March 1, 2020 BROADCAST NOTES
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. NKJV
What did we learn last week as we began Ephesian 5:1-7?
First, we are to be imitators of God as dear children
We are to walk in love, for God is love
- Put away fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness
- We are saints, meaning He has sanctified the believer and set him apart for righteousness
- Our inheritance comes from the cleansing of Christ. Those who practice fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness have no inheritance in God’s kingdom
- Deception comes through empty words and brings the wrath of God
- Believers are not to be partakers with those who practice such things
Ephesians 5:8-13 (ONCE DARKNESS BUT NOW YOU ARE LIGHT)
Today we continue in Ephesians Chapter 5 picking up with verse 8: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, Walk as children of light.” Paul cannot be any clearer than he is here. Remember, last week we ended with verse 7, “Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Paul had listed works of darkness that as Gentiles these saints once were part of, but now they have been translated out of those works of darkness into God’s marvelous light (see Colossians 1:13).
Paul is speaking of our daily life in Christ. “Walk as children of the light.” It is not about, “Sunday go to church people.” This is speaking to the “New Man,” this is speaking to 24 hour saints of God. This addresses our witness as light in the world. You see, God choose to create His Son’s body in the world among the darkness, not in heaven among angels!
V 9 reveals what kind of light should be shinning from the life of the children of God. (“for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth”). If the goodness of God rules in us, if the righteousness of God is established in us, and if the truth is our practice then all of the other manifestations of the Spirit named in Galatians 5 will also be visible and be light in a darkened world.
V 10 gives us our assignment, which is “finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. This verse helps define our daily relationship with Christ Jesus. Studying the scriptures is our most important resource in coming to know the Lord’s will in all things. Developing our relationship with the Holy Spirit is also necessary. The Lord did not leave us to figure it all out on our own. We have been made alive in the Spirit so that our life is now intended to be lived by the Spirit, not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. For that matter, we are not to trust in the flesh (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
Vs 11 raises questions for us, how do we live in this darkened world if we are not to have fellowship with “the unfruitful works of darkness”? What did Paul mean by fellowship? He certainly did not mean, we are not to have contact with people who are in darkness. The word fellowship is connected with the word devotion in Acts 2:42. We are not to desire or enter into any kind of participation with darkness and the evil deeds of darkness. We are not to be devoted to the practice of darkness and the evil connected to the darkness. We are called to light the darkness which means there are times when we must shine in the darkness.
An example for me came in the early seventies. Working for a television repair company, I associated with a number of people that were fare from the Lord in their social practices. During the year they would get together on a social level. There was drinking, dancing with one another’s wives, not so nice storytelling, and the cursing issue, with Our Father’s name being abused often. Well, I had no need for the activity so I would not attend. Some took offense, like “I was better than them.” They did not understand my values. And quite frankly, I did not like theirs.
One Christmas the Lord spoke to me to go to the Christmas party for my company. I really did not want to go. The Lord explained to me that it was okay and taught me how to respond. He said, be there in the beginning as people just began to arrive. He said, stay until they became inebriated or drunk. And when they began to swap partners in dancing, just politely excuse yourself. He said, “they will remember that you were there and appreciate your coming, but would not miss you when the drinking began.” It was true and it opened doors of communication that I had not previously had.
We are in the world, but not of the world. We are not to be snobbish, but we are to seek the Lord for wisdom on how to relate to the unregenerate that some might be won through our good deeds. One way of exposing the “unfruitful works of darkness” is by simply being the light in the way we conduct our lifestyle and live out our values. People will notice our lifestyle without pointing it out. There are times when we must speak and expose the “works of darkness.”
There have been times when I could not hold my peace but had to address clear sin and works of darkness even if it meant losing my job. One person wanted me to answer his questions, but instead of allowing me to speak, he communicated his views. I told him, that the difference between him and myself was that his highest authority was between his ears. In other words, he was full of pride. I told him, my authority comes from a book, the “Bible. There have been many times I‘ve called people out on their sins, attitudes, disrespect, and views that were clearly ungodly.
Vs 12 speaks to shameful sexual things done in secret by those who are associated with darkness. Paul tells us that it is shameful to even speak of those things done in darkness by them. In verse 13 Paul goes on to the point out that all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light. Light exposes the darkness. As believers walk together in the light, the light becomes stronger or brighter in exposing the darkness. Our question should be, am I shinning as light according to God‘s grace of fruit in my life? As we make manifest the darkness, it becomes clearer and clearer that we are light! We are living in a “day of light”
This takes us back to verse 9, “the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.”
- Goodness: Jesus said “there is none good, but God” The goodness is God’s goodness dwelling in us. Not our goodness measured on a human level, but His goodness which can only manifest through His life which dwells in the true believer who has “surrendered their life to Christ in baptism” in “death, burial, and resurrection life initiated by the “Spirit of God” in the believer’s regeneration.
- Righteousness: righteousness is the result of Christ’s finished work in the cross. He is the righteous one and His righteousness is “imputed” to the believer. I am righteous because He is the Righteous One.
- Truth: Jesus Christ is truth personified! “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” What Jesus is saying to His disciples, is not an abstract statement. Unfortunately, that is how many hear and apply His statement. He says this in the context of the promised coming of the Holy Spirit after His enthronement. “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you . (John 14:16-17).
Jesus, who came in the flesh, was seen by the world, but the world did not know Him, even His own covenant people rejected Him, but those who received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God. Remember Ephesians 5:1, “imitators of God as dear children.”
Here is the proof of our identity as “dear children” of God: Christ is in us by the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are to be light through, goodness, righteousness, and truth. Our testimony is to the world and to the darkness in the world. We are liberators as the children of light!