Walking as children of the light
Expository Preaching Outline on Ephesians 5:8-14 – For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness and righteousness and truth), approving what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather condemn them. For what they do in secret, even to speak it is foolish. But all these things are made manifest, being condemned by the light, because the light makes all things manifest. Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you.
Introduction to Ephesians 5:8-14
Chapter 5 of Ephesians is about change. It teaches us that we are different from the world around us and, because we are different, we must live differently. The truth is simple: believers must be different from those who don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ.
A brief review of the first seven verses of this chapter makes this clear:
- In verse 1, we are commanded to live like God.
- In verse 2, we are commanded to love like God.
- In verses 3-7, we are commanded to leave this world and its ways behind.
- Starting in verse 8, the apostle Paul explains to us why we should be different.
We need to listen and obey this teaching. After all, we live in this world. We are “strangers and pilgrims” here (1 Peter 2:11). Before, however, we were citizens of this world. We lived as the wicked live, we thought as they think, we did what they do. We were part of them. But when we were saved by God’s grace, we were freed from our old life of sin and given a new life of righteousness.
Even though we have been freed from the world, we are still deeply familiar with its ways. There is still in us – in our carnal nature – a longing for the things we left behind when we were saved.
- Furthermore, there is always pressure for God’s saints to become more like the world.
- There is direct pressure from advertising, entertainment and other forms of media to do what the world does.
- There is subtle pressure even from people we love who would like us to behave more like them. They want us to do what they do. I think these people act like this because our lifestyle makes them feel guilty about the way they live.
- There is internal pressure, because the flesh still craves the things that are now forbidden to it. We may be saved, but there is still a part of us that loves sin and hates the rigor of holiness.
While there is pressure to turn back, there is also pressure to move forward. Just as the flesh and the world want us to conform to their ways, God’s Spirit and the renewed spirit within us want us to be transformed to become what God has saved us to be (Galatians 5:16-17).
Some verses make this clearer:
- “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)
- “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these oppose one another, so that you do not do what you want.” (Galatians 5:17)
The last verse we studied (Ephesians 5:7) says: “Therefore do not be partakers with them.” Today’s verses teach us how to make this a reality in our lives.
Let’s analyze these verses and highlight some lessons about “Walking as Children of Light”. This text teaches us how to become the righteous person God has saved us to be.
We live in a harsh and dark world, dominated and led by sin. In the midst of this darkness and depravity, God has redeemed a people. A people He expects to be different. A people He has empowered to be different. The rest of this book shows us how to make that a reality. Let’s look at these verses and talk about Walking as Children of Light.
I. V. 8 HOW WE ARE CHANGED
What we were – “You were once darkness”.
This means that we were lost, in the darkness of sin and depravity. We were blinded by the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). We lived like any other lost person and we liked it that way (Ephesians 2:1-3). The sins mentioned in verses 4-5 were what we were and what we did. We were slaves to sin. We knew nothing but it. We desired nothing beyond it. We were lost in darkness and on our way to hell. We lived like the lost people we were.
What we are – “Now you are light in the Lord.”
When the Lord saved us, he delivered us from darkness. Colossians 1:13 says: “He has delivered us from the empire of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” When the Lord delivered us from darkness, he delivered us from the power of sin. He transformed us and made us children of light. Since we have been transformed, we must walk in the light and no longer in the darkness that characterized us before.
Romans 13:12-14 says:
“The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore reject the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the daytime, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in impurity and licentiousness, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts.”
Our lives previously manifested the works of the world, the flesh and the devil. Sin was our way of life. Darkness was where we lived and what we loved. By the power of grace, the Lord touched us, saved us, set us free and transformed us. He brought us out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
Since this is true, we must “walk as children of light”. How do we do that? By avoiding sinful thoughts and behavior. By surrendering ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit, who will produce in us the “peaceable fruit of righteousness”. We have been transformed and we must live differently. In fact, this is not something we should be constantly encouraged to do. If we have truly been saved and transformed, holiness must be our way of life! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
II. V. 9-10 HOW WE ARE CHARACTERIZED
These two verses deal with the reality of our spiritual walk. If we are truly saved and walk in the light, this will be evident in our lives. Paul says that the “fruit of the light” is manifested in three aspects:
- Goodness – Refers to uprightness of heart and life. It speaks of piety in motives, thoughts and actions. It is the quality of being like God. It also has to do with our treatment of others. When we practice kindness, we are walking in love towards those around us, treating them as God treats us.
- Righteousness – Refers to our status before God. When he saved us, he declared us righteous. He removed all our guilt, imputed Christ’s righteousness to us and made us holy in his sight. Righteousness is manifested in our lives when we live out the reality of who we are and what we have been made in Christ Jesus. It speaks of a piety that makes life different and belonging to the Lord.
- Truth – This has to do with honesty, reliability and integrity. When this quality is seen in the life of a believer, it stands in stark contrast to the hypocrisy, deceit and falsehood of the world.
- Kindness is about our relationship with others.
- Justice is about our relationship with God.
