Newness of Life Lived in the Light

Transcript

GR 2329
10/31/2021
Newness of Life Lived in the Light
Ephesians 5:8-14
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the book of Ephesians in your bibles and the 5th chapter. Ephesians 5 in your bibles. Just a reminder, the first three chapters set the doctrinal foundation. And chapters 4, 5 and 6 put the application. There’s a mixture in all the sections, but basically most recognize that kind of division in this letter and other of Paul’s letters. In the letter to the Romans it took eleven chapters for the doctrinal foundation to be set and then chapters 12 to the end talk about the application. How we are to live in light of that doctrine. Doctrine and lifestyle are inseparately joined together. So, chapters 4, now we’re in chapter 5 and 6, we’ll talk about more of the application and how we are to live. What we are to do. How we are to walk will be a key emphasis here in verse 1 of chapter 4, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” Which takes us back to the first three chapters. He talked about the calling that we have, being made new in Christ, now identified with Him, now to live a new life. Walk, live your life out day by day, step by step, in a manner that’s pleasing to God.
Verse 17, “Therefore, this I say,” we have it translated ‘so’ in the New American Standard, it’s the word ‘therefore’, same word you have that began the chapter, chapter 4:1, ‘therefore’. So, you have in verse 17 of chapter 4, “Therefore this I say, and affirm… that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk.” So there is to be a change, a transformation in our walk, in our daily living. Which you would expect. We were dead in our transgressions, dead in our trespasses in sins, as he said in chapter 2. Now, we’ve been made alive in Christ. Of course we’re going to live a different life. We’re going to live differently than we did before. The world around us doesn’t change, except for the worse as it deteriorates. But we now are living a new life in a new manner.
Chapter 5 opened up, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love.” There again that emphasis, how we are to conduct ourselves. We are to be imitators of God. We are now His well loved children. We are to walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for you. So, that is to control us. Now, that means that sin is not to be a part of the life that we now live.
Verse 6, “Let no one deceive you,” chapter 5:6 of Ephesians, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” An expression that was used back in chapter 2 and verse 2, and the end of that verse that it’s “the spirit that’s now working in the sons of disobedience.” So, naturally we’ve got just two kinds of people in the world. That’s all there is. All the variations, all the different viewpoints, all the different religious systems, there are just two simple groups of people. Those who have been redeemed by the grace of God through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and all the rest who haven’t. No matter what they believe, no matter how they live, no matter what their convictions are, there are only two groups of people. So, that’s what Ephesians is drawing the line very clearly about.
So, the first six verses of chapter 5 talks about we walk in love. The love is exemplified in the finished work of Christ on the cross. That the Son of God joined with the Father and the Holy Spirit, the triune, the one God, eternally existing in three persons. The Son of God left glory to become a man without ceasing to be God, so now He’s the God/Man. He died on the cross, paid the penalty for our sin. So, now we can live new lives, have new life. We are not the sons of disobedience at the end of verse 6 talks about, live in disobedience against God. We want to be careful. You can be conservative politically and be a son of disobedience. We want to be careful we don’t merge things that don’t merge. The Jews were much closer than the average Gentile, in the sense they had the word of God, the Old Testament. They were the nation among all the nations of the earth that God had chosen for Himself. And yet, they were without hope, without life. God had set them aside with the finished work of Christ on the cross because of their persistent rebellion against Him. They will someday be restored and welcomed back as the nation He has chosen, but there is much, much heartache, much tribulation that goes on before that happens.
But the transformation that God brings about in a life is real. So, verse 6 concluded that section of walk in love, just as Christ loved you. Verse 6, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things… the immorality, the impurity, the greed, the filthiness, the course jesting, all these things. They’re characteristic of the world in which we live. Don’t be deceived, don’t think, well, a person cleans up his life and does a lot better. “For because of these things the wrath of God comes.” They don’t all do them all as badly as they could be done. We can be thankful for that. But they’re not to have any part in our life as those who have been made new by the finished work of Christ.
So, “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore,” verse7, “do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, walk,” and there’s our word again, “walk as children of light.” We had it in chapter 4:1, “walk in a manner worthy.” We have it in chapter 4:17, “walk no longer just as the unbelieving Gentiles also walk.” We had it in chapter 5:2, “walk in love,” the example being Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for our sins. Now again, verse 7, “do not be partakers with them,” because verse 8, we’re to “walk as children of light.” It’s another picture, we’re going to have light and darkness, death and life. One of the pictures that we have, the light and darkness. It’s the same as the death and life. There are only two groups of people in the world, those who are in the darkness, those who are in the light. Those who are darkness, those who are light, as he will make clear here.
But he says in verse 7, “Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Rather we are to walk as children of light. This takes us back to chapter 4:22, “that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self,” the old man, the old person, “which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,” you put on, you be renewed, in the spirit of your mind, made new. That’s an ongoing process. “And put on the new self,” the new man, the new person, “which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness, and holiness of the truth.” And so falsehood and all those things, they all go. That doesn’t mean that believers cannot stumble, and we do. But you cannot live your life in the old way, in the old place. It’s not possible. You can come to church here, but that doesn’t make you new. You can hear the truth, that if you believe it will make you new, but really, until you’re made new within, there’s nothing there that pleases God. The most conservative politically, the most religious person, is in rebellion against God, because at root, they haven’t let go of everything they could do and place their faith in Christ and His death on the cross as the total fulfilment in payment for their sins. They haven’t been made new within. That’s the key. It’s the key to understand here. It’s not as if everybody who attends Indians Hills is good, and everybody attends another church is bad. Everyone who attends Indian Hills then who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone, and been made new within, is now to live a new life. But other people can attend, and have over the years. Some of them have gone on, not to other bible-believing churches, to places, some just don’t go anywhere.
So, therefore, don’t be partakers with them. It’s the dividing line. We’re not going to share in common with those who are unbelievers at root, at heart. Even those who may conform in more ways than other. That word ‘therefore’, it connects to chapter 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God.” And the ‘therefore’, immediately connects to verse 6, “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Those who don’t obey God and live for God are under the wrath of God. “Therefore do not be,” and this would rather be, ‘do not become’. Do not allow yourself to be molded and shaped, it’s a command given in the present tense. Do not be becoming partakers with them. So, don’t allow yourself to try to live in two worlds, is what he is saying. Do not becoming partakers with them. Do not become partakers with them. Don’t think, well now I’ve settled it, I’ve trusted Christ, now I can go on and live my life. Some people have that idea, Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Yes, of course I’ve trusted Christ. Wait, no, we’re talking about a trust that changes a person within, inside you are made new. You “put on,” verse 24 of chapter 4 said, you “put on the new self,” you’ve been made new within. That’s different than just conforming the best you can externally, and getting on with your life.
“Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Don’t get involved with the world. Now, what he’s going to say here, what he said so far in chapter 5, and what he’s going to say as we move on, particularly to those who have been made new in Christ. It’s not, well, if we get the world to stop doing what it does. Similarly then, you have a Jewish kind of unbeliever. Hey yes, I don’t do some of those things, I would agree that they should not do those certain things. (We’ll get into marriage and so on as chapter 5 moves on.) Well, sure we agree with those things. But it is a change of heart that comes to faith in Christ and what He has done on the cross. “Do not be partakers with them.”
Come back to 1 Corinthians, that’s just in front of Ephesians. You have Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. So, we want to go to 1 Corinthians 5, and we’re going to pick up with verse 9, “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people.” Now, be careful here, because Christians, sometimes get confused on this. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people. I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolators, for then you would have to go out of the world.” The world is sinful. Now, some in the world would not do these sins but they do these other sins. But the root sin of not placing their faith in Christ alone, and trusting in Him and His word, that’s the root sin. The others are just manifestations, they can take a variety of places. So, I wrote to you, not to associate with immoral people. But I didn’t mean the immoral people of the world. So, you go to work, that’s part of what you do. And you have contact with the unbeliever and some of them will be immoral. Some of them will be covetous, some of them will be idolators, revilers, drunkards, swindlers.
That’s fine, they’re just manifesting what they are. They’re an old man, the old person at heart. They might look down on people who do some sins while they do other sins. “I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother,” verse 11. So, those who profess to be believers but live in sin, you’re “not even to eat with such a one,” verse 11 says. So, important to make a distinction between those who are believers and those who are not. Or those who are professing to be believers and those who are not. “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” There was a man who had committed immorality. He was living in immorality. He hadn’t just committed immorality and realized and faced it and stopped it. He’s living there. That’s what the first part of the chapter 5 is about. Yet, he professes to be a believer. Well, then you cut off any association with him. But you don’t cut off associations because, oh, I’m going to quit my job because the person I’m working with is an immoral person. Of course he is or she is, God looks at their heart, they are unredeemed, they are polluted and defiled by their sin, of course. We want to be careful. We’re going to get into this in Ephesians 5, as we move along here, that you don’t try to bring the unbeliever into conformity with what a Christian is to live like. Because then all you have is someone like the Jewish unbelievers. Then, of course, yes, so sexual immorality, of course not, everybody knows that that is sin, and certain other things we would all agree on. But that doesn’t make a person a safe person. So, we want to be careful.
You note the mixture in verse 11, “I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother,” one who claims to be a believer but “is an immoral person, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler.” No, I don’t associate with those people that claim to be believers. Now, there may be, I’m not going to indulge in the things that the unbeliever indulges in. And I’m not going to associate with those who profess to be believers who indulge in those things. So, you remove the wicked, this is talking about the church and it’s fellowship. We don’t tolerate open sin. Now, we’ve all sinned, we sin, we sin with our tongues, we need to correct it and get on with our lives. There is the discipline of Matthew 18 that we may get to later.
Come back to Ephesians 5. So, we want to be clear on verse 7, “do not be partakers with them,” referring back to the sons of disobedience. And they evidence they’re sons of disobedience because they live their lives disobedient to the word of God. Well, not in one area, but in another area, well, in any of these areas. Believers are not perfect, but when they do stumble, they get it right and get back to where they belong. Otherwise, we become the perfect, and that becomes its own sin. Because James said, if we didn’t sin with our tongue, we’d all be perfect, because we all say things we shouldn’t say. But when we do, we ought to correct it. And make sure that it doesn’t become a pattern for us.
So, “do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light.” You see the contrast. It’s not, well, now you’re in that gray area. No, you were darkness, now you are light, period. There is no gray area, an area we may not know. But in reality, it comes down to you’re either in the darkness or you’re in the light. And your behavior is a manifestation of that. We ought to be careful here. It doesn’t matter that you’ve attended Indian Hills. There are people who have attended here who’s lifestyle and manner of life indicated they are of the darkness. There have been children raised here, it’s just the way it is. You were formerly darkness, now you are light in the Lord. Formerly darkness, now you are light. I have a whole list of passages here. Well, we’ll start.
Come back to 2 Corinthians. We were in 1 Corinthians, come to 2 Corinthians. We’ll just take them in order. If we run out of time, I’ll leave out some of the later passages, maybe. 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who is shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” You see the distinction, we were in darkness, now God has “shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” We understand what Christ did for us on the cross. We understand He, the Son of God, left glory. Was born into the human race. Was eternally God and yet now had become man. He was the God/Man. He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. That light has shined in our hearts, it makes us different. It causes us to live differently. I know there are people… the average Protestant says, oh yes, I believe in Christ, the average Catholic says I believe in Christ. Believers have a change of heart. And now the desire to live pleasing to Him. And when I stumble, when I fail, I want to correct that, I don’t want to live there any longer.
Come over to Colossians, that’s just after Ephesians. You have Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, that were all written, those three letters were part of the prison epistles package that Paul wrote while he was in his first Roman imprisonment. In Colossians 1:12, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” That’s the change that has occurred. God brings it about when we place our faith in Him and Him alone as our Savior. It’s not the average Protestant, the average Catholic, well, yes, I’m going to do good things. It’s the transformation that God brings about.
Come over to 1 Peter 2, almost to the book of Revelation, you come to 1 Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.” And you note, that’s what Israel was to be, but they failed. They’ve come under the judgement of God. They are set aside for a time. And God now, is dealing with all nations, as evidenced in this church and other churches around the world. Primarily they’re made up of Gentiles. So, we’ve become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” You see that picture, darkness and light, darkness and light. The distinction is between a true believer. Not in a church, not in a church system, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
I just want to stress that, because the average Catholic would agree with everything and say, oh yes. But their faith is in their church and in doing what their church tells them. And the average Protestant is there as well. We used to meet at lunch on Sunday with a dear couple that attended a Protestant church. And as best as I could tell, they weren’t believers but they were just sure they were fine. And they were good people but they weren’t saved people. They didn’t seem to really understand. So, important. We have that happen at this church, I understand that, that people go through. Well, I go through, you know I conform, I try, I come to the service, I do, I mean, I’m good. No, that doesn’t transfer you from darkness to light. It’s recognize that I’m a sinner and Christ is my only hope. And I place my faith in Him. So, verse 9 goes on, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Into His marvelous light.
One more passage, 1 John, just keep going back, almost to the book of Revelation. 1 John 3, and we’ll look at verse 5, “You know that He appeared,” Christ appeared, came to, was born into the human race, “in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin,” the one who abides in Him, “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins,” that present tense, that’s the pattern, the characteristic of their life, “has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin, is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin.” Now, he can commit acts of sin, but he cannot live a life of sin. Verse 10, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious; anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor does the one who does not love his brother.” And on he goes.
Come back to Ephesians. So, that’s all included in what Paul is saying in more of a summary fashion. Verse 8 of chapter 5 of Ephesians, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord,” by virtue of being in Christ. Now then, the instruction, “walk as children of light,” period. “Walk as children of light.” You don’t live your life in the realm of sin. You walk as a child of light.
Come back to John’s gospel, chapter 8. John’s gospel chapter 8:12, “Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world.’ ” You see, there’s light. When You come to Christ, the light is turned on within. Many of you could give testimony to that fact, that yes, there came a time when the light came on within me and I saw what I didn’t see before. I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness. And there’s the contrast we have in the letter to the Ephesians. We will not walk in darkness. That’s the pattern of our life, it won’t be characterized by darkness. Now, what he is saying is more and more that these believers need to understand, there ought to be less and less sin in a life. We say, well, I know I’m a believer but… Wait a minute, if I’m living in sin, what makes me think I know I’m a believer? I’m saying I don’t believe the word of God. “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Now, I realize how long can I indulge in that sin. David indulged in it, he was ready to judge the person when Nathan came to him and told him about the man. Oh, well, we ought to judge him. You are the man. Oh. But it wasn’t a life characterized by that, it wasn’t the pattern that fit him. It was a period of time, I’d say you just do it once, but when you are confronted, you deal with it.
You’re in John, you might as well come back to John 3 while you’re here. John 3:19, “This is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” I want the light of the word to shine on me. I want it to reveal me as I am. And when I am out of step with the word, I want to get back in step. It doesn’t mean I’m never out of step. But I don’t live out there. I can’t live out there. I won’t live out there, is the pattern.
Come back to Ephesians 5. We are to walk as children of light. That’s what those passages indicate. We walk as children of light. That’s it. The unbeliever, you see them, they are constantly adjusting and there is sin. But I go to confession and I go to this, I’m good. Now, wait a minute, this is not the way we are as believers in Jesus Christ.
Back in Ephesians 5:9, there’s a parenthesis that further explains what the Light produces. So, walk as children of light. Then you have that parenthesis in verse 9, “for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” That’s what the light is concerned about. That’s what you want to examine your life. Is my life basically characterized by goodness, righteousness, the truth of God? Well, no, but you know, nobody’s perfect. No, but no child of God is perfectly imperfect either. It isn’t, you know, I shouldn’t have said that, I wish I didn’t say that, I need to rectify that if I can, or at least get my tongue under control. But, yes, I go on. Well, once I get through this, once I get this the way that I want it, then I’ll be… “The fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” The goodness, that’s one of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22. But the Spirit produces in the life is goodness. We desire the good things of God. We desire to correct the things that don’t measure up, because the Spirit of God is now controlling this life.
Righteousness. Come back to Romans 3. Romans 3, we’re going to verse 21, “But now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested.” Verse 22, “even the righteousness of God (that comes) through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So, we have to back up, have I ever recognized my sin, and placed my faith in Christ? No, but I, I’m sure I am, and I’m really down on sin and sinners and… Well, the Jews were too. And some of the Gentiles were, in their own description. The righteousness of God, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ, and then results in righteous life. You know, it’s not just, well, we are declared righteous in God, now we can go on and live our life the way we want. No, our life becomes His life. He gets into this in Romans 6, 7 and 8. We live a new life. We are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” So, now we have the righteousness of God credited to us. We are born again, we are made new.
