Walking in the Light
Walking in the Light
Ephesians 5:3-14
The group of believers to whom this letter was originally addressed lived in a sex-saturated society. In the city of Ephesus was the temple of Artemis (Diana). Artemis was the greek goddess of fertility. There were lewd sexual practices associated with the worship of Artemis. Male and female temple prostitutes were available for worshipers at her temple. It was not uncommon for men in the Graeco-Roman world to have mistresses. The moral climate of first-century of Ephesus was loose to say the least. These early Christians were feeling the pressures of a society which had enshrined sexuality and encouraged the pursuit of sexual gratification without boundaries.
This same climate of moral laxity exists in 21st century America. Consider these statistics from the winter 2006 edition of Leadership Journal:
- Percentage who've had sex on a first date—29
- Average number of sexual partners men in a lifetime—20
- Average number of sexual partners women in a lifetime—6
- Number of adults who visit adult-only websites in a typical week—11 million
- Percentage of adults who view magazines, movies, or videos containing sexual images weekly—20
- Number of adults weekly who have sexual encounters with someone other than their spouse—26 million
- Percentage of American teenagers who have had sex by the time they finish high school—65
This is the kind of society we live in today. Like the first century, sex has been enshrined and limits have been removed. Our moral boundaries have plunged along with our necklines. When you take a society where sexual boundaries are blurred and couple that with the fallen instincts of the sinful heart, it is a recipe for moral chaos.
The gospel of Jesus Christ transforms sexual attitudes and practices. The Light of Jesus Christ exposes sin and transforms sinners to the point that their lives must no longer be characterized by the darkness of immorality. As we make our way through these verses today, we see that those who are light in the Lord cannot live in darkness any longer. It is incompatible with their new identity in Jesus Christ.
The Impropriety of Immorality (vv. 3-6).
A. Immorality described.
1. Sexually immoral practices.
a. Immorality = porneia = all forms of sex outside the
biblically prescribed boundaries of marriage. This
includes premarital sex, adultery, homosexuality, and
any other form of sex outside of or beyond marriage.
b. Impurity = unrestrained sexual behavior, literally is
uncleanness.
c. Greed = insatiable desire for more. It can refer to
money and possessions. Here it should be understood
as insatiable sexual desire.
d. These three ideas are brought together in 4:19.
2. Sexually immoral speech.
a. Filthiness = obscenity
b. Foolish talk = empty, wasteful foolish conversation
c. Coarse jesting = literally a word that means “well-
turned” it refers to witty conversation. In this context
it speaks of using wit and humor in a sexually
suggestive way.
d. John Stott refers to these three terms together as “a
dirty mind expressing itself in dirty talk.”
ILL: This sort of immoral environment is seen in TV every day. A study showed that 70% of television shows feature sexually suggestive content. In 2005, a new line of greeting cards called the Secret Lover Collection is "committed to providing a greeting card collection with empathy and understanding, without judgment, to lovers involved in a secret relationship."
B. Immorality prohibited.
1. Not even mentioned among you as is proper for saints. There
should be no hint of such practices among those made holy.
2. Which are not fitting. Such practices are not fitting for
Believers. They are incompatible with the gospel.
C. Immorality punished.
1. Those who practice such things have no inheritance in the
Kingdom of Christ and God. That which is promised to the
Believers in 1:11, 14 will not belong to those who practice
sexual immorality.
2. The wrath of God comes upon those who practice these
things. Not only do they have no inheritance with the
redeemed, the wrath of God will be poured out on them.
3. We need to be clear that Paul is not talking about people
who have ever done these things or believers who have
sinned in such ways temporarily. He is speaking of those
who demonstrate that they are not saved by a lifestyle
which is characterized by these things.
4. It is a warning to be taken seriously.
D. Thanksgiving promoted.
1. Note the two very different inner attitudes of the heart which
are represented here.
a. Self-focused, discontent attitude referred to as greed,
covetousness, and idolatry which is expressed in a
life of sexual immorality.
b. God-focused, content attitude referred to as thanks-
giving which is expressed in a life of obedience to
God.
2. This shows us that Paul is not advocating moralism but
Gospel transformation. Moralism is insisting that people
clean up their lives and be more religious on their own to
please God. It is a sort of extreme makeover powered by
your flesh to be a better person for God. The Gospel, on
the other hand, gives you a new heart which is happy in
God. It is a heart changed by Christ and content to obey
God in the happiness of satisfaction in Him. Rather than a
heart controlled by self-seeking, insatiable, sinful desires
for sexual gratification, you have a heart happy in God and
pleased with what He has given you. You are thankful.
