Lesson 10--Light and Darkness--Ephesians 5:1-14

Robert Taylor

Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Ephesians 5:1–14

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The church exists to be light to show the darkness of the world.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

What is the darkest place you have ever been?

Perhaps, like me, you have gone to New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns. The Caverns has a room called the “Great Room.” When you descend into the room, the park ranger has a demonstration. The artificial light is turned off, leaving a room darker than imaginable. You literally cannot see your hand in front of your face.

In the physical world, we can experience that kind of darkness. Mostly, we meet it in varying shades of darkness. Yet, the way you deal with darkness is with light.

In this lesson, we want to think about those two elements, light and darkness. Light is the very foundation of creation. In Genesis 1, Moses wrote, “without form and void, and darkness moved upon the face of the waters,” In this darkness, God said, “let there be light.”

The antidote to darkness is light, that fundamental element of God’s creation.

In this lesson, we will meet a central idea of Ephesians. The church exists to be light to show the darkness of the world.

So, let’s turn off the lights and experience the darkness.

Discussion

The Example of God

Our lesson begins with a conclusion of the last class, which provides a bridge to this lesson.

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1, ESV)

Every child understands the idea of this passage. When they want to pester a brother or sister, they mimic everything that the other does, just to irritate them.

The term “mimic” comes in this passage. We are to look at God and “mimic” him in our lives. For us, that seems absurd. How can we imitate God because God is God.

Yet, this is part of what the end of chapter 4 says.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, ESV)

Our treatment of our brethren should take on the tenor of God’s action to us. We forgive as God does. We are kind to others as God is kind to us. Our actions are tenderhearted and compassionate because that is how God deals with us.

The basic premise of the church’s action and its members is that it is the mirror of God. If the world sees the church, it sees the God they serve.

Yet our lives are like a carnival mirror that distorts the image. Instead of seeing God, they see a twisted vision of God. No wonder the world is confused.

The best yardstick of daily living is simple. Would I like it if God treated me how I am treating others?

This arises not just to end a passage but as a transition to another piece, the one we see in this passage.

The Sacrifice of Christ

For the third time in 35 verses, we come across the keyword of the last half of Ephesians: walk.

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2, ESV)

The daily life of Christ is to exude the same love that Christ had for us. Verse 2 shows what kind of love Christ had and the type of love we must offer.

He speaks of two things: an offering and a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, we met both of these. The offering is something given from the fields. Wheat grown by the farmer was given as a food offering. However, the sacrifice is one that had blood in it. It was a lamb slaughter or a bull on an altar.

We can see this most clearly in the story of Cain and Abel.

“In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,” (Genesis 4:3–4, ESV)

Cain brought an offering while Abel brought a sacrifice. It was not what was given that was at issue in Genesis but how it was given.

Together, these two terms describe the sum of all giving of self in the sacrificial system of the Mosaic law. In short, Jesus gave all he had for us, all the sacrifice and gift available.

But Paul adds something to it. He says it was a “fragrant offering.”

In Exodus, we read of the same concept concerning the sacrifices God instructed.

“Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head, and burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD. It is a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.” (Exodus 29:17–18, ESV)

The emphasis is not on the aroma but is symbolic for what is pleasant and pleasing. How do you respond when you are hungry and get a whiff of chocolate chip cookies? Doesn’t it feel good? Is it not something you want?

It is a figure for an offering that God saw as acceptable. It fits with his command and came from an attitude of gratitude. It made God happy.

Our lives must exhibit the kind of care, concern, and love that flows out of a heart that gives itself. That is a challenge for people who seek their own way. In this verse, Jesus shows us the way.

What Christ does and what we are commanded to be, stands in contrast to the environment of the Ephesians.

The Darkness of the World

One of the prized possession of Ephesus was the temple to Diana. It was massive and exquisite. Today, only a few ruins remain, but they have reproduced it with a full-scale model.

It served a Greek goddess Aphrodite, or Diana, as the Romans called her. She was the goddess of love, sensuality, and eroticism. The worship of Diana came in the form of a drunken orgy in which men and women engaged in unspeakable acts. Yet, under the umbrella of religion, it became not just accepted by expected.

I find it fascinating that in all cultures, when business and commerce are threatened, everything that threatens them can be dismissed. In Acts 19, Paul faced the angry silversmiths of Ephesus as his preaching of Christ was causing people to forsake Diana. Without Diana, their commercial ventures were collapsing.

