Well, there's a narrative in certain Christian circles that goes something like this.
I used to be an addict.
I used to be an alcoholic.
Or I was addicted to pornography.
But when I became a Christian, the desire for that sin just left me.
I was miraculously freed from its bondage.
And although this certainly can be true by God's grace, and maybe some of you have even experienced something similar,
the vast majority of us continue to fall into some of the same sinful patterns that plagued us since long before we came to faith.
Even if you have experienced radical transformation in one area of your life, there's still failure in others.
And the fact is, you still struggle with these sins because you enjoy them.
You desire them.
Maybe you're wondering, why is there still so much darkness in my heart?
Or maybe you're on the opposite end of the spectrum.
You've been a believer as long as you can remember.
And God in his grace has spared you from much of the darkness I just mentioned.
You never participated in such things and have never felt their allure.
And you're beside yourself when you think about how other people could participate in these things.
Sure, I mean, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, just like everybody else.
But the unsaved version of yourself was still a pretty good person.
You still struggle with sin.
I mean, who doesn't?
But none of the real egregious ones, right?
But your struggle to see the weight of your sin,
to see its infinite offense before a holy God,
is evidence of lingering darkness in your heart as well.
Or maybe you're like me, a combination of the two.
You still feel the allure of really dark sins,
lasting scars from a life spent walking in darkness.
But you also feel apathy towards things that would seem to be shades of gray.
Paul's going to tell us this morning as we open up Scripture
that none of these categories are consistent with our identity in Christ.
Darkness, however dark, is the old you.
It's the old me.
We are now light in the Lord,
so we must walk as children of light.
My hope is that in considering our new identity as light,
we would better understand how to faithfully live as light.
Please turn in your Bibles with me to Ephesians chapter 5,
verses 3 through 14.
Ephesians 5, 3 through 14.
And you'll want to keep your Bibles handy,
because I'll be pointing us back to it quite a bit.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness
must not even be named among you,
as is proper among saints.
Let there be no filthiness, nor foolish talk,
nor crude joking, which are out of place.
But instead, let there be thanksgiving.
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.
Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things the wrath of God
comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Therefore, do not become partners with them.
For at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light.
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.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,
but instead expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak at the things
that they do in secret.
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.
Well, this is a complex passage.
And it would be really easy to just gloss over it,
focus on all the commands,
and think,
that's what Christianity is all about.
In fact, that's pretty much how I felt
during the time of the story that Rick shared.
But this isn't God's list of do's or don'ts.
If you want to be a Christian, don't do this.
Or, if you do this,
God's going to punish you.
This passage is about identity,
not commands.
Verse 8 is critical.
Everything's hinging on it,
so let's take another look at it.
Paul says,
For at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light.
So remember,
Paul's not just writing to people who,
he's not just writing to people in general.
He's writing specifically to the church.
And how does he begin Ephesians?
He says,
To the saints who are in Ephesus
and are faithful in Christ Jesus.
Paul's baseline assumption
is that he's writing to people
who already are Christians.
In verse 8,
he acknowledges that darkness is their past,
not their present.
And back in chapter 2,
Paul writes,
You were dead in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked.
You were following the Spirit at work
in the sons of disobedience.
You were, by nature,
children of wrath.
But God...
Paul is talking to believers
and his message is this.
Christian,
you used to be darkness.
That's the old you.
But God is light.
Now you are a child of God.
You are light.
So walk accordingly.
But what does it mean to walk?
In the context of Ephesians,
when we talk about walking,
we're talking about
how we as Christians
are to live.
So really,
walking is living.
Maybe you notice the phrase
back from chapter 2
that I quoted just a moment ago.
He says,
You were dead in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked.
Walking is a theme
that we see throughout Ephesians.
In chapter 2, verse 10,
Paul says,
We're created in Christ Jesus
for good works,
which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.
And in chapter 5, verse 2,
the verse just before this morning's text,
we are to be, quote,
imitators of God
as beloved children
and walk in love.
Our old selves
walked in trespasses and sins.
But that was the era of our death.
We are now in a new era of life,
and the living walk differently.
