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Driving Through the Darkness with Light (Ephesians 5)
65 Plays3 years ago
Driving Through the Darkness with Light (Ephesians 5)
Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Prayer
00:00:08
Speaker
Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
Church Information
00:00:22
Speaker
If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, FBCColumbusTX.org. And now take your copy of God's timeless word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Insights from Ephesians 5
00:00:43
Speaker
Welcome back to Growing in Grace. Hey, I have something I want to share with you from my personal time with the Lord. The other day I was reading in Ephesians 5 and I couldn't help but notice twice it refers to darkness, to darkness. And it says in verse eight, it talks about the spiritual darkness from our past. For at one time you were darkness.
00:01:09
Speaker
But now you're light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. Isn't that a wonderful concept, a wonderful truth that those of us who have trusted Christ and put our faith in the gospel message, in the Atonement of Christ, I mean, we actually change from being dark into being light. So what a wonderful blessing that is.
00:01:32
Speaker
But it also goes on to talk about the darkness that is around us.
Darkness and Spiritual Light
00:01:37
Speaker
Even though we are light and we have the light of Jesus inside of us, we still live in a dark world. Verse 11 says, Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
00:01:53
Speaker
So I was thinking about that word, how darkness is unfruitful. A little later in verse 12, he says that it's shameful the things that are done in darkness that are done in secret. In verse 16, it says the days are evil. So I got to thinking how darkness is unfruitful, it's shameful, and it's evil. And so I thought, Lord, help us as believers to be a light so that we can show other people the way
00:02:24
Speaker
What would it be like if we were driving down the highway at a fairly good
Metaphor of Headlights as Spiritual Guidance
00:02:29
Speaker
speed, let's say 65, 70 miles an hour, and we had no headlights all of a sudden and it was dark. Can you imagine how dangerous that would be? You know, I'm so glad that someone invented headlights. I read where the first headlight on cars was around 1880, somewhere in there. And then later in 1898,
00:02:52
Speaker
They developed the first electric headlamps. And so I'm so glad that those are there. Think about the difference it makes, for example, in this time of year, October, November, when deer are breeding and how they sometimes are moving around and they'll cross the road.
00:03:12
Speaker
You know, the insurance companies have made it clear that in October and November, according to their data, there are increased deer-related accidents. As a matter of fact, I read where across the United States, anyway, every year, one in every 164 drivers will hit a deer. In Texas, it's one in every 200
00:03:37
Speaker
and 88 drivers will hit a deer. It's not always at night, but most times it is at night. And when it is, it's really bad. As a matter of fact, I read where one half of all deadly accidents across the United States, they occur at night. So thank the Lord for light. But what about the spiritual darkness? What about moral darkness? You know, we, as we're going through this life,
00:04:07
Speaker
We encounter wildlife in parentheses there. Can you imagine what would happen if we were not lighting up this dark world? Well, I think that's what the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write about in Ephesians chapter five.
00:04:26
Speaker
So I sort of want to break in to a little bit down in this chapter to verse six, where he begins. And what I want to give you are just some ideas for you to think about in terms of how can you, how can I, how can we,
00:04:43
Speaker
as believers, drive through the darkness with the light. How can this happen? How can we make a difference in our world?
Living Wisely and God's Will
00:04:53
Speaker
Listen to these words beginning in Ephesians 5, verse 6. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them, for at one time
00:05:13
Speaker
You were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret, but
00:05:43
Speaker
When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish.
00:06:12
Speaker
but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
00:06:42
Speaker
What an amazing passage that gives us, who are living right now, this particular year is 2022. So it gives us in 2022 some clarity on how can we light up a dark world.
Transformation in Christ
00:06:58
Speaker
So let's go through this passage. Let me give you a few ideas to consider. The first one is this. I think that we can light up the world around us by discerning regarding the words that we hear.
00:07:10
Speaker
by using God-given discernment. You know, verses six and seven remind us that some people out there, well, their words are not based on truth, their words are based on
00:07:23
Speaker
Falsehood and so what he calls it is he says let not let no one deceive you with empty words For because of thing these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience Therefore do not become partners with them So I was thinking about empty words are words that are not based on truth Many times in this day of well where there's virtual reality. They're not even based on reality
00:07:53
Speaker
They're sometimes based on what someone wishes it would be like. And so we have to be discerning. We can't just believe what every person says. We have to make sure that what they're telling us is actually truthful. But also, I think discerning the words that we hear, I think also it involves enticing words. You see, conversation can lead to conduct.