And come back to Ephesians, we have goodness, we have righteousness, we are characterized by truth. And that was up in verse 24 and 25, where you “put on the new self,” the new man, “which in the likeness of God has being created in righteousness,” there’s our word again, “and holiness of the truth.” Righteousness, holiness, truth, truthfulness. That’s why we study the word of God together. It is a constant thing. We’re never done. I’m never perfectly conformed, but I want to be more and more like Christ. I want more and more of the righteousness of God to be seen. I want the truth and truthfulness to characterize my life. So, that verse is a parenthesis, so when you get to verse 10, “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord,” really goes back to verse 8, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord, walk as children of Light.” Verse 10, “trying to learn,” approving, “what is pleasing to the Lord.” Perhaps there would be a better translation, you have in the margin of the New American Standard, ‘proving’, but ‘approving what is pleasing to the Lord.’ That’s how I sift out of my life, would this be pleasing to Him? Is this pleasing to the Lord?
That’s why the knowledge of the word of God… we study the word together, why? Well, that’s what you do when you go to church, you study the word, then you put your bible aside, and next week you come and study it. No, this is to help us understand it, so as we day by day, through the day, remind ourselves of what the word says. I’m at work, I’m surrounded by unbelievers, but the word of God tells me I live differently. Not to condemn them, but because I’m a child of God, I expect them to live the way they are. So, I don’t try to get them to clean up their life so that I’ll feel better. But I do want them to know that God will clean up their life, and that will make them a new person, they now live in the light rather than the darkness. That’s the difference, we end up sometimes denying… well, if she wouldn’t do this, I would like it a lot better. So, they don’t do that, but they’re no closer to God, they are still in the darkness, they just do a different work of darkness, rather that that one. Yes, but I feel better about that. But really, the issue is light and darkness. So really, we want to come to the who. I appreciate, you know, that sometimes, oh I shouldn’t have said that. No, that’s fine, but why do you think you shouldn’t have said it? Maybe there is something deeper, more serious here, that you need to take care of. You can’t say that every time, because they might do it dozens of times in a day. But I’m going to live differently. That’s not going to begin to shape me, so I fit their mold. So, I am going to be approving, verse 10, what is pleasing to the Lord. That’s the goal. What is pleasing to the Lord, I want to be approving those things.
2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.” That’s our ambition as a believer. I want my life to be pleasing to God. It’s not just when I go to church on Sunday, it’s not just when I’m around church people. I want my life to be pleasing. We “have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ.” And there will be an evaluation done, even of believers, as verse 10 makes clear.
Verse 11, come back to Ephesians 5:11, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Do not participate, do not have fellowship, don’t have anything to do with it. No, I’m not going to participate in them. So, I recognize the unbeliever is different than the believer. One lives in darkness, one lives in light. I have to conform myself to the light of God’s word. “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” So no, I won’t do that, no, I won’t cheat on the job. Why wouldn’t you cheat? Well, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am to conform my life to the character of the One who loved me and died for me. That’s not attacking them, because for them to stop cheating at this, to take a vacation, won’t make them any closer to God. So, I want to be careful I don’t think, well, I’m doing some good, because I got them to quit cheating at work. Well, that may be better for your employer, but it doesn’t move that person any closer, any more than the Jew who would agree, yes, of course, you don’t cheat, but they weren’t any closer to God. So, we make them feel better about themselves. So I may explain why I won’t do it, I won’t participate with them in the doing of it. “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them,” I’m willing to reveal them and make them known.
And commentaries, we won’t go into it, make a distinction here, some of them, between a believer and an unbeliever. And too, I do want to make these things aware of an unbeliever. I want to be clear, yes, the reason we don’t do these things. We want to be clear on that as believers. But now I don’t go out and then my job tomorrow morning is to make clear that we have to, because they are sons of darkness. Until God transfers them and only He can do that, through faith in the finished work of His Son, from darkness to light, they are darkness. So, I don’t want them to feel better about being what they are. Oh, well, I won’t do it either, because yes, of course I want to please God, too. Well, I want to be careful, I want to get to the root issue here. Because we have all of these sins, and some of them are mentioned in, you know, we have groupings and so on. But they don’t always say the same thing. Because they are just giving you examples of what is the characteristic of the person who is not under the authority of the God of the scripture. Do not participate, don’t fellowship in, “do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.” Like we do now, of course we want to talk about the sins now, and the good things now. Because I’m talking to basically an audience of believers. But for the unbeliever, you quit lying at work. I don’t lie at work, I don’t think you should either. So, he quits lying, now what? He still steals, or does whatever, commits immorality. It doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have, why won’t you do that? Well, the bible says there are only two kinds of people in the world. Those who are children of light and children of darkness. And in the darkness, you do what is not pleasing to God. That’s what I’m concerned about, to do what’s pleasing to God.