It is no wonder that Paul must write this section, for it was so pervasive. Old ideas die slow deaths. And when you have hooked your spiritual life to immorality, something pleasurable and enjoyable, it is even harder to break.

Yet, through a series of verses, Paul describes the degradation that must never mark the life of a Christian.

He begins this ugly journey in verse 3:

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” (Ephesians 5:3, ESV)

The words drip with filth. Sexual immorality was any sexual perversion that could be named from adultery and fornication to things far more repulsive.

A Greek named Solon introduced prostitution to Athens and built brothels until it became an ancient Las Vegas. Its lucrative trade soon spread to Ephesus, where the temple of Diana rested. It was a way to institutionalize and legitimize wickedness.

While we feel surrounded by these kinds of things through pornography and a slackening moral climate. It is mild compared to the Ephesians. They could go nowhere without being propositioned by a prostitute.

But Paul paired the physical act with the spiritual motivation of covetousness.

Covetousness is wantonness. It is desire run amok and out of control. It wants to have without considering or caring about consequences. Covetousness is animalistic pursuit.

Paul says this does not “fit” with the Christian lifestyle. It is like a child’s finger painting hanging in the Louvre. Immorality in a Christian life is a giraffe in the Kentucky Derby.

Yet, it goes on beyond the behavior.

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4, ESV)

Here he comes to the speech again. This time the focus is on humor.

One interesting question is, where does humor come from? It arises from whatever is top of mind. Wit seeks for something which it sees as clever. For a mindset on the flesh, its first joke source is something crude, dirty, and demeaning.

When we listen to jokes today, many of them are nothing more than a reflection of our society. Most of the humor does. It dwells in the sewer of life, drudging up the slop and making a turn of phrase interesting.

It is also a way to avoid taking responsibility. The term “crude joking” was applied to Ephesian orators who could say outrageous things and then say, “what’s the matter? Can’t you take a joke?” It is a dodge of responsibility by those whose minds are perverted.

Again, Paul condemns the idea of how out of place it is for either a society or a Christian. He says it is not proper but still occurs. It shows how tangled the current climate is with Christian belief and living.

Paul’s remedy is to contrast it with thanksgiving. Instead of seeing the world’s darkness, a Christian sees God’s blessing and the good of the world. Usually, our eyes see what our mind is tuned to. Like an old radio in cars on a long trip, you had to turn the dial to find a station you liked. Paul says tune your mind to God’s good, not the depravity that this world offers.

When Paul writes this, it is not because he is just a Puritanical prude. It is because, when you look beyond today, consequences are coming.

“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.” (Ephesians 5:5, ESV)

All of what incorporated daily life in Ephesus (or America) will face God’s wrath. It will be judged and excluded to the eternal garbage dump where it belongs.

He adds “idolater” to the list because it describes one more facet of the problem. Not only do you engage in behavior and have a thirst for more. You being to worship it as your god. You give your whole self to it.

We usually like to stop and just wag our finger at immorality as something evil, wrong, and perverse. It is that, but that’s not Paul’s actual point.

One truth of humanity is that life is what is seen. Beneath the surface is what drives it. Behavior always has a value that prompts it to happen. No one does anything without a deeper reason.

So what is this? It is a contrast of lifestyles.

Back in verse 2, Paul spoke of sacrifice and giving. It was about yielding to the good of others and the commandment of God. But verses 3-4 it is about self-gratification. I want to feel good. I deserve this. I want this. I am free to do as I please, and no one can tell me what to do.

Wrong choices come when you feel like you have complete freedom to do as you choose.

The real problem with immorality and sexual sin is what it reveals. It pulls back the curtain of a motive of satisfying self at all costs.

In closing this section, Paul reminds them of evil’s shell game.

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6, ESV)

Those caught up in the immoral trade of Ephesus told people it was good, proper, and even holy to do such things. In America, the debate over prostitution comes down to a single phrase. “It is a victimless crime.” But as we see from human trafficking, it is far from victimless. It destroys both parties.

In marriages, an extramarital affair labeled “normal” leaves people broken and feeling cheap and used.

God’s punishment always flows toward those who justify sin in any way.

The practical idea is expressed in verse 7:

“Therefore do not become partners with them;” (Ephesians 5:7, ESV)

Paul doesn’t tell them, “move out of Ephesus.” Instead, he talks of the emotional and spiritual distance we take. We don’t dabble, engage, or approve of it.