00:08:19
Speaker
And so that's why we have to be very careful that we are listening to the right kind of conversation and discerning if we hear the wrong kind of conversation to not allow it to influence us in a negative way. That's why, did you catch what he says? Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Avoiding Spiritual Pitfalls
00:08:45
Speaker
Therefore, do not become partners with them
00:08:49
Speaker
So you see the connection between words that we hear and actions that they lead to. So we have to use discernment. I think that's one way that we could light up a dark world. There is a second thing, though. I noticed it in this verse 6. I didn't bring it out so much just then, but I want to highlight it again. We need to also remember the wrath
00:09:15
Speaker
that an evil world will face, those who are in rebellion against Christ and against God, against His word. The light of biblical revelation exposes dangerous debris. You know, this past week, my family went to Tennessee and
00:09:34
Speaker
On our return, there was a time when we were driving and it was dark. And there was a huge piece of 18-wheeler tire that had come off of an 18-wheeler's tire. And there it was, right in my lane. But because I had headlamps, I could see it before I got there. So I was able to carefully go into the next lane and avoid that debris.
00:09:59
Speaker
But aren't you glad that God's Word can also expose dangerous debris that's out there for our marriages, that's out there for, let's say, students, young people who are seeking the right way to travel in life? Well, even though maybe they're on the right road personally,
00:10:20
Speaker
Everyone out there is not on the right road, so we may face some debris that comes over in our lane from other people's blowouts. So we have to be so careful. Well, that's why I'm saying, if we will just simply remember, we don't want to go that way because they're going to face the wrath of God. But the light of biblical revelation does expose dangerous debris, but it also exposes disastrous destiny.
00:10:50
Speaker
Think about how sobering that word is, wrath. Oh my goodness. I don't want anyone that I know to experience God's wrath, but it is a reality. It's coming for some. And so God, in His mercy, is trying to tell us, don't go the way of evil, because out there, down the road,
00:11:13
Speaker
Look at the biblical headlamp. It's trying to show you that there's a cliff and you're gonna go over that cliff. So I just wanted to remind you that we have the biblical revelation that warns us of this wrath that they will face. So we don't wanna travel that road. Let's go to a third thing. How about verses seven, eight, nine, and 10 of this text? I think it brings up a third way.
00:11:41
Speaker
that we can be a light in our world by focusing on our own personal walk in the light, focusing on our own personal walk in the light. When I read the first few verses here, seven, eight, and nine, I thought to myself, that's the transformation of the gospel.
00:12:00
Speaker
Jesus has made me so different than the man that I used to be when I was in my freshman year at university. I'm so glad that God has transformed my way of life, my walk. And I think that's what he's talking about. You know, for Paul, think about who he was, how he changed. He says here in verse seven, therefore do not become partners with them, for at one time you were darkness.
00:12:27
Speaker
But now your light in the Lord walk as children of light.
00:12:33
Speaker
For the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true." When I got to thinking about those three descriptive words, I thought, that's where I want to live. I want to live that transformative life that only Christ can produce. You see, God will take care of the depth of our lives. You know, these three words remind us of our relationships.
00:13:00
Speaker
I like what John MacArthur wrote when he was writing about this verse. He said he thought that good and right and true represents three different relationships in every believer's life.
00:13:15
Speaker
Good represents our relationship with other people. Do you have good, positive, beneficial relationships with other people, or are they dysfunctional? I think that's a difference Christ can make. Then he mentions the word right. I think that is like Dr. MacArthur says, that refers to our relationship with God. Is your relationship with God right?
00:13:41
Speaker
You know, that's where Christ, that's when He came to reconcile us. We were rebellious, but we can be made right through the shed blood of Christ. But then when He mentions the word true, I think He's speaking about the relationship we have with our own character, with our own integrity. The Lord can help us to be consistent and to live true, to be honest and so forth.
00:14:09
Speaker
But then he says something interesting in verse 10, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Let's say that someone said, I want that transformation of my walk, but how do I find navigation
00:14:26
Speaker
for my walk? How can I find the orientation to know which way is the right way? Well, that's where I think the headlamp helps, right? We wouldn't know where the road was if we didn't have the headlamps whenever it's dark outside. Well, it's the same way spiritually. Where do we find that navigation for life, the direction for our lives? I think it's by saying, Lord, I want to please you.
00:14:53
Speaker
God will help us know what His mind says is the right way to go, and He will help us if we only would desire to say, Lord, I want to try to discern what is truly pleasing to you. If that is the heartbeat of your life, then I guarantee you God will help you to light up the world.
Being a Light for Others
00:15:18
Speaker
But let's think about others who are still in darkness. I think we have a role to play in terms of the influence, in terms of introducing them to the light that can help them as well.
00:15:32
Speaker
You know, I was thinking in verses 11 through 14 about how if I were going down the highway and it's nighttime and suddenly my headlamps both go out, if someone came up beside me in the lane beside me,
00:15:48
Speaker
You know what happens? The light from their vehicle would also partially light the way for me. And so I couldn't help but think we can also shine the way out of darkness. We can shine the way out of darkness that other people are experiencing.
00:16:06
Speaker
It's almost like whenever someone is behind me and they choose to pass me, there's a brief moment when we're both exactly side by side, when his headlamps and my headlamps, they're both lighting the way and the entire road is extremely illuminated.
00:16:26
Speaker
There's illumination from new life in Christ. So why don't we say, like he's talking about in these verses, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them? For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes visible is light.
00:16:51
Speaker
Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. And so I'm thinking how we can help other people if we will simply concentrate on the new life that we have in Christ. Can you imagine falling asleep at the will?
00:17:10
Speaker
You won't believe it, but I'm told that there are 6000 fatalities every year because of one particular thing that happens when someone is driving. You know what it is? They fall asleep at the wheel. Drowsy driving takes 6000 lives every year. How scary is that? It's so important that we stay awake, not only when we're driving a vehicle,
00:17:39
Speaker
but also when we're driving a life. As we're going down the road, don't you know your kids are watching you? Your grandkids are watching you.
00:17:49
Speaker
Your coworkers are watching you. If you're a student, other students at your school, they're watching you. So I urge you, be a light for them. Show them the way out of the darkness. Let's live that new life that we have in Christ. You may not realize how it is going to light up the road for somebody that's traveling right alongside of you.
00:18:15
Speaker
Well, let me give you a fifth pointer that I think will help us to know, how can we light up a dark world? Well,
Role of God's Word in Guidance
00:18:22
Speaker
I would say also, looking to the wisdom within the Word of God, verses 15 and 16, they don't really mention the Word of God, but it's mentioned right here in the context of God's Word. It's written in God's Word. And so I couldn't help but think, where can we download
00:18:42
Speaker
God's wisdom into our minds, into our hearts, into our lives. Well, I think we even find it right here as we're going through scripture together at Growing in Grace. So verses 15 and 16 remind me, it's almost like the dual lights that we have on our vehicles.
00:19:04
Speaker
Aren't you glad that in 1924, they began to have these dual headlamps where you had a low beam and a high beam? There have been times that the low beam didn't seem to go far enough. And so when I hit high beam, it's like I can see the sides of the road.
00:19:26
Speaker
Many times when I've hit that high beam, guess what I discover is just off the road, a deer. And so I'm so glad that in 1924, they began to develop these headlamps for all the vehicles that they were producing and designing.
00:19:43
Speaker
But what about God's Word, and what about our lives? How about this wisdom that we can receive from God's Word? What will it make a difference in? What would be the low beam? What would be the high beam in terms of God giving us wisdom in His Word, and then we apply that wisdom to everyday life? There's two things that came to my mind.
00:20:08
Speaker
The low beam could be the step-by-step obedience to what God has revealed to us in His Word. That's why He says, look carefully then how you walk. I would even say, look carefully then how you step. Every step we take should be a step of obedience to the Lord. He goes on to say, not as unwise, but as wise. So that's the low beam that God's Word could give us wisdom for
00:20:37
Speaker
how to walk in obedience, but how about the high beam? The high beam, I think, could represent opportunities, opportunities that are all around us every single day.
00:20:50
Speaker
You know, Jesus said that His Father is always working every single day in our lives. God's working through you. God's working around you. And so we need to be careful that we don't miss those opportunities. That's why the very next verse, after saying we should not walk as unwise but as wise, goes on to say, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.
00:21:20
Speaker
because the days are evil, because this broken world is so dark in the spiritual darkness. Because of that, we need to have our eyes wide open. We need to be lighting up the world looking for wisdom from God's word to know, Lord, how can I brighten the corner where I am by
00:21:44
Speaker
living in wisdom and making the most of ever opportunity by living in obedience myself. Well, that's a fifth pointer that I would give to you. One that's related to that, but maybe somewhat different, is mentioned in verse 17, living within the will of God, living within the will of God.
