From Darkness to Light: Walking as Children of the Lord - Eph 5:5-10

Good morning, and welcome to the service of Dillingham Moravian Church.

We have the wonderful opportunity to worship the Lord today as we hear from

God's Word and as we listen and trust Him together.

What a joy it is to be the children of the Most High God, Jesus Christ, is it not?

Our goal here at Dillingham Moravian Church is to make disciples of Christ,

here in Bristol Bay and beyond through the study of God's Word as we trust in Christ together.

A number of weeks ago, a bunch of families got together and we went for a hike

up to the top of Mini Warehouse Mountain.

I remember when we were close to the top, I was climbing up through a stand

of alders that was quite dark inside.

Being somewhat unfit, my muscles were cramping and I I thought my chest was going to burst.

There were roots and alders that needed to be climbed through and around.

And then as we hiked up out of the stand of alders onto the crest of the mountain,

the sun shone so brightly that I was completely blinded.

I couldn't see. I had to cover my face with my arm until I got used to the light.

However, once my eyes adjusted to the light, I could behold an amazing view

of the splendor of God's creation.

The whole Snake Lake Valley and lake and mountains were in view,

all bathed in a wondrous light, declaring in a small way the glory of the Lord.

And I share this with you,

because God has called us as Christians to walk in the light of God as children of the light,

and to stay out in the freedom of Christ's light to declare the magnificent

glory of God everywhere we go. Let's pray.

Oh, wonderful Father, we thank you for the privilege it is to hear your word.

To be able to listen to your truth we pray this morning that you would grant us your holy spirit,

and your spiritual understanding and wisdom so that we can understand and know

your word and know how to apply it and may we do so because faith without works

is dead help us lord to live in your love,

your love that is pure, your love that is holy, so that we can be lights,

to the people who are living in darkness around us.

Thank you, Father. Use us.

And we pray this in Your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Here at Dillingham Moravian Church, we have been studying in Paul's letter to the Ephesians.

The theme of this letter is the unity of God displayed in God's church.

Previously, in Ephesians 5, God through Paul taught that as holy ones of God,

we are, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to put on the core character qualities of Christ.

Those Christlike qualities are kindness, having a tender heart towards others,

graciously forgiving others as Christ has graciously forgiven us.

Christ's disciples are called to imitate God as beloved children through imitating

the sacrificial love of Christ.

As we imitate Christ's love, we are living sacrificial offerings that are pleasing to God.

We're also taught that through the cross and the resurrection of Jesus,

God has transformed us who have responded in faith to the grace of God into new creations,

Christ's holy set-apart ones within Christ's church, unified in the oneness

of God and dedicated to God and His ways.

And thus, we have been commanded by God not to live with the immoralities and

filthiness of the world.

Rather, we are commanded to live lives set apart to God in gratitude for Him.

And this is where we're going to continue on in today, in Ephesians 5, verses 5-10.

Ephesians 5:5–10

But we'll read verses 3-4 as well to get the context.

Verse 3, Ephesians 5.

But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among

you as is proper amongst the saints,

nor filthiness and foolish talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting,

but rather giving of thanks. And here's where we're studying today.

Verse 5. For this you know with certainty,

that no one sexually immoral or impure or greedy who is an idolater has an 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 be partakers with them, for you were formerly darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of the light, for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness

and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

There are two main truths that the Lord through Paul wishes to teach us as we

continue with our study in Ephesians chapter 5.

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

Now again, like last week's teaching, God through Paul was explaining and commanding

God's people using very challenging and difficult truths for our culture to accept.

And as we wait for Christ's return, we are saints or holy ones who still sin.

That we must acknowledge. Yet a big part of the theme of Paul's letter to the

Ephesians is getting his readers,

including us, to understand the radical contrast of the old sin-filled life

versus the new life of holiness in unity with God's people that we are called to live in.

And the first main truth that I want to bring to your attention today is that

as Christ's disciples, we are to let no one deceive us regarding idolatry.

Almost every time that I take my kids to the grocery store, I am badgered by

them to buy them some kind of treat that they want.

And usually the sweet that they want is a lollipop or some kind of candy.

No, don't get me wrong. I want to be a good father and to be able to treat my

kids once in a while with sweets.

