Being built up... (20)

Fruit produced in the Light...

If you were to go to an orchard, you would expect that the fruit would be juicy and flavorful. I remember one time when our family stopped at a fruit truck in town. The man selling the fruit gave me a deal. He said that if I could eat the peach without getting any juice on my hands, I could have a box of peaches. I thought I had nothing to lose, so I ate the peach. I think he knew that he had nothing to lose because they were super flavorful and super juicy.

What kind of fruit are you producing?

Paul starts Ephesians 5 of by exhorting us to follow God’s example. If we want to produce the fruit of the Spirit, we need to be imitators of God.

This morning, we’ll see the spoiled fruit that comes from worldly thinking and that which comes from God.

So let’s read our Scripture from

Ephesians 5:3–14 NIV

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Not even a hint...

Hebrews 12:14 NIV

14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Paul makes it really clear that there are certain requirements to enter the kingdom of Christ and of God. I often wonder of what God thinks of the North American church. It seems that our morals and standards change along with society. Usually, it takes a little while, but before we know it, our standards have changed.

We don’t want to come off too rigid. We don’t want people to think that we are prudes, but as our standards slowly slip, and we reinterpret God’s word to fit what we now believe, I wonder if it breaks God’s heart.

As we look at church history and even the history of the PAOC, we hear of movements like the Holiness Movement. Attempting to show that they were holy, there was an outward form of legalism that measured our purity by the way we dressed. This could mean plain clothing, the length of a haircut: short for men and long for women. Women were forbidden from wearing pants, because women were not to wear men’s clothing. Modesty meant the dresses needed to be a certain length, and jewelry was to be minimal.

Some groups of Christians removed themselves from society trying to please God by distancing from worldly thinking.

How do we live in the world without falling prey to its customs?

Paul speaks to several patterns of the world, but he starts with three:

Sexual immorality, Impurity, and Greed

Paul equates these three to idolatry. We don’t have to look too far to see how TV and the internet have perverted God’s perfect plan for sex. Satan wants us to think that sex is dirty and we need to blush at the coarse joking that is being promoted in our society. Comedy used to just be good clean humor, but now most comedians think that they need to tell off coloured jokes.

God’s perfect plan for sex is between a man and a woman in the bonds of holy marriage.

Hebrews 13:4 NIV

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

Satan has tried to complicate and tarnish what God has made. He has perverted what God has called good, but one day Satan will be judged. He and his angels will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Impurity goes along the lines as,

If it feels good, do it.

We call this hedonism, the love of pleasure.

This doesn’t please God.

The third is Greed. Greed is wanting something so much that we will sacrifice everything to get it. (LANTC) When we think of greed, we often think of money, but greed is that desire that will sacrifice friendships. It will even do whatever it takes to get something without regard to what the consequences are.

1 Timothy 6:9–11 NIV

9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

As Christians, we are called to be holy just as God is holy. To be holy means to be set apart.

Paul shifts to our speech.

Ephesians 5:4–5 NIV

4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, our mouths should not condemn us. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Our mouths tell others what is in our hearts. If we are crude, if we tell coarse jokes and have foul language, people won’t think that we are children of God. When people hear us talk, will they see Christ in us.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 NIV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Jesus paid the price for our freedom. When we choose to disobey God and walk in sexual immorality, impurity, and greed, we walk away from the inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

We don’t experience the benefits of being a Christian here, and we won’t have any part of heaven. There is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people, and Hell is a place that was created for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 21:6–8 NIV

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

We need to be careful that we aren’t deceived.

Don’t be fooled...

Ephesians 5:6–7 NLT

6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do.

If you live long enough, you are going to find people that call themselves Christians that not only agree with egregious sins, but participate in them. Don’t participate in or be partners with them.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NIV

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Paul was not talking about people about unbelievers, he was talking about Christians. I believe that we are in these last days.

If we become partakers with those who are disobedient to God, how do we expect to escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

We are called to

Live as children of light...

Each of us walked in darkness. There is none righteous, no not one.

Ephesians 5:8 NIV

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

When you came to Christ, Jesus shone His light into you and you became light in the Lord, and because of this, we are called to live as children of the light.

John 8:12 NIV

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When we follow Christ, we are changed from the inside out. God begins to transform us as we submit to Him, and we become more and more like Jesus. When we repent, we can’t keep doing the things that we once did. Light exposes the darkness. Light and darkness can’t coexist in the same place.

What fruit is produced in the light?

Ephesians 5:9–10 NIV

9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.

The fruit of the Spirit, the fruit that comes from walking in the light as Jesus is in the light is opposite to the fruit that our sinful nature, our flesh produces. The light produces what is good, right and true. I believe that we will produce in our lives what we think about.

Philippians 4:8 NIV

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Let’s not think about those things which are in the dark, but let’s find out what pleases the Lord.

How do we do that?

(LANTC)

By reading the Bible, praying, and getting godly counsel from others.

We aren’t an island. Satan wants us to get off by ourselves where we are alone so he can pounce on us. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy. He wants us to believe that we are missing something, but nothing is farther from the truth. We miss out on the regret. We miss out on the guilt of our sin. We miss out on the lie that we won’t get caught, but God sees it all.

Let’s find out what pleases the Lord, and

Ephesians 5:11 NIV

11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Romans 13:11–14 NLT

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

The NKJV puts verse 14 this way,

Romans 13:14 NKJV

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The deeds of darkness will not produce fruit that you would be proud of, in fact it will bring your shame.

Ephesians 5:12–13 NIV

12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

Light exposes darkness. God sees it all.

Hebrews 4:13 NIV

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

So many things are hidden in the dark, but David said this in

Psalm 139:11–12 NIV

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Let’s desire to please God in everything we do. Let’s not look down on those who are stumbling but in love try to restore them.

James 5:20 NIV

20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Peter said that love covers over a multitude of sin. It was love that sent Jesus to the cross, and it is His love that gives us power to live in the light.

1 John 1:7–9 NIV

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, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Finally, Paul uses what might have been a verse of a baptismal hymn.

Ephesians 5:14 NIV

14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

My prayer is that we would not slumber or sleep but that we would be awake and alert as to what is going on around us.

Now is not the time to slumber and sleep. Now is the time for us to be dead to sin and alive in Christ.

May Jesus Christ shine on you and in you. May you be like a city on a hill and a bright light on a lampstand, so that others may see Christ in you, and may they see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.

Let’s pray!