TITLE: Living as Children of Light

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TITLE Living as Children of Light

• TEXT Ephesians 58-17
• THEME The believer should live as children of
  light because it pleases God.

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"A saint is someone God shines light through."
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The light of the Lord in a dark world is a common
biblical metaphor.
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The Psalms speak of the Lord and his Word as our
light.
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Psalm 271

• "The Lord is my light and my salvation whom
  shall I fear?"

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Psalm 119105

• "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
  path."

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The gospels speak of Jesus as the light
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Matthew 416

• "The people who sat in darkness have seen a great
  light. And upon those who sat in the region and
  shadow of death light has dawned."

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Luke 17879

• "Through the tender mercy of our God, with which
  the Dayspring from on high has visited us to
  give light to those who sit in darkness and the
  shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way
  of peace."

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Luke 232

• "A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and
  the glory of your people Israel."

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John 14

• "In him was life, and the life was the light of
  men." Jesus said of himself in John 812, "I am
  the light of the world. He who follows me shall
  not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

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Matthew 514

• "You are the light of the world."

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Ephesians 58

• "For you were once darkness, but now you are
  light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."

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Ephesians 514

• "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and
  Christ will give you light."

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Philippians 215

• "blameless and harmless, children of God without
  fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse
  generation, among whom you shine as lights in the
  world."

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1 Thessalonians 55

• "You are all sons of light and sons of the day.
  We are neither of the night nor of darkness."

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1 Peter 29

• "But you are a chosen generation, a royal
  priesthood, a holy nation, his own special
  people, that you may proclaim the praises of him
  who called you out of darkness into his marvelous
  light."

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What does it mean to live as children of light?
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I. Will bear the Fruit of the light (8-9)
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Ephesians 58-9

• For you were once darkness, but now you are light
  in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the
  fruit of the light consists in all goodness,
  righteousness and truth).

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Other Parallel Metaphors

• Waking in darkness vs. walking in light.

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Other Parallel Metaphors

• Waking in darkness vs. walking in light.
• Walking the flesh verses walking in the Spirit.

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Other Parallel Metaphors

• Waking in darkness vs. walking in light.
• Walking the flesh verses walking in the Spirit.
• Taking off the old clothes vs. putting on the new

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Other Parallel Metaphors

• Waking in darkness vs. walking in light.
• Walking the flesh verses walking in the Spirit.
• Taking off the old clothes vs. putting on the
  new.
• Getting rid of the old man vs. putting on the new.

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Other Parallel Metaphors

• Waking in darkness vs. walking in light.
• Walking the flesh verses walking in the Spirit.
• Taking off the old clothes vs. putting on the
  new.
• Getting rid of the old man vs. putting on the
  new.
• Crucifying the old nature and alive to the new.

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Fruit of Walking in Light

• A. Goodness Speaks of moral goodness and refers
  to our character. The contrast of walking in
  darkness in living immoral lives devoted only to
  self.

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Fruit of Walking in Light

• B. Righteousness As believers we are justified
  at salvation. The word means to be declared
  righteous. They both have the same root word.
  It means we live in accordance with the will of
  God. The contrast of walking in darkness is
  living self-centered, unrighteous lives.
• C. Truth Speaks of reality. It sees and speaks
  of things as they really are. We are neither
  deceived of hypocrites. We live in reality as
  revealed by God. The contrast of walking in
  darkness means being deceived and living a lie

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Fruit of Walking in Light

• C. Truth Speaks of reality. It sees and speaks
  of things as they really are. We are neither
  deceived of hypocrites. We live in reality as
  revealed by God. The contrast of walking in
  darkness means being deceived and living a lie.

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1 Peter 43

• "For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in
  doing the will of the Gentiles when we walked in
  lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking
  parties, and abominable idolatries."

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What does it mean to live as children of light?
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II. Want to know and do what pleases God (10-11)
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Ephesians 510

• and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have
  nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of
  darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is
  shameful even to mention what the disobedient do
  in secret.

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Romans 122

• "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"

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Paul says unbelievers

• "have their understanding darkened"
• "and alienated from the life of God because of
  ignorance because of the blindness of their
  heart."

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1 Timothy 42

• describe those who depart from the faith as
  "having their own conscience seared with a hot
  iron."

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What does it mean to live as children of light?
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III. See things as they really are (13-14)
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Ephesians 513

• But everything exposed by the light becomes
  visibleand everything that is illuminated
  becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said
• Wake up, sleeper,
• rise from the dead,
• and Christ will shine on you.

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The Nature of Light

• Light makes everything visible

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The Nature of Light

• Light makes everything visible
• Christ will shine on you

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What does it mean to walk as children of light?
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IV. Will be wise (15-17)
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EPH 515

• Be very careful, then, how you live--not as
  unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every
  opportunity, because the days are evil. 17
  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what
  the Lord's will is. 18 Do not get drunk on
  wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be
  filled with the Spirit.

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Make the most of every opportunity
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Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses

• "The puzzle is why so many people live so badly.
  Not so wickedly, but so inanely. Not so cruelly,
  but so stupidly. There's little to admire and
  less to imitate in the people who are prominent
  in our culture. We have celebrities, but not
  saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of
  bored insomniacs.

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Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses

• Infamous criminals act out the aggressions of
  timid conformists. Petulant and spoiled athletes
  play games vicariously for lazy and apathetic
  spectators. People aimless and bored amuse
  themselves with trivia and trash. Neither the
  adventure of goodness nor the pursuit of
  righteousness get headlines."

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Understand what the will of the Lord is
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William Golding, Lord of the Flies.

• "With filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose,
  Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness
  of mans heart, and the fall through the air of
  the true, wise friend called Piggy."

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Romans 66

• "our old man was crucified with him, that the
  body of sin might be done away with, that we
  should no longer be slaves of sin

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• The problem is not two natures, but a new person
  living in an old body, a person of light living
  in a body of darkness. The desire for sin does
  not come from within but from without. Therefore
  we must retrain our bodies under a new master

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