Battle Ready: "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory Glory" Ephesians 5:11-14 Pastor Daniel Reese

If you have your Bibles Ephesians 5, this is where we're going to be.

Courage you to grab one of those, find it in your own Bible, follow along with us this

morning.

I don't know about you, but my family is not made up of a lot of mourning people.

When we do get up early, it's out of necessity, not because we really want to be up.

Right?

I'm not sure, I'm not the only one in that case.

So when minor inconveniences come up, like school, five days a week, my kids are not

the biggest fans of having to get up and get ready.

It's one of those things I miss about being a homeschool family.

Now, when the kids were younger and we needed them to get up, Sina would quietly walk into

their room and real softly tell them, hey, it's time to get up.

She might even lay next to them in their bed and stroke their hair so that they peacefully

wake up and then they would snuggle in the bed for a little bit, like really good quality

time.

That is not my style.

I would open their door, throw the lights on, walk in there, clap in, sing in a song that

I learned when I was a kid in church.

Rise and shine and give God, you know the song?

Give God the glory, glory.

I still even think to this day it's one of their favorite songs.

Now occasionally I will still do that to them if they refuse to get out of bed and get the

day started.

So as we study our text this morning, it appears that Paul is trying to get his readers to

wake up.

And so Aria, right?

Aria is coming up this morning and she's going to lead us as we read verses 11 through

14 of chapter 5 this morning.

I'd encourage you to stand.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful

even to speak of 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.

Amen.

Let's pray.

I thank you for your willingness to read your text in this place this morning.

I pray God that those words will seep into our heart.

I pray that you'll speak through them.

I pray God that we will become awakened to them.

And so we ask all these things in your name.

Amen.

Thank you, Aria.

Now it's always important, and some of you might get tired of hearing me say this, but

context is vital to understanding a passage of Scripture like this one.

If we don't keep in mind that Paul is writing to believers, it will be far too easy to dismiss

these words as merely a warning to the world around us rather than a wake-up call for those

of us that are followers of Jesus.

And without the proper context, it would be very easy to make some really bad applications

of what Paul is writing here in this text.

And so we need to understand that Paul is writing to believers here and not to those

who aren't.

Okay?

And so in this text, Paul is saying, wake up, believers.

Wake up.

We are actually going to work backwards this morning because I want us to make sure that

we understand the framework of this passage.

In verse 14, scholars believe that Paul is quoting an early Christian hymn that was influenced

by the prophet Isaiah.

So even like today, we take phrases from some popular songs and we put them on our wall,

right?

It is, Well with my soul.

Amazing grace.

How sweet the sound.

We have those pieces of art in our home.

The same is probably true for the early Christian church.

Isaiah 2619 says, your dead will live, their bodies will rise.

Isaiah 60 reads, arise, shine for your light has come.

Now, both of those passages support the idea that Paul is writing here to believers since

they were addressed to God's chosen people and not addressed to other nations.

By citing these words, Paul is reminding his readers how they were transformed from death

and darkness into life by the transforming light of the world, who is Jesus.

And so he's reminding us that we were once one way and now we are different.

The reminder of their conversion experience was to be a wake up call to Paul's readers.

But by thinking back to your conversion experience, they are reminded that just as light and darkness

are mutually exclusive, there is to be no middle ground.

There's to be no shade of gray for those who have the light of Christ in their lives.

We would do well to apply the very same wake up call into our lives as well.

Here perhaps many of you who don't have a lot of memory of your conversion because you

grew up in the church your whole life and you know nothing different.

That's my story.

So what I tend to do is I tend to think back or think about where would I be without the

Lord?

Where would I be if he didn't intervene in my life?

When I think about what he has protected me from by giving me Christian parents, when

I look at the world around me and how so many people come from broken homes, it makes me

grateful that the Lord spared me from that.

Now with my personality, I could have easily gone down a different path and tried things

that I shouldn't have.

Where would you be if the Lord had not intervened in your life?

Think about where you would be.

Think about what your life would look like.

Or maybe you haven't surrendered your life to him quite yet and he is ready to change

your life today.

As we continue to go through this passage, I would encourage you to just pray to God

yourself that he would speak to you.

Begin to pray that you would hear the sound of his voice, that you would know the sound

of his voice.

So this is a wake up call.

This passage is a wake up call for all of us who proclaim faith in the Lord.

Romans 13 should be a great challenge for us.

He says besides this, you know the time that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep.

For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

The night is gone.

The day is at hand.

So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Again in that passage, Paul is writing to believers who were struggling with returning

to their former way of life.

So Paul warns them that they should lay aside the darkness and put on the light.

Does that sound familiar with what he said in Ephesians?

Take off your old way of life and put on your new way of life.

So if it was a struggle for them back then who had Paul walking with them, would it not

be a struggle for us as well?

We need to wake up to the reality.

We need to be on guard and make sure we aren't just hitting the snooze button because that

is so easy to do.

It's so easy to hit that button.

Your Christian life is a constant battle and the enemy is trying to keep you asleep for

as long as he can because it doesn't go well for him if you're awake.

How it works for me at times is I get in my head, I'll do that later.

I'll share the gospel next time I run into them.

I'll start working on this sin issue later because it's inconvenient for me right now.

I'll spend time in prayer when I get home because it's been a busy day.

I'll disciple my kids when they're in a better mood.

Those are all the ways that I tend to hit the snooze button on what God is calling me

to do.

How is God trying to get your attention today?

Has he brought people to your mind lately that you need to call on, that you need to

check in?

Has he convicted you of some sin in your life that you need to confess?

Has he put a burden on you to reprioritize your life so that you have more room for the

things of God?

Maybe he's softly whispering to you and gently trying to wake you up.

Or maybe he's coming in, throwing the lights on, clapping his hands and singing a song.

Whatever his approach to you is, it's time to wake up.

Some of us are more stubborn than others.

So God is, you know, God gently laying in my bed, stroking my hair, probably not going

to work for me, right?

And so for me to wake up, sometimes it takes a lot of those things.

Salvation is closer now than when you first believed.

Nighttime is over.

Nighttime is over.

It's working hours now.

It's time to get out.

And there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

When we are awake and in the light, we begin to understand and we begin to see that it

exposes things to us, right?

That is what Paul writes in verse 13.

When anything that is exposed to the light, it becomes invisible.

The first thing that light does is that it exposes.

It exposes what is in the room.

In particular, Paul is writing about how light exposes the fruitless deeds of darkness.

Now I'm not sure the reason why, but anytime I watch a crime show on TV, it always amazes

me that when the police show up to a building, they walk around with flashlights and instead

of just turning the lights on, right?

Like it would make, it seems to be a more efficient way to just turn the lights on.

Maybe one of you that are police officers can share with me why they don't do that.

Because maybe there's a reason why it just doesn't make any sense to me.

So when you are walking around in darkness and you are exposed to the light, you begin

to see your sin nature more fully.

Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, everyone who does wicked things hates the light.

John 3 · chapter mention

Jesus uses the very same word for expose that Paul uses here in Ephesians.

It's a word that not only means to bring something to light, but it also brings conviction.

When light is shined in the darkness, it not only exposes the fruitless deeds of the darkness,

but it also brings conviction about the sinful deeds of the darkness.

So part of our wake up call as believers is to remember how God brought light into our

lives when we were still darkness and how that light exposed the darkness in our lives

and convicted us of our need to do something about that darkness.

Now my daughter was and still is awesome.

For those of you who don't know that.

When she was little we played hide and seek and I loved playing with her because she made

it really easy.

And her skill level as she grew had all these different stages.

At first she would think that if she couldn't see me, then I couldn't see her.

And so she would just close her eyes and then I would pretend to be looking for her until

I found her.

And then she upped her level a little bit.

Okay daddy, we're going to go play hide and seek.

You go stand in the corner and count I'm going to go hide in your bed under the covers.

Little harder, but still.

Then as she got older it became a little more difficult.

She got wiser.

She would actually find good places to hide and it would take me a minute or two to track

her down.

Now at every level of her skill I would always seek after her and I would always find her.

The truth of the matter is she was never really far from me to begin with.

She always knew I would find her.

I don't think she ever went into a hiding spot thinking my dad's never going to find

me here.

I'm never going to see him again.

I don't think that ever once crossed her mind.

But as a Christian that is the kind of games that we play with the Lord.

We think we're hiding, but he is still seeking after us and he will find us.

By exposing us to the light the tendency is to try to put it back in the darkness because

it isn't as ugly there is it.

It's not as hard to look at there is it.

But God is seeking after us.

He's convicting us.

He's exposing us because he loves us.

We are his children and when he sees his children hiding in the dark he seeks after us so that

we will walk in the light.

Satan wants us to hide.

Satan wants us to pretend it isn't there.

Satan wants us to get comfortable with the darkness.

But the problem is wicked things hate the light and we have a God who is constantly

pursuing and turning the lights on.

He's constantly exposing.

If you are a believer in Jesus that conviction will never go away.

You really have two options.

Put the work in confess it get the help you need to overcome it pursue the Lord in it

or live your life with constant conviction.