In our passage today,
Paul further instructs us
in three ways
on how the Christian
or the child of light
is to walk
or to live.
So if you're taking notes,
point number one,
and this will be the longest one,
the other two will be a bit shorter.
Point number one,
children of light
give thanks.
Children of light
give thanks.
Number two,
children of light
try to discern
what is pleasing to the Lord.
Children of light
try to discern
what is pleasing to the Lord.
And number three,
children of light
expose darkness.
Children of light
expose darkness.
So number one,
children of light
give thanks.
Let's look at verses three and four.
But sexual immorality
and all impurity
or covetousness
must not even be named among you
as is proper among saints.
Let there be no filthiness
nor foolish talk
nor crude joking
which are out of place,
but instead
let there be thanksgiving.
So, sexual immorality,
impurity, covetousness,
and various kinds
of sinful speech
are the old way.
They're the way
that darkness walks.
But the light-bearing
alternative
that Paul provides us
to all of these sins
is thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is not only
presented as
the opposite
of these sins,
but also
the solution
to these sins.
Let's take a look
at these sins again.
Sexual immorality,
all impurity,
and covetousness.
One commentator
writes this,
Paul moves
from the acts
of immorality
and uncleanness
to their inner spring,
greed,
that insatiable desire
to have more,
even the coveting
of someone else's body
for selfish gratification.
So, covetousness,
or greed,
is the force
behind these sins.
And it's all idolatry,
according to verse 5.
It's worshiping
the created
over the creator.
It's looking at God
and saying,
you're holding out on me.
But Paul isn't simply
forbidding these sins
in verse 3.
That would be redundant.
Indeed,
he's already condemned
them all
in strikingly
similar language
back in chapter 4,
verse 17 to 20.
You can look back
a page or so
if you'd like.
Chapter 4,
verse 17 to 20.
He tells the church
not to walk
as the Gentiles do.
He says,
they have given
themselves up
to sensuality,
greedy,
to practice
every kind
of impurity.
No,
Paul goes
beyond the command
not to commit
these sins,
and now he says,
don't even talk
about them.
Listen to the wording
in verse 3.
These sins
must not even
be named
among you.
So do we never
talk about them?
Do we put our heads
in the sand
and pretend like
they don't exist?
Verse 4 is going
to clarify.
Let there be
no filthiness,
nor foolish talk,
nor crude joking
which are out of place.
You see,
joking
is a soft way
of introducing
these sinful desires
into conversation
that ultimately
leads to their
acceptance.
So it's easy
to just categorize
verse 4
as the locker room
humor verse,
but remember,
this isn't just
flippant conversation
about sexual sins.
Paul is telling us
to have nothing
to do with
flippant conversation
about all manner
of idolatry.
So this isn't
just addressing
locker room humor
among young men.
I spent
five years
working in
construction management
before I went
to China.
And I daily
heard men
complaining about
their old lady,
their ball and chain,
and plenty of other
phrases I can't utter
in this room.
Why are they
unsatisfied with
the gift God
has given them
and their wives?
Unless we think
the sinful speech
of verse 4
is just a guy problem,
wives,
do you joke around
with your friends
that your husband
doesn't do enough
around the house?
Moms,
are you tempted
to disguise
grumbling
about your children's
disobedience
with laughter
by telling
parenting war stories
with other moms?
and what's behind
a lot of our
self-deprecating humor?
We make fun of
our weight,
our intelligence,
our lack of a skill
in a particular area,
our finances.
We're not giving thanks.
Our jokes
reveal our idolatrous
discontent.
we talk casually
or make jokes
about the areas
of dissatisfaction
in our lives.
It gives us
a sort of
gratifying release
that we can't
achieve in action,
either because
the desired act
is so shameful,
verse 12,
or because it's
simply not God's
plan for us.
And this speech
also promotes
the spread of sin.
It promotes
the spread of sin.
Make no mistake,
if we talk
about wickedness,
sexual or otherwise,
in a casual
or joking way,
we will soon
walk in that
wickedness
quite casually.
