Walk in the Light
Notes
Transcript
Openning
Openning
Illustration of light casting out the Darkness-
Scuba diving at night story.
Bring light with- to show the church its brightness.
I Love to go scuba diving-
I love seeing all the creation around me -
I have been on a few night dives in the ocean- We leave when the sky is completely black and head out to the dive spot-Once there, We jump off the side of the boat one-by-one until everyone is in the water.- I gotta tell you- jumping off the boat into complete darkness is a little bit of a heart raiser. Once we are all in the water- and our gear is checked- we begin our decent down into the ocean- We go between 30- 60 feet down.
Before we go down- (show light) We all pull out a tool that every diver must have for this dive- a Light.
Going 60 ft down into the ocean at night would be crazy but with a light it makes everything around you shine bright.
That light takes the darkness and pushing it away so that we can see everything around us.
With the light shining in the darkness- it reveals many different kinds of fish like Giant Angel fish, nice sharks, sea slugs, and Lots of lobsters. But it also brings out thte colors of the coral reefs around.
Without the light we see nothing but with the light we see everything around us/.
TRANSITION: Paul continues on in our study through Ephesians on what it looks like to walk worthy of the calling by which Jesus Has called us as His church
We are called To live a life that exemplifies Jesus to the world.
Open up your Bibles with me today to Ephesians chapter 5 verse 3-14
READ: 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” [ESV]
BIG IDEA: As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to WALK IN THE LIGHT
BIG IDEA: As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to WALK IN THE LIGHT
Again in this passage Paul takes us down to the brink of the total depravity of man with out God so that he can show us how amazing it is to be in Christ.
Paul uses a contrast in this text to describe who we were before Salvation with who we now are in Christ as His church.
So bear with me as we delve into the sinfulness of darkness so that we can greater understand what it means to truly be redeemed and in the light.
Paul begins our text in verse 3 describing the characteristics of those who live in darkness.
Read vs 3-5 “ 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
Notice what the focus of these descriptive action are on. The characteristics of darkness are all about self gratification and self pleasure. They look at life as an opportunity for selfish gain and happiness.
Paul in these opening verses, is saying to the Christian that this is who you once were before Christ changed you.
Once Darkness
Once Darkness
Characteristics of Darkness
Characteristics of Darkness
The Actions of Darkness
The Actions of Darkness
Impurity, Sexual immorality and Greed(vs. 5:3a)
All of these actions are selfishness to the core,
they are all about my pleasure, and my happiness, and my feelings.
To be impure means that you are morally wrong and that your life has been spoiled by sin.
Illustration: think about a glass of fresh pure water. It’s pure -because it is untainted by anything else, but as soon as as any kind of substants gets into it - it is no longer pure water but tainted water.
Hadley and I have talked about going on a trip to the Fiji Islands and its not because of the amazing diving or beautiful beaches - although Im sure we would definatly partake in both of those- Its so that we can go to the Fiji aquifer and drink from the worlds purest water source.
I would have no problem bending down and drinking from that water.- However, I dont think I couldever be close enough to death to feel the need to drink water from clear Lake-
Why? Because it is filled with impurity.
and Paul is telling us that this is what we look like compared to God’s perfection.
sexual immorality like Impurity is a general term used to describe sinful relationships and actions in our lives.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 tells us that sexual immorality includes Adultery, Fornication and Homosexuality
1 Cor. 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
any sexual relationship outside of a heterosexual marriage whether its just emotional or physical is impure and immoral when it comes to God’s perfect standards.
To be immoral or impure means that you are neglecting and defying God’s law of sexual relationships that He has established for mankind.
Paul also includes Greed in this list of selfish actions- Greed or covetousness (as some translations call it) is a jealous longing for what others posses.
its the idea of thinking that you deserve what they have more than they do- and that if you had it your life would be better off.
All of these actions are the lustful desires of Darkness.
These sins are in direct contradiction to Christ and His love for us.
Dr David Jeremiah, “ love and lust are opposites, Love gives; lust takes, love sacrifices itself, lust sacrifices other. love purifies; lust degrades. love satisfies; lust leaves a gnawing emptiness.’
When we look at the actions of Darkness- of life without God- Everything we do is centered on our own self.
Think about about- Before Jesus my world revolved around me-
TRANSITION: Paul goes on to say that the characteristics of darkness are not just Selfish action but also Selfish Words,
Text 5:4 “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.”
Paul is telling us that there is no place for this kind of filthy talk in the life of a Christian.
The speech of Darkness -is Corrupt Speech (vs. 5:4)
The speech of Darkness -is Corrupt Speech (vs. 5:4)
Crude joking, Foolish talk, and filthiness all describe dirty speech.
This type of talking is meant to bring attention to ourselves at the expense of other people.