Those are really your only two options as a believer.

He's going to always expose it because he cares for you.

Don't keep leaving in the dark living in the dark until it blows up in your face where

it costs you your family or it costs you your job or it costs you potentially even your

life.

He's going to expose it.

He's going to turn the lights on because you are light.

Now when I was a kid the only plants I could grow and probably still could grow was a chia

pet.

I was reminded of them the other day when I was walking through my nards and they had

one I hadn't seen one a long time.

They had a Bert Reynolds chia pet.

My birthday is in September.

I had several chia pets growing up because again that's the only thing I could keep alive.

Now there's two rules to follow if you own a chia pet.

Water it and put it in the light.

Really that's the only two rules.

If I learned anything in life science when I was growing up it's that the kind of things

that grow in the darkness are usually harmful for you.

No one wants to put black mold on a salad.

For a plant to be healthy it needs sunlight.

If you want to be a healthy follower of Jesus come into the light because the darkness is

going to kill your spiritual growth.

Bring things to the light.

That's why we spent time last week encouraging you.

Encouraging you write down these sins.

Write your name on it.

Own it.

Use it.

Bring it to the light.

Because by doing that you're bringing it to the light.

It's not a secret anymore.

And I hope that many of you if not all of you took a step this week and confessed that to

somebody else and got some help and started taking some steps in overcoming this sin because

it's hard.

Right?

It's uncomfortable.

But in the end it will make you a mature follower of Jesus.

So light exposes but it also transforms.

That's exactly what had already happened to all of Paul's readers and it is what has occurred

in our lives as well if we are followers of Jesus Christ.

As we saw last week when God shines his light into our lives and reveals the darkness and

brings conviction we respond to that light.

And when we respond to that light we don't just become enlightened.

We actually become light.

We become the light ourselves.

Paul confirms that principle again here when he writes that everything that becomes visible

is light.

Paul describes this process in a couple of his other letters in Colossians chapter one.

He writes he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom

of his beloved son.

In 2 Corinthians chapter four he writes for God who said let light shine out of darkness

has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face

of Jesus Christ.

So Paul is encouraging his readers first of all to remember the light.

He's urging them to think back to the time when God brought light into their darkness

and allowed them to see the nature of their dark deeds.

And then God did something even more miraculous.

His light actually transformed their lives so that they became light themselves.

So remember when you were exposed to the light but also understand he's going to transform

you so that you become light as well.

That's the story of so many of you.

So many people that's your story.

God has used your story of darkness and now uses it to shine light to those around you.

Everyone likes the transformation story right?

Why do weight loss companies do before and after photos?

Because they're trying to sell you that that could be you if you buy their product.

Why do dentists use before and after photos?

Because they're trying to sell you that that could be your smile.

I mean that's how pyramid schemes work isn't it?

They sell you on the potential of what you could make if you will join them.

In all those cases they're trying to show you that your life can be transformed.

You can have a six pack.

You can have a beautiful smile.

You can have your own yacht and never have to worry about money again.

This is what God does.

He transforms us from darkness into light so that we can be the light to those around

us.

I was one way but then God did something to me and now I am more like him.

That's a powerful testimony.

Many of you have powerful testimonies.

I used to be legalistic but then God showed me his grace.

I used to be addicted but God gave me the strength to overcome it.

I used to treat my spouse like trash but the Lord changed my heart and now we have this

awesome marriage.

Whatever your story is, God wants to use you so that you can be the light to others.

Do you know why groups like Life Recovery are so important?

Because it gives people hope that their life can be different than it is right now.

When they're around people surrounded by people that have overcome it that are on the path

towards healing.

It gives them hope.

At our last church we had this worship leader that had spent 26 years in prison.

He was not a good guy.

He must have done some horrible things to get that much time in prison.

In fact, when I first met him he had just gotten out of prison.

But during his time in prison the Lord got ahold of him.

You see for some it takes a wake up call like that to get our attention.

But from the time the Lord got ahold of him until today he has the joy of the Lord all

over him.

He now uses his talents to shine the light on to those around him.

He didn't get those talents when the Lord saved him but now he uses those talents for

the kingdom.

His life is one of transformation.

And now he uses his transformation story to help transform others.

God can take your messed up life that's in the darkness and he can transform it into

light but you have to be willing to be exposed.

You have to be willing to take that step.

You have to trust the process.

You have to trust that his ways are better.

And I know that's hard.

And I know it's the last thing you want to do at times.

But the reality is that light transforms you for a reason.

There is a reason why the Bible says that iron sharpens iron.

So one man does another.

