Christians as the Light

INTRO:

Last week I told you that Paul gives us three admonitions or instructions in Ephesians 5:1-17. Last week I gave you the first one which was “walk in love.” Ephesians 5:1-2

In this the first instruction I said that; (1) we are God’s children, (2) we are God’s beloved child, and (3) we were purchased at a great price.

I told you the definition of admonition, “to warn or advise” and, in this case, “to instruct.” [1]The next set of instructions that Paul gives us is to “walk as children of light.”

Walk in Love (Eph. 5:1–2)

Walk As Children of Light (Eph. 5:3–14)

Walk in Wisdom (Eph. 5:15–17)

Walk As Children of Light (Eph. 5:3–14)

Since “God is light” and we are imitating our Father, then we should walk in the light and have nothing to do with the darkness of sin. Paul gives three descriptions of believers that prove his point.

Point I

Ephesians 5:3–4 (NASB 2020)

3 But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Point I

We are saints (vv. 3–4). That is, we are “set-apart ones” and no longer belong to the world of darkness around us.

1. We have been “called out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). It is beneath the dignity of a saint to indulge in the sins that belong to the world of darkness, some of which Paul names here.

a. He warns us against the sexual sins (fornication, uncleanness) which were so prevalent in that day—and are prevalent today.

b. Sad to say, these sins have invaded the homes of Christians and brought grief to local churches too.

2. “Covetousness” may seem out of place next to fornication, but the two sins are but different expressions of the same basic weakness of fallen nature—uncontrolled appetite.

a. The fornicator and the covetous person each desire to satisfy the appetite by taking what does not belong to them. “The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) would describe these two sins.

i. “Let there not be even a hint of these sins!” said Paul.

3. In Ephesians 5:4 he warned against sins of the tongue, which, of course, are really sins of the heart.

a. It is not difficult to see the relationship between the sins named in Ephesians 5:3 and those in Ephesians 5:4.

b. People who have vulgar appetites usually cultivate a vulgar kind of speech and humor, and often people who want to commit sexual sins, or have committed them, enjoy joking about them.

4. Two indications of a person’s character are what makes him laugh and what makes him weep.

a. The saint of God sees nothing humorous in obscene language or jokes.

i. “Foolish talking” does not mean innocent humor but rather senseless conversation that cheapens the man and does not edify or minister grace to the hearers (Eph. 4:29).

b. Paul is not condemning small talk because much conversation falls into that classification. He is condemning foolish talk that accomplishes no good purpose.

5. Jesting is a translation of a word that means “able to turn easily.”

a. We see this word in the KJV, but in the NIV it is translated course joking.

i. This suggests a certain kind of conversationalist who can turn any statement into a coarse jest or joke.

b. The gift of wit is a blessing, but when it is attached to a filthy mind or a course motive, it becomes a curse.

c. There are quick-witted people who can pollute any conversation with jests or jokes that are always inconvenient (out of place).

i. How much better it is for us to be quick to give thanks!

ii. This is certainly the best way to give glory to God and keep the conversation pure.

A Christian woman attended an anniversary dinner in honor of a friend, not knowing that there would be a program of low comedy following the meal. The so-called comedian tried to entertain the crowd with coarse humor that degraded everything that the Christian guest held to be sacred and honorable. At one point in the program, the comedian’s throat became dry. “Please bring me a glass of water,” he called to a waiter.

At that point the Christian woman added, “And bring a toothbrush and a bar of soap with it!” To be sure, soap in the mouth will never cleanse the conversation, but she made her point.

6. Christians who have God’s Word in their hearts (Col. 3:16) will always season their speech with salt (Col. 4:6); for grace in the heart means grace on the lips.[2]

Point II

Ephesians 5:5–6 (NASB 2020)

5 For this you know with certainty, that no sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, which amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6 See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

We are kings (vv. 5–6).

When we trusted Christ, we entered into the kingdom of God (John 3:3); but we are also awaiting the full revelation of His kingdom when He returns (2 Tim. 4:1).

1. Paul makes it clear that people who deliberately and persistently live in sin will not share in God’s kingdom.

“They which practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21, literal translation).

2. “Whoremonger” is a translation of the Greek word pornos, from which we get our word pornography, and it means “one who practices fornication—illicit sex.”

3. The morally unclean and the covetous will join the fornicator in judgment.

a. Paul equates covetousness with idolatry, for it is the worship of something other than God.

b. These warnings deal with the habitual practice of sin, and not the occasional act of sin. David committed adultery, yet God forgave him and one day took him to heaven.

c. Certainly David was disciplined for his sin, but he was not rejected by God.

4. In Paul’s day, there were false Christians who argued that believers could live in sin and get away with it.

a. These deceivers had many arguments to convince ignorant Christians that they could sin repeatedly and still enter God’s kingdom.

b. “You were saved by grace!” they argued. “Therefore, go ahead and sin that God’s grace might abound!”

c. Paul answered that foolish argument in Romans 6.

“Sin in the life of a believer is different from sin in the life of an unsaved person!”

5. God judges sin no matter where He finds it, and He does not want to find it in the life of one of His own children.

Warren Wiersbe says he “personally believes that no true Christian can ever be lost, but he will prove the reality of his faith by an obedient life.”

