Coming Home: Faithful Children of Light

Coming Home  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  19:20
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Coming Home: Faithful Children of Light

Bible Passages: Luke 16:1–13; Ephesians 5:3–15
Big Idea: Staying close to Jesus empowers us to live as faithful children of light in a world that often promotes darkness and selfishness.

Intro. The Call to Light

Focus: We are called to evaluate our lives in light of Christ and his teachings, embracing Godly wisdom and living out our faith in practical ways.
The world around us often promotes darkness and selfishness, making our calling as children of light challenging.
Our capacity to navigate the challenges of life with integrity comes from staying close to Jesus, who empowers us to live as faithful children of light.
Roadmap: We examine two key areas where this faithfulness is demonstrated through wise stewardship (Luke 16), and second, through illumination of our lives (Ephesians 5).

I: Shrewd Stewardship

(Luke 16:1–9)
Focus: This reveals the importance of wisdom in stewardship by examining the shrewd actions of the dishonest manager.
The manager, facing dismissal, acted decisively to secure his own future by illegally reducing the debts of his master's debtors (e.g., changing 100 measures of oil to 50, and 100 containers of wheat to 80).
Jesus tells the parable of a rich man whose manager was accused of squandering his property.
Shrewdness here refers to his foresight and contrivance regarding his future interests.
The master commended the manager, not for his dishonesty, but because he acted shrewdly; he was not concerned for his master.
He does a smart thing, rather than the right thing.
Yet, the lesson Jesus drew is that the "children of this age" (those only seeking the rewards of this world) are more shrewd in pursuing their ends than the "children of light" (God's people). The manager’s actions were purely selfish and egocentric.
The parable takes seriously the prophetic insight of a final judgment where an accounting must and will be made before God.
We, as followers of Christ, are urged to act as prudently regarding divine things as unbelievers do regarding earthly things.
Application: Staying close to Jesus sharpens our discernment, enabling us to use God-given resources to advance His kingdom with integrity and insight.
Transition: The lesson of the dishonest manager is not just about being smart; it leads directly to the principle of integrity (truthfulness & trustworthiness). Jesus immediately shows us how this shrewdness translates into faithfulness—especially concerning material resources.

II: Faithful Steward

(Luke 16:10–14)
Focus: Faithfulness in small matters is the foundation for greater responsibilities. This calls for unwavering devotion to God.
This is a general truth about trustworthiness.
The Proverb of Fidelity: "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much".
Temporal things are not "your own"; we are only stewards, not proprietors. God is the proprietor of all.
Stewardship vs. Ownership: If we misuse what belongs to another, we cannot expect to receive what is truly our own.
What is true about our faithfulness with temporal things is true with spiritual things. If we are faithful with the little that we are first given, we will be entrusted with more.
Jesus illustrates His call for exclusive loyalty with the absolute rule. If you trim between God and the world, you cannot truly be faithful to God.
The Great Warning: "No slave can serve two masters.... You cannot serve God and wealth"
Application: We must constantly examine our loyalties and our willingness to fully trust God's sovereign care. We should use our worldly wealth for doing good, we may be trusted to do more good.
Transition: Faithfulness is easily seen through wise and exclusive devotion in stewardship, we shift from the practical demands of resources to the spiritual demands of our very identity in Christ.
If we are faithful stewards, then we are prepared to embrace our calling to live as 'light' in the world.

III: Overcomes Darkness

(Ephesians 5:3–10)
Focus: Paul contrasts the destructive ways of darkness with the illuminating life in Christ. This is a call to live according to the new nature received in Christ.
These unfruitful works of darkness receive the wrath of God. Wrath is God’s just his response to injustice and unlawfulness.
Renouncing Darkness: Believers must enounce the "pagan ways" or "ways of the children of darkness".
Darkness and light represent two spheres of existence; darkness is the sphere of the unredeemed over which Satan holds sway, while light corresponds to God’s rule and authority.
New Identity: "Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light".
The Fruit of Light: Disciples of Jesus Christ embody goodness, righteousness, and truth. This is the fruit of the light, from the divine Spirit.
Discerning God’s Will: Living as children of light requires us to try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
Application: So, we examine ourselves: Are we reflecting the light of Christ through our choices? Are we seeking strength in closeness to Christ? Because, this is how we shed old habits and walk in His love.
Transition: We are children of light, and light must actively shine. It is not enough to simply avoid darkness; we are called to embody and expose the light in every area of our influence.

IV: Embodying Light Exposes Darkness

(Ephesians 5:11–15)
Focus: God confronts and exposes darkness, and He calls us to do the same.
Everything exposed by the light becomes visible.
Exposing Darkness: We must take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them.
Godly Living as Exposure: Confronting and exposing darkness in our lives happens through repentance, confessing truth, and bold & Godly living.
God commands us to Awaken: The Scripture uses baptismal language to call those in darkness: "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you". This is a call to arise from the death of sin and live in the light of Christ.
Walking Wisely: Believers must walk cautiously, carefully, warily understanding that we might fall into darkness again through neglect of the Spirit and neglect doing good in all things.
John Wesley said we should be striving for the highest pitch of every point of holiness, not foolishly stumbling into sin.
Climax: Staying close to Jesus offers the wisdom and courage to stand against the darkness as we embody his light in all areas of our lives.

V. The Living Light of Christ

Review: We are called to be faithful children of light through shrewd stewardship and living in the light of Christ, refusing to serve both God and worldly wealth, and instead yielding the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth.
Point to Christ: Jesus stands as the ultimate example of faithfulness and light. He teaches us to steward our lives and resources for His glory, culminating in His sacrificial love.
Final Application: Our call is to reflect Christ's sacrificial love to others. So, together, we must evaluate our lives in light of Christ’s teachings, ensuring our actions align with our faith and the mission of the gospel. This is how we remain children of light.
Staying close to Jesus empowers us to live as faithful children of light
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