Let God’s Son Shine!

February 25, 2008 by admin.

Ephesians 5:8-14

In the name of Jesus, our Lord and our Light, dear fellow children of God,

The temperature today is supposed to top out somewhere in the low 50s – not too bad for February. But I imagine most of us would prefer that thermometer reading to rise a little higher, especially after the day or so we had early last week when temperatures bounced into the 60s. And would any of us complain if sometime in the next week we’d challenge the record temperature for Wichita in February – 87 degrees set in 1996! Instead of watching our step in yet another batch of slush as we bundle up and crank the heaters in our cars, we’d much rather be throwing on some shorts and pop open the sun roof. Even with the mild climate we enjoy in Kansas, we’ve had about enough of the cold, wet stuff and the gloomy skies that go with it. We want spring to hurry up and get here. We want the warm weather to arrive and stick around. We want to feel the sunshine!

Who doesn’t enjoy basking in the light that comes from a shining sun? It warms our bodies and has a tendency to put us in a better mood, chasing away the dreary days of cold, dark skies while promising that warmer days are sure to come.

No matter what the weather forecast might be for this week, this morning we’re told that as Christians we never have to live under dark skies again, not if we just learn to:

“Let God’s Son Shine!”

I. Christ brought us into the light

II. Christ keeps us away from the darkness

The apostle Paul is writing to Christians living in Ephesus who weren’t lifelong Christians. At one time they were unbelievers, children of the devil, living in the darkness of their sins. But then they heard about Jesus, and things changed. Paul describes that change in this way (v 8), “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Earlier Paul had described their previous spiritual condition this way (Eph 2:1), “You were dead in your transgressions and sins.” They had been living in the dark, like spiritual zombies, with no flashlight of their own to help them out of their self-inflicted blindness. Not only were they “in the dark,” but notice that Paul says that they themselves “were . . . darkness.” The darkness of sin had so overwhelmed them that there was no evidence of any shining light in how they lived their lives.

“But now . . .”

Paul continues, signifying that there had been a transformation. “But now you are light in the Lord.” The Holy Spirit had used Paul to turn the light on for them by telling them about Jesus, “the light of the world” (Jn 9:5). From then on things changed. Not only were they enlightened, but the Ephesians also became light! What a difference knowing their Savior made, a difference that was to be reflected in how they lived their lives! That’s why Paul tells them to “live as children of light.” Literally, he’s telling them to “walk around in the light,” to follow the Savior, to let God’s Son shine in their lives!

Paul lays out for them what it means to live as children of light (v 9), “For the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” Letting God’s Son shine produces “goodness,” a genuine striving for moral excellence, to always want to do what’s right. The desired result would then be “righteousness,” actually doing what God says is right, living by the “truth” of his Word instead of by what this world has to offer. Letting God’s Son shine means leaving behind the bad, unrighteous, and dishonest lies of darkness so that we can now bring forth “the fruit of the light” – “goodness, righteousness and truth” – all of which are revealed to us in God’s holy Word.

Paul encourages us to “find out what pleases the Lord” (v 10). What he really says in the original Greek is for us to “approve of” or “put our stamp of approval on” what pleases the Lord. He uses the same word that was used to describe the testing of metals and coins to make sure they were authentic. If we are to let God’s Son shine in our lives, to reflect Jesus and all that he has done for us to others, we have to find out what’s real. We have to figure out what God would have us do so we can say no when Satan tries to pull us his way. In John’s first epistle he tells us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 Jn 4:1). And how do we do that?

If I want to know what makes my wife or my son happy, it’s important that I listen to them. I have to put down the newspaper, quit listening to the radio, stop what I’m doing, and give them my attention. It’s no different if you want to “find out what pleases the Lord.” You have to give him your time and attention. You have to listen to him as he speaks to you from his Word, whether here in worship or at home with your Bibles. The psalmist gets it when he writes (Ps 119:105), “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” For us to experience that light we have to make sure we’re plugged in to God’s Word, that we’re connected to the only one who can bring us into the light.

The alternative is to slip back into darkness. Were you ever afraid of the dark? Even as adults, we must admit that there’s something about the dark that unnerves us a bit. Spiritual darkness is even scarier. We were all born “in the dark,” lost and condemned creatures, deserving of nothing but an eternity in the dark dungeons of hell. But along came the Son — God’s Son — shining the light of his salvation into our hearts, opening our eyes so we could see again. We see our Savior, on the darkest of days, giving up his life on a cross to bring light to the world. Things changed! We were rescued from darkness and brought into the light of our Lord when God let his Son shine on Calvary!

