“And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
In 1971 Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland starred together in a movie named “Klute”. It was about a small town detective who had come to the big city in search of a killer, who coincidentally was stalking Jane Fonda’s character. At one point in the movie Donald Sutherland’s character, Detective Klute, was hot on the trail of this mad killer and chased him to a spot where there was an open cellar door.
The music, lighting, and the chase all served to build suspense to a chest-constricting level. As Klute approached the cellar door, revolver drawn, and looked down into the darkness, I think everyone in the theater was holding their breath. That is, until my friend, sitting next to me, said out loud, “If he goes down there he deserves what he gets”.
The theatre audience burst out laughing and the tension was released, at least momentarily.
The Apostle Paul is continuing his theme of light vs. darkness in our text verses today. He is warning against entering into; participating in; deeds of darkness, for they are unfruitful, disgraceful, and we are rather to expose them.
Those who are of the world and still in darkness cannot help themselves. But based on what I see the Apostle telling us in this chapter, the Christian is light and therefore if he enters deliberately into the darkness for the sake of participation, he deserves what he gets.
This is the subject I want to discuss with you today; who or what it is we’re being exhorted to expose, and how we go about doing that.
UNDER COLOR OF AUTHORITY
There is a term we learned in the police academy having to do with the proper exercise of our authority. “Under color of authority”. It referred to the ethics of our profession and the proper use of the powers vested in us by federal, state and local law.
If we over-stepped those parameters and used our badge as an excuse to abuse someone physically, or extract some favor from them by intimidation or duress, then we could be held accountable for committing those acts ‘under color of authority’.
In other words, we would be using our influence as officers of the law in a way that any civilian doing the same thing would be arrested or sued for.
I think that in may ways the church in general and people in the church have been guilty of abusing people under color of authority. Christians, seeing themselves for some reason as the morals police of the world, have gone to great lengths, supposedly standing on the authority of God’s laws, to legislate morality and shake a condemning fist at the unsaved and unchurched, for their ungodly actions and their ungodly philosophies.
Our society has many ills and evils, to be sure. But let me just take the abortion issue today to use as an example for what I’m getting at.
Now I hope I can safely make the assumption that any Spirit-filled believer in Christ is going to agree that convenience abortion is wrong. It is murder. The taking of innocent life.
Proceeding on that assumption then, let’s ask the question, ‘how far should Christians go in fighting against the widespread genocide of the unborn in our country?’
I’ll bet you’d all agree that it should be fought with vigor in the courts, wouldn’t you?
But how many of you would vote ‘yes’ to bombing abortion clinics or shooting doctors in the parking lot?
Of course you would not. So where is the line? What, really, is our duty?
Let me tell you a true story.
A young lady of 19 was pregnant. She was not married to the father. Despite his assurances that he wanted to marry her, she did not have confidence that she would be cared for and that he would stay around. After all, her mother was on her fourth marriage and the girl had never had a boyfriend treat her with respect. So she had no reason to believe this guy would treat her honorably. She planned an abortion. It was to be her third.
The father had made it very clear to her on a number of occasions, that he considered abortion murder, and he also assured her with many words that whether they married or not, he would never let her down. He would provide for the baby and always be there for that child.
The young woman made an appointment at the abortion clinic anyway, and because he could not stop her he at least offered to drive her there and back and be with her in this difficult time. He was torn, but he couldn’t just let her go alone and do this thing.
On the day of the appointment the ride to the clinic was very quiet. The father wanted to scream “Don’t do this!” But it was apparent that she was already upset and struggling, so he kept his agony to himself.
When they arrived at the clinic and pulled onto the parking lot, she suddenly burst into tears. As she got out of the car she was crying so uncontrollably that her knees buckled and she had to use him for support to get to the building.
As they walked toward the door, a crowd of Christians, out at the sidewalk with anti-abortion posters and posters with scripture verses, were shouting at this couple. “Baby killers!’ “You’ll spend eternity in Hell if you do this!” “How can you murder your innocent baby?”
In the waiting room after she signed in, the young mother and father sat in silence as she quietly sobbed. One more time, he took her hand and said, “If you keep this baby, I will love it, and provide for it, and be its daddy. No matter where you go or how far we get separated, I will always be there for this baby”
She looked up into his eyes and asked, “Do you really mean that? Will you keep your promise even if we don’t stay together?” He smiled and said, “Yes, I promise”.
She said, “Let’s go home”.
As they rose from their chairs and left the clinic, the Christians on the sidewalk began yelling again. “Do you feel better now that you’ve murdered your baby?” “Jesus will never forgive you!” “You’re baby is in Heaven now, but you’ll never see it, because you’re going to Hell!”
