Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Ephesians 5:8-14

In the movie “The Matrix,” the main character, Neo, is presented with a foreign truth. He is told that life as he knows it is only a simulated reality. The minds and lives of humans are controlled by a computer simulation and the machines use the humans, their body heat, and bio electricity as an energy source. Neo is given an option. He can take a blue pill or a red pill. The blue pill sends him back into the simulation and he will wake up thinking his interaction was all a hallucination. The red pill allows him to stay in “wonderland” and he will be taken down a deep rabbit hole that shows him all the details and inter workings of the matrix; the computer-simulated life. He can take the blue pill and return to his old life as if nothing had been revealed to him, or he can take the red pill and remain in the new life with all his new wisdom and understanding. Neo decided to take the red pill and remain in Wonderland and not go back to his old life in the matrix.

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As we continue tonight to look at Ephesians chapter 5; we once again see the Apostle Paul discussing the difference in the life of the believer and the life of the non-believer. He discusses how the differences in these two lives should be drastic and not intermingled. Just as Neo could not go back to the Matrix after taking the red pill, we as Christians should not participate in the old life after we have been converted by Christ.

Ephesians 5:8-14 NASB

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 light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says,

“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

- The two ways Paul says we can walk through life are in darkness or light.

The differences between these two walks are dramatically different. If we choose to walk in the light, we must avoid the darkness. If we choose to walk in the darkness, we reject the light.

- As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to walk in the light.

In this text, Paul points out six indicators that point to a person walking in the light.

I. Light, not darkness, is the nature of the believer (v 8)

A. Before a person is saved, they not only walk in darkness, they are darkness. (Matthew 6:23, John 3:19)

The person who does not know God is alone. Maybe not in the physical sense, but very much so in the spiritual. Everyone that surrounds them will soon die and be gone. They too will face the same thing. In that, they will be separated from their loved ones AND separated from the presence of the Heavenly Father. In that, they are in darkness.

1) The non-believer has no idea where he comes from.

The best the non-believer can come up with concerning his origination is the idea of a natural process. That somehow, hundreds of millions of years ago, the nothingness of the universe collided with other nothingness and created all things through some sort of primordial explosion. Through some process of happenstance man and all creators evolved and were formed. We were born, and here we are. The non-believer is blind, in the dark concerning the truth of the very origination of the world in which he lives.

2) The non-believer has no idea of his purpose on earth.

The non-believer wakes each morning, goes about his daily routine, and ends his day. He goes to bed and starts the whole thing over again tomorrow. That is all there is to life. Why he is here; what his inner meaning is; and what he is to accomplish in life is unknown or misunderstood. He sees no purpose beyond the end of his nose. He lives in darkness as to why he and anyone else on earth is here.

3) The non-believer has no idea where he is going after death.

Is there a heaven or hell? Is there a God? Is there anything after death or do we just cease to exist? Can we be sure of any of this? The inevitability of his death rushes toward him in fear every day. He is in darkness concerning eternity. The best the non-believer can hope for is annihilation. The worst is eternal punishment. But he doesn’t know the truth.

Matthew 6:23 NASB

23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

John 3:19 NASB

19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.

B. The believer who was in darkness now is the light in the Lord. (John 8:12, Matthew 5:14, Philippians 2:15)

John 8:12 NASB

12 Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

Christ brings light into our lives. Christ reveals the truth of the Father to us. We can know the truth of our origin, our earthly purpose, and our eternal destination after our time here ends.

- Jesus not only showed us the light, but he MADE us the light.

He has changed our very nature from that of darkness to that of light. As we were once the embodiment of darkness, we are now the embodiment of light. We are the light that shines in the dark world. We are the light that brings truth to the darkness. Because we have the indwelling Holy Spirit and have been made light, we do not only reflect the light of Christ, we ARE the light of Christ.

Matthew 5:14 NASB

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

Philippians 2:15 NASB

15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

II. Light bears the things of life – fruit of the Spirit (v 9)

Ephesians 5:9 NASB

9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),

Paul states that the life that is in the

- Light will show three specific things

; goodness, righteousness, and truth.

A. Goodness

- Goodness is being full of excellence.

All that we do should be good. We alluded to this on Sunday morning when we said love was kind. Love acts in goodness and kindness in all situations. A follower of Christ treats others in goodness. God is full of goodness, therefore, as believers, we are to be full of goodness.

- should be the key mark of our character and our person.

B. Righteousness

To be righteous as the light of Christ carries with it two ideas. We are to both BE right and DO right.

1. Some stress BEING righteous at the expense of DOING right. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

This leads to

- Two possible errors in our thinking.

a) It gives a false security of salvation.

A person who leans heavily on the idea that he is saved and accepted by Christ no matter how he lives, neglecting to live righteously; also neglects the commands of God.

b) Leads to loose and immoral living

This person believes they can go and do whatever they please because the more they sin, the more mercy abounds. The belief is that our behavior does not impact our spiritual walk or impede our salvation.

The Bible never speaks of being righteous without walking in righteousness.

2. Some stress DOING right at the expense of BEING righteous. (Matthew 5:20)

This also leads to

- Two possible errors.

a) Self-righteousness and legalism.