It's the reason why Peter says that the genuineness of your faith is tested by fire.

But those are not easy processes to go through.

We have to be okay with going through the moments of being uncomfortable for our faith

to be strengthened.

When sparks start flying.

When the heat gets hot.

Trust that God is forming you into something that is going to be better and that you are

going to be used by him.

It exposes but it also transforms.

Now again remember that this passage is written to believers.

So we can't take verses and think that it's our responsibility to expose the sins of everyone

around us.

God is the one who reveals sins to unbelievers.

Not us.

God is the one that brings conviction.

Not us.

Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians have taken verse 11 out of context and used

it trying to justify trying to be the Holy Spirit to unbelievers.

They honestly believe that this verse gives them not only the right but the obligation

to point out and expose sin in the lives of unbelievers.

But there are several problems with using this verse in that manner.

When we try to be the Holy Spirit we actually are putting ourselves in the place of God.

The Bible is clear that the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the unbelieving world is

his job.

It's the Holy Spirit's job.

However God does often use his children in that process.

When our lives produce the fruit of the light which is goodness and righteousness and truth

God can often use our lives to dispel the darkness in the lives of others.

But that's as bad as far as it goes with our responsibility in that area.

This is why I'm 100% against Christians protesting at abortion clinics.

By bringing shame to a woman who is probably living out one of the worst days of her life

does not sound like Jesus to me.

Our time and resources will be better served by volunteering at pregnancy centers.

Loving men and women as they navigate that process.

We should be praying that the Holy Spirit would convict the doctors and the nurses and

the women at the abortion clinic but we don't need to shame them.

When I came into the sanctuary this morning it was completely dark in here.

There was no sun coming from the windows.

There were no lights on.

But I didn't get rid of the darkness by trying to switch it off.

I turned on the light and the darkness disappeared.

Darkness is not the problem.

It has not been the problem.

As we discussed last week darkness is merely the absence of light.

So the problem is not darkness, it's the lack of light from those who claim to be followers

of Jesus Christ.

Too many Christians are sound asleep.

The problem with darkness is that there's too many followers of Jesus who are not shining

the light.

These passages indeed a much needed wake up call to us as a church.

God is saying to his children, wake up.

Hey, wake up.

There is death and darkness all around you.

You are getting enveloped by the darkness.

Remember the light that I brought into your life.

Remember that I exposed that darkness.

Remember that I exposed that sin and transformed you from darkness to light.

He's saying repent of any fruitless deeds of darkness and don't even talk about them.

Live as children of light so that others might see the light and give God glory to the Father

in heaven.

Wake up.

Wake up.

That's a call for all of us.

Is it not?

Wake up.

And so instead of bringing shame to those around us who are walking in darkness, can

we just love them better?

Instead of pointing out all their sinful deeds, can we just show them the light that's in

us and hopefully they see the difference?

It's not our job to bring conviction.

That's the Holy Spirit's job.

And so we need to fall on our knees and beg that He will do that.

When I came in this morning, again, the lights were off.

I turned the lights on.

Like I do every Sunday morning.

I come in here and I just pray for you.

Pray for these seeds.

Pray for me.

Pray that my words will not be of me.

So I never try to play on your emotions.

I really just try to portray what I feel like the Lord is telling us as a church.

And I think we need to repent.

I think we need to repent of the fact that you and I have not been light in dark places

as best as we should.

We fit the snooze button far too many times.

And if you have a spouse that hits the snooze button multiple times, it drives you crazy.

So I'm going to pray for us.

I'm going to ask our elders to be up front.

And we want to pray with you.

I'm going to have the altar open.

If you need to come lay those things before him.

Maybe you brought some things into the light last Sunday and you've put it back there.

Maybe you need to bring it into the light again.

See, sin a lot of times is like a child that you're trying to take from the fun station.

They usually, when they're young, they leave kicking and screaming because they want to

stay.

Sometimes that's our sin.

We bring it out and it's kicking and screaming and it wants to go right back in.

So sometimes we need to go in there and get it again, right?

So let's bring some things to the light.

Let's wake up.

So if you've been hitting the snooze button, my prayer for you is that you would turn it

off.

The night is over.

The day is here and we got a lot of work to do.

So let's pray.

Father, I pray that as we sing and respond to your words that you will speak to our hearts.

I pray, Father, that you will not only expose our sin, but you will help us see that you

will transform our lives as well.

So God, we pray that your voice will be heard in our hearts.

Again, I pray that you will take away any pride that's in this room.

And I pray, Father, that you will replace it with obedience as we sing and as we pray

and as we repent.

Turn in your prayer.

Okay.