Follow the Example of Christ in Private and Public

Scene 1: Light or Darkness is a choice we must make each day V 1-4

Someone once said that, “Some people change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat.”

That is a choice, which we are faced with.

Will we choose light or darkness?

Purity or sin.

I once heard a comment, I think it was at a Pastor’s meeting, “that it must take so much effort to appear on Sundays to be a good Christian but to live a life of sin all through the rest of the week”.

But another person responded that it wasn’t all that hard, as they had lived that way for years before getting things sorted out with God.

Contrast the culture that we live in with the culture, which we all know that the Bible calls us to create.

On the one hand we have sexual immorality,

All sorts of impurity,

Unrestrained obscenities in every day speech,

Foolish talk and constant coarse jokes.

These are the things that verses 3 to 4 speak of.

Things, which should not be seen in the Christian community

On the other hand there is the call of verses 1 and 2 to imitate God.

Living lives of love, purity and sacrifice for others.

It’s a pretty stark contrast isn’t it?

At our area Pastor’s meetings and at almost every Chaplain’s meeting I am at our conversation often focuses on just this stark contrast.

We wonder out loud to each other how on earth can someone live such a double life as this or that situation.

How can we bring about change and repentance?

Usually the conversation is an expression of a pastor’s frustration that people just won’t do what is best for themselves and the kingdom.

Even when we know, that they know what is the right thing to do.

We wonder how on earth things can change.

People seem incapable of choosing light.

As I have listened to my peers at times there is this incredible frustration.

“I have done everything I know how, I have loved these people, walked with these people, taught them how to stay close to God, everything but still they have chosen to do xyz”

As a pastor’s heart breaks there is a simply reality.

Someone they love has chosen darkness instead of Christ!

Scene 2/ And by choosing darkness they choose condemnation

Ephesians 5:5–6 NLT

5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.

Now I am not sure that it can get any plainer than this.

A life lived in rebellion, either openly or in secret against God results in being excluded from heaven.

Hell isn’t a nice place, let’s be sure about that.

But still people refuse to walk in the light.

Or is it that they are simply incapable of walking in the light and so do what is natural, walk in darkness?

In the letters of Paul and the other New Testament books Christians are frequently warned against idolatry.

The early church lived in a world filled with idols.

Both the Romans and the Greeks used them.

Paul’s observation about Athens in Acts 17:16 tells it well: “He saw that the city was given over to idols.”

But idolatry is more than just bowing down to a statue or an object.

We need to understand and see that idolatry today looks very different.

In the New Testament the term “idolatry” began to be used as an intellectual concept.

Idolatry became the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper.

Colossians 3:5 points in this direction: “Put to death . . . greed, which is idolatry.”

And again we see in Ephesians 5 verse 5 the same concept.

At this point we must understand the vicious nature of idolatry.

While we may not make or bow down to a statue, we must be constantly on guard that we let nothing come between God and us.

As soon as anything does, that thing is an idol.

In addition to material objects such as houses, land, and cars, idols can be popular heroes or those whom we love.

Objects of worship can even include things like fame, reputation, hobbies, pride, pleasure and deeds done in the name of the Lord.

Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin.

No wonder prophets preached against it so often and so strongly.[1]

And no wonder so many today fall into condemnation because they have put some thing, person or experience above God.

As verse 7 says, therefore or because these people and things will lead you to condemnation don’t get involved.

How do you avoid the thing that will bring you undone?

Now I don’t know how you are at seeing things in the dark.

It takes quite a while for my eyes to adjust when the lights are turned off.

And one of the problems I have faced in some of the places where we have lived is that if Toni has gone to bed before me the lights at that end of the house are off.

So when I finish whatever it is I am doing, I turn off the lights and find that I am now stuck at one end of the house and the bedroom is at the other.

This is a real issue in our current house where there is a corner at the end of the hall way.

By the way Toni can see quite well in the dark!

The best way to avoid walking into the doorpost in the middle of the night is to turn the light on.

But then there is a trade off as to what is more dangerous.

Walking into the door post or waking up your wife when you turn the lights on.

The best way to avoid spiritual darkness is to turn the spiritual lights on.

Scene 3/ To chose the light we must walk or live as Children of the Light

Look at the contrast in verse 8 once you were darkness / but now you are light in the Lord.

Because this is now your position, live like it is true.

