Last week we saw how necessary it is for salvation that we submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and work with Him to conform ourselves to His likeness. We need to remove sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, obscenity, moronic talk and coarse joking from our lives and from our fellowship—because these are the exact opposite of who God is, and so what His children are to be. And He is trying to work these things in us! We don’t want to resist Him, but work with Him. Today, we see that it’s not only for our own personal sake that we need to make these changes, but for everyone around us, to the ends of the earth! From Ephesians 5:8-14.

You are Light

⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

Notice the grammatical error the translators of the NIV make here: “You were once darkness.” Don’t they mean “You were once in darkness”? No, they didn’t make a mistake. We do, often, in our reading. Because it’s hard to imagine that we weren’t merely prisoners of the darkness, we weren’t just trapped in the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13), we were darkness. Before we came to believe in Jesus. We were darkness, we spread darkness wherever we went. We were most comfortable in the darkness. Like cockroaches.

Isn’t that a wonderful thought?

Like Bane as opposed to Batman. We didn’t adopt the dark as cover for our noble but perhaps questionable efforts on behalf of good. To scare the bad guys. We were born in the darkness and trained by it; a true child of the darkness. Light pained us!

This is the point Paul made earlier. We were once objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Last week I asked you to remember that, meditate on it, grasp it, own it! Why? To humble yourselves, to knock you off your high-horses. To help you see that you really have nothing to brag about. You contribute nothing to your salvation, because all your righteous deeds, done in your own strength and by your own wisdom, they are nothing but “filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6, NIV). Not one of us has any cause to think better of ourselves than of another! We were darkness!

Darkness was our native tongue; darkness was our native culture! We look at all those lost people out there and see some truly vile people, and we’re disgusted! We want nothing to do with them. We keep a distance from them as to hopefully forget their existence! There is no difference between who we used to be and who they still are! They still are darkness, just as surely as we once were. They are us before….

“But now,” Paul says. What changed? How did we change?

“Now you are light in the Lord.” What amazing news! How? Did you climb up out of your pit all by yourself? Did you as a leopard change your spots by your own power (Jeremiah 13:3)? Absolutely not! No, it was by faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Then the Holy Spirit made you entirely new, something you’d never been before: Light! God did it! God made you something whose native tongue is now righteousness, whose native culture is now holiness.

I didn’t ask you just to remember that you were once darkness, but also that because of Jesus Christ, having been included in Jesus Christ by faith in His death, resurrection and godhood, you have been transformed into light! A gift that should have you overflowing with amazement and thankfulness and diligence to live as children of Light!

John writes in his first letter, “God is Light. In Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). That’s why no one who continues to live as darkness can dwell in the kingdom and presence of God. God’s light would obliterate such a one. That is why God remains in Heaven and all mankind must remain at a distance from Him. Were He to dwell on earth today, only we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ would remain. There would be no hope for any who have not yet heard and believed the Gospel.

God is light, and now we are light in the Lord. We are supposed to be imitators of God. We're supposed to be as pure and holy as He is.  We are supposed to do what He does and keep separate from what He keeps separate.

Please the Lord

⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.

As light, we should do what light does. As children of light, who continue to dwell among the children of darkness, as former children of darkness, we struggle to understand our new nature and the power we have to shine. But shine we must. That’s what light does. Light pushes beyond itself. Darkness keeps to itself. It expands only into places where light is not. Darkness only grows as light retreats. But when light comes, darkness flees—like those cockroaches I mentioned before.

That “shining” that light does, it consists in all our goodness, our righteousness and our truth. As people who are still so accustomed to the ways of darkness, we need to remember that these three things—goodness, righteousness and truth—are not defined by the world or by nice people around us, or even other Christians, but by God. God alone is the standard of goodness, righteousness and He alone is Truth. As Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Just as you and I once were darkness, but now are light, so Jesus is the Truth.

And that’s what Paul’s been explaining to us, from the beginning of Chapter 4 until now, and he has more to teach us. But for now, we need to understand that everything we’ve been talking about over these several months and more, these are the goodness, righteousness and truth that light produces, that light does, that light is. So these are the things that the redeemed people of God are supposed to be and do.