Now, you can’t please God until He makes you one of His children, makes you new within. I have to get to the root of the issue. The issue is, this is a child of darkness. Now I’m trying to make him behave like a child of light. The bible does not say that’s our goal. Now, if I’m in charge of my business, I’m running my business, yes, I can set the parameters. But I’m just talking about generally, the people in the world around us are going to be living as children of darkness. And we’re going to stand out, because we’re children of light. And they’re going to hate that. That’s what John talked about.
Verse 12, “it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.” Now, you’ll note, at the end of verse 11, we expose them. In verse 12, it’s disgraceful even to speak of them. And then in verse 13, “all things become visible when they are exposed by the light.” What is it? You know, one thing is I don’t say anything about it, the next thing it says I make clear what it is. And I think what we’re talking about is the actions of a believer. We want a believer to understand, no, that’s not acceptable. You know, you’ve got to talk about that, well, I cheated at work, and I got extra but good came out of it because I got promoted. Wait a minute, you have to back up, you’re a believer, there’s certain things you don’t do. And you expose them by doing the right thing. And I’m reviewing them to be, and as a believer, no. I’m not saying you can’t do them. Now, if I have responsibility for that person, you can’t do them while you’re working for me. Now, my boss may overrule me. Those kind of things are there. Now, I won’t do it. Well, my boss told me to cheat. Well, I can’t cheat. My boss told me to lie, well, I can’t lie. Those things I can’t do. Now, they can, they are children of the Devil, children of darkness. I can’t be like them. I can do the best I can without cheating and lying and doing things. Because I’m a child of the light. So, I want to be careful I don’t make the children of darkness, live like a child of the light, because that makes it easier for me, That’s not what this scripture is talking about. “All things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”
The idea here, verse 12, is disgraceful to speak of the things, we don’t approve them, we don’t agree with them, we don’t participate in them. And they are done in secret. The unbeliever does his wrong things secretly. Now, the secret may be when I worked at a business, the boss would do the books a little differently. But then overall, he would look at that as fine. I just couldn’t get involved in that. I can’t do that. It’s not what I can do. And if you want to know the reason, it’s because… and I can give the reason. So, I want to be careful. This doesn’t mean I’m going around and pointing out everything everybody around me is doing wrong. Because that’s a litany that won’t stop. It’s not until you’re made light in the Lord. They are done by them in secret, to one degree or another. “All things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light,” or I think a better translation may be, ‘the light makes everything visible.’ I think the last part of the verse, ‘the light makes everything visible,’ is better than, “everything that becomes visible is light.” Although true, the light reveals what is good and what is evil, but I think ‘the light makes everything visible,’ fits the context here better. When all things become visible, when they are exposed by the light, for the light makes everything visible. That’s what it does, it reveals, when you bring the word of God. I don’t help the unbeliever and say, you shouldn’t have said that that way, that wasn’t nice. And it wasn’t in accord with the bible. But he doesn’t, he’s not motivated, oh well, I agree with that, I shouldn’t have said that, ok, I won’t say that anymore, now I’m acceptable to God. Well no, you’re no more acceptable to God. So, I want to be careful that I keep a balance here. I expect the unbeliever to be an unbeliever, and live in darkness and be a child of the Devil. I would like him to become a child of God. I don’t get him any closer by getting him not to do a certain thing he’s doing. So, I want to be careful we use this properly.
Verse 13, “all things become visible when they are exposed by the light,” ‘and the light makes everything visible.’ “For this reason it’s says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ ” It seems that there’s two passages from the Old Testament. They are not exactly as Paul has them here. You have them in the margin, you can mark them if you want, Isaiah 26:19 and Isaiah 60:1, you could put verse 2 with that. Seems to be the passage and the idea is that verse 14 summarizes what he has said in verses 7 to 14, because you’ll note verse 15 opens up, “Therefore be careful how you walk.” So, verse 14 pulls together what he has said, when he says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” And he quotes from those two basic passages, Isaiah 26:19 and Isaiah 60:1, 2, to support that. The light, what you are to be in the dark world in which you live and we live… but you live, because you get up tomorrow and go to a job that is surrounding you with unbelievers. But you are light in that darkness. I say, yes, but there’s a lot of darkness and there is just one little light.
