“it’s About Time! Walk As Children Of The Light” Series

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

June 2nd 2013

Eph. 5:8-14

“It’s about time! WALK AS CHILDREN OF THE LIGHT”

Intro: Eph. chap 5 is all about change.

• Designed/teach us we are different/world around us.

• Now that we are different/should live lives that/different.

The simple truth:

• Believers should be different from those/don’t know Lord.

A brief review/1st seven verses/chapter clearly demonstrate/truth.

• v. 1, commanded to live like God

• v. 2, commanded to love like God.

• V.3-7, commanded to leave this world and its ways behind.

• v. 8 Apostle tells us why we are to be different.

• This is something we need to hear and heed.

• After all, we are living in this world.

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We are “Aliens and Strangers” here, 1 Pet. 2:11.

• There was a time when we were citizens of this world.

• We lived like they live. We thought like they think.

• We did what they do. We were part of them.

• But, when we were saved/grace/God

• We were delivered/old life/sin/Given/new life/righteousness.

Even though delivered/world, we still possess deep knowledge of the world and its ways.

There is still a part of us/fleshly part/still desires the things/world we left behind when we were saved.

• Always pressure/saints/God/more like/world around them.

• overt pressure/entertainment/other forms of media for us to do what the world does

• Subtle pressure even/people we love who would like to see us behave a little more like them.

• To see us do the things they do.

• I think these folk do what they do because our lifestyle makes them feel guilty about the way they are living.

Pressure within us/flesh reaches out/things/now forbidden to it.

• We might be saved/still a part of us that loves sin

• That hates the rigors of holiness.

• While there is pressure to go back

• There is also pressure to go forward.

Spirit of God/the resurrected spirit within us want us to be transformed so that we might be what God saved us to be

• That’s why in Rom.12:1–2, God tells us ….

• We studied, v.7, “Do not be partners with them.”

• Verses today teach us how to make that/reality in our lives.

I want take these verses/point out some insights that speak to us about Walking As Children Of Light.

Text teaches us how/become/righteous person God saved us/be.

• We live/hard, dark world/dominated/driven by sin.

• In the midst of that darkness/depravity

• God has redeemed a people.

He has redeemed a people:

• That He expects to be different.

• He has empowered to be different.

• He has called into service for Him.

Rest/Eph. tells us how to make that a reality in our lives.

I. V. 8 HOW WE ARE CHANGED

What We Were - We “were once darkness.”

• Meaning we were lost/darkness/sin/depravity.

• Darkness was where we lived/what we loved.

• Blinded by the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4:4.

• We lived like every other lost person, and we enjoyed it

Sins of v. 4-5 were who we were and what we did.

• Enslaved to sin.

• We knew nothing else/wanted nothing else.

• Our lives once manifested the works/world/flesh/devil.

• Sin was a way of life for us.

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What We Are - We “are light in the Lord.”

Col. 1:13 says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves

• When/Lord delivered us from darkness

• He set us free from the power of sin.

• He has changed/touched and made us children of the light.

Since we have been changed, we are to walk in light and no longer in the darkness that once characterized us.

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

• Since that is true, we are to “walk as children of light.”

• How do we do that?

• Avoid sinful thinking/sinful living.

• surrendering our all to the Spirit of God

• He will produce within us “peaceable fruit of righteousness.”

By the way this is not something we should have to be constantly encouraged to do.

• If we are truly saved/truly changed

• Holiness should be a way of life for us! 2 Cor. 5:17

II. V. 9-10 HOW WE ARE CHARACTERIZED

These two verses deal/reality/our spiritual walk.

• If we are truly saved/walking in the light

• It will be clear from the life we live.

• Paul says “fruit of the Spirit” seen/three ways.

1. It is seen in Goodness

• Word refers to “uprightness of heart and life.”