This causes a person to stress that he is saved and has right standing before the Father because of the things that he DOES. This individual works and follows all the right behaviors because he believes it makes him a Christian. This neglects the truth that no matter how good we believe we are; we will never meet the requirement of perfection before God and therefore we must believe and trust in the righteousness of Christ to take our place.

b) Being judgmental

A person who stresses his righteous behavior over being righteous begins to look for the same in others. He becomes judgmental of the actions of everyone around him. “I’m following this set of rules and regulations, therefore, you must do the same thing, and I will harshly condemn you if you do not.”

Righteousness in the Bible is both BEING righteous in Christ and doing right in life.

Matthew 5:20 NASB

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

This is DOING.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is BEING.

C. Truth

The Holy Spirit will produce the fruit of the truth in our lives. This is saving truth, working truth, and living truth.

1. Truth sets us free from doubt and despair. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

We no longer must walk in despair of our sins and life.

- We can have certainty and security in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17 NASB

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2. Truth sets us free from the bondage of sin (Romans 8:6, 15)

We no longer must struggle with the weight and overbearing burden of sin and guilt. We know the truth and possess the answer; the righteousness of Christ.

- The power to conquer and overcome sin now dwells in us.

Romans 8:6, 15 NASB

6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,… 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters

3. Truth sets us free from the bondage of death (Romans 8:2)

Because we know what is to follow with our eternal security. Because we know the coming of the Lord and the establishment of the new heaven and the new earth; the receiving of the new, glorified body; eternity in the glory of the Father. We no longer fear death. Death begins a new, not ends an old.

Romans 8:2 NASB

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

4. Truth sets us free from the bondage of hell & judgment. (John 3:16)

The unknown future that accompanies the darkness we possessed before Christ is no longer. As I said earlier, the best the non-believer can hope for is annihilation; that seems hopeless; the worst is eternal judgment and punishment. Through Christ, He bore the judgment we were due and paid the price of our salvation. We are no longer bound to that.

John 3:16 NASB

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

5. Truth sets us free to be completely saved. (Colossians 2:9-10)

The truth of our existence, our purpose, our joy, our hope, peace, and satisfaction are no longer in question. Jesus saves us completely and fully. Even when we face trials, we know that Christ is the truth and our reality.

Colossians 2:9-10 NASB

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete

The Holy Spirit will bear in us the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

III. Light shows what is acceptable and pleasing (v 10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1)

Ephesians 5:8, 10 NASB

8 for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light… 10 as you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

- Being in the light shows what is acceptable and unacceptable before the Lord.

- Light also discriminates against what is not right.

The light shows us the path to follow and the path to avoid.

We are to strive to always follow the will of the Father. This requires us to bring our own will under control and subjection to His.

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NASB

4 …you received instruction from us as to how you ought to walk and please God

IV. Light exposes the deeds of darkness (v 11-12)

Ephesians 5:11-12 NASB

11 Do not participate in the useless deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

Not only does light show the right path to take, but it also exposes the deeds of darkness.

1. Paul’s charge is clear and direct: Believers should have NO fellowship with the useless deeds of darkness (Acts 2:40, 2 Thessalonians 3:6)

Acts 2:40 NASB

40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

2 Thessalonians 3:6 NASB

6 Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us.

2. Our task on earth is forceful: our life is to expose the sins of those in darkness (Luke 17:3)

Our lives should shine so much light that all the works of sin around us are brought to light.

- When light appears, darkness is always defeated.

The word used for expose means to reprove, rebuke, and convict.

Luke 17:3 NASB

3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

3. The reason: it is a shame to even speak of those things which are done by them in secret. (Colossians 4:6)

Colossians 4:6 NASB

6 Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

V. Light reveals & converts everything it touches (v 13)

Ephesians 5:13 NASB

13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

A. When light touches something it becomes light

Think about this from a scientific standpoint. When something is in total darkness, it is darkness, you cannot see it. When any small amount of light touches it, it becomes visible because it becomes light. That object can no longer hide in the darkness. The same goes for the believers whose light begins to touch the lives of those around them.

B. When evil is dragged into the light it dies

As long as evil remains in the darkness, it can thrive. Once it is dragged into the light it dies. When we encounter Christ, our evil deeds are brought into the light. This is the very reason many refuse Christ; they prefer their darkness of the light.

Once the light of Christ reveals the sin in our lives, it also cleanses it. Christ not only bring light, He bring life and healing as well.

VI. Light awakens the sleeping (v 14, Romans 13:11, 1 Corinthians 15:34, John 8:12, John 12:46)

Ephesians 5:14 NASB

14 For this reason it says,

“Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”

How many times have you been awakened by light? Someone flips a switch or sunlight from the window wakes you?

Most people of the world are sleeping when it comes to the light of Christ. They are living in spiritual darkness and sleep, headed for eternal destruction. But Paul wrote this passage to believers. So, he is implying that believers are asleep.

- Too many professing believers are in the same boat as non-believers, they are asleep; living in the darkness away from the light of Christ.

They are often participating in the same life as the non-believer. This is exactly what Paul has told us to avoid and stay away from.

Romans 13:11 NASB

11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.

1 Corinthians 15:34 NASB

34 Sober up morally [NIV “Come back to your senses”] and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

- The only way to awaken from this spiritual sleep is through Christ

; by allowing Him to soften and waken your heart.

John 8:12 NASB

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

John 12:46 NASB

46 I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness.