IN CHRIST, I AM…LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS—Ephesians 5:1-20
(Series on Ephesians: In Christ, I Am…) Read the sermon title from the card.
There is a lot of darkness in the world. The media bombards us with stories of injustice, oppression, and corruption. We see people who are caught in a web of sin, and can’t seem to find their way to a healthy way of life. We probably know people who are looking for a better life, but in all the wrong places, and in all the wrong ways.
God wants us to be light in the darkness. Paul says in verse 8, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”
Yet bringing light into our world is not always easy. If there is darkness at work or school, how can you bring light into that environment? If you see darkness in your friends, how can you help them see a better way? If there is darkness in your family, what can you say and do to help those you love?
HOW CAN WE BRING LIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS?
1. SHINE GOD’S LIGHT UPON OUR OWN DARKNESS.
Our first inclination might be to shine God’s light upon the darkest, most depraved parts of the world: the “dark web” of child pornography and stolen credit card numbers, the darkness of human trafficking and political corruption, or the darkness of gangs and drug dealers. Those are dark places, but if we begin there, we might fail to address the darkness in ourselves.
Paul begins with us. Read Ephesians 5:3-7.
Some people have a “Twinkie view of sin.” We know that Twinkies are not the best thing for us to eat; they are full of sugar and fat, as well as preservatives. Yet an occasional Twinkie is not going to kill us, as long as we don’t overdo.
Are sins like Twinkies? Does God allow for an occasional lie, a few impure thoughts, and rare “big sins,” as long as we don’t do those things all the time? No, sin is never “OK in moderation.” Sin is more like a highly-addictive, illegal drug, which can quickly take over someone’s life and destroy them.
I don’t think that Paul is implying that those who trust in Christ are in danger of losing their salvation every time they fall into sin, or that Christians will be able to eliminate every sin from their lives. He is concerned that even the smallest sins among Christians will dim their light in a dark world.
For that reason, there should not be even a hint of sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among Christians. We try to hide our thoughts or attitudes, and even secret activities, but they might come out when we get in a group of people. Paul says that our conversations should not include “obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking.” In the workplace, it may be obscenities and constant complaints. Sitting around the table at church, we might be labeling a person as a “loser,” or putting down a spouse or church leader.
In today’s world, the discussion might be on social media, where “obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking” are sometimes joined with lies and innuendo. Paul is quite clear: “Do not be partners with [immoral, impure, or greedy people].” Don’t get caught up in the darkness; change the atmosphere, as much as you can. Paul suggests substituting “thanksgiving”! What a novel idea!
To be light in the darkness, we begin with shining God’s light on ourselves and those closest to us.
2. SHINE LIGHT INTO THE DARK PLACES OF THE WORLD (verses 11-13)
Christians need to expose the darkness in the world. We need to be able to say, “This is wrong,” “This is destructive,” or “This is evil.”
We can begin by shining a light on what is wrong in our community, our church, or our family. We might take a stand against injustice, and join a movement to reveal the darkness of abortion, racism, abuse, or political corruption. We might refuse to ignore bullying, and advocate for those who are victims of prejudice. You might go to your boss to protest against favoritism, or you might point out lies that are being told in your family.
If we do this, it might seem like we are being judgmental, and Jesus said, in Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Notice, however, that Paul doesn’t tell us to judge people, but to “expose the fruitless DEEDS of darkness.” There is a difference between judging people and exposing their deeds as wrong.
What does light reveal about evil deeds? In verse 12, Paul says that they are “shameful.” That is true, although many people have become quite accustomed to living in darkness, and they might not see anything wrong with their sins. How do we shed light on evil, when people have no shame?
Suppose there is a person at work who lies, or treats people badly, or takes credit for work that others do. Do you tell them how evil that is? Maybe, although they will probably get rather defensive about their actions. You will probably get farther if you talk with them about how their behavior causes people not to trust them, and not to cooperate with them.
In other words, sin doesn’t pay. Paul refers to sin as “FRUITLESS deeds of darkness.”
When we shine light into the darkness of our culture, our best approach may be to point out how fruitless evil is. Illegal drug use doesn’t lead to lasting happiness and productive members of society. Sexual promiscuity doesn’t lead to lasting intimacy or stable family life. Always seeking “more” doesn’t lead to lasting satisfaction. Selfishness doesn’t lead to fulfillment.
We bring light into the darkness by exposing evil. But that is not enough.
3. SHINE AS A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. Ephesians 5:8-10
While light exposes “fruitless deeds of evil” in the darkness, it also illuminates what IS fruitful. The “fruit of the light” consists of goodness, righteousness, and truth:
Goodness. When we go to work, to the gym, or home to the family, people should be able to think of us as a genuinely good person. We are not perfect, of course, but people should be able to see the goodness of God in how we play the game, how we treat others, how we handle adversity, and how we live by our moral compass.
When Ben Franklin invented street lights, they didn’t sell. People were so used to the darkness, that they saw no purpose for putting a light out on the street. Franklin didn’t run a big, sexy ad campaign for streetlights. He simply put a light in front of his house, and people understood why it could be a good thing to have one.
People might not think much of Christians, until they see the fruit of goodness in their family, or in a church fellowship, or in a person who stands out at work as better in some way.
Righteousness. People despise self-righteousness or a holier-than-thou attitude, but true righteousness is something different. Righteousness is simply getting life right, God’s way.
Our righteousness should be beautiful, so that it is attractive to people who live in darkness. When we obey God’s commands about sexual morality, greed, or obscenity, we should display the fruit of valuing people as men and women, enjoying God’s good gifts, and using our mouths to build people up. Then our righteousness will be a thing of beauty.
Truth. Truth is a beautiful thing, if it is spoken in love. (See 4:35.) Proverbs 24:26 says, “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
***I once worked with a youth pastor who picked up Domino’s pizzas every week. One week he took me along, to meet the owner of the franchise. When we walked through the door, the manager pointed cheerfully at my friend, and said to me, “This is the guy who told me I was going to hell.” Of course, there was more to the story: My friend had listened to the man’s frustrations, which were due to his sins and the sins of others. In a non-judgmental way, he told the man about Christ, and he told him that no one has to accept Christ; they can choose hell if they prefer it. (I would never say something like that, but my friend did.) A few weeks later, the manager invited my friend to play golf with him! Speaking the truth in love is refreshing and life-giving.**
IN CHRIST, WE ARE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS.
The world needs the light of goodness, righteousness and truth. Those things are the fruit of a deeper light: Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” He also said to his disciple, “You are the light of the world.” Our light is the light of Jesus, living in us.
Many people in our world don’t see the light of Jesus, and don’t see much light in his followers. They need to see the light of Jesus in people like us! That gives a sense of urgency to how we live.
Read Ephesians 5:15-20.
Worship is a way to absorb the light of Christ—to renew our own light. We feed our heart and soul with words and song. We speak words of truth and encouragement to each other. We give thanks, and seek the fullness of the Spirit of God. We soak up the light of God’s goodness and grace.
Then we go out into a dark world, to make the most of every opportunity to shine our light in a dark world. Already, as we spend this time together, we are preparing for the opportunities that will come to us this week.