The sort of speech
is dangerous
because it seeks
to call darkness
light
or just
shades of gray.
But for the Christian,
there can be
only light.
There's no room
for darkness
and there are
no shades of gray.
So preach
the gospel
to yourself.
The only appropriate
response to the
staggering blessings
of the gospel
is thanksgiving.
I'm going to list
off a few of those
blessings that Paul
wrote in Ephesians.
These all come
from chapter 2,
so you can look at them
on your own later.
He says,
but God,
being rich in mercy,
made us alive
together with Christ.
He showed us
the immeasurable
riches of his grace.
We have been
brought near.
He has killed
the hostility.
He has reconciled
us all to God
in one body.
So remind yourself
of these truths
daily.
And I'm
intentionally
sticking with
the word
thanksgiving
and not switching
over to the more
common word
thankfulness.
I think it's
significant
that it's actually
active.
It's not just
be thankful.
He's saying
give thanks.
In our sinful flesh,
thankfulness
will not come
effortlessly.
Here's a quick
example regarding
preaching the gospel
to yourself.
Consider your
adoption in Christ.
God loved you
enough to lay
down his own
son to make
you his son
also.
You parents
out there,
you love your
kids, right?
You wouldn't
give them up
for anything.
But God did.
And he did it
in love for you.
So knowing
that we're
children of God
and loved by
him invites
us to press
deeper into
relationship with
him and find
greater satisfaction
in him than
we would ever
find in our
idolatrous
pursuits.
I don't know
about you,
but just
remembering that
I'm forgiven
of a particular
sin doesn't
curb my
desire for
that sin.
But knowing
that I'm loved
does.
Depth of
relationship
does.
Our adoption
in the gospel
is an even
greater gift
than our
forgiveness.
It's probably
our best tool
in giving
thanks and
our best
weapon in
battling sin.
So meditate
on that and
other truths
that are
similar to it.
Meditate on
them every day
and drive
yourself to
thanksgiving.
The fact is
we have
sufficient
blessing
in the gospel
alone
for thanksgiving
to drive out
our idolatry.
That is
enough.
But in our
forgetfulness
often it doesn't
feel enough.
praise God
for Romans
8, 32.
He who
did not
spare his
own son
but gave
him up
for us
all,
how will
he not
also with
him graciously
give us
all things?
Yes, we
have this
eternal
blessing
but we
also have
many blessings
in creation
that redirect
our minds
to that
eternal
blessing.
Giving
thanks even
for God's
earthly blessings
is a way
for light
to shine
in the
darkness
in our
own
hearts
and in
others.
So combat
lust and
grumbling
about your
spouse with
thanksgiving to
God for the
gift that he
or she is
to you.
If you're
single and
discontent in
your singleness
are you giving
thanks to God
for the other
relationships that
he has given
you at this
time?
Maybe it's a
close relationship
with a parent
or roommates
or members
of your
small group.
Are you
covetous of a
friend,
their home,
their income,
their job?
Are you
giving thanks to
God for his
provision for you
in your life?
If you're
responding and
speaking as those
in darkness would
speak about these
things, you're
going to walk the
way that they
walk.
But when
children of light
give thanks in
their speech, it
promotes their
own satisfaction
in Christ and
in the blessings
of the gospel.
It curbs our
desire to continue
chasing the lies
of idolatrous
sins.
And when
others around
us speak
flippantly about
these sins,
our thanksgiving
responses are a
light that can
expose the
foolishness of
their idolatry and
point them to
hope in Christ for
their satisfaction.
So that was
point number one.
Children of light,
give thanks.
Number two,
children of light,
try to discern what
is pleasing to the
Lord.
Look back with me
at verse one, just
before this morning's
passage.
Paul says, be
imitators of God as
beloved children.
I'm reminded of
Jesus' words to the
Pharisees in John
8, 44.
He says, you are of
your father the devil
and your desire is to
do your father's
will.
Your will is to do
your father's
desires.
Just like Jesus
said to the
Pharisees, only in
reverse.
If God is your
father, your will is
to do his desires.
And in verse 10 of
our passage today,
Paul tells us that
children of light try
to discern what is
pleasing to the
Lord, their father.