And yet, when we look at the ingredients of the candies and sweets that my children

in their young age are drawn to, those items are not filled with anything that is healthy for anyone.

Although it doesn't always look like love, in order for me to truly love my

children, I have to say no regarding the things that will eventually do them

harm later on, and then give them good and healthy food instead.

And this is how sin often appears in our lives. It may look appealing,

but ultimately leads to destruction.

Paul in Ephesians 5, verses 5-6 serves as a warning about the empty words of

Ephesians 5:5–6

temptation that entice us to indulge in that which leads to destruction and the wrath of God.

Paul commanded the Ephesian Christ believers in Ephesians 5, verses 5-6,

Ephesians 5:5–6

For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually immoral,

or impure, or greedy, who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ in God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath

of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

As we begin our passage today, it is essential that we notice that Paul iterated,

For this you know with certainty.

I point this out to you because very rarely did Paul use this kind of phrase

in his letters, meaning that we can have absolute confidence that what Paul

was about to teach was absolutely true and was from the Lord.

Remember, from our previous sermon, we learned that the saints or the holy ones

of God must not be named in connection to sexual immorality or impurities or greed.

As believers in Christ and because of Christ, we are saints or holy ones set

apart for the sole service to God in Christ.

Now, Paul teaches in verse 5 that a sexually immoral or impure or greedy person is an idolater.

The question is, what is an idolater?

To find an answer to this question, we must turn to Exodus 20,

Exodus 20:3–6

verse 3-6, where the Lord commanded the people of God in the Ten Commandments,

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven

above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth.

You shall not worship them or serve them, for I, Yahweh your God,

am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity, the fathers, and the children,

and the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing loving

kindness to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

So tying Exodus 20 back with Ephesians 5.5, Paul was explaining with authority

to the Ephesians that God considers those who commit sexual morality, impurities,

and are greedy as idolaters, those who put other gods before God Himself.

And why did God say that we shall have no other gods before or in His presence?

Because God does not share worship.

We either worship God alone or we worship other things, including ourselves.

We cannot have it both ways. And there are severe consequences for those who

worship and serve other gods, including ourselves.

God proclaimed that those who do not solely worship God alone are those who hate God.

And this leads us to the next part of Ephesians 5, verse 5.

Ephesians 5:5

This is what Paul said, For this you know with certainty, that no one sexually

immoral or impure or greedy who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

What does Paul mean when he proclaimed that no sexually immoral or impure or

greedy person has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God?

Does this mean that every believer who has an impure thought or has fallen into

sexual morality or has temporarily succumbed to greed has no inheritance in God's kingdom? No.

Paul was referring to those whose lives were characterized by sexual morality

or sexual impurity or greed.

That these people, their lives were all focused on it.

That those people are idolaters. And as such, they have not been saved by the grace of God yet.

And they do not yet have an inheritance in the kingdom of God.

In saying that, Paul was addressing Christ believers in a Christian congregation.

Therefore, Paul was warning the believers about the dangers of idolatry.

Sexual immorality and impurity and greed characterized the Greek cultures that Paul was speaking to.

And although Ephesus was not as depraved as Corinth, the city had its fair share

of immorality and greed.

Paul went on to say in verse 7 that the Ephesian congregation were not to let

anyone deceive them with empty words.

The word that Paul used for empty meant without content, without any basis,

without any truth, without power.

So the words that the believers had to be careful of were without real substance.

They were without truth. They were without power to save or sanctify or to free.

And the question is, what were those empty words that the believers were not to be deceived by?

And please listen to this. This is so critical for our day today.

Those empty words were that it was right and fine to be Christ-believers and

be sexually immoral, be sexually impure, and greedy.

Paul's response was that those who are actively living in sexual morality and

impurity and greedy ways are idol worshipers and that those types of sins are

the reason the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.

John MacArthur wrote, Sons of disobedience is a Semitic expression describing

people characterized by disobedience.

Similar to other Semitic phrases like the son of wickedness or the son of power,

that attribute is a defining characteristic to an individual.

This specific phrase is unique, first appearing in Ephesians and Colossians,

and characterized those who do not know Christ and live in ways displeasing to God.

And fundamentally, it encompasses all of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles who

are in need of Christ's redemption.