I love what Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” [ESV]
We need to understand that the actions of our lives and the speech of our mouths comes from the condition of our hearts.
If we are in Darkness we will produce the actions of Darkness and language of darkness in our lives.
and These types of characteristics are in direct opposition to Gods Word which is Light
Lust and greed are all about self pleasure and
Phil. 2:3 “Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
Vulgar talk is all about self glorification and Gods word says....
Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my mind be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.”
Understand this morning that the characteristics of darkness should not even be named among us as believers in J.C. (vs 3).
This type of selfish actions and speech shouldn’t even be seen or heard in our lives
When the world looks at us as followers of Jesus they shouldn’t even see a hint of this type of selfish living in our life.Why? because these sins are completely contrary to what it means to be a christian.
Trans: Paul goes on to tell us that living a lifestyle of darkness comes with Consequences
READ EPH. 5:5-6 “For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.”
Paul opens up this verse “ for you can be confident of this one thing”.. He is saying “you know this already” -No person who lives a lifestyle of immorality, impurity, and greediness will inherit eternal life because those are the characteristics of someone who still lives in darkness and does not have the light of Jesus in their life.”
and if these are the characteristics of darkness that how dare we as followers of Jesus allow this type of sin to influence and penetrate our hearts as believers.
Paul goes on in verse 6 to say “ don’t be deceived by people trying to twist the truth to make sin not seem so bad.
Sin is sin and is a characteristic of darkness that is in direct contrast to God’s perfection and this will bring on the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.
2 points that we need to understand from this text before we move on
God will punish all sin.
Romans 6:23 “the wages of sin is death- eternal seperation from God forever in a place called hell.
This passage is saying that Living a lifestyle of sin is a characteristic of someone who is without God.
Someone who has not truly been redeemed.
As believers we are not immune to sin in our lives. We still slip up and fall to temptations and commit awful sins.
This is not what Paul is talking in this passage.
He is NOT saying that if you are a believer and commit sexual sins or fall to the sin of greed that you loose your salvation.
When you are a believer in jesus the Holy spirit indwells you and his role in your life is to convict you of your sin, so that you will confess and get right with God again.
This conviction of sin is the proof that God is in your life and that you are truly born again into Christ.
As a believer in Christ sin in your life drives a wedge between you and Jesus
Illustration: thorn in the flesh
a while back Levi and I were hiking in the woods and during the hike I ducked under a low hanging branch on a tree. I didn’t realize at the time but it was a hedge tree with giant thorns sticking out. as i went under the branch I didn’t duck low enough and a thorn poked me right in the top of my head.
It hurt like crazy. We went home and that spot just kept on hurting,
My body was telling that there is something wrong that needs to be corrected
this small wound was irritating me and driving me crazy. It was consuming my actions and my thinking.
and my body just kept telling me that there is something wrong and you need to deal with it,
About 2 weeks went by and the wound was still driving me crazy so I had Amy look at.
She said I think the thorn might be in your head, and i remember saying back to her it wasn’t that big of thorn It barley poked me
She decided to be my nurse and squeezed the sides of the wound
Do you know what happened? out popped a 3/4 inch long thorn and all of the infection around it that had wedged itself in the top of my head.
The thorn didn’t seem that big of a deal when it happened, it didn’t actually bother me too bad for a while. but over time it irritated me so much that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to remove it from my flesh.
Sin is like a thorn for a believer- when we sin against God , it wedges itself in our body and begins to fester in our hearts. and this robs us from being a healthy christian and the longer that thorn of sin is in your life the more it irritates your soul.
and its the same Holy Spirit that seals your salvation that that just keeps saying confess your sins- get it out of your life and be restored to jesus.
If you want proof of your salvation than look at sin in your life. A true believer in jesus Cannot live a lifestyle of sin without the H.S. convicting him and drawing Him back to God.
Understand this morning that Paul is not telling the church that if they commit sexual sins, or immorality, or greed that they will loose their salvation.
A believers salvation is completely secure in Christ
if you are in Christ - there is no sin that can cause you to lose your eternal inheritance in heaven.
Our security in salvation is not based on our actions but on God’s unchanging love for us. AMEN??
So that is not what Paul is saying in this passage?
What he is saying is this “that If your life is marked with unconfessed sexual sin, with immorality, with impurity or with Greediness then you have not been redeemed through Christ , that your christianity is a lie and that you are still living in darkness.
Simply Put _ If your lifestyle looks like Darkness than the spiritual reality is that you are probably still in darkness and without an eternal inheritance in heaven.