- Truth is about the personal integrity of our own lives.
These three characteristics are called “fruit”. Fruit is the manifestation of life. None of them, in their fullness, are found in the lives of unbelievers. They are proof of the presence of the Lord’s life in us. When we know Him, we will be like Him!
Note that Paul didn’t mention praying a prayer, being baptized, attending church, being good to others or doing good works. All these things are good, but they are works that can be done in the flesh. Anyone can do them, even someone who has never been saved.
On the other hand, the three characteristics Paul mentioned (goodness, justice and truth) are only possible through the work of the Spirit in the life of a redeemed believer.
III. V. 11a HOW WE ARE COMMANDED
The expression “do not associate” means do not participate. Those who know the Lord must have no part in evil things, not even by association.
We must avoid all kinds of evil, even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
We have to be in the world – if we’re not, we won’t be able to witness to the lost. However, we must be careful not to get caught up in the ways of the world. We must be a separated and holy people for the glory of the Lord.
The types of sins we should avoid are mentioned in Ephesians 4:25-31 and Ephesians 5:4-6. This is not an exhaustive list – we must avoid all sin! The depth of our separation is highlighted in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11.
We must guard our hearts, minds and bodies. Sin is all around us, but so is God’s Spirit (1 John 4:4). If we trust in Him, He will help us to live in a way that is holy and pleasing to Him.
IV. V. 11b-13 HOW WE ARE COMMISSIONED
- Our responsibility to abstain from sin goes beyond simply not practicing it. Here, we are commanded to “rebuke” it. This means exposing evil for what it is. When we remain silent in the face of sin, we are encouraging it. When we ignore it, we are promoting it.
The word “rebuke” carries the idea of correction, discipline and punishment. It means that we confront sin by refusing to tolerate it. There are times when we must speak out. We must tell others what the Bible says is right or wrong. Sometimes our intolerance of sin will be direct, dealing face to face with those involved in sinful activities.
Other times, our rebuke will be indirect. That is, we do the opposite of what the world does, and God uses this to rebuke them. They are selfish; we are generous. They curse; we bless. They live for themselves; we live for God and others. They lie; we speak the truth. Simply living for the Lord is already a powerful testimony in the face of evil.
One of our problems is that we don’t take sin seriously enough. We turn a blind eye, we laugh at it, we see others involved in sin and we don’t confront it. Even though we never do many of the things the wicked do, we revel in them from a distance. Thus, we are still contaminated, because we refuse to take a stand against sin and rebuke it.
- Verse 12 says that it’s shameful even to talk about what the wicked do in secret. We love to listen to juicy gossip, don’t we? We talk about the sins of others, spreading it from ear to ear. But God says that some things should be dealt with in as few words as possible. Talking about sin in a way that spreads it is a shameful thing. Sometimes we talk like this because we secretly want to do the same things. God says it’s shameful to act like that!
- Verse 13 teaches us how to deal with sin: by bringing all actions into the light of God’s Word. We must examine everything in the light of the Bible. If the Bible is against it, so are we. If the Bible is for it, so are we. God’s Word must be the only standard for our lives.
Light makes things manifest (easy to see). When we walk in the light, the evil of the world around us becomes evident. God’s children must live in such a holy, pure and close way to Him that we stand out as lights in a dark world.
Not everyone will be happy when we expose sin and raise the truth. Even so, it honors the Lord and is a much better testimony than a life that participates in the sins of the world.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden; nor can a lamp be lit and put under a bushel basket, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
We are commissioned to be different. When sin is exposed, the Gospel is exalted and God is glorified. These are reasons enough to walk in His will!
V. V. 14 HOW WE ARE CALLED
Paul ends this section with an invitation to the lost to come to Jesus and be saved. If they simply wake up and come to him, he will save them and give them light. That call still echoes today. If you are lost, you can be saved. The Lord will change your life, free you from darkness and fill you with his light.
There is also a call here for believers to wake up. We have been wandering this world in a spiritual slumber for far too long. It’s time to wake up and dedicate ourselves to the Lord’s work. When we do this, we will be a light to a world trapped in darkness. Perhaps the Lord will use that light to save sinners.
As Paul said in another passage:
“And this I say, knowing the time, that it is high time for us to awake out of sleep; for our salvation is now nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore reject the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:11-12)
The church needs to hear this today!
Conclusion of Ephesians 5:8-14
The world needs the light we have to show. It is the Lord’s will that His children be a light in a dark world. It is the power of His light in us that will highlight the difference between us and the lost world around us.
Let’s seek the Lord today and ask him to help us “Walk as Children of Light”.
Expository Preaching Outline on Ephesians 5:8-14 – For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness and righteousness and truth), approving what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather condemn them. For what they do in secret, even to speak it is foolish. But all these things are made manifest, being condemned by the light, because the light makes all things manifest. Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you.
More Preaching Outlines
- GRATITUDE FOR SALVATION – Ephesians 1:13
- There is only one Faith – Ephesians 4:4
- God’s darkness – Genesis 15:8-18