The baby was born, Daddy was always there for her, and she grew into a beautiful, intelligent, Christian woman.
Those Christians on the sidewalk didn’t know that they were yelling at a believer in Christ who was confused and in need of grace and a show of Christ-like love. They didn’t care. They were there to be the morals police, not to shine as lights in a sin-darkened world.
Believers, I know that we hear preached all the time, that the church of Jesus Christ has an obligation to speak out against immorality and injustice and ungodliness in our society.
And to a certain degree I concur with the duty of the church of seek fairness and justice for the downtrodden, and to maintain a holy witness and a Godly testimony in the world around her.
But nowhere in the gospels do I see either Jesus, or John the Baptist condemning sinners for being sinners. John told the hypocritical religious elite that they should “bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt. 3:8), And Jesus began His ministry calling for repentance, for the kingdom of Heaven was at hand (Mk 1:15), but His harsh words were always reserved for the religious. For the sinners He had only words of encouragement and promise, and called them to believe and be saved.
So finally getting back to our text, if we look at Paul’s admonition to expose them in the light of New Testament teaching, we have to ask the question, ‘is he telling us to expose the evil deeds of unsaved people? Or to expose the unsaved people in the performance of their evil deeds?
And I put the answer in the form of a question. What good would that do them?
If an unsaved young woman is heading for an abortion clinic, and I either shout condemnation, or use legal means to stop her, what good have I done if she’s going to spend eternity separated from God?
Taking this instruction in our text as a call to separate ourselves from ungodly people and use any means we can to expose their evil, is an application that runs contrary to the rest of New Testament teaching concerning the proclamation of the good news and life in the Spirit.
EXPOSE WHO?
Listen to I Corinthians 5:9-13
“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler - not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.”
In this passage Paul is addressing the problem of a young man in the church who is openly engaging in an illicit relationship with his father’s wife (probably meaning his step mother).
He was a member of the church. Supposedly a Christian. Participating in deeds of darkness. Paul said to excommunicate him.
Now there’s an idea that is not well-received in many of our churches today. Are you kidding? It’s hard enough to get people into the church! And what if that person is a faithful tither? That’s possible, you know; that someone steeped in sin might be a big giver.
After all, it makes him feel a little better about what’s going on in his life, if he can tell himself that he gives faithfully to the church.
People have some pretty strange ideas about reasons for paying tithe or giving of offerings. Some think it’s like paying for services rendered.
Not too long ago a woman was telling me about her husband who does not attend church. They were in need of counseling and he suggested they call and talk to her pastor. She asked, “Why would you want to talk to the pastor? You don’t even go to church!” His response was, “Well, you put money in the plate, don’t you? He owes us!”
But I wander.
Excommunication, when led up to and then executed according to Biblical principle and direction, is just as valid today as it was when Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
It should be a last resort measure, to be sure! But failure on the part of leadership to carry it out when necessary, because they are afraid of criticism or of losing money or just afraid to confront, is to shirk the duty that God gave to His shepherds, and can destroy a church from the inside. If young believers in a body see evil condoned, what are they expected to think of the destructiveness of sin and the power of the cross?
A church where Lynn and I have friends recently had to excommunicate a young woman who was practicing open sin. She’d had several warnings, and finally was confronted by her pastor and two deacons and told she would have to leave the church until the Lord brought her to a place of true repentance, and she renounced that sin, received His forgiveness and started showing signs of desiring Christ in her life. They assured her of their love and concern, and promised to keep her in prayer. But for the good of the church they were forced to remove her.
Now. Let’s say someone who has never made a profession of faith is expressing a desire to come to church. You know that person, and you know they are a drinker, occasionally engaging in extra-marital affairs, and when they get angry their language would wilt a prickly pear cactus.
Do we tell them they can’t come to church until they straighten out?
Absolutely not! Tell them the good news of Jesus Christ and lead them to faith, and once they’ve made a profession of faith in Christ, encourage them to be baptized and begin to disciple them in sound Biblical doctrine and Christian behavior.
What is the difference?
The difference is that one is coming out of the darkness into the light, and the other, while claiming to be light, is engaging willfully in deeds of darkness. That’s the difference!
The scriptures do not tell us to refrain from associating with sinners, people. Nowhere. Nowhere are we encouraged to adopt a monkish lifestyle, or demonstrate a Pharisaical “I thank Thee that I am not as one of these” attitude.
We are the light of the world, and we are to walk as children of light, among them.
