Ephesians 5:7-14

All right, I'm going to call for a show of hands.

Raise your hand if you have a family member,

whether immediate or extended,

if you have friends, neighbors, co-workers

who are presently outside the kingdom of God,

who are not Christians, who are living for themselves,

they're under God's wrath, show of hands.

That's everybody.

So let me ask you this.

We've got people whom we love that don't know Christ,

and I'm guessing that we regularly interact with them.

So how are we as Christians who are called to be holy,

how are we to live among those who are blinded and living for themselves?

How are we to do that?

Would you open up your Bible quickly,

just to Ephesians chapter 5, verse 7?

Ephesians 5:7

It reads this.

Therefore, do not be partners with them,

them being non-Christians.

Therefore, do not be partners,

an older ESV version reads,

therefore, do not associate with them.

What does that mean?

Are we as Christians to steer clear of all interactions with non-Christians?

I'm not sure if you're going to a Super Bowl party tonight.

That might be out of the question now with all this snow.

But let's say you go to a Super Bowl party,

and you see a non-Christian walk into the door.

Is Paul saying here that if you're a Christian,

you need to go out the back door?

At family get-togethers, non-Christian family,

whether it's Easter or Thanksgiving, Christmas,

you know, the family get-together group,

birthday gatherings, you know what I mean?

You see a non-Christian family member walk in.

Does that mean you split?

Is that what Paul is saying?

We're not to associate with them?

We're not to partner with them?

You've been assigned to serve on a team at work.

And you have non-Christians on that team.

Does that mean you've got to say,

I can't serve on this team.

They're Christians.

I can't do this.

I'm prohibited.

What happens if you have non-Christian children?

What happens if you have non-Christian parents?

What happens if you have a non-Christian spouse?

What is Paul saying here?

What does he mean do not become partners with them in verse 7?

Well, verse 11 sheds light on it.

What Paul is saying is we are not to do something.

What he's not saying is we're to cut off all relationships with non-Christians.

In fact, what we'll see is Jesus actually wants us in relationship with non-Christians.

What he doesn't want us doing is participating in sin with non-Christians.

What he does want us doing in these relationships is exposing the sin of non-Christians.

We are in the book of Ephesians.

First half of Ephesians is all these truths of who we are.

The second half of Ephesians are exhortations of how we are to live.

Last week we are in Ephesians 5.

Remember, you are a child of God.

You're an imitator of God.

You are to walk in love as Christ loved.

Upward and outward kind of love.

We love people to the glory of God.

And then in verses 3 and 4, Paul says,

Because you're this, sexual immorality, impurity, greed cannot be named among you now.

You're the holy ones of God.

Why would you participate in something in which people who don't know Christ live for?

Don't you know that these are the reasons why God's wrath is coming?

That's his rationale.

And then in verse 7, he says this,

Therefore, therefore, do not become partners with them.

So here's what I believe God is saying to us this morning.

Our God is essentially saying to us, my children,

Light in the Lord.

Don't join the sons of disobedience in the deeds of darkness.

Be with them to expose the deeds of darkness.

There's no question we've been called out of a lifestyle.

But it's more than that.

We've been called out of sin in order to shine light onto sin.

We are light in the world.

We're to be separate from darkness.

And we're to shine into the darkness.

God has a holy, redemptive purpose for us in our relationships with non-Christians.

This call to live holy has more to it than living a squeaky clean life.

You're going to see that come out at the end.

What I want you to know right now is we are not to partner in sin with non-Christians.

We are to expose the sin of non-Christians.

And so here's the command.

Therefore, do not become partners with them.

And what we see in Ephesians 8, 9, and 10 is one reason why we are not to be partners with them.

And then what we read in 11, 12, 13, and 14 is another reason why we are not to partner with them.

The first one is essentially this.

We are not to partner with them in sin.

Remember who you are.

We don't partner with them, darkness, because we are no longer darkness.

We are light.

That's his rationale.

And then the second reason he gives gets at purpose.

We are not to partner with them because we are not of them anymore.

We don't practice these things with them.

We expose these things.