Living by God's Will Inspired by History
00:22:07
Speaker
You know, I'm told that many years ago, one of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, he lived in Philadelphia.
00:22:14
Speaker
So he began to bring up to the leaders there in the city of Philadelphia his burden for nighttime. The streets were dark in front of each person's home. It was really dark. And so they were having trouble with crime. They were having trouble with people tripping and falling in potholes and so forth. So.
00:22:35
Speaker
Benjamin Franklin said, I think we are to look into the possibility of lighting up the night with street lights all along the sidewalks and along the streets in front of our homes. Well, he said, if you'll do that, I think crime will decrease, but also people falling and having these accidents physically by tripping and stepping in holes, that will also improve. But you know what? Everyone laughed.
00:23:03
Speaker
They said, what are you talking about? Franklin, you don't know what you're talking about. But you know, Benjamin Franklin, he said, well, I can't change everybody's mind, but I can make a difference out front of my house. So Benjamin Franklin,
00:23:18
Speaker
installed an oil burning lamp, a lantern, out there in front of his house. No one tripped. He had no trouble with crime and thieves and so forth. You know what he did? He simply said, I can't change everybody, but I can live it myself.
00:23:36
Speaker
If you and I will simply live in the will of God, in the center of God's will, imagine the clarity. Imagine the visibility that it will produce in lives of those around us. Listen, luminosity makes a difference. And so light up the night by you personally saying, I want to understand what the will of the Lord is like it exhorts me to in verse 17.
00:24:05
Speaker
Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Hey, listen, I've only got one more, one more pointer, one more word of advice that I would like to give to you and pass
Embracing the Holy Spirit
00:24:19
Speaker
along. If you want to light up all the darkness that is around you, how can you do it? Well, we've looked at six things. Let me give you a seventh just to kind of close it out.
00:24:31
Speaker
Turn the wheel over to the Holy Spirit, verses 18 through 21. I believe that it refers to being filled with the Spirit of God. Being filled means being controlled by. Every day to say fresh and new, Lord, I really want you to control my life. I want you to fill my life.
00:24:52
Speaker
If we will allow the Holy Spirit to fill our lives, there are five participles that show the results of the Spirit's filling, speaking, singing, making melody, giving thanks, being subject to one another. Of course, the first and the last are related to other people, right? Whereas the second, the third, and the fourth of those participles relates to the Lord. But just to summarize it,
00:25:20
Speaker
If you and I stay full of the Holy Spirit, the light is going to shine so bright because what will he feel our lives full of? Well, once again, you're going to be joyful.
00:25:35
Speaker
You're going to be thankful, grateful. You're going to be respectful. I think that's going to make an incredible difference around you, around me. So I just want to encourage you, if you're discouraged because of all the darkness that's around and the darkness that you see on the evening news or you hear about, you read about it, you get it as the headline news updates on your phone, let me just encourage you.
00:26:03
Speaker
Go to Ephesians 5 and say, Lord, I can't change all this darkness that's going on in our world.
Lighting Up the World with Jesus
00:26:12
Speaker
But the one thing you can do, if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can light up the darkness as you let Jesus live his life through you. So you go and light your world this week. Let me pray for you before you go. Oh, Lord.
00:26:31
Speaker
I just thank you so much for where I live. I thank you for where each person who is listening lives. Lord, I pray that you would help each of us to simply light up the darkness. Oh Lord, this is a broken and a fallen world. But through the gospel, you have brought so much light into our lives. Jesus, you are the light of the world. And so I pray
00:26:56
Speaker
that you would release your light through each one of us as we go through the rest of our day and the rest of our week. Thank you so much for the difference that Jesus Christ makes in each life.
00:27:12
Speaker
Lord, I pray right now for any that do not have that personal relationship with Christ. Lord, help them do that, because that may be what's missing in their lives. And so, Father, I just really pray that you would help them to turn from sin, to trust Christ, and to watch you make a difference around them at their work, in their school, in their neighborhood,
00:27:37
Speaker
in their family, in all of their relationships. Thank you so much, Lord, for coming into this old dark world and for lighting it up. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Hey, you have a great day and a great rest of your week. Thank you so much for listening to Growing in Grace. May God bless you.
00:28:02
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church, located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.