaiah 60:1 is the language of the New Covenant restoration of the Kingdom of God, where God promised His people a future time of spiritual awakening and prosperity.

It would be a time when all the nations of the world would find restoration in the Kingdom of God. There would be an awakening like never before seen, driven by the Spirit of God dwelling in the people of God.

You can even read throughout Isaiah 61 and see the Christ-centered significance of this. Isaiah 61:1-2 is the text that Jesus stood up to read in the synagogue in Luke 4:17-20 and then in Luke 4:20-21 it says-- “20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””

The spiritual Kingdom fulfillment of the New Covenant is in Christ when He came in His first coming but the physical manifestation of the Kingdom will come in His second coming when He comes to rapture His covenant people and to pour out the wrath of God on the sons of disobedience.

Either way everyone will have an appointed encounter with Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God. It is either in encountering Him in His death, burial and resurrection with Him extending His grace to you in love; Or it will be in His coming again to judge the quick and the dead at the final day.

Conclusion:

On that day the light of His glory will shine and expose the wickedness of the sons of disobedience and that old snake that brought the original temptation. And there will be no escaping the light of the glory of Jesus Christ.

And everyone will encounter the glory of the Lord on that day. And there will be no mistake nor confusion between the distinction between light and darkness.

And just like Matthew 13:43 says, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Christian you will shine out of reflection of the glory of Christ that has shone on you. The spiritual reality of you being in Christ will match perfectly the physical reality of the final day.

This is one of the reasons while we walk in the light, we confess our sins in reliance on His grace. We want the fullness of our relationship with Him, we long for it we desire it more and more and we keep looking to the clouds for the final day. Until then we rest in Him and in His provision of grace to us.

Unbeliever you need the gospel. Believe! Let’s Pray!