And what you're going to see is God has a glorious redemptive purpose in that.

So two reasons this morning of why we're not to partner with non-Christians.

So let's look at this first one in greater detail.

You are not to partner with them because you are not darkness anymore.

Would you look with me at verse 8?

Let me start in 7.

Therefore, do not partner with them.

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Paul is making a case here.

His reason is don't partner with them.

It's not who you are.

Don't participate with them in the deeds of darkness.

It's not who you are anymore.

You're light in the Lord.

Did you notice the then now language of verse 8?

At one time, formerly, you were once darkness.

Paul doesn't say here, you were living in darkness.

Paul says, you were darkness.

This is who we were before we became a Christian.

Paul has conversion on his mind.

This is who you were then.

Spiritually blind.

Spiritually dead.

Spiritually ignorant.

Spiritually hardened of heart.

Ephesians 4.18

We had no inheritance in the kingdom of God.

We were sons and daughters of disobedience.

We were under God's wrath.

That's who we were.

We were darkness.

What were we living for?

What?

Well, we were living for ourselves.

And it showed up in things like sexual immorality.

All kinds of impurity.

Greed.

Trash talk.

That's what characterized our lives.

We definitely weren't living for God.

We weren't imitating God.

We weren't living like Christ.

Upward and outward.

That was far from our minds.

And what Paul does here, he summarizes it all up with one word.

You were once darkness.

Spiritually dead.

Engaging in the deeds of darkness.

But then we read in verse 8 those great words, but now.

You were darkness.

But now.

I love that.

But now.

In that but now is God's grace manifest through the gospel

to us.

Radically changed.

We're no longer darkness.

But now.

You are light.

In the Lord.

We've been transformed by the grace of God.

We went from being darkness.

To being light.

And Paul uses that darkness light language very intentionally.

It draws a sharp contrast.

We were not that anymore.

We are light in the Lord.

Light is distinct from darkness.

Light is separate from darkness.

It's one way or the other.

This maybe a year and a half ago.

Two years ago.

My son Mark and I.

We got in the car.

And we traveled to Cave of the Mounds.

Outside of Madison.

And it was on a Monday.

And so all the kids were.

Everybody was in school.

So just Mark and me.

And we got this tour of the Cave of the Mounds.

Just he and I.

And this lady tour lady guy.

Lady person.

And she brought us back all the way to the end of the cave.

And you know what she did?

She turned off the lights.

And so I was like.

I cannot see my hand.

I can feel the wind my hand is making.

But it was pitch black.

Couldn't see anything.

And then she flipped the switch.

Lights on.

I knew how to get out.

I was so grateful that she flipped the switch.

And the lights were on.

It was no longer darkness.

It was now light.

And I was overjoyed.

Paul has conversion on his mind here.

We were darkness.

And God flipped the switch.

In Christ we are now in the light.

Which brings me to another thing I want you to see.

Not only is it this but now language.

Then now language.

I want you to see the source of light.

We were darkness.

But now you are light in the Lord.

Light in the Lord.

You see the difference of being in darkness and being in the light is whether you are in Christ.

That's the difference.

So if you are in the darkness you are outside of Christ.

But if you are in the light you are in Christ.

His light shines through us.

The moment you believed in Christ.

The moment you were united to Him.

You were placed into Christ.

Now this is where I want to help you make some connections.

In John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

John talks about Jesus this way.

In Him Christ was life.

And the life was the light of men.

The light shines in the darkness.

And the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is the light.

At your conversion.

The moment you became a Christian.

You were formerly darkness.

Darkness no more.

You were placed into Christ.

The light of life.

Or He radically changed you.

John 8.12

Jesus says this.

I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me.

Whoever is placed into me.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.

But will have the light of life.

When you first became a Christian.

You were placed into Christ.

And He lit you up.

With His light of life.

So Christian.

You are now light in the Lord.

Here's what that means.

Having been made alive with Christ.

Christ is going to radiate His holy life through you.

Anybody here of Thomas Kincaid?

He's a famous painter.

And He has painted these pictures of little houses.