That’s fine, and you want to be careful that you shine as you should. And that means there are certain things I will do, there are certain things I won’t do. There are certain things, but I do them. There are certain things that are clear, I won’t cheat, I won’t lie, I won’t steal. There are just obvious things, but they are clear here, because the pressure of the world over time, and we see this.
This is where it’s important, when we make the distinction between a true believer and an unbeliever. Because the unbeliever at one time… Our country, use our country as an example, would have agreed these certain things are wrong, wrong, wrong. But now, well, things change. But some things don’t change. The word of God does not change. What is wrong is wrong. What is right is right. We’re going to get into this when we talk about marriage and husband and wife. Well, things have changed. No, they haven’t changed. Slaves and masters, he’s going to get into that at the end of chapter 5 and then into chapter 6. So, we’ll talk about these specific there. But here the general principles are established that, awake sleeper, we rise from the dead, Christ will shine on you. Now, what about the others? Well, if they haven’t been awakened from the dead, if they haven’t had Christ shine in their life, they’re still in darkness. Now, my goal is not to try to make them live the better life that will conform to the word of God, because they are still darkness. They are counterfeit at best. But there’s no real life there. So, I want to be careful that I have the picture that Paul is drawing here, fixed in my mind.
Come over to 1 John 1:5, as we wrap up here, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light. And in Him there is no darkness at all.” So, that’s it, light and darkness. Light and darkness. “If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” We don’t have a relationship with Him. “But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Walking in the light doesn’t mean we’re sinless. Because of His Son keeps on cleansing us. But I have as a goal of my life, to please Him. To live pleasing to Him. To honor Him with the way that I live. So, the light in the darkness again, is the picture. And if you’re living in the darkness, you’re walking in the darkness, that’s the characteristic of your life.
Not, well I go to Indian Hills, I follow along in my bible. How do you live Monday through Saturday? How do you live your life? Is it as one who has been made new in Christ, who has been transferred from darkness to light? God is light, in Him there’s no darkness. So, that when I commit an act of darkness, I sin. That is contrary to who I am and the God that I love and serve. That’s why I want to make it right. I want to fix it. I want to get straightened out here. And not do it again, and again, and pretty soon it becomes a pattern and then I have to question, am I truly a child of God. And how many believers over the years have said, been honest with, I don’t even know where I really am. Because I can’t tell anymore where this is my life or the other is my life. I said, well, lets just start at the beginning then and settle that once and for all. Are you truly a child of God, lets tell God you’re a sinner. Tell Him you need His Son. You don’t know, but something is wrong in your life, and you want His Son to be your Savior. And go from there.
Because that’s what the Devil does, little by little. We’ve got this as a church, the attitude of the world, towards certain things, they are not sinful anymore. And for you to say they are sinful… and then you’re in trouble. If you’re going to work here, you can’t say they are sinful. Well, ok, but I won’t do them. I won’t practice them. That’s the distinction. It’s not changing the people around me, but being sure, not in a self-righteous way, I am a child of God, I don’t do those things like you do. No, that’s not what he’s talking about. He’s talking about, no, I don’t do them, I can tell you why I don’t do them. Because I’ve placed my faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ who died for me. He made me new, I don’t do them. But what you do is up to you. I can’t change everybody at work, but I can draw the line, I will not allow work to determine what I am to be. Again, the balance. We sometimes think, well, I’m being a testimony, I’m telling them all that what they’re doing is wrong. It’s not what Paul is talking about. He’s talking about those who become light by the grace of God and are no longer darkness. They are light, not darkness. That’s what they are, light not darkness. Now, they are living a new life. And until that happens, everything else is just adjusting in the darkness. And for that, there is no hope.
Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord for the riches of Your grace that provided salvation, simply and fully in the person and work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Who came to this earth, born of a virgin, was crucified on the cross, and in so doing, paid the penalty for our sin. So, that through faith in Him, we could have new life. We could be transferred from the darkness to the light. From death to life. And now, we can live lives that are pleasing to You, acceptable in Your sight. Pray for any who are here, that think coming to this church, being raised in this church, being part of this church, is what will get them to heaven. May they see and understand, by Your grace that it’s only through faith in Christ and what He did on the cross for them, that can make them new and change them from within, and give them the desire to be pleasing to You. We commit ourselves to You, in Christ’s name. Amen.