ONCE DARKNESS NOW YOU ARE LIGHT PART 1

Eph 5:1-5-14

How dark were you and I before Christ got a hold of our lives though the gospel that brought light into darkness? The answer to this question is found in this portion of Paul’s letter. The Apostle Paul says “you were darkness” (v7) meaning you weren’t a little dark or a half sinful…you were dead in your sins and trespasses. You were complete darkness in the sight of a holy God. What do I mean and what is Paul saying? Before Christ came our total existence was darkness. Our whole being and our whole character were characterized by darkness. We call this “total depravity” man's natural condition due to original sin, apart from any grace exerted by God to restrain or transform man. 

“Total Depravity” or a better phrased by my Ligonier Ministry Friends “radical corruption” is a doctrine that says….. Man’s heart is “deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9). The Bible teaches that man is born dead in transgression and sin (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3, Ephesians 2:1-5). The natural man is held captive by a love for sin (John 3:19; John 8:34) so that he will not seek God (Romans 3:10-11) and does not understand the things of God (1 Cor 2:14). Natural mankind suppresses the truth of God in unrighteousness and they in darkness continue to willfully live in sin. Romans 1:18 says “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Mankind is totally depraved, this sinful lifestyle seems right to men. Prov 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Man rejects the gospel of Christ as foolishness. 1 Cor 1:18 says “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing.” Our minds are “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so” Romans 8:7. And in turn as Isaiah 64:6-7 says “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.”

Total depravity does not mean……. Man is as wicked or sinful as he could be, nor does it mean that man is without a conscience or any sense of right or wrong. Neither does it mean that man does not or cannot do things that seem to be good when viewed from a human perspective or measured against a human standard. But it does mean we are darkness and there is no light apart from Christ and the gospel. This should be a wakeup call for the child of God because darkness is never so dark as when a redeemed soul isn’t satisfied with God. This is why it’s important to understand what Paul is saying to us this morning! The verb "were" emphasizes a past condition. It’s the same use of the word we find in Eph 2:1 “You were dead in the trespasses and sins.” It’s the darkness we uses to live and love in our former lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh. John MacArthur says “We were not simply victims of Satan’s system but were contributors to it. We were not merely in sin; our very nature was characterized by sin.”

Think about this as we go through this! The realities of those in darkness have no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God. We know this to be true by what is written in (v5) and Paul says “You can be sure of this” or “Take that to the bank”. This is no small matter to ignore or shrug our shoulder at. For many, will come to a destructive end. Paul says this in (v6) “the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” 

Who are the disobedient sons? Those who are still darkness, not in darkness, but those who are darkness. What are we to do? Paul gives the answer in (v7b) “Walk as children of the Light' Have you ever sat outside on a bright sunny day and used a mirror to reflect the sun’s light? As the light shines on us, we hold up my mirror and we can reflect the light to shine on whomever we point it at. We are not the light, were just letting our mirror reflect the Light to shine on others the glories of Christ through the gospel confession. 

If we are going to reflect the light on others, there are a couple of things that are very important: We must keep our mirror facing toward the light. If I turn away from the light, I cannot reflect the light. We must make sure that nothing comes between the light and you. If that happens, we cannot reflect the light. The Bible tells us that "There was a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light: he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." John 1:6-9. The story we proclaim and live by is foreign and strange to world of darkness who have no care for the things of God and His gospel. John 12:36 says “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." 1 Thess 5:5-11 we read this reminder “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” This is our mission field church family and it begins by living and being examples of Christ inside here and outside for the world to see and hear and turn from their wicked ways. Why? They are about to face the wrath of God for their darkened hearts of rebellion and sin. We too were among them, BUT NOW! We are children of Light and we are to live as children of Light for the glory of His precious name. Our lives are to reflect the divine characteristics/standards of the gospel. Why? It’s because of this light we are now walking in what is good, right and true. (v9) 

Good or goodness…..refers to that which is pleasant, useful, suitable or worthy. It’s what is free from defects, beautiful and honorable. Goodness finds its fullest and highest expression in what is willingly and sacrificially done for others. Paul uses the same language when he said “bad company corrupts good morals.” 1 Cor 15:33 

Right……we are commanded to live righteously because this has to do with how we live and interact with everyone. This has to do first with our relationship to God and His sanctifying grace. Paul wrote this “….For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." Rom 4:1-8. We are to live our lives righteously and pursue righteousness, because we know that Christ is our positional righteousness through the gospel. We are commanded to live this way as instruments of righteousness in darkness. “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” Rom 6:13. Its evidence of a changed heart of the glory of God in the life of a believer. 1 John 2:29 says “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”

True……has to do with honesty, reliability, trustworthiness and integrity. The Christian life, just as every other kind of life, is only healthy when it is growing. The believer is constantly learning and changing for His glory from one extreme to another. This is the joy of the gospel how it takes something unholy and declares them holy though the life transforming works of Christ through the Spirit. Every Christian should be pursuing and learning what is pleasing to God and His glory. Peter penned these words “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:3-8

See! Truth is in opposition to error, lies, hypocrisy. Truth shows what it is to walk as children of light. Eph 4:15 reminds “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” Something really important we need to understand here! Without these fruits there is no evidence of life of God. That’s what Paul is summarizing if our lives consist of these wickedness (v3-v6) Jesus warned the believers about this "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” Every believer will bear fruit of some kind but those in darkness bear bad fruit. There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian, we call this a false convert Where there is life we call this evidence of life, just as where there is death we call this evidence of death. We have been removed from our darkened estate and now we are to walk as children of the glorious King, who saves sinners, from death and wrath, to life and godliness.

......To be continued next Sunday :)