Look in the gospels and see Jesus, sitting among the sinners and tax collectors, telling them about the Kingdom of Heaven.
See Him inviting Himself to the home of Zaccheus, casting demons out of a prostitute and even calling a despised tax collector to be one of His Apostles.
I’M GONNA LET IT SHINE
Manfred Mann wrote and sang, “Blinded By The Light”. Just for kicks I found the lyrics on the internet, and I’m here to tell you today that “blinded by the light” is the only line of the song that makes sense. Manny had to be on a serious drug trip when he wrote that song…
But I quote the title only to punctuate the fact that the light we shine does not blind, but illuminates.
It expels darkness. Christian, when you come into a situation, not to participate, but to represent Christ there, no matter how deep the pit, no matter how black the mire, no matter how dense the darkness, you bring in light.
By your very presence you expose the nature of sin. Men will react in various ways.
In anger, or in fear, or with relief and a desire to be freed. But one thing that will happen for sure, the darkness will be dispelled and all things will become visible.
And that’s really what Paul is talking about here in our text.
He’s not saying that we should go stand on the street corner and shout, “Guess what Mary Jones is doing!” or “Let me tell you where John Smith spent the night!”
He’s not talking about trying to legislate morality, or pointing a condemning finger at the sins of those in the world and insisting they cease and desist. It’s not that kind of exposure that he’s exhorting us to.
Here is his negative point. Do not participate in shameful deeds of darkness.
Here is his positive point. By your humble and holy living, shine the light of the gospel on them, so they may see the contrast between their evil deeds and your Christ-likeness, and perhaps be convicted and brought to repentance.
As I said, there will always be varying degrees of responses and reactions to the light you bring; the Light of the world “which, coming into the world enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9). As E.K. Simpson noted, “The detection of his guilt does not ensure a criminal’s reformation”.
Jesus’ exposure of the sin and hypocrisy of the Pharisees only enraged them. Others, like the Gerasene demoniac we recently studied about, fell at His feet in submission and worship.
The reaction of people to your light, whether outside the church, or inside the church and practicing evil deeds, is not your responsibility. Not our responsibility.
I’m not responsible for your response to my teaching. I care; and I want you to be blessed and enriched. I want you to be taught, reproved, corrected, trained in righteousness and equipped for every good work. It’s the purpose of the word and I have been given the duty of rightly delivering it to you. (II Tim. 3:16,17)
But ultimately, once I have brought the light of God’s word to you, your response to it is your responsibility before God; not mine.
RISE AND SHINE!
Paul borrows from four different passages in Isaiah, to put together this clarion call in verse 14.
“For this reason it says,
‘Awake, sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you’.”
It could only have been under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that he was able to gather these various utterances of the prophet and apply them to a favorable response to the illumination of Christ on the life.
But it carries a message to both the believer, and the unbeliever.
To the unbeliever because he is dead and will remain in darkness until he responds favorably to the light of the gospel.
But I believe Paul’s primary message here is to the believer, participating in the deeds of darkness that, in his words, are disgraceful even to be spoken of.
He’s saying, ‘rise and shine!’ Put away those things, and let Christ shine His glorious light of holiness and truth on you, expose those things in your life that aught not even be named among you, so that they can be purged and your eye can be made clear, and you can truly be to the world around you, the light that illuminates their way to Christ.
Christian I don’t know your heart, and I truly don’t know your habits. I don’t know and really don’t want to know your secret thoughts and the things you participate in during those lonely times when no one else is around.
But Jesus knows your heart, and He knows all about you, and my duty before God and you today is to simply encourage you; exhort you, to invite His glorious, searching light to illuminate every dark corner of your life, so that everything will be exposed, so that everything will become visible to you, so if there’s anything that needs to be purged you can surrender it to Him and truly walk as a child of light.
I am confident that this is the proper application of this passage for us, because of the verses that follow, which we will study later.
But I’ll come to a close here with this, Christians. There is darkness in our churches. There is darkness in our town and the region we live in, that must be exposed by the light of goodness, righteousness and truth shining out from true, surrendered, followers of Jesus Christ, so that by His gentle Holy Spirit He can bring those in darkness to repentance and faith.
It must begin with the leaders, and the sincere believers in every Bible-teaching congregation letting the light of truth expose in them all that needs to be brought to light, and then they need to let their light, the light of the gospel, shine out to dispel the darkness everywhere they go so Christ can impart His light and life to many, many more in these last days.
Jesus said this as both a command, and an invitation. Let’s let His words be the last on this subject today:
“You are the light of the world, A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the peck measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven”.
Matthew 5:14-16
