Imitating God: Walking in His Light

Ephesians 5:3–14 CSB

But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

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(V3-7) Fruit of Darkness:

Darkness is Sin, Wickedness, a life of death and decay. Darkness gives us the view of a gloomy and dreary life, where its participants are reaching and grabbing for anything that might bring them pleasure and relief. Darkness is not only a state we exist in, but as unbelievers we were darkness, producing only fruit of darkness, which the world finds pleasure in.

Sexual Immorality- a worship of ones own pleasures and desires, feeding these at the expense of another person and one’s own body. it can be described as a breaking of covenant for fleeting pleasure, or a deviation from God’s intended design. (1 Cor 7:2)

Impurity- can be physical, moral, sexual, etc. anything that is not in line with God’s original design and His character, something that is unclean and opposite of holiness.

Greed /Idolatry- A continued desire for more. selfishness to an extreme degree. To Covet is to be willing to exchange God for greed, which in turn becomes our idol. What is at the center of our life is the center of all our worship.

Obscene/Foolish Talking & Crude Joking- Shameful, Disgraceful, dishonoring talk/humor. Senseless talk that may cause others to stumble/fall, talk that is not worthy of salvation. buffoonery that seeks to gain a laugh without care or concern for the life of those in jest. Humor that cuts down and embarrasses. Uncontrolled speech or joking that burns and scorches, edifying and glorifying no-one in the process.

Defining Characteristics of Darkness: Selfish, Self-worship, Self-Harming & Harmful To Others (willing to sacrifice self or others for more), Shameful, Unclean, Uncommitted, Uncontrolled, Unsatisfying.

These things are reflections of the lost and dying world, those who have no inheritance and are children of darkness. Would kings live like vermin? Would children live like strangers to the father? These things are inappropriate of believers because they do not measure up to the stature of Christ. To measure up to the world is to fall short of Christ.

We as believers are Blessed and Have been shown great Love from God the Father through Christ. To Live as partners of Darkness is to live like we are under God’s Wrath and not His Love. By Faith we have been saved and now share in the inheritance of Christ, so we must not live like we share futility and wrath with the darkness. What is our portion? What does our life say we will inherit, Death or Life?

We must not be deceived, tricked into believing that our way of life has nothing to do with our salvation. While we have nothing to do with the growth of the tree, The fruit we bear is a determining factor of the type of tree that is within us. A life changed by the Spirit will bear increasingly more spiritual fruit. Even when sinful fruit grows, believers bear the fruit of repentance, turning to Christ for forgiveness and strength. A life that has not submitted to Christ (obedient to His Word) has not been changed, and the tree within them will continue to produce nothing but rotten fruit. An Empty Gospel, or easy-believing, is one without concern for the fruit in our life. Unconcerned with obedience, it is a life of Disobedience, which is in turn a life of Unbelief and Darkness.

As believers, we have submitted our life to Christ, obedient to Him and his word. We are the light’s of the world, because we the true light has been revealed to us, and he shines brightly in our lives. One cannot be both Darkness and Light, in the same way that one cannot serve two masters. Who we serve/who we follow, determines what we are and what is produced in us. Who We Follow, Determines Who We Are & How We Are Called To Walk.

(V8-14) Fruit Of Light: Walk As Children of Light (God Is Light)

Like last week we are children of the Father, and so we must walk in imitation of Him. As he is, so we to are to be. We are to Bear the fruit of Light, which is the complete opposite of the fruit of darkness previously mentioned. To be light means that our lives are oriented on the source of all Light. Our life’s focus shifts from the inward to the outward. We are satisfyingly committed to glorifying the light, for rescuing us from a life of darkness, and shining the light in the darkness, exposing sinners to the truth of Christ.

The Fruit of Light Consists of Every Act of :

Thanks- A proper response to God is an outward expression of thanksgiving with our words and actions. This fruit is found following Paul’s condemnation of obscene talk and joking. Our lives in the hands of Christ are tools by which we proclaim the praises of God, to him and to the world living in darkness. The proper response to suffering and blessing is thanksgiving, for who God is, what he has done, and what he is going to do.

Goodness, Righteousness, Truth- In the way we live we always seek the glory of God and the welfare of others. We live according to the righteousness that God has made us to be in Christ, we reflect God’s character by living in obedience to his word. We do not live our lives in half-measure, but fully committed to being the light in the darkness, no matter how difficult that may be.

Mission of Light: Glorify the Light & Shine the Light (Exposing Darkness)

Glorify the Light - “Approve” gives the idea that as we bear good fruit our lives please Christ, our Lord. We must live with the mindset of, “would this please Christ?” Our motivation is not a fear of condemnation, or a desire to earn love, but comes form a heart of gratitude, compelling us to honor him with what he has given, namely freedom and life.

Shine The Light- The purpose of Shining the light is twofold:

1) to expose the unfruitful works of darkness

Beginning first in other believers, we should always be spurring one another to live as children of light. Often, believers who may have been absent from their fellowship with God and the church, when interacting with other believers may find themselves convicted. The Holy Spirit may use these interactions to redirect a believer back into the light of Christ.

Exposing in this manner can lead to a rebuke/correction from the Spirit, using other believers/church leaders. The intention is always to go from exposure to embrace, from wandering to return. Darkness like mold, when left unexposed, will always grow in the community.

Matthew 18:1–7 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a small child and had him stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in my name welcomes me. “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.”

2) to evangelize those in the darkness

Secondly, The intention of shining the light is also meant to share the gospel with unbelievers. Letting the Light of Christ Shine upon the dead and sleeping is the mission of the kingdom. Calling people out of the kingdom of darkness and transferring them into the kingdom of light is the overarching mission of Christ. The fruit of Light swill always expose sin by contrast, and should always give people opportunity to repent and turn to Christ.