Here we see a clear command.

It is not a suggestion, it is a clear order; you are light so be light.

This is our part of the deal.

A decision of the will is required if we are to choose light instead of darkness each and every moment of our lives.

This decision will be evident by what comes out of our life.

If we evidence goodness, righteousness and truth in increasing measure then it is evident that we have chosen light.

The well known saying from Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” sums up very well what we need to do to walk as children of light.

We need to exercise our will and choose what is right and we need to surround ourselves with God’s word, which is a lamp to enlighten and guide us.

As we do this though we need to be careful as verses 11 and 12 warn us.

We need to expose darkness, but let’s not become so fascinated with the wrong that others do that we end up falling into the very sin that we agitate against

Jesus said of himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

We are his children so isn’t it natural that as the quote in verse 14 says we wake up to ourselves and allow his light to illuminate our lives.

It is certainly much better than walking into spiritual doorposts.

The second thing that we need to do; to turn the spiritual lights on and avoid falling into spiritual darkness is to be filled with the Spirit

The tense of the Greek word translated filled indicates that filling is a moment-by-moment, repeatable action.

It is something Paul commands the believers at Ephesus to be[2]

Notice that in verses 15 to 18 there is an emphasis on being wise, knowing what God wants.

The only way you can live each and every moment with complete wisdom is to let God’s Spirit control your life each and every moment.

Just as an act of our will is required each and every moment in order to choose light and goodness over darkness and evil.

So too each and every moment of our lives needs to be lived in surrender to the indwelling of God’s Spirit in our lives.

The Holy Spirit will bring great wisdom and power, but only if we continually invite him to have absolute supremacy in our lives.

There is no magic that needs to happen to invite the Holy Spirit to control your life.

There is no special knowledge.

Quite simply you decide to say continually, “Lord I give you control of my life at this moment and every moment of the day, encourage me to chose what is right and convict me to avoid what is wrong” Amen.

Yes we must diligently read our Bibles, not so that we are full of knowledge but so that the Holy Spirit can remind us to do what we have read.

And so that he can remind us to say what Christ said.

Yes we need to spend time with other Christians at church and in small groups.

Not just to have fun and fellowship, although these things are very important.

But so we can be challenged and held accountable, so that we know someone is going to ask us the hard questions to keep us accountable and support us when we get it wrong.

Victory in Christ requires Christian community.

Scene 4/ If we choose light over darkness then verses 19 to 21 tell us that instead of despair and pain our lives will be characterised by;

Speech that is Holy, filled with references to God’s goodness, the psalms, to God’s greatness, Hymns declaring God’s magnificence, and to God’s love for us, Spiritual songs which tell of what God has done for us.[3]

If we choose light over darkness then instead of despair and pain our lives will be characterised by;

Singing and music, which is associated with joy and celebration.

The Christian life truly lived is joyous.

Not the merriment of too much alcohol or the foolish belief that everything will be wonderful no matter how bad things are.

But the deep joy of a certain victory over death and the real presence and peace of God; even in the face of death or extreme suffering.

If we choose light over darkness then instead of despair and pain our lives will be characterised by;

Thankfulness, the genuine sense that God has given me Jesus the one who has bought salvation.

He is everything I really need.

The Christian life truly lived is one that is characterised by an attitude of thankfulness for what you have, not bitterness about what you don’t have.

If we choose light over darkness then instead of despair and pain our lives will be characterised by;

Submission to one another.

The Christian life is not about the darkness of one up man ship.

Trying to reach the top by climbing over the bodies of those you have knocked down to get there.

Instead the Christian life is characterised by a mutual respect.

Willingly serving others rather than dominating them and exalting ourselves. [4]

Choose light over darkness by exercising your will, choosing to live as children of light and surrendering each and every moment to God’s Holy Spirit.

For this is the path to peace and victory over sin rather than despair and condemnation.

[1]Youngblood, Ronald F. ; Bruce, F. F. ; Harrison, R. K. ; Thomas Nelson Publishers: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville : T. Nelson, 1995 [2]Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1999, S. Eph 5:18 [3]Radmacher, Earl D. ; Allen, Ronald Barclay ; House, H. Wayne: The Nelson Study Bible : New King James Version. Nashville : T. Nelson Publishers, 1997, S. Eph 5:19 [4]Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:640