And thus, according to God through Paul in Ephesians chapter 5,

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

the sins of sexual immorality or sexual impurity or greed characterize or sum

up the types of sins that has drawn the wrath of God upon those who do not believe

in Christ Jesus as only Lord.

How can we, as Christ believers today, learn from Ephesians 5, verse 5-6?

Ephesians 5:5–6

The main truth that God is communicating to us is that we cannot live our lives

entrenched in sexual morality or sexual impurities or greed and still be able

to be a Christian and expect that we are saved from the wrath of God.

I know that this is not a popular stance in America today, where sexual morality

is being marketed as righteousness.

Denominations are rightfully splitting because some parts of our denominations

are now abandoning God's Word and embracing the LGBTQIA movement.

And allowing them to be married in the church and even worse,

to be ordained as pastors in churches.

This is even happening in the northern and southern province in the American

Moravian Church. and the Alaskan province that our church is a part of has broken

ties with them at great financial cost, I might add.

And yet, according to God's Word, all types of sexual morality are part of the

reason why God in Jesus Christ will be returning to judge the world and destroy and remake the earth.

Now, I need to make it clear that we are called to love people and to act compassionately

to them, but we do not condone sin.

I'm not so concerned about this country or the world, and I include America as part of the world.

My concern is for the Church of Christ, more specifically in America and Alaska,

because that's where we live.

The Church in America must wake up and stay faithful to the teachings of God through His Word.

We, you and I, are called by God God, as His holy ones, to be set apart for

His service, and His service alone.

It is time for us to stand up and be men and women of God.

I'm not talking politically, although our lives that are set apart for God will

have an impact on the world around us.

What I'm referring to is faithfulness to Christ and His Word in the mundane,

everyday parts of our lives.

Being faithful to speak God's Word as we lovingly serve our neighbors and communities.

As we uncompromisingly speak the Bible's truth with compassion and gentleness,

as we serve our neighbors and our friends and our families and our communities,

as we live pure, holy lives unto God, as we work to make disciples of our neighbors

and families and communities in the grace of Christ.

How can our neighbors and communities see us as set apart unto God when we look

and act just like everyone else.

The second main truth I want to share with you from Ephesians 5 is that we as

the Church of Christ are to please the Lord by walking in the light.

One morning, my six-year-old Paul was sleeping in mine and Abigail's bed.

It was time to get up to go to school, and we were gently trying to wake him up.

And as Paul began to wake up, he started shouting, I can't see,

I can't see, turn off the light.

My wife Abigail responded by saying, Don't worry, you'll get used to the light.

To which Paul retorted, I don't want the light, I want to go back to the dark.

As humorous as this story is, This is similar to how we as Christians act towards

living in the light of Christ.

Rather than living in the light of Christ and in Christ displaying His light

through us to those around us, we are severely tempted to go back and stay in the darkness.

And this is what Paul wrote, Ephesians 5, verses 7-10.

Ephesians 5:7–10

Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were formerly darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of the light. For the fruit of that light consists in all goodness

and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

First of all, Paul taught Ephesians to not partake in immoral or impure or greedy

actions, because by doing so,

we are going back into the slavery of Satan's kingdom of darkness and trying to live there again.

Rather, Paul commanded in his apostolic

authority for Christ followers to understand who they are in Christ.

And I say this because Paul taught the Ephesian Christ believers that they were

light in the Lord and children of light, that their identities were being light in the Lord.

Let's look at this first aspect of living in our identity as Christians.

The first part of our identity as believers in Christ is that we are now light in the Lord.

And what Paul meant was that Christians are not lights for God by ourselves.

It is within the relationship with the Lord and in the Lord that we are now dwelling in.

Because of what Christ has done on the cross and His resurrection for us,

we now shine the light of Christ through us.

Jesus in Matthew 5, verse 14 to 16 wrote, You are the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14–16

A city set on the hill cannot be hidden, nor does anyone light a lamp and put

it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works

and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

The second part of our identity as Christians that I want you to see is that

we are children of light.

God is light.

John 1, verses 1-5 wrote, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with

John 1:1–5

God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him,

and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being.

And here is what I want you to see, verse 4, In him was life,

and life was the light of men.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

I want you to see something else in Ephesians 5, verse 8, where Paul wrote,

Ephesians 5:8

Walk as children of light.