Well, how do we know
what pleases him?
Look at the
parenthesis in verse
9.
He says, the fruit of
the light is found in
all that is good and
right and true.
The child of light
pleases the Lord when
he or she walks in or
lives out good works,
righteousness, and
truth.
This all echoes
Micah 6, 8.
If you'd like, you can
turn there or you can
just listen.
Micah 6, 8.
And Micah says,
He has told you, O man,
what is good.
And what does the
Lord require of you but
to do justice and to
love kindness and to
walk humbly with your
God?
We have the Old
Testament, and we
certainly have the life
of Jesus in the
Gospels and the
teachings of the
Apostles.
With Scripture and the
Holy Spirit as our
guide, we are to test,
examine, and walk in
what is pleasing to the
Lord in every aspect of
our daily lives.
Why would you continue
to participate in the
old way, the way of the
sons of disobedience?
Their fate is clear in
verses 5 and 6.
Exclusion from the
kingdom and the wrath
of God.
Why would you partner
with them in the old
way of death and
darkness?
Do not partner means
this.
As light, do not act
as darkness.
Verse 8.
At one time you were
darkness, but now you
are light in the Lord.
These aren't
locational, like living
in darkness or living
in light.
Light is identifying who
you are, Christian.
Light is who you are,
Christ the King Church.
It's all about identity.
If we view these as
locational, then our
response is, well, don't
hang around the darkness
crowd.
Don't spend too much time
around sinners.
Bad company corrupts good
morals.
Hang around the light.
No.
You are the light.
Christ the King Church,
you are light.
We have to be who we are.
That is what pleases God.
So, regardless of your
location, whether you're
at church, or you're at
work, or school, around
Christians, or God-hating
coworkers, neighbors,
family, friends, be who
you are.
Be light.
Walk in good works,
righteousness, and truth.
In darkness, we knew only
exclusion and wrath.
But in the light of Christ,
our reality is now adoption
and grace.
We no longer have to try to
please God.
We seek to please God in our
light-bearing because of the
fact that we already have his
everlasting favor.
We don't have to earn it.
Last point, number three.
Children of light expose
darkness.
Children of light expose
darkness.
To what purpose?
What's the point?
Is it calling a spade a spade?
Policing the unbelieving
world?
Condemning those who are
darkness?
No.
Verse 13 and 14.
Look with me there.
He says,
But when anything is exposed
by the light, it becomes
visible.
For anything that becomes
visible is light.
Transformation.
Darkness becomes light.
So in the beginning of verse
14, we're going from being
exposed by the light to being
transformed by that light.
I love this quote.
Listen to this.
An object that is
illumined not only becomes
visible, but may also take on
luminosity.
That is, it glows as if it were
the source of light itself.
So the object becomes visible
and then gives off light itself.
Think of the moon.
It's a source of light in the
darkness of night.
But is it a star?
No, it's just a chunk of
gray rock.
But it's the object of the
sun's light.
It's illumined by the sun,
and the result is the
reflection of that light upon
the earth at nighttime.
And isn't that the case with
us?
Once darkened,
now reflecting the light of
the glory of Christ.
Verse 14.
Therefore it says,
for this reason of
transformation, it says,
awake, O sleeper, and arise
from the dead, and Christ will
shine on you.
This isn't a direct quote from
anywhere in scripture, but
listen to Isaiah 60, 1-3.
Isaiah 60, 1-3.
Isaiah writes,
Arise, shine, for your
light has come, and the
glory of the Lord has risen
upon you.
For behold, darkness shall
cover the earth, and thick
darkness the peoples.
But the Lord will arise upon
you, and his glory will be
seen upon you, and the
nations shall come to your
light, and kings to the
brightness of your rising.
So, the glory of the Lord
has shown on you.
Once darkness,
now light.
So arise, and shine
yourselves, and the nations
will come to your light.
The goal in exposing darkness
is not condemning in nature,
but evangelistic.
Through our light bearing, God
summons the dead to awaken, and
the ultimate light of Christ, of
which we are a pale reflection,
shines on them in the work of
salvation.
