Walk as Children of Light!
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week we read the 1st 5 verses of Ephesians 5. We learned that we are beloved children of God and because of this we are to be imitators of our Father in Heaven. When we know our Father and receive His love we are to walk and live in love. We have been made new, we have been chosen, we have been adopted by the King of Kings, the creator of all things bought us, we are His. We are now to walk in Him. We are not to practice the things we once practiced when we did not know Him. Sexual immorality is dead, we are alive in Jesus Christ. All uncleanliness has no power over us, the power of jesus Christ now lives in us. We are no longer greedy because we are saints and saints do not practice the ways of old. We don’t talk obscenity, or foolish talk, our tell dirty jokes because we are too busy giving thanks to God and telling others of the One who loves us and died for us. We have the power and the ability to walk in His ways in Him. We must cloth ourselves in Him. Our problem is we keep putting on the dirty old self that Christ died for and set us free from.
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
This is the word of truth the word of God. Lets us be children of light who not just know the truth but we walk and practice the truth. If we don’t we are lying to ourselves and to the One who crated us.
Paul continue s to talk of the old and the new in verses 6-14. He talks of how we once walked and lived and how the world that does not know Him is still walking. But because of the great redeeming work on the cross that Jesus Christ our Lord and savior did for those He chose and adopted we walk as children of light, we are continuing to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. He has awakened us, He have brought us from death to life, and Christ shines on us and in us. As Christians we don’t stay dead and hopeless. We are made alive and we cannot keep quite. We go and shout it on the mountains. We just have to be careful it’s not just words people are hearing but they are seeing Christ in us and the love of Christ.
Lets pray
Lets read Ephesians 5:6-14
We are to know the truth and walk in truth!
Paul is telling the church to let no one deceive you. He has been telling the church all through the letter. He was telling them truth because they needed to know it. How will the church be deceived? With empty words, with words that will not help build up the church, with words of no value, with vain words. These words are coming from sons off disobedience who will one day experience the wrath of god if they don’t turn to Him in faith.
We the church must be able to discern the difference from the lies and truth, between what is good and what is bad, to discern what is of value and what is worthless and we know this by God’s word.
We were once sons of disobedience and did not know the truth and we were easily deceive, we were children of wrath Eph 2:3, we were dead in our transgressions Eph 2:5, we were Gentiles, heathens, unbelievers, idolators Eph 2:11, separated from Christ without hope and without God Eph 2:12, Our thoughts were once useless and without purpose unproductive and our understanding that we did have, was being darkened more and more and we were excluded from God because of our ignorance and of our hard hearts Eph 4:17-18
So let no one deceive you because that is not who we are anymore. Who are we and why are we who we are now? In Eph 5:1 we learn we are children of God. We are saints Eph 1:1. We are chosen and without spot Eph 1:4. We are predestined for adoption as sons of God Eph 1:5. We are redeemed or our sin have been paid for and we are forgiven Eph 1:7. He made us alive with Christ Eph 2:5 and so much more. How is this possible? By faith in Christ! You heard the truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed, you were sealed in Him/Christ with the Holy Spirit. God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us Eph 2:4. He did all the work so we would know Him and know the truth and rest in Him.
We are to know the light and walk in light!
Eph 5:7-10 says do not practice these things, do not do life with these children of disobedience. You were once in darkness but no more.
Can we evangelize to those in darkness? Not only can we but we should be. We just need to protect ourselves from practicing the same sins as they are committing. The church has fallen into this trap and it’s hard to distinguish the church from the world. There is no difference and they look alike. The things Paul listed for the church not to be partakers of are not just being practiced by the flock but also by some of the shepherds who are to protect and teach the flock.
To be more acceptable to the world they have started look like the world to draw more people to Christ and they are imitations of Christ and not imitators. Being a follower of Christ has never been popular, fashionable, or cool. If it is it may not be Christ you are following.
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
This is how we are to walk.
verse 10 says we are to be trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. We spend too much time doing what pleases the flesh and what the world finds pleasure in.
13 “Others have been with those who rebel against the light; They do not want to know its ways Nor abide in its paths.
If we know people like this and they want to walk in darkness be careful not to walk in darkness with them even if it costs you your friendship or maybe a broken relationship with family.
In these days it common to have sex before marriage. It’s common to live with a woman or a man who you are not married to. It’s common to have kids before marriage. Just because something is common and acceptable to the world does not mean we as believers are to lower our standards of living. Lets walk in light. Let’s speak truth, lets know the truth and practice it because we are children of God and children of light. It’s who we are! We are not darkness any longer.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NASB)
18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Corinth was a city filled with sexual immorality and it infected the church. It started to be affected by deception and the practices in the world around them. That danger is still a reality to the church today. Walk in light and be light to the world.
We are to be light and expose darkness.
11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
The light in us Jesus Christ will expose the darkness that is around us. Too often today we see darkness and rather that saying anything and possibly having a confrontation we stay silent. We may say things like who and I to judge and say the Bible says we are not to judge. Or we may say we have to respect their choices. Sin causes death and separation from God . It’s not something we are to take lightly. If we see a brother sinning we need to talk with him or her. If he or she continues to sin we are to talk with them with other brothers or sisters. If still they sin we are to bring their sin before the church and if they still continue to sin then they are to be treated as though they are not a brother but one of the world. The hope is that they turn from sin and turn back to the Lord. This is found in Matthew 18:15-17
Sin is to be exposed and not hidden. We don’t become judgmental just so we feel better about ourselves but we point sin out because we care for our brothers and sisters.
3 “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
It’s what we are to do as a loving brother or sister to help build up and not tear down. We do it out of love.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
We don’t approach sin in attack mode but we speak with grace. And we
Sin is disgraceful and even talking about it is a disgrace but we must not be quiet..
Verse 13 when light touches something it becomes light. The light in us Christ in us has the power to turn someone from darkness to light. We don’t expose sin to shame a person and condemn them. We do it in love as Christ loves us. As long a sin continues in secret it will continue to thrive.
20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
One may not want to be exposed but if they come to light what a great thing happens in that!
The Lord wants to illuminate those who are in darkness. He did that to each of us who were once in darkness.
We are to be awake and not asleep. There are many who are spiritually asleep and dead. But we are not because we have been raised up with Him .
In closing
I think that at times we can get too comfortable and forget what Christ did for us. We have him shining in us and on us. Let us represent Christ not just on Sunday but everyday. Let’s love others as he loved us. Let us live as children of light. When we are light we will not be deceived and we will not deceive others either. We will walking in light and not darkness. We will be obedient and not disobedient. And remember it’s not for salvation but a result of our salvation and Christ in us.