It is important that we understand that we are not the light ourselves,

and light does not come from us on our own.

It is from God in Christ who is the light of life, that we have been spiritually

reborn from and made into a new creation into Christ.

Our life comes from and belongs to Christ the light, not from us.

But, and this is important to listen to, the extent to which we as Christ believers

abide in Christ within our daily life will be the extent in which we exude the

light of Christ through us.

I'm going to say that again because it's super critical.

The extent to which we as Christ believers abide in Christ within our daily

life will be the extent in which we exude the light of Christ through us.

Jesus Himself taught in John 15, verses 4-5, Abide in me, and I in you.

John 15:4–5

As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine,

so neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. for apart from me, you can do nothing.

The question is, what is the fruit that comes from abiding in Christ, who is the light?

Back in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul went on to explain that to be light in the

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

Lord, we must walk as children of the light.

And this is what Paul taught in Ephesians 5, verses 8-10. Walk as children of

Ephesians 5:8–10

light, for the fruit of that light, please listen to this,

consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

And thus the fruit of the light, meaning the Lord's light in us,

is evidenced by goodness, righteousness, and truth, as we are trying to learn

what is pleasing to the Lord.

And what pleases the Lord is that we live by faith in Christ with God's goodness,

making decisions and actions based upon the right standard of God that we know

from the truth of God, which is His Word, the Bible.

I also want to point out to you that Paul wrote trying to learn what pleases

the Lord. And this is comforting to me because Paul did not say that we have

to automatically do what pleases

the Lord, nor did he say that we know already what pleases the Lord.

There is a process here of intentional effort and trying, but also grace for error in it as well.

Meaning that as saints who sin, we're not going to please God in this life all

the time. But by the grace of God, we must never give up trying to reach the

level of God's standard of goodness, righteousness, and truth in our lives.

And I want to make something else clear.

Trying to learn what pleases God is not based upon our own standards or the

standards of our culture, but on the standard of God in His Word, the Bible.

I want to encourage us that when we fall into sin, we repent,

we trust in God, and in His love for us again, and we keep following Christ by obeying His Word.

How has God been teaching us through His Word this morning? Paul explained with

God's authority to the Ephesians and to us as Christians that God considers

those who lived their lives committed to or practicing sexual morality, impurities,

and greediness as idolaters, those who put other gods before God Himself.

And God through Paul also taught that the sins of sexual morality or sexual

impurity or greed characterize or sum up the types of sins that has drawn the

wrath of God upon those who do not believe in Christ Jesus as only Lord.

Lastly, God through Paul has taught us that our identities are as light in the

Lord and as children of light,

evidenced as we live with the goodness, righteousness, and truth of God,

as we continually try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.

And I want to leave us with this encouragement today.

Light is not focused inward, but is always pushing outward.

We as believers in Christ have the light of all life dwelling in us,

and that is God Almighty, Christ Jesus our Lord.

The light of God is not meant to be kept to ourselves, but must actively and

intentionally be shined into the lives of the people around us.

I also want to encourage you that in the darkest time, that is when light shines the greatest.

So, shine the light of Christ to those around you.

Let us pray. Father, we are grateful for the merciful and gracious love that

You have just lavished upon us in Jesus Christ.

Thank You that You are God. Thank You that You love us so much in Your Son,

Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

I pray also, Lord, that we as here at Dillingham Moravian Church,

as Moravian churches in Alaska and the church as a whole in Alaska and all throughout the world,

that we would wake up and see the truth of who God really is,

that in his great love, he is holy without sin.

And we are called to imitate God,

to be perfect like him, even though we sin, even though we fall short of that

we are still called to be these set apart people in imitation of him so lord,

imitation of your son christ so lord please use us to that end.

Encourage us, strengthen us, build us up so that we can be lights in this dark

world, into our villages and communities and wherever we are, Lord, and our families.

Use us. Help us to cling to you and hold on to you tight.

In your precious Son's name, Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.

I'll leave you with this benediction from Ephesians Revelation 3,

17-19 May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, that you,

being rooted and grounded in love,

may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and

length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled all the fullness of God.

Have a wonderful Sunday. May the Lord bless you.