Ephesians 5:11-14 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Pastor Herk continues, stating that all things become visible when they are expose by light, because everything reflects the visible spectrum. Through the sense of sight, light is a primary tool for perceiving the world and communicating within it. Remember the light of your salvation in Christ, which shined into the darkness for you personally. The light came on and you woke up to see the abundant life that we were blind to. The Apostle wrote in Ephesians 5:8, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” We are to reflect upon the two functions of light. (1) Light exposes what was unseen in darkness. The light of God’s holy Word is truth that exposes the fruitless, sinful and evil deeds of darkness by ignorance or want in one’s life and brings conviction of them. Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3:20-21, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
The second function of light that we are to reflect upon is (2) Light transforms. Light shows everything for what is really is. In the case of the light of our salvation and associated sanctification, that light which shines converts the who it shines upon into light. Everything that is illuminated becomes a light. The light of the Lord comes into our lives, exposes the darkness and transforms the darkness into light – children of light. We wake up to see God as just and holy and see sin as truly evil, and experience conviction in our heart mind and soul. We wake up to repent of sin and by faith believe God, accept Jesus Christ as our Savior in His atoning and redemptive sacrifice on the Cross for forgiveness, reconciliation, adoption and receive eternal life, becoming light. Colossians 1:13-14 confirms, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 proclaims, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” Think back to the times that God brought light into the darkness of our lives and remember the light. The Lord has allowed us to see the nature of the darkness that we’ve been living in, then transforms us into children of light that shines their light into darkness and light the way for others to Jesus and the real life. To become light, we have to repent of our darkness. It is a real penitence; sorrow or deep contrition for sin, as an offense and dishonor to God, a violation of his holy law, and the basest ingratitude towards a Being of infinite benevolence. This is called evangelical repentance, and is accompanied and followed by amendment of life. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.
There are two ways that we need to turn away from the darkness in this world. (1) In our deeds. People that live in the gutter (talking specifically about fallen humanity and their moral qualities, being in a state of sin, darkness, total waste, failure, or ruination), once the light of God exposes and convicts unto repentance, gets out of the gutter and changes their ways to align with the Lord’s and walks in the light as He is in the light. The children of light do not participate in deeds of darkness, fellowship or associates with those who do, except to expose them with the light of the Word. Ephesians 5:3 clearly states, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” You are light!
Let's continue Pastor Herk's message about waking up from darkness to light. In Christ, Brian
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