Well, the cross-cultural missions
component is obvious in Isaiah 60.
He says, nations shall come to your
light.
How are you a light to the
nations?
Is Christ's light compelling you to
seek the transformation of darkened
souls around the world?
Maybe this means you talk to
leadership here, and explore the
process of entering the mission
field.
If that's not you, then
scripture would have you support
those who are ministering in other
cultures.
John Piper has famously said,
go, send, or disobey.
And although financial support is
certainly an important part of
sending, it's not the only part.
You also pray for missionaries.
You get knowledgeable about
missionary work, and you excite your
fellow Christians about it, too.
Several of you, actually, reached out
to Christy and I this past year
during a time of crisis and family
tragedy.
Several of you
encouraged us, and you told us you
were praying for us.
And that kind of stuff, by the grace
of God, kept us there, and it kept us
going.
And last, we can pray specifically for
unreached Muslims and Buddhists, Hindus
and atheists around the world, that they
would find the light of Christ.
To that end, I would recommend to
everyone here, if you don't already
have it, get yourself a copy of the book
Operation World by Jason Mandrick.
Again, the book's called Operation
World by Jason Mandrick.
It's a great prayer resource.
Learn about these unreached people
groups around the world and pray for
them.
The other component
of this verse I will call
same-culture evangelism.
So we've got cross-cultural missions,
and we've got same-culture evangelism.
Now, same-culture evangelism involves
building relationships with the lost
and serving the needy around us in our
own culture.
It's not mere Christian kindness,
but the vehicle through which God
transforms darkened hearts.
evangelism.
It's not mere Christian
evangelism.
It's not mere Christian
evangelism.
Evangelism cannot exclude bold proclamation
of truth, but it also must include
the good works, kindness, and righteous living
that we're called to walk in.
Before I close in prayer, I want us to
take a moment to reflect.
Paul wrote specifically to Christians,
to genuine believers, children of light,
and so he speaks to us now as if we are.
But we must acknowledge that unbelievers, too,
can read scripture and come to church
and listen to sermons.
So we must ask ourselves the question,
Am I a child of light
or a son of disobedience?
If a son of disobedience,
then repent.
Darkness is your present,
but it need not be your future.
Consider this message, the light of Christ,
shining on you.
It's proof that he loves you.
Don't retreat further into darkness,
but be transformed by the message
of the gospel.
And rejoice in the presence of Christ
and his holiness.
If a child of the light,
are you flirting with darkness,
testing what's permissible?
You're looking at it all wrong.
You need to repent.
We shouldn't be thinking,
which jokes can I get away with?
Or is it okay to say this thought or that phrase?
If your speech isn't expressing thanksgiving,
it's wasted speech.
And Paul says it's foolish talk.
Thanksgiving speech is light-bearing speech.
It's the only speech that's consistent with our identity.
Richly blessed,
adopted children of God,
children of light.
And finally,
have no association
with the sins of those who are darkness,
but by all means,
associate with those who are darkness.
Jesus certainly did.
You could accurately categorize his life
as a walking association with sinners.
Associate with sinners.
And patiently,
gently,
lovingly,
boldly,
shine.
The light doesn't condemn.
God miraculously works through it,
his light and our reflecting light,
to transform darkened hearts.
Let's pray.
Father,
I
thank you for your word.
I
thank you
for
the forgiveness
that we have
in Christ.
And I thank you
even more
that we are not just forgiven,
but we have been adopted
and made your children.
I thank you that
our identity is no longer
associated with
our own sin and depravity,
but it is associated with you
and your holiness.
Lord,
I pray that we would be
faithful children
who honor their father.
Lord,
make us
children who
walk as we ought to walk,
who speak
as we ought to speak,
not out of fear
that you might crush us,
but out of love
because you never will.
You crushed your son instead.
You made us your children
and you love us
and our identity is secure
and nothing
can take away
your love from us.
Lord,
let us walk in confidence
because of that truth
and let us faithfully
meditate on it
every day.
amen.
It's in your name
I pray.
Amen.
Thank you.