Now that we’ve been brought into the light and are able to live as children of light, let’s stay put! Let’s stay where it’s safe. Let’s trust that our Savior will keep us away from the darkness.

Where there is light, there won’t be darkness. The two cannot coexist. Paul tells us that the choice is obvious (vv 11,12), “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” In Corinthians Paul proclaims (2 Co 6:14), “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” Remember, we were once darkness, but now we’re children of light. Let’s not wander back into the dark, but let’s continually work with the Holy Spirit to put off the deeds of darkness so we can continue to let God’s Son shine in our lives.

But notice that Paul tells us to do more than just stay away from the deeds of darkness. He also calls for us to “expose them.” When it comes to speaking out against sin, we can’t be bystanders. We can’t remain neutral, and we dare not compromise our beliefs. Introduce light into a dark room, and the things hidden by darkness are revealed for all to see. As children of light we’re called to let God’s Son shine to expose the sins of others. It’s not optional for us. Jesus says very clearly (Mt 5:14), “You are the light of the world.” He doesn’t ask us if we want to be light. He doesn’t give us a choice. Either we’re light or we’re darkness. If we are the light of the world, then we’re meant to shine. We’re meant to reflect the light of our Savior in exposing the deeds of darkness.

That means that we can’t be afraid to call a sin a sin, especially when the world around us is all to eager to sugarcoat the deeds of darkness with nice-sounding terminology like “meaningful relationship,” “significant other,” “alternate lifestyle,” and even “pro-choice.” But let’s call it what it really is. A “meaningful relationship,” if it involves premarital sex, is nothing but fornication. Having a “significant other” without the blessing of marriage is adultery. An “alternate lifestyle” involving two men or two women is referred to in Scripture as homosexuality and is called unnatural. Being called “pro-choice” is simply masking the fact that a person believes in the murdering of unborn children. These and other such deeds of darkness are “shameful even to mention,” and yet to cover them up and leave them unexposed won’t do anyone any favors. We are called to let God’s Son shine, and that means we can’t continue to let sin hide beneath the cover of darkness.

By exposing the deeds of darkness we help ourselves and others see sin for what it really is. Paul continues (vv 13,14), “Everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible.” A few years ago I found out at that I’m allergic to macadamia nuts. If I eat anything containing macadamia nuts, my throat begins to swell up and becomes quickly irritated. So if I were about to chow down on a macadamia nut cookie without knowing its contents, I would sure hope that someone would speak up and alert me to the impending danger. Too many people are living in danger today and are on a fast track to hell. What’s truly sad is that many of them don’t even know it. Who’s going to sound the alarm? Who’s going to expose their sins for what they really are? With God’s Son shining light into our lives, we’ve been saved from darkness. What are we going to do to help save others?

We’re going to warn them (v 14), “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Paul uses what may have been an old Christian hymn to get his point across. It’s time to wake the dead, those spiritually sleeping in the darkness of sin. To do so, we have to speak up! We’ve been silent for far too long. It’s time for us open our mouths, to call people out of darkness, to lead them to repentance, and to let them see what a different it makes to live in the light. Let’s start in our homes. Let’s talk to our kids about premarital sex and abortion, about drugs and alcohol. Let’s not hide our beliefs when we hear people at work defending the deeds of darkness. Let’s not be afraid to use the blunt language of the law to expose sin when necessary. Without the sting of the law the healing message of the gospel won’t mean a thing to people. Show people their sin so you can then show them their Savior, the Savior who proclaims (Jn 12:46), “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” Let God’s Son shine!

Earlier this morning we sang (CW 343:1), “Christ is the world’s light, Christ and none other; Born in our darkness, he became our brother.” The reason Jesus came into this world was to bring us into the light. As we live in this sinful world, awaiting our eternity in heaven, he continues to be with us, keeping us away from the dark. We know that comfort, that joy, that peace that is ours as we live in the “Son-light,” the light of our Savior! Let’s stay put where it’s nice and warm, where it’s safe, wrapped up in the loving arms of our Lord – but all the while still living as children of light, letting God’s Son shine for all the world to see!

Amen

–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff

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