With these warm lights shining through the window.

It's very inviting.

Light shining through.

The moment you believed in Jesus.

He lit you up.

Lights went on.

You were made alive in Christ.

To shine in the darkness.

On a cloudy day.

You know the kind of cloud.

Patchy clouds.

Sometimes you can see beams of sunlight coming through.

And it's like you can see the actual beam of sunlight.

You know what I'm talking about?

I want to take a picture of it.

Christ in us.

Shines through us.

In the radiant beams of holiness.

We are light in the Lord.

And so when we read that.

We are light in the Lord.

And then when we read in the second part of verse 8.

That we are to walk as children of light.

We realize that it's a call to holiness.

It's called a Christ likeness.

Now when you read that.

Walk as children of light in verse 8.

It can be a little confusing.

Because it seems like Paul might be mixing his metaphors a little bit.

But he's not.

What he's saying is this.

We've been born of the light of life.

We are of God now.

Born of him.

Which means this.

You've got to let your little light shine.

We are to live out the light in us.

Christ in us.

We're to walk in holiness.

If darkness is death and sin.

The light that Paul is talking about.

Is life and holiness.

Holiness.

So Jesus has given us new life.

In which we are to walk out in holiness.

And in verse 9 we see what that looks like.

Instead of sexual immorality.

All kinds of impurity and greed.

Verse 3.

What we read here is the fruit of life.

The produce of holiness.

Goodness.

Righteousness.

Truthfulness.

We see that other places in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2.10.

We are created in Christ Jesus.

Made alive.

For good works.

Ephesians 4.15.

That we were made.

Created in the likeness of God.

For true righteousness.

And holiness.

In Ephesians 4.15.

We have been made.

Built in together.

Knit together.

As part of this living body of Christ.

Under the head of Jesus.

Our life.

And we are to speak the truth.

In love to one another.

Our life is to be marked by the fruit of holiness.

Goodness.

Goodness.

Righteousness.

And truth.

We live in the light.

We've got nothing to hide.

That marks us now.

As children of light.

We walk in the light.

And in verse 10.

We see the hallmark.

Of walking as a child of the light.

You know what your heart's desire is?

Your heart's desire is to please the Lord.

Look at verse 10 with me.

And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Walk as children of light.

And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

I love that verse 10.

It is in my Bible.

Try to find out what pleases the Lord, Michael.

Try to discern.

That word try to discern.

It comes from a Greek word that means to approve.

It actually comes from a word that was used of testing of metals.

To see what a metal was worth.

Value.

Substance.

And what Paul is saying here is,

Hey, you prove my will.

Walk in it.

Demonstrate it.

Feel.

Taste.

Experience the goodness of it.

We are always having to ask a question as children of light.

And it goes something like this.

Is what I'm about to do pleasing to the Lord?

I'm a child of light.

Is this walking in the light?

Is this pleasing to the Lord?

Is this TV show I'm about to watch pleasing to the Lord?

Is this song I'm about to listen to pleasing to the Lord?

Are these words I'm about to say pleasing to the Lord?

Is this internet page I'm about to click on pleasing to the Lord?

Is this purchase I'm about to make pleasing to the Lord?

Is the way I am conducting myself in this relationship pleasing to the Lord?

Is it upward and outward?

Is it walking in the light?

That question reveals who you are.

Child of light.

You are light in the Lord.

Let your light shine.

The first reason that Paul gives for us not partnering with the sons of disobedience

in the deeds of darkness is you're not darkness anymore.

You are light in the Lord.

He has lit you up to be shining holy among darkened sinners.

So it's a call to remember who you are.

The second reason we see here is verses 11 through 14.

And it gets that purpose.

As light in the Lord, this is who you are now, determines what you do.

We don't participate in the deeds of darkness, verse 11.

We expose the deeds of darkness.

We leverage our relationships with non-Christians.

We love them.

We love our God.

We walk in holiness and we love them.

We realize that our lives will expose them.

Paul is saying here, don't join them in sin.

Let your life expose their sin.

He assumes relationships.

He assumes proximity.

