Awakening in the Light

Bible Passage: Ephesians 5:10–14

It’s 2019 and I have taken my second missions trip to Panama. We were partnering with an organization called El Refuge to help young people escape sex trafficking. We had left Az in the middle of the night and had a layover in ATL. I was exhausted, but I was trying not to show it. Once we got to the hotel and started practicing our skits for the trip, the leaders were excused to go back to their rooms. I went back to my room and passed out. A couple hours later Dest, on a separate floor, hears the boys from my room. Apparently I had locked them out and didn’t hear them banging on the door. Eventually, Destiny was able to get another key for the room and let them in. The boys came in very dramatically to make a point of their frustrations. Dest tried to shake me awake, and eventually did.

We affectionately call this “Panama Death Sleep.” I was completely out. Exhausted from running and keeping track of students.

I don’t know about you, but I sleep hard. Usually to the point of delirium when I do wake up. My body feels numb and my head can’t tell reality from dream.

As scary as this is physically, spiritually it is even worse. Being physically asleep can restore your body and mind. But spiritual sleep is a dangerous place to be. It’s hard to tell what is up and what is down. What is right and what is wrong.

1. Discern and Distance

Ephesians 5:10–11 NLT

Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

We have laws and rules that tell us right from wrong. We also have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He is here to convict us of darkness (sin) and lead us into light (righteous living.) This has to start with us personally before it happens corporately. We must first be concerned with our personal walk with Jesus. Exposing the worthless deeds of evil and darkness does not mean we constantly and consistently pass judgement on one another publicly, it means we pass judgement on ourselves first. It means we first check the condition of our hearts. Pride is just as much a sin as adultery. Stealing is a sin. So is gossip. We must carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

How would I respond if someone else was doing this? Would I make the same excuses for them I make for myself?

2. Disclose the Darkness

Ephesians 5:12–13 NLT

It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,

This used to be a huge problem in church life. What started as a prayer chain turned into a gossip session. The Word of God encourages us not to even talk about such things. At the same time, the evil intentions must be brought to light. Again, where is our heart is all of this? Are we wanting to humiliate and shame the person for what they did because it is wrong, or because we want to see them restored and brought into the Light of Jesus? There are situations where the sin, the darkness, does need to be exposed publicly. If sin is not exposed to light, it will not die.

Think about it this way. What if every Sunday after the announcements we took a moment to expose all the darkness in our church? Every sin that each person has committed that hasn’t already been brought into the light. Our church might be living right, but there might also only be 4-5 of us. The size of exposure must be proportionate to the size of influence.

3. Awaken to Arise

Ephesians 5:14 NLT

for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Have you ever felt like you were in a fog going through life? Just existing? Often the darkness feels numbing, kind of like the “Panama Death Sleep.” It causes us to get sleepy and drowsy. We live on autopilot or worse. We can’t tell the difference between right and wrong.

This is a challenge to us all to live in the light. As children of God, we are children of light. Living in the light should feel comfortable and natural to us. Like a fish living in water, we should feel at home living in the light of God. That does not mean you share you life with everyone. It does mean that secrets should feel foreign. Confession should feel as easy as breathing. Confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation.

“Awake, O sleeper,” is not simply waking up from a nap. This is rising up from the dead. This is the new life we have found in Jesus. Not simply more rules and more weight. This is freedom and life! No longer needing to hide behind some facade created to meet the expectations of everyone else. Awake and be free!

But this is less waking up from a nap and more waking up from the Matrix. For the first time you see reality for what it is. You begin to despise the darkness and be drawn towards light. You feelings toward people and places change. You start to be drawn towards other believers. Right and wrong no longer live in the grey in between of complacency. They are clear. It’s like you have been groping in the dark and someone turns on the light. It hurts at first, but then begins to feel warm and comfortable. You forget why you loved the darkness, in fact you forget about it. You are so in love with the source of the Light, Jesus, that nothing in you would ever want to break His heart. You realize how good it is to be awake and alive. It drives you to rescue others that have been lost in darkness.

AWAKE O SLEEPER!