We don’t understand it all at once. We certainly don’t live it out perfectly all at once. Which, again, is why we need the fellowship of other genuine believers, to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24). And why we need to continually read, believe and obey God’s Word. We need to know this “fruit of the light” so we can produce it better and better. That’s what Paul means when he says we need to “find out what pleases the Lord.” It’s not hidden from us! We’ve been staring at it for years!

This is our highest concern, this is our goal and purpose in life: To study and practice to attain that which pleases the Lord. But don’t think He’s made it so hard you can’t get there! Again, John tells us, “His commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3, NIV). And even more definitively,

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he [Jesus] appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:4-10, NIV)

Do you hear how clearly this transformation that God brought about is to be displayed in us? Darkness and light cannot coexist! The “seed” of God dwelling in the Christian must drive out all darkness from him! It is not optional but inevitable—unless God has imparted no such thing to you. Unless the Holy Spirit of God does not actually dwell within you.  Unless you resist the Spirit of God within you.

Are you compelled from within to seek to know and perfect God’s ways in your life? Then marvel at the God who saved you! Rejoice that you truly belong to Him! Dance and sing for joy, because you are a child of God and you are now light in the Lord!

If you have no such compulsion, be afraid! But don’t just stand there! Stop arguing with Him. Stop thinking you’ve got it all sewn up! Repent and humble yourself before the Lord! Cry out for salvation! Renounce your rule over your life and acknowledge Jesus alone as your Lord and Savior! Then go do what He commands, both asking for and trusting in His Spirit to do the work He insists on doing!

Live to please the Lord by doing what He calls good and righteous and true, and ridding yourself of all your former evil ways!

Rebuke Dark Deeds

¹¹ Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³ But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴ for it is light that makes everything visible.

If you and I want to succeed in the new life God has given us, we must not merely work at learning to do right, we must also flee our customary deeds of darkness. To flee them we must first expose them. The idea here is both to identify what we do wrong and rebuke ourselves for doing them. This is true confession. We have to call out the wrong we do. Tell it like it is. Tell the truth about it. Stop putting lipstick on a pig!

If God’s Word calls it sin, then that’s what God’s Spirit also says! He is, after all, the real author of the Bible! Don’t minimize or excuse what you’re doing by giving it a less-offensive name. Gossip is gossip, not explaining in juicy detail so that you can pray better for a brother or sister!

Viewing pornography is not doing research in order to better serve your spouse in the bedroom. Watching the latest carnal hit show or movie is not studying to understand your unbelieving neighbors and coworkers. You're gratifying your own sinful desires.  It’s all sin if it is condemned in Scripture. You already know how unbelievers think because you used to be one! Scripture itself has plenty of examples of unbelievers and their ways to teach you everything you need to know—and how God hates it!  The sin-filled entertainment choices we subject ourselves to only normalize sinful behavior to us and in us; they deaden our righteous shock toward it.

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather call them out and rebuke them.” This is not necessarily instruction for us to go on a rampage against society. It is a command for us to confess and admit what is sin, so that we will keep far from it. Paul is reiterating and building on his instruction from verses 3 to 7. “It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” That’s why it should disgust us even to mention sexual immorality, impurity, greed, covetousness, obscenity, moronic talk and coarse jokes.  Yes, there are even parts of God’s Word that should make us uncomfortable to read! Especially when God is calling out all the shameful, evil deeds that the pagans do!

But some of us are redeemed from such depths of darkness that there are many things we don’t recognize as evil, and so we need the help and guidance from God’s Word in naming and rebuking such deeds.

That is one fruit of light: It exposes the things otherwise hidden by darkness. Remember those cockroaches? You wouldn’t know they were there if not for turning on the kitchen light in the middle of the night! They flee, but you saw them! They became visible, even if only for a moment.

That’s what Jesus means in John 3:

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20, NIV)

Jesus is the light and He exposed the evil deeds of men. Those who loved their own darkness fled like cockroaches, to wait and carry on without the glint of guilt He brings, to spread and multiply those who agree with them rather than Jesus. They refused to come to the light. They refused to agree that their deeds were evil. They justified themselves. They excused their deeds. They defended their deeds. They called evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20-23)! They would not surrender their evil deeds!