He assumes that you're going to be in relationship with non-Christians.

And he's saying, live like you are.

A light in the Lord.

And it's going to expose the sin in our non-Christian family and friends and co-workers.

Would you turn in your Bibles to John 17?

John 17.

John 17 is the high priestly prayer of Jesus.

In which Jesus prays for his disciples and all who will believe through his disciples' witness.

Us.

And so in John 17, Jesus says this.

This is verses 15 through 18.

He says, he prays,

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them in truth.

Your word is truth.

Cause them to shine.

Then he goes on to say,

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

Jesus wants us in relationships with non-Christians.

And he wants us in relationship with non-Christians so that our lights can shine on them.

How?

How do we expose the sinfulness of their sin?

Do we need to be the self-righteous police?

Blowing whistles?

Slapping hands?

Not like that.

That's not what Paul is getting at here.

What he's getting at is this.

Your changed life will be a light of holiness that exposes the deeds of darkness.

By contrast.

It will bring it out.

And non-Christians know.

They experience it.

Walking as children of light,

Your life will shine into the darkness.

In verse 12.

And it will make the shameful things done in secret visible.

In other words,

Our lives,

God will use our lives

To bring non-Christians face to face

With their own sin.

They will realize something.

We live lives of holiness.

And it has a witnessing effect.

It has a convicting effect.

That word expose

Means to confront.

It means to convict.

It's challenging.

Our lives are to be challenging

To non-Christians.

Let me give you some examples of this.

How this works out.

And maybe you've already experienced this.

And so,

I just want to help you see what it is.

I have three examples.

If I can get to the third,

I will.

That's going to take the most time.

First example of how

Our holy lives

Expose

The deeds of darkness.

Have you ever been somewhere

And

Someone swears

In your presence

Or takes the Lord's name in vain

And they're like,

Oh, oh, I'm sorry.

I didn't know you were there.

I'm sorry.

Do you know what's going on there?

Do you know what's happening?

They're aware of you.

They're aware that you

Stand for something.

And they're aware

Of their own speech.

That's,

It's inconsistent

With who you are.

Do you know what that is?

Exposing the deeds of darkness.

And some people will apologize for it.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

If you weren't here,

I would just be cussing

All over the place.

Other people take issue with it.

Man, you're holier than thou.

What's your problem?

Man, can you lighten up a little bit?

There's one example.

Speech.

Our speech will confront

Evil speech patterns.

By contrast.

Work.

Remember we were talking about

The fruit of the light

Is goodness,

Rightness,

And truth.

Let's say that you are

A type of worker

That you do good work.

It's quality work.

And that you do it rightly.

You do it along the lines

That have been told to you.

And you do it truthfully.

Honestly.

Have you ever experienced

Anything like this?

Hey man,

Would you just slow down?

You're making the rest of us

Look bad.

You know what's going on there?

Your life is having effect.

It's exposing something

On other people.

They think it's making them

Look bad.

You're just trying to live

For Jesus.

You're not trying to make

Them look bad.

But your light is shining.

Some people will rise to it.

You might get promoted for it.

Some people like that.

Other people don't.

Our lives are to expose things

Because we are light in the Lord.

He has us there for a reason.

The third area that I want to bring up

Is something that I wanted to bring up

Last week.

Last week I was explaining

The differences between

Sexual immorality, impurity, and greed

In verse 3.

And when I was talking about

Sexual immorality

I listed out several different kinds

Of sexual immorality.

And one I didn't say

Was pornography.

Last week I tried to make the case

That to understand

What is sexually immoral

We need to know

What is sexually pleasing to God.

And that is this.

This good gift of sex

That God has given us

Is to be experienced

In one place

In one place alone

And that is marriage.

The exclusive

Lifelong covenant

Between one man

And one woman.

That is where

And only where

We would experience

This good gift of God.

He has got purposes for it.

And so anything

Outside of that

Falls into this category

Of pornea

Sexual immorality.

Do you know what pornography is?

It is in the name.

Porn

Sexual immorality

Graphic

On display.

That is what it means.

Sexual immorality

On display.

