11. Lesson 11 Ephesians Chosen for light Ephesians 5 verses 1 to 14

Church of Christ Dapto The letter to the Church in Ephesus Lesson 11—Chosen for light Ephesians 5:1-14      Behave like God Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children Created to be like God Ephesians 4:24-32….put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Imitate God Righteous and holy No anger No stealing but sharing No unwholesome talk but building up No grieving the Spirit No bitterness No rage No brawling No slander No malice Kind Compassionate Forgiving Forgiven Dearly loved children 1 John 3:1-3 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. Live love Ephesians 5:2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. All the attributes in Ephesians 4:24-32 show more concern for others than yourself and are the qualities of a life of love. A life of love is one of self-sacrifice following the example of Christ Who obeyed God in all things for our benefit and blessing. This life is acceptable to God A life of selfishness and self-centredness, a life aimed only at satisfying me and making me happy, is the direct opposite to Christ’s example and is not accepted by God. He chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 Dapto Church of Christ Sermon Series The Letter to the Ephesians—Lesson 11 Chosen for light December 1, 2019 1. Do not live in darkness Page 2 In our behaviour Ephesians 5:3 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. There must be no hint, no suggestion, even in our motives, let alone our actions of these qualities of darkness: Immorality, impurity, or greed. None of these fit into the life of one of God’s holy people. In our words Ephesians 5:4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. I must not fit with the crowd by talking like they do, talking about the things they like to talk about or joining with their crude jokes. These conversations distract from the truth, and allow people to fill their conversations with shallow things. My talk must always acknowledge God, and remind all that we are to thank Him for all we have and are. I need to maintain the control of my tongue that the Spirit gives. I show Light by how I talk and what I talk about. In our desires Ephesians 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater— has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Those who refuse to accept that they have been made new in Christ and continue to indulge their past sins and lusts in immorality, impurity or greed show that they are still worshipping their own idol— themselves. They cannot worship God in Christ and have no right to believe that they will share in the future blessings of God’s people. In our future Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. No matter who tells me that these things do not matter, or that God will forgive our continued disobedience, or that God will ignore sin, I must realise that these words are empty and spoken by one who does not know the Scriptures or Christ. The Words of God make it plain that these idols are the reason that all the unsaved will face God’s Wrath and Judgement. If the unsaved are judged because of their idolatry, why can I believe that God will ignore those who claim to be His people who practice the same idolatry? He chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 Dapto Church of Christ Sermon Series The Letter to the Ephesians—Lesson 11 Chosen for light December 1, 2019 Page 3 2. Be separate Ephesians 5:7 Therefore do not be partners with them. Since I no longer share the values, hopes and idolatries of the people of darkness, I cannot share in any way in their manner of life full of immorality, impurity and greed. Nothing they can do or say can further the work I was called to do in Christ so I cannot rely on them or use them in my obedience to God. All that they do or say is a hindrance to the Gospel. 3. Live as Light God created Light, physical and spiritual Light. Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God is Light 1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. You are Light Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. I was in darkness, lived a life in darkness, and did nothing to dispel the darkness in the lives of others but rather made their lives even darker by my example. Now, through Christ, I have become Light in the world. I am Light in the Lord. Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. The Fruit of Light Ephesians 5:8b-10 Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. God has called and chosen you in Christ to be Light, and to live His Light. The life of Light brings great blessings from God: His Goodness, His Righteousness and His Truth. Living in the Light and showing His Light makes it possible for me to seek and discover what pleases God. God has not hidden what He wants me to do because I have already been given a list of what pleases God in this passage. Putting all that I have read in this passage into practice is pleasing to God. Ignoring it and pretending that what pleases God is hard to find is to deny His generous gifts. He chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 Dapto Church of Christ Sermon Series The Letter to the Ephesians—Lesson 11 Chosen for light December 1, 2019 Page 4 Expose the darkness Ephesians 5:11-12 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. I must refuse to participate in deeds of darkness; I must refuse to condone deeds of darkness by my silence. Leviticus 19:17 Rebuke your neighbour frankly so you will not share in his guilt. I must not even try to imagine the depths of sin and depravity that those who perform the deeds of darkness sink to because even that is involving myself in these same deeds. 2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. The people of the world cannot see God’s Light by their own efforts or imaginations. They may come to see it in and through us if we expose darkness and God shows His mercy to them.      Show the Light of Christ Ephesians 5:13-14 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” If I wish to live in Christ, I must be prepared to live in Light and have every thought and deed exposed to God. If I claim to live in Light, I must be prepared for my thoughts, motives and deeds to be examined by the people of the world. If I live in Light I will live with the Light of Christ shining on me bringing me Truth, Forgiveness, Hope, Joy, Peace, Life and Blessing. John 1:4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. In showing the Light of Christ, I am to proclaim “Wake sleepers of the world. Seek to escape from death in Christ and Christ will shine on you”.      He chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4 Dapto Church of Christ Sermon Series The Letter to the Ephesians—Lesson 11 Chosen for light December 1, 2019 Page 5 What does this verse mean for my life? I have been created with a new life in Christ to show His Light. I have been saved in Christ to be a child of Light, a child of God. I have no fear of every part of my life being illuminated by the Light of God because Christ has saved me and gained me forgiveness. I have been given the power, in the Holy Spirit within me, to show the Light and illuminate the darkness. I am to live a life of Light and Love because God’s children can do no less because they are created to be like Him. I am to live a life of Light in my behaviour, my words, my desires and my hopes. In living a life of Light I must not be influenced by those who create and spread darkness. In living a life of Light, not darkness, I please God because I show His power through what He has done in my life to bring it completely out of darkness into His glorious Light. Luke 11:33-36 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” John 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. I have been chosen by God to be like Him and live in Light and Love and show Light in all I do.  Next Lesson: Chosen to love Focus Verse: Ephesians 5:25b,26     Ephesians 5:15-33      He chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4