The children of darkness, sadly, are not content to keep to themselves and quietly live their lives of darkness. They must overthrow anyone who calls them out. Like Jesus.

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' (John 15:22-25, NIV)

They have a reason to hate Jesus, but not one God will accept. They hate Jesus because He condemned their sinfulness, both by teaching and by His righteous life. They hate Jesus because He called their deeds evil, and they were unwilling to agree and repent. So they condemned the One who spoke truth, but God exalted Him to the highest place above every power! Men of darkness will do the same to you and me when we point out that such and such a behavior is sin, is something God hates and will judge.

You see, our light isn’t meant only to shine on one another, but everywhere we go! You may want to be a narrow-beam flashlight that only shines on what and who you want to shine on, but that’s not what Jesus intends for you and me to be.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

“A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” A city at night glows bright from all the individual lights shining within it! I lived many years in Tucson. In the mountains at night, looking down on the city, it was a beautiful sight! Almost as beautiful as looking up in the sky at the stars of the Milky Way! But one of the things that area is known for is its astronomy. The City of Tucson had to be careful not to produce too much “light pollution,” so as to impair the research being done at nearby observatories!

What is beautiful to one man is pollution to another. Not to condemn astronomy, but the illustration is powerful. To those who love the darkness, light is poison. It is pollution, just as surely as the deeds of darkness are pollution to the man who loves God!

The more you love something, the stronger you will fight for it. If you love your deeds of darkness enough, you will attack and condemn and seek to silence anyone who speaks against them! Have you ever pointed out a sinful behavior in someone and had them come back with, “Thou shalt not judge”?

Maybe you are a hypocrite, but Jesus has a remedy for that. However, that doesn’t change the truth of your words! They’re trying to make you feel embarrassed for caring enough about them to warn them against incurring greater wrath from God! How twisted is that? You love them, you warn them for their own good, you want them to repent. You don’t want them to reap the earthly consequences of their sin; even more you don’t want them to reap the eternal consequences of their sin. And how do they repay you? The “thanks” just reverberates through your whole being, yes? No, they accuse you of judging them—they want to shame you into silence.

Surely we need to check our attitude. We are speaking out of love for them, right? Not out of a desire to humiliate them or drive them away, right? You know, you’re not judging them. Not any more than pointing out to a friend that the speed limit was 35 while they were going 55. You don’t have the black robes and the big desk and the power to fine them! You’re trying to keep them from facing those guys!

You’re warning them! Judging implies a power to set and enforce a consequence! They’re deliberately mixing terms in order to flee back into the darkness by kicking over the lamp that shines on them.

You and I were made light so that we would shine on this world. Maybe just the house within which we live. Maybe, together, in numbers, the community within which we dwell. Maybe if enough of us get together, we can shine on our state. Maybe even our whole country. Perhaps even the whole world!

Sadly, more will hate us than will come into the light, confessing and renouncing their deeds that are evil. But that shouldn’t silence us.

The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'?" Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them. (John 12:34-36, NIV)

Jesus knew His time was short. He didn’t intend to preach forever; the plan was three and a half years. He hid Himself in this instance; in others He passed through the angry crowd unharmed. But He wasn’t intending to remain as long as possible. And His ministry, His mission didn’t end when they killed Him. It exploded!

You and I are called to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21). We should not fear pointing out what is sin to unbelievers because we know it will incite more to vengeance than to repentance. I know it’s hard; I know it’s frightening. And I know how easy it is to convince yourself that “living to fight another day” is a good thing. That’s how things are done in China, both among missionaries and Christian nationals. Self-preservation is deemed more noble than self-sacrifice. I’m as guilty as the rest, as much as I wanted to do more. I’m guilty of it even here, in my own country, and I’m ashamed to admit that.

But that’s why we need each other. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden!” A single lamp can easily be extinguished, but not a city! That takes some real effort! It can be done, but not easily! We need to encourage each other to do what is right even when it scares us! We don’t need each other to agree that protecting ourselves is good and right! We need each other to affirm that shining the Light of Jesus Christ into this dark world—which includes preaching of His salvation as well as His condemnation of sin and unrepentant people—is right! Though it may cost our lives! For the sake of some who will repent, it is worth losing our lives. That’s what Jesus did, and that’s the example He left us to follow (1 Peter 2:21)!