That is what pornography is.

And you know what?

God hates it.

Do you know why?

It is a distortion

Of his good gift of sex.

His design.

He hates it.

Our lives

Are to be lived

In such a way

That we expose

This evil deed

Of darkness.

We don't participate in it.

We're not to even have

A hint of this.

Ephesians 5.3

We live in a

Porn

Saturated

Culture.

Listen to this.

Pornography is

Is widely available.

It's easily accessible.

It's affordable.

It's alluring.

And

Often times

Most of the time

It's anonymous.

It's like the perfect storm.

In our lives

God is calling us to here

As light in the Lord

Is to

Have a sharp contrast

To living

For pornography.

We are not just

Called out of it.

We're called to

Expose it.

Now this is where

At the risk of

Extending this too far

I wanted to give you

Reasons why

You've got to give up porn.

In a book

By Tim Chester

It's called

Closing the Window

Very helpful book.

In chapter one

He gives 12

Reasons to give up porn.

Here's why I'm going

To tell you this.

I want to expose it

For what it is.

And so

Out of a heart

For that

I'm going to list you

About these reasons.

They're not graphic

Because

Even the shameful

Things done in darkness

We're not going to utter.

But here are the effects.

Porn will wreck

Your view of sex.

Porn wrecks

Your view

Men of women.

You will objectify

A woman.

She becomes a thing

Not an image bearer

Of God.

Porn wrecks

Women's view

Of themselves.

The porn industry

Abuses women.

It's

Sex trafficking.

Porn is sin

Against your wife

Husbands.

It's a kind

Of heart infidelity.

Porn wrecks marriages.

Instead of

A father

Being a shield

To his family

This becomes

A conduit of sin

Into his family.

Do you see?

Porn is enslaving.

It makes

A horrible taskmaster.

It just sucks

Joy out of

Christians' lives.

Out of anybody's life.

Porn erodes

Character.

It makes people

Liars.

Porn

Wastes

Time

Energy

And money.

Porn

Weakens

Your relationship

With God.

If you are

Worshipping

At the altar

Of porn

You are not

Worshipping

The living God.

Porn

Weakens

Your service

In the church.

You know

That

You are struggling

And it

Undermines

Your integrity.

Weakens

Your service

In the church.

Porn

Provokes

God's wrath.