TS – So, in vv. 3-6 we see the impropriety of immorality for a Christian. Now, in vv. 7-14, we see…
II. The Transforming Power of Christ’s Light (vv. 7-14).
A. Christians are light, not darkness.
1. We used to be darkness. This picks up on the contrast Paul
uses repeatedly in Ephesians. Once dead in sin, now we are
alive in Christ (ch. 2). Once far off, now we are brought
near (ch. 2). Once an old self characterized by sin and decay
now a new self characterized by righteousness, holiness,
and truth (ch. 4).
2. We are now light in the Lord. Note, not you are “in light”
but you “are light” in the Lord. This makes it clear that it
is the inner transformation of the person, not just his or
her environment.
B. Christians must walk as children of light.
1. This consists in a life characterized by goodness, righteous-
ness, and truth. We have already seen these qualities as
traits of the new life in Jesus.
2. This consists in discerning what pleases the Lord.
a. The phrase “trying to learn” is from a word which
means to test and approve something. It is the aspect
of discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.
b. The Word and the Spirit working together in us help
us discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Remember
that we learned Christ, were taught in him the truth,
and are having our minds renewed. It is the Word of
God as illuminated in our minds by the Spirit of God
that allows us to learn what pleases the Lord.
C. Light exposes and transforms darkness.
1. Rather than participating in deeds of darkness, we are to
expose them. The Christian who is shining as light in an
evil world will expose the deeds of darkness as they are
seen in contrast to the light. By our words and our lives we
are to expose sin.
ILL: I read about a man who ran a carpet cleaning business. He would go into a home with a special light. This light would illuminate all the stains in the carpet like urine crystals from pets, etc. He stated that it would show things on the walls, carpets, drapes, etc. After turning on this light in one home, the homeowner said, “Turn it off. I can’t bear to see any more. I don’t care what it costs, clean it up.”
That is the power of the light of Christ. Sins may lie undetected in the darkness. But once the light of Christ shines on them, they are exposed in all their ugliness. As believers, God uses our holy lives and our loving proclamation of the truth to be like that light which exposes sin.
It is possible that we here today are having that very experience. We are reading and hearing the Word of God proclaimed and the Spirit of God is shining it with a million candle power into the dark areas of our lives where sin is hiding. Now it is exposed. We need to realize that…
2. Light not only exposes, it has the power to transform. Light
exposes things and makes them visible. Then, it also has the
power to transform darkness into light.
ILL: O’Brien states, “The disclosure of people’s sins effected through the believers’ lives enables men and women to see the nature of their deeds. Some abandon the darkness of sin and respond to the light so that they become light themselves.” (O’Brien, Ephesians, p. 372)
3. Verse 14 represents a quotation of some kind. Some believe
it is a quotation from an ancient hymn based loosely on
a passage like Isa. 60:1-2. The purpose of the quote is to
demonstrate what Christ does by shining His light on us.
It is a description of conversion. We are dead and asleep in
sin. The Spirit of God through the gospel calls to us to
awaken from sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will
shine His light on us. It is a fitting conclusion to the idea
that light will expose sin and transform lives.
CONCLUSION:
A Christian living in immorality is a walking contradiction. How can those who are light in the Lord live any longer in darkness? If you know Christ and you are living in an immoral relationship, God calls you to repent and get back on the path of holiness. If you have a potty mouth and like to use obscene language or tell vulgar jokes or laugh at other people’s vulgar jokes, God calls you to repent and get back on the path to holiness. If you have been ensnared by pornography, God calls you to repent and pursue holiness.
There is a tremendous passage in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (READ). This passage reminds us that God can change immoral people through the power of the gospel. Some of you here today were immoral. Some of you here today may still be living in immorality. The good news is that the gospel of Jesus Christ can change your life. You can be washed from the filthiness of sin. You can be made holy by the Lord Jesus Christ. You can be forgiven and pronounced righteous by the Lord Jesus Christ.
God not only bids you to change, He provides the power for change through the Holy Spirit who comes to live in us when we trust in Christ. You can be a child of light. You can live as a child of light. Don’t live another day in sin. Cry out to Jesus. Run to Jesus. Trust in Jesus and be changed.