Transition: Paul has taken us back to before Christ when we were in darkness without God so that he can know remind us of who we are in Christ - Listen to the text Vs 7
FROM Darkness to Light (vs.5:7-8a)
FROM Darkness to Light (vs.5:7-8a)
Eph. 5:7-8 “Therefore - (because of what we just read) do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light—”
What A beautiful verse we have in scripture
I was once darkness but now I am light in the Lord.
What Paul is saying in this passage of scripture is that if you have been redeemed by jesus than you no longer live in Darkness but are now children of the light.
Just like when I go scuba diving into the depths of the ocean at night-
Before we turn on our lights- darkness consumes everything. But the moment the light is switched on- Do you know what happens to the darkness?
IT INSTANTLY DISAPPEARS because there is no room for darkness in the LIGHT
Paul is telling believers that you are no longer in darkness but in the light, now walk as children of light.
TRANSITION: In verses 8 -11 Paul describes the contrasting character of one who walks in the light as opposed to one who walks in darkness
NOW LIGHT (vs. 5:8b-
NOW LIGHT (vs. 5:8b-
Characteristics of the Light
Listen to our text again in verse 8
Eph. 5:8-11 “ Walk as children of the light—for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
Do you see the contrast again in this verses between darkness and light?
The one who walks in light produces the fruit of the light -which is goodness, righteousness and truth
(refer to screen) This is contrasted with the actions of the one who walks in darkness
Darkness produce unfruitfulness selfish actions of Impurity, sexual sins, and greed.
Walking in the light -Produces fruit of Goodness, Righteousness & truth (vs. 9)
Paul describes what the fruit believers should produce looks like in Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit [this is the fruit that the light produces ] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. “
Notice how the fruit of the light is all about serving others. (walk through the list)
Darkness says do what brings you pleasure, do what will make you happy, But when we are in the light- When we are in Jesus we are brought from death to life, we brought out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Christ, and this means that we no longer have the nature of selfishness but now we are given new birth in Christ and this brings with it a new man that has the character of Christ with it.
This means that we are no longer children of darkness but are children of the Light
THE ONE ONE WHO WALKS IN THE LIGHT WILL PRDUCE THE FRUIT OF THE LIGHT (repeat)
If we want to know who whether we are in the darkness or in the light- look at the fruit that we produce
Transition: Not only does light produce good fruit but our passage goes on to say that it causes us to run from the darkness, and not want anything to do with it.
Ephesians 5:12 “For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention.”
Walking in the light - We Run from the sin of Darkness (vs. 11a)
When Gods glory is our passion and becoming like Jesus is our lifestyle, then the things of this world that use to keep us captive in sin will no longer seem attractive to us in the light -and we will run from their influence in our lives and into the light of living for Jesus.
The more we become like Jesus the more the sins of darkness bother our hearts and this causes us to not even want to talk about them because we know how much these sisn go against our God.
Trans: to walk in the light means that you produce good fruits. To walk in the light means that you run from sins of darkness
and finally....
To Walk in the light - means that your life Exposes the sins darkness in the world (vs. 11b-14a)
Eph. 5:13-14 “But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
Christ didn’t save us to leave the world of darkness, and hunker down in isolation our church building from the world. but he saved us to bring his light into the darkness so that it might too become light.
Paul is reiterating what jesus told His discples in Matt. 5:14-16
Matt. 5:14-16Jesus Said to his followers“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.”
IF you are in Christ you are the light of the world. God has called you out of the darkness so that you will produce Good fruit in your life, so that you will run from the sins of darkness and so that you will reflect the light of jesus saving grace to the world who is still in darkness
and Jesus tells us in Matthew that the purpose of us being the light of the world is so that others who are in the dark will see the light and accept jesus as their savior. ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!
BRING IT HOME
BRING IT HOME
So what does this mean for me today?
I want each us to look deep into our hearts and ask ourselves this simple question? What is my character really like? Do my actions look like the fruitlessness of darkness , or do I look Like Jesus to the world?
If you are here this morning and you are not sure whether or not you are in the light than I ask you to give your life to jesus today. stop messing around with eternity.
Its time to give up control of your life to jesus!
Let him take the baggage of impurity, sexual sins, and greed from you, and give you new life in the light.
Many of us I know are in the light- we have accept the free gift of salvation. We are living in the light of Christ.
the question I have for you is this
ARE YOU messing around with darkness in your life?
Are you falling into sin in your life?
If that is you I challenge to fall on your knees before God, confess your unfaithfulness and be the light That God has called you to be.
Don’t let that thorn of sin keep festering in your body- Remove it today, confess your sinfulness and get right with God so that you can be the reflection of Jesus that you are called to be!
Church family We are called to walk in the light.
“ Let your lights shine brightly in our community so that they will see Christ in you, and accept Christ as their own, so that God is glorified in their life.
LETS BE THE LIGHT IN NORTH IOWA THAT GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE!
PRAY
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