We think the Church will be snuffed out if we incite the ire of enough unbelievers! Really? Did the Church begin with you and me? Won’t it last long after you and I are gone?

Do you know what the best weapon the enemy has against the “city on a hill”? Fear of losing it. So as to become less of a target, we close the curtains and snuff out our own lights. Remember the air raids of World War II? Blackout curtains. Shut off the lights. If the bombers can’t make out the city, it’s harder for them to destroy it!

That’s what the church is doing today. Turn down the lights so as to become less of a target. We’ll carry on in the darkness. We’re becoming the cockroaches! The desire to endure, to preserve the Church at any cost is what actually kills it. But lighting the fires of goodness, righteousness and truth, stoking the fire, blasting the flames up to heaven—that’s what preserves the Church! Because it emboldens more believers to shine their light, and together with us, we expand our reach, more repent and they are added to our light. Even if the Church is stamped out in one place, it will have ignited a fire that rages elsewhere!

This is Christ’s Church, not ours, and His Church—“the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18, NIV)!

Wake Up!

This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Yes, the Church of Jesus Christ needs to wake up! You and I need to wake up! We need to understand why we’re here and what we really need to be doing! We need to clean house. We need to clean our own hearts. We’ve got a dozen instructions in a few pages of Scripture. We need to take them seriously and become the people God intended!

More than that. We need to be a force for God in our little corner of the world. Not a force for good, as the world defines it and can accept, but a force for God in the world. A light to those around us. A city on a hill for our community.

That means looking at how we’re living. Looking at what we live for. Reevaluating what we’re doing with our days and with our lives. Are we just like all the dead around us, those still dead in their sins and trespasses? Those on their way to not just to the first death, but the second, which is eternity in the lake of fire? Oh, sure, maybe we’re nicer. Maybe we’re more generous. Maybe we don’t commit as many or as heinous the sins as they commit.

But what are we investing our time and treasure in? How busy are we with the things God really cares about? How busy with the same things that unbelievers are busy with?

They give to good causes too! But do they give to Gospel-proclaiming causes? They love their families! But do they daily instruct them in the Word of God and His ways? They go to all their kids’ and grandkids’ sporting or academic events. But do they come to church every time the doors open, and refuse to miss a fellowship for any earthly conflict? Do they show that growing in Christ and learning more of His ways is far more important than academic or sporting excellence? They want their kids to pursue whatever profession suits them. Or they want them to be doctors and lawyers, to be better off in life than they were. But do they want their kids to be better off in Christ’s kingdom than they will be? Do they want their kids to abandon all the promises of the world to take the Gospel to the least reached places on earth, for the glory of Jesus Christ? They want to be good parents and good neighbors. But do they want to call out sin and call people to repent and believe in Jesus? Do they want to see the Gospel reach all the final places it hasn’t yet gone? Do they want to see public sin stamped out in their own community? Do they plead with friend and family, neighbor and coworker to turn from sinful deeds and turn to the living God, to believe in His Son and walk in His ways?

If they’re not going to do that, who is? Isn’t it supposed to be the Church of Jesus Christ? You and Me?

Conclusion

• Identify, rebuke and put away the sin in you

• Put into practice God’s instructions; be the light He intends

• Encourage each other to do likewise

• Warn those around you of God’s wrath on their evil deeds

• Tell them of His mercy and forgiveness for those who repent

Jesus called us the light of the world. We’re not supposed to hide our light beneath a basket. (Matthew 5:14-15) He also called us the salt of the earth. If we lose our saltiness, if we are no different from the world, almost identical in flavor, what use are we? We are “no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men” (Matthew 5:13, NIV). I do not want that to happen to any one of us! We must retain God’s flavor. We must be the preservative God intended us to be. We must shine as the light God made us to be.

We need to wake up and stop living like dead people who think this world and this life is all there is. We live for eternity. We live for the kingdom of God and we want all people everywhere to know and believe in Him and be saved. We need to get to work.