To win the lost, we have to engage them. But to win the lost, we cannot become like the lost. Behavior and attitude must be so distinct that the world knows what a Christian is. Sadly, this line has blurred over recent years until an angry Christian shaking his fist looks like an angry looter carrying a TV set. When the lines are not clean and clear, the world will never believe the message.

When we employ the world’s methods, we become partners with the world. Beware that preacher who says, “this is what works in the world.” It is a handshake with the devil.

Paul then turns the light on in this dark world.

The Light of the Church

As Paul comes to a close in this lesson, he points out how far the Ephesians had come. And for the fourth time, he tells us how we ought to walk.

“for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8, ESV)

Now, they had turned a corner. God had flipped a switch in their lives when they became Christians. As with him, conversion made their spiritual blindness fall as scales from the eyes. Bathed in light, they are different.

The image of light has so many facets, some of which Paul attempts to convey.

Light Produces Fruit

In verse 9, Paul says:

“(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:9–10, ESV)

As an apple tree produces apples, light produces something else. He says there are three things: what is good and right and true.

This triad is the essence of God and his kingdom. We do what benefits others (not ourselves). Light seeks to do what God says to do, to obey fully. And it sprouts truth, the idea of something real, accurate, and eternal in life.

No wonder when you examine the darkness it seeks its own way, no matter how vile to God, and uses deception to rationalize it.

It is proverbial to say, “the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Look at life, and you will see how much light it has.

Light Exposes Evil

When I was living on the Gulf Coast, we had roaches. I don’t mean those little things. We could ride ours. I had a two-year-old who was fearless. She would smush roaches barefooted. (She’s still fearless at 38!)

At night, I would walk in the kitchen, flip on the light, and they would scurry for the cover of darkness. They did not like the light for it showed them.

Paul agrees with the roaches.

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” (Ephesians 5:11–12, ESV)

Paul wants Christians to turn on the light to show how dark the world is. He wants us to put actions in a furnace and see if they are pure. The light will try them and show what a genuine life is.

The reason is the roach reason. Wickedness doesn’t like to be exposed.

When I was growing up, the 10 pm news always started with this tagline: “It’s 10 pm. Do you know where your children are?” That’s a good question because nothing good happens in the dark of night. Wake up and see how many murders, rapes, and robberies occur in secret places. Trysts happen in hideaways.

Shame never exposes itself to examination. But the Christian is not afraid of the light. He will let all of his life show for what it is…a child of God, forgiven by God, and living for God.

Light Make the Hidden Plain

You see things when you turn on the light.

Sometimes, usually at Christmas, I have to get up in my attic to haul down Christmas decorations. As I climb the stairs, there is a pull chain just before I get into the attic. I pull that chain, and a naked electric light bulb glows.

I do that because it is dark up there, and I need the light to see what I am searching for.

That is one of the functions of light.

“But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”” (Ephesians 5:13–14, ESV)

When the light is shown, people see it. We live authentically as Christians. That means “what you see is what you get.” We have no ulterior motives, no skeletons in our closet. We can let our computers be searched and our lives examined. We want life to be seen because it is in the light.

As Paul closes this section, he has an allusion to two Old Testament passages, Isaiah 26:19 and 60:1. Most suppose that this was an early Christian hymn much like Philippians 2:5-8.

Think about that church. They sang about the light. We do the same. We just update the words:

Walking in sunlight, all of my journey,

over the mountains, through the deep vale;

Jesus has said, “I’ll never forsake thee,”

promise divine that never can fail.

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight,

flooding my soul with glory divine:

hallelujah, I am rejoicing,

singing His praises, Jesus is mine.

Conclusion

Paul makes the most dramatic contrast between a life engaged in the world or one immersed in Christ in this lesson. One is full of darkness. It appeals to the sensual side of mankind, to the selfish part. It sniffs the wind seeking to satisfy self at all cost to self and others.

But on the other hand, there is the glorious light of Christianity. It seeks to serve, give, and obey. It wants what God wants above what I want. And in the end, we get what we genuinely need by letting God have his way with us.

The light is glorious but living in the light is difficult. It is in that difficult walk that the Ephesians and us must live. It is not easy.

This passage highlights a truth that we many times miss. The church doesn’t exist to be comfortable.

The church has wanted society to change to make us comfortable in recent years. We want to be stroked, encouraged, and praised by culture. At best, that’s a fantasy.

In reality, as this passage teaches, we live in a way that makes it uncomfortable to stay in the darkness. God wants us as light not to be comfortable but to be confrontative. We want to expose the degradation of evil and the dead-end of selfish living.