The Tongue In The Light Series

🎙? The Tongue in the Light

A Devotional and Exegetical Teaching of Ephesians 5:11–12

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🕊? Introduction:

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Thank you for joining me today.

Let me ask you something simple, but serious:

When was the last time you considered the power of your tongue—not just to bless or curse—but to expose or excuse sin?

Because the truth is:

One of the clearest signs that we belong to Jesus is not just in what we believe—but in what we say.

We stay quiet when sin thrives.

We joke about what God grieves over.

We listen to filth and call it entertainment.

And slowly, without even realizing it, the tongue that was meant to glorify God becomes a tool of compromise.

But in Ephesians 5:11–12, Paul draws a line in the sand. He says:

“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”

This is not optional. This is a call to action for the believer—especially in how we use our speech.

Here’s our guiding truth:

As children of light, our words are not neutral—they are either fruitless or fruitful, complicit or corrective.

In a world of hidden sin and shameless speech, God calls us to confront evil with sanctified lips.

Let’s break this passage down into three Spirit-led instructions:

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1?? Reject All Verbal Fellowship with Darkness

Text: Ephesians 5:11a – “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness…”

This means no passive approval. No silence that sounds like consent. No jokes that dim the seriousness of sin.

Paul isn’t just telling us to avoid doing evil. He’s warning us not to join our voices to it—whether through flattery, humor, or silence.

Romans 13:12 says:

“Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

Your tongue is part of that armor. Use it for war—not for wit.

Paul begins this section with a call to radical separation—not just from sin in action, but from any verbal or relational partnership with evil. Our tongues must not entertain darkness under the disguise of humor, flattery, or silence.

This aligns with Ephesians 5:7–10, where we are told to "walk as children of light" and to "discern what is pleasing to the Lord." The tongue of the believer should reflect that walk. When we speak casually about what God hates, we risk becoming partakers in it.

Paul reinforces this with the image of fruitlessness—not just wickedness, but waste. Compare Romans 13:12 again: “Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” The old life, Paul says, was not just sinful—it was empty.

🧍??? Expanded Example: Lot in Sodom (Genesis 19; 2 Peter 2:7–8)

Lot was called “righteous” by Peter, and yet his righteousness lacked conviction.

He lived among the wicked people of Sodom and was deeply grieved by what he saw—but he never reproved it.

His mouth stayed closed. His silence was comfortable.

So when judgment came and he finally spoke, even his sons-in-law laughed at him.

His testimony was compromised.

What happened?

He had verbal fellowship with darkness.

He tolerated it for too long and said too little.

His influence was drowned in compromise. His family perished.

The lesson?

If we do not separate our voice from evil, we will lose our credibility to call people to righteousness when it matters most.

🛠 Devotional Application:

• Is your speech a lamp or a shadow?

• Do your words reflect your separation from the world—or your closeness to it?

• Is your tongue fellowshipping with darkness through silence—or does it shine with light?

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2?? Reprove Sin Boldly and Graciously

Text: Ephesians 5:11b – “…but rather reprove them.”

Here Paul shifts from separation to confrontation.

It’s not enough to walk away from darkness—we are commanded to shine the light of truth on it.

The Greek word ?????? (reprove) means to convict, rebuke, or expose.

This is both verbal and moral—we expose darkness not only by what we say, but by how we live.

Psalm 119:105 says:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

That Word must fill our speech—not just our study.

Galatians 6:1 reminds us to restore one caught in sin with gentleness, while Matthew 18:15 commands personal reproof when a brother sins. The aim is restoration, not humiliation.

🧍??? Expanded Example 1: Nathan Rebukes David (2 Samuel 12:1–13)

After David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, God sent Nathan—not to ignore the king’s sin, but to confront it.

And Nathan, led by wisdom, used a parable to penetrate David’s conscience. He said, “You are the man.”

No hesitation. No fear.

He spoke truth in love and reverence.