This is

Kind of

Ephesians 5

6

Do you not

Realize

That the

Wrath of God

Is coming

Because of

Porn

He hates

It

This is

Nasty

Stuff

And what

We're called

As Christians

Is we're called

To separate

Ourselves

From the

Darkness

It's not

Who we are

Anymore

And then

We're to

Expose

The deeds

Of darkness

With holiness

And so

Instead of

Wrecking

Our view

Of sex

As light

In the

Lord

We hold

To a

Biblical

View

Of sex

Instead of

Wrecking

Our view

Of women

We uphold

A biblical

View of women

That they are

Made like men

In the image

Of God

And intrinsically

Valuable

Instead of

Embracing

Something that

Wrecks a

Woman's

View of

Herself

We hold

To something

That

Breathes

Life

Into a

Woman

She sees

Herself

As God

Sees her

You see

You know

What happens

When you

Start living

That way

You start

Believing

These things

Your life

Takes a

Turn

It looks

Different

Instead of

Being enslaved

By sin

You've been

Freed from

It

There's

Joy

Instead of

A weakened

Relationship

With God

There is

A vibrant

Strong

Relationship

With God

Instead of

Weakening

Your service

In the

Truth

You are

Strengthened

In your

Service

Of the

Church

It is

A sharp

Contrast

This is

An area

In our

Culture

In which

We stand

Out

We are

Not to

Participate

In the

Deeds of

Darkness

Rather

We are

To expose

That

It's not

Who you

Are

It's

Not

Who you

Are

Can I

Just say

This

If you're

In the

Room

Right now

And you're

Struggling

With

Pornography

Do you

Know what

Porn

Isn't

Stronger

Than

God's

Grace

God

If you're

If you're

God's

God's

God

Can get

You

Out

Of

It

And if

There's

A way

That I

Can help

You

Just see

Me

Afterwards

There are

Men

In this

Room

Right now

Who've

Been

Delivered

From

It

Our

Sexuality

Our

Holy

Lives

Will

Expose

The

Sexually

Perverse

Deeds

Of

Darkness

All

Around

Us

We

Are

Light

In

The

Lord

And

God

Wants

Our

Holiness

To

Make

A

Difference

Which

Leads

Me

To

My

Closing

Thoughts

Here

Why

Does

God

Who

Has

Made

Us

Light

In

The

Lord

Why

Does

He

Want

Us

To

Use

Our

Lives

To

Expose

The

Sin

Of

Others

Why

Is

He

Kind

Of

Pushing

Us

Into

Conflict

Why

Is

He

Kind

Of

Pushing

Us

Into

Confrontation

Why

Is

He

Doing

That

Do

You

Know

Why

God

Has

A

Redemptive

Purpose

God

Wants

To

Use

Your

Life

In

Order

To

Bring

Sinners

Face

To

Face

With

Their

Sin

So

That

They

Can

Turn

To

Christ

That's

What

He

Did

In

Our

Lives

We

Are

In

Darkness

Our

Sin

Got

Exposed

We

Recognized

Our

Need

For

A

Savior

And

He

Lit

Us

Up

He

Went

From

Darkness

To

Light

We

See

That

Played

Out

In

Actually

Verses

13

To

14

And

It's

Kind

It's

Kind of a

Little

Complicated

And

Difficult

To

Read

So

Let me

Just

Summarize

What Paul

Is

When

Those

In

Darkness

Are

Exposed

By

The

Light

Of

Our

Holy

Lives

Those

In

Darkness

Are

Made

Aware

Of

Their

Darkness

They

Are

Confronted

With

Their

Deeds

Of

Darkness

Sinners

Are

Confronted

With

Their

Own

Sinfulness

Through

Our

Lives

And

When

Sinners

Are

Brought

Into

The

Holy

Light

Of

Christ

Some

Of

Them

Will

Actually

Repent

Of

Their

Sin

And

Turn

In

Faith

To

Christ

And

Christ

Will

Light

Them

Up

He

Will

Save

them

They

Will

Move

From

Death

To

Life

Darkness

To

Light

The

Quote

At

The

End

Of

Verse

14

Do

You

Read

It

There

It's

A

Really

Interesting

Quote

A

Waco

Sleeper

And

Arise

From

The

Dead

And

Christ

Will

Shine

On

You

That's

Actually

Taken

From

A

Couple

Different

Spots

In

The

Book

Of

Isaiah

And

It

Functioned

In

The

Early

Church

As

A

Corporate

Response

at

A

Baptism

Service

So

You

Know

What

Would

Happen

A

New

Convert

Would

And

Those

Christians

Surrounding

Them

Do

Know

What

They

Would

Say

This

A

Waco

Sleeper

And

Arise

From

The

Dead

And

Christ

Will

Shine

On

You

Do

Know

What

They're

Saying

You

You

You've

Gone

From

Darkness

To

Light

You've

Gone

From

Death

To

Life

You

Are

In

Christ

Christ

Is

Shining

On

You

You've

Been

Lit

Up

Paul

Has

Conversion

On

His

Mind

Our

Lives

Because

We're

The

Light

Exposing

Effect

A

Transformational

Effect

God

Wants

To

Use

Us

In

The

Lives

Of

Non

Christians

To

Save

Them

To

Cause

His

Light

To

Shine

Upon

Them

To

Rescue

Them

From

The

Deeds

Of

Darkness

God

Has

A

Redemptive

Purpose

For

Our

Holiness

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let me

Let

Let

Let

Let

Let me

Let me

Just close by

Saying this

How are we to live among non-Christians?

We're not to run from them.

We're not to participate in sin with them.

We're to expose sin in them by living holy lives with the hope that God is going to

awaken them.

Cause the light of Christ to shine upon them and save them.

So brothers and sisters, you are light in the Lord.

Let your little light shine.