Living in the Light - Ephesians 6-20

Passage

The New International Version (Chapter 5)

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:“Wake up, sleeper,rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction

Years ago a group of us went and saw a Broadway show in Philadelphia. After the show and while on our way home we became lost. I was concerned because it did not seem like the best area of the city. As we were trying to find out way back to Delaware we turned down a street. At the end was a bus with a cross of light. I told the driver, follow that bus. We did and it led us out of the area and to the place we needed to go to return home. This is a memory I cherish on how God answered out prayer and guided us to safety.

Point 1 - The Light of the Lord

Light is amazing. My husband and I have been reading through the major Prophets. All of whom have amazing encounters with Jesus Christ who is always reflecting some form of light. The prophets encounters were life changing. Some encounters the prophet fainted or fell on his face,

Last year when I began to hear about the Corona virus. I began to study about viruses and how we could stay safe. One thing that struck me is that the virus did not like light. UV light would destroy it. I studied about UV light. UV light has amazing array of types and colors in the light spectrum. UV light must be used with caution. It can be harmful to the human body and not just viruses. UV light damages our skin, eyes and cell DNA. UV light can effect the air and make it difficult to breath by creating OZone. Protective clothing and eye protection must be worn.

It is UV light is used to kill viruses and bacteria. Perhaps some of you use UV light to purify your water? UV light is being used to help clean public transportation, hospitals and many other settings.

How much more is the Light of Jesus Christ a disinfectant to our sin. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)

Point 2 The Effects of Light Deprivation

 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Psychologists tell us that one of the most difficult conditions a person can be forced to bear is light deprivation. Darkness, in fact, is often used in military captivity or penal institutions to break down an individual’s sense of self. Once a person becomes disoriented, once they lose a sense of where they are, and what it is that lurks in the dark around them, or where the next crevasse or wall or attack may be coming from—once they can no longer feel in control of their physical surroundings—a person loses a sense of self.

Every shred of self-confidence shrivels. The giant within them falls and they become whimpering prey of the unknown. The natural instinct to be combative is paralyzed by fear. The spirit of resistance weakens. The prisoner becomes more pliable, more submissive, more willing to take directions.

It disarms a person, this fall into the sinkhole of sensory deprivation. It can drive them to madness. It is, every military knows, an effective technique. Nothing does more than darkness to isolate us from the sense of human support and understanding which, whether we’re commonly conscious of it or not, is the human being’s main source of self-definition. Indeed, darkness separates us from reality. It disorients a person both physically and psychologically.

Joan Chittister, Between the Dark and the Daylight, 2015, p. 17-18. The Crown Publishing Group.

Walking: Which way are your walking?

In Ephesians 5:8 & 9, Paul implores us to, “walk as children of the light for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” On the other hand, the darkness proves only unfruitful. For Paul, there are only two ways for one to walk, the right way and the wrong way, a sentiment that certainly rubs the moral and ethical gray out of a culture awash within it; yet, this is the certain conclusion for Paul of a people who were once dead in their transgressions and who have now been made alive in Christ. There are two ways to walk which is Paul’s metaphor for life. One can walk in the light or one can walk in the darkness. One can live in the light of life and wisdom or one can live in the darkness of death and foolishness. Therefore, he says in verses 15-17, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Conclusion: What is the Meaning of Life?

The writer Robert Fulgham tells the story of one of his professors, a man named Alexander Papaderos,  who once taught Fulgham a two-week course on Greek culture.  Towards the end of the last session, his teacher opened the floor for questions. Fulgham boldly asked “Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life.  After a few moments Papaderos pulled his wallet from his pocket, removed a tiny, quarter-sized mirror, and replied:

When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken piece of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.

I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine-in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light-truth, understanding, knowledge-is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.

Some thoughts to ponder: am I reflecting the light of Christ? What way am I walking, in the light or in the darkness

Introduction by Stuart Strachan, taken from Robert Fulgham, It was on Fire when I Lay it Down.