Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true. Determine which things please the Lord. Have nothing to do with the useless works that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. It is shameful to talk about what some people do in secret.
because light makes everything easy to see. That’s why it says: “Wake up, sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:8-12, 14 GW)
In America, the darkness isn't as obvious but it is just as real. We've disguised it and painted it to make it look pretty but its just as oppressive and filled with lies from hell as anywhere else.
In a lot of ways - the church in America has lost its influence in the world. They are no longer penetrating the darkness as they should.
There are many reasons why this is so, but one reason stands out above the rest. The church has lost its influence because Christians have neglected their responsibility to be light in the world. As we have neglected to be what God has called us to be, the world has decided to ignore us.
When Paul wrote to the young church in Ephesus, he knew they were an island of light in a city filled with darkness. How could that tiny band of believers make a difference in the cosmopolitan metropolis that was home to the world-famous Temple of Artemis? In Ephesians 5:8-14, Paul gives us his answer:
You are the light of God.
Live like it.
Let your light shine.
It will dispel the darkness.
Some people won’t like that.
Shine your light anyway.
Others will join you in the light.
What worked in the first century still works today. In our passage we see three remarkable results when the light of God enters a dark world.
1- Light Transforms
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (v. 8).
Here we have a beautiful picture of conversion.
Coming to Christ is like walking from the darkness into a room filled with blazing light. But once you come out of the darkness, you see things you never saw before. When you lived in the darkness, you did whatever you wanted to do. But now in the light, you must put off the deeds of darkness and put on a lifestyle fitting for the children of the light.
We now have a new goal: “Find out what pleases the Lord” (v. 10).
No longer can we say, “If it feels good, do it.”
No longer can we say, “But everyone else is doing it.”
No longer can we say, “I don’t care what others think.”
We must allow the light to transform us into His image and become everything God wants us to be.
When Paul wrote to the young church in Ephesus, he knew they were an island of light in a city filled with darkness. How could that tiny band of believers make a difference in the cosmopolitan metropolis that was home to the world-famous Temple of Artemis? In Ephesians 5:8-14, Paul gives us his answer:
You are the light of God.
Live like it.
Let your light shine.
It will dispel the darkness.
Some people won’t like that.
Shine your light anyway.
Others will join you in the light.
What worked in the first century still works today. In our passage we see three remarkable results when the light of God enters a dark world.
1- Light Transforms
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (v. 8).
Here we have a beautiful picture of conversion.
Coming to Christ is like walking from the darkness into a room filled with blazing light. But once you come out of the darkness, you see things you never saw before. When you lived in the darkness, you did whatever you wanted to do. But now in the light, you must put off the deeds of darkness and put on a lifestyle fitting for the children of the light.
We now have a new goal: “Find out what pleases the Lord” (v. 10).
No longer can we say, “If it feels good, do it.”
No longer can we say, “But everyone else is doing it.”
No longer can we say, “I don’t care what others think.”
We must allow the light to transform us into His image and become everything God wants us to be.
2- Light Exposes
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret” (vv. 11-12).
Shadows hide the flaws, but light reveals all of them. Similarly, when the gospel enters a family, the hidden secrets will be revealed. When the gospel invades a community, corruption will come to light.
Verse 13 describes the result of this ministry of reproof: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light” (v. 13).
Shadows hide the flaws, but light reveals all of them. Similarly, when the gospel enters a family, the hidden secrets will be revealed. When the gospel invades a community, corruption will come to light.
Verse 13 describes the result of this ministry of reproof: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light” (v. 13).
The God’s Word translation puts it very simply: “Light exposes the true character of everything.” It’s not hard to understand this principle. When a little child cries in a dark room, his mother turns on the light and the tears quickly vanish. The coming of the light shows him there is no reason to be afraid.
A wise counselor often told his clients, “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” You can’t get better until you begin to tell the truth to yourself. As long as you live a double life, with one foot in the light and one foot in the darkness, you will be forever torn, double-minded and unhealthy because your heart is divided.
Darkness can only produce more darkness. But light can turn the darkness into light.
3- Light Awakens
“This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” (v. 14).
When the light of the gospel comes in, it wakes up the spiritually dead and draws them to Jesus.
That’s conversion.
That’s salvation.
That’s the new birth.
That’s the life-transforming power of the gospel when Jesus Christ comes into a life.
This passage shows us what happens when the light of God begins to shine in the world.
First, the light shines on us and transforms us from darkness into light. In the process that same light purifies us on the inside so that we seek to please God in everything.
Second, the light shining through us chases away the darkness and exposes the evil done under cover of the night. Because men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), they often fight against the light of God. But when the light does its work thoroughly, it contains within itself a healing power. Because the light comes from God, it can take the darkness and turn it into light. We know this is true because that’s what happened to us.
Third, the light awakens those who are asleep and raises them from the dead. This is why Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. This is why he boldly preached in the very heart of the ancient world—in Corinth and Ephesus and Athens and Rome. Paul knew that when the gospel shines on a society, the light will expose some people and make them angry, but that same light will awaken others to their need of Christ.
When Robert Louis Stevenson was a young child, he was sick much of the time. He couldn’t go out and play like the other children so he spent a lot of time watching at the window. One evening he sat and watched as a man came down the street lighting the gas lamps. His nurse said to him, “What are you doing?” “I’m watching the man knock holes in the darkness,” he replied.
What a beautiful picture. We are called to knock holes in the darkness in Jesus’ name.
We aren’t called to save the world. Only God can do that. But we are called to make a difference. We can’t do everything, but we can do something. What we can do, we ought to do. Let’s go knock some holes in the darkness this week.
Lord Jesus, grant that we would not be even slightly disappointed at the conditions around us. You have made us for times like these. Give us a new vision of the difference we can make in our world. Amen.
Darkness can only produce more darkness. But light can turn the darkness into light.
3- Light Awakens
“This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” (v. 14).
When the light of the gospel comes in, it wakes up the spiritually dead and draws them to Jesus.
That’s conversion.
That’s salvation.
That’s the new birth.
That’s the life-transforming power of the gospel when Jesus Christ comes into a life.
This passage shows us what happens when the light of God begins to shine in the world.
First, the light shines on us and transforms us from darkness into light. In the process that same light purifies us on the inside so that we seek to please God in everything.
Second, the light shining through us chases away the darkness and exposes the evil done under cover of the night. Because men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19), they often fight against the light of God. But when the light does its work thoroughly, it contains within itself a healing power. Because the light comes from God, it can take the darkness and turn it into light. We know this is true because that’s what happened to us.
Third, the light awakens those who are asleep and raises them from the dead. This is why Paul was not ashamed of the gospel. This is why he boldly preached in the very heart of the ancient world—in Corinth and Ephesus and Athens and Rome. Paul knew that when the gospel shines on a society, the light will expose some people and make them angry, but that same light will awaken others to their need of Christ.
When Robert Louis Stevenson was a young child, he was sick much of the time. He couldn’t go out and play like the other children so he spent a lot of time watching at the window. One evening he sat and watched as a man came down the street lighting the gas lamps. His nurse said to him, “What are you doing?” “I’m watching the man knock holes in the darkness,” he replied.
What a beautiful picture. We are called to knock holes in the darkness in Jesus’ name.
We aren’t called to save the world. Only God can do that. But we are called to make a difference. We can’t do everything, but we can do something. What we can do, we ought to do. Let’s go knock some holes in the darkness this week.
Lord Jesus, grant that we would not be even slightly disappointed at the conditions around us. You have made us for times like these. Give us a new vision of the difference we can make in our world. Amen.
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