6. There are many professors who are not possessors (Matt. 7:21–23).

a. A Christian is not sinless, but he does sin less—and less—and less!

The Christian is a king, and it is beneath his dignity to indulge in the practices of the lost world that is outside the kingdom of God.

Point III

Ephesians 5:7–14 (NASB 2020)

7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 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 consistsin 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.”

We are light (vv. 7–14).

This figure is the main thrust of the passage, for Paul was admonishing his readers to “walk as children of light.”

You will want to read 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1 for a parallel passage that explains the contrasts that exist between the child of God and the unsaved person.

1. Paul did not say that we were “in the darkness vs. 8,” but that we “were darkness.”

a. Now that we are saved, “what communion hath light with darkness?” After all, light produces fruit, but the works of darkness are unfruitful as far as spiritual things are concerned.

b. “For the fruit of the Spirit [or “the light”] is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” It is impossible to be in darkness and light at the same time!

2. The light produces “goodness,” one manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

a. Goodness is “love in action.” Righteousness means rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men.

a. Both of these qualities are based on truth, which is conformity to the Word and will of God.

3. Jesus had much to say about light and darkness.

a. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16 KJV).

b. “Everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:20–21 KJV).

4. To “walk as children of light” means to live before the eyes of God, not hiding anything.

a. It is relatively easy to hide things from other people because they cannot see our hearts and minds; but “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

Every time we take a plane to a meeting,we must surrender our self and our luggage to a special inspection, and we are happy to do so, because this inspection helps to detect bombs. We have never been afraid to walk through the “detection tunnel” or have our luggage pass through the X-ray equipment, because we have nothing to hide.

An author asked Charles Spurgeon for permission to write his life story, and the great preacher replied, “You may write my life in the skies—I have nothing to hide!”

5. But walking “as children of light” also means revealing God’s light in our daily lives.

a. By our character and conduct, we bring God’s light into a dark world.

b. As God’s lights, we help others find their way to Christ.

c. The mind of the unsaved person is blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:3–4) and by sin (Eph. 4:17–19).

d. Only as we witness and share Christ can the light enter in. Just as a healthy person can assist the sickly, so a child of God can lead the lost out of darkness into God’s wonderful light.

6. Light reveals God; light produces fruit; but light also exposes what is wrong.

a. No surgeon would willingly operate in darkness lest he made a false move and take a life.

b. How could an artist paint a true picture in darkness?

i. The light reveals the truth and exposes the true character of things. This explains why the unsaved person stays clear of the church and the Bible.

ii. God’s light reveals his true character, and the exposure is not very complimentary.

c. As we Christians Walk in light, we refuse to fellowship with the darkness, and we expose the dark things of sin for what they really are.

i. “I am come a light into the world,” said Jesus (John 12:46).

ii. He also said to His disciples, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14).

d. When He was here on earth, the perfection of His character and conduct exposed the sinfulness of those around Him.

i. This is one reason why the religious leaders hated Him and sought to destroy Him. “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin” (John 15:22).

iii. Just as a healthy person unconsciously exposes the handicaps and sicknesses of people he visits in a hospital, so the Christian exposes the darkness and sin around him just by living like a Christian.

7. Paul tells us to live balanced lives—positively, to walk in the light; negatively, to denounce and expose the wickedness of those in the darkness.

a. It is not enough simply to expose the wickedness of those in the darkness. It is not enough simply to expose sin. We must also bear fruit.

8. But Ephesians 5:12 gives us a caution.

Ephesians 5:11–12 (NASB 2020)

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.

a. Be careful how you deal with the “unfruitful works of darkness.” The motto today seems to be, “Tell it like it is!” And yet that can be a dangerous policy when it comes to exposing the filthy things of darkness, lest we unconsciously advertise and promote sin.

b. Paul said, “It is a shame even to speak of those things” (Eph. 5:12). Some preachers enjoy reveling in the sensational, so much so that their sermons excite appetites and give to the innocent more information than they need.

“But yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Rom. 16:19).

I heard a story about a youth worker who felt it necessary to read all that the teenagers were reading “in order to understand them better,” and it so polluted his mind that he himself fell into sin.

9. It is not necessary for the believer to perform an autopsy on a rotting corpse to expose its rottenness.

a. All he has to do is turn on the light! “For whatsoever doth make manifest is light” (Eph. 5:13).

Conclusion:

When you think of light, you think of waking up to a new day, and Paul presented this picture (Eph. 5:14), paraphrasing Isaiah 60:1.

1. You have the same image in Romans 13:11–13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1–10.

a. That Easter morning, when Christ arose from the dead, was the dawning of a new day for the world.

b. Christians are not sleeping in sin and death.

c. We have been raised from the dead through faith in Him.

d. The darkness of the graveyard is past, and we are now walking in the light of salvation.

e. Salvation is the beginning of a new day, and we ought to live as those who belong to the light, not to the darkness. “Lazarus, come forth!”

The believer has no business in the darkness. He is a saint, which means he is a partaker “of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12). He is a king, because he has been delivered “from the power of darkness” and has been translated “into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13). He is “light in the Lord” (Eph. 5:8).

[1]Lawrence O. Richards, New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words: Based on the NIV and the NASB, Zondervan’s Understand the Bible Reference Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999), 20. [2]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 44–45.